Chapter 1293: Desolate Souls and Reincarnation

"That being said, as far as I know, this Hundred Ghost Forest is extremely dangerous. We are not familiar with this place. Is it too risky to rashly cross it?" Shi Chuankong said with a frown.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, how much intelligence do you have on this Hundred Ghost Forest?" Han Li asked.

"I don't know much either, but it is said that there are many desolate souls within the Hundred Ghost Forest, and they are extremely troublesome," Shi Chuankong said.

"But what exactly are desolate souls?" Han Li asked.

Ti Hun, Jin Tong, and Zi Ling also looked at Shi Chuankong, clearly hearing this term for the first time.

"The reincarnation of souls has a certain limit, but it is not absolute. Some souls with exceptional talents, or due to special circumstances, even after exceeding the limit, still do not dissipate from the world. After a long period of time, they gradually evolve into desolate souls. Although desolate souls are also souls, they have no trace of reason, leaving only the desire to kill, and are quite difficult to deal with. This Hundred Ghost Forest, due to its special environment, has become the best place for desolate souls to roam and gather, extremely dangerous," Shi Chuankong said solemnly.

"No matter how powerful desolate souls are, they are still souls. I think they should not be difficult to deal with, after all, it's better than facing some large clans in the Netherworld," Ti Hun said.

"I think so too. With Ti Hun around, these kinds of soul ghosts are nothing," Jin Tong also spoke up.

"Since the three of you think it's better to go through the Hundred Ghost Forest, then let's take this route." Shi Chuankong did not say anything more and nodded.

"In that case, let's set off now," Han Li said.

Having made their decision, they immediately flew into the Hundred Ghost Forest.

Within the forest, the light was dim, and mist swirled, making it difficult to see beyond a few zhang. Fortunately, their spiritual sense could extend freely, so the group was not greatly affected.

With their strong cultivation bases, they moved through the unfamiliar forest like several faint, elusive phantoms.

Han Li flew at the front, his eyes flickering with purple-black light as he closely monitored all movements around him.

Suddenly, a black light shot out from the dense forest beside them. It was a small, pitch-black double-headed snake, biting at his calf with lightning speed.

But a golden light flashed beside Han Li, and a golden thread flickered. The double-headed snake's entire body was split in two from the middle, splattering black blood onto the nearby ground, which immediately sizzled and emitted green smoke.

The two halves of the black snake's body twisted a few times before soon becoming still.

By then, Han Li and the others had already disappeared ahead.

"It seems that the Hundred Ghost Forest contains not only desolate souls but also many ferocious ghost beasts. The potent poison they carry would likely be unpleasant even for us if we were hit. Everyone must be careful," Shi Chuankong said, closely following Han Li and glancing back.

The others nodded solemnly.

Having just entered the forest, the first danger they encountered was already of this level; who knew how many more dangers lay deeper in.

Time passed bit by bit, and in the blink of an eye, over ten days had gone by.

The group gradually penetrated deeper into the Hundred Ghost Forest, encountering more and more ghost beasts, some even in packs, and some with cultivation reaching the Tai Yi stage.

They avoided them whenever possible, and when they couldn't, they worked together to eliminate them with swift and decisive methods, so as not to attract greater trouble.

One day, after more than half a month.

Near a black river, loud noises, roars, and screeches intermingled, echoing for thousands of li.

But soon, those loud noises subsided, and the surroundings returned to tranquility.

Within a hundred li of the river, the area was in shambles. The ground was cracked with several huge fissures stretching for dozens of li, and there were many large craters emitting wisps of green smoke.

Han Li and the others stood by the river, surrounded by a large number of black wolf-type ghost beasts lying scattered on the ground, nearly ten thousand of them.

These wolf-type ghost beasts were seven or eight zhang long, stoutly built, covered in black bristles, and had long fangs in their mouths, looking extremely ferocious.

However, these wolf-type ghost beasts were either cut in half or had their heads, chests, and other parts pierced through; all had fallen, with black blood pooling on the ground.

The blood of these wolf-type ghost beasts was also highly corrosive, and the nearby ground had turned scorched black, as if burned by fire.

Among the group, Han Li, Ti Hun, and Shi Chuankong looked as usual, but Zi Ling and Jin Tong's faces were slightly pale.

These wolf-type ghost beasts were not weak in strength, and they could even unleash a powerful soul attack. With their overwhelming numbers, Zi Ling and Jin Tong, whose souls were not strong, had suffered some damage.

"Are you two alright?" Han Li looked at them.

"I'm fine," Jin Tong forced a smile.

Zi Ling took a deep breath and also shook her head.

"The soul attacks of these ghost beasts are nothing. According to ancient records, the soul attacks of those desolate souls are truly formidable. We should still be on the outskirts of the Hundred Ghost Forest, so we haven't encountered any desolate souls. If we continue deeper, we will soon meet them. If you can't hold on then, don't force yourselves," Shi Chuankong added.

Zi Ling and the other did not insist and nodded in agreement.

They did not linger here and soon continued on their way.

"Zi Ling, I didn't have a chance to ask earlier. How have you been all these years in the Demon Domain?" Han Li approached Zi Ling and asked.

"Fortunately, with Senior Crab and Fellow Daoist Shi looking after me, I haven't suffered over the years—just practiced bitterly every day," Zi Ling replied.

"Speaking of cultivation, it's been less than a thousand years since I left the Demon Domain, yet your cultivation has advanced to this level. Truly astonishing," Han Li said.

"All thanks to Senior Crab. He set up a special space where cultivation progresses extremely quickly... And the things you left me back then were also of great help to my cultivation," Zi Ling said.

"Fellow Daoist Crab..." Han Li murmured.

With Crab Daoist, a Dao Ancestor-level being of the demon race, present, it was naturally not difficult for him to boost Zi Ling's cultivation.

"Is Fellow Daoist Crab still well? Is he still in the Scale Bone Wilderness?" After a moment, Han Li continued asking.

"Senior Crab..." Zi Ling was about to answer when Han Li suddenly raised his hand to stop her.

His expression turned serious as he looked ahead, and his flying figure came to a halt.

Shi Chuankong, Ti Hun, and the others also stopped, their expressions extremely grave.

Zi Ling quickly looked forward as well, her pretty face changing color.

A ghastly white mist emerged from the forest ahead, drifting swiftly toward the group. Wherever it passed, a layer of frost formed on the ground and trees.

A ferocious aura emanated from deep within the white mist, causing even the Great Luo cultivators present to feel alarmed.

"It's a desolate soul... and this one is no ordinary desolate soul—at least tens of millions of years old. Everyone be careful!" Shi Chuankong said in a deep voice.

Before he finished speaking, the white mist ahead suddenly churned violently, and countless white gusts of yin wind surged out, instantly forming a huge white storm.

The nearby forest was instantly devoured by the white storm, exploding into powder, and the ground was deeply scraped away.

The white storm swept toward the group like a tidal wave, accompanied by piercing wails like ghosts crying and wolves howling.

Hearing this sound, Shi Chuankong's divine soul began to fluctuate uncontrollably, the demonic energy within him started to run wild, and the protective spiritual light on his body dimmed rapidly.

His expression changed slightly, and he quickly shot backward while desperately suppressing the disturbance in his soul.

Ti Hun, Jin Tong, and the others also heard the ghostly cries, and their souls immediately fluctuated as they hastily flew backward.

But amid the howling yin wind ahead, a brilliant golden light suddenly blazed. Han Li did not retreat with the others; instead, he was enveloped in a golden halo, staring at the oncoming white storm, his eyes flickering with purple-black light.

"Master!" Seeing this, Ti Hun became extremely anxious and immediately stopped, ready to turn back.

"Wait a moment. Big Han is not impulsive; he must have his reasons for doing this. Besides, it's just one of them—he can definitely handle it," Jin Tong said, grabbing Ti Hun.

Zi Ling also stopped upon seeing Han Li's actions, her face filled with worry.

The white storm rushed to Han Li in the blink of an eye and descended upon him like a giant mouth, swallowing him whole.

Han Li stood motionless, the golden light on him not dimming but growing stronger, forming a layer of golden haze before him to block the white storm.

With a muffled boom!

The white storm halted several zhang away from the golden haze, firmly fixed in place by the golden light, unable to advance an inch.

"Roar!" A furious roar came from deep within the white storm.

A violent killing intent surged forth, so intense that even Shi Chuankong and the others, standing far away, couldn't help but change color and shiver.

"Foolish! You went to great lengths to hide your true form, yet you reveal yourself by roaring," Han Li said with a cold snort, seemingly unaffected.

His right hand blazed with dazzling golden light as he pointed into the void.

A golden rainbow shot from his hand, like lightning plunging into the white storm.

The churning white storm suddenly stopped, then burst apart with a loud bang, scattering into mist that dissipated.

A huge white ghost appeared, a hundred zhang tall, its body thin and long like a bamboo pole.

The ghost's gaunt body was draped in a long white robe that trailed behind it. Its hands had long nails, and its tongue was extremely long, constantly flicking in front of it, resembling the hanging ghost of folklore.

An immense ghostly aura emanated from the white ghost, far surpassing Shi Chuankong and Ti Hun, and not much weaker than Xue Li from back then.

The white ghost's chest was now pierced by the golden rainbow, leaving a large hole.

The ghost looked down at the hole in its chest, an expression of disbelief on its ghostly face.

Shi Chuankong and the others in the distance also looked on in disbelief.

Han Li raised his arm, and the golden rainbow swept upward.

With a tearing sound, the upper half of the white ghost was split in two, and then its entire body exploded into a large cloud of white smoke that scattered in all directions.

Within the smoke, faint white light clusters like wandering souls could be seen, each emitting astonishing ghostly energy, darting away in all directions as if alive.