The atmosphere of the group after riding a phoenix was still rather stiff.

Alex rubbed his head and slanted his eyes.

​​

"Are we not going in? The phoenix said this was the place with the highest concentration of yin qi."

Zhen Hong coughed and nodded, "Y-yes, Sir Alex, let's go in."

The two others awkwardly nodded.

Following that, they sneakily wriggled into the cave.

The cave was pitch-black, and although it wasn't a problem for Alex, the same couldn't be said for the others.

Fortunately, the yin qi in the air made Zhen Hong's talisman emanate a bright red-ish light that somewhat illuminated the cave.

As they walked deeper and deeper into the cave, they noticed they were also going downhill.

The passage was also getting rather uneven and rough, as sharp stalactites and tall stalagmites made their journey harder.

"Why do ghosts even like such tight spaces?!" The sect leader complained.

"It's for protection, and yin qi can pool up more easily in tighter places, allowing them to funnel the environment's natural yin qi more easily," Zhen Hong offered the former a comprehensive explanation.

"It smells like rotten corpses..." Alex frowned.

There was a metallic and spoiled stench in the cave, and it did not inspire motivation in the expeditor team.

Just as they thought this cave wouldn't get any more uncomfortable, they heard the sound of rushing water.

Soon enough, they were at a dead end.

In front of them, a small stream of water poured down into a narrow crevice.

Zhen Hong clenched his fists and stated, "I think we'll have to go through the crevice."

"We may drown down there," Liuxian proclaimed with reluctance.

"Everyone," Alex called them to attract their attention.

"Get back."

Alex approached the crevice, and the silver ball in his hand turned into a strange heavy spear.

He took the spear's tip to the opening of the crevice and delicately began widening the hole.

This had two purposes.

'To allow us to pass through and see what exactly is under this place.'

The crevice easily cracked under the spear, and Alex listened attentively to the sound the falling rubble would make.

A dozen seconds later, they heard a thud sound.

It clearly wasn't the sound of rocks falling into the water, hence they could continue.

"From the time it took to reach the bottom, we'll have to climb down quite deeply into it before we reach solid footing again," Alex calmly informed them.

"We have to vanquish this-

"AAAH!"

Numerous black silhouettes rose from the crevice and flew into the way to the entrance.

Liuxian was very tense, and the silhouettes terrified him.

"They're just bats, Martial Uncle," Zhen Hong laughed.

Liuxian wiped the sweat off of his forehead and harrumphed.

"Let's finish this quickly," Alex advised them.

Then, he incarnated into Hermes and unfolded his wings.

Since the opening was now quite wide, he could pass through, and he slowly lowered in altitude and observed the surroundings.

Suddenly, a deep frown emerged on his face.

With his enhanced eyesight, he perceived an unnaturally high level of lighting around a turn in the deeper part of the cave.

'That's likely where the ghost king is,' Alex thought to himself.

"You three, come on down, it's safe," His feet gently landed on the moist rocks.

The water stream fell into a deeper crevice, but that didn't seem to be their destination.

The three slowly climbed down.

"I believe the ghost king's lair is a turn away from here," Alex stated.

The three seemed worried but determined.

They resumed their walk, but an eerie sound made them stop in their tracks.

In the 'uninhabited' cave, the high-pitched sound of a flute came from the turn ahead.

Alex clicked his tongue.

They reluctantly continued, and when they reached the turn, Liuxian suddenly screamed out.

He had stepped on a trap of some sort, and a knife flew towards him.

The man closed his eyes for a few seconds but he then noticed he didn't feel a stab or anything.

Opening his eyes, he saw the knife tightly in someone's grasp.

Alex had easily caught the knife and then bent it with his hands.

"Be careful."

They resumed.

The light level gradually rose, which didn't escape their notice.

They soon stopped in their tracks.

The four found themselves in a small room with unusually smooth rocks.

A familiar whirring sound could be heard.

An egg-like slime creature spun around itself in the other end of the room, and a dark green mist gathered around it.

Suddenly, the mist separated into countless parts and solidified into many humanoid slimy monsters.

"Ghost generals!" The sect leader exclaimed.

"Ten of them at that!"

Liuxian swiftly took out a talisman from his pockets and threw it at the wall.

"This should block the generals, although I'm not sure it will work on the ghost king!"

"Did someone call for me?" An alluring voice echoed through the room.

From the walls, a black mist diffused, and, as if the center of gravity in the room itself changed, everyone was pulled towards the center, including the dark mist.

The four of them frowned unanimously and caught on to rocks as not to be pulled.

The black mist formed into a more distinct human shape.

When this process was over, gravity returned to normal, and their bodies landed on the ground with a thud.

"Two Soul Formation Taoists, a Copper Immortal, and a....what are you?" The ghost king asked Alex.

However, it shrugged and continued, "You think you can defeat me such a setup...?"

It waved its hand, and out of a sudden, the rocks on the wall were pulled by a certain force.

They all charged at the sect leader, and in a few seconds, the screaming man was buried under a pile of rocks.

Zhen Hong gulped and Liuxian began breathing heavily.

*BAM*

A strange spear with two hammerheads attacked the rock dome around the sect leader, and the encasement was easily broken.

"Take care of the ghost generals, leave him to me," Alex bit his lips.

The injured sect leader and the other two all agreed.

"You broke the gravity encasement that easily? You're not going to be an easy opponent, are you?" The ghost king chuckled.

"If you want to know, follow me!"

Alex ran out of the tight room.

The ghost king laughed and took the ghost egg with him.

"My ghost generals are special, be careful~~~~" Before leaving, the ghost king warned the cultivators.