Chapter 61: Expansion of the Ghost Domain

Yuyang City.

The moment he stepped into Yuyang City, Shen Changan was already hit by an extreme and bizarrely evil aura.

This aura continuously pierced through his skin, sending waves of unbearable discomfort throughout his entire body.

Previously, circulating his Flood Dragon Body Protection art had kept things at bay, but Li Qingqing had suggested he maintain the protective technique under the pretext of concealing their presence.

By now, Shen Changan felt a stinging, prickling sensation all over his skin.

He looked at Li Qingqing and asked with some confusion, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Li Qingqing sighed and said, "It's only the magic power within you, Daoist Shen, that reacts so uncomfortably to this. For us, it's really not that big of an issue."

Jiang Yunyi also nodded, as she did not feel any particular discomfort either.

Shen Changan could not help but sigh. The Shangqing Resonance Technique held a deep-seated antagonism toward evil and demonic paths, possessing an overwhelming murderous intent. He sometimes doubted whether his inheritance had any connection to that supreme figure, who, according to legends, should have taught all beings without discrimination.

"Let's go. I've found a spot. We need to hide first," Li Qingqing said.

Shen Changan nodded. Right now was not the time to dwell on such trivial details.

The three of them quickly located an abandoned house and stepped inside.

***

Su Xiuyan led his subordinates in a rapid pursuit, his anger burning beyond suppression.

"Shen Changan, Li Qingqing, you two wretches! How dare you join forces to ruin my plans!"

The price Su Xiuyan had paid to seize the Dragon Girl Jiang Yunyi was far greater than what Shen Changan and the others realized.

He wanted to capture Jiang Yunyi without letting anyone else catch wind of it. Consequently, he had expended vast resources and mobilized a massive amount of manpower simply to suppress any news regarding Shen Changan.

Had it not been for the previous deaths of the Five Dispersed Masters, Su Xiuyan would never have paid attention to someone like Shen Changan.

Xue Lie’s cover-up methods were no joke; if not for the deaths of those individuals, Su Xiuyan certainly wouldn't have noticed Shen Changan, nor would he have known that the Dragon Girl was by his side.

Upon discovering this, Su Xiuyan had deployed extensive manpower and material resources, working in tandem with Xue Lie to keep the information tightly suppressed. Xue Lie himself never imagined that his efforts to cover up the news were going so smoothly precisely because he had been targeted by Su Xiuyan.

Later, leveraging the White Lotus Sect’s mastery over bewitching ordinary folk, Su Xiuyan naturally held an advantage in intelligence-gathering.

He quickly tracked down Shen Changan's whereabouts, which led to the ambush earlier.

He simply hadn't expected Li Qingqing to appear midway and disrupt his plans.

"Quick, catch up to them!"

Su Xiuyan urged his men onward, though he did not dare to pursue them entirely on his own. He was well aware of the origin of the withered wood sword in Shen Changan's hands—a divine blade descended from the heavens with extraordinary might.

If Shen Changan were to push him to the brink and fight to the death, Su Xiuyan could not guarantee he would survive.

Leading his men in relentless pursuit, he finally caught sight of that ancient stone marker.

"Is this the place?" he asked the subordinate beside him.

That subordinate possessed exceptional skill in tracking sorcery and immediately replied, "The indicators are precise. They are inside."

Just as Su Xiuyan was about to press forward, another of his subordinates called out, "Wait, Holy Son!"

A look of displeasure crossed Su Xiuyan's face as he snapped, "What is it now?"

The subordinate hurriedly said, "If this subordinate is not mistaken, this place should be Yuyang City."

"Yuyang City?"

Su Xiuyan was deeply versed in sorcery and naturally possessed extensive knowledge across various fields. He had indeed studied records concerning Yuyang City.

After all, as Holy Sons and Holy Virgins emerging from the White Lotus Sect, mastering such lore was practically basic training.

Musing over it in his mind, he said, "Yuyang City was destroyed by that tyrant, the Dragon Emperor. What is there to fear about it now?"

"At most, it's just some resentful ghosts and evil spirits. Since when did people from our White Lotus Sect fear such things?"

The subordinate hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "According to rumors, a Ghost Market has formed here, and it is not easily dealt with."

Su Xiuyan was not entirely ignorant of the perils of a Ghost Market, but in his view, since Shen Changan and the others had already entered it, how great could the danger possibly be?

"No matter. Have the lower-level disciples guard the perimeter and seal off this area. Pick a few elite experts; we will force our way in and drive Shen Changan and the others out."

Within the Ghost Market, there were rules of the Ghost Market—Su Xiuyan was well aware of this.

As long as he used his methods to force Shen Changan and his companions into action, they would inevitably be repelled and cast out by the Ghost Market.

Once they left the Ghost Market, wouldn't eliminating Shen Changan and the others be as easy as turning over his hand?

He was not oblivious to the intentions of Shen Changan and the others, which were merely to leverage the power of the Ghost Market to wear down his subordinates.

Yet how could Su Xiuyan possibly fall for such a trick?

"Strengthen the defenses outside. The moment you see Shen Changan and the others coming out, launch an indiscriminate attack. Remember, aside from the Dragon Girl, execute everyone else without exception!"

"Understood!"

Su Xiuyan sneered inwardly, thinking, *Shen Changan, you hoped to use the Ghost Market to kill my men, but I refuse to play by your rules. I will lead the experts in person to see what tricks you truly have up your sleeves.*

Just as Su Xiuyan was about to step into Yuyang City, an intensely eerie and vicious ghostly wind suddenly whipped up.

This chilling gale arrived inexplicably, its origin a complete mystery, and to make matters worse, it surged in from all directions at once!

Su Xiuyan froze. Before he could even react, a dense, billowing fog suddenly rolled out, directly engulfing all of them.

Faced with this turn of events, Su Xiuyan felt his scalp go numb, and a thunderous roar seemed to echo in his mind as he barked, "Retreat! Fall back immediately!"

As a Holy Son of the White Lotus Sect, he was far too familiar with this kind of bizarre phenomenon.

This was clearly the expansion of a Ghost Domain!

Su Xiuyan finally realized a chilling truth: from the moment he had led his people here, they were destined never to escape.

A Ghost Market was not a static place that allowed outsiders to toy with it at will.

If it were just one or two people passing by by chance, as long as they didn't step inside, nothing would happen.

However, Su Xiuyan had brought far too many people. The sheer amount of life-force and vital energy gathered by such a large group had inevitably drawn the attention of the Ghost Market.

And once the spirits residing within the Ghost Market discovered them, the natural consequence was the expansion of the Ghost Domain.

He had thought he saw through Li Qingqing and Shen Changan's scheme, only to realize too late that he had walked right into their trap from the very beginning.

As the thick fog closed in, blinding them entirely with a flash before their eyes, the very fabric of heaven and earth shifted around them.