Chapter 42: Entering a Small Haunted Domain

The combined forces of the Lu family, the police, and Xiao Jiu, who possessed exceptional hacking skills, swung into action.

Before long, Yun Zhi received information regarding the whereabouts of Tao Qi and Tian Tian.

Tao Qi and Tian Tian had boarded a taxi right outside the airport.

Mu Xue had also provided a clear coordinate: the fork in the road near the XX tire shop. Coupled with the surveillance cameras installed at the entrances of this tire shop and several neighboring businesses...

Consequently, the information that was relatively easy to check on the surface was uncovered without delay.

"The taxi's license plate was forged..."

"The driver was wearing a mask, so his face was unclear. His identity is temporarily undetermined; it is only known that he is a robust adult male, approximately 1.8 meters tall."

"After entering the fork in the road, the taxi changed routes twice more. There are virtually no residential houses along that road; the most famous landmark is—the chemical plant that suffered a fire half a year ago!"

Data related to the fire from half a year ago was sent over as well.

Three deaths and one injury. The injured person became a vegetative state and was still lying in a hospital...

As for the cause of the fire, it appeared that one of the three deceased—the head of the chemical plant's security team—had violated the plant's regulations by smoking in a workshop where open flames were strictly prohibited...

If not for the fact that the fire broke out at night, when the vast majority of employees were resting in their dormitories far away from the factory buildings, with only a few security guards on night duty in the factory area, the casualty rate would have far exceeded four people.

Following the fire accident, many finished and semi-finished chemical raw materials were destroyed and leaked, causing severe soil and air pollution. Even the employee dormitory area, which had escaped the fire's reach, became uninhabitable.

Since then, the chemical plant had been abandoned. The factory went bankrupt, and the employees fled overnight for their safety.

The chemical plant had originally been built in a location far away from the urban area, with no ordinary residences around. After being abandoned, apart from a few staff members who occasionally visited to handle chemical pollution issues, almost no cars drove in that direction under normal circumstances.

Fortunately, half a year had passed since the fire, and the chemical plant's latest inspection report showed that whether it was the soil, water quality, or air, multiple components harmful to the human body exceeded the standards. However, it was not severe enough to be fatal within a short period; the most one would experience after staying for a few days would be symptoms like dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Prolonged stays were definitely out of the question, as they would easily lead to carcinogenesis.

Xiao Wang and the car were nearby. After driving to the storefront to pick up Yun Zhi and Ziji, he immediately headed toward the airport as fast as possible.

He didn't dare to use his ability for the moment; once they were out of the city center where traffic was sparse, he would use his ability to push the driving speed to its absolute maximum.

Ziji handed Xiao Wang three attribute-less ability recovery potions.

The rest were all thunder-attribute, which Xiao Wang could not use.

Ziji happened to have three attribute-less ones only because the number of thunder-attribute ability recovery potions was limited, so he had taken three attribute-less ones to make up the limit of ten for exchange.

The ability recovery potions in Yun Zhi's possession were all water-attribute, which Xiao Wang couldn't use either. Moreover, as a Tier 1 ability user, drinking three ability recovery potions in a day was already his absolute limit.

Once Xiao Wang drove out of the congested city center, he began speeding.

A two-hour drive was ruthlessly compressed into one hour by him.

The car stopped about a kilometer away from the chemical plant.

For the remaining distance, Ziji and Yun Zhi used their lightness skills to travel.

Ziji told Xiao Wang to drive away first.

With a somewhat pale complexion, Xiao Wang said, "Should I still wait for you here? Although my combat power isn't great, if the Young Master and Miss Yun encounter danger they can't fight against and come right back, at least I can drive you away..."

Ziji's spiritual soul power was relatively strong and allowed him to perceive some of the situation near the chemical plant. He coldly refused, "The situation at the abandoned chemical plant is very complicated. Staying here is of no use and might even become a burden. Go quickly! Don't waste my time! Otherwise, if you die, I'll have to pay your family a huge sum of money!"

Xiao Wang knew that both his Young Master and Miss Yun were ability users with formidable skills.

Besides, the Young Master's final remark carried genuine deterrence!

Everyone hoped their family would strike it rich overnight, but absolutely no one wanted the source of that money to be their own death compensation!

Xiao Wang: "Understood, I'm leaving right now! I will definitely not let the Lu family spend money in vain!"

With that, the car made a U-turn and vanished at top speed.

Yun Zhi: ……

"Didn't he say he was barely holding on? This driving speed isn't much slower than when pushing his ability to the absolute limit!"

Ziji amusedly remarked, "This kid is exceptionally afraid of death."

As the two spoke, Ziji retrieved two invisibility talismans from his storage ring that could be activated solely by spiritual soul power, pasting them onto himself and Yun Zhi.

With the talismans applied, they could perceive a humanoid spiritual energy phantom beside them.

However, in the eyes of others, there was nothing at all—utterly empty.

Even if they encountered other ability users, the opponent's mental power level would have to exceed the strength of Ziji's spiritual soul power, or Ziji and Yun Zhi would have to reveal obvious flaws themselves, before they could be discovered.

The two employed their lightness skills, rushing toward the abandoned chemical plant at maximum speed.

Before long, they arrived at their destination.

Outside the dilapidated gates of the abandoned chemical plant sat a taxi, its license plate matching the one where Tao Qi and Tian Tian had vanished.

However, the taxi was now completely empty.

Earlier, being far away, Yun Zhi's mental power could not probe conditions over a thousand meters out; her limit was at most five or six hundred meters.

Now that they were close, she also sensed that something was amiss.

"Ziji, this chemical plant gives me a very wrong feeling, especially the burned-down factory building over there... There is a massive, pitch-black mass of unknown energy, isolated by an invisible energy shield."

"What is that thing?"

"Tao Qi and Tian Tian seem to have been brought inside. There is a very faint presence of Tao Qi and Tian Tian's aura from in there."

Yun Zhi's voice was kept very low, practically a breathy whisper. Fearing Ziji wouldn't hear clearly, she stood on tiptoe and asked right next to his ear.

Standing so close, Ziji could feel the girl's steady breathing and even catch the faint, lingering scent of shampoo in her hair... making his entire body feel somewhat uncomfortable.

It was a different kind of discomfort from the aversion he used to feel whenever members of the opposite sex approached.

Ziji did not dislike this sensation, yet subconsciously felt this was not the time for idle thoughts. He silently recited theClearing Heart Mantra a few times, instantly clearing his mind, and transmitted his voice unilaterally to Yun Zhi via divine sense: "That invisible energy shield is a barrier, and the pitch-black mass of energy inside is ghost qi."

Yun Zhi: ……???

Ziji knew Yun Zhi had doubts. This was Earth, devoid of spiritual energy; how could there be ghost qi?

Yet ghost qi was different from spiritual energy. Ghost qi could also be called nether qi, death qi, or the qi of yin and malevolence. Wherever death existed, extremely faint death qi would naturally be present.

However, such death qi was minimal and weak, dissipating very quickly.

Only places like hospital morgues, nighttime cemeteries, and mass graves held death qi that was slightly more concentrated, though still sparse. While humans would feel slight discomfort in such environments, it would not cause substantial harm.

He briefly explained what ghost qi was to Yun Zhi.

Releasing his spiritual soul power, Ziji carefully probed repeatedly and said, "This place should be an entrance to... a ghost domain, or perhaps a nether domain."

The difference was that a ghost domain belonged to Earth, whereas a nether domain connected to the netherworld.

As to which one it specifically was, Ziji would only know after entering to investigate.

Yun Zhi instantly felt her scalp go numb. Whether it was a ghost domain or a nether domain, she really did not want to go in!

Just hearing the names suggested these were not things belonging to the realm of the living!

Yet both Tao Qi and Tian Tian were her friends.

Tao Qi getting increasingly entangled with Mu Xue from the nether world was inextricably linked to her acting as an intermediary and having them exchange items.

Tian Tian was implicated entirely by innocence.

Yun Zhi said, "Ziji, how much do you understand about ghost qi? Are you confident of getting out unscathed? If you're not sure, you can wait for me here. I'll go in and take a look by myself; I have a spatial safehouse and a substitute-death doll, so nothing bad will happen."

Yun Zhi was mainly afraid of ghosts rather than danger... Though, of course, unknown dangers were terrifying too.

Regardless, she had to go inside and see what was happening.

Ziji reached out and gently tapped the top of the girl's head: "What nonsense are you talking about? When I had just advanced to the Golden Core stage in the cultivation world, I even barged into the Underworld. Are you afraid of this tiny ghost/nether domain?"

Yun Zhi muttered softly: "But back then you were a Golden Core big shot, and now you're just a mortal!"

With the help of calming pills, awakening pills, and beast-blood bone-forging pills, Ziji's absorption speed of energy from the ability system had accelerated significantly; he was now a Tier 2 preliminary ability user.

The power he could exert was several times greater than before, yet he remained made of flesh and blood.

Ziji said dismissively, "Did you forget? Even if I truly died in this world, my memories would simply return to my main body in the cultivation world. What is there to fear?"

Yun Zhi: "But you haven't undergone your love tribulation yet! Once you go back, your state of mind will be incomplete, and you'll still die during the inner demon tribulation."

Ziji felt a dark line cross his forehead: ……

Just how low did this girl think his current combat prowess was?

He had indeed weakened significantly, but how strong could a ghost/nether domain in this low-martial world on Earth possibly be?

If it were truly that powerful, it wouldn't be something that could be blocked by a single defensive barrier.

He had no choice but to change tactics: "Don't you still have quite a few points? Can't the spatial safehouse bring me along?"

Even if this girl didn't believe in his combat power, she should at least trust her own golden finger.

Yun Zhi: "Oh, right!"

"Hehe, then come inside with me to take a look! When it comes to seeing ghosts, having someone accompany you is always better than facing it alone!"

Facing ghosts entirely by oneself could multiply the terror factor tenfold!

With a familiar, high-combat-power companion present, ghosts didn't seem quite so terrifying anymore!

Earlier, while executing the commission task for Gu Yaya and Si Ming, Yun Zhi had consumed 600 points and gained 1,500 points. Coupled with 200 points from transactions with the two of them and 100 points from a secondary transaction with Lu Ziji, Yun Zhi's total points currently stood at 4,390.

Just in case the two of them got trapped inside after entering, before taking action, and at Yun Zhi's request, Ziji still took out his phone and briefly reported their current operation to Qin Lei, the leader of the second group of the Haicheng Ability Management Bureau, sending over all existing information.

He instructed that if he and Yun Zhi hadn't emerged after twenty-four hours, the Haicheng Ability Management Bureau should take charge of the matter. Not necessarily expecting them to be rescued, but at least posting guards there to prevent innocent citizens from being kidnapped and dragged inside.

With the report complete, Ziji didn't even wait for Qin Lei on the other end to reply before powering off his phone.

Ziji walked directly toward the burned factory building of the chemical plant—the place where the ghost qi was thickest.

Yun Zhi hurried after him, asking in a low voice, "Shouldn't we enter the spatial safehouse right now? Driving inside with the safehouse would be much safer!"

Earlier, they were in downtown Haicheng, surrounded everywhere by surveillance cameras, making a sudden disappearance difficult to explain. The time it took to find a hotel room to open before using the spatial safehouse was roughly equal to the time Xiao Wang spent speeding them over.

Moreover, Mu Xue possessed a paper doll pasted with Tao Qi's photograph—a ghost artifact stained with Tao Qi's aura—allowing her to vaguely perceive that Tao Qi's vital signs were currently very stable without any fluctuations.

This indicated that the person who kidnapped Tao Qi was not doing so to kill him; otherwise, such a long duration would have been more than enough to kill Tao Qi many times over.

Therefore, Yun Zhi hadn't used the spatial safehouse for travel earlier because it consumed an immense amount of points.

But now they were about to enter a ghost or nether domain... Yun Zhi was genuinely terrified of this!

Ziji grabbed Yun Zhi's wrist and transmitted his voice: "Entering a ghost or nether domain requires crossing spatial barriers. Staying within a mustard seed space prevents one from penetrating spatial barriers; beneath the ground lies only rock strata."

"To prevent us from being separated when transferring into another space via an attached teleportation array, I must hold onto you."

Yun Zhi: "Ah, oh."

Thinking of entering a completely unknown space and potentially being separated from her companion made Yun Zhi feel deeply unsettled, so she hastily stretched out her other hand and tightly hugged Ziji's right arm.

Ziji: ……

He used to be someone who would instinctively recoil from even coming within ten meters of a young woman!

In this world, although it wasn't quite that extreme, when he first woke up and Yun Zhi fed him medicinal pills, her fingertips accidentally brushing his lips had caused him revulsion, making him eager to wake up immediately and brush his teeth and rinse his mouth.

Now...

Yun Zhi was practically pressing her entire body against him, yet he felt not a shred of revulsion, instead experiencing a bizarre, indescribable sensation...

However, this was not the time to scrutinize the source of this novel sensation. Ziji recited the Clearing Heart Mantra once more, clearing his distractions, and single-mindedly led Yun Zhi toward the barrier.

Yun Zhi also realized this posture wasn't very convenient for walking, so she first released her grip on Ziji's arm, leaving him to simply hold her wrist.

Only when they reached a position just a few meters in front of the invisible barrier did Yun Zhi latch back onto Ziji's arm.

Ziji:…………

Pausing for a few seconds, he silently recited the Clearing Heart Mantra yet again.

As they stepped together past that invisible, colorless barrier—which could intercept energy bodies like ghost qi but intercepted no physical matter—

The scenery shifted from midday daylight over a charred, ruined, pitch-black abandoned factory into a gloomy, eerie night. A strange red moon hung in the sky, providing a hazy illumination that prevented absolute pitch-blackness.

The surrounding environment transformed into desolate wilderness, with only an ancient castle ahead, its windows emitting a faint, eerie green glow.

"Caw, caw—"

In the distance came sounds resembling crow cawings, alongside the bizarre and terrifying cries of unknown creatures.

Yun Zhi shivered. Originally intending to let go of Ziji once entering this place—knowing he actually disliked physical contact with women, and that she had only done so out of necessity—she now didn't dare let go at all, holding on even tighter.

The good news—the chat group system light screen popped up automatically:

[Emergency Task: Commission from group member Mu Xue. Rescue Tao Qi and Tian Tian. Reward: 2000 points. This task will not consume the once-per-month commission task quota.]

[Plus task remuneration provided by transmigrator Mu Xue: Ghost Dream Bracelets x2. The Ghost Dream Bracelets have been paid in advance via physical red envelopes and deposited into the host's personal space. Please check and claim them!]

[Ghost Dream Bracelets: S-tier ghost artifact. Function 1: Once worn, makes ghost/nether domain creatures perceive you as a ghost/spirit, automatically disguising emitted energy systems as ghost qi. Function 2: Two wearers of Ghost Dream Bracelets can sense each other's locations, vitality strengths, and soul strengths. Function 3: When one wearer of the Ghost Dream Bracelets encounters mortal danger, the other will automatically be teleported by space to the side of the endangered person. Function 4: Enables easy perception of the strongest and weakest concentrations of ghost qi. Function 5: When used in conjunction with soul power/mental power/spiritual soul power, it can cause target enemies to become mentally dazed and fall into dreams. Specific effects and duration depend on the disparity in soul power between both parties.]

In the ghostly world, while classified as an S-tier ghost artifact, the Ghost Dream Bracelet's utility was quite lackluster.

Mu Xue was already a ghost, and her innate talent was ghost dream weaving; this Ghost Dream Bracelet was completely useless to her.

Perceiving ghost qi intensity was something any ghost commoner or ghost creature above Tier 3 could accomplish.

In the ghostly world, she had no friends or family trusted enough to share mutual locations and statuses at all times.

It was more suited for living humans who mistakenly wandered into the ghostly world.

Mu Xue had successfully cleared an S-tier ghost instance not long ago, and the reward was this pair of Ghost Dream Bracelets.

Mu Xue originally intended to use them as materials, melting them down to enhance the level of her commonly used offensive ghost artifact, the S-tier Ghost Whip, which might have advanced it to S+. But thinking of Tao Qi, whom she frequently contacted in dreams...

Even though Mu Xue had never intended for Tao Qi to enter the ghostly world, and Tao Qi feared that entering the ghostly world would make him a burden to her, what if...

In short, driven by some unfathomable sentiment, she had kept this pair of Ghost Dream Bracelets, never expecting a day would come when they would be used.

Just moments earlier, the ghostly world system deity had suddenly reminded her that this pair of Ghost Dream Bracelets was best suited to serve as "task remuneration" and suggested she pay immediately.

After paying the items to Yun Zhi via the chat group's physical red envelope function, Mu Xue finally had time to question the ghostly world system deity.

"System, Tao Qi and Tian Tian are currently in the ghostly world, right? Why is this happening? Did you anticipate this all along? Otherwise, why did the previous S-tier instance drop a pair of Ghost Dream Bracelets that I have no use for?"

The ghostly world system deity originally wanted to play dead, but thinking of the batch of paper doll small skirts transformed into ghost artifact clothing that it had grown tired of playing with, it badly needed new arrivals to change the outfits of its four beautiful bodyguard paper dolls.

Ideally, more dolls were needed too; the craftsmanship of the ones it currently had was far too crude!

[A spatial rift was jointly created by several high-tier ghost kings between the ghostly world and Earth, forming a small nether domain that connects both Earth and the ghostly world, free from the control of the world consciousness on either side.]

[The reason you entered the ghostly world in the first place was that you were plotted against by a certain high-tier ghost king.]

[Because of your prolonged contact in dreams, Tao Qi's soul became contaminated with trace amounts of ghost qi, and he has now also been targeted by that ghost king...]

[Considering our friendly acquaintance, I'm cutting you some slack. Let that kid Tao Qi stay in the mortal realm; with his intelligence, officially entering the ghostly world would only result in his soul becoming material for a ghost king to heal its injuries.]

[As for your soul, it was deliberately preserved by that ghost king, who intends to use you to break through to the Ghost Emperor realm once you evolve into a ghost king.]

[Sigh, who becomes a Ghost Emperor has nothing to do with me anyway! But you have some connection with the Tongtian Xuanjing baby! And it is my only friend across the heavens and myriad realms...]

Naturally, it wasn't because the dress-up game carriers it favored needed to "import goods legally" from the mortal realm via Mu Xue, Yun Zhi, and Tao Qi!

Nor was it because Tao Qi had secretly practiced paper-crafting skills, making a suitcase full of various small skirts and RV accessories that he hadn't had time to trade to Yun Zhi yet!

Mu Xue:…………

Taking a deep breath, Mu Xue continued questioning, and upon learning that the ghost qi of the small nether domain was far less concentrated than that of the ghostly world, and that as long as Tao Qi and Tian Tian did not stay in the small nether domain for more than three days, their physical health would not be endangered, she relaxed slightly.

They would definitely survive until the third day, because that ghost king "fed" on living souls to heal its injuries once a month, requiring three people each time.

Now, there were four days left until its next "feeding."

The ghost minions under its command brought people into the small nether domain four or five days before its feeding time, settling them for a few days.

By the fourth day, with souls "marinated" through contamination by ghost qi, existing between life and death, the healing efficacy was maximized.

For someone like Tao Qi, whose soul strength was relatively strong and who had been contaminated with a small amount of ghost qi while in the mortal realm, the amount of ghost qi he could absorb and contain in a living-soul state exceeded that of others.

Roughly speaking, ordinary people staying in the small nether domain for three days could contain 3 to 4 units of ghost qi, whereas Tao Qi could contain 5 to 6 units.

He was equivalent to the largest and reddest apple on the apple tree.

Mu Xue relayed the useful information to Yun Zhi via the private chat interface to prevent her and her friend from flying blind in the small nether domain.

Although the ghostly world system deity had repeatedly emphasized that the small nether domain could only hold low-level ghosts not exceeding Tier 2, Mu Xue remained deeply worried.

Pity that she was already a mid-level Tier 5 ghost; otherwise, she would have truly loved to rescue Tao Qi and Tian Tian personally rather than letting Yun Zhi and her friend take risks.

On the other end, upon reviewing the description of the Ghost Dream Bracelets, Yun Zhi immediately put one on herself and handed one to Ziji as well.

At this moment, the duration of the invisibility talismans on them expired.

Their figures were no longer concealed as they manifested in the small nether domain.

Fortunately, the faint energy fluctuations radiating from them had now transformed into ghost qi!

Yun Zhi released Ziji's hand.

As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them. Now, in the eyes of ghosts, she was also a ghost; what was there to be afraid of?

Fear often stemmed from unknown dangers.

Observing the information relayed by Mu Xue—extracted through probing the ghostly world system—which indicated that this was merely a small nether domain where the most dangerous entities were Tier 2 ghosts, matching the combat prowess of Tier 2 ability users, Yun Zhi instantly lost all fear!

She was just a hair's breadth away from advancing to Tier 2 ability user, and possessed numerous self-preservation trump cards; her combat prowess might fall short of Tier 2, but her life-preservation capabilities vastly exceeded it!

Yun Zhi said, "The ancient castle ahead has the distinct aura of Tao Qi and Tian Tian... or rather, of living humans. Let's hurry over and take a look!"

With that, practicing her lightness skills like a flying swallow, Yun Zhi rushed ahead.

Ziji glanced at his suddenly empty hand...

Another strange and indescribable feeling welled up in his chest.

Reciting the Clearing Heart Mantra once more, he swiftly followed after her.