Old Grave Slope wasn't that large; if a true fierce ghost appeared here, it would be found quickly enough without needing the ghost to lead the way.
Hearing my words, Chen Yao no longer hesitated. She raised her peach wood sword and slashed towards the beggar ghost's head.
"No..."
*Bang*. With a cracking sound, the beggar ghost's head was instantly cleaved by Chen Yao's sword. Its body turned into a wisp of black mist and dissipated.
After the beggar ghost died, Old Mo put away his tape measure. Chen Yao retracted her peach wood sword and turned to me, asking, "Senior brother, what do we do now?"
"Go up the mountain. Didn't the beggar ghost say it? There's a魅鬼 (mei gui) up here. Let's see just how魅 (mei) this 魅鬼 is, and how ruthless it must be to devour all the surrounding ghosts."
With that, Old Mo and I walked forward. Chen Yao blinked and followed.
Old Grave Slope, formerly a mass burial ground. It was remote, with only a township road and no other households nearby. Such desolate land and wild graves indeed tend to breed Yin Sha.
In a short while, we reached the foot of the mountain. As soon as we arrived, we felt a surge of Yin energy washing over us, mixed with wisps of Sha energy. Old Mo took a breath. "Old Qin, there's Sha energy. A fierce ghost has indeed appeared up here. I just don't know how powerful it is."
I looked up at Old Grave Slope. "Since we're here, it doesn't matter how powerful it is. Open your heavenly eye, and we'll know once we go up."
Old Mo grunted and, with me, took out a 'Kai Yan Fu' (eye-opening talisman). We performed a hand seal, released the talisman, and opened the path to the underworld. The dim Old Grave Slope instantly became clear. Wisps of pale yellow mist diffused halfway up the mountain, along with rising black mist.
Since Chen Yao was new, she couldn't use talismans yet. So, we used seven-star medicinal water to open her heavenly eye. Afterward, Old Mo and I strode forward without any attempt at concealment, leading Chen Yao up the mountain.
The mountain was covered in dilapidated graves. Some white soul banners swayed and fluttered in the Yin wind. Occasionally drifting paper money made the place considerably more eerie. I felt a profound sense of change; my own state of mind had shifted from the trepidation of the past to a calm acceptance now.
However, with such heavy Yin energy and so many graves on Old Grave Slope, we hadn't encountered a single ghost on the way up. Just how many ghosts must the fierce ghost on the mountain have devoured?
Old Mo and I had a good sense of direction, heading towards the area with the strongest Yin Sha energy. The further we went, the thicker the mist on Old Grave Slope became. When such a situation arose, we could be sure that we were not far from the fierce ghost's location.
So I whispered, "Xiao Yao, we must be very close to the ghost. Pay attention and stick close to us."
"Understood!" Chen Yao replied crisply. Aside from a hint of tension on her face, there wasn't much fear or apprehension.
In a short while, we entered a dense fog. Within the fog, visibility was less than five meters. Graves and soul banners were on either side, and the ground crunched beneath our feet. Due to the obstructed vision, Old Mo and I were no longer as relaxed as before, becoming vigilant of our surroundings, just in case.
We advanced another hundred meters or so in this fog. Suddenly, we felt gusts of Yin wind blowing towards us. They weren't strong, but they came wave after wave. Sensing this aura, I quickly signaled for everyone to slow down and then began to approach slowly. The surrounding mist began to thin under these gusts of Yin wind. Dimly, we saw a mass of yellow mist not far away. The mist gathered but did not dissipate.
We continued to approach the mist. After walking dozens of meters, I gently pushed aside the bushes in front of me. Upon a closer look, I saw a female ghost in yellow clothing suspended within the yellow mist not far away. The female ghost's yellow robes fluttered, her feet did not touch the ground, and her eyes were closed. Her body bobbed and swayed, emitting a dense aura of Yin Sha. Around the female ghost, over a dozen more ghosts, both male and female, knelt on the ground, motionless.
Seeing this, I could immediately confirm that this female ghost was likely the fierce ghost of Old Grave Slope. The kneeling ghosts around her were probably her spirit servants.
As I observed the female ghost, she slowly opened her eyes and gradually spat out a yellow bead from her mouth. The bead was about the size of a glass marble, with a yellow halo, appearing crystal clear. It floated in front of her, and streams of yellow mist continuously emanated from it. The female ghost opened her mouth and extended a long tongue, repeatedly coiling around the yellow bead.
Seeing this, my pupils suddenly contracted, revealing a hint of surprise. "Gui Tu Zhu (Ghost Spits Pearl)!" I said very softly. Both Old Mo and Chen Yao beside me heard me. Old Mo's expression also turned grim. Chen Yao, hearing me, didn't quite understand. "Qin Senior Brother, what is Gui Tu Zhu?"
My expression was solemn as I recalled what my master had told me. All beings in heaven and earth, upon reaching a certain level of cultivation, would form an inner core. Even ghosts were no exception. However, ghosts were formless. Whenever these ghosts wanted to increase their cultivation, they needed to expel the Nascent Core condensed within them, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth and the spirit of the moon. This process was called "Gui Tu Zhu." Once this happened, it indicated that the ghost was about to advance and become a more powerful Yin entity...