Chapter 304: Change the World

Upon hearing this, a chill went through Yan Fei. The thought of a "ghost city" naturally arose in his mind, and he instinctively looked towards Ji Yuan, who also appeared to be lost in thought.

From their vantage point, looking into the distance, they could see a walled city. From its gates to every corner within, it was brightly lit with large lanterns hanging everywhere.

Such a sight in an ordinary city would only appear during large festivals like lantern festivals. No wonder Yan Fei, when observing it from afar, initially mistook it for other travelers' campfires.

"What do you think, Mr. Ji?"

Niu Batian asked Ji Yuan. Of the three, Ji Yuan was truly the one in charge, a fact that had become implicitly understood over the past twenty-odd days.

Ji Yuan did not speak immediately. He looked at the distant city, then above it, where a thin layer of ominous clouds had gathered, blocking the light of the stars and moon, while most other places tonight were clear.

"Yin energy forming clouds, yet without obvious external manifestations," Ji Yuan mused. "It seems not to be naturally rising yin energy, but rather the result of skillful channeling and transformation. There must be a highly skilled ghost cultivator in the city."

At this point, Ji Yuan thought for a moment and said, "That place is brightly lit, so it's likely not an ordinary day. Let's wait and see. If there's no need, we won't get involved."

"Understood!"

Yan Fei responded. Even as a martial artist, he was still human, and as for a ghost city—a place imagined to be filled with countless ghosts—he truly did not want to go.

Niu Batian, on the other hand, was quite curious. Hearing Ji Yuan say they wouldn't go made him incredibly antsy.

"Oh, Mr. Ji, look," Niu Batian began, "I, Old Niu, have never been to a ghost city in the authentic Underworld. It looks quite lively over there. How about we go take a stroll? Brother Yan must be eager to see it too, right?"

Yan Fei quickly shook his head, ignoring the winks Niu Batian gave him.

"Brother Niu, I am a mortal. Venture into a ghost city? I, Yan, would never entertain such a thought!"

Ji Yuan shook his head and sat down cross-legged on the small hill.

"Let's wait until dawn and see," Ji Yuan said. "Then we can figure out what this city relies on. They seem to be having a lively time, and if we rush in now, we might offend someone."

Since Ji Yuan had already spoken, Niu Batian found it hard to say anything more and could only sigh regretfully.

In the night, Ji Yuan rested cross-legged while Niu Batian and Yan Fei kept watching the distant city. Since their arrival, they had seen hardly anyone entering or leaving, so Yan Fei's earlier mention of seeing carriages might have been an exception.

"Hey, hey, hey, Brother Yan, someone—oh, no, a ghost—just passed by!" Niu Batian suddenly whispered excitedly. This was the first time since he became a demon that he had been so excited just by seeing a ghost.

"Huh? Where?"

Yan Fei opened his eyes wide but still couldn't see anything. Clearly, this time he couldn't see ghosts, and Old Niu, realizing this, quickly leaned closer to him.

"Come, come, let your brother help you out!"

With that, Niu Batian reached out and flicked Yan Fei's forehead with his index finger.

With a soft 'dong' sound, Yan Fei felt his head briefly spin. The moment his head was flicked, his vision went black, as if a flash of white light had passed.

When he recovered and looked down again, he immediately saw, still far from the city gates, some figures resembling soldiers riding on horseback. Behind them, a string of figures was tied with ropes; some were floating, some walking, some with long necks, others missing arms and legs.

"Gasp... Th-these..."

"Heh, they're all wandering souls," Niu Batian explained. "Many people die mysterious deaths out there with no relatives to collect them. And in many places, the local deities' influence has declined, so the deceased easily become wandering souls. This situation is rampant throughout Zuyue Land."

Yan Fei had never heard such a thing before and immediately felt a chill.

"Then won't these ghosts harm people?"

Ji Yuan also opened his eyes at this point and looked towards the area outside the distant city.

"As the saying goes, people fear ghosts by three parts, but ghosts fear people by seven parts," Ji Yuan explained. "Another saying goes, 'Those who have a clear conscience fear no ghost at their door.' Both sayings hold truth. They mostly refer to these helpless wandering souls; unless their resentment from death is profound, they might dissipate if they're not careful. And if a person isn't extremely weak, there's no need to fear them."

As Ji Yuan spoke, he looked towards the city and began to understand the composition of the ghost city's inhabitants. At least, journeying from the southern border of Zuyue Kingdom, many places were not short of wandering souls.

'But is this a good thing or a bad thing?'

Apart from this batch of wandering souls being sent into the city, there were no more disturbances throughout the night until just before dawn. While Yan Fei briefly dozed off, the ghost city gradually faded, then vanished from sight.

Yan Fei was instantly startled awake.

"Mr. Ji, Brother Niu, the city is gone?"

"It's still there. Look, the ominous clouds haven't fully dispersed," Ji Yuan explained. "It's just that with the daylight's mixed Yang energy, the city, created by ghostly arts, has concealed itself in a space between yin and yang."

Ji Yuan explained. He had already stood up and was the first to descend the hill, walking towards the distance, with Niu Batian and Yan Fei quickly following.

The three soon arrived at the location where the city had been. The surroundings appeared more desolate than other areas, with no tall trees. However, as far as Yan Fei could tell, walking there felt no different.

"Mr. Ji, look over there!"

Niu Batian pointed into the distance, then quickly ran ahead. Ji Yuan and Yan Fei followed closely. Behind a few large boulders about a li away, the three discovered a carriage.

This carriage was not only exquisitely designed but also very spacious, requiring at least two horses to pull it properly. However, there was no one in the carriage at the moment, and no horses attached.

Niu Batian reached out and touched the carriage, then lifted the curtain to look inside. He turned back and said to Ji Yuan, "Mr. Ji, it's quite clean, doesn't look abandoned..."

As he spoke, Niu Batian suddenly noticed something strange in Yan Fei's eyes, so he frowned and asked, "Brother Yan, what's wrong?"

Yan Fei looked at Niu Batian, then at Ji Yuan, then carefully examined the carriage again, and answered with some uncertainty, "This carriage... it looks like the one I saw last night!"

"Are you sure?"

Niu Batian was also stunned for a moment, then suddenly thought of something. "No wonder you could see the carriage heading into the city," he exclaimed, "because this carriage isn't a ghostly vehicle at all, but a mortal one!"

"Then where are the people in the carriage?" Yan Fei instinctively asked, looking at Niu Batian and Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan also stared at the carriage, his brows tightly furrowed. He looked at the empty interior of the carriage, then at the empty wooden shafts where horses should have been.

"They are probably... still inside that ghost city..."

Niu Batian's eyes lit up, and he immediately said with righteous indignation, "Mr. Ji, these people entered the ghost city completely unaware. They probably can't get out on their own, and it's highly likely they'll be discovered as living people, which would be extremely dangerous with so many ghosts around. We should bring them out of the ghost city! And if we encounter any malevolent spirits, we can dispose of them along the way!"

Ji Yuan had already been pondering the feasibility of this matter. Now, hearing Niu Batian's words, he looked at him and smiled.

"You're quite righteous, aren't you?"

"This is all the chivalry I learned from Brother Yan," Niu Batian replied. "Although I, Old Niu, am a demon, I still possess some human nature! What do you think, Mr. Ji?"

"Hmm... And what about Sir Yan?"

Ji Yuan looked at Yan Fei, who, holding his sword, shifted his gaze from the carriage to Ji Yuan and nodded.

"If I had merely stumbled upon this carriage here, I, Yan, might not have paid it any mind," Yan Fei said. "But last night, I saw the carriage heading towards this city, and today I've learned the truth behind it. I feel I also have a responsibility. If Mr. Ji and Brother Niu don't mind, please allow me, Yan, to accompany you!"

"Heh heh heh, not at all, not at all," Niu Batian chuckled. "Brother Yan's martial arts are unparalleled; ordinary ghosts wouldn't be a match for you! And if we meet strong ones, Old Niu and Mr. Ji are here too!"

At this moment, Niu Batian was secretly delighted. Given the current situation, Mr. Ji would most likely agree to enter the ghost city.

Indeed, Ji Yuan immediately stated his position.

"Since that's the case," Ji Yuan said, "we will enter the city to find them. I have dealt with ghosts and deities of the Underworld several times. Under normal circumstances, the ghosts in a ghost city don't interact with ordinary people. When living people enter, their yang energy is suppressed by yin energy. If they don't get too close to ghosts, they might not be noticed. They might even be completely unaware they are in a ghost city right now."

"Then... do we need to wait until nightfall for the city to reappear?" Niu Batian asked this deliberately. Although he genuinely hadn't found a suitable way to enter the city at the moment, he believed Mr. Ji surely had a method. Of course, he could try to recklessly attack and destroy it with demonic arts, but that would definitely not be appropriate.

"Delaying for too long would be dangerous for them," Ji Yuan said. "We need to try to enter now."

Ji Yuan now had two methods he could attempt. One was to directly use his immortal sword to cleave open the yin-yang barrier of the ghost realm. After all, this wasn't the true Underworld, and with the Azure Vine Sword, doing so wouldn't be difficult, but it might alert some powerful ghosts.

The other was to attempt to simulate a night realm and directly merge with the ghost city, betting that the ghost city's magical restrictions were far less refined than those of immortal estates and similar places, and thus more susceptible to external influences. In essence, it meant he should be able to "trick" the ghost city itself.

Thinking this, Ji Yuan no longer hesitated. With a mere thought, the world began to transform. Under the control of his mind, an infinite landscape of artistic conception unfolded.

In Niu Batian's and Yan Fei's perception, it was as if the surrounding world had suddenly changed. Their bodies felt infinitely stretched, and they seemed to be in a foreign land, able to see mountains and rivers stretching into the far distance.

This sensation was so intense and captivating. While the two were in a daze, Ji Yuan's thoughts shifted, and he pointed towards the sky of the artistic realm.

In an instant, numerous illusory chess pieces lit up like brilliant stars in the sky. The color of the world changed with them, shifting from white to black...

At this moment, objects appeared in their surroundings—streets, houses, pedestrians... slowly transforming from illusion to reality.

Yan Fei simply found it incredible, while Niu Batian was already gaping, unable to breathe.

'Stars shifting, heavens changing...'