Chapter 424: Trench Cloud Castle

After dealing with the monsters before him and some cultivators who had turned into corpses, Yan Buji's expression gradually grew solemn.

At this moment, he was at the sea bottom, yet the surrounding currents seemed to have stopped. In the pitch‑black depths one could not see a hand in front of one's face; although this was no great issue for Yan Buji, the seriousness lay in those monsters that were almost tainted by corpse qi and death qi!

"This must be the center of the battlefield."

All ancient battlefields share one trait: a heavy, oppressive death qi, and especially since something went awry in Youming Jie, the souls of those dead cultivators find it difficult to pass on normally.

But even so, the actual circumstances must be taken into account.

For example, if a cultivator's strength does not reach the Core Formation or Golden Core stages, their souls cannot remain in the Yang world for long; even without Youming's escort, they would be swept away and dissolved by wind, fire, or water. Yet here, there are plenty of corpse ghosts of both Lianqi Phase and Golden Core stages.

For such a situation to appear on the sea floor, Yan Buji could only think that perhaps a cultivator skilled in refining corpse ghosts had cursed them before they died, but a corpse transformation on this scale suggests that the cultivator…

"At least it's a Nascent Soul stage one."

This also explains why Yan Buji has not encountered any corpse ghosts of the Nascent Soul stage since entering this place; these souls, unable to pass on and bound within their bodies, become corpse ghosts, which is also one of the evil practices that the cultivation world universally condemns.

Corpse refining is not a pleasant name to begin with, so if one truly meets a Nascent Soul True Lord who excels at corpse refining, Yan Buji suspects the other might be secretly cultivating within this place.

But, coincidentally, after arriving here, the technique in Yan Buji's palm began to glow, confirming that, as he suspected, there truly is primeval daylight qi present, so Yan Buji still intends to press on.

No matter what danger lies ahead, if we can't win, we can simply look for a chance to open a Heaven Gate and escape.

"What is this?"

After Yan Buji's eyes flashed with a divine light that dispelled the corpse ghost, he looked down and found a tattered metal plate beneath the ghost; curious, he picked it up and examined it closely.

On the other side, after Lie Huo and the others located the ancient battlefield, they eliminated the nearby corpse ghosts and arrived at a trench emitting billowing black vapors, entwined with vengeful souls.

Lie Huo furrowed his brow: "It's right here."

"Comrade Lie, back when Sun-Moon Palace fought the Wing Tribe, how could a Nascent Soul True Lord who specialized in refining corpse ghosts have taken part?"

"That... involves some secret matters from back then. As you all know, in ancient times Magical Cultivation had no distinction between righteous and demonic. Moreover, Dongxing Sea Region does not treat righteous and demonic cultivators much differently," Lie Huo waved his hand.

"Oh..."

It means that the Sun-Moon Palace also had demonic cultivators back then.

Looking at the surrounding tattered metal plates, Lie Huo said, "Before we came, I already warned everyone that the ghost qi here is heavy, and with the Wing Tribe's vengeful souls, one must act cautiously when entering, and not panic."

"That's natural."

"Since Comrade Lie is here for the lost treasure of the Sun-Moon Palace, we will naturally lend you a hand."

Lie Huo smiled: "Thank you, fellow cultivators."

The group simultaneously cast their techniques, shielding themselves as they leapt into the trench.

The rolling black vapors continuously eroded their magical power, but the deeper they went, the weaker the erosion became.

"Comrade Lie, why does the ghost qi diminish the deeper we go?"

"Probably because after the Wing Tribe turned into corpse ghosts, they gradually dissipated over time, but the trench's topology is different; unable to dissolve into the sea floor, they rise upward."

"I see."

The others didn't think much about it; after all, knowing too much about ghost qi could indicate a tendency toward demonic corruption.

They are all pure‑nature cultivators, and demonic cultivators causing trouble are rare in Dongxing Sea Region, so their knowledge on this matter is limited.

Or perhaps, since there is no significant conflict of interest, they do not wish to interfere with their own cultivation.

After all, impure nature is indeed a shortcut to rapidly boost cultivation, but for pure‑nature cultivators it is a poison that quenches thirst with poison.

The deeper they dived, the more their spiritual senses sensed that the resentment here was heavier than on the battlefield, especially the harassment of the Wing Tribe's vengeful souls, which made everyone irritable.

"Everyone, be careful; these vengeful souls are the very souls of Wing people, naturally formidable!"

Seeing several Wing vengeful souls charge, the group cast spells in unison; after a flash of blade light and sword shadows, they shattered and vanished.

"Truly irksome!" a cultivator looked around and said, "I don't know why, but ever since we arrived here my mind has been uneasy. Could there be some danger below?"

The others also sensed something and turned to look at Lie Huo.

Lie Huo furrowed his brow, produced a few pills, and said, "I don't know the exact situation below, so everyone should remain cautious."

They took the pills, swallowed them, and a wave of coolness spread through their bodies, instantly making them feel much more comfortable.

"Your Triple‑turn Pure Heart Pill is truly excellent!"

"Hehe."

The group continued descending, slaying many ambushing vengeful souls, and finally reached the bottom of the trench.

Seeing in front of them a cloud layer entwined by swirls of black vapor, everyone was startled: "Is this... the Wing Tribe's war fortress Cloud Castle?"

The Cloud Castle was like a mass of cloud; outwardly it appeared as a huge cloud formation, yet the cloud layer before them, enshrouded in black vapor, rose over a hundred meters high, occupying half of the trench!

And that black vapor, seeming like a seal, forcibly dragged the fortress that should have floated among the sky clouds into the pitch‑dark, fathomless depths of the trench!

Lie Huo's emotions surged, then quickly settled. Pointing at the Cloud Castle, he said, "This should be the Wing Tribe's Cloud Castle that Sun-Moon Palace shot down back then; the treasure we seek lies within. Everyone, as we go in, remember not to let greed cause discord! I only need to retrieve Sun-Moon Palace's treasure; the rest of the loot you can discuss among yourselves."

"Comrade Lie, don't worry!"

"We've been traveling north and south for so many years; how could we fight over unequal loot?"

"Hahaha."

Seeing everyone assure him, Lie Huo nodded: "Then let's go inside."

"How do we get across?"

"Everyone, wait a moment."

Lie Huo raised his hand and began to dispel the seal; the black vapor surrounding the cloud layer instantly thinned, revealing a great gate.

"Everyone, hurry inside; only I know this method of dispelling, and when we exit we'll need to use it again!"

The others raised an eyebrow, wondering if Lie Huo wasn't afraid of them cheating because they'd still have to rely on him to get out after going in.

But they truly had no intention of cheating, and thus didn't mind Lie Huo's little scheming.

Regarding the treasure inside a war fortress, the current cooperation among them poses absolutely no problem.

Everyone wants to find the treasure, and they all have the capability, so they aren't afraid of others cheating.

As the group entered, the great gate before the Cloud Castle was once again shrouded and sealed by black vapor.

After a long while, a figure finally appeared before the cloud fortress.