Chapter 28: Secrets of the Ghost Realm

Gripping his longsword tightly, Lu Yun looked warily at the sinister Ghost Lord, entering a state of high alert. With a slight frown, Lu Yun asked in a low voice, "Ghost Lord, the realm of life and death? Why have I never heard of such a thing in the Ghost Realm? What's going on? And why are you here? Why haven't you left?"

The flames flickered gently as the Ghost Lord chuckled evilly, "It seems you're not familiar with the Ghost Realm, not even aware of how many realms it has. Hehe, today I'm feeling generous, so I'll tell you a few things about the Ghost Realm since you can't leave here anyway. Now, ask whatever questions you have. After you're done, we can start playing a very interesting game. It's been thousands of years since I've had that kind of fun."

Lu Yun's eyes narrowed slightly, the feeling of unease growing stronger in his heart. With a subtle movement of his mind, Lu Yun unleashed his mental waves, carefully probing the depths of the sinister flame. As he probed the Ghost Lord's background, Lu Yun continued to speak, "Since you're so generous, I'll ask a few simple questions. I hope you won't disappoint me. First, I want to know how many realms there are in the Ghost Realm. Besides the Black River, Corpse Yin, and Soulless realms, what other regions are there?"

The Ghost Lord chuckled, "This question is simple. The Ghost Realm has a total of five realms. Besides the three you mentioned, there's also the Ghostly Sea, which is the most mysterious region in the Ghost Realm. And then there's my realm of life and death, which is the most dangerous."

"I see. I have another question. What's the difference between the realm of life and death? And why have you been staying here without leaving? Is there something outside that has sealed you here?"

The flames flashed suddenly as the Ghost Lord's sinister laughter filled the air, "There is a difference between life and death. Although the path of life is extremely dangerous, there is still a glimmer of hope, while the path of death is absolute. No one, not even gods or ghosts, can escape it. The realm of life and death is the smallest of the five realms in the Ghost Realm, yet no one, including ghosts, has ever been able to pass through it. As for why I've been staying here, it's a matter of fate, not because something outside has sealed me. There's nothing in this world that can seal me. As long as the darkness is unbroken, the dead shall never perish!"

Watching the Ghost Lord, Lu Yun's eyes changed slightly. The frequency of his mental waves had increased to twenty-four thousand, three hundred and sixty times per moment, but he still couldn't detect the bottom of this flame. This was the first time in history that Lu Yun had deployed mental waves at such a high frequency, yet he couldn't find any results, which left him feeling shocked. Watching the flickering flames, Lu Yun calculated in his mind how to deal with this evil entity, while continuing to speak, "Since you're unwilling to answer that question, I'll ask another one. Among the five realms of the Ghost Realm, the Ghostly Sea is in the sea, and the realm of life and death is underground. I want to know where the other three realms are located, and where the legendary one of the three great forbidden grounds of the Ghost Realm, the Soul-Transforming Pool, is located?"

The crimson eyes glanced at Lu Yun, and the Ghost Lord said darkly, "You have quite a few questions, just like the several types of techniques you've cultivated, at least five or more. However, regardless, you're doomed to never leave here. Now, I'll answer your questions, and then I'll make you die convinced. Among the three realms of the Ghost Realm, there are not many mysterious places, but each one has its own mysteries. The Soul-Locking Well in the Black River Realm, the Seal King Platform in the Corpse Yin Realm, and the Blood Pool in the Soulless Realm are all very mysterious places. As for the Soul-Transforming Pool you mentioned, it's not in any of these three Ghost King Cities, but in the Shura Forest where the three realms converge."

Lu Yun's face changed when he heard this, realizing that he and the others had been deceived by the Corpse Yin Ghost King and had become tools for him to use. Thinking about the three mysterious places mentioned by the Ghost Lord, Lu Yun was shocked to realize that they had encountered all of them, which was incredibly bizarre. At the same time, for the Ghost Lord to see through the fact that he possessed several types of techniques, Lu Yun remained calm on the surface, but he was deeply shocked inside and couldn't understand it.

Seeing Lu Yun's shocked expression, the Ghost Lord chuckled triumphantly, "Do you feel that you've hidden yourself well, only to be discovered by me? Hehe, if I didn't have this ability, could I boast and talk big? Now, do you have any more questions? If not, let's start that interesting game. You're a strange person, cultivating multiple techniques at the same time. It must be very fun to play with you, haha!"

At this moment, Lu Yun had retracted his mental waves, concentrating all his energy to the highest level and defending carefully. Watching the Ghost Lord's smug and evil smile, Lu Yun suddenly asked, "You're so powerful, I wonder who would be stronger if you encountered the Bloodthirsty Yama. I'm afraid you wouldn't be laughing then, would you?"

The smile faded from the Ghost Lord's face as he spoke with a slightly cold tone, "You say the Bloodthirsty Yama has returned? When did this happen?"

"Why, are you afraid? Are you so surprised? It happened not long ago, less than a day ago, right in the Black River Realm. I'm afraid you're no match for it, right?" With a hint of sarcasm, Lu Yun deliberately tried to provoke it.

With a cold snort, the Ghost Lord said disdainfully, "Am I afraid of it? Although it's powerful, it's sealed within the Yama's Order, while I, on the other hand, have nothing that can seal me. Just this alone proves that it's far inferior to me. Furthermore, the difference between me and it is that although its soul cannot be destroyed, its body can. Whereas my body and soul will never perish. There's nothing in this world that can destroy me."

"Is that so? Then let me try." Taking advantage of its momentary excitement, Lu Yun's figure flashed, and his divine sword swung out continuously, unleashing three hundred and ninety-six sword strikes. These hundreds of swords formed a dense web of blades around the leaping flames, rapidly constricting. Within the sword shadows, blood light flashed, and the figure of the Dragon Soul, under Lu Yun's full force, soared into the air. Seen only by the Dragon Soul, flames danced around its body, and its fiery breath, like a whirlwind, swept toward the Ghost Lord.

With a mocking look in its blood-red eyes, the Ghost Lord chuckled lightly and split its hands, clapping gently to either

 side. In the palm of its left hand, a sinister flame shot out, instantly transforming into a six-foot-sized rotating blood lotus. At the center of the blood lotus, three tiny red streams of energy converged into a three-inch-sized blood ball, violently sucking in Lu Yun's dense sword shadows. The fingers of its right hand formed into claws, and five dark red streams of energy jumped in its palm, forming a blood net, which was released towards the Dragon Soul in midair.

Lu Yun's body trembled as a powerful swallowing force dragged him closer to the Ghost Lord's left hand. The sky full of sword shadows, when approaching the Ghost Lord, were all torn apart by the strong suction force. At the same time, the Dragon Soul in midair exclaimed and suddenly jumped back, swiftly dodging the blood net that was surging. With all his strength, Lu Yun broke free from the suction force, retreating a yard in horror, watching the leaping flames vigilantly.

"How about that? Surprised, huh? Hehe, taking advantage of the opportunity to attack, not bad at scheming, huh? But too bad, in front of me, no matter what tricks you use, you won't be able to harm me in the slightest." Retracting his hands, the Ghost Lord looked triumphantly at Lu Yun, his eyes shimmering with a strange light.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Yun tried his best to remain calm as he said, "Truly worthy of being the Ghost Lord, impressive. You mentioned wanting to play a game, so how do we play? Tell me." While trying to calm his excitement, Lu Yun also probed the Ghost Lord's strengths and weaknesses, intending to use the information to his advantage later.

With a wicked smile, the Ghost Lord said, "The game naturally involves a real and cruel game. Let's play a game of cat and mouse. How about it? Interested? If so, we can continue with a bloody battle later. It's simple. You just need to try your best to avoid my attacks or actively attack me. Of course, the winner is whoever can hold out the longest."

Lu Yun nodded slightly and said, "So it's this simple game. Alright, let's make a bet then, who will be the final winner. Now pay attention, I'm going to launch an attack." With that, Lu Yun's figure surged forward, his divine sword wielding the "Fierce Fire Heavenly Vajra Sword Technique" at lightning speed, launching a fierce assault on the Ghost Lord.

With a smirk, the Ghost Lord, who had been standing on the light sphere all along, suddenly blurred and transformed into eight figures in quick succession. Red light flickered and the eight figures rapidly grew larger, appearing around Lu Yun. In the passage, countless figures intersected each other, and Lu Yun's residual images, accompanied by the dazzling red light of the divine sword, surrounded the constantly flashing Ghost Lord, launching a fierce attack.

At this moment, the entire passage was filled with colorful lights and countless figures, creating a beautiful scene in the sky. Amidst it all, Lu Yun's cold and stern shouts contrasted sharply with the Ghost Lord's smug and sinister laughter. The powerful sword energy emitted a dense thunderous sound in the passage, filling it with a mysterious and dangerous atmosphere.

The red light paused, and Lu Yun floated back two zhang, lightly standing on top of the terrifying stone statue. Looking at the Ghost Lord, whose body had enlarged in mid-air, Lu Yun's eyes showed a slight surprise as he said, "I didn't expect your body to be able to change so freely. What exactly is your true form, and why can't I see through it at all?"

The Ghost Lord chuckled, "I have no true form. Why would there be any illusion? Your speed is quite good, and your perception is also very keen. You managed to dodge all of my counterattacks. Hehe, interesting, let's continue." With a flash of red light, the Ghost Lord's figure swerved midway, turning to the left, then flying out another zhang before turning right again. In this way, it continuously changed direction nine times, and Lu Yun's surroundings were already filled with the Ghost Lord's figures.

Sensing the strangeness of the Ghost Lord's movements and the mystery of its trajectory, Lu Yun focused his mind, analyzing its attacks carefully. With the sword in hand, Lu Yun's body swiftly twisted within three feet, wielding the divine sword along a strange trajectory, forming a five-colored light shield around himself, firmly protecting him. With the shield activated, Lu Yun's eyes suddenly burst with cold light, and a powerful and overbearing aura erupted from his body. A dark blue light flashed from Lu Yun's body, and the Daoist "Tai Xuan Sky Splitting Dao" with a strong and overbearing aura rushed towards the Ghost Lord.

With a smirk, the Ghost Lord didn't dodge or evade, but instead met Lu Yun's full-force attack head-on with its flaming right hand. The palms clashed, and the two different columns of energy violently collided, then transformed into a powerful explosion, emitting a bright light that simultaneously pushed them both away. The Ghost Lord was slightly surprised, retreating two zhang, while Lu Yun's face turned pale, his body trembling violently as he retreated three zhang before stabilizing himself.

Looking at the Ghost Lord, Lu Yun's heart grew heavy. Since he started his journey, this was undoubtedly the strongest opponent he had encountered. Even the Bloodthirsty Yama, in Lu Yun's impression, wasn't as formidable as this Ghost Lord. Relaxing his grip on his longsword, the divine sword automatically flew above his head, hovering. With a cold tone, Lu Yun said, "Since I started my journey, you're the strongest opponent I've encountered. Since you insist on determining life and death today, let's have a full-on battle. Now, brace yourself for my 'Heart Zen Immortal Indestructible Technique.' Be careful!"

"For so many years, although you are the only person who has come to me, I still have to commend you. Your cultivation is indeed very strong. With your cultivation, you should have quite a reputation in the mortal realm. But there's one thing I want to tell you, even if your cultivation is stronger, with the techniques you just displayed, you will absolutely not be able to leave here alive today. This is the realm of life and death, the forbidden land of the Ghost Realm. Immortals, Buddhas, gods, and demons who come here never leave!" With a sinister gaze, the Ghost Lord spoke with a chilling aura.

Lu Yun sneered, "Is that so? Although immortals, Buddhas, gods, and demons may not be able to leave, I am human, and I believe I can. Now, it's your turn to face my move, Heart Sword Traceless!" With those words, a golden light burst from Lu Yun's body, and then the divine sword above his head vibrated violently, its blade suddenly transforming into countless sword shadows, filling the entire space. With a piercing howl, the divine sword, accompanied by dazzling radiance, shot towards the Ghost Lord from all directions. Meanwhile, Lu Yun floated cross-legged in mid-air, hands clasped together, his appearance majestic like a deity, radiating a dazzling golden light.

Feeling the countless sword energies carrying the terrifying aura of the Buddhist wisdom, the Ghost Lord's sinister eyes showed a hint of surprise as its body suddenly morphed into a hundred figures. Inside the chamber, the jumping crimson sword energies, under the dazzling golden light, converged into a massive net, rapidly contracting inward. Within the net, the Ghost Lord's body moved as fast as lightning, flashing hundreds of times in an instant, making its figure completely elusive.

When the sword energies had shrunk to a size of one zhang, a roar came from within the light net. At the same time, the sword energies couldn't shrink any further, apparently being countered by the Ghost Lord. In mid-air, Lu Yun's slightly closed eyes suddenly opened, emitting a golden light as two beams shot towards the light net. Upon hitting the net, the golden light intensified, and the power of the Buddhist Vajra Law burst forth. Simultaneously, the net contracted violently, completely enveloping the Ghost Lord.

Watching the Ghost Lord trapped within the net, Lu Yun's expression turned heavy. With all his strength, he urged the divine sword to execute the Heart Sword Traceless technique. Countless sword energies converged into a shining golden sword, aiming at the Ghost Lord's chest. With a flash of golden light, the sword pierced through the Ghost Lord's body, and a loud roar echoed out as its fiery form suddenly exploded into pieces.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lu Yun sheathed his divine sword and slowly landed on the ground. Glancing around, a hint of joy flickered in his eyes. Finally, he had managed to defeat the formidable Ghost Lord. The Buddhist technique of 'Heart Sword Traceless' was indeed mysterious, leaving opponents defenseless. Without it, Lu Yun might not have been able to trap the elusive Ghost Lord.

Turning around, Lu Yun planned to leave this evil place to avoid any unforeseen events. One step, two steps, on the third step, suddenly, Lu Yun's body shook, and he quickly turned around, gazing at the sky above the blood pool. Above the pool, the blood lotus remained, and the mysterious blood sphere still shimmered with light. Above it, a six-inch flame danced lightly, resembling a human figure.

Staring at that mysterious and sinister smile, Lu Yun exclaimed in horror, "How is this possible? Weren't you just destroyed by me? Why have you appeared again?"

With a flash of red light, the Ghost Lord's body suddenly enlarged, gently floating one zhang in front of Lu Yun, smiling sinisterly. "I have no true form, how could I be destroyed? How could you forget what I just said? I am eternal and indestructible, both in body and soul. As for your previous strike, it was indeed powerful enough to destroy my body. However, I have an indestructible body; even if you destroy my body a thousand times, I will never be annihilated. Now, let's continue our game. I'm increasingly curious to see how many secrets you hide, hehe!"

With a flicker of red light, the Ghost Lord easily transformed into a hundred figures, rotating around Lu Yun, launching attacks. The powerful aura of bloodthirst erupted, forming a blood-red light ball that trapped Lu Yun's body within. At this moment, the Ghost Lord finally launched a powerful attack, seemingly wanting to regain some advantage after the previous battle.

The intense pressure was overwhelming, catching Lu Yun off guard. Feeling trapped, Lu Yun realized he couldn't evade and could only resist with all his strength. Concentrating all his true essence, Lu Yun unleashed the demonic technique of 'Heart Desire Traceless,' forming a black light shield around his body to resist the onslaught of the bloodthirsty aura.

Time passed amidst their confrontation. By now, the Ghost Lord had forcefully contracted the blood ball thirteen times, attempting to destroy Lu Yun's body and soul, but each time Lu Yun managed to push it back. Although Lu Yun's defenses held, the thirteen attempts had consumed a significant amount of his true essence, causing severe internal injuries. Inside the blood ball, Lu Yun's eyes dimmed, his lips tightly pressed together, his unwavering will supporting him. Growing up in the presence of illness and adversity had made his will ten times stronger than that of an ordinary person.

Struggling to withstand the Ghost Lord's attacks, a faint smile appeared on Lu Yun's face, mysterious and enigmatic. With his left hand held upright in front of his chest, palm facing outward, a faint silver light began to gather. His right hand was held horizontally in front of his chest, palm facing inward, slowly extending forward. As his right hand stretched out, his palm pressed against the blood-red light shield, and he suddenly unleashed the fifth layer of the Daoist technique 'Heaven and Earth Infinity,' 'Ten Thousand Return to One.' Instantly, a seven-colored radiance flashed in the palm of Lu Yun's right hand, and a powerful suction force absorbed the light shield, attempting to break through this evil attack.

The Ghost Lord sneered, its rotating body suddenly stopping beside Lu Yun as a red glow emanated from its right hand, slowly pressing onto the light ball. The red light intensified, and the malevolent aura surged threefold, violently corroding Lu Yun's body. With a turn of his mind, a hint of anger flashed across Lu Yun's handsome face, and his bright eyes suddenly emitted an extremely sinister gaze, chillingly staring at the Ghost Lord outside the light ball.

With a start, the Ghost Lord suddenly felt an ominous sign rising, but before it could figure out what it could be, Lu Yun's left hand swiftly struck out, imprinting onto the light ball. A silver light flashed, and a Soul-Subduing Talisman appeared, emitting a strong and sacred aura that instantly shattered the light ball. Shocked, the Ghost Lord attempted to dodge, but its body was firmly held by Lu Yun's right hand and couldn.

With a fierce roar, the Ghost Lord struggled desperately, filled with fear and anger, trying to evade Lu Yun's Soul-Subduing Talisman. However, at this moment, Lu Yun wouldn't give it a chance. His palm imprinted onto the Ghost Lord's body. The silver words of the talisman shimmered with a strange light as they slowly entered its body. As the silver light flashed, the red light burst, accompanied by a resentful roar, disappearing into the air.

Weakly lying on the ground, Lu Yun's true essence was severely depleted, coupled with serious injuries, leaving him with no defensive capabilities. Gasping for breath, Lu Yun kept his gaze fixed on the changes in the blood pool, wary of the Ghost Lord's possible resurrection. Faced with this unkillable monster, Lu Yun had to remain extremely vigilant.

As time passed, and with no changes in the blood pool for a while, Lu Yun relaxed his guard, slowly absorbing the surrounding energy to replenish his depleted true essence. However, shortly after Lu Yun closed his eyes to meditate, the red light flashed above the blood pool, and a faint flame appeared again on the blood sphere, absorbing the transmitted energy. As time passed and the flame absorbed a considerable amount of energy, its radiance grew stronger once more.

As the red light intensified, the figure of the Ghost Lord slowly emerged in mid-air. Its sinister gaze fixed on the closed-eyed Lu Yun, its blood-red eyes shimmering with anger and malice. With a harsh laugh, the Ghost Lord's blood shadow shot towards Lu Yun, swiftly enveloping him in a layer of blood shadow.

In the moment before the blood shadow covered him, Lu Yun suddenly opened his eyes, wild with rage, glaring at the approaching Ghost Lord. Amidst the flickering red light, Lu Yun roared, "Damn you, you unkillable creature! I will destroy you!" With a roar filled with the devouring aura of bloodthirst, it immediately engulfed Lu Yun's body.

Feeling the evil aura of bloodthirst surrounding him, Lu Yun quickly activated his protective qi. However, strangely, this time his protective qi only lasted for less than a moment before being consumed by the bloodthirsty aura, forcing him to constantly switch techniques. After switching between five techniques in a row, Lu Yun realized one thing: the attacks launched by the Ghost Lord at this moment were extremely peculiar and impossible to defend against.

"Brat, the damn one is you! You've destroyed my body and soul twice in a row, causing me great loss of vitality. This time, I won't let you off. Get ready to experience the power of my Soul Transformation Technique. This technique can destroy gods and extinguish immortals. Once ensnared within it, any resistance is futile. Haha, this time I'll see how you survive!" Amidst the mad laughter, the Ghost Lord continuously exerted its power, intending to send Lu Yun into an eternal hell.

Feeling his true essence rapidly depleting and his body beginning to crack, blood flowing incessantly, Lu Yun felt both angry and anxious. Hatred filled his heart at this moment, madness rising within him. Hearing the triumphant laughter outside, Lu Yun's eyes gradually glowed with a red light, emitting a hint of sinister aura from within his body.

Pressing his hands against the ground, Lu Yun roared and leaped into the air. Standing still in mid-air, Lu Yun spread his hands wide, appearing utterly crazed, emitting a ghostly voice. Around him, a rolling mist of blood surged, madly devouring his body, seeking to destroy him as quickly as possible. Pain engulfed him, dragging Lu Yun into a sea of suffering, his entire body trembling uncontrollably, while evil slowly took root within him.

Within the blood mist, a pair of eyes shimmering with blood-red light shot out a chillingly icy glow, startling anyone who beheld them. At this moment, Lu Yun's entire body flashed with red light, and a radiance passed by, revealing a dark red, sinister armor—the Ghost King Battle Armor—shimmering with a sinister light. On the ground, the Divine Sword of Will, lying flat, emitted a sword cry and flew automatically to Lu Yun's head, spinning rapidly.

With the flickering red light, the two mysterious Eight Trigrams symbols on Lu Yun's chest and back emitted countless blood-red spells, forming two rotating blood-red Eight Trigrams around him, continuously devouring the Ghost Lord's bloodthirsty aura. At the same time, a rainbow light flashed, and the mysterious Heavenly Mirror of Will, revolving around Lu Yun's body, formed a layer of faint rainbow light, slowly isolating the Ghost Lord. Above his head, the Divine Sword of Will exuded a sinister aura, the myriad shadows of blood constantly appearing on its blade, as if ready to devour all living beings.

With a fierce roar, the Ghost Lord angrily exclaimed, "Kid, who are you exactly, and why do you have this strange Ghost King Battle Armor? A true Ghost King Battle Armor wouldn't have these two opposing Yin and Yang Eight Trigrams symbols. Furthermore, how can your sword contain these myriad shadows of blood? And what is this strange mirror of yours? What kind of object is it, emitting such a terrifying aura?"

Coldly staring at the blood shadow before him, Lu Yun emanated an aura of evil from his entire body, sinisterly saying, "Ghost Lord, since you enjoy playing games so much, let's play one last game. As for this armor on my body, it was formed due to an anomaly in the Soul-Locking Well. As for the myriad shadows of blood in the sword, they were naturally tamed there as well. You might not have expected that I have experienced everything in the Soul-Locking Well, the Sealing Platform, and the blood pool. Remember, my name is Lu Yun. Now, watch how I destroy you."

In mid-air, Lu Yun's true essence rapidly circulated throughout his body. With the bloodthirsty aura intensifying alongside the constant flickering of the Yin and Yang symbols, he fiercely attacked the Ghost Lord shrouding him. Around him, countless blood-colored rays of light surrounded him, and the bloodthirsty aura pervading the space, combined with Lu Yun's full activation of the "Heaven and Earth Infinity" technique, rushed into his body, replenishing his strength.