The cavern was very quiet,
so quiet that the clear echo of Xu Yuan’s footsteps in his black-gold soft cloud boots on the ground could be heard distinctly.
But the cavern was also very noisy,
as within the honeycomb-like dense network of formation pattern chambers on the walls of the cave, thousands of fierce ghosts were emitting shrill and pitiful wails at this moment.
Filtered through the formation, they blended into a continuous drone like that of mosquitoes or flies.
Sweeping his gaze over the scene, Xu Yuan slowly withdrew his gaze.
In the chambers, the mysterious formation patterns were continuously extracting something from the ethereal bodies of the fierce ghosts, and these trapped ghost bodies were fading at a rate visible to the naked eye.
In some worlds, ghosts represent a horror devoid of any hope to humans, but in this world where the human race can transcend, these fierce ghosts are bred like livestock.
When needed, the pure soul power contained in their ethereal bodies would be unceasingly extracted as a material for cultivation.
The Saint’s Remnant Soul suddenly let out a murmur of amazement.
The Saint’s Remnant Soul chuckled,
"Xu lad, you should have figured out the operational process of this Ghost Mist Feeding Field, right?"
Although the withered old man had not explained a single word since they entered the cavern, just by what Xu Yuan had seen so far, he was already able to roughly guess the workings, and he replied,
Upon hearing this, the Saint’s Remnant Soul spoke in a deep voice that sounded somewhat excited,
"The outer array that prevents the spread of ghost beings, the formation that captures fierce ghosts from the mist, the formation inside those chambers that extracts the ghosts’ soul power, the formation that condenses the extracted soul power into soul crystals...
"These formations interlock with each other and are perfectly compatible, not using a bit more or less Origin Qi than necessary. The creator of this grand interlinked formation is truly peerless!"
The Saint’s Remnant Soul did not skimp on the praise for the creator of the formation.
Though he transcended the common ranks, this was only in terms of cultivation.
There are many paths in this world, and the capable ones are all teachers.
The Saint’s voice carried a hint of sincerity,
"Xu lad, when I protect you to the Imperial Capital, could you let this old man visit your ’Geometry Institute’ at your residence? I really want to..."
But he did not finish his sentence.
"Third Young Master..."
A voice rough as grinding old tree bark suddenly sounded ahead.
Upon hearing that, Xu Yuan no longer paid attention to the Saint’s Remnant Soul in his heart and promptly concentrated his attention forward.
The floor of the cavern was flat, making the figure of the withered old man appear extremely frail under the vast cavern dome.
He slightly turned his body to the side, his cloudy eyes filled with a trace of hesitation.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan said with a cupped fist salute,
"Elder Ghost, please speak freely."
The withered old man gave the cavern around them a dark glance and, as he walked forward, said in a low voice,
"Third Young Master... I have guarded this place for over thirty years. Once this matter is settled, could you pass a message to the Prime Minister on behalf of this old servant?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan’s spirit became focused, and he nodded in assent,
"Of course, that can be done."
At this, the withered old man’s face, hidden in the shadows, cracked into a bizarre smile, but in the next moment, that smile suddenly disappeared.
A raspy voice slowly came out,
"This old servant thanks the Third Young Master..."
The withered old man did not immediately elaborate on the specifics, but Xu Yuan guessed that the other party probably wanted to leave this ghastly place.
Even though he had been inside for less than half an hour, the dense ghostly energy that permeated the surroundings had already made him feel greatly uncomfortable.
It seemed that only the withered old man was guarding amidst the ghostly fog.
No conversation, no entertainment, over thirty years like a single day—this Ghost Feeding Field was like a giant ancient grave.
Now, with the old man’s body eroded by ghostly energy and his life nearing its end, it was natural for him to want to leave.
In silence, the huge formation patterns carved into the walls of the cavern gradually came to a stop. To prevent the Saint from backfiring and to help his remnant soul regain strength, there had to be limits. Presumably, the soul power that had just been extracted from the thousands of specters was already sufficient.
And with the halt of the formation, everything in the cavern returned to the original darkness and silence.
But Xu Yuan did not feel it was quiet.
Because that Saint’s Remnant Soul was still endlessly chattering away in his heart.
Talking about formations, about the ghost mist, about his old father, about his old brother, about the Big Ice Lump...
At this moment, Xu Yuan understood why the protagonist in Cang Yuan’s stories from his past life always referred to this Saint as old man.
Words, there were far too many.
After walking in the darkness for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xu Yuan suddenly heard a rumbling sound coming from up ahead.
Xu Yuan channeled his Origin Qi into his eyes, and instantly, everything that was pitch-black became clearly visible.
The withered old guide seemed to have triggered some mechanism, revealing a passage leading deeper, now in front of the trio.
"Third Young Master... please go down and wait, this old servant needs to prepare some things."
The withered old guide had no intention of leading the way any further, his deep and ghostly stare fixated on Xu Yuan in the darkness.
In such an environment, the old man’s murky eyes, half-human and half-ghost-like, were somewhat unnerving.
After holding eye contact for a second, Xu Yuan gave a slight nod, "Okay."
Seeing this, the withered old guide turned and waved his hand.
One by one, the torches hanging on both sides of the corridor lit up.
Xu Yuan led Ran Qingmo, passing by the withered old guide and walking into the descending corridor.
However, after two seconds,
Xu Yuan paused his footsteps and asked the withered old guide standing at the entrance of the corridor with a slightly curious tone:
"By the way, Old Ghostly Sir, may I ask you a question?"
The withered old guide responded immediately with his raspy voice:
"This old servant shall withhold nothing."
Xu Yuan carefully chose his words and spoke softly:
"Previously, Xu Changge mentioned that an event had occurred here... What was this event?"
The withered old guide did not reply immediately, but his bark-like face began to twitch in the darkness as if recalling something utterly horrific.
Under the influence of the ghastly atmosphere, he began to lose control of his emotions!
But ultimately, the old guide regained his composure and hunched over, cupping his fist, said:
"Within this ghostly fog, a nearly Second Grade ghastly creature was born, and this old servant managed to hold it off with a formation until Young Master Chang arrived."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan felt slightly relieved and turned to walk down the corridor.
At the end of the corridor was an ancient stone chamber, with a noticeable stone pillar in the center, and carved above the pillar was a recess.
After a moment of hesitation, Xu Yuan projected his Will-spirit and swept it around the spacious stone chamber.
As expected, he discovered numerous intricate Formation Patterns within the chamber.
This place was probably designed to help restore the Soul Power of the Saint’s Remnant Soul.
Xu Yuan glanced at Ran Qingmo.
Ran Qingmo also returned the glance, her expression still serene as ever.
Xu Yuan thought that only a woman with a temperament like Ran Qingmo could remain so composed in such a bizarre and unsettling demon-raising ground.
If it were Su Meimo... heh heh~
The withered old guide was gone for quite a long time, and after patiently waiting for about an hour, his rough voice finally came from above the corridor:
"Third Young Master... please give me your Soul Ring."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan took the Soul Ring off his finger.
The withered old guide walked over slowly from the darkness to take it, then went to the center of the stone chamber to place the Soul Ring in the recess on the pillar.
Watching the old guide’s leisurely actions, Xu Yuan asked in a low voice, filled with curiosity:
"Old Ghostly Sir, what do you plan to use to assist the Saint in restoring Soul Power?"
"Use what?" asked the withered old guide.
"Isn’t there a soul crystal that condenses Soul Power?" Xu Yuan didn’t see any objects on the old guide.
"Soul crystal? There is no soul crystal," spoke the withered old guide, his voice like sandpaper.
Xu Yuan’s brows furrowed slightly:
"But without a soul crystal, how can Soul Power be infused?"
In the pitch darkness,
the withered old guide, with his back turned, twisted his head around, his murky, lifeless eyes fixating on Xu Yuan, his smile sinister:
"Naturally, it’s by using this old servant himself."