The group continued to ride the Sky-Rending Flying Eagle deeper into the Silent Lands, encountering only the group of Star Pirates near the exit. After that, they didn't see a single ghost.
Eager to swing her sword and kill enemies, Gu Huaiyu finally couldn't help but ask.
"Sister Lu, didn't you say there were countless vengeful spirits in the Silent Lands? How come we haven't seen a single ghost yet?"
Lu Chengfeng laughed and said, "We haven't even entered the periphery of the Silent Lands. This is at most near the entrance. The Silent Lands has multiple entrances, and experts regularly clear the vengeful spirits at each entrance. This is also to protect the mortals around the Silent Lands. We're lucky; we happened to arrive after the area was cleared by an expert."
"What kind of luck is that?"
Gu Huaiyu pouted in dissatisfaction, her mind set on killing enemies.
"Alright, alright, I know you can't wait. Look, there are vengeful spirits ahead."
Lu Chengfeng shook her head helplessly and pointed forward. About three thousand zhang away, there was a huge meteorite, and on the meteorite, faint blue shadows could be seen moving.
"Where? Where?" Gu Huaiyu excitedly stood up and looked in the direction Lu Chengfeng was pointing. Soon, she saw them too.
"Little Qing, speed up!" Gu Huaiyu said to the Sky-Rending Flying Eagle beneath her.
The Sky-Rending Flying Eagle had bright green feathers, which was the origin of its name.
"Gaa!"
Little Qing cried out, flapped its wings with force, and transformed into a green streak of light under the starry sky, speeding towards the location of the vengeful spirits.
Soon, the group arrived above the huge meteorite. Gu Huaiyu excitedly looked at the vengeful spirits below. She originally thought the vengeful spirits were humanoid ghosts, but when she saw their appearance, she was stunned.
These vengeful spirits seemed to be formed from countless blue light spots, hollow in the middle, like light spheres, without eyes, noses, or mouths. Moreover, there were many of them, gathering in the thousands on the meteorite.
"Those are called Phosphorous Souls!"
At this moment, Gu Changsheng noticed Gu Huaiyu's confusion and explained.
"Phosphorous Souls?" Gu Huaiyu was still puzzled.
Lu Chengfeng said, "Teacher is right. These vengeful spirits are called Phosphorous Souls. They are the lowest level of vengeful spirits, not even reaching the Awakening Realm. They fear sunlight and can only be active at night when they leave the Silent Lands. Phosphorous Souls are also the will-o'-the-wisps in mortal legends. Even ordinary people with strong blood can deal with Phosphorous Souls."
"Ah? So weak?" Gu Huaiyu's face fell. She thought she could show off in front of her master, but these Phosphorous Souls hadn't even reached the Awakening Realm and weren't even part of her mission.
"However…" Lu Chengfeng's tone changed, but she was a little uncertain.
"However, what?" Gu Huaiyu quickly asked.
Lu Chengfeng continued, "Although Phosphorous Souls are the lowest level of vengeful spirits, this is the first time I've seen such a large number of them."
"So what? Even if there are more of them, it's just a matter of one slash. No fun," Gu Huaiyu said listlessly.
"You little rascal!" Gu Changsheng flicked Gu Huaiyu's forehead. Gu Huaiyu cried out in pain, looking at Gu Changsheng with a puzzled expression. Her bright eyes seemed to be asking why he hit her.
"I told you to read more books in your free time, but you definitely didn't do it, otherwise you wouldn't even know what Phosphorous Souls are," Gu Changsheng said.
Hearing this, Gu Huaiyu stuck out her tongue cutely and said, "I've been busy cultivating. Where would I have time to read that stuff?"
"Hmm?"
"Master, after I finish the mission, I will definitely do as you say," Gu Huaiyu quickly promised.
"Hehe!"
Gu Changsheng smiled and said to Lu Chengfeng, "You can't indulge her too much in the future. Except when necessary, you must set aside an hour each day for her to read."
"Necessary" naturally referred to cultivation time.
Hearing this, Gu Huaiyu quickly gave Lu Chengfeng a look, but Lu Chengfeng acted as if she didn't see it and nodded, saying, "Okay, Teacher."
"I'm doomed!"
Gu Huaiyu lay down listlessly, staring blankly at the boundless starry sky. She really didn't want to face the words in those books.
Gu Changsheng ignored her and continued to talk about the topic of Phosphorous Souls.
"Phosphorous Souls are often born in burial grounds, but isn't it strange that there are so many Phosphorous Souls here?"
"Teacher, are you saying there's a large tomb?" Lu Chengfeng said.
"A large tomb?" Gu Huaiyu perked up again upon hearing this and quickly sat up. She said, "Wouldn't there be many treasures in a large tomb?"
"Hehe, perhaps," Gu Changsheng said with a smile. As long as it was related to money, this girl wouldn't let it go.
Lu Chengfeng wasn't as optimistic as Gu Huaiyu. She said, "These Phosphorous Souls have a weak aura and don't seem to have been here from the beginning. It's more like they escaped here from somewhere."
"Escaped here? Doesn't that mean the large tomb isn't nearby?" Gu Huaiyu asked in confusion.
"Wouldn't it be easy to have them lead the way?"
After Gu Changsheng finished speaking, he waved his hand. In the next moment, the thousands of Phosphorous Souls seemed to have received some kind of instruction and flew in a certain direction in unison.
"Little Qing, follow them," Gu Huaiyu said excitedly.
"Gaa!"
Little Qing cried out twice, carrying the group behind the Phosphorous Souls, flying deeper into the Silent Lands.
…
At the same time, deep within the Silent Lands, three battleships formed a triangular encirclement around a bronze gate. The bronze gate had been opened, and from the outside, it was pitch black, making people wonder what was inside. It seemed to connect to another world, making people hesitate.
"Roar!"
Just then, a roar came from inside the bronze gate, and the surrounding starry sky shattered inch by inch. Spiderweb-like cracks extended toward the battleships. Just as they were about to touch the battleships, the three battleships simultaneously emitted powerful divine light. The divine light from the three battleships combined to form a huge protective shield, enveloping the bronze gate and isolating the cracks inside the shield.
"Roar!"
Another roar sounded, and then there was a muffled "bang." A large hand covered in green hair grabbed a door of the bronze gate, as if to completely open the bronze gate, and forcefully pried it open.
"Rumble!"
Under the powerful force of the large hand, the bronze gate rumbled and the earth shook. The meteorites around the bronze gate couldn't withstand this powerful force and shattered. Even the protective shield formed by the three battleships had countless cracks, and the three battleships shook violently, on the verge of collapse.
"Hmph, you beast!"
Just then, a cold snort sounded from a battleship, like a thunderclap on a flat land. A bolt of lightning appeared out of thin air, hitting the green-haired hand directly.
"Roar!"
The power of thunder was the nemesis of all dark creatures. The monster hidden inside the bronze gate let out a painful roar after being struck by the powerful thunder, and its hand retracted.
"Elder Hong is mighty!"
Cheers rang out in the battleship.
An old man appeared under the crowd's escort. He was tall and upright, with an extraordinary bearing. He said loudly, "A mere Netherwater Ape is not worth mentioning. I will go in and kill it, and then you can go in."
After speaking, Elder Hong flashed and entered the bronze gate.
Just as everyone was waiting for Elder Hong's good news, in the next moment, a head floated out of the bronze gate with a "boom," it was Elder Hong who had entered earlier.
"Elder Hong…"
Everyone's expression changed. Just then, the green-haired hand stretched out from the bronze gate. The hand grew in the wind, and in an instant, it grew into a towering giant hand. The protective shield formed by the three battleships was like tofu in front of the green-haired giant hand, breaking at the first touch.
"Run!"
"Run!"
"Send a message back to the sect and tell them about this…"
These people wanted to escape at the first moment, but the green-haired hand seemed to have endless gravity, attracting all these people to the palm of its hand, and then slowly retracted from the bronze gate, eventually disappearing completely.
And the bronze gate closed with a "bang," but before it closed, there was a faint chewing sound.
