Chapter 425 300: Exploration

This was Guming County, and yet it wasn't.

Zhao Xuanqi was very familiar with the surrounding buildings, but the gloomy environment, the deathly still and lifeless atmosphere, the strange moon in the sky, and the sudden appearance of the Evil Spirit all indicated that this was no simple matter.

He made no sound, focusing his senses on his surroundings. After confirming there was no immediate danger, he darted to a nearby door, grasped the handle, and gently applied Dark Force.

With a CLICK, his Force shattered the lock, and he slowly pushed the door open.

This was also a New Disciple's room. It was tidy, with no one inside and no signs of a struggle.

He slowly backed out of the room. This time, his target was Shen Hong's room, which was not far from his own.

He opened the door in the same manner. Inside, he found Shen Hong's room was just like the last one—there was no sign of anyone.

He frowned slightly.

RUSTLE! RUSTLE!

Just then, another noise came from outside the room. Instantly on alert, Zhao Xuanqi leaped back onto the roof beams.

Soon, the sound grew closer, and a silhouette was cast upon the room's paper window.

The figure appeared female, with an impossibly curvaceous upper body and long, flowing hair. However, its overall silhouette was larger than that of a normal adult man, and its gait was bizarre. The lower body didn't seem human; it moved like a slithering reptile.

The monster paused abruptly as it passed the window.

Zhao Xuanqi's eyes narrowed. He used his Intent to retract his Life Primordial Qi as much as possible. His heartbeat nearly ceased, and his entire body became like a corpse.

The monster lingered outside the window for a moment. Apparently sensing nothing unusual, it finally moved on.

'Another new Evil Spirit, and it seems even stronger than the ones I encountered before. Who knows how many more of these damned things are out there. This really is a Ghost City...'

Zhao Xuanqi thought to himself, beginning to analyze the situation. 'Everything started after the Echo Worm extermination mission. Is my current predicament related to that strange Echo Worm? Shen Hong isn't here, which means Chen Zhanyun and Peng Lin probably aren't either. Am I the only one? Is it because I killed the Echo Worm? Or did I trigger something when it touched me?'

'I felt a sense of crisis creeping up on me before, but I couldn't find its source. It seems I've been inexplicably dragged into this Ghost City. The last thing I remember was feeling drowsy, and when I woke up, I was here. Is this a dream? It doesn't feel like one... or not entirely. I can feel the tangible presence of my Life Primordial Qi, and that can't be faked.'

He then sensed his own body again, slightly extending his Intent to perceive the surrounding environment. His frown deepened.

Incredibly, he couldn't sense any fluctuations of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. It was as if this place had cut him off from the normal world.

He leaped down from the rafters and returned to his room. He found that the dry rations he had stored there were gone, and the block of Special-made Cinnabar had vanished as well.

'Just as I thought. This place may look like Guming County, but it's essentially another world. Here, once my stamina and Primordial Qi are used up, there's no way to replenish them. It seems the hidden threat of Evil Cultivation in Guming County was never truly dealt with.'

Zhao Xuanqi's expression turned grim. A place like this was beyond his comprehension. He didn't know if he was only trapped here temporarily, or if he would never be able to leave.

He focused his mind, reaching out to the Rebirth Jade.

Perhaps it was because the Rebirth Jade was one with his consciousness, or perhaps its ability to break through boundaries couldn't be blocked even by this ghostly place. After a brief, sluggish moment, the Rebirth Jade responded to his call.

He let out a small sigh of relief. With the Rebirth Jade, he could still use his Life Primordial Qi and Merit Points. It seemed this wasn't a hopeless situation, at least for now.

Then, his Merit record caught his attention.

Merit: 1 Benevolence, 3 Contributions, 6 Virtues

'The Virtue-level Merit increased? Is it because I killed that Cyan-faced Ghost?'

A glint appeared in Zhao Xuanqi's eyes.

Merit accumulates even if it's not displayed in the record. It was just that before, he had still been a ways off from accumulating a full Virtue of Merit.

'Can a mere D Class, Upper Level creature contribute so much Merit?' he thought.

In his past life, even a restricted-grade Holy Seed barely provided a single Virtue of Merit. That Cyan-faced Ghost, with strength equivalent to the peak of Cross-Training, actually provided nearly a third of the accumulation needed for one Virtue.

Is it because of the difference between worlds?

'If so, this might be an opportunity,' Zhao Xuanqi mused.

He could hunt for Merit Points here, and the Rebirth Jade still worked. Even if he were stuck here for a long time, he wouldn't face a major survival crisis.

Still, this place was too bizarre. If he could, he should find a way out as soon as possible.

Zhao Xuanqi mulled it over for a moment. Then, concealing his aura, he left the room to begin exploring the city.

He used his powerful body control to conceal his Life Primordial Qi as much as possible. Employing his master-level Stealth Technique, he began to slowly explore the city.

Within the compound alone, Zhao Xuanqi spotted at least ten Evil Spirits roaming about. Most of them were Demon Ghosts, with only a few being Formless Yin Spirits. It was a veritable menagerie of ghouls and fiends. Some were common types he had learned about in Hua Guangcan's classes, while others were types he had never seen before.