Zhou Xian knew the death tribulation was unsolvable, and Master Yu was merely comforting himself.
The three jeeps drove towards their destination. They encountered no particularly powerful evil spirits along the way, which was a smooth journey, so smooth that Yu Daohang felt a sense of unease.
The corner of the formation was located in an abandoned nursing home. After the group got out of the cars and cleared the surrounding minor spirits, the disciples of the formation sect began to set up the magic array.
The magic array was in the center of the nursing home, so Yu Daohang assigned the others to guard the main entrance.
Yu Daohang found a clean stone and sat down. He looked at the overgrown surroundings, a vague sense of unease stirring within him.
"Master Yu, isn't it too quiet?" Zhou Xian asked, looking at the surroundings.
Yu Daohang nodded. "Indeed. We've come so far with so many people and encountered almost no powerful evil spirits. Things that are too abnormal are bound to be strange. Let's proceed with caution."
Zhou Xian nodded and went to join the others in checking the perimeter.
Yu Daohang looked up at the sky, which was obscured by black clouds, as if a giant palm had covered this land, making one’s skin crawl.
Setting up such a large magic array was very troublesome, not only time-consuming but also complex to operate.
An hour passed, and Yu Daohang saw that the surroundings remained quiet. Only a few minor spirits appeared from time to time, but they only peeked from a distance, not daring to approach. He breathed a sigh of relief.
The magic array was being completed step by step. Just as it was nearing completion, Yu Daohang suddenly looked at the grass not far from the main entrance and shouted, "Be careful!"
As Yu Daohang shouted, his body had already lunged forward.
Zhou Xian, who was about to patrol into the grass, was stunned by Yu Daohang's shout and turned to look at the charging Yu Daohang.
The moment Zhou Xian turned, a figure shot out from the grass, a sharp claw already reaching for Zhou Xian's head.
When Zhou Xian came to his senses, it was already too late. The claw was upon him, and there was no escape.
At this critical moment, a pitch-black weapon slashed towards the claw. Zhou Xian was pulled back by a tremendous force and flung backward.
Zhou Xian looked closely and saw that it was Yu Daohang who had pulled him away.
*Bang!*
The Kanglong Jian struck the incoming claw squarely. The evil spirit let out a scream and fled back into the grass.
The commotion here alerted the surrounding disciples, and they all gathered closer.
Yu Daohang looked at the Yin energy drifting from not far ahead, his hand gripping the Kanglong Jian trembling.
"Are you alright, fellow Daoist?" a disciple helped Zhou Xian up from the ground.
Zhou Xian nodded. "Thanks to Master Yu, otherwise I would have met my end."
"But why didn't I sense any ghostly energy?" Zhou Xian asked, confused. At such close range, he should have been able to sense it.
As Zhou Xian mentioned this, the other disciples nodded in agreement.
"It is indeed strange. Ever since I entered this city, my sensitivity to ghostly energy has decreased," a disciple chimed in.
A knowledgeable disciple thought for a moment and said, "I have heard a saying that once the ghostly energy becomes dense enough, people's perception of it will decrease after being in it for a long time."
"Boys, now is not the time to chat about these things. Look at the movement ahead." Yu Daohang's nerves were taut as he watched the black energy surging towards them.
Hearing Yu Daohang's words, everyone looked ahead.
A visible black ghostly energy was spreading towards them.
Everyone knew what was in the black energy and gripped their weapons tightly, preparing for battle.
*Whoosh!*
An oppressive aura washed over them, making everyone tremble.
As the ghostly energy dissipated, a dense mass of evil spirits appeared, like ants swarming out of their nest, poised to devour everything in their path with a single command.
Some timid disciples were already so frightened by the sight that they clutched their weapons tightly.
Zhou Xian, standing beside them, also gaped in terror at the sheer number.
Was this hell on earth?
What was the difference between the scene before them and hell?
Although Yu Daohang did not show as much fear as they did, he was still awestruck by the scene.
"Master Yu, what do we do now?" Zhou Xian couldn't help but ask.
Yu Daohang looked at the seven leading ghostly figures, swallowed hard, and slowly uttered a single word: "Run!!"
The seven leading evil spirits on the opposite side were genuine Ghost Kings.
Among the evil spirits, a small, thin one standing at the front looked down at its palm and then glared fiercely at Yu Daohang. "I must eat this little brat's brain!"
Another evil spirit beside it taunted, "Didn't expect you to slip up, hahaha."
The thin evil spirit glared back unhappily. "That kid has some skill."
"Do you want me to help?" the taunting evil spirit asked, licking its lips as it looked at Yu Daohang.
"No, this prey is mine." The thin evil spirit looked at Yu Daohang, wishing it could rush forward and devour him right now.
The disciples were stunned when they heard Yu Daohang say "run."
"But the magic array is almost complete."
Yu Daohang shook his head. "This is beyond our ability to handle. If we want to live, there is only one choice: run!!"