The cold wind howled through the pitch-black fissure.
"Itās getting colder and colder."
Chu Xiu discovered that in this abyss, besides the depth, the movement of the water level seemed to affect the concentration of Yin Qi.
They had just approached the place where the bell tolled, and the concentration of Yin Qi began to rise sharply.
Even...
Chu Xiuās Divine Sense captured several ghosts clinging to the nearby stone walls, curiously observing Chu Xiu and his companion.
It seemed that it had been too long since living creatures appeared on this land.
Chu Xiu also scanned them with his Divine Sense. Any one of these creatures had reached General Tier, and unlike ordinary ghosts, they lived in places rich in Yin Qi, having condensed their soul bodies into something tangible, looking no different from normal creatures.
Chu Xiu flicked his fingers, and in an instant, several spears made of Demonic Qi shot toward those ghosts.
But what surprised him was that after he launched the attack, the ghosts let out a simultaneous shriek, and the surrounding Yin Qi changed with their cries, forming what seemed like brick walls that significantly slowed the speed of the demonic spears.
"Elder, these ghosts seem to have quite an increase in power in this Yin Qi environment," Jiang Miaoyin remarked.
Chu Xiu nodded. This unique environment allowed the creatures living here to develop their own survival skills, and with the help of Yin Qi, their battle power increased at least threefold.
Unfortunately, to block Chu Xiu, even thirty times wouldnāt be enough.
He waved his hand again, and this time the demonic spears pierced through those curious ghosts without suspense. After their physical forms were shattered, their soul bodies naturally dissipated, and the ghosts under Chu Xiu swiftly swarmed and devoured them.
The cores of those ghosts had their consciousness erased and were absorbed into the Soul Banner. The soul quality here was high, making it likely to ascend to Ghost General in the future.
After clearing out a few more curious ghosts, the two suddenly paused, as if they had seen something.
"Elder, I think weāve found the source of the bellās sound," Jiang Miaoyin said.
"Hmm."
Chu Xiu looked ahead and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Less than three kilometers away, the stone walls on both sides suddenly narrowed, forming a narrow gap that looked like a thin line from a distance.
But this "thin line" was only thin relative to the massive stone walls, as it was still over a hundred meters in width.
Within this "thin line" lay a gigantic ghost.
This ghost had only its upper body remaining, its flesh corroded away by Yin Qi, leaving only massive pale bones. Its ribs were lodged into the stone walls on both sides, suspending its body firmly in the chasm.
It had existed here for an unknown amount of time, long enough for a layer of what seemed like moss or mud-like viscous substance to coat its bonesāa substance formed from aggregated Yin Qi over time.
And its skull was constructed into a delicate instrument. Its eyeballs rotated on a predetermined track, colliding with the nasal bone when they slid to the bridge of the nose, producing a sound as deep as a large bell.
The sound contained a mysterious power, able to travel great distances, and the skull, which served as a guide, accurately pointed toward that massive ghost, clearly indicating the guiding power originated from it.
Above the skull of the massive ghost, several symbols had been inscribed manually.
"Itās the Twilight Realm," Jiang Miaoyin squinted her eyes.
"The Land of Heritage is intended for the cultivators of the Exorcist Civilization to select and capture appropriate ghosts. Itās artificially divided into inner and outer regions, with this boundary line known as the Twilight Realm."
"Within the Twilight Realm, the concentration of Yin Qi will suddenly rise, and more powerful and brutal ghosts will appear."
"Hmm, let me see... According to the data, the outer area generally contains ghosts of Warrior and Fierce Tiers, with few at General Tier, but the inner area might contain King Tier ghosts!"
"However, all the ghosts weāve encountered along the way were at General Tier. At this rate, it wouldnāt be surprising if a Heroic Spirit ghost emerged in the inner area."
Chu Xiu was somewhat surprised: "How do you know all this?"
Jiang Miaoyin smiled proudly: "In our clan, there are specialists who gather and analyze all kinds of intelligence. Sometimes, even a seemingly ordinary mural can be used to deduce a lot of information."
"In just a few days, weāve already deciphered thirty percent of the Exorcist Civilizationās text!"
"Isnāt it impressive? So, Elder, would you consider becoming an Honored Guest Elder of our Jiang Family? All these services are free, and thereās a significant annual tribute as well!"
Chu Xiu smiled without responding, merely leading Jiang Miaoyin through the Twilight Realm, heading deeper inside.
However, a subtle sense of curiosity lingered within him. This gigantic ghost was clearly a landmark used by the Exorcist Civilization to mark locations. Given its precise construction, it should have malfunctioned easily, so how could it still be functioning after two thousand years?
Moreover, its ribs were covered in sediment formed from accumulated Yin Qi, yet its vocal mechanism seemed untouched, as if someone had regularly maintained and cleaned it.
Nevertheless, he didnāt dwell on it, continuing forward.
After passing through the chasm, a deeper pit appeared in front of them. It felt like discovering an even deeper trench in the ocean depths, the unfathomable darkness evoking an instinctive fear.