[The giant spirit ship traveled for three full days, during which you learned from your companions about your destination—Soulshade City.]
[One of the many resource points under the Immortal Alliance, the city is known for its production of Soul Pearls. These pearls strengthen the soul and are highly valuable—each one worth several hundred spirit stones in Dao Heaven. You cultivators were essentially here to act as harvesters.]
[Soul Pearls are formed from living souls nourished by dense yin energy. When slain by cultivators, the essence of these souls condenses into a bead—the Soul Pearl.]
[The weakest of these ghosts are at the late Qi Refining stage. The stronger ones can reach the Foundation Establishment stage. And they are many in number. Even a late Foundation cultivator would find them difficult to handle when gathered.]
[After three days, your group finally arrived at Soulshade City. The resource point was guarded by four Golden Core cultivators, one of whom seemed acquainted with your team’s Golden Core leader.]
[But none of this concerned you. At the moment, you were troubled by your divination reading—it kept flipping between great misfortune, great fortune, both, or mild variations of the two. In short, it was a chaotic mess.]
[Unable to make sense of it despite some effort, you simply gave up and let it be.]
The giant spirit ship slowly arrived at Soulshade City.
Su Bai stood at the bow, raising his gaze toward the distant horizon.
A towering black city stretched over three thousand miles across, rising like a colossal wall before them.
The city’s exterior was completely dark, its vast domain shrouded in a seemingly endless gloom.
Countless ghosts roamed the city like tidal waves.
Beheaded ghosts, hanged ghosts, vomiting ghosts, swift ghosts, cat ghosts, fox ghosts, pipa-playing ghosts, blood-drinking ghosts, disheveled ghosts, strong-arm ghosts, one-horned ghosts, drowned ghosts, starved-to-death ghosts… a convergence of spectral beings filled the air, forming a sky of swirling yin clouds.
They drifted through the city, sending out chilling howls that echoed in the air.
“This doesn’t bode well,” Su Bai murmured, withdrawing his gaze before stepping off the ship with the others.
After the Golden Core team leader completed the formal handover with the stationed Golden Core cultivators, one of the defenders stepped forward to explain the task issued by the Immortal Alliance: eliminate ghosts and collect Soul Pearls.
Each cultivator was required to turn in a minimum of one thousand Soul Pearls.
For every hundred pearls collected beyond that, ten would go directly to the cultivator as a reward.
The rest could be exchanged for contribution points within the Immortal Alliance to acquire other spiritual items—but none of the pearls could be taken out privately.
In short, the more you work, the more you earn.
***
“Slash!”
With a crisp shout, a sword light swept across the air, cutting down dozens of ghosts in a single stroke.
Yin energy burst apart.
Ghostly qi condensed into shimmering Soul Pearls, floating in midair.
Su Bai’s robe sleeves swirled as he gathered all the pearls into his palm.
“Impressive work, Brother Su.”
One of the nearby cultivators had witnessed Su Bai harvest dozens of pearls in one move, and couldn’t hide the admiration in his eyes.
“A mere trick. Hardly worth mentioning,” Su Bai said calmly.
Although the Golden Core cultivators had escorted the group to Soulshade City’s gate, they had given them complete freedom once inside—including the choice to form teams.
Combat experts didn’t handle logistics well, and logistics experts didn’t excel in combat.
As soon as they entered the city, cultivators naturally grouped together.
Those with weaker cultivation clung to stronger ones for protection, while the strong sought out those who could manage support and supplies.
Each side benefited, binding their interests together.
Su Bai, being the only cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment in this expedition, immediately became a hot commodity.
He selected nearly thirty cultivators and formed a small team before diving straight into the heart of Soulshade City.
Under Su Bai’s leadership, the group advanced cautiously through the ghost-infested city.
All around them, ghosts stirred—drawn by the aura of the living—and began surging in from every direction.
Su Bai’s expression turned serious.
Gripping his long sword tightly, he struck with wave after wave of sword light, slicing through the oncoming ghosts with lethal precision.
The cultivators in the team all unleashed their respective techniques—formation spells, talismans, arts, and pills—either to buff their allies or to slow and control the enemy.
“Ahhhh!!!”
A blood-curdling scream suddenly pierced the air.
Everyone quickly turned their heads.
At the rear of the group, a female cultivator had been seized by a headless ghost, its sharp claws piercing straight through her body.
Even though the others immediately attacked and destroyed the ghost, the woman collapsed to the ground with a thud, already lifeless.
A chill swept through everyone’s hearts.
The sight struck a nerve.
Only Su Bai keenly sensed a ripple of formation energy.
He focused his spiritual power into his eyes, and in the next instant, he saw a twisted, human-like face being pulled from the fallen woman’s body by an invisible force and sinking into the earth.
‘This is…’
A sudden wave of cold dread surged through Su Bai’s heart.
***
Meanwhile, inside the garrison of the Northern Gate—
A water mirror displayed scenes of numerous cultivators being slaughtered by ghosts.
“Good! Yes, die! All of you, die!” The stationed Golden Core cultivator clapped his hands and laughed loudly.
“How could mortal souls ever compare to those of cultivators? The more of them that die, the sooner this miserable job of mine ends. I hope every last one of them gets wiped out!”
“Hahaha…”
His unrestrained laughter echoed through the room for a long time.
Once he was done laughing, the stationed cultivator slowly dismissed the water mirror.
His gaze then fell on the nearby expedition leader, also a Golden Core cultivator.
He lifted his wine cup with a smile of apology.
“Forgive me, senior brother. I got a little carried away just now.”
“No matter. It’s only natural.”
“If I had been stuck in this place for five hundred years without advancing a single step in cultivation, I’d probably have lost it even worse than you.”
After saying that, the team leader took a sip of wine and gently set his cup down.
He lowered his voice.
“Since I’m already here, there’s no need to keep it from you any longer. Do you know when that spiritual item will mature?”
“Are you referring to the Heavenly Spirit Ten Thousand Souls Essence?”
“Exactly.”
“You must be joking, senior brother. Don’t you know that the item’s already been claimed by that esteemed figure from the Celestial Palace?”
“Of course I know. But as the saying goes, treasures belong to the worthy. The reason I’ve come this time… is because the one backing me…” The team leader raised his hand and pointed subtly toward the sky, his meaning clear.
After this vague yet suggestive exchange, the stationed cultivator repeatedly toasted the team leader, showering him with praise.
“If this plan works out, and with that person supporting you, your path to Nascent Soul will be smooth and unstoppable. Here’s a toast to your success! May you form your core and live for two thousand years!”
“Hahaha, thank you, junior brother. But I’ll still be counting on your help with the follow-up arrangements.”
“It’s my honor.”
“By the way, senior brother,” Li An suddenly asked, “do you think I have a chance to form a Nascent Soul in this lifetime?”
The team leader was silent for a moment, then patted Li An on the shoulder.
“Your aptitude may only be third-class, but you’ve always been diligent and persistent. If a great opportunity and tremendous effort come your way, there’s still a sliver of hope.”
Though he said this, both men knew the truth.
Li An had taken 150 years just to reach the Golden Core stage.
Now, he had been stationed here for another 500 years.
Reaching the Nascent Soul stage was nearly impossible.
A trace of bitterness rose in Li An’s heart, but he quickly pushed it down and continued pouring wine for the team leader.
***
After three rounds of wine and five courses of food—
Just as they were preparing to return to the giant ship to rest, the team leader suddenly swayed and collapsed to the ground without warning.
The unexpected incident left Li An stunned for a moment.
He immediately used his spiritual energy to clear his system, attempting to dispel the effects of the wine—but it was completely ineffective.
Li An’s expression had turned cold.
All the previous flattery and respect were gone from his face.
Now, he simply stared at the fallen team leader—expressionless, emotionless.
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