Chapter 298: The Might of the Specters

On the massive platform beneath this vortex, tens of thousands of Specters let out wailing howls, spinning and lingering around the area. Their sinister gazes occasionally fell upon the several people standing on the platform.

These Specters were genuine Specters from the Outer Realm Battlefield. When Wang Lin brought them out, he had to exhaust all his efforts, only barely managing to bypass the interference of the Law of Annihilation to retrieve them.

In reality, during the years he spent in the Outer Realm Battlefield, the number of Specters he collected exceeded a hundred thousand; however, only these ten thousand were ultimately brought out.

The difference between these Specters and Devil Heads was that the Souls would fearlessly pounce regardless of the opponent's cultivation, persisting even if they themselves were refined away.

Wang Lin had never tested whether ten thousand Specters pouncing simultaneously could kill a Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator, so it remained unknown. After all, unless absolutely necessary, he was unwilling to completely exhaust the Specters he had painstakingly brought out.

But Wang Lin remembered that the Ancient Emperor of yesteryear had his Physical Body devoured under the endless siege of countless Specters.

Among these Specters, there was one existence that was clearly different. Although its appearance was identical to the other Specters, a hint of intelligence flickered in its eyes. This entity was none other than the Devil Head Xu Ligou.

He felt quite smug among the Specters, secretly thinking that his Master still cared about him. Third Brother, Fourth Brother, and Fifth Brother were all dead, but he was currently safe and sound, and with so many Specter Seniors around, he figured he would be very safe in the future.

The Specter vortex was enormous. The several people on the platform were staring intently at it. One of them had piercing eyes, and an axe mark occasionally flashed on his forehead.

This person was a member of the Giant Demon Race, also originating from the Vermilion Bird Star, just like Wang Lin.

He recognized Wang Lin instantly, his eyes flickering before he fell silent.

Just then, a middle-aged man in gray robes stood nearby. This man had sinister eyes, a slightly hooked nose, and an overall gloomy appearance. He glanced in Wang Lin's direction, lifted his foot, and stepped forward.

The Giant Demon Race man glanced at him but said nothing, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes. In his view, this man's cultivation hadn't even reached Soul Transformation; he was merely at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Late Stage. To attempt to take the life of a Soul Transformation Cultivator with such cultivation was truly like throwing an egg against a rock.

The gray-robed man cautiously advanced, drawing closer and closer to the Specters. He raised his right hand and chanted incantations. Slowly, a ball of black flame formed in his hand.

The moment the black flame appeared, a wave of heat immediately rose in the surroundings.

He looked at Wang Lin, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes, and tossed the flame forward with his right hand. The fire immediately flew out.

At that moment, the Specters circling around Wang Lin immediately paused. Their gazes uniformly fixed upon the man, causing the gray-robed man to immediately retreat a few steps.

Suddenly, the Specters let out sharp roars and scattered in all directions. About one-third of them lunged toward the fire ball, while the remaining two-thirds—several thousand Specters—pounced toward the gray-robed man. The momentum was astonishing.

The gray-robed man's expression changed. With a wave of his right hand, a Flying Sword instantly appeared in his grasp. With a single point, the Flying Sword swept horizontally, slashing toward the charging Specters.

However, these Specters were not Devil Heads; they possessed a certain resistance to Spells and Divine Abilities. As the sword light swept through, only the speed of the front-most Specters slowed slightly, but the massive number of Specters behind them surged forward, instantly reaching the gray-robed man and pouncing on him.

Seven or eight of the Specters had already drilled into the gray-robed man's body. His expression immediately changed. He bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. The moment the blood emerged, it transformed into a sheet of flame, enveloping his entire body. He immediately sat down cross-legged, sweat beading on his forehead, and began meditating and circulating his Qi, attempting to force the Specters out of his body.

Outside the flames wrapping his body, a large number of Specters had surrounded him completely, attempting to break through. Slowly, the flames around the man began to flicker, as if they could be extinguished at any moment.

As for the fire ball he had thrown, it was also gradually dimming under the fearless attacks of the individual Specters. Although some Specters died in the process, the fire ball was extinguished three *zhang* away from Wang Lin.

The remaining Specters did not advance but circled around Wang Lin, casting sinister glances at the several people on the platform.

The gray-robed man felt bitter regret, silently chastising himself for rashly attacking. Although he knew that every Cultivator capable of entering the Immortal Realm possessed powerful Divine Abilities and could be considered the elite of their respective Cultivation Planets…

…he hadn't expected that the opponent, despite being severely injured, would still be so difficult to handle. Just the strange entities released by the opponent were enough to leave him exhausted. If the opponent's cultivation recovered, he feared he would die here today.

Seeing that the surrounding flames could be extinguished at any moment, and the strange entities remained numerous, the gray-robed man gritted his teeth. He flipped his left hand, producing a Small Cauldron. With reluctance in his eyes, he was about to activate the Small Cauldron to return to his affiliated Cultivation Planet.

Just as he was about to activate the Small Cauldron, Wang Lin, who was protected by the Specters, suddenly opened his eyes. He grabbed across the void with his right hand. Instantly, the Small Cauldron in the gray-robed man's hand broke free and flew into Wang Lin's grasp in the blink of an eye.

The gray-robed man's expression immediately changed drastically, turning deathly pale as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Wang Lin's gaze was grim. He squeezed his large hand again, extinguishing the already dim flames around the gray-robed man completely, as if crushing a bubble.

The moment the flames went out, the gray-robed man screamed hysterically. His body instantly teleported outside, appearing beyond the vortex, and he immediately tried to fly inward. In his mind, entering the Immortal Realm Fragment might be the only way to survive.

But it was too late. The speed of the Specters was faster than his. The instant the man appeared, endless Specters violently drilled into his body. He trembled all over, screamed, and fell from mid-air onto the platform, his body convulsing continuously until he finally breathed his last.

Slowly, the man's body lost all its flesh and blood, becoming a skeleton, with the Specters happily wriggling across it.

Wang Lin's eyes flashed. With a slight thought, the surrounding Specters flew back one by one, disappearing into Wang Lin's forehead.

At this time, the Giant Demon Race man, who had been watching, laughed heartily, stepped forward, and loudly said, "Fellow Daoist, what happened that you ended up in such a plight, even allowing a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator to grow greedy toward you?"

Wang Lin glanced at him and said casually, "The Immortal Realm Fragment collapsed."

The Giant Demon Race man was stunned, his eyes revealing a strange light. He said, "Fellow Daoist, you escaped the collapse of the Immortal Realm Fragment?" As soon as he finished speaking, he gave a wry smile, realizing he had stated the obvious. He clasped his fists and said, "Fellow Daoist, anyone who can escape the collapse of the Immortal Realm Fragment is no ordinary person. I am Chi Hu of the Giant Demon Race. I am impressed! May I ask for Fellow Daoist's name?"

Wang Lin shook his head and replied, "It was merely luck. My name is Zeng Niu!" Recalling the scene of the Fragment's collapse, Wang Lin couldn't help but feel lingering fear. Had he not recklessly swallowed the Immortal Qi Crystal, he would likely have been buried in the void by now.

"Zeng Niu…" Chi Hu pondered for a moment, then his eyes narrowed. He asked, "Fellow Daoist, are you perhaps a member of the Zeng Family from the Heaven Soul Nation, a Rank Five cultivation Country in the southern part of the Vermilion Bird Star?"

Wang Lin was startled and shook his head without speaking.

Chi Hu thought hard. Across the entire Vermilion Bird Star, the only high-level Cultivators surnamed Zeng were in the Heaven Soul Nation. Although the other party denied it, Chi Hu didn't believe he had Cultivated entirely on his own. In his opinion, this Zeng Niu must be a Core Disciple groomed by some Rank Five cultivation Country.

Otherwise, if he were a figure from a Rank Four cultivation Country, Chi Hu would naturally know of him.

One must know that the Giant Demon Race was merely a Rank Four cultivation Country, and they naturally paid close attention to the Geniuses from countries of the same Rank. Chi Hu's attitude immediately shifted, though given his cultivation, he naturally did not show it openly.

"Brother Zeng, may we speak privately?" Chi Hu hesitated for a moment before suddenly asking.

Wang Lin's gaze was calm as he looked at the man and gave a slight nod.

Chi Hu immediately stepped forward, moving with Wang Lin to the edge of the platform. He casually waved his right hand beside them, instantly forming a light barrier.

Wang Lin remained composed, secretly maintaining his guard.

"Brother Zeng, we both hail from the Vermilion Bird Star. Please lend me a hand!" Chi Hu said straightforwardly.

"Oh? Brother Chi Hu, what is the matter? Please speak freely," Wang Lin said with a smile.

Chi Hu gritted his teeth, took out a Jade Slip, threw it to Wang Lin, and said, "Fellow Daoist will understand once you look!"

Wang Lin accepted the Jade Slip and swept his Divine Sense across it. Even with his composure, he was instantly moved. The Jade Slip contained a scene recorded using Divine Thought. Within the scene was a place filled with the fragrance of flowers and the song of birds, where the water was clear and the mountains green—a place of extreme beauty.

The most conspicuous feature was a pool of water, above which floated a jade coffin.

Three Immortal Swords were plunged into the coffin. The appearance of these Immortal Swords was extremely similar to the one Wang Lin had previously seen in the hand of the skeleton.

What caused Wang Lin's pupils to contract was the jade coffin itself. If he wasn't mistaken, the entire piece of jade was composed entirely of Immortal Jade!

At the same time, several strands of plants floated above the pool; clearly, none of them were Mortal items!

Wang Lin remained silent for a moment, then handed the Jade Slip back to Chi Hu, saying nothing.

"Brother Zeng, this location was accidentally stumbled upon by a Prodigy of my Giant Demon Race many years ago after entering the Immortal Realm. This place is guarded by Immortal Beasts and protected by countless Restrictions. With his strength alone, he did not act rashly. Instead, he quietly recorded the scene and returned," Chi Hu said softly, looking at Wang Lin.

"After so many years, this place has likely already been discovered by others," Wang Lin said, pondering for a moment.

"That's impossible, Brother Zeng. I can guarantee that this place absolutely has not been discovered by anyone else. Please forgive me, Brother Zeng, but the reason for this is inconvenient for me to disclose right now," Chi Hu laughed.

——

This month, I aimed to strive for third place in the Xianxia category, ranking after Yang Shen and Mortal. But looking now, it seems dangerous; I've been surpassed. Fellow Daoists, please support me with your Monthly Tickets!