Chapter 102: Sudden Outbreak! The Ghost Tide Erupts
Just as Chen Chang'an walked forward leisurely, preparing to make a move—
Rumble!
The entire Ten Thousand Ghost Cavern shook violently, as though an ancient beast was stirring beneath the earth.
Stalactites from the ceiling broke and crashed down, striking the ground with deafening force.
The once calm Lake of Baleful Energy boiled over. Thick black mist surged upward like a tsunami, shrouding the entire cavern ceiling in the blink of an eye!
"What is happening!?" The Third Commander froze at first, as if sensing something. Then his voice shifted abruptly beneath the mask. "No! A ghost tide! The ghost tide has erupted!"
"Impossible! The last ghost tide was only seventy years ago. There should be thirty more years until the next eruption!"
"There is no time! Defend!"
The tense atmosphere was shattered instantly. The four white-robed commanders abandoned their attack, retreating in haste to form a defensive formation. The numbers on their masks flickered madly as each summoned their life-bound artifacts, blood-red barriers rising around them.
Even Elder Mo's expression changed drastically. In a flash, he retreated to Chen Chang'an and Xiao Ling'er's side.
Moments ago, facing four opponents of equal rank, his face showed not the slightest panic. Now, rare anxiety gleamed in his eyes.
His gray robe swelled as the full might of the Longevity Realm burst forth, forming a solid golden barrier around the three of them.
"Miss, be careful!" Elder Mo's voice was taut. "It is a ghost tide! Do not take a single step from behind me!"
Xiao Ling'er had never seen him so unsettled. Her face turned pale. "Elder Mo, what is a ghost tide?"
Before he could answer, wailing shrieks like the cries of ten thousand ghosts erupted from the depths of the cavern.
From the black mist surged countless horrific phantoms—rotting corpse ghosts, drifting wraiths, and even skeletal beasts the size of houses!
"Form the array! Quickly! If we can endure the first waves and retreat to the black market sector, we will be safe!" The white-robed commanders roared, no longer sparing a thought for Chen Chang'an's group.
The ghost tide crashed forth like a raging sea, wave upon wave, turning the Ten Thousand Ghost Cavern into a living hell. Baleful energy churned, ghostly winds howled.
The first wave was thin, composed only of low-level wraiths and corpses. They shrieked as they lunged, only to be blocked by the blood-red barrier of the commanders' formation.
The ghosts slammed into the shield with ear-splitting cries, then were shredded by the formation's power, dispersing into wisps of smoke.
Perhaps by chance, the formation stood between Chen Chang'an's group and the tide, lightening Elder Mo's burden. He even managed to explain to Xiao Ling'er: "Miss, do you know why the Ghost-Suppressing Army is stationed here?"
He pointed toward the depths of the cavern where the mist churned. "Tens of thousands of years ago, Youzhou was a wasteland, ghost creatures rampant, not a soul for a thousand li. Only when the founding emperor of Great Zhou, Ji Wuqe, personally led the Ghost-Suppressing Army to quell them was this final territory reclaimed for humanity."
Boom! A three-headed fiend slammed into the barrier. Elder Mo flicked his sleeve, shattering it, and continued. "The army pressed forward, until in the depths of this cavern they found an immense bronze gate."
"Behind the gate lay the Ghost Domain. Thus, the founding emperor named it Ghost Gate Pass!"
"And every hundred years, the gate opens, releasing countless ghost creatures. They feed upon humans. Thus, the Ghost-Suppressing Army has guarded this place for generations, forging a barrier for humanity with their very flesh and blood."
"So that is how it is. This is also the origin of the Ghost-Suppressing Army!" Xiao Ling'er exclaimed. Even her gaze upon the white-robed commanders softened.
…
"Hehehe…"
At that moment, a cold laugh came from the side.
"Fine words. The world praises the Ghost-Suppressing Army as heroes… but who knows we are in truth prisoners bound here?"
It was the very white-robed man they had first met in the city—the Third Commander.
His bronze mask glowed blood-red in the rising mist. As the others turned toward him, he suddenly tore off his white robe, revealing his back chained and scarred—the very same sigils as those carved on the cavern walls of the Ten Thousand Ghost Cavern!
The chains sank deep into his flesh, rising and falling with his breath, as if alive.
Even Chen Chang'an's pupils contracted, a rare trace of pity flashing across his face.
"From the day the Ghost-Suppressing Army was stationed here, we, the first generation, were branded with ghost contracts, turned into half-human, half-ghost abominations!"
At the same time, another white-robed man tore off his black-iron mask, revealing half a decayed ghost face. "Thirteen thousand years! For three hundred generations, the Ghost-Suppressing Army has been born here, died here, and even in death has no chance at reincarnation!"
"Now the fortune of Great Zhou wanes…"
His single eye gleamed with madness. "This Ghost Gate—"
"Should have long since been guarded by someone else!"
The moment his words fell, the second wave of the ghost tide struck—this time the numbers of ghost creatures multiplied wildly, their forms even more terrifying!
Countless skeletal corpse demons crawled out of the mist, their bones glowing with green phosphorescence, hollow sockets burning with bloodthirsty light. Dozens of headless ghost generals wielding rusted axes hacked madly at the white-robed men's formation barrier.
Crack! A fine fissure spread across the blood-colored shield. The Third Commander's voice carried a trace of panic beneath the mask. "Hold the line! Don't let them break through!"
On the other side, Elder Mo's golden barrier also trembled under the crushing force. Waves of impact rippled across its surface, threatening to shatter at any moment.
Cold sweat beaded his brow as he wove seal after seal, reinforcing the defense. Yet the ghost tide's pressure only grew, and even with his Longevity Realm cultivation, he was beginning to struggle.
…
In the shadows, Jiang Che pressed himself against the icy stone wall, instinctively holding his breath.
Ahead, Elder Mo swept his jade ruler, arcs of azure light severing several charging wraiths. The white-robed commanders fought in formation, blood-colored runes flashing unsteadily amidst the mist, each flare accompanied by horrific ghostly shrieks.
Yet Jiang Che's focus was nowhere on the battle. He clutched his chest tightly, where the ancient jade pendant he hid burned hotter and hotter, like a branding iron about to sear through his clothes!
"What… is happening…"
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. The pendant's heat grew unbearable, even scorching his ghost mist disguise into wisps of smoke. He nearly lost control of his concealment.
Even more terrifying—he distinctly felt it. Within the surging black fog, countless scarlet ghostly eyes seemed to be glancing, faint but certain, toward the corner where he hid.
"Could it be…"
A dreadful thought flashed through his mind. Jiang Che suddenly remembered—he had obtained this pendant in the upper realm, while exploring an ancient cultivator's cave. He had only thought its yin aura unusually pure.
When his soul once shattered, it was this pendant that preserved his last shred of true spirit, allowing him to reincarnate and rebuild in the lower realm.
But now—it was no protective talisman at all. It was a lure for ghosts!
Roar!
Suddenly, a jet-black ghost general broke through the defenses. Unlike the others, it did not charge into the central battle. Instead, it rushed straight toward Jiang Che's hiding place, its rotten sockets blazing with hungry light.
Jiang Che's blood turned to ice.
As he feared—these ghost creatures were drawn to the ancient jade!
Hey readers! If you're eager to dive into advanced chapters, consider joining our Patreon. By joining, you'll get access to 20 chapters ahead and enjoy 8 new chapters per week. Plus, we have 2 more exciting fics with the same chapter release rate, giving you a total of 32 chapters per week! Join now and keep the adventure going!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/Alex_Cruise