Ch. 314 - The Final Stop

"Don’t worry, Xiu. Even if I die, I'll make sure these two antiques won’t suffer a scratch! These treasures are priceless!" Yang Ming said, clutching the backpack in his arms even tighter.

For this mission, Fang Xiu had asked Yang Ming to carry only two exceptionally valuable antiques.

The reasons were practical.

First, carrying more would be inconvenient, especially since battles might break out. The antiques were fragile before their transformation into Spiritual Gadgets.

Second, the transformation process required absorbing Specter energy. If too many antiques were present, they might compete for energy, reducing the chances of any of them successfully transforming.

Thus, Fang Xiu had carefully selected just two items. But these weren’t ordinary antiques. Either one, if successfully transformed through the Spirit Nurturing Project, would make the trip a monumental success.

The Imperial Seal symbolized supreme imperial authority and contained an unparalleled reservoir of Spiritual Power. If it became a Spiritual Gadget, it would undoubtedly be among the most powerful in existence.

The Tiger Tally, while slightly less significant than the Imperial Seal, embodied military power. Its value couldn’t be overstated.

"Xiu, what about you? Don’t you need protection?" Xiong Tianguang asked.

Fang Xiu shook his head. "I don’t."

His reasoning was simple: he wanted to test his current strength.

Having faced fourth-tier psychics before, Fang Xiu knew that in terms of raw power—excluding Domain abilities—he was already on par with an early fourth-tier psychic.

The grave soil began to writhe like a living entity, surging madly beneath their feet and rising higher and higher, trying to engulf them.

Li Xiaoru and the others quickly activated their Domain powers to suppress the grave soil.

The rising tide of earth slowed almost immediately, eventually stalling altogether.

Meanwhile, Fang Xiu shifted into his Blood Pupil form. His silver hair cascaded down his back, the Genesis Mask covered his face, and black flames enveloped his body.

Last time, as a second-tier psychic, he had barely managed to hold back the grave soil. But now, as a third-tier psychic wielding even greater control over the Genesis Mask, he had no doubt he could overcome it.

And he did. Fang Xiu’s vastly increased strength allowed him to suppress the grave soil with ease, even without relying on a Domain.

This stark contrast to their previous wipeout highlighted a simple truth: strength was absolute. What once seemed insurmountable now felt trivial.

After about five minutes of suppressing the grave soil, the surging earth settled, and the chaos subsided. The Fisherman vanished without a trace.

In the spot where the Fisherman had stood, a White Hole appeared, seemingly leading to the outside world.

But Fang Xiu had no intention of leaving through the White Hole. This time, he was determined to reach the Land Between—to uncover the secrets of the previous era and Zhou Qingfeng, and to hasten his growth toward even greater power.

"Let’s go. Next stop," Fang Xiu said, leading the group back to the train.

The Specter Train began moving again, heading to its final destination: the Land Between!

Outside the train, nothing but darkness and gray mist stretched endlessly. The fog emanated from the Other Side, dense and oppressive.

Within the Specter Train, however, they were shielded from the fog’s effects.

The journey to the final stop felt unusually long. After an hour of travel, the Specter Train finally ground to a halt.

Outside, a dark forest loomed, shrouded in thick gray mist.

The moment the group stepped off the train, their expressions shifted drastically.

The gray mist wasn’t just dense—it was invasive, like a poisonous toxin, constantly seeping into their bodies.

Li Xiaoru and the others quickly activated their Domains to isolate themselves from the fog, only then daring to breathe.

Xiao Chuxia and Yang Ming, already accustomed to such environments, quickly took precautions.

Xiao Chuxia activated her abilities, forming a protective barrier, while Yang Ming popped a Corpse Bead into his mouth. Both managed to resist the gray mist’s invasive effects without much difficulty.

As for Fang Xiu…

He seemed completely unaffected—if anything, he looked content. 

Taotie’s Mouth on his left hand instinctively opened wide, greedily devouring the thick gray mist like a starving beast feasting. To him, the mist felt oddly comforting, almost as if this place was made for him.

Fang Xiu had a strong hunch: if he stayed here long enough, even without encountering Specters or battles, his strength would grow passively, just by absorbing the ambient energy.

"Xiu, are we seriously exploring this creepy place? We might be holding off the mist for now, but it’s draining our Spiritual Energy every second," Li Xiaoru said, her voice tinged with worry.

"Don’t worry," Fang Xiu replied calmly. "I’ve already seen the future."

The group collectively sighed, as if Fang Xiu’s words were a guaranteed safeguard.

"Wait! The Specter Train is leaving! It’s not waiting for us this time?!" Xiao Chuxia suddenly shouted.

The group turned in shock to see the Specter Train, which had waited patiently at every previous stop, now slowly pulling away.

In the same mysterious manner it had appeared, it vanished into the foggy darkness without a trace.

"Eh, let it go. Xiu’s already seen the future—what’s there to worry about?" Yang Ming said, shrugging casually.

With that, they followed Fang Xiu deeper into the ominous forest ahead.

The gray mist thickened as they ventured into the forest.

The trees stood lifeless, their brittle branches clawing at the sky, while dull, yellowed leaves hung like remnants of decay.

A sudden wind swept through the forest. It wasn’t quite a sob, nor was it laughter, but something in between—a haunting sound that chilled them to their cores.

The breeze carried the sickly stench of rotting flesh, and the temperature dropped abruptly, making their skin prickle.

Even with their Domains and barriers in place, everyone involuntarily shuddered.

'Is this truly The Land Between?' they wondered.

Everything about it—the wind, the mist, the eerie sensations—felt disturbingly close to The Other Side. Perhaps the breeze really was coming from that hellish place.

Fang Xiu was unfazed. His body, increasingly inhuman due to his Specter abilities and the fusion of his powers, withstood the sinister winds with ease.

In fact, the breeze almost felt refreshing to him.

As the group pressed forward, the howling wind intensified, carrying an ominous sense of foreboding, as if heralding the approach of something unspeakable.

Li Xiaoru and the others grew visibly tenser.

Even with Fang Xiu leading them, this place was unlike anything they had ever faced before.

No Specters had appeared yet, yet the oppressive atmosphere forced them to maintain their protective measures constantly.

The further they went, the more unnerving the sensation became—an overwhelming feeling of being watched.

"Do you feel that? Like something’s watching us," Luo Qingxin said, her icy tone laced with unease.

Li Xiaoru nodded grimly. "I’ve felt it for a while now. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but if you’re feeling it too…"

Even Xiong Tianguang, usually glued to his phone, had pocketed it.

During the earlier stops, he hadn’t paused his gaming, even when faced with the Graveyard.

Now, he was fully alert—a stark sign of the forest’s oppressive atmosphere.

"Being watched, huh?" Fang Xiu said, his voice calm as his eyes scanned their surroundings. "If something’s out there, let’s draw it out."

With a flick of his wrist, a scalpel gleaming with cold light appeared in his hand.

SWISH!

He swung the scalpel, slicing through a nearby withered tree.

The tree collapsed with a loud crack, and the group’s expressions instantly changed.

From the freshly cut trunk, bright red blood began to seep out, dripping onto the ground.

At the same time, the sensation of being watched intensified sharply.

It felt as though something terrifying was closing in, its presence tightening around their souls.

Everyone tensed, a deep unease settling over them.

"It’s behind us! No… it’s everywhere!" Xiong Tianguang suddenly yelled, his face pale with alarm.

The group frantically turned, scanning the shadowy forest, and what they saw made their blood run cold.

From behind the trees, pale, bald human heads began emerging.

One.

Two.

Three…

Dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands of pale heads peeked out from the darkness, their expressions blank and lifeless.

Each head had ghostly white eyes that seemed to pierce through their very beings.

Comments