Chapter Fifty: Entering the Forbidden Lands

As soon as the words were spoken, the air seemed to freeze.

All the cultivators seated on the ground gathered their spirits, secretly preparing themselves. The three men’s gazes were sharp, lips pressed tightly together, as if they were focusing their soul power. Once they spoke, it would surely be earth-shattering.

Su Yizhao’s face remained calm, quietly observing them. Outwardly composed, yet inwardly tense, his years of enforcing the law had taught him never to be careless, no matter whom he faced. Especially at such close range, confronted by soul cultivators—and against three at once—there was no way he could truly be at ease.

Within his Purple Mansion, the five-foot-tall soul avatar sat cross-legged, hands moving swiftly in incantation, a look of tension upon its small face. Soul attacks were not to be taken lightly. Oppression. Anxiety!

At that moment, Chi Xiangdong suddenly spoke: “Actually, we could try with eleven people as well.”

The crowd turned to him, their expressions suggesting he should have spoken sooner.

Chi Xiangdong looked troubled. “But the extra person’s risk will be more than doubled. In a critical moment, I can only protect ten.”

A collective sigh of relief escaped the group. So that’s it! It seemed Chi Xiangdong truly had profound knowledge of the Ghost Soul Domain.

“Of course, the chance of such danger is rare. It might never happen.” Seeing the atmosphere ease, Chi Xiangdong’s taut posture began to relax. His words implied, however, that many such dangers could still arise.

Everyone frowned in contemplation. People prefer to think optimistically, especially when subtly guided by others. After a moment, they all accepted the reasoning, at least believing they would not be the unlucky one he couldn’t protect.

“No objections! Then hand over the black stones and let’s set out immediately!”

An hour later, the group stood in a canyon. One step further and they would enter the Ghost Soul Domain.

Chi Xiangdong did not hesitate, stepping in first. The others, likely having tried this place before, knew it could devour spiritual senses, so none dared to release their spiritual perception. They stared fixedly at Chi Xiangdong ahead.

As Su Yizhao’s body entered the domain, invisible forces suddenly surged around him, penetrating his mind.

Within the Purple Mansion, five streaks of gray smoke shot in like arrows, aiming for the soul avatar. The soul avatar formed a hand seal, gathering soul power into its arms. The five gray arrows struck.

“Manifest!”

The soul avatar opened its eyes and uttered a soft command. Instantly, a shield four or five feet tall appeared before it, enveloping its body completely.

“Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!”

The gray arrows struck the shield and instantly dissipated into dust. Even if such attacks struck the soul avatar directly, it would be unharmed. After all, at the peak of the Soul Transformation Realm, the soul body was incredibly robust.

A moment later, Su Yizhao’s eyes showed a trace of a smile. In the past, his soul would have been disturbed, his thoughts momentarily stalled. Now, however, he was untroubled.

He glanced at the others and was slightly surprised. The other cultivators seemed just as unaffected, swiftly following Chi Xiangdong ahead. So formidable?

Suddenly, he realized: this was only the domain’s edge, where the forces were weak. For those prepared, it posed no significant threat.

At this moment, Chi Xiangdong called out in a low voice: “Be careful! Ahead is the first storm. Once you pass through, there’s no turning back!”

Everyone was startled. No turning back! If one couldn’t cross the Ghost Soul Domain, they would die within it.

Su Yizhao watched Chi Xiangdong slip into a narrow crevice in the rocks, barely wide enough for a single person. The group had to change formation, lining up one by one. Fortunately, all were highly skilled cultivators, and the lineup was formed in an instant.

Su Yizhao was ninth to enter the crevice. He felt a sudden darkness, followed by countless cold winds stabbing at him.

Within the Purple Mansion, the soul avatar raised its shield, not daring to relax.

“Thunk! Thunk! Thunk...!”

Hundreds of gray arrows dissipated against the shield. He became even more vigilant. These soul attacks were already beyond what ordinary cultivators could withstand.

Within the group, a cultivator suddenly froze, nearly bumping into someone behind him.

Chi Xiangdong moved quickly, disappearing into the darkness in the blink of an eye. The others followed without hesitation.

A hundred miles away, another group of cultivators was racing through a canyon.

“Brother Shi, are you certain that Su Yizhao, the Gold Medallion enforcement disciple, won’t act against us?”

“Junior Su is a man of deep loyalty,” replied Shi Feichen.

“That’s good.” The cultivator behind him gave a cold, sinister look. “As long as he doesn’t make a move, we’ll spare him for your sake.”

Shi Feichen’s face showed growing unease. “Of course, provided he hands over the Gold Medallion without resistance.”

Shi Feichen’s expression became even more troubled, silently thinking, “Junior Su will never compromise.”

“Hmm.”

Su Yizhao let out a muffled groan.

Within the Purple Mansion, the soul avatar’s face now showed fatigue. It had been seven days since entering the narrow crevice, and the relentless soul storms left him exhausted. Yet this was only the first soul storm.

“Once we cross this thousand-foot cliff, we’ll have passed the first soul storm. Everyone, be careful—the path I carved into the cliff has the least interference. Keep close to the cliff; if you fall, you’re on your own!”

Su Yizhao looked carefully and felt a chill. Ahead of Chi Xiangdong lay an abyss. The cliff was hardly a path—just scattered traces.

Outside, it wouldn’t matter; they could fly across. But here, too many unknowns lurked.

Chi Xiangdong hugged the cliff, extending his right foot to touch the markings. Clearly familiar with the route, he moved swiftly, vanishing into the darkness almost instantly.

All present were cultivators of the Five Gods Realm or higher, so none hesitated. One by one, they lightly tapped their toes on the cliff and pressed forward.

Su Yizhao glanced into the abyss to his left, then quickly withdrew his gaze. The depths were invisible. All he could see was twisted void, warped like the high skies above. No wonder no one dared attempt flight; even the slightest exposure could bring severe consequences.

“Take care crossing here!” Chi Xiangdong’s warning came just as Su Yizhao felt a chilling wind rush toward him.

Within the Purple Mansion, the soul avatar’s fingers moved rapidly, gathering soul power to form a shield before him.

Hundreds of gray arrows shot into the Purple Mansion.

“Thunk! Thunk! Thunk...!”

The urgent sounds rang out as the robust soul avatar wavered. Silver-gray soul power surged into the shield, and the soul avatar’s body gradually became ethereal...