Chapter 280: Chapter 280: Moving In

Currently, Jiang Yu, inside the endless Ghost Path, feels more and more yin qi, and even the Old Shopkeeper's thunder‑light barrier cannot stop much of it.

Fortunately, the Chaotic Primordial Talisman Book in her Sea of Knowledge activates again, shielding her spirit with golden flakes, allowing her to gradually shake off dizziness and clear her mind.

Jiang Yu couldn't help but rejoice, quickly reaching for the Storage Ring to retrieve the pill, but the Storage Ring, like a Dragon Pearl, would not open.

She then pressed the Storage Ring to her finger, finally extracting the Calming Pill and Great Restoring Pill to take.

After an unknown amount of time, the Old Shopkeeper, who had been sustaining the barrier, felt his magical power draining too quickly and took out the last spiritual stone from his dark pouch, saying, "Jiang Yu, unleash all your thunder‑type artifacts; I'll use my Fated Sword to protect myself.

High‑grade healing pills, give them to the Shark King."

He glanced at the prepared Taiyin Fire Seed and thought, until the most critical moment, it must not be used.

Then he scanned deeply left and right at the two juniors; if they truly cannot be protected, they shouldn't blame me for abandoning them.

The Shark King, gravely wounded, lay in a half‑faint state; she did not, unlike Jiang Yu, see the Old Shopkeeper's meaning‑laden glance.

Jiang Yu, aware that the road ahead was uncertain and still relying on the Old Shopkeeper's protection, immediately summoned her Fated Thunder‑Fire Sword from her dantian and also retrieved the dozen or so Thunder Mother Stones previously stored in the Storage Ring.

After a moment's thought, she also contributed the three Thunder Spirit Talismans remaining in the ring, then fed the pills to the Shark King.

"Did you not see the Thunder Spirit Stone?" the Old Shopkeeper asked as her condition improved, handing the Shark King to her so he could free a hand to absorb the thunder energy from the Thunder Mother Stone, while the other hand continuously tightened, reinforcing the original Thunder Net Barrier.

"No." Jiang Yu, supporting the Shark King, tried several times to place her into the spirit beast bag, but each attempt failed.

Having no other choice, Jiang Yu infused her Fated Sword with spiritual energy, activating a thunder‑electric defense, and also retrieved several Golden Bell Talismans, affixing them to herself and

while the Old Shopkeeper had already absorbed several Thunder Mother Stones and, without hesitation, smashed the stones, causing the barrier to explode.

Thus, some yin qi was blown apart, and then he consecutively released three Thunder Talismans, instantly dispersing even more yin qi ahead.

Just as the Old Shopkeeper, nodding subtly due to the pressure easing, a sudden change occurred.

The yin qi behind them moved without wind, a half‑breath's howl accelerating, causing the barrier to gradually lose its weight.

With an invisible suction ahead and a trembling yin wind behind, Jiang Yu's body kept flipping with the barrier and colliding against it; after a short while, she could no longer hold the Shark King.

Seeing the Old Shopkeeper also unable to keep his form steady, and the Thunder Net Barrier appearing to be torn, Jiang Yu immediately gripped her Fated Sword for self‑protection and strained to pull another spiritual stone from the Storage Ring.

"Premium spiritual stone, secure the Shark King." The Old Shopkeeper snatched it with lightning speed, instantly absorbing the spiritual energy inside, and didn't forget to kick the Shark King into Jiang Yu's arms.

He does have spiritual stones, but they're all stored in his portable shop, and he can't retrieve them at the moment.

Years of ease have left only a few pill spiritual stones in his dark pouch.

At that moment, Jiang Yu clutched the Shark King, about to untie the floating ribbons on her robe, when the barrier collided with a solid mass of yin qi, and the thunder light dimmed considerably.

Fortunately, the Old Shopkeeper promptly replenished spiritual energy and thickened the barrier.

But one after another, meteor‑like yin qi clumps drained his spiritual energy again, almost completely.

Jiang Yu constantly watched the Old Shopkeeper's changes and had to pull out all the spiritual stones from the Storage Ring, including the inferior ones.

After an indeterminate amount of time, they finally crossed this stone‑like yin qi, and the wind behind them vanished inexplicably.

But as the barrier, now flying with the suction, ceased swirling, another obstacle appeared ahead.

Dark fire clusters, each with eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, opened huge mouths to swallow the barrier.

Prepared for any response, Jiang Yu saw the ever‑stoic Old Shopkeeper suddenly smile; as the barrier neared the gaping mouth, he flicked out a crimson flame.

It's a fire seed!

The tiny flame rushed into the mouth, and instantly the massive dark fire cluster merged with the crimson fire seed.

Jiang Yu couldn't help but say, "Fire seed from the Nether Realm?"

The Old Shopkeeper smiled without replying, watching the crimson fire seed slay fire clusters all around, devouring each and growing larger.

In a moment, no fire clusters remained before them, and just as the fire seed seemed to burst outward and fly back, the barrier collided with something again.

Jiang Yu felt her eyes unable to open under the exploding barrier; the next instant, she was enveloped in a burst of golden light and then lost all consciousness.

When she awoke again, her whole body ached incessantly, her internal spiritual energy was empty, practicing her cultivation method hurt even more, yet her spirit remained unharmed.

Strangely, her Fated Sword returned to her Sea of Knowledge to rest; upon inspecting it internally, there were no external injuries—perhaps the pills had healed it—but many tendons and vessels were broken.

Jiang Yu hurriedly checked for the Dragon Pearl, gave it a slight shake, and heard Jiang Tu running and exclaiming excitedly, "You're awake, you finally woke up, but the Dragon Pearl is still sealed; I can't get out for now."

"How long have I slept, and where is this? Where are the Old Shopkeeper and the others?" Her spirit remained, and she immediately projected to scan the surroundings; hearing Jiang Tu say she had been unconscious for three days.

The Shark King fared worse; after his cultivation temporarily vanished, his true form emerged and had already been captured by the Old Shopkeeper into a spirit beast bag.

Jiang Yu thought it was probably because the barrier exploded while the Shark King was still unconscious, leaving no chance for self‑protection.

When she realized it was a simple mountain shrine, the Old Shopkeeper approached as she lay on a jade bed and asked, "Old Shopkeeper, I feel the spiritual aura here is far denser than on Tianyuan Continent; is this the Spirit Realm?"

"I'm not sure; my injuries are serious, so I can't venture far now. Below the mountain lies a mortal village, though years of war have left it somewhat ruined."

"You and the Shark King are relatively fortunate; your Nascent Soul Golden Core is unharmed, but you'll need time to restore your tendons and vessels."

"I intend, once you can descend, to send you to the town or county seat and then investigate what this place is."

The Old Shopkeeper looked at her inquisitively.

Jiang Yu felt a chill in her heart as he said, "Your artifact at the end of the Ghost Path saved several of us, but before you reach the Hua Shen stage, it's best not to reveal it to others."

"Yes, I'll obey you." As soon as she finished speaking, her stomach rumbled loudly; Jiang Yu, embarrassed, immediately rummaged the Storage Ring for a Bigu Pill.

The Old Shopkeeper was unperturbed, "Temporarily lost cultivation is like that of a mortal."

Two days later, after Jiang Yu could descend, the Old Shopkeeper, noting the town's few residents, chose to send her to the county seat to rent a civilian house.

As for lacking a mortal household registration, that's no issue for the Dragon King; a small illusion can bypass it.

"Hmph, you think he'll go investigate? He'll probably find a place to heal first. But at least he won't take your artifact, which is good." Jiang Tu watched him leave, about to jump out of the now‑unsealed Dragon Pearl.

Jiang Yu immediately stopped him, "You can't come out; I haven't set the formation."

"Sigh, if he's injured again, he's also a Hua Shen, able to easily detect our movements."

"By the way, where's the Dragon Soul? And is my older brother okay?"

Alas, even if he gets injured again, he is a Spirit Transformation cultivator, able to easily detect our movements.

By the way, how's the dragon soul? And how is my older brother?