Chapter 49

"Ghost Sect……"

Nie Tian frowned, quietly observing An Ying and Zheng Rui, his heart filled with doubt.

This was the first time he had truly left Black Cloud City.

Previously, he had always practiced in the Nie family within Black Cloud City. Growing up, he had heard the most about Lingyun Sect.

The Ghost Sect was a completely new and unheard-of sect to him.

He knew nothing about the Ghost Sect and couldn't understand why Pan Tao and the other two from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion were so frightened and uneasy upon learning that someone from the Ghost Sect had appeared in the Qinghuang Realm.

Like him, most of the young people from the seven cities had no impression of the Ghost Sect and looked puzzled.

Only two young men seemed to have heard about the Ghost Sect from their elders.

When they learned that people from the Ghost Sect had also entered the Qinghuang Realm, their faces turned pale, and their eyes instantly filled with fear.

They were clearly more afraid of the Ghost Sect than An Ying and the others!

"Many of you may not have heard of the Ghost Sect, so I need to explain it to you," Pan Tao said, looking at Nie Tian, taking a deep breath, and with a serious expression. "We, along with Lingyun Sect, Ashy Valley, and Xuanwu Palace, belong to the same cultivator alliance. The Ghost Sect, Blood Sect, and Hell Mansion, on the other hand, come from an opposing cultivator alliance."

"The Ghost Sect, Blood Sect, and Hell Mansion are just as powerful as we are."

"For hundreds of years, to争夺 the ownership of secret realms and for spirit mines, we have fought with them countless times, both openly and secretly."

"Over the long years, we have never truly defeated them; our strength is roughly equal."

Pausing for a moment, Pan Tao continued, "We also secretly compete among the four sects, but everything is within a controllable range, and there are generally no massive casualties. However, every time we engage in a bloody battle with them, countless will die! Not just us of lower ranks, but even the powerful elders of our four sects may die!"

"The two sides are like water and fire; whenever we meet, it's a fight to the death!"

"Since people from the Ghost Sect have come to the Qinghuang Realm, I guess their purpose is to kill us all!"

"Their target is clearly not the spirit beasts, but us! Only when we are all dead will they leave the Qinghuang Realm!"

After his speech, all the trial participants, including Nie Tian, fell silent.

Everyone's face turned gloomy and ugly, and the Qinghuang Realm seemed to suddenly turn into a bloody battlefield due to the appearance of the Ghost Sect.

"Big Sister An Ying, why don't we... return to the secret realm gate and tell your sister about the Ghost Sect entering the Qinghuang Realm?" Jiang Miao suggested timidly.

The other young people, who were also frightened by the arrival of the Ghost Sect, quickly nodded in agreement.

"Returning won't help," An Ying shook her head, dashing their hopes. "After everyone enters, the secret realm gate is temporarily sealed to prevent cheating and to stop anyone from secretly entering the Qinghuang Realm to help you."

"Only when the trial ends and the six-month period is over will the secret realm gate reopen."

"During this time, we are completely cut off from the outside world; we can't leave, and they won't come in."

"In other words, no matter what happens in the Qinghuang Realm, we must stay for six months."

"Then aren't we doomed?" Guo Qi cried out in despair. "No one knows how many people from the Ghost Sect have come and at what level. If they are at the Later Heaven or Middle Heaven stages, they can certainly kill us all within six months. We probably won't be able to leave alive and will be cruelly tortured to death by the Ghost Sect."

"Don't worry too much," An Ying secretly despised his courage but still had to comfort them. "Although the people from the Ghost Sect, Blood Sect, and Hell Mansion are cruel and bloodthirsty, they are extremely arrogant. They know that the trial participants from the four sects entering the Qinghuang Realm are all at the Qi Condensation stage."

"Given their usual arrogance, the people they send to the Qinghuang Realm are most likely at the same stage as us."

"At the same stage, they may have more combat experience and have truly experienced the baptism of blood, but their strength... should be on par with ours."

"As long as the numbers are not too different, we don't have to be the ones being hunted!"

Guo Qi was taken aback and said, "You mean the people from the Ghost Sect who entered are also at the Qi Condensation stage?"

"I think so," An Ying nodded.

Guo Qi let out a sigh of relief, his courage bolstered, and he said, "If we are at the same stage, what do we have to fear? Big Sister An Ying, I thought you looked uneasy earlier, thinking that the Ghost Sect would send Later Heaven or Middle Heaven experts. Hey, it was you three who scared us." He pretended to be relaxed.

The others, hearing Guo Qi's words, also seemed to relax.

Even Nie Tian, after the initial tension, quickly calmed down, thinking, "If they are only at the Qi Condensation stage, the Ghost Sect... may not be that terrifying."

Only An Ying, Pan Tao, and Zheng Rui did not relax at all. They exchanged glances and saw the bitterness in each other's eyes.

They truly understood the terror of the Ghost Sect, Blood Sect, and Hell Mansion.

Every disciple of these three sects grew up in blood and slaughter, and each of them viewed killing as a matter of daily routine.

Even the people from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion were far from sufficient in practical combat and could only rely on spirit artifacts to make up for this disadvantage.

As for Guo Qi and those from the subordinate families, they believed that once they engaged in combat with the Ghost Sect, they might be directly frightened into mental breakdowns by the Ghost Sect's brutal and cruel methods.

They were all like flowers in a greenhouse, having never experienced the ravages of storms.

The four sects organized the Qinghuang Realm trial precisely because they knew they severely lacked combat experience and wanted to toughen them up in advance so they could gradually adapt to future bloody battles.

However, they had not even finished the Qinghuang Realm trial and were now facing the Ghost Sect disciples, who were accustomed to killing.

—This was too cruel for them.

After exchanging a glance, An Ying and the others did not elaborate on the terror of the Ghost Sect to avoid scaring them and further reducing their combat effectiveness.

"Tap tap! Tap tap tap!"

At this moment, the sound of approaching footsteps suddenly came from a distance.

An Ying's face changed abruptly. She slapped her head and said regretfully, "Damn, I forgot to leave this place first!" She glanced at the sky.

Nie Tian looked up and saw the black mist in the sky that had not yet dissipated, immediately understanding.

The signal released by Pan Tao formed a straight column of black mist, which An Ying and Zheng Rui could see, and so could everyone else.

As long as they were within ten miles, they could see the thick mist in the sky.

After An Ying and the others gathered, they only focused on discussing the terror of the Ghost Sect and did not leave immediately, which was a significant mistake!

"Spirit Treasure Pavilion! It's you!"

A young man in gray, clearly from Ashy Valley, covered in blood, holding a broken thin sword, came in a panic.

His face was filled with fear and hatred. Seeing An Ying and the others, he seemed to have found a savior and immediately screamed in joy.

"Save me! We were attacked by the Ghost Sect. My two teammates are dead, and only I managed to escape!" He ran over, occasionally looking back, as if the Ghost Sect was right behind him.

"How many Ghost Sect people are chasing you?" An Ying shouted.

"Three! They are right behind me. Be careful, they are coming soon!"

The young man in gray, his steps unsteady, passed An Ying, Pan Tao, and Zheng Rui, and joined Nie Tian and the others.

At this moment, everyone was shocked by his words and looked nervously in the direction he came from.

It seemed that in the next moment, three Ghost Sect disciples would rush out from there.

"Something's wrong!"

Nie Tian roared, not thinking much, and immediately attacked the young man from Ashy Valley.

"Boom!"

His fist,凝聚 with thick spiritual energy, instantly struck the young man, who had a look of panic that turned to cunning, forcing him to hastily retreat.

"Nie Tian! What are you doing?"

Guo Qi, who was closest to the young man, suddenly changed his expression and glared at him. "I know you have a grudge against Yuan Feng and the others, but since the Ghost Sect has appeared, you must temporarily put aside your hatred! He is already so injured, and you still want to take advantage of him. Do you have any shame?"

"You know nothing!" Nie Tian was furious, not paying him any attention, and charged at the young man from Ashy Valley again. "Guo Qi! You almost died!"

"You're the one who died!" Guo Qi shouted.

At this moment, the young man from Ashy Valley, avoiding Nie Tian's attack, moved to another person and suddenly thrust his broken sword.

That person was completely unaware, staring blankly at the young man from Ashy Valley, unable to react in time.

By the time he realized something was wrong, the broken sword had already pierced his chest, protruding from his back.

"Hehe!"

The young man from Ashy Valley grinned maliciously, looking at Nie Tian for a moment before swiftly fleeing, not staying any longer.

"Huang Ye is dead!"

"He killed Huang Ye!"

Only now did everyone react, shouting in panic.

An Ying and the others, who were originally focused on the direction the young man from Ashy Valley had come from, were waiting for the three Ghost Sect disciples to appear, with serious expressions.

By the time they heard Guo Qi and Nie Tian arguing and turned to look, it was too late.

—Huang Ye was already dead!

"He is a disciple of the Ghost Sect!" Pan Tao finally realized.

"Ha ha! A bunch of naive fools! None of you will leave the Qinghuang Realm alive!" The young man, while quickly fleeing, taunted, "Wait and see, we will kill you one by one! The next time I appear, I won't be alone!"

"Whoosh!"

Like a green wisp of smoke, he darted through the ice-clear trees and quickly disappeared.

"I, I..."

Guo Qi was scared into a cold sweat, looking at Nie Tian, whose face was as cold as frost, and didn't know what to say.

But he knew clearly that the young man had been closest to him. If Nie Tian hadn't suddenly attacked, the young man would not have avoided and would have certainly attacked him.

Just as Nie Tian said, he... almost died just now.

"Because I have a grudge against Yuan Feng and the others, I remembered the faces of everyone they asked for when they demanded people!" Nie Tian's eyes were cold. "I clearly remember the appearance of each of them, preparing to deal with them one by one in the future! That person was clearly not from Ashy Valley!"

"I'm sorry, I was wrong," Guo Qi bowed his head.

...

PS: I have a cold. If you think this is good, remember to add it to your collection. Thanks~~

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