Chapter 21 Gathering of Experts

The cold wind howled, and green light danced in the air. Amidst sinister laughter, the Ghost Marshal directed the ghost army, using a strange formation to surround the Bloody Terror.

In the green world, countless eerie black mists swirled in the air. The sounds of wails and roars intertwined, forming a symphony of death, filled with terror. The Headless Blood Terror waved its hands frantically, its dark red eyes emanating boundless bloodthirsty aura, emitting countless roars. The flying blood rays were as fierce as hurricanes, easily tearing apart the souls of the ghost soldiers, killing at an astonishing speed.

Around the scene, hundreds of ghost soldiers' spirits merged into one, forming a black sinister aura that compressed fiercely, attempting to suppress the Bloody Terror. Not far away, the Ghost Marshal, accompanied by a ghost immortal and nine ghost spirits, nervously watched the Bloody Terror. Seeing that more than half of the ghost soldiers had died, the Ghost Marshal couldn't help but sigh, waving his hand to command the nine ghost spirits to attack. Shadows flashed, and the nine ghost spirits surrounded the Bloody Terror, rotating rapidly. With their rotation, a black whirlwind carrying an evil force that devoured everything emerged, swirling in the air.

In the midst of the confrontation, the formidable destructive force gradually approached, causing the Bloody Terror to roar continuously, and its rapidly moving body slowed down. Dark red light shot out from its eyes, and the Bloody Terror angrily swung two blood shadows forward like blood dragons roaring into the sky, rushing towards the front. The collision of the powerful bloodthirsty aura and the sinister ghost aura instantly generated a tremendous impact, followed by a deafening roar. With a thunderous boom, countless screams accompanied the shattering of the black whirlwind.

As the blood shadows flashed, the Bloody Terror's body slowed down while the whirlwind shattered. It rushed towards the Ghost Marshal. Seeing this, the Ghost Marshal was startled. He didn't expect the Bloody Terror to become so cunning and not fall for the trap. With a resentful glance ahead, the Ghost Marshal sneered and changed direction, chasing after the Bloody Terror. Not long after the Ghost Marshal left, the figures of Luyun, Aoxue, and Cangyue appeared in the air.

Watching the retreating Ghost Marshal, Luyun smiled and said, "It seems that the Bloody Terror is a great threat to them, otherwise the Ghost Marshal wouldn't ignore us after sensing our presence. The Undead Blood Terror is an indestructible entity, and this time the Ghost King's City is likely to pay a great price. This is also good for us, as we can avoid many strong enemies."

Aoxue expressed some concern, "Although that's true, we'll probably have to expend a considerable amount of energy when we eventually face the Bloody Terror. If we find the Soul-Sealing Talisman and seal off the Ghost Domain, then it's no problem for us. But if we don't find the talisman, one day we'll inevitably encounter this bloodthirsty creature."

"Hard to say what will happen in the future. Let's focus on finding the whereabouts of the Soul-Transforming Pool for now; time is running out," Cangyue said lightly.

"Cangyue is right. We don't know what the future holds, so let's deal with the present matters first. Let's go," Luyun said, leading the two women towards the central area of the Ghost King's City.

As the three approached the central area of the Ghost King's City, they felt a strong bloodthirsty aura permeating the entire city. At the same time, another powerful aura, filled with evil and sinister energy, also erupted. Sensing the immense strength of these two forces, Luyun whispered, "It seems that the Bloody Terror and the Ghost King are facing off. From the equally formidable momentum, it seems that there won't be any clear outcome between them."

Cangyue looked at him and smiled faintly, "Isn't this what you wanted? This way, we can still use the Bloody Terror to restrain the Ghost King later, making it easier for us to act. Now let's find a ghost and force it to reveal the whereabouts of the Soul-Transforming Pool." Seeing the two nod, Cangyue began to carefully search for ghosts around.

Looking at Luyun, Aoxue asked, "Remember last time when you drove away the Bloody Terror? If we encounter it again, are you confident you can destroy it?"

Glancing at Aoxue, Luyun smiled softly and said, "At least I won't let it harm you both. Can this answer satisfy you? To be honest, I don't have a hundred percent certainty of defeating it, but I'm seventy percent sure. The reason the Bloody Terror is immortal is because there's a mysterious gold piece inside its body. Last time when you, Cangyue, and Yunfeng joined forces, I noticed that when its protective blood barrier shattered, a gold piece was exposed in its heart. As long as we can find a way to extract or destroy that gold piece, we can eliminate it."

With a slight smile, Aoxue's eyes contained a hint of affection as she whispered, "So that's it. Then we'll have a plan to deal with it in the future. Cangyue has already found a ghost, let's go take a look." Her snow-white figure gently descended beside Cangyue.

Looking at the ghost trapped in Cangyue's palm, Luyun said, "What can we ask it? Judging from this ghost's weak strength, it may not know much."

"We asked twice, but the ghost's answer was that it didn't know. It only said that the Soul-Transforming Pool is one of the three great forbidden areas in the Ghost Domain, and fewer than ten beings in the entire Ghost Domain know its whereabouts. It seems that it's difficult to obtain results from these ghosts. This means it will consume even more of our time," Cangyue said, shaking her head gently as she looked at Luyun.

After pondering for a while, Luyun whispered, "Actually, this outcome was within our expectations. Before entering the Ghost Domain, we should have anticipated it. It's just that now it's been confirmed. The various possibilities we envisaged earlier have turned out to be the worst one."

Suddenly, Luyun's expression changed as he looked up at the sky. Above, a faint phantom silently appeared over the heads of the three, which was the Ghost Marshal. Sensing Luyun's unusual reaction, the two women also looked up, their eyes filled with astonishment at the Ghost Marshal above.

"Hehe, I didn't expect you to still be so persistent, repeatedly coming here to court death. This time, I'm afraid you won't be able to return," a sinister voice emanated from the Ghost Marshal's mouth, sounding terrifying. Both Aoxue and Cangyue's expressions changed slightly, showing great vigilance towards the Ghost Marshal. After all, the two had almost died at its hands before, feeling threatened by the black robe in its hands.

Luyun's expression turned slightly cold as he said, "Instead of taking care of the Undead Blood Terror, you come here to take care of us. It seems like you still have plenty of time, right? Well, that's good, we were just thinking of finding you, to settle old scores and to ask a few questions."

The Ghost Marshal sneered a few times, looking at the three and said, "Is that so? You intrude into my Ghost King's City, kill my ghost soldiers, and now you say you want to settle scores with me. You people from the mortal realm are really confusing, full of nonsense. As for what you want to ask, is it about the Soul-Transforming Pool? I might consider it, maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll tell you."

Luyun said indifferently, "Don't waste time here. Are you afraid that we'll intrude into the city and affect the Ghost King's handling of the Bloody Terror? This Bloody Terror is an immortal entity. If the Ghost King could kill it, it wouldn't have just sealed it back then."

"How do you know? Have you seen the Bloody Terror? That's impossible. Tell me, how could this happen?" The Ghost Marshal looked very surprised.

With a faint smile, Luyun said, "Want to know? It's simple. You exchange the secret of the Soul-Transforming Pool with me, and I'll tell you. How about it? This way, we each get what we want, and nobody loses. Otherwise, you'll never know the secret of the Bloody Terror."

Looking at the three, the Ghost Marshal fell into contemplation. On the ground, Aoxue and Cangyue looked at Luyun, surprised that he came up with the idea of exchanging conditions with the Ghost Marshal. Didn't he understand that the words of the Ghost Marshal were not trustworthy?

With a flash of green light, the Ghost Marshal said in a gloomy voice, "Fine, I can tell you, but whether what I say is true or not, you probably won't be able to tell, right? Have you considered that?"

With a calm smile, Luyun said calmly, "I naturally understand this point. And can you distinguish whether what I say is true or not? We're all in the same boat, what do you think?" The two women were stunned at his words, but then they smiled beautifully. They didn't expect Luyun's words to be so sharp, not losing to the Ghost Marshal.

With a snort of anger, the Ghost Marshal said, "Sly humans, none of you can be trusted. Fine, you go first. After you finish, I'll tell you about the Soul-Transforming Pool."

"In that case, you're insincere. Since you were the one who brought up wanting to know about the Bloody Terror, it should be you who goes first. If you don't want to know, then we'll cancel this transaction. How about it, General Ghost Marshal?" Luyun seemed confident at this moment.

Snorting angrily twice, the Ghost Marshal seemed to have not expected to be seen through by Luyun. Staring at Luyun, the Ghost Marshal was about to speak, but suddenly a very powerful aura came. With a roar, the Ghost Marshal looked shocked and angry, his gaze fixed on the city. From afar, a colorful light suddenly rose, a powerful and holy aura pervading the entire city, causing all the ghosts to scream in fear. In the powerful divine aura, five colorful divine dragons soared into the sky, swirling around the area.

Aoxue and Cangyue glanced at each other in surprise. "It's the Divine Sword of the Heavenly Spirit. I didn't expect Jian Wuchen to come so fast," Cangyue said, nodding slightly. Just as she was about to reply, another powerful aura suddenly arrived.

In the eerie atmosphere, there was a hint of demonic charm, coupled with a chilling intensity. This powerful aura permeated the air immediately after the strong emergence of Sword Dust in the sky. However, following this demonic aura, another wave of evil, tinged with a bloody scent, swept in with no less intensity.

In the air, the Ghost Marshal, unable to discern its expression, let out a series of continuous roars, indicating its extreme anger at the moment. A terrifying howl echoed from its mouth, and immediately, the aura around the Ghost Marshal fluctuated, and its ghostly figure disappeared in front of the trio of Land Yun. However, just as the Ghost Marshal vanished, another powerful aura emerged. A malevolent aura, accompanied by a strong sense of evil, rose within the city.

With a cold gaze fixed on the city, Land Yun's face revealed a hint of solemnity. Glancing at the surprised expressions of the two women, Land Yun spoke softly, "Let's go and see what's happening. We need to find out why so many powerful figures have gathered here and what roles they play."

Concerned, Snow and Moon exchanged a glance, surprised by Land Yun's unexpected sharpness. Yet neither of them spoke, silently following Land Yun as he gracefully approached the city.

In a hexagonal plaza, countless masters had gathered at this moment. In the center of the scene, the Black River Ghost King and the Ghost Marshal Phantom Charm leaned against each other, with a Ghost Immortal and sixteen Ghost Fiends standing behind them. At this moment, the Ghost King was shrouded in a layer of black ghostly aura, with eyes flashing with red and black light, sternly surveying the surroundings.

Across from the Ghost King, the Undead Blood Ghost was also ceasing its attack. Its gaze swept over Sword Dust and others on the left before looking up into the sky, its eyes flashing with a bloody aura. In the sky, a dark cloud, shrouded in sinister energy, faintly emitted a demonic aura, incredibly powerful but indiscernible. On the right side of this dark cloud, a figure exuding a chilling aura and a strong scent of blood, stood oddly suspended in mid-air. Opposite this figure, four ghostly figures hid within the rolling black mist. Upon closer observation, one would notice that these four ghostly figures belonged to two different factions, but their auras were remarkably similar.

Silently arriving near the plaza, Land Yun and the others stopped at a distance of ten meters from a corner, observing the six powerful forces in the square. At this moment, Sword Dust was standing amidst Liuxing, Cold Jiahao, Bitian, and Duli. Overhead, the Heavenly Spirit Divine Sword was spinning rapidly, with five divine dragons hovering above, continuously devouring nearby ghosts. On the ground, Liuxing and the others were forming the Four Elephant Sword Formation, carefully guarding against any disturbances in the surroundings.

After observing Sword Dust for a while, Land Yun's eyes showed a hint of curiosity, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he had sensed something. After a moment of contemplation, Land Yun gently shifted his gaze away from Sword Dust and began to assess the other ghostly figures. As his gaze swept over the dark cloud, a familiar feeling arose in his heart. In just an instant, Land Yun understood what was hidden within the dark cloud. And upon seeing the figure exuding evil with a scent of blood, Land Yun's eyes turned cold, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. When his gaze fell on the four ghostly figures at the end, a mysterious smile appeared on his lips, his eyes filled with understanding.

"Land Yun, have you noticed that these auras are remarkably similar? Apart from Sword Dust and the others, all the others exude a gloomy ghostly aura, indicating that they may not have good intentions," Snow remarked softly, her gaze fixed on the scene.

Moon, having recovered from her surprise, whispered, "I believe that, apart from this person, that shadow hidden within the black cloud, Snow has seen it before, and it's known as the Indomitable Ghost in the World of Ghosts. I didn't expect it to arrive so quickly, even before us. As for the remaining four ghostly figures, I suspect they might be the Ghost Marshals and Ghost Immortals from the Shadow Corpse Realm and the Soulless Realm. Their auras, though slightly different from those here, are remarkably similar."

Land Yun nodded, his expression calm as he listened to their observations. "Besides, that shadow in the black cloud, Snow has seen it before, and it's known as the Indomitable Ghost in the World of Ghosts. I didn't expect it to arrive so quickly, even before us. As for the remaining four ghostly figures, I suspect they might be the Ghost Marshals and Ghost Immortals from the Shadow Corpse Realm and the Soulless Realm. Their auras, though slightly different from those here, are remarkably similar."

In the midst of the scene, the Ghost Marshal Phantom Charm spoke up, "Since you have suddenly arrived at our city, I wonder what your purpose is. The Ghost Marshals from the Shadow Corpse Realm and the Soulless Realm have brought their Ghost Immortals with them, it

 seems unlikely to be a trivial matter. And that Indomitable Ghost lurking in the hidden cloud, could it be here just to spectate? As for the notorious Summoning Ghost Old Man from the human realm, I wonder what brings you to our Ghost King City?"

With a sneer, the Summoning Ghost Old Man chuckled, "I'm just here to make up the numbers and see if there have been any changes in the Ghost Realm over the years. Looks like there have been quite a few changes indeed. Hehe, it's getting interesting."

In the black cloud, the Indomitable Ghost remained silent, showing no response. Likewise, the four ghostly figures from the Shadow Corpse Realm and the Soulless Realm only chuckled darkly, refraining from speaking. Phantom Charm spoke again, directing his question to the Ghost Marshals from the Shadow Corpse Realm and the Soulless Realm, "Shadow Gloomy, Soulless, you two have always maintained a triangular balance with us, refraining from interfering with each other. But this time, you'd better make your intentions clear, or else don't blame us for taking advantage of the situation and dealing with you."

"With your current state, you can barely protect yourselves, yet you dare to boast. I suggest you deal with the Blood Ghast and these human realm masters first, then we can talk about other matters. I don't have time to chat with you right now. I still have to settle some scores with this Summoning Old Ghost. Let's each mind our own business." Shadow Gloomy spoke, his gaze fixed on the Summoning Ghost Old Man, his eyes filled with darkness and fierceness.

With a low growl, the Ghost King understood Shadow Gloomy's meaning and instructed his subordinates, the five Ghost Fiends, to begin attacking Sword Dust and his companions. Subsequently, the Phantom Charm ordered the Ghost Immortal to lead the six Ghost Fiends to initiate an attack on the Ghost Marshal Soulless and another Ghost Immortal from the Soulless Realm. Meanwhile, Phantom Charm himself, along with the remaining five Ghost Fiends, remained vigilant, ready to provide support at any moment.

A chilling wind rose, and Shadow Gloomy and his Ghost Immortal silently appeared beside the Summoning Ghost Old Man, launching a powerful attack. Two powerful streams of black energy, carrying an eroding ghostly aura, formed a barrier around the Summoning Ghost Old Man. The Summoning Ghost Old Man's expression changed, his strength greatly diminished since being destroyed by Land Yun's "Five Thunder Divine Art." Now, he felt greatly angered. Seeing two of the Ghost Realm's top masters attacking him, he couldn't help but become cautious, moving swiftly and carefully to maintain his strength.

On the other side, the five Ghost Fiends faced Sword Dust and his companions, resulting in a more intense battle. The five Ghost Fiends' auras merged into one, and countless ghostly shadows rotated around them, forming a black light barrier. As the rotation accelerated, the powerful force began compressing inward, its wild power causing the five individuals within to breathe rapidly.

Within the barrier, Liuxing and the others, using the Four Elephant Formation, resisted fiercely, forcefully pushing back the overwhelming ghostly aura. Within the formation, Sword Dust's gaze was sharp, controlling the divine sword in his hands. In the sky, the Heavenly Spirit Divine Sword emitted a strong sacred light, dispersing the sinister ghostly aura, making it difficult for it to coalesce. With a cold shout, Sword Dust's eyes flashed with a purple light, and the sword in his hand shook violently. Accompanied by a deafening roar, a powerful explosion erupted as the divine sword's sacred aura collided fiercely with the ghostly aura. The sound of thunder echoed, and Sword Dust was sent flying several meters back, while Liuxing and the others, forming the Four Elephant Formation, trembled violently, their faces darkening.

The battle raged on, with Blood Ghast and Sword Dust engaging in fierce combat, while Land Yun and his companions observed the situation with keen interest, waiting for the right moment to make their move.