Chapter 246
“Here we are.”
Yin Ghost Mountain looked like a demonic cavern, shrouded by dense black clouds that never parted to reveal sunlight. This was due to the countless underground yin veins converging here, forming a torrent of heaven-and-earth yin energy that surged straight into the sky.
The phenomenon of dark clouds blotting out the sun was thus created. Even before entering the mountain’s boundary, one could already see countless translucent soul forms drifting within the mist.
The withered and decaying vegetation exuded endless desolation.
Yin Ghost Mountain was formed by more than ten connected peaks, the highest reaching seven thousand meters. From the base, one could not see the summit.
Among the mountains, collapsed stone huts and temples could be seen here and there. These were temporary shelters built by cultivators who had explored the area before. The traces of history were faint—these places had long been abandoned.
Wang Yu glanced around but saw nothing resembling an inverted “mountain” shape. His gaze instinctively turned to Long Yiran.
She spoke as if she had anticipated his doubt.
“This is the place. There’s no mistake. The reason you can’t see it must be that it has been hidden with a concealment spell.”
Wang Yu found this explanation reasonable. His divine sense immediately probed into the mountain. The situation was similar to that of the White Serpent Marsh;
without any natural obstructions, it was most likely something hidden within the mountain body. However, after a careful search, Wang Yu found no hollow space or signs of manmade structures.
“Could it be that it’s not inside the mountain?”
“It’s hard to say. Yin Ghost Mountain has over ten peaks. We can check them one by one. If we still find nothing, we’ll examine the underground yin veins.”
“Very well.”
Divine sense exploration was not foolproof. It was better to use secret techniques for close-range searching. Once the two truly stepped into Yin Ghost Mountain’s range, an icy chill instantly filled their minds.
A bone-piercing cold wind seemed to bore straight into the skull. Only by shielding themselves with divine sense could they resist this strange phenomenon.
“This is the Soul-Drifting Yin Wind. It’s a natural formation of Yin Ghost Mountain’s terrain—an ideal environment for ghostly spirits to dwell and cultivate.”
This time, Wang Yu provided the explanation. After all, Yin Ghost Mountain was a popular exploration site, and the intelligence from Listening Wind Pavilion was detailed.
“We may soon encounter other demonic cultivators. If that happens, Formation Master Long, do not hold back. Kill them on sight.”
Hearing this, Long Yiran shrank her neck slightly.
“Kill them directly?”
“Of course. Have you forgotten what we came here for? If we get tracked or cause too much commotion, others will reap the benefits of our work.”
“I understand…”
Wang Yu shook his head. Ordinary cultivators in this place were not the problem;
what he truly feared was triggering an anomaly similar to Eastern Extreme Capital that would attract the attention of a hegemonic power. That was something he could not contend with.
Within the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest, there were many demonic cultivators training here—some even from powerful clans. They were well-experienced, and too much disturbance could easily cause unforeseen trouble.
As they inspected peak after peak, they occasionally encountered vicious spirit traps.
For example, a crying young girl in white standing by the path—if one approached her, she would suddenly turn around, her face crawling with maggots, attempting to devour one’s soul.
That was considered the “graceful” type. The “bold” type directly summoned a horde of evil ghosts, charging forward without hesitation.
Each ghostly shriek drained Wang Yu and Long Yiran’s divine sense. Wang Yu activated his Ghost-Weeping Flute, and the Soul-Devouring Yin Crow suppressed the wild spirits effectively.
However, divine sense recovered slowly while being consumed rapidly, and the Soul-Drifting Yin Wind continuously blew against them, preventing replenishment. Thus, both sped up their exploration.
After half a day, golden rings still gleamed in Long Yiran’s pupils as she muttered softly.
“Impossible… how can there be nothing?”
“Shall we check underground?”
By now, they had searched every peak in Yin Ghost Mountain, but still found nothing. Wang Yu even ventured into the mountain’s inner body—completely solid, with no hollow space at all.
“We can only investigate the flow of the yin veins below to make another judgment.”
Just then, two late Foundation Establishment cultivators flew toward them from afar, their faces alight with excitement.
“Many thanks, fellow Daoists. I’ll remember you next year on this day!”
“What do you mean?”
While Long Yiran was still stunned, Wang Yu’s eyes flared with the mark of a crescent moon. The Illusion of the Moon Realm seized control of one man. His right hand extended in the air, summoning a massive Mysterious Yin Hand that grasped the second man and crushed him into pulp.
The survivor stared in horror at Wang Yu.
“You… you’re the true disciple of the Yellow Springs Monastery… I—”
Before he could finish, his breath ceased.
Wang Yu had seen their profiles in the Listening Wind Pavilion’s records. They were the Wan brothers from Poison Scorpion City, backed by a Core Formation elder—barely a third-rate force. Both were skilled in escape techniques and offensive arts, but their defenses were pitifully weak.
Still, to die this easily was surprising.
Long Yiran instinctively backed away several steps, shocked that Wang Yu was not only a true disciple of the Yellow Springs Monastery but also this powerful.
Wang Yu said nothing.
He reached out and caught the other man who was still under the illusion’s control, crushing him as well with another Mysterious Yin Hand. His brutal methods drew further attention.
Two streaks of light—one red and one white—raced toward them. The Wan brothers had been fleeing from these two pursuers and had dragged their disaster to Wang Yu’s direction.
Now, the pursuers focused on Wang Yu instead.
“Good technique.”
“And such a handsome little fellow.”
The newcomers were a man and a woman. The man wore mourning robes and rode atop a black coffin. The woman was dressed in a scarlet bridal gown, her skin pale and ashen. She held a red veil in one hand, her eyes filled with sultry allure.
“The Red and White Twin Fiends!”
“Oh, we’ve been recognized.”
Red Demon gently covered the corner of her mouth, pretending to smile shyly. White Demon wrapped his arm around her slender waist and proudly said,
“Wife of mine, our names now shake the Bone Forest. Your husband has put in quite the effort.”
Seeing the two of them talk so intimately, Wang Yu frowned and sent a sound transmission to Long Yiran, relaying the information he had gathered about the pair.