Chapter 260: Resentful Spirit Army
Long Ao and Long Potian entered the black passage. It was pitch-black; you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face.
"Brother Long, this Ancient Tomb is extremely dangerous. You must be careful."
Nodding, Long Ao had been cautious ever since entering the black passage, remaining on high alert.
The entire passage sloped downward. This meant that as they followed it, they were actually descending toward the valley floor.
"There's light."
Seeing a sliver of light not far ahead, both of them felt a surge of joy and quickened their pace. In a short while, they had reached the end of the black passage.
Staring at the space that appeared before them, both Long Ao and Long Potian stood frozen in place, dumbfounded.
This was the so-called Ancient Tomb, and the sight was staggering.
Following their gaze, beyond the black passage lay a vast, boundless space. Black mist swirled about, and the air was thick with the aura of Resentful Spirits, creating a grim and terrifying atmosphere.
Ghostly wails and wolf-like howls filled the air, carried on gusts of sinister wind.
Not only that, but within the huge space stood countless tombs, none with a headstone, making it impossible to know who was buried there.
Long Ao and Long Potian glanced at each other, seeing the shock in the other's eyes. They both knew very well that the bodies in these tombs belonged to the most renowned Martial Artists of the Celestial Martial Continent from a thousand years ago, all of whom had fallen in a great war.
"Long Ao, have you noticed the problem?"
"Yes. If countless people died in the great war a thousand years ago, then who built this underground tomb? It's hard to imagine what the consequences would be if such powerful Resentful Spirits were to be unleashed."
Without even needing to get closer, Long Ao could clearly sense just how powerful these Resentful Spirits were.
The concept of a Resentful Spirit was simple: when a Martial Artist died, their soul would linger, unable to disperse. Resentment would remain trapped within the soul, and over time, it would transform into a Resentful Spirit.
The resentment of a single Resentful Spirit was incredibly powerful, to say nothing of tens of thousands of them.
"Brother Long, are we still going in?"
Sensing the powerful Resentful Spirit Army, Long Potian, who had been full of confidence, now felt his courage waver. He looked helplessly at Long Ao.
Shrugging, Long Ao put on an unconcerned expression and said, "We should probably retreat for now. It's best to leave this kind of 'good fortune' to others."
"Excellent idea. Let's retreat."
Not wanting to stay a minute longer, the two of them turned to leave.
But just then, the terrifying Resentful Spirit Army began to form a powerful tornado. Before the two could leave, they were caught by the resentful spirit tornado, which dragged them violently inward.
Feeling such a terrifying suction force, both Long Ao and Long Potian were flabbergasted. They of course knew what was happening. In their terror, they didn't dare hesitate for a moment, using every ounce of their strength to try and break free from the pull.
But the suction from the Resentful Spirit Army was too terrifying. It gave Long Ao and Long Potian no chance at all, sucking them straight in.
THUD. THUD.
They crashed heavily to the ground, getting intimately acquainted with the floor. At that moment, neither could bother with the pain; they flipped over and shot directly toward the black passage.
However, getting in had been easy; getting out would be difficult.
Before Long Ao and Long Potian could escape, the surrounding Resentful Spirit Army swarmed toward them. Each one was ferocious and menacing, with a gaping, blood-red maw, looking utterly terrifying.
Long Potian fell into complete despair. He was incredibly powerful, a Taoist Ancestor Peak Martial Artist who feared no one short of a Void Martial Artist.
But against this so-called Resentful Spirit Army, Long Potian was utterly helpless. Even if he could barely hold them off, he could only do so for a moment, not forever.
"Brother Potian, what are you doing?"
Seeing that Long Potian seemed to have already chosen to give up, Long Ao was startled. He had no idea what had gotten into Long Potian at that moment. 'Is he really just going to give up like this?'
"Brother Long, we're dead for sure."
Hearing this, Long Ao almost stumbled in frustration. To give up without even trying... He cursed fiercely, "Are you a Martial Artist or not? Pull yourself together! As long as we're not dead, we have a chance to get out of here."
Long Potian, who had already resolved to give up, looked at Long Ao. Seeing the unyielding determination on his Brother Long's face, he gritted his teeth and laughed loudly. "Brother Long, you're absolutely right. We can't give up until the very last moment."
As he spoke, Long Potian shot forward, but Long Ao yanked him back.
"Brother Long, what are you doing?" He was very confused. 'I chose to keep fighting, so why did he pull me back?'
"Brother Potian, get behind me."
Without waiting to see if Long Potian understood, Long Ao had already started to attack.
He suddenly thrust out both fists, channeling all the strength in his body into them.
The reason for Long Ao's immense confidence was that when he had undergone his Thunder Tribulation, he had not only fused with the Thunder Tribulation Power but could also use it to fight his enemies.
And as it happened, Thunder Tribulation Power was the bane of all souls.
The Blood-Drinking Eight Techniques were all infused into his fists. Long Ao didn't use his Divine Dragon Arm or Nether Tiger Arm, merely fusing the Blood-Drinking Eight Techniques with the Thunder Tribulation Power.
Just as he expected.
Shadows of his fists danced wildly. Perhaps because the punches were so densely packed, the shadows of his fists formed a Punch Shadow Shield, fused with Thunder Tribulation Power.
The Resentful Spirit Army completely surrounded the two of them, but wary of the Punch Shadow Shield, they didn't dare to attack. Meanwhile, Long Ao continuously threw out fist shadows, but his heart grew heavy. 'Although this is holding back the Resentful Spirit Army for now, it's not a long-term solution.'
'At this rate,' Long Ao thought, 'I'll eventually run out of energy and won't be able to hold on. When that happens, I'm still a dead man.'
How could Long Potian not know what Long Ao was going through?
"Brother Long, what should we do now?"
"Follow me."
Neither Long Ao nor Long Potian dared to linger for a moment. The slightest lapse in concentration would mean being submerged by the Resentful Spirit Army, leaving not even a corpse behind. For this very reason, they slowly made their way toward the black passage, protected by the Punch Shadow Shield. As long as they could leave the tomb's space and enter the passage, they would be safe.
How could the Resentful Spirit Army not know their intentions? They had no intention of letting the two go. Though clearly wary of the Punch Shadow Shield, they still chose to throw themselves at it like moths to a flame, pouncing fiercely upon the shield.
"Brother Long, I'll help you."
Long Potian pressed both his palms directly onto Long Ao's back, continuously channeling his power into him. In any case, Long Potian was a Taoist Ancestor Peak Martial Artist. His power was immense, even surpassing that of Dugu Bai.
Long Ao, who was gradually starting to falter, was instantly revitalized by this influx of power from Long Potian. With a great roar, the shield from his fists grew even stronger. However, the Resentful Spirit Army was fearless, continuing their moth-to-a-flame assault and relentlessly attacking the pair.