As the ghostly street scenes continued to flicker around them, and the massive, eerie wraith in midair kept devouring evil spirits, nearly every student present felt a wave of fear rise in their hearts.
None of them had ever experienced—let alone witnessed—such a situation.
Within the ghost realm, as the sinister aura intensified, the surrounding air turned colder and colder.
And this wasn’t just some mild discomfort.
Most of the students, dressed lightly for training, were now facing temperatures that had already dropped below five degrees Celsius.
If this continued, the temperature might soon plummet below freezing.
Worse still, the gloom and oppressive energy kept gnawing at everyone’s mental state.
Some students had already begun to shiver—whether from the cold or fear, it was unclear.
Su Nan furrowed his brows.
Behind him, the three girls—Tu Suya, Mu Qing, and Luo Feixuan—stood close, visibly tense.
“What do we do now?”
Tu Suya whispered.
“This doesn’t look good at all.”
“That was likely a mutation from the Bronze Gate,” Mu Qing said softly.
“The mutation must’ve activated another hidden layer of the secret realm.”
“But this newly awakened layer… isn’t something we’re equipped to handle.”
Hearing that, Su Nan’s brows tightened further.
He glanced back at the girls and said quietly…
“We can’t stay here. Let’s move!”
Without another word, he took the lead and headed toward the outer edge of the ghost realm.
From what he could see, the ghost realm stretched about a kilometer wide.
If they could exit its boundary, they might be able to lessen its effects.
But just as Su Nan was about to guide the three girls out, the mutation struck again.
The floating spirit in midair let out a piercing, soul-shattering wail.
At the same moment, countless evil spirits descended from the skies, reappearing among the students.
Without any warning, the battle resumed.
Su Nan’s eyes narrowed.
He activated Fist Flash, instantly vaporizing one of the incoming spirits into a cloud of black mist.
Looking around, he saw that most of his fellow students were once again caught in desperate combat.
He couldn’t abandon them.
Without hesitation, Su Nan dove back into the fray.
Fist Flash crackled through the air as he relentlessly struck down the surrounding ghosts.
These C- and B-level evil spirits had already lost some of their power after being partially absorbed by the giant wraith.
Combined with thunder’s natural suppression effect on them, they stood no chance against Su Nan.
One by one, they dissolved into nothingness.
Leading the three girls, Su Nan fought his way back toward the larger group of students.
“Stay with them!” he called back to the trio before charging off again.
The three girls exchanged a quick glance.
They knew exactly what Su Nan intended.
Their current combat strength didn’t match his.
If they insisted on staying by his side, they’d only become a burden.
So instead, they joined the others, standing shoulder to shoulder with their classmates to resist the ghostly onslaught.
Su Nan broke away and rushed toward a nearby corner of the battlefield, where he spotted another small group of students being surrounded and overpowered by evil spirits.
He raced forward at lightning speed, the spirits around him vaporized by arcs of thunder before they could even touch him.
Soon, he reached the group.
“Quick! This way!” he shouted.
The students turned, recognized Su Nan, and their faces lit up with hope.
They quickly followed behind him as he led them safely back to the main group.
Once they were safe, Su Nan turned to check the battlefield—only to freeze when he saw a familiar, graceful silhouette among the swarming ghosts.
That figure was unmistakable—it was none other than Senior Sister Mu Chuxian!
At that moment, she had already assumed her Ghost Empress form.
Her blood-red dress stood out vividly amidst the sea of spirits, and her beauty—inhumanly breathtaking—radiated a bewitching charm capable of stealing souls.
Yet beneath that allure lay terrifying strength.
Mu Chuxian moved effortlessly among the spirits, ghostly energy flowing from her hands as she annihilated entire groups of evil spirits and wraiths in an instant.
Without a second thought, Su Nan surged toward her.
Thunder arced around his body as he struck down any ghost blocking his path.
In moments, he reached Mu Chuxian’s side.
“Senior Sister!”
She, sensing his familiar energy, turned to him and gave him a seductive smile.
Her pupils shimmered with an eerie red glow.
“Little Junior.”
As she spoke, her hands moved again, blasting apart another wave of evil spirits with ease.
Standing back-to-back, Su Nan and Mu Chuxian fought side by side, their powers complementing each other perfectly.
The weakened spirits posed no threat to them and were swiftly wiped out.
Before long, the area around them was completely cleared.
Su Nan exhaled deeply and looked over at her.
“Senior Sister, what are you doing here?”
“The mutation from the Bronze Gate has caused a fusion between secret realms,” Mu Chuxian answered calmly, as if it were all expected.
“Beneath this school you were training in lies a thousand-year-old burial ground.”
“The mutation has awakened the resentful spirits buried within. Their fury now threatens to spill into the real world. If that happens, these ghosts will wreak havoc.”
“As the Ghost Empress, it’s my responsibility to eliminate them.”
Hearing this, Su Nan frowned.
Mu Chuxian continued, her eyes shifting toward a nearby forest shrouded in ghostly mist.
“Moreover, I’ve sensed a very unusual energy over there.”
Su Nan looked in the same direction and felt an ominous chill rise in his chest.
“Don’t get involved, Junior,” Mu Chuxian said with a soft smile.
“I’ll handle it.”
Then, in the blink of an eye, she vanished into the dense, foggy forest.
Watching her disappear alone into such danger, Su Nan’s heart twisted.
Even though he knew she was far stronger than he was…
“Damn this chivalrous male pride!” he cursed, gritting his teeth.
Without hesitation, he dashed after her.
But after just a few steps, Mu Chuxian’s figure was gone—completely swallowed by the mist.
Just then, pillars of radiant light suddenly burst from the plaza in the distance.
Several powerful figures emerged from them, slamming down with devastating energy.
The moment they appeared, the surrounding evil spirits were annihilated in a blast of force, dispersing into black smoke.
“It’s Teacher Guan!”
“Teacher Si Wenle!”