Wild Ghost Ridge was a realm of contradictions. Though it teemed with countless spirits, its sheer vastness meant the ghosts were spread thin across a desolate, gray landscape.
However, as Xiao Yifeng and the Sword Spirit carved a path toward the ridge's heart, the geography shifted. The barren wasteland gave way to dense clusters of settlements—ghost villages.
These villages were the nodes of the ridge, forming a massive, labyrinthine network.
There were two standard methods to traverse this trial. The prudent method was to skirt the edges, taking a long, circuitous detour to avoid the densest concentrations of yin energy. The aggressive method was to plow straight through the center.
Xiao Yifeng, currently wielding the power of a god of slaughter, had no patience for detours. He chose the direct path.
As he ventured deeper, the scenery became unsettlingly normal. The villages below were brightly lit with spectral lanterns. Pedestrians walked the streets, hawkers shouted their wares, and smoke rose from chimneys. It looked exactly like the mortal realm.
But as Xiao Yifeng flew overhead, the illusion shattered.
The "villagers" would stop mid-step. Thousands of heads would snap upward in unison, their necks cracking at unnatural angles. In the blink of an eye, their human facades melted away, revealing rotting flesh, protruding fangs, and hollow sockets. With ear-piercing shrieks, the entire village would rise into the air like a swarm of locusts, rushing to devour the intruder.
Xiao Yifeng ignored them. He flew in a straight line, a golden comet cutting through the gloom. He only struck when they blocked his path, obliterating the vanguard while ignoring the wailing horde trailing behind him.
Yet, after flying for what felt like hours, Xiao Yifeng’s frown deepened. The landscape was repeating itself. The same withered trees, the same village layouts, the same wails.
"A Ghost Wall," he muttered, landing on a rocky outcrop.
He was trapped in a spatial loop, a classic 'Ghost Hitting the Wall' phenomenon, but amplified by a high-level formation. He couldn't find the array's eye to break it technically, so he decided on a simpler solution: brute force.
"If I cause enough destruction," he mused, "the array won't be able to sustain the energy consumption. I'll make this place so chaotic that the ridge itself spits me out."
He sat down cross-legged to recover his breath, closing his eyes. "Guard me."
Beside him, the Crimson-Robed Sword Spirit laughed maniacally. She didn't need rest. To her, this wasn't a battle; it was an all-you-can-eat banquet. She danced through the air, the Immortal Slayer Sword drinking deep of the ghostly essence, growing stronger with every kill.
Meanwhile, Su Miaoqing was strictly following Xiao Yifeng’s instructions. She hugged the periphery of the ridge, flying low and slow.
She had been flying for a full day. Although the wandering ghosts couldn't breach her defenses, their hideous forms nauseated her. She avoided the scattered settlements like the plague, until she stumbled upon a medium-sized village that looked different.
It was... peaceful.
Warm yellow light spilled from the windows. She heard the familiar sounds of chickens clucking and dogs barking. It looked so much like the villages near the Inquiry Heaven Sect that her guard lowered. Perhaps she could find a neutral NPC here to ask for directions?
But the moment her foot crossed the village threshold, the bustling sounds vanished.
Silence. Absolute, suffocating silence.
Every single "person" in the market turned to look at her. Their smiles stretched too wide, tearing the skin of their cheeks. Their eyes turned black.
"Fresh... meat..."
With a collective roar, the villagers transformed into savage ghouls and lunged.
"Ah!" Su Miaoqing shrieked, tears welling in her eyes from sheer terror.
She was instantly engulfed by the horde. Panicking, she lashed out blindly. Although she fought bravely, the sheer volume of ghosts was overwhelming. They piled onto her defensive barrier like ants on sugar.
However, amidst her panic, the flames in her palms changed. They weren't just ordinary fire qi anymore; they burned with a trace of gold. The Undead Bird Source Blood in her veins was leaking out, granting her fire a divine suppression attribute that terrified the ghosts.
Back in the loop, Xiao Yifeng was getting irritable. He had been killing for another day, yet the Ghost Wall held firm.
Suddenly, his ears twitched. Amidst the wailing of ghosts, he heard a distinct sound from a village ahead—the sharp, desperate cry of a woman.
Xiao Yifeng’s spirit jolted. Su Miaoqing?
He didn't hesitate. He immediately unsummoned the Slaying Immortal Sword and the Sword Spirit. In a flash, his demeanor shifted. The malevolent aura vanished, replaced by the righteous, scholarly air of "Wuchen." He drew the Falling Rainbow Sword and switched his cultivation method from the Formless Heart Sutra back to the orthodox Nine Scrolls of Inquiry.
He couldn't let Su Miaoqing see him using demonic arts.
He sped toward the besieged village. The ghostly miasma was too thick to identify the cultivator inside, but he couldn't take the risk.
"Hold on!" he roared.
He channeled his spiritual energy into the Falling Rainbow Sword, coating the blade in a dazzling blue light—a Daoist exorcism technique common among the righteous sects.
With a wave of his hand, a dozen yellow talismans shot out, exploding into nets of lightning that scattered the outer ring of ghosts. He carved a bloody path through the horde, rushing toward the center of the encirclement.
Inside the swarm, the woman sensed aid arriving. Xiao Feng?
Joy surged in her heart. She couldn't let him see her looking pathetic! Emboldened, she gave a delicate shout. Three distinct fire-phoenixes manifested behind her back, their wings spreading to incinerate the ghosts around her as she flew to meet her savior.
Xiao Yifeng broke through the final wall of spirits. He looked up, a reassuring smile forming on his lips—
And froze.
The woman smiling back at him wasn't Su Miaoqing. It was a bewitching beauty in purple robes, her eyes rippling with seduction.
"I never expected Fellow Daoist Wuchen to be so chivalrous," she giggled, her voice like honey.
Xiao Yifeng’s face plummeted. "Why is it you?"
He almost turned around to leave right then and there.
"Does Fellow Daoist Wuchen dislike Yao Yao that much?" Mo Shuiyao pouted, batting her eyelashes. "This humble girl was overjoyed to see you charge in like a hero to save me."
"Paths differ, we cannot conspire together," Xiao Yifeng said coldly, using the formal idiom of rejection. "Farewell."
He slashed his sword to open a path, intending to abandon her. But Mo Shuiyao was like a piece of sticky candy. She stuck close to his side, matching his speed. Since she was a top-tier cultivator herself, Xiao Yifeng couldn't easily shake her off without fighting her, and they were still surrounded by the horde.
He gritted his teeth. He was stuck with the witch.
Elsewhere in the ridge, Su Miaoqing was also facing a desperate situation.
Suddenly, a figure burst through the ghostly tide. A handsome man clad in scholar’s robes, wielding a folding fan, fought his way to her side with dashing flair.
"I never expected it to be Fairy Su! I heard a distress call and came specifically to aid you," the man laughed heartily.
He snapped his fan open, and a gust of green wind expanded into a barrier, knocking the ghosts back.
Su Miaoqing stared blankly. It wasn't Xiao Yifeng. It was Lin Xiao of the Azure Dragon Sect.
She quickly masked her disappointment with vigilance. Everyone in this trial was a competitor, and many coveted her bloodline.
"Fairy Su need not look at me like a tiger watching a wolf," Lin Xiao said smoothly, reading her expression. "I possess a Wood Spiritual Root; your Fire Source Blood is of little use to me. Besides... Lin Xiao has always been one to cherish jade and pity fragrance. I could never bear to see a peerless beauty like yourself harmed."
"Hmph. Slick-tongued hypocrite," Su Miaoqing scoffed, buying none of it.
"Meeting by chance is fate," Lin Xiao continued, unfazed by her coldness. "It seems you've been separated from Fellow Daoist Wuchen. Why not travel with me? Two people are stronger than one."
Su Miaoqing wanted to refuse. But looking at the sea of gnashing teeth and rotting claws around them, her courage faltered. Without the Source Blood—which she couldn't fully control yet—breaking out alone would be deadly.
Her mind raced. She couldn't show weakness.
She lifted her delicate chin, looking down at him with feigned arrogance. "Fine. If you are truly that terrified of these vengeful spirits, this Fairy supposes she can escort you for a while."
Lin Xiao paused, then chuckled, hiding the mockery in his eyes. He nodded solemnly. "Then I shall trouble the Fairy to protect me."
They broke out together. To Lin Xiao’s surprise, Su Miaoqing’s flames were terrifyingly potent.
Su Miaoqing also noticed something odd. Lin Xiao’s folding fan seemed to burn the ghosts upon contact, despite not being fire-attribute.
Noticing her glance, Lin Xiao smiled, displaying his fan. "Curious? The ribs of this fan are crafted from Soul Controlling Wood. It naturally suppresses yin entities."
"Hmph. Who cares about your broken fan?" Su Miaoqing rolled her eyes, maintaining her tsundere act.
Despite the verbal sparring, their combat synergy was undeniable. Wood feeds Fire. Lin Xiao’s wind and wood arts fanned Su Miaoqing’s flames, creating a conflagration that incinerated everything in their path.
In moments, they tore through the encirclement and vanished into the gray mist, leaving the ruined village behind.