Chapter 269 - Three Emperors Palace (1/2)

“Abyss, Abyss of the Nether Spirits! Meow!” Immortal Lingzhi yelped in fear with his eyes closed. He was so terrified that he couldn’t stop shuddering.

Xiao Chen reached out and caught Immortal Lingzhi with his psychokinesis. “Leopard Cat Spirit! You know something, don’t you? Tell me how to leave this place!”

“N-No… I know nothing!” Immortal Lingzhi kept shaking his head out of fear.

Suddenly, a spectral silhouette formed out of black fog attacked them at a startling speed. A frigid aura instantly shrouded the place as sinister hissing resounded endlessly.

“Scram!” Xiao Chen yelled.

He slammed his palm into the silhouette, which screeched like a wailing ghost upon contact. Hearing such a noise in such a cold, sinister night made him shiver and his scalp tingle.

“Me-meow! I smell death!”

Shaking out of fear, Immortal Lingzhi leaped into Xiao Chen’s embrace. He exposed only his head and paws as he carefully scanned its surroundings.

A malefic gust of wind rose as spectral silhouettes emerged from all directions. A deathly aura swiftly enveloped the area for a hundred miles, making them feel chest pains and stuffiness. Even breathing became difficult. The strange voice coming from under the ground spoke once again, “The living who trespasses on the Forbidden Land must leave their soul behind…”

“Run!”

Without a second thought, Xiao Chen unsheathed his Unsullied Immortal Sword, cleaved an exit, and stormed out of the place. The body of his sword was emanating a divine white glow that prevented sinister spirits from coming close. The only problem was that the three of them couldn’t leave the area no matter how much they ran.

The deathly aura repeatedly condensed. Excessive inhalation of this aura would surely decrease a living being’s lifespan. Qingluan and Ziyun’er had turned white in the face and their midbrows were tinted black. The three of them were running for their lives when a secluded and sinister footpath appeared in front of them.

The strange-looking footpath was radiating a moss-green glow. Its end wasn’t in sight as if it led to a different dimension altogether.

Behind them, the spirits pursued them relentlessly and the deathly aura rapidly converged. Xiao Chen knew he couldn’t worry about where the path led to. “Follow me!” he yelled as he ran inside.

They traveled down the path for a good thirty minutes before they suddenly walked into a trap and fell. Darkness descended on them and the earth quaked. They landed somewhere unknown amid the tumbling of crushed stones.

“Is, is everyone fine?” Xiao Chen asked.

He gathered his True Energy into a ball of white light and illuminated their surroundings.

Fortunately, except for clothes ripped by thistles and thorns, Qingluan and Ziyun’er were both fine. The Immortal Lingzhi’s eyes gleamed. “Me-meow! What bloody place are we in now?”

Xiao Chen immediately narrowed his eyes and found a secluded, unassuming tunnel. He could faintly sense divine aura coming from the other end of the tunnel. The deathly aura from outside couldn’t reach them here.

“Hey, Leopard Cat Spirit! Do you know where we are?”

The Immortal Lingzhi coughed and landed on the ground. He crossed his paws in front of his chest and raised his head, looking as smug as a child that had won an award. “Youngster, I don’t mind helping you if you’ll respectfully seek my help. Besides, I’m not a Leopard Cat Spirit. I have a name. I’m called…”

Suddenly, the tiniest bit of movement came from the end of the tunnel. Xiao Chen’s expression turned solemn. He immediately gestured them to keep quiet and said, “Shh! Don’t speak.”

“Kid! Don’t you know it’s very rude to interrupt someone?!” the Immortal Lingzhi jumped in annoyance.

The movement disappeared. Xiao Chen looked at the Immortal Lingzhi. “Fine, you can continue.”

The Immortal Lingzhi coughed. “I’m called…”

Out of the blue, a strange noise drifted from the end of the tunnel. The Immortal Lingzhi lost his temper. “Who is it? What an annoyance!”

“Cough, cough…” Right then, a wizened coughing sound came from the end of the path. The Immortal Lingzhi was so frightened that all the hair on his body stood on their end. It leaped back onto Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes and peered into the tunnel but detected no apparent danger. He turned to look at the Immortal Lingzhi on his shoulder and sneered. “People say leopard cats are brave but how is the slightest breeze scaring a Leopard Cat Spirit like you out of your mind?”

The Immortal Lingzhi retorted furiously, “I said I’m not a Leopard Cat Spirit! Listen well! I’m called Zhiluan! Zhiluan, alright?!”