Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 96: Unforeseen Events in the Fifth Layer of the Cemetery

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Unforeseen Events in the Fifth Layer of the Cemetery

The three of them found the formation leading to the fourth layer of the tomb and stepped inside, activating the formation.

The yin energy on the fourth layer was heavier than on the third, and both the number and cultivation of these Yin Souls had increased.

Over a hundred Yin Souls surrounded them, about ten of which were at the Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm and could even cast spells. Instantly, a sky-covering barrage of cold winds and spells flew at them, though they were not very powerful. Wukong and Yuan Hong picked up their staffs, casting Dharma Decrees while swinging their staffs. From time to time, they would kill all the hundred-plus Yin Souls.

These Yin Souls had only cultivation, with little Mana. Over twelve thousand years, who knows how much energy they had lost. This was also why the group felt the heavy yin energy; the lost energy and Mana had turned into yin energy, filling the space of the Ancient Tomb.

"Something seems off..." Yuan Hong furrowed his brows.

"What’s wrong?" Wukong asked.

"These Yin Souls have had their Three Souls extracted, leaving only the Seven Spirits here. No wonder the Spiritual Power is so weak!" Yuan Hong said.

Wukong touched his brow and said, "Three Souls and Seven Spirits... What’s the use of extracting Three Souls? These Yin Souls only have instincts and cultivation realm left, not a bit of Mana. Even if we refined all of them, it would be useless!"

Yuan Hong felt a sudden unease and said, "I have a bad premonition."

"What premonition?" Wukong asked.

"I can usually sense fortunes and misfortunes, but this time there is an inexplicable feeling stuck in my heart, like a big change is about to happen."

Wukong’s brow furrowed and he said, "A big change?"

Yuan Hong nodded and said, "When the Chaos Heaven Demon invaded the Earth Immortal Realm years ago, I had the same feeling."

The Heaven-Defying Taoist then said, "I’ve had this feeling since I came out, very unpleasant, like something big is about to happen."

Yuan Hong looked at Wukong and the Heaven-Defying Taoist and said, "The big event in this Ancient Tomb might be linked to a great cause-and-effect that involves us. We need to be careful!"

The Heaven-Defying Taoist squinted his eyes slightly and said, "Great cause-and-effect? And it involves the two of us? Heh, interesting!"

On this fourth layer, Yuan Hong saw many tombstones of acquaintances, who had naturally turned into Yin Souls and fierce ghosts, but Yuan Hong did not hesitate. He swung his staff and annihilated them, which was a kind of release for them. Unable to enter reincarnation, always wandering here, no one could endure it. But without exception, these Yin Souls had their most important Three Souls extracted, leaving only the Seven Spirits.

"Is the Vermilion Bird Fruit on the fifth layer?" The three had found the Teleportation Formation to the fifth layer.

"Hmm... I just cast a spell to calculate, and the Vermilion Bird Fruit is indeed on the fifth layer," Yuan Hong said.

The three entered the Teleportation Formation, and with a flash of red light, they were on the fifth layer.

On the fifth layer, upon entering, nearly nothing could block the cold winds and yin energy.

Wukong and the Heaven-Defying Taoist each offered up their Magical Treasures, one raising the Great Revolution Seal to suppress the surroundings with the will of revolution, keeping the yin energy at bay, while Wukong raised a green lotus, its leaves swaying, with Chaos Qi and green Qi flowing, enveloping himself.

Yuan Hong’s Heavenly Fighting Qi was much stronger than Wukong’s, shimmering with golden light around him, the yin energy could not touch him.

Yuan Hong could not help saying, "This yin energy is too heavy, someone has extracted the Three Souls from these Yin Souls, obviously there is a big conspiracy!"

Wukong said, "Quickly find the Vermilion Bird Fruit, find it and leave."

Yuan Hong nodded, casting a spell to calculate the location of the Vermilion Bird Fruit. After a moment, he said, "The yin energy here is too heavy, it even obscures the Heavenly Secrets, I can only calculate that the Vermilion Bird Fruit is on this layer, but can’t pinpoint the exact location."

Wukong said, "Then let’s go search for it, we just have to spread our Divine Sense to find it. But this layer of the tomb is so vast, it won’t be easy to find."

The three then expanded their Divine Sense to search for the Vermilion Bird Fruit.

This layer of the tomb had no ghostly spirits at all, not a single one, just the chilling wind and permeating yin energy, along with the densely packed tombstones. Wukong felt his heart pounding ever more fiercely, the whim that had seized him growing stronger.

"Found it!"

With a sweep of his Divine Sense, Wukong saw beneath a bird-shaped skeleton a fiery red fruit. This fruit was wrapped in True Fire that, astonishingly, had not diminished even after tens of thousands of years. This skeleton must have been that of an elder from the Vermilion Bird Clan who stole the Vermilion Bird Fruit and ended up dying here.

Wukong descended, transmitted his thoughts to Heaven-Defying Taoist, and asked him to bring Yuan Hong over.

He pried the skeleton apart with his staff and picked up the Vermilion Bird Fruit from the ground. The fruit was spherical, but surrounded by True Fire, and its peel seemed as if it had been deliberately carved by a craftsman, featuring a Vermilion Bird totem screeching skywards, lifelike as if it could come to life at any moment.

"Hey, this fruit sure looks good. It makes even me, old Sun, unable to resist the urge to swallow it in one gulp!" Wukong thought to himself.

When Heaven-Defying Taoist learned that Wukong had found the Vermilion Bird Fruit, he headed towards where Yuan Hong was.

As Heaven-Defying Taoist was flying, he looked up only to see myriads of ghostly spirits flying towards him. These spirits roared ferociously, driven wild by the presence of yang energy, with at least tens of millions charging at him, which was utterly terrifying! The sight changed Heaven-Defying Taoist’s complexion drastically; these tens of millions of ghostly spirits, surging like a tsunami, could overwhelm him.

He immediately turned to flee, but the overwhelming yin energy around him rendered his Somersault Cloud unusable, and he had to escape using Soaring Earth Golden Light.

However, those ghostly spirits were extremely fast and relentlessly pursued him.

"Hehehe! Heaven-Defying Taoist, heaven had a way that you did not take, hell has no door yet you intruded," a cold laugh rang out, making the ghostly spirits even more frenzied. They roared loudly while chasing after Heaven-Defying Taoist.

Heaven-Defying Taoist shouted, "Who are you!"

"Haha, haha! Heaven-Defying Taoist, you have forged a great karma with Laozi, yet you still don’t know who I am. Hand over your life!"

Wukong’s face changed drastically, only hearing how the entire fifth layer of the Ancient Tomb resonated with ghostly roars, earth-shattering and sky-shaking, causing both the heavens and the earth to tremble!

The tens of millions of ghostly spirits, now acting in concert under someone’s control, exuded a wave of yin energy that could likely extinguish the Three Flowers and Five Qi of a Primordial Golden Immortal!

Yuan Hong’s complexion was extremely grim too. Indeed, trouble had arisen. If obtaining the Vermilion Bird Fruit were this easy, then the Daluo Golden Immortal of the Vermilion Bird Clan wouldn’t have died trying in the past. He immediately used Soaring Earth Golden Light and chased towards the gathering place of the ghostly spirits.

"Hehe, hehehe! You little ant, playing with you in the palm of my hand is somewhat amusing,"

Heaven-Defying Taoist’s face was ice-cold and very troubled, feeling a frigid cold across his whole body. The yin energy had just brushed past him, causing his Three Flowers to tremble, and his Five Qi to become disorderly.

The so-called Three Flowers are three life lamps of a person; one on the Niwan Palace at the top and the other two on the shoulders.

These Three Flowers, bearing a person’s yang energy and essence, resemble lamps, hence the ancient saying, "Death is like a lamp extinguished." Just having the yin energy graze him made Heaven-Defying Taoist feel bone-chilling cold, which showed just how formidable this horde of ghostly spirits was!

Just then, a dark golden iron staff fell like a pillar reaching the heavens!

"Boom!"

This staff struck right in the middle of the tens of millions of ghostly spirits, a burst of golden light exploding outward. The spirits roared in pain, but they were not destroyed. The yin energy swirled, and the spiritual bodies that had been half-corroded by the golden light recovered and continued their assault on Heaven-Defying Taoist!

"Boom!"

Another golden iron staff fell, landing among the army of tens of millions of ghostly spirits, turning the sky and the ground upside down, infinitely more powerful than the previous strike!

The army of tens of millions of ghostly spirits, having endured these two blows, immediately fell into disarray. Heaven-Defying Taoist took advantage of the chaos to shake off this army of tens of millions of ghostly spirits and raced towards the front.

"Hehe, interesting! It’s actually you, Yuan Hong..." The voice was exceedingly sinister, raspy as if scratching fingernails across a coffin board, causing one to get goosebumps all over.