A rustling sound echoed as Basil Bertram's hands transformed into dense black roots, piercing directly into the ground. Outside, several powerful waves of Ghost Aura drew closer. The Seven Ghost Sovereigns had already entered a downward-extending cave, a cavern buried within the frozen snow mountain.
I stared at the cave in confusion. It didn’t look like a place for storing tortured souls’ corpses, nor did it seem to absorb ghost aura. The entrance was gradually blocked off as the black roots intertwined, slowly blending in until they were indistinguishable from the ice-sealed stone walls outside.
With a swoosh, a Blue Warden landed at the mouth of the cave. As expected, Basil Bertram’s power had already affected its senses and vision. The Blue Warden looked around and shouted loudly.
"Not here! Hurry up and search! We must find them!"
Many Hell's Registrars had already entered the snow mountain, searching along the interwoven paths.
Sure enough, inside were caves similar to those John Chou and his group used to hide, but the Hell's Registrars merely passed by without entering. I couldn’t help but feel puzzled. At this moment, the Seven Ghost Sovereigns inside the cave were all tensely watching. They could see outside. Basil Bertram sat on the ground, his body rooting into the earth like a tree.
The unexpected restoration and increase of ghost aura allowed the Ghost Sovereigns to finally catch their breath.
"It seems they won’t enter this kind of cave."
Yuna Ji muttered, her hands having already regenerated. At this moment, Mona Ouyang’s complexion was poor—she seemed utterly exhausted, her head drooping as if on the verge of sleep. Yvonne May supported her, then sat down herself.
"Get some sleep."
"Once I fall into a dream, it’s very hard for me to wake up."
Mona Ouyang said this, and Lord Shenyan shook his head.
"It’s best to check inside the dream and see if the consciousness of those seven lost souls has returned to their bodies."
Eventually, Mona Ouyang drifted off to sleep in Yvonne May’s arms. Redmond, a bit anxious, kept glancing nervously behind him.
"What’s wrong?"
John Chou asked.
"Something’s not right."
Redmond spoke, his eyes fixed gravely on what lay behind. I couldn’t help but peer curiously into the depths of the cave—there was indeed something inside. The Ghost Ancestor smiled with interest.
"Sometimes fate is just that interesting. When you’re at your most desperate, it always finds a way to turn danger into safety."
I looked at the Ghost Ancestor in confusion; he seemed genuinely moved.
"Have you ever felt that way?"
I smiled as well, because I truly felt the same. Many times, I survived at the most critical moments.
"Too many times to count. Back in the days when I fought the gods, I was driven to the brink countless times, but it was in those moments of desperation that new power was born within me. Again and again, I resisted the gods. Their strength was absolute, but mine always managed to restrain them, leaving them vexed. Haha! It was in those endless moments of crisis that I climbed back up. Even when my three souls and seven spirits were scattered, I still managed to stand again in the end."
As the Ghost Ancestor spoke, I finally understood the true source of his strength. Whether human or ghost, the more times you rise from the ruins, the stronger you become.
"What about those who opposed you back then?"
"They were the same. I drove them to the edge again and again, and in the end, they still managed to cling to life. Eventually, they even made me taste defeat."
A clicking sound echoed; faint tremors began to shake the cave floor.
Bo Ziran could only remain at the entrance, while Yun Mei had to watch over Ouyang Meng. The remaining four Ghost Sovereigns, led by Shen Yanjun, headed down.
The path was long and winding, but the rumbling grew louder, sounding like bones clattering together.
"You wretch, is that the sound of bones?"
Hong Mao asked, and Ji Yuner nodded, her complexion pale. Gradually, a faint light appeared ahead, the cave walls began to glow red, and the path stretched even longer.
"Everyone, be careful."
Shen Yanjun muttered as he looked back.
Sure enough, after only a few steps, everyone stopped. Below was a massive pile of corpses, thousands upon thousands of bones trembling incessantly.
"We really did find something different here. Ji Yuner, it’s up to you."
At that moment, Yin Choujian murmured, but Ji Yuner shook her head, holding her head, her face pale. All the bones here were black—each and every one.
Although Ji Yuner excelled at manipulating bones, she felt a trace of fear toward these remains.
"These bones are different from the discarded ones in Nether Hell. They must belong to the lost souls here."
Ji Yuner spoke, and Hong Mao nodded.
"You can really sense astonishing ghost aura from these bones, and something else too. Could it be that after the lost souls die, their ghost aura flows here?"
Yin Choujian nodded.
"Only something with a physical form could contain such massive ghost aura. Looks like we need to get ready to run—we can’t stay here any longer."
Yin Choujian spoke as Shen Yanjun raised a hand. A faint flame appeared in his palm, then grew into the shape of a red lotus. Hong Mao and Ji Yuner stared in shock at the crimson lotus in Shen Yanjun’s hand.
"Where did you get such power?"
Hong Mao asked in surprise.
With a whoosh, the flaming lotus flew toward the massive pile of bones, instantly exploding into a fierce blaze. Yet the fire had no effect on the bones.
"It’s confirmed—they’re bones. Probably to balance this Infernal Hell, when the lost souls arrive, their remains are thrown in too. In this vast array, they’re trapped in a cycle, so the souls can never escape."
Shen Yanjun spoke, and Yin Choujian grinned wickedly.
"Our bones are among them too."
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Suddenly, hundreds of bones shot upward, assembling instantly into complete black skeletons. All their jaws clattered, and in a flash, they lunged at the four Ghost Sovereigns.
The four Ghost Sovereigns immediately retreated back into the cave.
"Ji Yuner!"
Yin Choujian shouted, and Ji Yuner crouched down on the ground.
"I'm working on it, damn Yin Choujian. You only know how to call me when you need me!"
The creaking grew louder as a white bone wall rose in front of Ji Yuner. With a bang, the black skeletons outside crashed into it, their force immense. Cracks appeared on the bone wall as Ji Yuner glowed with a dim green light.
The bone wall quickly healed, but Ji Yuner still looked pale. Cracks had already appeared on both sides of the cave, and the skeletons were clearly targeting them.
Ghost enforcers patrolled outside, while skeletons roamed inside. I realized these skeletons had no consciousness—they absorbed and stored ghost aura, and when ghosts with aura approached, they converged and attacked. That’s why the enforcers didn’t search the caves; they knew anyone who fled into Infernal Hell below would surely die.
Ji Yuner’s ghost aura was steadily dropping. Yin Choujian was still searching for a solution, Hong Mao looked completely lost, and Shen Yanjun’s face was grim—they couldn’t hold out much longer. The cave wasn’t large, but wide enough for four or five people to walk side by side.
With so many skeletons rushing in, they’d be drained in an instant. The Ghost Sovereigns now understood the true nature of the skeletons.
"Give me all your ghost aura—I have an idea. Hurry!"
Ji Yuner spoke. Yin Choujian didn’t hesitate, immediately thrusting his hand in front of Ji Yuner’s mouth. She bit down on his wrist and began to suck, and Yin Choujian gradually turned translucent. Shen Yanjun quickly followed suit, and finally, when it was Hong Mao’s turn, he reluctantly extended his hand. The green glow on Ji Yuner’s body darkened, becoming black-green.
"If they still have any will to fight, I can control them. Whether we live or die depends on this."
Ji Yuner spoke, her eyes widening, pupils slowly turning black-green.
With a thunderous crash, the white bone wall collapsed. Ji Yuner stood before the mass of skeletons, their jaws clattering as the black skeletons closed in. Ji Yuner straightened, eyes wide, staring them down, but there was no reaction.
"Hurry up, hurry!"
Ji Yuner kept shouting, sweat pouring down her forehead. Just then, a black-green humanoid shape emerged from her shoulder, and instantly, all the approaching skeletons froze.
The floating black skeletons gradually dispersed. Ji Yuner stepped forward, and in an instant, the skeletons parted and knelt, as if bowing to a ruler. Ji Yuner walked past them like an emperor.
The skeletons spread out through the air, layer upon layer kneeling on the ground. Ji Yuner reached the center of the pit, sending streaks of black-green energy into the skeletons’ bodies.
Green flames ignited in the eye sockets of the black skeletons. Ji Yuner giggled, and soon the skeletons bowed and stacked themselves up. She sat atop them, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she stared at Yin Choujian, Shen Yanjun, and Hong Mao.
At that moment, Ji Yuner was like a newly crowned emperor, laughing triumphantly. Her expression radiated pride, and in the vast cavern, thousands of skeletons burned with green fire in their eyes.