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**
A dark shadow flashed across the sky.
On the ground within the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, wisps of black mist suddenly began to emanate, forming what looked like a massive vortex of dark energy. The figures of Ghost Douluo and Ling Xiao's group rapidly materialized from within.
"Grandpa Ghost, are you going to lead us to find suitable Soul Beasts right now?" Hu Liena asked in a crisp voice after surveying their surroundings.
Facing Hu Liena's question, Ghost Douluo gently shook his head.
"There is no need for such trouble. Just wait here for a moment. All of you, step back."
As he finished speaking, a massive vortex of black energy suddenly manifested at Ghost Douluo's feet, using him as the center. The moment it appeared, it expanded and stretched rapidly, reaching a radius of several dozen meters.
Immediately after, a violent eruption of black Nether Ghost Qi exploded outward. The area was instantly blanketed in ghost energy, becoming incomparably frigid and somber, as if a domain of ghosts had been established.
Startled, Ling Xiao and the others quickly retreated to avoid the bone-chilling aura.
Ling Xiao noticed that as the frigid ghost energy erupted, the nearby vegetation began to wither, looking as though their very vitality had been drained. This was likely the result of Ghost Douluo exerting effort to restrain and control the power.
Otherwise, if the chilling death energy were allowed to bloom without restraint, all living things in the vicinity would be eroded by the ghost energy, their life forces severed. It was not impossible for the land for a thousand miles around to be transformed into a spectral wasteland.
"Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts."
Ghost Douluo's eerie voice suddenly rang out, sending shivers down their spines.
The black vortex on the ground, composed entirely of condensed ghost energy, suddenly radiated a beam of pure, absolute dark light. This spectral glow quickly filled the entire vortex and reflected onto the surroundings, dyeing everything in its path.
Suddenly, the vortex seemed to be more than just a gathering of energy; it felt like a gateway leading to a world filled with spirits.
"This..."
Ling Xiao and the others watched the scene before them, dumbstruck.
Though they knew Elder Ghost was a Titled Douluo and bound to be immensely powerful, these methods were simply too bizarre. It was difficult for them to comprehend, as it far exceeded the boundaries of their imagination.
Chrysanthemum Douluo was also a powerhouse at the Titled Douluo level, and Ling Xiao had witnessed him going all out. He had watched the battle between Chrysanthemum Douluo and the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear years ago.
That combat had been spectacular, making him feel the weight of his own insignificance.
However, while Chrysanthemum Douluo's cultivation was high and his strength was millions of times greater than Ling Xiao's current state, his power was something Ling Xiao could still roughly understand.
On the other hand, Ghost Douluo—without revealing his Martial Soul or manifesting a single Soul Ring—had unleashed such a supernatural technique.
It was truly terrifying.
Even an expert of the same rank would likely find him an extremely troublesome opponent. Under the watchful eyes of Ling Xiao's group, within just a few breaths, a massive number of black spectral figures surged out of the vortex.
Their bodies were semi-solid and wreathed in black mist.
The aura they emitted was incomparably frigid and ghastly, and their eerie blue eyes were particularly frightening in the dead of night. Seeing a large number of black ghosts once again, the group—with the exception of Hu Liena—was no longer as shocked as the first time.
Nevertheless, they couldn't help but sense the energy and observe the specters closely.
A look of doubt appeared on Ling Xiao's face.
These shadow-like ghosts felt incredibly powerful to him, each one seemingly stronger than a ten-thousand-year Dark Thunder-Horned Rhinoceros Dragon. Yet, the Soul Power fluctuations from them weren't particularly dense.
Their mist-like bodies emitted an extremely cold aura that made one's blood run cold.
"Is this the rumored Ghost Qi?"
Looking at the black mist radiating from the spectral figures, Ling Xiao couldn't help but mutter to himself in confusion.
Over the years, since Ling Xiao arrived in this Douluo Continent and joined Spirit Hall, he had not encountered many Titled Douluo. He had only seen his teacher Mu Chen, Pope Bibi Dong, and Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Although he had been extremely curious about Ghost Douluo in his previous life, he hadn't managed to learn much about him from Chrysanthemum Douluo. It seemed as though Elder Chrysanthemum was unwilling to say too much.
Thus, while he had long heard rumors that Ghost Douluo's Martial Soul possessed so-called "Ghost Attribute" power and could manipulate Ghost Qi, it had remained a matter of hearsay. He had never seen it with his own eyes, nor had he ever heard news of actual spirits.
He had once believed that while the Douluo Continent possessed extraordinary powers like Soul Beasts, Soul Masters, and Martial Souls, ghosts and monsters did not exist—and that Ghost Douluo was merely a unique anomaly.
This was why he had been so shocked earlier when he saw those ghostly shadows, failing to immediately associate them with Ghost Douluo. However, witnessing the wisps of frigid Ghost Qi emanating from these specters now, he couldn't help but doubt his previous assumptions.
"Could it be that ghosts really exist on this continent?"
He couldn't help but think of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Bone Douluo, Gu Rong. His Martial Soul was the Bone Dragon, which, to a certain extent, was like Ghost Douluo's Martial Soul in that it did not belong to the realm of living creatures.
He had never heard of a "Bone Dragon" species among the nine great dragon kin. He suspected that perhaps Gu Rong's Martial Soul power similarly contained a sinister Yin energy akin to Elder Ghost's.
"I once heard Grandpa Ghost say that ghosts do indeed exist on the continent, though I've never seen one myself," Hu Liena whispered to Ling Xiao after overhearing him.
Ignoring their quiet chatter, Gui Mei let out a single word in a drifting, cold voice: "Go!"
With a point of his finger, the massive swarm of ghosts began to slither and float, surging into the depths of the Star Dou Forest. Clearly, these spectral shadows summoned by Ghost Douluo were under his complete control.
Now, as these nearly one hundred ghosts split up and charged into the forest, they were bound to capture a large number of Soul Beasts—among which there would certainly be some suitable for Ling Xiao and the others to absorb as Soul Rings.
Seeing Ghost Douluo's methods, Ling Xiao secretly thought that compared to Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo was truly far more domineering, appearing much more ruthless and cold.
He wondered how the two of them had ever ended up together, remaining as close as brothers for decades. Gently shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Ling Xiao's gaze grew profound as his mind drifted.
This trial in the Mystic Trace Canyon was finally over.
Not only had the four of them promoted to the Soul Ancestor realm, but after this tempering, they had surely met Pope Bibi Dong's requirements.
Based on what he knew from his previous life...
He suspected that upon their return, Her Holiness the Pope would likely bestow the Purple Record Medals upon them, officially granting them the title of the Golden Generation.
If that were the case, it was a certainty that four years from now, they would represent the Spirit Academy as the core main force in the Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament.
At that time, he would inevitably cross paths with that fellow, Tang San—the man destined to stand on the opposing side of him in the future.
**
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