“Just follow me.”
Mu Chuxian gave Su Nan a faint smile before turning to walk ahead.
Su Nan immediately followed.
Due to the overlapping of two secret realms, the dense forest was filled with tombs, shrouded in perpetual ghost mist that constantly steamed and churned — truly a place steeped in deathly yin energy.
A bright moon hung high in the sky.
Yet, again and again, dark clouds rolled in, covering the moon completely and plunging the surroundings into pitch blackness.
Only the eerie blue glow emanating from the tombs offered illumination, making the scene all the more chilling.
Even with a body of pure yang and unyielding vitality, Su Nan felt deeply uncomfortable in such a yin-heavy place.
Following behind Mu Chuxian, the two continued deeper in.
They encountered few wraiths or evil spirits, and those that appeared were swiftly eliminated by their combined efforts.
After walking a considerable distance, Mu Chuxian stopped before a particular tomb.
Su Nan stepped forward beside her, frowning slightly.
The tomb before them was clearly larger than the others.
A crumbling, broken gravestone had long fallen to the ground, the name on it eroded and unreadable.
The tomb was in a state of disrepair, with wild grass growing in patches, and a faintly glowing blue mist occasionally rising from it.
“This is the resting place of a heroic soul,” Mu Chuxian said softly.
“They were buried here hundreds — perhaps even over a thousand — years ago.”
Su Nan frowned slightly, remaining silent.
Standing before the tomb, he felt the surrounding chill lessen slightly, as if even the cold air respected this place.
In the face of a tomb holding the remains of a hero from centuries past, a subtle reverence rose in his heart.
Though he didn’t know what feats this heroic soul had accomplished, to be recognized by a ghost king as a heroic soul was no small matter.
“What should I do?”
Su Nan asked softly after a moment of silence.
“I had originally planned to forcibly awaken it myself.”
Mu Chuxian said calmly.
“But since you’re here, little junior…”
“Use your body of pure yang to stir the heroic soul’s energy within the tomb. See if it responds.”
Su Nan nodded slightly.
He then activated the full extent of his internal strength, letting his surging life force expand to its peak.
Instantly, a faint golden light began to radiate from his body.
As soon as the light emerged, the ghost mist around him dispersed, leaving a clear area of several meters around him.
Even the faint blue glow hovering above the tomb was dispelled completely, vanishing without a trace.
With narrowed eyes, Su Nan pushed his physique to the limit.
He took a step forward and gently pressed his palm against the tomb.
He said nothing.
At this moment, his heart was filled with pure respect for the heroic soul.
Whether or not the summoning succeeded didn’t change his reverence for the fallen warrior.
Very soon, Su Nan felt a faint pulse of energy returning from the tomb.
His pure yang power surged into the burial mound, resonating with something within — something that seemed to respond to his energy.
A few seconds later, a faint shadow slowly drifted up from the top of the tomb.
The shadow glowed weakly, its features obscured, revealing only a vague silhouette.
But Su Nan could clearly sense the energy emanating from it — perfectly in tune with his own.
He rose to his feet, just about to speak, when the shadow suddenly rushed forward and entered his body.
In an instant, a tremendous surge of power exploded within him.
His aura skyrocketed — he felt as if he had endless strength.
“Young warrior…”
A voice rang out in Su Nan’s mind.
“I sense the arrival of a terrible ghost.”
“I died long ago. Only my will remains in this world.”
“I now offer every last shred of that will to you — to help you slay these devils, and bring peace back to the world!”
As the voice faded, another wave of golden light surged into Su Nan’s body, sending a powerful jolt through his spirit.
“Senior…”
Su Nan could clearly sense the heroic soul’s resolve — his burning desire to wipe out evil even in death.
“Hurry — your boost is temporary, it won’t last long!”
Mu Chuxian’s voice called out urgently:
“Go now!”
Su Nan didn’t hesitate for even a second.
He turned and dashed straight toward the plaza.
His body radiated a raging aura of pure yang energy.
As he moved, the ghost mist along his path was instantly vaporized — not a trace remained.
Su Nan moved with incredible speed, his entire figure transformed into a golden streak of light heading toward the battlefield.
***
At the plaza.
Yang Ningbing stood just a few meters away from the SS-class wraith, her forehead beaded with sweat and her breathing heavy.
In contrast, the wraith bore only a few minor wounds — some bled, but none were fatal.
During her battle with the wraith, the ghost king had not lifted a finger — simply watching from the sidelines with a cold smile.
As if the whole battle were nothing more than entertainment, completely unrelated to him.
When Yang Ningbing occasionally managed to wound the SS-class wraith, the ghost king even clapped and cheered, encouraging her as if she were some amusing performer.
“You’re quite strong, human.”
The ghost king looked at the clearly exhausted Yang Ningbing.
“How about becoming my servant? I’ll take you to conquer the world — you’ll stand above millions.”
Yang Ningbing stood tall and firm like an unyielding pine tree.
She glanced at the ghost king with disdain and replied with a cold smile:
“Keep dreaming.”
The ghost king’s grin twisted into a sinister sneer.
“You refuse a toast? Then you’re of no more use to me.”
“I’m bored of playing with you anyway. I’ll kill you, then go find something else to amuse myself.”
He didn’t attack himself.
Instead, he pointed a single finger.
The SS-class wraith, as if receiving a command, let out a thunderous roar and lunged at Yang Ningbing once more.
Her eyes narrowed sharply.
She raised her glowing sword and charged head-on.
A flash of green light — her blade turned into a blur and stabbed forward.
The wraith let out a shriek and swung its massive claw down toward her.
Yang Ningbing dodged swiftly, narrowly avoiding the strike.
But the sheer size of the wraith made it difficult to close the distance without risking being crushed.
She had analyzed it perfectly: this wraith was SS-class in melee, but slightly inferior to S-class in ranged combat.
To truly defeat it, she had to engage in close combat.
And now, with no one to back her up, she was the only line of defense left — the final hope of all the students and teachers.
If she fell, the ghost king would no doubt unleash the SS-class wraith to massacre everyone from Tianlan Academy.
Gritting her teeth, Yang Ningbing dodged again, then lunged forward with a fierce shout.
Her sword burst into glowing light, slicing directly at the SS-class wraith.
At that moment—
From the distance—
A radiant golden light surged toward them like a shooting star.