Chapter 503: Soul-Seizing Melody

Following the guidance of the black broken blade, Hua Changxi carried the white bone lantern, moving swiftly through the gray, dim haze, until soon another surging sea of black clouds came into view.

However, unlike the first sea of black clouds at the center of Ghost Realm Fortress, which could be traversed freely, this second zone's black cloud sea had been occupied by several ghost faction forces; to pass through, one actually had to pay a toll.

"Why has the price gone up again?"

"Yes, previously paying five mid-grade netherstones to pass 'Zhongyuankou' was already expensive, but now they demand ten mid-grade netherstones just to let us through; you are simply robbing us."

"Take it or leave it; if you won't pay, then scram."

Hua Changxi stood still in the shadow of a distant black rock, watching the commotion among the ghost crowd ahead with cold eyes.

As more ghosts gathered, greed and anger fermented in the turbid air, and verbal disputes quickly escalated into physical shoving.

Immediately, the first piercing scream tore through the noise.

The conflict instantly turned into slaughter.

Hua Changxi had intended to slip through 'Zhongyuankou' amidst the chaos, but unexpectedly, the ghost forces entrenched there directly sealed off the passage, refusing to let any ghost pass.

She originally had no intention of interfering in the internal struggles of the ghost races, but now that these fellows were blocking her path, she could not simply ignore them.

She did not choose to fly into that chaotic mass of ghosts; instead, she picked up that Ghost Chariot Soul Flute and raised it to her lips.

She had not yet practiced the "Soul-Seizing Melody," and when she first puffed out her cheeks to blow, the flute body emitted only a dull thud; not a single ghost in the distance even glanced her way.

The corners of Hua Changxi's mouth twitched slightly; unwilling to give up, she adjusted her breath and tried again.

"Hoo~"

"Woo~"

"Squeak~"

After several attempts, sound finally emerged, but it formed no melody; instead, it seemed merely to cheer on that group of slaughtering ghosts.

Uh...

Hua Changxi's expression stiffened as she froze for a moment; looking at the ghost crowd ahead that had fought until their eyes were red, she took a deep breath, walked directly to a small hillock nearby with a clear view, and sat down.

She did not wish to personally charge into that battlefield of slaughter; it would be better to master the "Soul-Seizing Melody" before crossing.

Those ghosts in the distance happened to be the perfect tools to test her flute-playing skills.

Hua Changxi quickly reviewed the incantations and finger techniques of the "Soul-Seizing Melody" in her mind, then raised the soul flute once more.

"Woo..."

A low flute sound finally rang out.

At first, the flute music remained very rough, like an invisible thin thread, trembling as it drifted toward the ghost crowd.

The slaughtering ghosts paused only slightly in their movements, as if they had heard some strange sound, but they paid it no heed and continued wrestling together.

Hua Changxi watched the ghosts' reactions, her fingers dancing nimbly over the flute holes, continuously channeling the soul power within her body through her fingertips into the soul flute.

After some time, the flute music gradually became coherent; although it remained obscure and unpleasant, sometimes sharp as a ghost's wail and sometimes dull as muffled thunder, falling upon the ghost crowd, it only caused a few small ghosts near the hillock to subconsciously frown and shake their heads before plunging back into the slaughter.

Hua Changxi did not lose heart; her fingertips fluttered as she adjusted the pressure on the flute holes bit by bit, pondering the method of qi circulation recorded in the mental cultivation technique, while exerting slight force in her throat to make her breath steadier and deeper.

After another period of time, the flute music gradually became coherent, no longer chaotic noise, but gaining a few notes of a chillingly cold rhythm.

This time, when the flute music drifted to the battlefield, the movements of those slaughtering ghosts clearly paused.

The ghosts, whose eyes had been red with madness as they swung wildly, seemed to have their ferocity diminish slightly in the depths of their gaze; their movements slowed somewhat, and the bone blades in their hands were no longer swung so fiercely.

The wails of those wandering ghosts also weakened, their eyes becoming somewhat unfocused, as if drawn by something, subconsciously turning to look in the direction of the hillock.

Seeing the battle was no longer intense, a ghost expert immediately shouted harshly: "What are you all standing around for? Keep killing!"

The rebuke temporarily brought back the sanity of some ghosts, and the slaughter resumed, yet this time, it clearly lacked the previous madness.

"It's working!"

Hua Changxi watched the movements in the distance, the corners of her lips curving slightly; she did not stop playing but instead focused even more intently.

Her fingertips became ever more nimble, her breath ever steadier, and the rhythm of the "Soul-Seizing Melody" gradually grew clear.

The chillingly cold flute music was like invisible silk threads, winding around the wind and slowly spreading outward, carrying a faint soul-seizing power; no longer sharp, it became increasingly bone-chilling, drilling into the souls of every ghost, as if intending to freeze their very essence.

After practicing for about half an incense stick's worth of time, the flute music had become melodious yet icy cold, every note carrying the power to hook souls and seize spirits.

The ghost crowd in the distance was completely thrown into disarray.

The ghosts, who had been fighting fiercely, slowly grew stiff in their movements, their eyes gradually losing focus, and then, with a series of 'thump-thump-thump' sounds, they fell to the ground like dumplings being dropped into a pot, lying motionless.

At this moment, several ghost leaders finally noticed Hua Changxi on the hillock, their eyes filled with shock and fear.

Hua Changxi sat on the slope, the Ghost Chariot Soul Flute at her lips still emitting chillingly cold flute music; with the rise and fall of her fingertips, she had already gained a few degrees of proficiency.

She lowered her eyes, her expression calm, focusing solely on feeling the soul-seizing power within the flute music and adjusting the rhythm of every note.

The ghostly fire of the white bone lantern at her feet flickered, casting her profile in alternating light and shadow, forming a bizarre yet harmonious scene with the ghost crowd in the distance that had fallen into stagnant silence.

After playing for a while longer, Hua Changxi felt she had thoroughly practiced the first layer of the "Soul-Seizing Melody"—Bewitching the Soul—and slowly stopped.

At this moment, the vast majority of the ghost crowd in the distance had already lost their sanity, with only a few leaders retaining a slight clarity of mind.

Hua Changxi picked up the white bone lantern, stood up, patted the dust from her clothes, swept her gaze over those fallen, dazed ghosts ahead, and carrying the lantern, walked slowly down the hillock toward the entrance of Zhongyuankou.

Just as she was about to reach Zhongyuankou, a gust of yin wind came howling.

"Whoosh~"

A wild wind suddenly rose, swirling up the ground full of foul-smelling dust.

A white sedan chair, like a phantom, tore through the gray dimness, bringing with it a grim aura of killing intent, and forcibly stopped not far in front of Hua Changxi.

The sedan curtains hung low, making it impossible to see the reality within.

However, the people carrying the sedan and clearing the path were seen clearly by Hua Changxi; they were unexpectedly the five human cultivators she had encountered on the Yellow Spring Ancient Road!

"Oh!"

"The ghost races have actually produced a great benefactor; how rare!"

The hanging veil of the sedan was lifted, revealing a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in white.

With a sweep of her Eye of Truth, Hua Changxi's pupils contracted sharply; the true form of the woman inside the sedan was actually a skeleton.

She understood the unspoken words of the woman in white, and she also read the doubt and scrutiny in her eyes.

She had already made her move, yet she did not annihilate and devour this group of ghost races; indeed, this did not quite align with the modus operandi of the ghost races.

The Soul-Seizing Tune consists of three layers: the first layer, Bewildering Soul, causes listeners to lose their sanity and obey commands; the second layer, Severing Soul, turns the flute sound into blades that slice the listeners' soul bodies; the third layer, Ashes to Ashes, directly causes the listeners' soul bodies to collapse, scattering their souls and dispersing their spirits.

Having only just learned the Soul-Seizing Tune, it was already commendable that she could fully play the first layer; to achieve the effects of the second and third layers, she would need much more practice.

Furthermore, she had no actual conflict of interest with the ghost races, so there was no need for her to engage in widespread slaughter of them.

Hua Changxi casually rotated the bone lantern in her hand, lifted her gaze slightly, and looked at the bone woman: "I have no interest in ants; if I kill, I kill the strong. Do you wish to try?"