All around us, black sludge churned and surged. Outside the sludge, red web-like structures stretched across, containing the flow and keeping it from spilling over. The ground was sticky and damp, likely because of those red webs.
Even though it was dark, as ghosts we could see everything clearly. The space was vast, like a labyrinth. We were in one of its passages, and looking up, more passages hung above us like bridges. A thick stream of black sludge stretched overhead, dripping down in sticky drops.
I lifted one foot. Standing here felt like being in a swamp, slowly sinking. I had to keep moving forward. After just a moment, my ankle was already swallowed by the sludge beneath me.
"This stuff is the residue of ghosts."
Ghost Painting Book Immortal held a drop of sludge between two fingers, examining it. We slowly moved forward. The pressure here was immense, as if something weighed down our ghost souls. To float, we had to expend a huge amount of ghost energy.
"Let me float up and scout ahead."
Victor Duan spoke, his body suddenly glowing green as he rose into the air. But the moment he left the sludge, it erupted from the walls and floor, engulfing him in an instant.
"Don't use your powers, or you'll get trapped!"
Wraith Enforcer shouted. The ghost energy Victor Duan released vanished, followed by the sound of wet splats as the black sludge fell away and merged back into the ground. Victor Duan sat on the sludge, gasping for breath.
"Specter Web doesn't seem to be affected."
Beside Isabelle Frost, strands of ghostly green Specter Web brushed against the sludge-covered walls. Passages stretched endlessly above and below us; we could only keep moving forward, careful not to let the sludge trap our feet.
"Those things on the walls moved fast just now. Isabelle, better retract your Specter Web. After all, this is ghost residue."
I was about to ask, but saw Isabelle Frost's face twisted in disgust—she quickly pulled back her Specter Web, covering her mouth.
Black Moon burst out laughing, floating in the air. We stared in surprise—his powers seemed completely unaffected by the black sludge.
"Everyone, just wander around this area for now so I can find you later. I'll go scout out the surroundings first."
We listened to Black Moon as he floated upward.
"By the way, Book Immortal—what exactly is this ghost residue?"
As I spoke, Cao Wanzhi, Victor Duan, and Felix Zhou all looked puzzled. Ray Lin strolled over, smiling.
"This ghost residue is actually the turbid energy expelled from a ghost's body."
"To put it bluntly—it's ghost shit."
Ray Lin continued, and I let out a groan, feeling sick as I looked at the black sludge all around us. Ghost Painting Book Immortal chuckled.
"Ray Lin's explanation is a bit too hasty. When people eat, whatever they can't digest turns into waste, and ghosts are the same. The things we absorb to build our power accumulate in the ghost soul, and after a while, the excess is expelled as turbid energy."
Staring at the black sludge around me, I couldn't help but shudder with disgust. Isabelle Frost looked pale as well.
Now that we knew what the black sludge was, everyone except Wraith Enforcer, Ghost Painting Book Immortal, and Deathcurse looked sickened.
We wandered through the passage, waiting for Black Moon to return.
"For so much turbid energy to gather here, there must be a reason."
"Maybe we've been tricked by the Phantom Casket."
As soon as Cao Wanzhi spoke, Isabelle Frost shook her head.
"Just release your Specter Web and you'll see for yourself."
Isabelle Frost said, so I released my black Specter Web. Instantly, I sensed a current of Underworld power nearby, but what followed was a wave of nausea—I started retching, my ghost soul aching as if I'd gotten carsick or caught a whiff of something revolting.
I quickly withdrew my Specter Web, glaring in disgust at the flowing black sludge. Cao Wanzhi and Victor Duan looked even more dramatic—Cao Wanzhi kept fanning the air in front of his nose, while Victor Duan pinched his nose and gasped for air, obviously miserable.
"I can't take it anymore. Why hasn't Black Moon come back yet?"
Just then, laughter echoed from above.
"I've checked carefully—there are hundreds, maybe thousands of passages here. The odds of us finding the right one together are one in several thousand. For everyone's sake, we need to split up. Once you confirm a direction, use your Specter Web to connect. Agreed?"
Black Moon spoke up. It's true—if we all searched together, our odds would be one in thousands, but splitting up might raise it to one in a few hundred.
We started dividing up. At the end of the passage, everyone handed a strand of their Specter Web to someone else, so each person had one. Through willpower, we could transmit what we saw directly to the owner of the Specter Web.
I took the right path and jumped down at the edge of the right passage.
It was frustrating, but there was no other way. I glanced back at the upper passage—everyone was scattered, landing in the sludge. I didn't feel anything, but the persistent disgust made me grimace. The thought that this was turbid energy from ghost bodies was unbearable—psychologically, I just couldn't stand it.
(Irrelevant system message skipped.)
Gradually, our group started heading into different levels of passages, each in a different direction. The tunnels branched everywhere, some connecting to others. To find the right way, we had to use our Specter Web every so often as a marker, leaving signs behind.
I had no idea how long I'd been walking. Some places had traces of Underworld energy, others had none at all, but overall, the energy was flowing through these passages.
Not being able to use ghost energy was a real problem. The sludge would instantly devour any ghost energy released, and kept draining it away. Even the slightest hint of ghost energy or exposing your ghost soul would trigger this effect.
Earlier, we asked the Phantom Casket why it was created, but its only answer was 'I don't know.'
Suddenly, I sensed something strange—the passage ahead seemed to be narrowing, the flowing sludge gradually closing it off. Some areas lacked the red web-like structures for support and stability.
Now, the passage ahead was reduced to a narrow crack. What was once seven or eight meters wide could now only fit one person, and the gap kept getting smaller the further in I went.
I stopped and decided to turn back. There was no way to get through, and even if I could push the sludge aside, I had no desire to touch it.
As soon as I turned around, the sludge under my feet splashed up with a squelch. Startled, I felt the ground begin to tremble—a deep rumbling from behind me. I whipped around and suddenly saw a flash of red light.
Gradually, I saw the sludge splashing along the sides of the passage. The red light drew closer, and the rumbling intensified.
Suddenly, I cried out and leapt to the side, plunging into the sludge. My body was crushed, and I screamed in pain.
After a while, I slowly clawed my way out of the black sludge, still retching but unable to vomit. My whole body was covered in the stuff.
A massive sphere glowing red rolled toward me, its surface twisted into an angry face. The six- or seven-meter-wide sphere restored the passage to its original width, undoing the sludge's narrowing effect.
I coughed several times, shaking off the sludge. It didn't stick to me, instead slowly dripping off to the ground. Seeing the sphere, I felt a glimmer of hope—maybe it was the key to finding the Underworld passage.
I kept searching for a passage nearly blocked by the flowing black sludge. Finally, I found one and waited for the sphere to arrive. If I could jump onto it and keep running without falling off, maybe I'd discover something.
With my mind made up, I waited in the nearly sludge-filled passage.
I didn't know how much time passed, but soon the sludge started splashing up from the ground. I ran as fast as I could—jumping high in the sludge was impossible, so I ran up the sloped sludge walls, about five or six meters high, leading to another passage above.
Time was running out. I pumped my legs, pushing through the sludge, and just as I spotted a flash of red, I reached the top. With a crash, the sludge exploded, and the angry-faced red sphere burst through the passage. I leapt onto it.