Buzz—
A faint wave of dizziness washed over him.
When Bai Jue opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a dim, cracked sky—like shattered glass stretched across the heavens. Below lay desolate land and ruined buildings, broken and abandoned.
An overwhelming sense of desolation filled the air.
At the same time, countless pitch-black, translucent figures drifted across the ground ahead of him.
They were the undead of this spatial gate.
They could also be called evil spirits—different names, but essentially the same existence.
Before Bai Jue could even fully take in his surroundings, black mist surged violently.
The moment he stepped into the spatial gate, a wraith lunged straight at him, letting out a shrill howl. Its crimson eyes burned fiercely as strands of black mist shot forward like tangled hair, wrapping toward him.
Bai Jue frowned.
Yinfire burst forth around his body, instantly incinerating the black strands. Then he swung his arm—yin energy condensed into a giant grasp, seizing the undead by the throat.
"Nie."
Bai Jue spoke calmly.
Behind him, Ghost Gate Pass manifested.
The Nie emerged sluggishly from within, its gaze dull and empty. Under the suppression of the Underworld Palace, it had already become Bai Jue's soldier—utterly loyal.
Bai Jue tossed the struggling undead forward.
"Eat it. That's today's rations."
"Gh—"
The Nie's lifeless eyes flickered with excitement. It snatched the undead, tore it apart, and swallowed it whole, chewing before gulping it down.
Its aura rose slightly.
One undead wasn't enough for a breakthrough—but its strength had still increased, if only by a sliver.
Bai Jue didn't mind.
He waved his hand, sending the Nie back, then looked across the land ahead. A smile tugged at his lips.
"This really is a good place. With so many undead around, it shouldn't be hard to raise that thing properly."
"That was… a Nie?"
Di Yao walked over, curiosity in her eyes.
"Yes. I got it by chance."
Bai Jue nodded and briefly explained how he'd obtained it, along with what Si Kong Xi had warned him about earlier.
Di Yao didn't seem bothered at all. She hopped over and casually patted Bai Jue on the shoulder.
"Relax. Just a bunch of rats. With your teacher here, nothing's going to happen to you."
"Haha, then I'll be relying on you, Teacher."
Bai Jue laughed.
"Obviously. Alright, let's go—your training starts now."
Di Yao sucked on her lollipop leisurely. After a moment's thought, she reached into the air and pulled out a book, tossing it to Bai Jue.
"Here. I'll teach you scythe techniques later, but close-combat skills are something you must master too. This one's rare—came from a spatial gate. Training it also boosts physical strength."
Bai Jue took the book.
On the cover were four bold characters:
Deadly Combat Arts
He flipped through it once.
Then closed it.
The contents were already engraved in his mind.
"Got it memorized?" Di Yao asked.
"Yeah."
"Good. Then let's go. I'll take you to a nice spot—used to train there myself."
A sly smile curved Di Yao's lips as she took the lead.
Bai Jue followed.
They traveled forward, passing through charred forests. Not long after, they reached a mountainous region where the ground was scorched black.
Di Yao glanced around, then walked to a tree and dug into the soil.
Soon, her face lit up with excitement.
"You buried treasure here or something?" Bai Jue asked, his mouth twitching.
"What treasure? This is something I left behind earlier. Good stuff."
She grinned at him expectantly.
"Let me warn you first—once I use this, you'll be fighting. A lot of undead will come here. You'll have to fight alone. No summoning Yin Officers or ghosts. Best if you use the combat art I just gave you."
"…What is that thing?" Bai Jue narrowed his eyes.
"Something that attracts undead?"
"Hehe, right on the money."
Di Yao laughed, then suddenly sprang backward, leaping several meters in one bound and landing atop a tree.
She opened the box in her hand, took out a short black incense stick, flicked her fingers—
A black flame ignited.
She lit the incense.
Thin wisps of smoke drifted outward, spreading in all directions.
Bai Jue's body tensed instantly.
Danger Sense activated.
A vision flashed through his mind.
When Bai Jue saw it, his face turned pale.
"…What the hell is this?"
In the vision—
From a bird's-eye view, dense waves of black shadows were surging toward him.
Undead.
Almost every undead within a ten-kilometer radius was rushing this way.
Their eyes burned crimson.
This wasn't a matter of hundreds.
It was thousands.
Tens of thousands.
"You trained like this before?"
Bai Jue stared at Di Yao in disbelief.
"Yup."
She nodded cheerfully, lollipop still in her mouth.
"Hang in there, Xiao Bai. If you really can't take it, I'll step in. Don't worry."
As her words fell—
Boom—boom—boom—
Powerful auras erupted in the distance.
Bai Jue looked up.
A black horizon was rolling toward him like a tidal wave.
The undead swarm had arrived.
He took a deep breath. His eyes flickered sharply.
Strangely enough, despite the overwhelming numbers, he felt no fear.
Only excitement.
"Come on."
A grin spread across Bai Jue's face.
His blood seemed to boil.
Yinfire surged violently, cloaking his entire body in dark flames.
"Ghh—"
"Blood…"
"Food…"
"Such a delicious scent…"
"Eat him—"
The undead shrieked as they reached him, clawing forward with razor-sharp spectral talons.
"Get lost!"
Bai Jue roared.
He threw a punch.
Yinfire exploded outward.
Piercing shrieks filled the air.
With a single strike, several undead were reduced to nothing—burned away completely, leaving not even fragments behind.
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