The five were unsure how long they could stay in the Soul-Staying Ravine, so they didn't build a temporary cave dwelling. Instead, they chose a cave on the mountainside.
With a few simple cleaning spells, the cave, which was originally full of dead leaves and rotten wood, became clean and tidy.
With another flick of his palm, Liu Yunqing dispersed the stench of decay and rot in the cave along with the dried dampness.
Cultivators are different from ordinary people. When it's time to rest at night, each person throws out a futon, sets up an array plate, and then they can cultivate and rest on their own.
After clearing the cave, Liu Yunqing saw that it was still early and suggested that they go to Jihun Ravine to take a look.
After Liu Yunqing finished speaking, she subconsciously looked at Wuchen. Wuchen did not look at Liu Yunqing, but instead put his hands together and responded:
"Then I will listen to what Fellow Daoist Zhenru has to say."
Liu Yunqing felt that his attitude was strange, but she couldn't say anything in front of others. Fortunately, no one else objected, so they left the cave together and headed towards the Soul-Stealing Stream.
The Soul-Gathering Forest is vast. Even for cultivators, without a flying artifact, it would take a whole day to traverse it.
Now, the group was riding on flying magical artifacts, and since they were in the Soul-Gathering Forest, they arrived at the edge of the Soul-Gathering Ravine in just one or two hours.
"Such a wonder exists in the world."
Liu Yunqing closed her mouth, which had been agape in surprise, and let out a long sigh.
How could I not be surprised?
The Soul-Gathering Ravine, which Liu Yunqing thought was a narrow and deep bottomless ravine, was actually a shallow and wide "river." It appeared to be only three or five people deep, but its width was wide enough for forty or fifty horses to run side-by-side.
If the name doesn't match the reality, it just means the person who named it doesn't know how to name a name, and it's not a big problem.
What's truly amazing is that this Soul-Gathering Ravine seems to have a barrier, creating two worlds inside and outside the ravine.
Within the Soul-Stealing Valley, the malevolent aura of wandering souls and resentful spirits was as thick as ink.
Upon closer inspection, one can see distorted human faces emerging from the varying shades of ink.
"ah!!!"
As the group was observing the Soul-Gathering Valley, Ruan Qing suddenly screamed and was thrown backward.
"What's wrong?"
The four quickly approached Ruan Qing, but did not notice anything unusual.
Seeing that she had attracted everyone's attention, Ruan Qing pointed somewhat embarrassedly at the sky above the Soul-Gathering Stream and said:
"I was startled by the face of the spirit."
Following Ruan Qing's gaze, the group found nothing different from the rest of the place.
Just as Feng Piaopiao was about to mock Ruan Qing, something rushed rapidly toward them from the depths of Jihun Ravine.
Just as the group got a clear look, the thing had already magnified countless times, becoming a "face of ten thousand people" with countless features, and it rushed straight towards them.
Whether it was the bizarre and grotesque facial features that wandered around, or the unknown and powerful force that rushed towards them, they were all on high alert.
Feng Piaopiao was also startled. She struggled to suppress the exclamation that was about to escape her throat, and her attack was ready to be unleashed at any moment.
As a result, the "ten-thousand-face" stopped abruptly, as if it had hit an invisible barrier and was bounced back with a thud.
Liu Yunqing looked again at the spot where the ghost face had crashed into, and realized it was right at the edge of the Soul-Stealing Stream.
"No wonder the Soul-Gathering Forest is filled with yin energy but no wandering spirits are seen; it's because they can't leave the Soul-Gathering Ravine!"
Wuchen nodded and sighed:
"Indeed, although I have consulted a large number of ancient books, I have never come here in person, and I have never seen it for myself."
Given this situation, it's no wonder that few people come to the Soul-Staying Gorge for training.
There's no distinction between easy and difficult; you either get nothing or it's completely unknown.
When the risks outweigh the rewards, not many people are willing to gamble, since in the eyes of most cultivators, cultivation level is more important.
"In that case, should we still go down into the Soul-Stealing Stream?"
Ruan Qing was still a little shaken, and looked at Liu Yunqing with anticipation, hoping that she would not be able to answer.
"Of course."
Liu Yunqing answered decisively, then turned to look at Ruan Qing and said:
"If you don't dare to come down, then stay up here... or go back to the Tai Xuan Sect. Please give my regards to Daoist Wenxi."
When Liu Yunqing said this, there was no emotional fluctuation whatsoever; he was simply stating an attitude that was completely unimportant.
Ruan Qing felt a sudden surge of anger, straightened her back, and raised her chin, saying:
"Who's afraid? Don't look down on me!"
As he spoke, he pushed Feng Piaopiao forward and said:
"You go first!"
Feng Piaopiao: "???"
Of course, Wuchen was the one who led the way in the end, after all, he was the only Golden Core cultivator among the five.
Following closely behind was Zhuo Ying, then Feng Piaopiao and Ruan Qing. Liu Yunqing, as the captain and second in cultivation, naturally brought up the rear.
The invisible barrier in the Soul-Gathering Stream only blocks souls attempting to escape; it does not restrict living beings from entering or leaving.
The five people wore sachets made of sacred tree leaves, and protective spiritual energy shields rose around them. The moment they entered the Soul-Stealing Valley, they were like small lanterns illuminating the dark night.
It looks quite beautiful, but in reality it's not beautiful at all.
The five people entered the Soul-Stealing Ravine as if they were five live targets in a hunting ground. The wandering souls and resentful spirits that had been lonely for countless years surged towards them like moths to a flame.
The only difference is that when a moth flies into a flame, it is the moth that dies, but when its soul flies into a person, it is the person who is in danger.
The five spiritual energy shields that were originally connected were quickly dispersed the moment the soul rushed over, and the five people's vision went black.
Although the malevolent energy of these spirits had no effect on Liu Yunqing, the sudden darkness still made him uneasy.
She released her divine sense, wanting to see the situation of the people in front of her, but found that her divine sense could only see within the range of her own spiritual energy shield, and the area outside was still dark.
"Master Wuchen, are you there?"
Unable to see clearly with the naked eye, Liu Yunqing could only call out for help, but there was no response.
Looking at the ugly ghost face crunching and gnawing outside the spiritual energy barrier, Liu Yunqing snorted coldly and raised her hand to fire several arrows.
"ah--"
"ah--"
"ah--"
After the ghost faces that were hit screamed in waves, they turned into gray-white soul beads and fell into Liu Yunqing's spiritual energy shield.
Liu Yunqing casually picked up the soul bead, rolled it twice in his palm, and threw it into his storage bag. Looking around, he found that a new wave of souls had surrounded him again.
The strength of the souls in this round is clearly higher than that of the previous batch.
After shooting it down, Liu Yunqing noticed that the Soul Beads were a bit grayer than the previous batch.
After shooting several rounds, Liu Yunqing realized that his spiritual energy was mostly depleted, so he stopped attacking and prepared to retreat.
Before entering the Soul-Stealing Ravine, because they were not clear about the situation, the group agreed that the first time would only be to explore the path without going too deep, and if they found that the situation was out of control, they would retreat.
At this moment, it was pitch black all around, and even divine sense could not see, so it was impossible to discern which direction led out of the Soul-Stealing Abyss.
However, Liu Yunqing was not afraid of this. He raised his hand, made a hand seal, and pushed forward. A persistent and sticky fire dragon burned the surrounding wandering souls, which could not be shaken off.
Taking advantage of a brief lull in the raging fire, Liu Yunqing spotted a beam of light penetrating the area and rushed towards it without hesitation.
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