Dead silence.
It was so quiet that one could hear every breath and every beat of a personâs heart.
The withered, corpse-like monks and taoists revealed a look of astonishment in their eyes for the very first time. Dozens of gazes landed straight on the figure at the end of the corridor wearing multicoloured garments.
Emissaries of Hell havenât appeared in a hundred years, and yet⊠one actually showed up at the entrance to the Great Dipper Vault today?!
Qin Ye and A32 leaned back against the counter, and Qin Yeâs mind raced rapidly - Who the hell is this? What would it take for Arthis to throw caution to the wind and reveal her true appearances in this place? Wouldnât she have assessed that this opponent is someone that she absolutely must expunge, even if it means risking detection by Zhou Xianlong?
âGo on.â Qin Ye tried to raise his head several times from behind the counter to take another look, and yet the only thing he accomplished was to straighten his back and loosen it repeatedly. Thus, he whispered to A32, who by now had curled up into a tight ball, âGet up and check on the situation.â
A32 stared at Qin Ye as if he had just seen a ghost, âWhy donât you do it instead?!â
âIâm scared!â âIâm scared too!â
After staring at each other for some time, Qin Ye finally resigned himself to his fate, and inched his head up from the counter. He silently revealed a pair of eyes like a spy surveying an army behind enemy lines as he murmured, âWhat kind of a person are you anyway⊠How could the gatekeeper of the First Academy of Cultivator be so afraid of death. Whatever happened to the valor and duty of the Fourth Hokage who sacrificed himself to seal the nine-tailsâŠâ
A32 fervently suppressed the urge to jump up and give Qin Ye a flying kick. He gazed into the sky, âThatâs right⊠Iâd never expected one of the core members of the First Academy of Cultivators who are expected to act as the vanguard and shield of Cathayâs citizens to cower so much in the face of danger⊠How intense must your will to survive possibly beâŠâ
Both men hurled a vicious glare at each other, before promptly retracting their gazes disdainfully.
Both had confirmed that the other wasnât of a desirable character.
Nobody cared about the fact that Qin Ye was peeking out from behind the counter. Arthis shook her soul-spurring bell gently in the otherwise deadly silent corridor. With each jingle of her bell, the golden symbols on the ground glowed with ever increasing exuberance. And then, they even began to tremble like a miniscule earthquake.
Qin Ye had already invested everything he had into his 120% defense. Qin Ye even grabbed tightly onto A32âs clothes despite A32âs look of disbelief.
He had personally witnessed Arthisâ fight with the Harken after all. If she went all out, he would most certainly have to divert all of his attention into considerations of escape.
â... Yo, might I ask what youâre trying to do? Is it as Iâd imagined⊠that youâre attempting to use an innocent civilian as a meat shield?â The veins on A32âs head throbbed uncontrollably as he asked.
â... How can that be? ⊠Ah-hahahaâŠâ
As the jingling sounds grew louder and louder, rings of black waves began to ripple through the void in the air. With each ripple that radiated outwards, forty-nine eerie netherflames appeared in the air, accompanied by a chorus of howling and wailing ghosts, as though they had surfaced from the depths of the Eighteen Abysses of Punishment.
Qin Yeâs gaze darkened. Given Arthisâ personality, he knew full well that she would never hesitate to act as soon as she had decided on a certain course of action. She didnât even hesitate when facing the Harken. Yet now, she was clearly dallying in an uncharacteristic fashion.
Whoosh⊠whoosh⊠Yin energy flooded the area and thrashed about wildly. The entire corridor felt increasingly stifling and oppressive. The ghostly shadow on the ground appeared to be torn asunder by thousands of invisible ghosts, and it began to tremble more and more vigorously.
The dark passage contained a figure dressed in colorful, resplendent garments and thirty or so withered, corpse-like men on the sides. A wailing nethergale swept through the area, while the ghostly shadow trembled vigorously. The atmosphere was incredibly oppressive and stifling. Just then, Arthis boomed, âExterminate.â
Boom!! With a loud tremor, the innumerable netherflames that had earlier been hovering throughout the air like an illusory lotus platform hurtled towards the ground like a torrent of sharp swords. The ghostly shadow cried out with great disbelief, and the shadow immediately scattered from the ground. Within moments, what was earlier a projection of a black catâs shadow actually transformed into⊠the shadow of a human being!
It was impossible to see the personâs appearances or its gender, because its head was covered with a black veil. A voice finally responded through gritted teeth, â... Infernal⊠Judge⊠How can there still be a living Infernal JudgeâŠâ
âAnd itâs an authentic⊠soul-spurring bellâŠ
âDamn⊠it!â
A loud bang resounded before it even finished speaking, and the ghostly shadow that affixed to the walls and the ground suddenly rushed up into the sky like a reverse waterfall!
It was clearly invisible, and yet it caused light and darkness to shift about as though the world were flowing in reverse.
It was an indescribable experience - almost as though one could see the effluxion of time and the intersection of light and darkness with the naked eyes. It was incredibly bizarre.
âTrying to escape?â Arthis chuckled sardonically, âYouâre not even a Hellguard. Do you think a Judge is going to let a mere Hunter-class spirit leave just like that?â
A split-second later, the remaining netherflames around exploded and transformed into countless Yin spirits that frantically clung onto the reverse waterfall of dark shadows. The retreating ghostly shadow was stopped dead in its tracks, and it gnashed its teeth audibly.
âKneel before me.â Arthis made a swift pressing motion with her hand, and the countless Yin spirits clinging onto the shadow cried out with a shrill screech as they began to tug at the shadow in unison.
But just then--...
Clack. A soft sound could be heard amidst the deafening cries of the Yin spirits.
A look of astonishment replaced Arthisâ otherwise calm expression for the very first time, âThis isâŠâ
Before she could even finish speaking, the ghostly reverse waterfall suddenly cracked wide open like a torn piece of paper, and a tsunami of Yin energy poured out of the void within.
It was dark and miserable, like the darkest night sky before the wake of dawn.
Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka⊠As the Yin energy continued to pour our, the entire corridor resounded with an overwhelming wail. Qin Ye gasped as a chilling, electrifying sensation surged straight from the base of his spine into his mind. He crouched down reflexively. Simultaneously, the entire corridor was swept into chaos by the formidable Yin energy. It was as though a massive hurricane had swept through the area, leaving only desolation and chaos in its wake. Finally, the entire corridor was devastated by an earth-shattering bang!
BOOM!!!
It was so deafening that the world around appeared to have lost its voice.
Qin Ye and A32 only felt the ground shake violently before a terrifying force that they had never experienced before erupted from behind them, as though they were in the epicenter of a nuclear bomb explosion. None of them were given any time to react as they crashed into the racks behind them.
âShitâŠâ Qin Ye saw stars. The world was spinning around him, and he nearly lost consciousness. Qin Ye gnashed his teeth and forced himself to open his eyes even as the excruciating pain surged straight through his mind. And then, he gasped.
He wasnât sure what exactly transpired at the exact moment of the explosion.
But right now⊠he saw that the monks and taoists on both sides of the corridor were maintaining their stances, completely motionless, while the corridor itself⊠had collapsed entirely! The beams on the roof had collapsed together with other debris, sending smoke, ash and dirt scattering everywhere.
A massive crater appeared on the ground in a chaotic fashion, radiating outwardly from where the ghostly shadow had been as though an atomic bomb had struck the earth. Yet all traces of Arthis and the ghostly shadow had vanished completely from the heart of the crater. In fact, even the counter that they had previously been hiding behind had been reduced to nothing but dust and ashes. There wasnât a single part of the corridor which remained intact. The golden runic symbols continued to shine brightly in the sky, keeping the spread of damage to the surroundings to a minimum.
Qin Ye drew a deep breath and stood up as he surveyed his surroundings with great vigilance. All this while, he had kept his hands by the side of his waist so that he could materialize and use his demonhead saber at the shortest notice.
Whatâs going on⊠no⊠is it even possible that something with the capacity to clash head-on with Arthis is only a Hunter-class spirit?
What did it take for Arthis to decide she has to expunge it at all costs? Whatâs the end result?
Qin Ye had no answers to these questions weighing heavily on his mind. He furrowed his brows as he glanced back at the entrance. He could clearly sense that Zhou Xianlong and close to a hundred powerful auras had just arrived at the same time.
There was no need to look any further. The periphery of the basketball courts had evidently just been cordoned off.
Just then, he noticed that someone was tugging at his clothes.
âItâs that thingâŠâ A32âs eyes were shut, and his chest was rising and falling heavily with every heave of his breath. He continued murmuring as though he were trapped in an endless nightmare, âItâs that thing⊠itâs that thing! Itâs hereâŠâ
âWho?â
A32 gritted his teeth and gazed into Qin Yeâs eyes, âEven though youâre a avaricious man whoâs afraid of death⊠but, youâre the only hope Iâve got right now⊠Do you recall when I said earlier that Iâll tell you a great secret if you save me - the top secret that is hidden underneath the First Academy of Cultivators?!â
Qin Ye nodded. A32 took a deep breath, gulped nervously and continued, âBut it seems like⊠you wouldnât be able to hold out long enough to save me unless I tell you right now⊠Iâm not sure whether itâs targeting you, or whether it has simply followed you in here, but⊠I donât want you to dieâŠâ
He clutched at his chest and fervently repressed his palpitating heart, âThere is something⊠unclean hidden within the academy.â
âI can feel it! The Yin spirit within me is incredibly peculiar, and yet I can only sense a trace of it from time to time. Instructors like you, no⊠even the regular wandering spirits arenât able to sense its existence!â
âHave you noticed any strange phenomena around the academy lately? Or witnessed any bizarre incidents around?â
Qin Ye frowned.
He already knew.
That night, when they were turned out of bed for an emergency drill, he had already noticed the arrival of a peculiar Yin spirit in the First Academy of CultivatorsâŠ
Hang on⊠As though a notion just surfaced on his mind, Qin Ye abruptly looked back up and straight into A32âs eyes.
âDid you say that⊠there was something unclean within the academy?â
A32 nodded vigorously.
âNo⊠rather, there is something unclean within the academy.â
Rumble⊠Just then, a muffled rumble reverberated throughout the entire corridor, and the massive boulders from the collapsed corridor shifted away as though with the assistance of an invisible giant hand.
Zhou Xianlong had arrived.
And he was removing the obstacles blocking the passageway.
The two men glanced at each other, and A32 gritted his teeth, âItâs not that there was, but there is! Thereâs something! And itâs still ongoing right now!â
âItâs⊠currently here, hiding in some unknown corner and watching all of you silently. I donât even know why Head of Faculty Zhou isnât able to detect its existence with his level of abilities. Itâs completely unfathomable!â
Qin Ye grew taciturn.
In other words⊠the bizarre Yin spirit from that night⊠is still here in the First Academy of Cultivators? And the current Yin spirit is the same as the one from that night?
What audacity! What skill!
But⊠didnât Arthis just say that itâs not even a Hellguard-class spirit? How could a Hunter-class spirit possibly dare to wreak havoc under the noses of two esteemed Judge-class entities?
Boom!!
A terrifying bolt of lightning crashed through the corridor before he could follow that train of thought any further. Yet, almost as though everything were calculated to perfection, the bolt of lightning didnât affect them at all, and it only blasted away all of the boulders obstructing the passageway. Everything else was reduced to dust by the powerful blast.
True energy was spewing out of Zhou Xianlongâs seven apertures, and his entire body was wrapped up with snaking lightning bolts. Zhou Xianlong appeared in front of them with a bang, like a valiant war god descending from the heavens. He had traversed the entire length of a hundred meter corridor in less than a tenth of a millisecond!
Two rows of figures wearing zodiac masks and long, flowing robes followed closely behind him. All of them hovered one feet above the ground as they held a buddhist whisk in their arms. As soon as A32 noticed the appearance of these men, his entire body trembled, and he ducked behind Qin Yeâs body reflexively.
âPurgatory troopers.â He muttered with a quivering voice before Qin Ye could ask anything, âThey are the mortal realmâs most fearsome force when it comes to expunging evil ghosts⊠theyâre just like the special forces in the ordinary mortal worldâŠâ
Qin Ye nodded lightly. Indeed, he could sense a cloud of thick and dense Yin energy emanating from the bodies of these troopers. He could also tell that the energy wasnât innate. Rather, it was something that the troopers had been tainted with after exterminating countless Yin spirits.
The depths of their strength was simply unfathomable. Qin Ye couldnât even tell the extent of their cultivation levels.
And it was only behind them that the other instructors poured in with a grave expression on their faces.
The Great Dipper Vault had just been riddled with Yin energy. The fact that something like this can occur at the entrance to Cathayâs most important and most prized vault was tantamount to giving the First Academy of Cultivators a tight slap across the face!
âEveryone involved is to undergo a full inquiry separately.â Zhou Xianlongâs face was ashen. He tilted his head, and the purgatory troopers behind him immediately marched forward and stood beside Qin Ye and A32. Meanwhile, Zhou Xianlong crouched down slowly and made a grasping motion in the air, before bringing it to his nose and taking a whiff from it.
One second later, his gaze gleamed and flickered brightly.
âInfernal Judge?â He chuckled coldly, âThen⊠I wonder who it was up against?â
âWhy⊠canât I detect its scent?â
1. A naruto reference! For those who donât know, the Fourth Hokage was the head of the village of ninjas, and narutoâs dad. When naruto was still an infant, he gave up his life to seal a powerful demon, the nine-tails, into narutoâs belly, which is where the source of chakra is.
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