The Lord of Void and Real

Chapter 240: Chapter 238: Fierce Ghost Appears

Shen Luo left the town and soon arrived at the banks of the Lishui River.

Lishui River was immensely wide, several miles in breadth, meandering towards the downstream. At a glance, one could see a vast expanse of misty waves and rushing water, resembled a colossal flood dragon sprawling on the ground.

He followed the ceaseless river downstream for a while until a reed beach appeared before him.

The reed was not extensive, merely seven or eight miles long but unusually tall and dense. However, the reeds had turned withered and yellow.

When the river wind blew, the reeds rippled like waves, making a loud rustling sound.

At this point, the sun had begun to set, and the river became dim. There was not a single boat in sight. It seemed that the ghost really had scared everyone away.

...

Shen Luo swept his gaze around. After a moment of contemplation, he invoked the Water-Stepping Art and probed within the reed beach but did not find any trace of Yin Qi.

Not willing to give up so easily, after applying an exorcism charm on himself, he took a few more rounds around the area, but still found nothing.

“It seems that this ghost is hiding quite deep,” Shen Luo thought to himself. After leaving the river, he found a dry place on the shore and sat down cross-legged, quietly waiting for nightfall.

At this moment, footsteps came from afar. Shen Luo looked sideways and saw that the three guest officials from the Lin family had also arrived here.

The leading skinny and ugly man felt slightly uneasy when he saw Shen Luo, so he avoided provocation. Instead, he led his two companions past Shen Luo and began to comb through the reed marsh.

Shen Luo paid no heed to the trio and just closed his eyes to rest his mind.

A moment later, all three returned looking deflated. They followed Shen Luo’s example and found a place on the shore to sit and wait.

Just as the sun was about to set, a man and a woman arrived near White Reed Marsh. The man was in his twenties with dark skin. His thick eyebrows and big eyes provided an air of heroism. The woman, only in her twenties, was dressed in a short, light yellow blouse, had a graceful figure, and a fresh and clean look.

Both of them had a grey-white token on their waists with the character “Du” written on it.

“The Ouyang Three Heroes! I didn’t expect them to be here too.” The dark-skinned young man glanced from a distance at the three guest officials of the Lin Family and mumbled to himself with a solemn expression.

“Are they famous?” The girl in yellow blinked her eyes and asked.

“The eldest, Ouyang Tian, has refined the seventh layer of Qi. His two brothers, like you, have refined the sixth layer of Qi. But these three are disciples of the famous Black Stone Mountain freelance cultivator, the real Tiger Man. When they combine forces, they become somewhat tricky.” The dark-skinned teenager explained gently to the girl.

At this time, the Ouyang Three Heroes also noticed the male and female from the Du family.

“So it is the Ice Hand Qi Yuan from the Du Family. And this young girl must be Yan Li, the disciple of Mistress Huangshan. It is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. She is a true beauty.” The skinny and ugly man, Ouyang Tian, stared at the young girl. His lustful gaze flickered for a moment before disappearing.

“No wonder the prestigious Ice Hand of the Grain Avoidance stage has been enchanted and turned upside down. The young girl is indeed good looking. No wonder I feel pity at seeing her!” An obese and ugly man swallowed his saliva and said.

Yan Li’s pretty face showed a hint of anger, about to say something, but she was stopped by Qi Yuan’s raised hand.

“The three of you should have some self-respect as people of reputation, so as not to tarnish the Lin Family’s reputation,” Qi Yuan said coldly yet impressively.

“Ice Hand, you are overstepping. Our Lin and Du families have an excellent relationship. My brothers and I were only joking just now, so please don’t get upset!” Ouyang Tian bowed slightly to Qi Yuan and laughed.

Qi Yuan ignored the Ouyang Three Heroes any further, instead, his gaze casually swept away and finally landed on Shen Luo, who was sitting alone nearby. His eyes scanned over the guest official token on Shen Luo’s waist, thinking in his heart, “A Bai family’s retainer, I’ve never seen him before.”

“Big Brother Qi, according to what Elder Sun said, the ghost has been haunting this area. Should we take a look?” Yan Li’s eyes flickered with excitement as she asked in a soft voice.

“They arrived before us and definitely scanned the area. They most probably couldn’t trace the ghost’s whereabouts- our scan will be in vain, too. Let’s wait until it gets dark.” Qi Yuan smiled and explained. He then led the girl to find a place to sit down.

Before long, two more figures appeared at the entrance of the reed beach, it was the White Water Daoist and Wu Tong.

“Ouyang’s Three Heroes! Ice Hand Qi Yuan!” White Water Daoist eyed everyone, his expression becoming more serious.

Qi Yuan and Ouyang’s three heroes also spotted the two White Water Daoists, but they were dismissed from their minds after a brief glance. They clearly didn’t care about them at all.

Wu Tong subtly nudged White Water Daoist with his arm, jerking his chin in a certain direction.

Following Wu Tong’s guidance, White Water Daoist saw Shen Luo calmly sitting there and scoffed softly,” This reckless kid, he came quite early.”

“He really thinks that by sucking up to the Young Master, he’s someone important. When the fight starts, he’ll realize how ignorant he is.” Wu Tong chimed in immediately.

The two of them, as they spoke, found a spot well away from the river bank and sat down cross-legged.

“The new couple from the Bai Family, why didn’t they sit with that guy from before?” Yan Li asked, somewhat perplexed.

“The Bai Family retainers have always been fond of infighting, there’s nothing strange about that.” Qi Yuan chuckled and replied.

Yan Li nodded in understanding and cast a scornful glance at the trio from the Bai Family, closing her eyes to rest.

“Daoist, I didn’t expect this Red Leaf town mission to be so attractive that it even lured Ouyang’s Three Heroes and Qi Yuan. I’m afraid we won’t be able to compete with them.” Once seated, Wu Tong confided softly to White Water Daoist in a voice only both of them could hear.

“The more people the better. If anything happens to Shen Luo, it will be easier to find an excuse.” The White Water Daoist scoffed lightly and responded this way.

“Who could argue with Daoist’s wisdom!” Upon hearing those words, Wu Tong excitedly rubbed his hands together and gave a sly chuckle.

Throughout, Shen Luo remained seated with his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the new arrivals.

About half an hour passed before night finally fell.

In the mid-air, dark clouds rolled around and obscured the crescent moon that had just risen.

The wind on the river surface had picked up, stirring turbulent waves. The noise from the rustling reeds grew louder, merging with the sound of the waves, causing a cacophony.

At that moment, everyone by the river opened their eyes simultaneously, looking towards the middle of the river.

There, the river water suddenly started to churn, spurting a string of bubbles, each filled with black yin energy. A patch of black yin energy quickly formed over the river, covering a surface of about ten meters.

A ghostly figure emerged from the black Qi, a woman dressed in a red robe. Thick, dark yin Qi whirled around her body, Even from a distance, one could clearly feel the daunting Yin Sha Qi.

“What a formidable fierce ghost. Judging from this aura, it is very close to the Grain Avoidance Stage! Yan Li, get the Exorcism Bead ready and remember to be safe. When I lure this ghost ashore, act immediately.” Qi Yuan stared at the red-robed female ghost, took a deep breath, and stood up.

A flicker of blue light appeared beside him, and an icy-blue claw-shaped talismanic instrument floated into view.

Yan Li quickly stood up and started reciting spells, her sleeves emanating flickers of yellow light.