Chapter 93: Overwhelming Spirit

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Overwhelming Spirit

The silhouette of Youlin County was long out of sight. However, in the gloomy sky in the direction of Youlin County, a bizarre phenomenon suddenly appeared.

A massive, thick, pitch-black cloud of mist gathered and rose in the distant sky, as if it were a living creature.

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled within the mist. A faint crimson light swirled inside, emitting a terrifyingly violent aura that made one’s heart pound.

Even more horrifying, a phantom image of a colossal, ferocious tiger materialized in the center of the pitch-black mist, roaring at the heavens.

The phantom tiger stood as tall as the heavens. Despite the vast distance, one could still feel its terrifying, world-swallowing might and its monstrous ferocity that seemed poised to tear everything apart.

"Th-that’s..."

Hu Shaoyu’s face went pale and his throat was dry. He couldn’t help but swallow, his voice trembling. "My heavens... Since when was such a terrifying monster hiding outside Youlin County?"

Shen Dujiang’s expression was incredibly grave. He stared intently at the phantom tiger in the sky and said in a low voice:

"The Divine Flame Cult, Youquan Prefecture, and those other heretical sects were waiting for the day of the Heavenly Dog Devouring the Sun. And this Mountain Monarch... I’m afraid it was waiting for this day too.

Now... I fear that not a single one of those cultists performing blood sacrifices in Youlin County will escape. They’re all going to end up as a meal for this ferocious tiger."

Chen Yue didn’t speak, merely gazing quietly at the heart-stopping phenomenon in the distance. He had already guessed it would be the Mountain Monarch, and now he was certain.

"Let’s go."

Chen Yue withdrew his gaze, turned, and continued walking toward Celestial State Prefecture. With his current strength, the only thing he could do when faced with a monster that was practically a natural disaster was run.

If he was even a little too slow, he would be trapped there forever.

Shen Dujiang and the other two suppressed their shock and lingering fear, and hurried to follow.

Two hours passed in silent travel. The leaden-gray clouds hung low, causing dusk to fall early as the light quickly faded.

The wind in the wilderness carried the distinct chill of late autumn and the smell of withered grass and dust, making their robes flap and rustle.

The terrain ahead flattened slightly, and nestled among a ring of low hills, the faint outline of a village appeared.

Hu Shaoyu squinted to get a better look, then said, "That’s Qianhou Village up ahead. There’s a larger town another thirty li from here, but we definitely won’t make it before nightfall. Should we find lodging in the village, or just rough it out in the wild for the night?"

Hearing this, Lin Quan also peered into the distance and recalled:

"Qianhou Village... I passed through here once with some others in my youth. It’s not a large village, maybe a few dozen households. From the look of the houses, it doesn’t seem to have changed much over the years."

Lin Quan’s tone was a bit uncertain; after all, many years had passed and his memory was hazy.

Chen Yue stopped. His gaze drifted toward the silent village as he discreetly activated the Heart Nourishing Technique, extending his Power of Heart and Spirit to perceive his surroundings.

However, the distance was still too great to make out any specific details of the village.

But a strange intuition quietly surfaced in Chen Yue’s mind.

’It’s too quiet!’

At this time of dusk, there should have been some sounds—families lighting fires to cook, children returning home, dogs barking, chickens clucking.

But Qianhou Village ahead was like a frozen silhouette, steeped in a deathly stillness. The vibrant energy of life was completely absent.

Chen Yue’s brow furrowed slightly. He turned to the more experienced Shen Dujiang and asked in a low voice:

"In the Jianghu, is there any way to tell if a place has been infested by Ghostly Objects, or if something unclean is hiding there?"

Hearing the words "infested by Ghostly Objects," both Shen Dujiang’s and Hu Shaoyu’s expressions changed slightly. They had just escaped from Youlin County, which was overrun with Ghostly Objects, and were particularly sensitive to such terms.

If this Qianhou Village had also met with disaster...

Shen Dujiang took a deep breath to suppress his unease. After a moment of careful thought, he said slowly, "There are some methods, but most are troublesome and not very direct. However..."

His tone shifted as his gaze fell on Chen Yue’s waist. "When it comes to simple and effective methods, I’m afraid none are as useful as that Spirit Soldier of yours."

"The Spirit Soldier?" Chen Yue’s expression flickered. "How do I use it?"

Shen Dujiang pointed at the village shrouded in twilight and explained, "Ghostly Objects, Yin Souls, and even the auras of certain evil entities are fundamentally different from the yang qi of the living. It is difficult for the naked eye to perceive them from such a distance, especially when they are deliberately concealing themselves.

But your Pill Furnace Spirit Soldier was forged from materials of the ghost path and contains a cold, sinister Ghost Power. If you can channel a trace of that sinister power to your eyes, you might be able to temporarily open a ’ghost eye’ and perceive the Yin Qi and ghostly phantoms that are invisible to a normal gaze.

It’s a clever trick, and it should be enough to deal with an ordinary village that might be infiltrated by Ghostly Objects. Just be careful not to use it for too long, or the Yin Qi could backlash and harm you."

Chen Yue heard this and nodded.

He focused his mind, sinking it into the Pill Furnace. Using the Heart Nourishing Technique to command his Power of Heart and Spirit, he carefully drew out a wisp of the cold, sinister aura contained within the furnace.

This aura, enveloped and tamed by his Heart Spirit, was slowly guided toward his eyes.

At first, he felt an icy sensation. But protected by his immense Qi Blood, Chen Yue felt no discomfort. He then slowly opened his eyes.

In that instant, the world in Chen Yue’s eyes changed completely.

The dim twilight was now overlaid with what looked like a grayish-black filter.

Thin, chaotic wisps of energy drifted through the air. There was faint white qi representing life force, and the ocher-yellow earth qi of the mountains and land. But most abundant was a deathly qi, tinged with decay, which faintly drifted over from the direction of Qianhou Village.

Within the silhouette of the seemingly peaceful village, dozens of blurry black figures moved stiffly back and forth between the houses and along the village paths, like marionettes.

The black figures had no clear facial features, only a generally humanoid shape, and were wreathed in grayish-black Yin Qi.

Their movements were slow and aimless, as if they were repeating some monotonous action from their past lives, or perhaps just wandering about unconsciously.

A few of the black figures seemed to sense something. They stopped in unison, their faceless heads slowly turning toward Chen Yue and the others.

Though he couldn’t see their eyes, the distinct feeling of being locked on by a cold, deathly gaze washed over him.

’So there are ghosts after all.’

Chen Yue’s heart sank. He broke the connection with the Pill Furnace’s Yin Qi. The bizarre scene before him instantly returned to normal, but the chilling sensation of being watched lingered.

"Let’s go. We’ll go around the village," Chen Yue said in a grave voice.

’With the appearance of the Heavenly Dog Devouring the Sun, Yin Qi surged sky-high. As expected, things have gone wrong in many places nearby,’ Chen Yue thought to himself.

Hearing this, the expressions on Shen Dujiang and Hu Shaoyu’s faces changed again, but they didn’t waste any time with words or questions.

The two of them immediately turned and hurried after Chen Yue, who was already walking away, heading in a direction that led far from Qianhou Village.

Although Lin Quan didn’t understand the situation, he knew it was always right to listen to Chen Yue, so he scrambled to keep up.

Just as the four of them turned to leave, Lin Quan subconsciously glanced back at the now-blurry outline of Qianhou Village. In a daze, he thought he saw a somewhat familiar figure standing under the old locust tree at the village entrance.

The figure was raising an arm and slowly waving in his direction from afar, as if greeting him.

The figure’s silhouette vaguely resembled the old farmer from Qianhou Village who had warmly invited him in for a drink of water when he passed through all those years ago...

Lin Quan froze, his expression dazed, and his pace faltered for a beat.

But in the next moment, a chill shot up his spine.

He suddenly remembered Chen Yue’s earlier words and grave expression. His face changed drastically, and not daring to look again, he desperately quickened his pace to catch up.

「Night, at last, fell completely.」

Led by Hu Shaoyu, the four of them found a temporary resting spot on the edge of a small wood, a place that was sheltered from the wind, slightly elevated, and had a relatively open field of view.

This spot was more than ten li away from Qianhou Village, separated by hills, and was safe for the time being.

Using his Hidden Weapon Techniques, Chen Yue took down two fat, foraging wild rabbits with his Meridian Bone-Piercing Nails, solving their food problem.

Shen Dujiang was well-prepared, carrying a Fire Stick, salt, and other supplies in his bag. Soon, a campfire was lit in a clearing in the woods. The orange flames dispelled some of the cold and darkness, and the rabbit meat sizzled as it roasted on branches.

Fat dripped into the fire, making soft CRACKLING sounds, and the enticing aroma of meat gradually filled the air.

After meditating to regulate his breathing, the Power of Heart and Spirit Chen Yue had exhausted fighting the Alchemy Ghost was fully restored. He was now full of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and in peak condition.

He glanced at his three exhausted companions, especially Lin Quan, who had no Cultivation and was ashen-faced after a day of terror and travel. He then spoke:

"You all should rest, especially Master Lin. I’ll keep watch tonight, so you can all sleep soundly."

Shen Dujiang and Hu Shaoyu tried to refuse, but Chen Yue eventually persuaded them.

They truly did need to recover their strength. The two of them offered their thanks, leaned against a tree trunk, and were soon breathing evenly. Lin Quan fell into a deep sleep almost the instant he lay down, his brow furrowed, clearly not at peace even in his dreams.

Chen Yue sat cross-legged by the campfire, his back against an old tree. His hawk-like gaze swept over the deep darkness and the blurry shadows in the depths of the woods.

From a distance, the piercing cries of a night owl occasionally echoed. Chen Yue’s Heart Spirit was as calm as still water. He slowly circulated the Heart Nourishing Technique, both standing guard and nourishing his spirit.

The campfire flickered, its orange light dancing across Chen Yue’s face, making the characters on the slightly old Secret Manual in his hand clearly visible.

The cover of the Secret Manual had no fancy decorations, only three large, ancient seal script words written with iron-like strokes: Celestial Demon Dissolution.

This was the manual he had obtained from the Chen Mansion’s treasury. By the firelight, Chen Yue studied its contents, word by word. The more he read, the deeper his brow furrowed, and looks of surprise and sudden understanding flashed alternately in his eyes.

This Secret Technique, Celestial Demon Dissolution, was the epitome of a Life-or-Death Fighting Technique.

Its core principle was to, at a moment of life and death, use a special Technique to violently agitate and burn the Origin of one’s own Qi Blood, muscles, bones, organs, and even one’s Heart Spirit, allowing one to unleash terrifying power far beyond one’s normal state for a very short time.

This burst of power was all-encompassing, providing a massive boost to Body Technique speed, attack power, defensive strength, and even the perception and impact of one’s Heart Spirit.

Previously, when Chen Yue fought Chen Xuanli and the others from the Chen Mansion, he hadn’t seen any of them use this Secret Technique.

It was only after turning to the following sections on its cultivation and consequences that Chen Yue understood why he had never seen Chen Xuanli and the others use it.