Chapter 156: Acting

At the forefront of the joint expedition team, standing before the entrance to the forbidden zone of Mount Beimang, Li Hao bowed deeply toward the forbidden ground, his voice respectful:

“My lord, we honor your agreement. We are prepared to enter the Beimang Great Tomb.”

As his voice fell, a vast swirl of ghostly mist gathered, coalescing into the form of a blood-colored god, manifesting before the assembled.

Lu Yan’s gaze swept across the elite exploration team before him, then flicked toward the distant camps where the various factions had stationed their observers.

Because this mission to the Beimang Great Tomb carried real danger, none of the major factions had sent their true elites. Instead, they had stationed camps nearby to ensure information would be relayed swiftly back to Luocheng.

Lu Yan didn’t mind. He gave a slight nod and said plainly:

“Begin.”

With a wave of his sleeve, his hand—wreathed in dark mist—reached into the depths of the forbidden land.

Above the heavens, thick black mist began to churn, as if some primordial beast from the chaos of ancient times had awakened.

The sky twisted. Clouds tore apart, revealing the unfathomable abyss beyond.

That mass of black mist gradually condensed, forming a giant hand that blotted out the sun.

Each finger was wreathed in ominous shadows, and wherever the fingers passed, dark cracks tore through the air like rifts in reality.

The hand descended slowly, swallowing starlight, making even the moon tremble. The very air solidified under the weight of its power. The earth trembled. Mountains cowered like frightened beasts.

Where the palm fell, it seemed poised to obliterate the entire forbidden zone.

“Sigh…”

A long sigh echoed from the depths of the forbidden land.

In that instant, everyone present was overwhelmed by an indescribable sorrow. Their emotions were pulled into the depths of despair, and many unconsciously shed tears. A few even began to sob quietly.

“We seek merely a chance to live… Blood God, why must you press us so?”

Just as that terrifying giant hand was about to descend fully, the white mist within the forbidden zone began to boil.

Streams of mist surged skyward like awakened dragons, weaving and spiraling through the sky.

These misty threads carried an ancient, desolate will. At an impossible speed, they gathered together and formed another equally massive hand, which rose to meet the black one head-on.

Two colossal hands—one black, one white—clashed in midair.

One was filled with a greedy hunger to devour all. The other bore the weight of mountains, grounded and unyielding.

Their meeting ignited a brilliant light, black and white swirling together like two divine dragons locked in combat.

Shockwaves rippled outward. Mountains swayed. Ancient trees bent. Wave after wave of pressure crashed through the valleys.

The mists enshrouding Mount Beimang’s forbidden zone were blown away completely.

Everyone could now clearly see, beneath a craggy cliff inside the forbidden land, a massive bronze gate—weathered by countless ages—stood revealed.

“Enter!”

The Blood God’s command exploded in their ears like a divine decree, snapping them from their awe.

The joint exploration team immediately surged forward, racing toward the bronze gate.

“Mere human ants, how dare you violate my tomb!”

A furious roar thundered from above, shaking the skies.

Suddenly, within the swirling mist, a host of ancient battlefield souls emerged.

This was a legion from a bygone era. Their armor was battered and broken. Their fragmented souls still bore the stains of blood that hadn’t dried for a thousand years. Their mere presence exuded a chilling will to slaughter.

Rusting spears and tattered war banners loomed like ghosts within the fog, as if still guarding the tomb of old.

As the joint team entered the forbidden zone, the ancient battlefield souls turned to face them, and in that instant, a murderous pressure nearly shattered the resolve of everyone present.

The thirty elite operatives at the front, having undergone spiritual enhancement over the past days, had grown arrogant in their newfound power—three times the strength of an ordinary man.

Though repeatedly warned about the terror of these battlefield souls, they had believed they could handle it.

But just one glance—and their minds crumbled. The instant the souls charged, even escape was a luxury they could not afford.

Li Hao’s expression changed drastically. He shouted in panic:

“My lord! Please summon the ghost soldiers!”

“What’s the rush?” Lu Yan replied casually.

He drew his finger through the air. A spectral rift tore open before him.

Then, from the banner hidden in his sleeve, he summoned ghost soldiers from the Underworld, clad in black armor and wielding chains.

Their soul-locking chains whipped through the air like silver lightning, slashing across the misty sky.

On the opposite side, the ancient battlefield souls formed a cryptic formation. Tattered banners fluttered in the void, as if reenacting an eternal war.

Two supernatural armies faced off before the tomb, a suffocating pressure hanging in the air.

“Kill!”

With that single word, the Underworld’s ghost soldiers and the battlefield souls collided.

In terms of individual strength, the ghost soldiers held the advantage. Their soul-binding chains were natural counters, capable of dispersing souls with a single strike.

But the problem was—there were just too many battlefield souls.

From the roiling mists, another wave surged forward, including ghost generals riding skeletal warhorses, thundering into battle.

On the other hand, Lu Yan’s ghost army numbered only three hundred. Though superior in quality, they were slowly being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

“Ghost Wind!”

A shout rang out from the leading ghost soldier.

The ghost troops immediately formed a battle array. A howling gale surged from the depths of the earth, filled with the bone-piercing cold of the Nine Netherworlds.

Each stream of wind could tear through the soul, rip apart reality itself.

The battlefield souls staggered under the Ghost Wind. Their broken armor offered no protection, their ghostly forms beginning to disintegrate.

That seemingly endless tide of enemies was pushed back. Even the mountains eroded where the wind passed.

Seeing this, the team leader of the joint squad spotted an opening and yelled:

“Open the tomb!”

One of the elite members dashed forward, planting a charge at the bronze gate. He quickly rolled to the side.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, a massive hole was blasted open in the gate. The entire squad poured into the tomb through the breach.

As they vanished into the tomb, the battlefield souls outside howled in rage, but didn’t pursue. Instead, they locked into a tense standoff with the Underworld’s ghost army outside.

At that moment, a notification popped up on Lu Yan’s virtual interface.

【Version Mutation Progress: 75%】

(End of Chapter)