Chapter 23

Ghost Cry Ridge, located at the border between Dasha and Tianqi, is a mountain range that stretches for hundreds of miles. The terrain is perilous, and it is shrouded in mist all year round, making it almost invisible from a distance.

In the thick white fog, strange rocks and exotic trees are distributed in a peculiar pattern, forming a mysterious array. A strange energy permeates the entire array, clouding the mind and disturbing the spirit. Skeletons are visible everywhere in the mist, and a suffocating aura of death fills the air. Beyond the great array, an ancient building can be seen faintly, with flickering lights casting eerie, cold glows through the mist.

This is an ancient pagoda, with the ancient and mysterious character "Soul" imprinted on it. The surface of the building has faded over time, and countless clear sword and spear marks on the walls tell the story of the passage of time.

Around the pagoda, more than a dozen blue-robed warriors patrol, their cold eyes constantly scanning for any suspicious signs. A skull emblem is embroidered on the cuffs of their robes, symbolizing their identity.

"Disciple, I welcome the envoy's inspection."

At this moment, a blue-robed warrior knelt on the ground inside the Soul Pagoda, bowing to a green-robed warrior in front of him. His forehead almost touched the ground, making it impossible to see his facial expression, but his voice was filled with respect and humility.

The green-robed warrior looked down at the kneeling blue-robed warrior, his face full of satisfaction. After waiting for over ten seconds, he lazily said, "Hmm, you may rise."

A flash of killing intent appeared in the blue-robed warrior's eyes, and he tightened his hands before standing up and standing respectfully to one side. When his gaze fell on the green robe of the green-robed warrior, his eyes shone with extreme envy.

The green-robed warrior felt a sense of comfort from the blue-robed warrior's envy, and he was extremely pleased. Not long ago, he was on the same level as the blue-robed warrior, but unexpectedly, he was favored by the elders of the sect and was given a pill, which raised his cultivation to a higher level. His status also changed, and he became a highly respected envoy.

Looking at his former colleague, who now had to kneel to welcome him, the green-robed warrior asked with a smug expression, "How is the defense of Ghost Cry Ridge set up?"

Glancing at the green-robed warrior's smug face, the blue-robed warrior replied with an unusual tone, "Rest assured, Envoy. Ghost Cry Ridge is rarely seen by living beings. Even if someone comes, they cannot pass through the numerous restrictions. The defense of Ghost Cry Ridge is impregnable."

The green-robed warrior's face darkened, and he shouted, "I don't care about that! This is a critical time for our Soul Sect. There can be no mistakes. If anyone disrupts the sect leader's breakthrough, I will hold you responsible!"

The blue-robed warrior smiled apologetically and said, "Sir, please rest assured. I will guarantee with my life that no one will intrude into the Soul Valley and disrupt the sect leader's breakthrough. By the way, I wonder if our sect leader will succeed this time?"

"Ha ha ha! This time, all the hall masters, elders, and guardians of the sect have gathered to perform a blood sacrifice with ten thousand people. I believe it will definitely succeed. Once the sect leader breaks through to the Imperial level, the day when our Soul Sect can hold our heads high will not be far off, ha ha ha!"

After saying this, the green-robed warrior turned his head and looked at the Soul Valley, which was shrouded in thick white fog.

The Soul Valley is the location of the Soul Sect. The valley is always filled with white fog, and the cries of lost souls are heart-wrenching, making one's hair stand on end. At the entrance of the valley, piles of bones, both human and animal, are stacked, with a cruel and terrifying appearance.

The entire Soul Valley is actually a massive ancient evil array, filled with hidden dangers and various dead things. When one enters, it is pitch black, and a series of strange sound waves resonate, like the cries of infants. Any living being who hears them will instantly have their soul leave their body.

If you look closely, you can see that the white fog is composed of tiny white particles, which float in the valley like living beings. When any living being flies into it, the particle-like white fog will surge and devour their flesh, turning them into a strange white fog.

Passing through the strange white fog and the wandering spirits and death creatures, one reaches the depths of the Soul Valley. Here, the white fog is blocked by an invisible barrier, and a huge tower stands tall. The tower is over ten stories high, with its spire piercing through the thick white fog. From a distance, the golden characters "Soul Sect" on the tower can be seen glowing with a strange blood-red light.

At the eight cardinal points around the tower, there are eight ancient pavilions, forming a strange array with the central street and exquisite buildings. The thick white fog is kept outside the array, and the inside is always dark, with a dense and substantial aura of death. In the buildings, countless warriors in robes with skull emblems can be seen moving around.

In the central control room of the tower, a large blood-red crystal floats, surrounded by numerous black-robed priests sitting in a circle. They chant strange incantations, and as they chant, the array continuously operates, drawing the dense aura of death from the heavens and earth into the tower, surging into the blood-red crystal.

A hundred meters underground, a huge cave with a diameter of a kilometer has been excavated. In the center of the cave, a bone altar has been built. At this moment, a cruel blood sacrifice is being carried out. Batch after batch of young men and women, naked, are pushed onto the altar. Their limbs are nailed to the altar, and the black-robed priests, holding blood-stained knives, cut open their chests and extract their hearts and blood. Their movements are so skilled, and their expressions are so fanatical. The screams and chants echo continuously, making the entire cave extremely sinister and terrifying.

Souls are wailing, and blood is flowing.

Around the altar, a group of priests sit in a circle. They are emaciated, with only a layer of skin covering their bodies. Their eye sockets are sunken, and various colored flames burn within them. They look like walking corpses, terrifying and hair-raising.

As the priests chant, a blood-red array on the bone altar slowly activates. The wandering souls in the cave merge into the altar, transforming into the purest soul energy. The hot blood flows through the blood channels into a huge blood pool.

This slaughter has lasted for a month, and today is the last day.

Suddenly, a pale young man was brought naked onto the altar. Seeing the terrifying and bloody scene on the altar, he was filled with fear, trembling uncontrollably. He struggled desperately and begged pitifully, but he was still cruelly nailed to the bone-studded altar.

A golden-robed priest slowly walked up to the altar, emitting a terrifying aura. He was completely pale, with golden flames burning in his eyes and strange magical patterns writhing on his cheeks. He was so devout, as if on a pilgrimage. Looking at the screaming young man, he smiled and raised his blood-stained knife.

"Please, please... let me go, I don't want to die!"

Looking at the golden-robed priest, the young man pleaded in pain, begging for mercy. However, the golden-robed priest seemed unaware, chanting loudly, and strange notes echoed throughout the cave.

Seeing the golden-robed priest approaching with the blood-stained knife, the young man screamed, "You bastards, my father won't let you off! Ahhh..."

As the knife fell, the altar was splattered with strange blood. The golden-robed priest laughed maniacally, holding the still-beating heart in his hand.

At this moment, the blood sacrifice reached its climax. When the last person was killed, the blood in the pool suddenly surged, and a blood-red crystal skull slowly rose. The priests' chants became faster and louder, and in an instant, the entire blood pool boiled, and blood-red energy and pure soul power poured into the blood-red crystal skull.

Suddenly, the tower and the eight pavilions were bathed in a blood-red glow, and the entire array in the Soul Valley was activated. A massive aura of death converged on the tower and rushed into the underground blood altar, pouring into the blood-red crystal skull.

In an instant, waves of death spread from the blood-red crystal skull, and its power soared. At the same time, a blood-red light shot through the tower into the sky, piercing through the white fog above the Soul Valley, creating a huge hole.

When everything calmed down, a crystal-clear crystal skull landed on the altar. The original blood-red color had disappeared, and the entire skeleton exuded a sacred aura. All the Soul Sect members in the cave knelt down, looking at the crystal skull on the altar with fanatical expressions.

"Congratulations to the sect leader on achieving great success and enhancing the reputation of our Soul Sect!"

"Ha ha ha!"

A shrill and eerie laugh echoed in the cave, lingering for a long time.

The crystal skull, wearing a golden crown and draped in a golden robe, looked at the kneeling Soul Sect members and laughed, "Ha ha ha! Imperial level, I have finally reached it."