At this moment.
Zhang Chao and the others all changed color, understanding why Zhang Mei was in such a hurry to rendezvous.
The fact that the ghost could emerge from the Nine Evil Yin Gathering Cave meant it had absorbed all the sins of the nine graves and was still alive. What did this signify? It meant the ghost itself carried greater sins, capable of withstanding the sins of nine graves.
And that was the sins of nine people!
Moreover, they were all deeply wicked and evil individuals.
One must understand that those considered deeply wicked and evil were invariably those who had taken lives and were burdened with heavy sins. To absorb the sins of nine such individuals and still endure, one could only imagine the greater sins committed by that ghost.
And for a ghost to accumulate such sins, it was obvious to even the most obtuse mind that it must be immensely powerful.
After all.
The simplest path to a ghost's power was through killing. The more people it killed...
A ghost daring to use the Nine Evil Yin Gathering Cave must have been enhancing its strength by killing. Therefore, the sins it accumulated from killing must be substantial enough to outweigh the sins of nine people.
It was at this time.
After explaining to everyone, Zhang Mei hesitated before choosing to speak:
"The terror of the Nine Evil Yin Gathering Cave lies primarily in the nine individuals buried there. The more heinous the sins of those buried, the greater the power of the Nine Evil Yin Gathering Cave will be."
As soon as she spoke.
Zhang Chao and the others felt a chill run down their spines, a sense of dread at the implications.
The nine graves had been drained dry, and they didn't know who was buried within.
However.
What if those buried were individuals with monstrous sins, such as serial killers? And what if all nine were like that...
Hiss!
Zhang Chao felt a shiver down his spine, tightening his grip on the peach wood sword, his pace quickening.
"Damn it! Let's hurry and rendezvous with Captain Li and the others."
Saying this.
He quickly moved closer to Wu Nian.
"Wu Nian, do you have any other magical artifacts with you on this mission?"
Among those present, Zhang Mei was undoubtedly the strongest in terms of individual power, the only one at the Tiger Guard level.
But if magical artifacts were considered.
Wu Nian was the strongest on the scene.
Three years ago, Wu Nian, to overcome a great tribulation of life and death, followed his grand-uncle's advice to descend the mountain and experience the mortal world, seeking the predestined encounter to break his tribulation. Before he descended, his sect, to ensure Wu Nian's safety, bestowed upon him numerous magical artifacts.
Those artifacts were powerful, all imbued with the profound Buddhist teachings of Mount Wutai.
The string of Buddhist beads Wu Nian had used earlier was one such item.
"Amitabha, I do have others."
Wu Nian clasped his hands together, turning the Buddhist beads in his hand.
"However, I didn't bring them all. Because this mission is to pursue a red-clothed vengeful spirit, I didn't bring the Vajra Staff or the wooden fish for ease of movement. I only brought a few lightweight items, and those artifacts... are not as powerful as the Buddhist beads."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chao and the others, who had just relaxed, tensed up again.
"Damn it, you're learning from Zhang Wei, speaking with such dramatic pauses," Zhang Chao said, exasperated.
However, soon.
Zhang Chao didn't dwell on it, his attention shifting to Wu Nian.
"Wu Nian, what's wrong? Are you alright?"
He noticed that Wu Nian's brow was slightly furrowed as he spoke, a hint of complex worry in his eyes.
Having been teammates with Wu Nian for over three years.
Zhang Chao knew Wu Nian well. His face was akin to a mask, always maintaining a calm and composed demeanor, rarely showing worry.
At the same time.
Prompted by Zhang Chao, Zhang Mei and the others also looked over, their eyes filled with concern.
Seeing this.
Wu Nian felt a warmth in his heart and hesitated before saying:
"When I saw that grave, I felt a sense of unease. Perhaps... my tribulation of life and death is today."
His meaning was clear.
In his heart, Wu Nian's sixth sense could feel that today was his great tribulation of life and death.
Although the sixth sense was ethereal and sounded mystical, it was undeniable that humans possessed a sixth sense. This had been scientifically proven in 2019. And if ordinary people had a sixth sense, how much more so would Wu Nian, a young monk from a Buddhist sect who was no ordinary person.
"You're overthinking it, Wu Nian. Don't imagine things. You're scaring yourself."
Just as Zhang Chao and the others were about to retort, wanting to prevent Wu Nian from dwelling on it.
Wu Nian gently shook his head.
"I experienced a similar unease five years ago. That time, my grand-uncle told me that a tribulation of life and death was imminent."
As he spoke.
He scanned the faces of Zhang Chao, Zhang Mei, and the others, as if wanting to engrave their visages deeply in his memory.
Then, the worry on his face disappeared, replaced by a radiant smile.
"If there is any danger ahead, please stay away from me when necessary."
After he spoke.
Zhang Mei and the others stopped in their tracks.
"What are you saying?" Zhang Chao slapped Wu Nian on the back. "Take that back. I don't like hearing it. What do you mean, stay away from you? It's just a tribulation of life and death. What are we, so many people, afraid of?"
The others also nodded in agreement.
However.
Before they could say anything more, they suddenly looked forward, their expressions changing in unison.
While they were talking.
Unknowingly, they had arrived at the rendezvous point where they had previously met Captain Li and the others.
Compared to before.
The scenery here had changed.
Ahead, the grave mound closest to the dirt road had collapsed, forming a pool of bloody water. A corpse could be seen floating on the surface.
"Not good."
Seeing the corpse, their hearts sank, and they rushed towards the bloody water pit.
They remembered clearly.
There had been no bloody water pit or corpse here before.
"Is it someone from Captain Li's team?"
Zhang Chao looked at the bloody water pit, trying to confirm the identity of the corpse.
It was visible.
The corpse's face was turned upwards, but its face had been bitten beyond recognition, a bloody mess, making it impossible to discern its features. It simply floated there in the bloody water pit.
Fortunately, the clothing and other items on the corpse were still intact.
"It's not Captain Li's people. I don't remember anyone wearing this kind of yellow casual wear," Zhang Mei observed the corpse, her gaze falling on the corpse's arm.
The skin color of the arm was clearly that of someone who had recently died, and a wristwatch was still on the arm.
The hands on the watch were still ticking.
Seeing this, Zhang Chao and the others' faces darkened.
"Could this person be the other team Captain Li mentioned?"
"It's also possible it's another team."
"Who killed this person? Was it the Nine Evil Yin Gathering ghost? Or the red-clothed vengeful spirit we're pursuing? Or perhaps the ghost Captain Li is chasing, or... are there other ghosts?"
As they spoke, they busily looked to their left and right.
They wanted to see if there were any other corpses around besides this one.
Unfortunately.
They saw nothing. No corpses, and no ghosts.
At this moment.
The surroundings were still filled with graves, and an occasional eerie wind howled, as if no one else was present besides them.
But Zhang Chao and the others all understood that there were definitely ghosts in the cemetery.
The only thought now was to hope that the Nine Evil Yin Gathering ghost wasn't too terrifying. Otherwise, if they couldn't handle it, the consequences would be unimaginable, and death would surely follow with the slightest carelessness.
And the people who died would not be ordinary people, but ghost controllers.
At this time.
Zhang Mei interrupted Zhang Chao and the others' conversation.
"Regardless, at least one ghost controller has died. The ghosts have started killing ghost controllers, so we can't split up. After all, no matter how many ghosts are here, we must remain wary of the Nine Evil Yin Gathering ghost."
She said.
Her gaze flickered towards the corpse floating in the bloody water pit.
The exposed corpse felt like a warning sign, cautioning them, these ghost controllers, that they would soon follow the corpse, dying here and becoming part of this cemetery.
Afterward.
Zhang Mei and the others dared not linger any longer.
They set off in the direction Captain Li had gone, intending to rendezvous with them.
However, after walking for not long.
Wu Nian and Zhang Mei, in unison, waved to stop everyone, signaling them to be quiet.
Ahead, it was like the mist on a clear morning, hazy and indistinct.
And from that direction came an urgent sound.
Dada-da.
As the sound approached, they recognized it as footsteps.
...