The evil spirits had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and they were causing quite a scene. Most people who were in Xi Guan had already spotted the anomaly, and so had the people inside the second layer of the devil’s territory.
However, the devil’s territory was restricted in some ways. This meant that the people inside the second layer could not enter the first layer in the same trip, and this barrier also prevented the demons that resided in the second layer from wandering into the first.
“So many evil spirits appearing out of nowhere, this is a bad omen!” the looks on faces of people who were witnessing this from the other places, had also changed drastically to that of a sad one.
“So many evil spirits sprouting inside the devil’s territory! Are the legends true?”
Several people had gathered to witness this phenomenon and they couldn’t help but speculate if the rumors were actually true; the devil’s territory might have been a battlefield in a bygone era.
If this place really had severed as the grounds for an ancient battle, then many strong people would have died here. This also meant that there could still be a few surviving artifacts from that era; some palpitating hearts yearned to get their hands on such artifacts.
“There is no certainty, but if this place really was an ancient battlefield, then there could also be a few immortal weapons buried there, we must go and survey the area.”
‘Immortal weapon’, this one term was enough, the eyebrows of everyone present, were already raised.
Immortal weapons Ah! These were weapons of unlimited power. There was only one known immortal weapon in the entire world, it was named, Tai Yin. Tai Yun was controlled by the nine sacred school of Tian Yu.
It was rumored that the weapon was so strong, that it was rarely ever used. In fact, they say, that the schools only use this weapon to control the weather.
Spiritual weapon were considered priceless in Tian Yu, and even spiritual weapons couldn’t hope to match the power of an immortal weapon.
No prizes for guessing that if anyone came face to face with an immortal weapon, they would do anything to get their hands on it.
Suddenly, the entire bunch of people present at this scene, starting flocking towards the counter to buy an entry ticket into the devil’s territory.
The entire Xi Guan town was rushing towards the ticket counter, to enter the first layer of the devil’s territory.
The person who was responsible for the sale of these entries didn’t want to comply with their demands, as some of the pract.i.tioners were far too strong to be allowed into the first layer of the devil’s territory and were usually a.s.signed to layer two or three.
Only a mortal human, he was unable to ward off the constant threats of such powerful people, and left with no choice, he eventually granted them the access to the first layer of the devil’s territory.
At least a thousand or so, very powerful pract.i.tioners, had managed to buy themselves entry tickets into the devil’s territory, and as soon as they entered the region, they rushed towards the possessed area.
These people were applying all kinds of techniques, whatever it took to get there as quickly as possible. So much so, that some were even willing to use divine essence seals for the same.
Of course, there were others who were slightly more cautious, and didn’t break into the devil’s territory so hastily.
If this region had really been a battlefield in the distant past, then maybe, it wasn’t such a good idea to go in there at this time.
At this point, Bi Fan had no idea as to far out he had ventured into this region. Now, he needed to stop for at least twenty minutes after taking each step, as that’s the time it took for the Lotus to absorb the spirits and the aura, and this time frame was increasing with every step he took.
The Aura density was increasing steadily and the evil spirits were becoming more and more violent, which was making Bi Fan very uncomfortable.
If the Lotus hadn’t been in control of his body, then he would have fled this region a very long time ago.
Evil spirits were entering into his body, which wasn’t a very comfortable sensation, and even with the Yin Yang Lotus protecting him, Bi Fan was still in a very miserable state.
Bi Fan couldn’t help the Lotus absorb the spirits or the Aura, and was basically rendered jobless at the moment. He felt really bored, and all he could do was inspect the Lotus from time to time, as it continuously changed in many ways.
After absorbing so many spirits and aura, the Lotus’s petals had grown much bigger in size, and it glimmered with even more radiance than before.
Apart from the flower itself, the Lotus’s stamen was also growing in size, and was beginning to form a proper shape.
The Lotus’s stamen was also half black and half white in color, like the Lotus, and looked very similar to a Yin Yang.
There were eighteen holes in the stamen; half of them were black in color whereas the other half were white. However there were no seeds in them at the moment.
The Lotus’s stamen was very small in size in comparison to the Lotus’s body, but its dimensions were constantly growing in size, and Bi Fan, for some reason, felt that it must be a good sign.
Actually, Bi Fan couldn’t really be sure, and at this moment, he was only making things up along the way.
He had no idea whether this Lotus that was concealed in his body, was a good thing or a bad thing to begin with. But so far, his heart felt consoled in the fact that nothing bad had happened to him because of the Lotus.
As the Lotus’s stamen started taking its shape, the Lotus was able to absorb the aura and the spirits at a much faster rate.
Bi Fan could distinctly feel it otherwise as well, and he could sense that the spirits were forming a much bigger whirlwind around him, as they flocked into his body.
“Was this place really an ancient battlefield? How else could there be so many evil spirits and so much aura here…” Bi Fan body may not have been in his control but his mind most certainly was.
Bi Fan couldn’t help but look forward, wanting to see the source of this eruption, but he still couldn’t spot it, nor could he see any valuables in vicinity.
Simultaneously, Bi Fan also kept looking back every now and then, as he would want to know if he had any company.
A lot of people had managed to get onto the scene, and Bi Fan was surprised that none of them had been able to keep up with him.
The people who were at the edge of the zone were even more anxious than Bi Fan. Bi Fan had been gone for almost three hours now, and they still couldn’t see any signs of movement inside the zone.
Is he dead after all, or is he alive?
This question was the main concern of everyone present and even the demons looked on in antic.i.p.ation.
They were eagerly waiting to see him dead and hoped that he had managed to acquire some valuables, as some of them were still not willing to return empty handed from this episode.
“What do we do now? He went in such a long time ago, if he wandered too far away, then it will be very difficult to find him and his valuables.” A man said anxiously.
“No, I doubt it. The heart of this activity is a fair distance away, by now he must have reached very close to it. But you see, the deeper you go, the stronger the evil spirits become. So by now, they most likely would have entered his body, possessed him, and killed him. He has to be dead by now.”
“Yes, yes, you are right. The man went in there such a long time ago; he is most certainly dead by now.”
“Yes, yes, you are right. The man went in there such a long time ago; he is most certainly dead by now.”
These people were convinced that Bi Fan was already dead; in fact, they wanted him to be. These people had not been able to enter the zone like Bi Fan had, and they simply didn’t want to believe that another man could be better than them.
These people were talented youngsters from different school, proud and arrogant, which meant that they were really dissatisfied with Bi Fan’s capability, and wouldn’t allow themselves to be subjected to someone’s superiority.
If they felt that anyone was above their level, they wouldn’t hesitate in killing the person in question to prove otherwise.
While these people were busy waiting, they felt a sudden surge of strong and powerful people approaching them at high speeds. They could feel that these new comers were at least as strong as the ‘emerging from the womb’ category.
These new comers had barely landed, and soon, another group of similarly strong pract.i.tioners arrived at the scene.
The demons that were present at the scene started shivering in fear and were left with no choice but to escape, as they simply couldn’t dare to stay here any longer.
However, these new strong arrivals were least concerned with the demons, and they were only bothered about the evil spirits, so they allowed the demons to leave in peace. In fact, most of them didn’t even bother to glance at the demons.
“Who will tell me what’s going on here with these spirits?” A large and handsome man asked.
He was in the ‘emerging from the womb’ layer; as his eyes scanned the youngsters around him whose heads hung low as they lowered their gaze.
One youngster walked out of the crowd, trembling with fear and trepidation, and spoke up: “Sir, the evil spirits are very powerful, we cannot dare to go into the territory ourselves, as the deeper we go, the evil spirits become stronger and then they possess us… but….but….”
“But what, say it quickly.”
“Sir, there was one young man who wasn’t afraid of the spirits and it even seemed as if they had no effect on him at all. He ventured into the zone three hours ago and still hasn’t returned.”
“What?” The big and handsome man exclaimed.
“Sir, I speak the truth. Everyone here can testify to this.”
“One person had entered the zone a long time ago, we do not know his present situation, and we have no idea whether he is alive or dead.”
“The guy simply ignored the spirits and continued to move forward very quickly.”
… …
Many people were speaking on the matter simultaneously.
Very soon, several hundred very strong pract.i.tioners had gathered outside the possessed zone, and many more were on their way.
“Let’s go into the region and see things for ourselves.”
Eventually, these strong pract.i.tioners simply couldn’t sit by idly and they started preparing to enter the zone.
One man, in one strong leap, jumped into the possessed region, he leapt almost ten meters in, and continued to stride inwards at a very quick pace, without being even slightly affected by the spirits.
Once a person enters into the ‘spiritual intelligence’ layer, they undergo a significant transformation. They take a ma.s.sive leap in terms of strength and energy, even their wisdom improves a lot.
‘Spiritual intelligence’ was considered a big milestone in the ‘fetus’ category and not one that many people managed to cross over into.
Once a person has crossed over into the ‘spiritual intelligence’ layer, breaking into the higher layer, and even the ‘transformation’ layer is relatively easier.
Again, breaking into the ‘emerging from the womb’ category was a big milestone, the inner energy would get transformed into aura, spirit and there were several other very significant changes. Also, it was much harder to break into this category as compared to ‘spiritual intelligence’ and one needed to train very fiercely to achieve it.
So obviously, the resistance that an ‘emerging from the womb’ martial artist would have to these evil spirits was much greater when compared to ‘spiritual intelligence’ pract.i.tioners.
One person had already taken the lead and looked well committed to maintaining it. The others quickly jumped into the zone, for the fear of falling behind.
Back in the region clear of the possessed zone, there were a few ‘spiritual intelligence’ martial artists as well. But once a person breaks into the ‘spiritual intelligence’ layer, they gain a great amount of self-awareness, and these people knew well enough that cannot compete with ‘emerging from the womb’ martial artists, so they gave up on the idea of breaking into the zone that lay ahead of them.
Twenty meters…. Thirty meters…. Fifty meters……
The people who had taken the initiative to enter the zone first, had already managed to reach almost fifty meters, but their pace had now been slowed down considerably, probably due to the influence of the spirits, which was only growing stronger.
However, so far, no one had been possessed by the evil spirits.
In a very short span of time, thousands more had managed to reach the periphery of the possessed zone, and when then saw that so many of their compet.i.tors had already gone in, they rushed into the zone without even bothering to understand the circ.u.mstances that they were going to face inside.
As far as they were concerned, they were already lagging behind, and they just didn’t want to fall behind even further.
“Woah! Just look at them, they are so powerful. They aren’t even afraid of those evil spirits. I have no idea how long it will take for us to reach their level.”
“It’s too early to say whether the spirits are affecting them or not. You see, things start getting complicated with every step you take, and the deeper you go, the stronger the effect of the spirits. I’m afraid that soon enough, things might not be looking so good for them.” A young man reb.u.t.ted, recalling his own experience.
His voice, however, was subdued by a blood-curling scream, and it would appear as if his prediction had come true.
One man, ‘spiritual intelligence’ layer, was rolling on the floor, holding his head, and it seemed like he was suffering from an incredible amount of pain.
“Oh my, I think he has been possessed!” Everyone ceased in their steads.
The man in question, had company, and his friends rushed to him to rescue him. But by then, he had already lost control over his mind and he recklessly started attacking everyone around him indiscriminately.
He tossed around from left to right, and bled at least seven people that surrounded him, and then eventually fell to the ground, dead.
“Be careful, evil spirits are getting stronger and stronger. If your strength is not enough, think for yourself and return.” One man, ’emerging from the womb’ layer, spoke out loudly to warn the others.
Many of the people who were below the ’emerging from the womb’ category, decided to fall back and started retreating as they didn’t want to die a gruesome death. However, the ones who were in the ’emerging from the womb’ layer were full of confidence and didn’t feel that they needed to return at this point.
Although, there were still some, who were below the ’emerging from the womb layer’, and had decided to carry forward as they felt that they could handle it.
The idea that this place could have been an ancient battlefield was so tempting that most men couldn’t resist it.
The people who had decided to continue forward were very cautious now, as they had already witnessed the possessing of one pract.i.tioner, and slowed their pace down significantly.
As they moved forward, if anyone felt that they couldn’t continue any further, they would immediately turn around and fall back. Although, most of them felt defeated in doing this, but their hearts were consoled in the fact that they would live to tell another tale, rather than dying a terrible death in here.
“Ah!….” Another man seemed to be losing control of his mind.
He clenched his teeth, tried to regain his mind; he was trying to fight back, his life was at stake.
The formless spirits breached his defenses before he could reach out for the Jade tablet that could grant him an instant exit from the devil’s territory.
His screams reached the ears of the brave men who were still moving forward, and their hearts went cold, mind numb, giving them gooseb.u.mps all over their bodies. Some more pract.i.tioners decided to retreat and turned around.
At present, only three hundred men were left, who were still moving forward, very slowly, very cautiously and from time to time, someone would quit and turn around.