Chapter 104: The Realm of the Departed (6)

At this, the Lantern Ghost Spirit could not help but show a trace of fear, as if recalling something it wished to forget. After a brief pause, it continued: “But leaving is very difficult. The entrance to the Realm of the Dead is a black vortex that can easily tear our bodies apart. Without a pass to enter the Realm of the Dead, whether living or ghostly, one can only be trapped inside until the giant spirits arrive to devour them. If I hadn’t been protected by the palace lantern bestowed by the Ming Emperor, I would probably still be trapped there, unable to escape!”

*“It’s good that we can’t come out easily. But I wonder how those passes are obtained.”*
*“So that token marked with ‘Thirteen’ is used here?”*

Xiao Anguo and Wu Zui pondered these thoughts silently.

Suddenly, Xiao Anguo turned to Wu Zui and said, “Give the palace lantern in its hands to the Research Institute for a few days. Let them figure out if it’s possible to enter the Realm of the Dead. At the very least, they must try to seal the entrance so that no spirits escape to cause chaos.”

“...” Wu Zui remained silent. Taking someone’s possession just after capturing them felt somewhat inappropriate.

“Oh, by the way! You said spirits who have been to the Realm of the Dead develop resistance to magnetic energy, right?” Xiao Anguo asked again.

*“This is too much!”*

The Lantern Ghost Spirit sensed Xiao Anguo’s intention. Although the palace lantern was its only cherished memento, for the sake of its own life, it decided to relinquish it.

Wu Zui also caught Xiao Anguo’s meaning. He reached out and stopped the Lantern Ghost Spirit from placing the lantern on the ground, then said to Xiao Anguo, “Minister, it’s already under my control. If you want to test, the ghostly driver who operates the underworld carriage would be a better choice. By the way, I happen to have one of those tokens!”

Without waiting for Xiao Anguo’s consent, the chains on the ground began to extend. Soon, a ghostly figure locked tightly in red chains appeared in the interrogation room, dressed in a dark blue-black uniform.

Meanwhile, after the Lantern Ghost Spirit picked up the palace lantern from the ground, the red chains recoiled, retracting it back into the Heart-Piercing Sword. Only then did a black token appear in Wu Zui’s hand.

“...” Xiao Anguo was speechless.

He waved to a four-star spiritual investigator behind him. A palm, about the size of a millstone and formed from condensed magnetic energy, appeared above the ghostly driver and struck down upon it.

The moment they made contact, a muffled sound echoed.

The large magnetic-energy palm struck repeatedly but failed to kill the three-star ghost driver. Instead, under the pressure of the Heart-Piercing Chains, the spirit began to emit waves of resentful energy from its body.

Wu Zui controlled a blaze of karmic fire that traveled along the chains, burning the ghostly driver. Several anguished howls sounded as the rising resentful energy was suppressed.

Suddenly, the ghostly driver lifted its head. Its pale eyes brimmed with murderous intent, staring at Wu Zui. The snarls from its mouth revealed its unwillingness to submit, while waves of resentful energy again surged from its body.

Wu Zui intensified the attack, converting magnetic energy into karmic flames that almost completely engulfed the ghostly driver’s body.

“Do you think you can kill this ghost?” Xiao Anguo asked the four-star investigator who had just struck.

“...No. My magnetic energy enveloped its entire body but failed to annihilate it. And this was with it immobilized. If it could resist, it would be even more dangerous,” the four-star investigator replied thoughtfully.

“If we kill it, no objections?” Xiao Anguo then turned to Wu Zui.

“Uh... if you don’t want to interrogate, go ahead!” Wu Zui was startled but put out the karmic fire.

“You, take action!” Xiao Anguo pointed at the five-star investigator.

Wu Zui watched as the five-star investigator raised their right hand, index finger pointing at the ghost driver. Without any magnetic energy fluctuations, a black dot rapidly formed before the ghost. Moments later, the ghost’s body began to distort and was torn apart.

“Resolved?” Xiao Anguo looked back to ask.

“Yes,” the five-star investigator answered.

“Looks like a five-star spatial singularity is effective against these special ghosts. But to eliminate just one driver who transports spirits into the Realm of the Dead using a five-star investigator seems a bit of a waste.”

Xiao Anguo pondered for a moment, then extended his right hand toward Wu Zui. After handing over the black token, Wu Zui was promptly dismissed. What actions would be taken regarding the Realm of the Dead next was none of his concern.

“The token was on that driver. But Minister, you’d better not send anyone into the Realm of the Dead—it’s truly dangerous there!” After handing over the black token, Wu Zui said to Xiao Anguo before leaving the temporary interrogation chamber.

Wu Zui had little interest in Xiao Anguo’s plans. When he escaped from the Realm of the Dead, the gaze of that enormous ghostly monster left him trembling with fear. Even now, whenever he closed his eyes, those enormous eyes, like blood moons, haunted his mind.

After leaving Xiao Anguo, Wu Zui went straight next door to his room and found Xiao Ke’ai still cultivating. He explained that he wanted her to investigate major global events occurring about a month ago, around the time the strange sound appeared.

*“Since a sacrifice was performed, there must be evidence! No civilized country would allow such a thing to happen within its borders.”*

“A global event?” Xiao Ke’ai blinked her big eyes, unsure of Wu Zui’s intentions, but obediently began searching on the computer.

News of major events appeared one by one on the screen:

“Religious holy site: Two saints perished!”
“The earthly living Buddha of the Yidu Kingdom—Baman—has gone missing.”
“Ancient civilization—the Aier Kingdom experiences polar night phenomenon.”
“International cult organization—the Purifying World Sect—is exploiting the threat of ghosts to humans to rapidly recruit worldwide, spreading evil doctrines. Currently, multiple nations have united to eradicate this group!”
“New ghostly creatures are increasing in the American Capital; local spiritual investigators are overwhelmed!”

...

This overwhelming torrent of information made Wu Zui scratch his head.

*“Alright, alright! Let’s think differently. Since the sacrifice was voluntary, it must have been conducted by humans. If someone conspired with the Heavenly Dao consciousness to perform the sacrifice to strip humans of their dominant position, who benefits the most?”*

*“After humans lose power, ghosts become unusually active! The Purifying World Sect, which controls ghosts, is highly suspicious. Their stronghold is in the American Capital, where ghost numbers have surged sharply since the sound appeared.”*

...

After some thought, Wu Zui said to Xiao Ke’ai, “Can you find the Purifying World Sect’s base or leader in the American Capital? I want to capture one or two to investigate.”

“...That’s a bit difficult, Master! Our networks aren’t connected. Plus, a cult like that would have strong cyber defenses, or else the spiritual investigators in the American Capital would have wiped them out by now!” Xiao Ke’ai frowned. She was skilled with computers but not a god of the internet.

“Then... can you find any Purifying World Sect members still in our country?” Wu Zui knew it was tough to search internationally, so he changed his approach.

“There is one! Chen Jack, whom we caught a while back, was rescued about a month ago. He should still be hiding within China. Want me to look for him?” Xiao Ke’ai immediately recalled Liao Xing, head of the Coastal Military District, who had called while Wu Zui was in seclusion.

“Rescued? Wasn’t he held in the military district? How did he get out? Was the Coastal Military District breached by the Purifying World Sect?” Wu Zui was shocked and incredulous.

“No, not exactly. The military said Chen Jack disappeared from custody on the day the sound appeared about a month ago. The surveillance cameras and memory cards were destroyed by unknown energy, leaving no evidence,” Xiao Ke’ai gently explained.

“Then it’s definitely him. Confirm his location first. Once we reach five-star level, we’ll go deal with him!” Wu Zui made a firm decision.

“Ah? Five stars?” Xiao Ke’ai’s previously eager expression instantly wilted, her lips pouting as if they could hold a whole bottle of oil.

￣へ￣

“It’s for safety! You don’t know, Master encountered...” Wu Zui started telling Xiao Ke’ai about the 444 bus and the Realm of the Dead. The more she listened, the more excited she became, her eyes shining brightly.

*“A ghost resistant to magnetic energy! I’ve never seen one before—wonder if it’s tough to beat?”*

Quickly, eager to get out and see this magnetic-resistant ghost, Xiao Ke’ai threw herself into searching for Chen Jack. After setting the video to auto-compare, she hurried back to her room to cultivate.

*“For five stars! To see a ghost that’s immune to magnetic energy—let’s go!”*

From Wu Zui’s account, Xiao Ke’ai knew that only by reaching five-star level could they capture a new mutated ghost. Otherwise, things might end badly.

*“Just a little more, soon—”*
(*￣︶￣)

Both resumed their cultivation in their respective magnetic energy enhancement chambers, working diligently.

Meanwhile, Chen Jack and Qian Ying, who were about to have trouble with Wu Zui and Xiao Ke’ai, were hiding in a place no one would suspect, preparing to ambush a seven-star anomaly.

Thanks to an inadvertent favor from the Nameless Great Monk, the ghost they targeted was at its weakest moment.

“Little sister, do you really want to attack such a huge creature? Even if it’s injured, this is a seven-star anomaly!” Chen Jack glanced at the towering mountain in the distance, a trace of surprise on his face as he spoke to Qian Ying.

Even a twisted person like him felt a pang of hesitation.

“Don’t worry, big brother. With this black skull granted by the sect leader, we can suppress an injured seven-star anomaly. Once you fuse with it—if you fuse more than half—you won’t just regain strength; we’ll be able to handle even six-star awakened ones.”