"They have already left Nanyang City, having departed right from the beginning. The wagons for hauling goods blocked the road for quite a stretch, and those noble families wouldn’t care about whether we live or die,"
Rong Shibao comnted sarcastically, harboring a considerable amount of resentnt in his heart.
"They all ran away? So many ghosts entering the city at the sa ti, that’s not normal in any way."
Dong Hongtian said with a look of helplessness. He thought about the grand clans and noble families; when these city cultivators were leading the way in fleeing, how could ordinary people counter the ghosts?
Su Jie furrowed his brows in thought and pointed to a red stone hanging in the room, saying, "Mr. Rong, I want to ask where this stone cos from. I noticed just now that when those ghosts approached, the stone would emit a red light, it’s like a warning signal, right?"
"You, the younger generation, do observe quite ticulously."
Rong Shibao gave Su Jie another look and explained, "This is an amulet given to us by the Miao Mo Sect to peace and safety called the Primordial Spirit Pearl. It bears the blessing of Miao Mo Venerate; it will alert us whenever ghosts are near. Now, every household in Nanyang City is equipped with one."
"May I have a look at this Primordial Spirit Pearl?"
"Be careful with it, don’t break it."
Rong Shibao hesitated for a mont and stood by, watching Su Jie closely out of concern that he might damage it.
When Su Jie took the Primordial Spirit Pearl in his hands, it felt smooth and warm, unlike ordinary Spirit Stones or Blood Marrow Crystals—there was no Spiritual Power in it.
On the contrary, Su Jie felt an extrely unusual energy in the Primordial Spirit Pearl, one that was filled with a sense of malevolence.
While holding the pearl, Su Jie used his own Spiritual Power to probe delicately and discovered that the energy within was slowly increasing.
According to the law of conservation of energy, energy cannot be created out of thin air... Su Jie’s gaze swept back and forth across the room, finally resting on Rong Shibao, Dong Hongtian, Chen Yun, and the others.
He then saw strands of grayish-black energy emanating from their bodies and flowing into the Primordial Spirit Pearl, including himself, although what drifted from him was much less.
"This is... fear energy."
Su Jie felt a surge of realization deep inside.
The Primordial Spirit Pearl was absorbing the energy of fear emitted from everyone’s emotions.
Thinking back to what Rong Shibao had said about every household possessing one of these pearls, a bold speculation ford in Su Jie’s mind.
Su Jie suppressed his thoughts and placed the Primordial Spirit Pearl back in its original position.
"Try not to make too much noise while sleeping tonight, or the ghosts will be attracted, and we’ll all die."
Rong Shibao picked up a broom, and while fighting back nausea, he swept the bunches of hair, fingernails, rotten fish, and shrimp vomited onto the floor to one side. If he had known that hosting Su Jie and the others would result in deaths, he might not have been willing to shelter them.
After finishing these tasks, Rong Shibao continued to stay in the living room, apparently to stay awake through the night.
"We’ll take turns to keep watch tonight."
Su Jie and the others exchanged glances and imdiately made a decision.
Given the situation with the ghosts outside, they would have to leave Nanyang City during daylight, so they had to spend the night.
.......
The night passed uneventfully.
The next day, as dawn broke and the sun rose, many people got out of bed with dark circles under their eyes.
The commotion last night was significant, with various noises of ghosts traversing the city streets being heard from ti to ti.
More than a few were awakened repeatedly by the disturbances, and under the nervous and uneasy tension, few people really managed to sleep well.
Exiting the house to the courtyard, all the horses were gone, with only the dried black blood on the ground as proof of their ordeal from the night before.
There were significantly more people on the streets in the city.
Yesterday, when Su Jie and the others entered Nanyang City, it was already dusk. Perhaps because it was nearing night, and fearing the ghosts, there had been very few pedestrians on the streets.
But now in the morning, there were street vendors setting up their stalls, children running and playing, and noodle shops, dicine stores, and restaurants all opening their doors to welco custors, with their sales pitches carrying far and wide.
Just as Rong Shibao had said, for these ordinary families in Nanyang City, their entire livelihoods were here. Many had fields outside the city, and even with the presence of ghosts, they could only choose to endure in silence.
"To leave ho and livelihood and go to a strange place, one may encounter roving bandits and villains, all kinds of difficulties and humiliations; the danger might even be greater than staying in Nanyang City."
"During the day, those who live in the Ghost City still have to co out to make a living. Fortunately, there are no disturbances from ghosts in daylight, or else you wouldn’t see such scenes on the streets."
"Mr. Rong, we will be taking our leave now."
"Listen to my advice: leave the city as soon as you can and don’t co back."
Without even caring for breakfast, Su Jie and the others bid farewell to Rong Shibao, bought a few horses at the market, and then galloped out of the city gates, leaving behind the city plagued by ghostly dangers.
It was about a two-day journey from Nanyang City to Green Valley Plain. Su Jie and his companions urged their horses to go faster, wishing to arrive as soon as possible.
However, contrary to their wishes, a heavy fog enveloped the official road re forty li outside the city.
This dense fog was like smoke and waves, vast like water, severely limiting visibility.
"Such a massive fog."
Dong Hongtian slowed down to prevent the horses from misstepping or crashing into trees.
"This damn weather, we should’ve left later."
Gan Huren’s clothes were soaked with the mist, complaining about the terrible conditions.
"Stop complaining; it will get better once the sun rises high."
Dong Hongtian dismounted and led his horse by the reins as he walked on.
"Su Jie."
Chen Yun led her horse to Su Jie’s side and whispered, "What should we do?"
"Don’t alarm the enemy unnecessarily."
Su Jie’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly observed the unfolding events.
To the untrained eye, the thick fog ahead seed innocuous. But Su Jie and Chen Yun were Demon Cultivators, and they imdiately recognized sothing was amiss—it was a Formation.
Whoosh!
Right at that mont, sothing seed to stir within the fog.
Suddenly, Cui Bingyuan and Gan Huren in the team fell to the ground without so much as a groan.
Their horses, also panicked, broke free and ran into the fog.
"Who’s there, be careful."
Dong Hongtian was greatly startled and quickly drew his sword.
Sounds of light laughter ca through the mist.
"Don’t kill them; these martial artists have decent bodies. Bring them back to be turned into Iron Armor Corpses."
"Don’t worry, Brother Tan, we’ll just knock them out."
"This sword-wielding one has so skill; I’ll take him."
Dong Hongtian’s expression turned grave, and he shouted angrily, "Whoever you are, stop playing tricks and show yourself!"
He then glanced urgently at the unconscious Gan Huren and Cui Bingyuan on the ground and said to Su Jie, "Brother Xu, our enemies an us harm. You take Mr. Gan and Brother Cui and retreat first. I’ll hold them back."
"Alright, Brother Dong, be very careful. I’ll take them to a safe place and then co back for you."
Su Jie nodded, signaled Chen Yun with a glance, and the two of them picked up Gan Huren and Cui Bingyuan. They mounted their horses and rode off swiftly.
Dong Hongtian’s face turned dark. Although he indeed intended to cover their retreat, Su Jie’s departure was far too decisive. Without a hint of hesitation or struggle, he had just run off, leaving Dong Hongtian behind.
"Your friends sure run fast, but it’s alright. With the Water Wave White Mist Formation, they don’t even know where the Array Eye is. No matter how they run, it’s futile."
With the mocking voice drifting through the fog, the white mist in front of Dong Hongtian surged like a tidal wave, and silhouettes lood in and out of view, rushing toward him.
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