Chapter 958 - Wraiths

The appearance of the Dragon Pearl ignited a frenzy among the crowd. They had missed the mysterious scroll, and they wouldn't let the Dragon Pearl slip through their fingers this time.

More cultivators began pouring into the mountain from outside when they discovered the entrance at dawn.

The Dragon Pearl contained the essence of the dragon clan. Each dragon could only form one pearl in their lifetime, similar to the beast cores in the bodies of profound beasts.

The Dragon Pearl resembled a beast core, but it stood on an entirely different level than those found in profound beasts. It shimmered with shifting colors as it hovered before Gu Yu.

At that moment, the surrounding cultivators made their move. They lunged toward the treasure without any hesitation, putting their lives at risk. Dozens of cultivators attacked at once, charging at the pearl.

"You're all courting death!" Liu Wuxie had already been prepared for this. The moment they moved, he unleashed a storm of blade auras with the Heretic Blade.

One by one, corpses fell and littered the ground.

Liu Wuxie's attacks weren't limited to the Heretic Blade. He also followed up with Spatial Dao Art to lock down the surrounding space.

Seizing the time Liu Wuxie bought for him, Gu Yu grabbed the Dragon Pearl and placed it into a specially prepared wooden box, designed to contain its energy and prevent any leakage.

After securing the Dragon Pearl, Gu Yu retreated.

All of a sudden, several experts who had been lurking in the shadows sprang into action. They moved with astonishing speed and struck with deadly precision.

Caught off guard, Gu Yu was moments from being slain.

Liu Wuxie sneered. "Do you think I didn't see you hiding?"

He had been watching them all along, and no one could hide from him, even if they concealed their aura.

"Die!" Liu Wuxie executed the Frost Dao Art, which formed into a towering wall of ice between Gu Yu and the attackers.

He followed up with a flurry of ice arrows that shot from the ground, piercing the ambushers where they stood.

As the arrows struck, frost bloomed across their bodies, sealing them in crystal-clear ice and turning them into frozen sculptures in an instant. Everything took place in the blink of an eye, and more than half of those who attacked were dead.

There were only five or six who managed to survive when they retreated in time.

Gu Yu handed the Dragon Pearl to Liu Wuxie when he returned. He knew he was too weak to protect it, and it was safer with the latter.

After Liu Wuxie killed over thirty cultivators, the remaining lurkers recoiled in fear, not daring to move.

Liu Wuxie received the wooden box from Gu Yu.

He planned to use the pearl's laws to refine both artifacts simultaneously. With its power, the Heavenly Dragon Seal and the Dragon Clan Scepter could undergo transformation.

More cultivators flocked into the mountain and began searching the underground palace, but their efforts yielded little. The dragon clan had emptied the place long ago.

As for the mysterious scroll, perhaps only the Dragon King knew about its existence. But the Dragon Pearl was probably hidden by young dragons during playtime.

When fleeing, the dragons had left some things behind in their haste—like the Dragon Pearl hidden in this palace.

Liu Wuxie circled the Retreat Palace with Gu Yu before they headed for the Punishment Palace.

Those who arrived later gritted their teeth when they learned that Liu Wuxie had retrieved the mysterious scroll and the Dragon Pearl. Some of them had even witnessed how Liu Wuxie had monopolized the four seasonal treasures.

"I'll kill that brat!" growled a cultivator at the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm as he looked at Liu Wuxie's back.

"Let's follow him. We can't let him claim everything." The underground palace was now teeming with hundreds of people, all trailing behind Liu Wuxie. They hoped to use Liu Wuxie to unearth more treasures.

When the time was right, they would gang up and kill him.

"Big Brother, those people following behind us reek of ill intent," Gu Yu said in a grim tone.

The people trailing them hadn't even bothered to conceal their murderous intent. Their intentions of using them were obvious.

"They're nothing more than a disorganized mob. There's nothing to worry about," Liu Wuxie replied. He didn't take them seriously.

They came from different factions. Though they appeared united on the surface, Liu Wuxie knew better; the moment a treasure appeared, their fragile alliance would crumble.

He had seen it happen too many times.

Even if they were united, he wasn't afraid. As long as there was no one at the Earth Profound Realm, numbers meant nothing to him.

The pair passed through the narrow tunnel and were greeted by a cold breeze, causing Liu Wuxie and Gu Yu's hair to stand on end.

"This place gives me creeps," Gu Yu muttered, gripping the Dragon Clan Scepter tightly.

The deeper they went into the Punishment Palace, the colder it became. The haunting whispers from the wind passing through the cracks also sent chills down everyone's spines.

"This is where sinful dragons were locked up." Liu Wuxie said, "When this world was facing destruction, and the dragon clan fled, the sinful dragons were left to die. So, it's not surprising that resentment has accumulated here."

Over time, the resentment of sinful dragons had condensed into invisible negative energy. The negative energy would erode the soul-seas of those with a weak will, driving them insane.

"It's hard to believe that the draconic laws were this harsh," Gu Yu muttered.

Humans were always given a chance to change and redeem themselves if they committed a crime, but dragons who committed it would face a lifetime of imprisonment. It was no wonder the draconic laws were the model throughout the three thousand worlds.

When they exited the tunnel, they could hear the clattering of chains. A massive crevice stretched before them, wind howling as it surged through the gap. Over countless years, the crack had widened, worn by relentless erosion.

"What a terrifying place!" Gu Yu tensed up at the sight of the Punishment Palace.

Chains were hanging from the surrounding walls, implying that at least dozens of dragons were imprisoned there. The chains once shackled them, left to roar in agony every day.

Spikes anchored the other ends of the chains, designed to burrow into the dragons' scapulas if they so much as tried to escape.

At the center stood the Dragon Beheading Platform, where the most heinous dragons were beheaded. From the marks on the platform, it was evident that dragons were indeed beheaded on the platform in the past.

It was horrifying to think that noble dragons were executed in this place.

The Punishment Palace stretched a thousand meters wide, enough to confine ten dragons at once. Apart from the chains and the platform, there was nothing else there.

As more cultivators arrived, they began scouring the area for clues. The chains had long rusted. These chains were once priceless treasures, but they were worthless now.

The eerie wind gushed in, trailing down their necks like cold water that felt chilling and uncomfortable.

However, the ghostly wails had faded slightly—perhaps they all had adapted to the environment.

This place was cold and damp, lacking any luminous pearls to illuminate the surroundings. The only source of light was the dim lighting from the crevice, just enough for everyone to make out the surroundings.

Old and weathered stone slabs covered the ground; many of them were cracked and damaged.

However, the cultivators didn't give up and began flipping through the slabs, hoping to uncover any hidden treasures.

Liu Wuxie watched with a frown, but he had no reason to stop them, as this place had no owner.

Even after flipping through the slabs, no one managed to find anything. This naturally left them frustrated as they turned to hack at the walls.

Sparks flew as their weapons struck the walls, revealing strange runes that flickered and distorted.

A bizarre voice echoed in the Punishment Palace shortly after, and Liu Wuxie received a warning from the Heavenly Dao Book that danger was approaching.

"Gu Yu, guard your primordial spirit and keep your eyes shut at all costs!" Liu Wuxie's voice rang out in Gu Yu's ears.

Gu Yu didn't hesitate to shut his eyes and focused on guarding his primordial spirit.

Suddenly, an eerie wind swept into the Punishment Palace, but it didn't come through the crevice this time. The wind came from the surrounding walls as it spiraled and lingered in the hall.

"ARGHHHHH..."

"HEHEHEHE..."

Eerie cries echoed through the Punishment Palace, sounding like wailing ghosts drifting through the halls. These were wraiths, born of sinful dragons' resentment, lingering in the Punishment Palace for countless years after death.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" a youth screamed and summoned his sword, slashing his own throat.

Under the wraiths' influence, his mind had shattered, and he had lost control of his body. More people followed suit—some stripped off their clothes to dance, and some turned on each other with their weapons drawn.

Chaos erupted in the Punishment Palace, and only those near the entrance managed to flee in time to escape the crisis.

Only Liu Wuxie stood firm on the Dragon Beheading Platform while Gu Yu trembled behind him. Liu Wuxie could feel him shuddering under the wraiths' assault.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

If he couldn't guard his primordial spirit, his dao heart would shatter even if he survived. If his dao heart shattered, Gu Yu would never be able to progress in cultivation again.

Liu Wuxie summoned the Heavenly Dao Book, which released a radiance to shield both of them. When the wraiths came in contact with the sacred light, they were repelled and couldn't get any closer.

However, those in the surroundings weren't so lucky.

Several cultivators at the peak of the Spirit Profound Realm sat cross-legged, frantically circulating their cultivation techniques to protect their primordial spirits.

Even though the pain eased, Gu Yu still didn't dare to open his eyes. He started hallucinating when the wraiths approached him. He saw the illusion of his parents' deaths and his grandfather walking toward him, drenched in blood.

If not for Liu Wuxie's warning, he would've opened his eyes and charged at the hallucinations.

More formless wraiths drifted through the Punishment Palace, unable to touch but still deadly. If they didn't do something soon, it was only a matter of time before their primordial spirits were overwhelmed.