Chapter 608 - 416: Ghost Cultivator

Beneath the stone wall, the vine’s root system was incredibly developed. It snaked through the subterranean black earth, stretching as far as a thousand zhang. Its fine rootlets were embedded deep within the black earth, and from the way they were spread out, they seemed to be absorbing something from it.

To Fang Qingyuan’s delight, after he painstakingly pushed his Divine Sense deep into the black earth and completely enveloped the vine’s root system, he sensed a faint flicker of life from a particularly thick section of the roots.

Evidently, the vine was not completely dead. Even though the main body above the roots had entirely withered, the tendrils buried deep in the black earth had maintained a dormant spark of life, even after ten thousand years.

This was characteristic of vine-type plants: the main body might be lifeless, but it would leave behind a spark of vitality, waiting for the right moment to sprout once more.

And so, with a surge of inner joy, Fang Qingyuan silently circulated his vast Divine Sense and began to exert its power.

From within the boundless, viscous black earth, a faint, rumbling tremor could be heard. In that brief moment, the finest rootlets a thousand zhang away and the main roots closest to him all quivered in unison.

Fang Qingyuan wrapped his Divine Sense around every single rootlet, slowly peeling away the clinging black earth.

Even Qiqi and Jinbao, waiting outside the stone chamber, sensed the commotion.

"Did you hear that? The ground is shaking!"

Qiqi’s expression changed as she turned to Jinbao. But Jinbao had already received Fang Qingyuan’s instructions mentally. It spread its arms and began to explain with a series of chirps and squeaks.

Upon hearing Jinbao’s explanation, Qiqi’s face filled with shock. Fang Qingyuan was the one causing this disturbance.

At that moment, Fang Qingyuan had no spare mental energy to worry about what Qiqi thought. With his Divine Sense attached to thousands of rootlets, he had to focus completely on the task of uprooting them.

Half a day later, Fang Qingyuan calmly walked out of the stone chamber, though his expression was tinged with exhaustion.

"Let’s go to the next chamber."

Fang Qingyuan took the lead, with Jinbao happily trailing behind. Only Qiqi wore a complicated expression. She opened her mouth as if to ask something, but then the Confusion Insect’s previous warning surfaced in her mind: ’Don’t be nosy.’ So she silently closed her mouth and followed them, looking dejected.

The second stone chamber, however, was completely empty. Even after Fang Qingyuan had Jinbao use its Divine Techniques again, they found nothing out of the ordinary.

So, the man and two beasts headed straight for the third stone chamber. The scene inside, however, left Fang Qingyuan astonished.

It was a vast space, like being inside a giant, transparent glass dome. Here, the normally viscous black earth was as clear as a running stream, allowing one to see right through it.

Several miles ahead in Fang Qingyuan’s line of sight, buried deep within the black earth, was a distinct sphere made of bone, held fast under immense pressure.

Surrounding this bone sphere were numerous other skeletons, lying silently beneath the black earth. Among them were the remains of human Cultivators and various giant monstrous beasts.

This place was an observation chamber, allowing one to see the things absorbed into the black earth. The design was likely intended to observe the remains of the Ink Flood Dragon, but now it had become an observation post for the Black Earth Cemetery.

Fang Qingyuan stared intently at the bone sphere. ’If the Ghost Cultivator is truly here in the black earth, then that sphere must be its prison.’

Finally seeing his target, Fang Qingyuan felt a little more at ease. Everything had been smooth sailing so far, with no danger whatsoever. ’I hope it stays that way. No surprises, please.’

’I can ignore the bones of the other Cultivators and beasts for now,’ he thought. ’Those dead things aren’t going anywhere. The mission comes first.’

He recalled what Tu Wuzhao had said: the Ghost Cultivator’s strength back in its prime was at the Golden Core Perfection Realm. Compared to his own Fifth-Layer Golden Core, there was a gap of only four layers on the surface, but the actual difference in combat strength was at least two or three-fold.

Of course, that comparison was for an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator, and Fang Qingyuan did not consider himself ordinary. Still, this was his first time fighting a Ghost Cultivator. Even if his opponent had been trapped for sixty years, he remained on high alert.

Right now, the enemy was hidden while he was exposed. Fang Qingyuan still had plenty of time to strategize.

"Qiqi, what do you make of this?" Fang Qingyuan asked, his eyes still fixed on the scene ahead.

Qiqi also stared at the bone sphere. After pondering for a few moments, she said:

"This is a terrible place for a fight. The black earth absorbs everything. Without powerful Earth Element Divine Techniques, you probably can’t even get close to that Bone Prison. My advice is to take a psychological approach."

"Explain."

"Imagine being imprisoned here for sixty years, just slowly waiting to fade away. The thought alone is suffocating. Only a Ghost Cultivator could endure such loneliness. If we offer to rescue it now, I’m sure it won’t refuse—as long as it’s still sane. In exchange for saving it, we can make it submit to our control and lay down a few ground rules. I’m guessing it would agree."

Qiqi subconsciously licked her lips. Fang Qingyuan noticed that her pink tongue had tiny barbs on it, and that she had a habit of licking her lips whenever she was nervous.

"Words are less persuasive than force. We’ll try diplomacy before violence, but we’ll be ready to rely on violence."

Fang Qingyuan set the tone. An existence like a Ghost Cultivator, which regards life as worthless, would only be convinced by strength.

The next question, then, was how to communicate with the Ghost Cultivator inside the bone cage. At this thought, Fang Qingyuan waved a banner in his hand and released an Earth-Drinking Dragon Worm.

Looking at the long, narrow Dragon Worm—one zhang in length and as wide as four fingers—Fang Qingyuan felt a flicker of nostalgia. This Earth-Drinking Dragon Worm was a Spirit Beast he had raised in the mines of Yuanling Mountain back in his Qi Cultivation Stage. He had taken a few to raise inside his Immortal Mansion to till the soil of the Spiritual Land. After so long, the Earth-Drinking Dragon Worms had become a common, ordinary part of the Immortal Mansion’s ecosystem.