Just as something major was happening in the cemetery, a middle-aged daoist silently entered the white mist.
He was the Chief Enforcer of the Infatuation Daoist Temple, the number two figure in the Infatuation Daoist Temple, a true great sage of Daoism. There were very few cultivators with seniority higher than his, and even fewer with a higher cultivation realm. He was a true big shot of this world world. But even he furrowed his brows when he entered the white mist.
The white mist was very strange.
Ordinary cultivators who entered it would lose all their cultivation, becoming ordinary mortals. When the Sublime Bright Sect discovered this ancient ruin, they sent many people in to investigate. Among those people included the previous Sublime Bright Sect Master. But even he would lose all his cultivation when he entered.
When the middle-aged daoist entered, he immediately could not detect all the qi within his body. He had cultivated for many years, possessing a profound cultivation realm, and was well-versed in various daoist techniques. However, it seemed that there was no way to prevent this from happening.
But he was not an ordinary cultivator.
He quickly took out an oiled-paper umbrella and opened it. As he did so, the surrounding white mist seemed to be suppressed by something, scattering in all directions, which was quite strange.
When he held up this oiled-paper umbrella, the middle-aged daoist felt much better.
He walked into the white mist with an ordinary expression, as if he were just taking a leisurely stroll.
But in reality, if someone were to see the oiled-paper umbrella in his hand, they might experience a myriad of complex emotions.
As the leader of Daoism, the Infatuation Daoist Temple had a deep foundation. There were naturally countless world-shaking magic artifacts in the temple. The oiled-paper umbrella in the hands of this daoist was one of them.
The white mist that troubled countless cultivators seemed to temporarily yield before this oiled-paper umbrella.
"This might be an ancient formation, but where's the formation eye?" The middle-aged daoist walked toward the depths of the white mist, speaking softly as he walked.
The existence of the white mist had puzzled Sublime Bright Sect for many years, but in the eyes of this middle-aged daoist, it was as if he instantly understood the past and present of this white mist.
This was the greatest difference between the Infatuation Daoist Temple and the Sublime Bright Sect.
The middle-aged daoist held up the umbrella and continued walking deeper into the white mist. Soon, he arrived at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a valley. In this valley, the white mist was even denser, making it hard for him to see clearly.
"Not here."
The mist in this area was thicker. Others might have mistaken it for the location of the formation eye. However, the middle-aged daoist was very clear that this was not.
He turned and walked towards the distance. After an unknown amount of time, he arrived at another cliff.
A scripture passage was engraved on that cliff. However, the characters were not the writing currently used in the world. The middle-aged daoist recalled the Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures he had read before and realized that it was not the same kind of characters. He also remembered many daoist scriptures he had read within the Infatuation Daoist Temple and concluded that it was not one of those writings either.
The middle-aged daoist murmured, "Not here."
After reaching this conclusion, the middle-aged daoist smiled slightly.
A white sheet of paper floated in the air. He looked at the inscriptions on the cliff, and some cinnabar ink appeared in the air. He dipped his fingers in it and began drawing in the air. Soon, many characters appeared on the white paper, exactly matching the inscriptions on the cliff.
Soon, the paper was full of words.
The middle-aged daoist reached out and held the sheet of paper, then his figure disappeared with a flash.
It turned out that within this white mist, he still possessed his cultivation.
……
……
More and more cultivators died in the cemetery. Now, there were not many left.
Those who remained were disciples of major sects, relying on the magic artifacts from their sects to persevere.
Chen Chao had silently approached the skeleton in the center, but he was quickly discovered.
The skeleton looked at Chen Chao and then made extremely obscure and incomprehensible syllables.
But this time, Chen Chao understood.
It meant to stop him.
Several white skeletons immediately surrounded him.
They held war swords in their hands and swung them down towards Chen Chao.
Chen Chao had no intention of getting tangled in battle with them. He knocked one of the skeletons aside barbarically and continued running forward.
As the skeleton was pushed aside, Chen Chao felt a sharp pain, but he did not stop.
"Stop them if you guys don't want to die!"
Chen Chao shouted loudly without looking back as he continued running ahead.
He was naturally addressing the surviving cultivators. Although many cultivators had already died, and they were struggling to hold on as well, not knowing when they would meet their end, hearing these words at this moment boosted their spirits.
They knew what Chen Chao wanted to do, and they also understood that it might be their only chance at survival.
But the problem was... Was Chen Chao not their enemy?
Many times, enemies could become friends.
As the saying goes, there were no eternal friends in this world, only eternal interests.
However, it remained to be seen if this saying applied in this situation.
Nevertheless, some cultivators began to move.
When the skeletons chased after Chen Chao, one of the cultivators threw several green talismans. In an instant, countless vines sprouted from those talismans and entwined around the skeletons.
These vines might not necessarily trap the skeletons, but they could at least buy some time.
In the blink of an eye, several other cultivators threw talismans or used their magic artifacts, each employing their own methods to clear a path for Chen Chao.
They wanted to ensure that the young martial artist in front of them could reach the white skeleton.
It was not a sudden change of heart, they simply did not want to die.
There would always be a purpose behind actions, such as digging up the graves earlier, and wanting to kill Chen Chao too. Now, there was a purpose behind helping Chen Chao too.
Chen Chao had miscalculated before, but this time, he was right.
He cleaved through a skeleton with a single strike and finally reached that seemingly ordinary white skeleton.
However, reaching this place had expended a great deal of his energy. His mental state was not good, and his complexion was extremely pale.
The white mist not only suppressed the cultivators' cultivation levels but also had other effects.
They could not stay in it for long. The cultivators here grew weaker with each passing second.
Without hesitation, Chen Chao poured the entire bottle of pills into his mouth, chewing and swallowing them without delay.
Many people had died, resulting in a surplus of medicinal pills. Chen Chao took a lot of them, so he was not worried. If it were not for knowing that consuming more would not help, he might have swallowed not just one bottle but countless bottles at this time.
His condition improved slightly. Presumably, the medicine had taken effect. But, Chen Chao's brows knitted tightly.
Because the white skeleton in front of him was just looking at him quietly, without making any moves or attempting to escape.
Chen Chao could shatter the other skeletons, and they were not considered too terrifying. If the white skeleton in front of him was the same as the others, then its fate would be the same.
But it did not move, which told Chen Chao that it was different.
Chen Chao looked into the faint green light in its eyes and fell silent.
Because within those eerie green glows, he saw human emotions.
To be precise, these skeletons were indeed humans, or at least they once were.
Chen Chao said very seriously, "They are guilty, but I am not."
There were likely few who understood Chen Chao well. But if that extraordinary young girl were here, she would definitely know that Chen Chao's decision to speak instead of taking direct action meant he was not feeling confident.
If he were confident, he would not waste a moment; he would strike with his saber or attack with his fists, which would be the right course of action.
The white skeleton looked at him, and there was some emotion within the green light.
It seemed to be a faint mockery.
Chen Chao understood. Its meaning was, "You're no different from them."
Chen Chao said, "They dug up graves, I did not. I was just passing by."
The emotions in the white skeleton's eyes remained unchanged.
Chen Chao stopped talking.
Since he could not convince him, there was no need to speak further.
He gripped the broken saber and slashed down towards the front with force.
It did not want to let him leave, so for the sake of survival, he had to shatter it.
Or kill it.
Even if it had already died once.
Why could it not die again?
