Compared to three days ago when Dr. Zhao first saw it, Zhou Family Fortress, which had now completely turned into a Yellow Springs ghost land, was noticeably much more eerie and unsettling.
For instance, the ghosts that were originally lurking in the murky yellow rivers had now climbed out of the water, wailing, crying, shrieking, or howling as they wandered amidst the vast, swirling mists, their sounds sending shivers down one's spine.
At the same time, above, beside, and at the feet of these myriad ghosts, countless pale green ghost fires gathered and dispersed erratically, flickering unsteadily between the dark heavens and earth.
Besides these two, there were also grotesque, gnarled trees, pale and shriveled as if congealed from bone ash, swaying erratically like ghoulish figures in the Cold Wind , constantly emitting mournful, rustling cries.
The bizarre atmosphere created by all these elements seemed to fill every inch of Zhou Family Fortress.
And Yupan Mountain, from which a mysterious Phantom Dragon was said to have flown according to Dr. Zhao, was no longer the gently sloping, centrally towering mountain range it once was.
It had now transformed into a mysterious abyss, completely sunken thousands of feet below the horizon, shaped like an inverted conical hat, with countless layers spiraling downwards from top to bottom.
At the same time, inside and outside this Yupan Abyss, there was a dense, even more sinister mist than in other parts of Zhou Family Fortress.
This cotton-like thick mist was so dense that even Li Hai's Grandmaster-level perception could not penetrate too deeply, only vaguely 'seeing' the presence of a considerable number of non-human ghosts within it.
“Yupan Mountain has actually become like this, Zheng Dashan and his family…”
Li Hai's expression was grim. “It seems they are in grave danger.”
An inexplicable intuition told him that Zheng Dashan and his family likely had no hope of survival.
“That green Dragon…”
Li Hai murmured coldly, “It must be killed.”
Just as he was about to fly into this ghostly abyss to conduct an exploration, a figure whose attire was very familiar to Li Hai entered his range of perception.
This person was a woman, around twenty years old, with a cold demeanor and a sharp, capable air. She wore black boots and a double-breasted leather coat, holding a silver longbow, moving quickly while constantly observing her surroundings.
And the moment Li Hai clearly saw this woman, her personal interface information was displayed before him—
Character Name: Unknown
Rank: Zhengchuan Martial Arts → Steel Tendons Iron Bones, Qimen Arts → Soul Gathering, Bloodline Divine Power → Medium Grade
Skills: “Fiery Crow Blazing Palm”, “Heaven and Earth Bow Technique”, “Heart-Piercing Arrow Technique”, “Torrential Arrow Skill”, “Yi Saint's Qi”, “Seeking Ghosts and Tracking Monsters”, “Yuan Breath Refining Yang Method”, “Heavenly Blaze Drawing Yang Technique”
Attribute Entries: 【Strong Soul Level 2】 【Physical Strength Level 2】 【Inspiration Level 1】 【Yang Absorption Level 1】 【Spiritual Focus Level 1】 【Magic Power Level 1】 【Precision Level 2】 【Empowerment Level 2】
Fragment of a Powerful Being: None
Clearly, this was another three-system possessor, similar to Lang Yun-sheng.
At the same time, Li Hai also discovered that, apart from the Steel Grade palm technique and several other Cultivation Techniques specializing in archery,
the Medium Grade Bloodline Divine Power “Yi Saint's Qi” possessed by this woman could actually bring about two completely different and powerful attribute entries—【Precision】 and 【Empowerment】.
The former, as the name suggests, could enhance the accuracy of attacks and counterattacks.
The latter was quite interesting; it could actually add additional effects such as armor penetration, explosion, shock, and evil dispelling to bows and arrows, fists and palms, swords and blades, and internal energy.
In other words, this attribute entry could even add a layer of magical power effect to Li Hai's fist force.
This meant that from now on, he could genuinely attack illusory ghosts or incoming spells simply by using his fists or remote internal energy.
In short, to summarize it in one sentence… regardless of what kind of Demonic Technique or Evil Path you are, I will break it with a single punch.
What is this? This is a clear-cut law-breaker!
So the affairs of the world are truly marvelous; Zhengchuan Martial Arts, Ghost Dao, and the Art of Sorcery, these three completely unrelated systems, at this moment, seemed to subtly converge on this attribute entry.
What was even more interesting was that after instantly learning all of this woman's skills, Li Hai actually discovered that the Medium Grade Bloodline Divine Power named “Yi Saint's Qi” possessed the potential of a High Grade.
In other words, this woman had not fully developed the true potential of this Divine Ability.
“Since you don't have the ability to develop it, then let me do it.”
Thinking this, Li Hai instantly learned all of this woman's skills and pushed all of them to their Peak.
Naturally, the Bloodline Divine Power named Yi Saint's Qi was pushed by him from Medium Grade to High Grade.
Thus, in the blink of an eye, two new Rank 4 attribute entries appeared on Li Hai's personal interface—【Precision Level 4】 and 【Empowerment Level 4】.
From now on, any of Li Hai's fist and foot attacks or remote internal energy attacks would be able to carry a magical power effect up to the Rank 4 attribute entry level.
However, it was somewhat awkward that Li Hai was currently only at the Rank 3 attribute entry level in the Qimen Sorcerer system, having reached it by stepping on Lang Yun-sheng—that is, the Object Manipulation and Manifestation Realm.
This Realm was still a considerable distance from the next level of the Sorcerer system's Fourth Realm—Wind Catching and Lightning Manipulation.
“Should I use fragments to upgrade?”
Li Hai thought about it and then gave up. “Forget it, fragments are hard to come by, so it's better not to waste them. I'll learn from a Fourth Realm Sorcerer when I encounter one later.”
Immediately, he once again ‘looked’ at the woman with the bow, who was moving quickly through the hazy mist in the distance, and murmured, “With this style of clothing, could she be a Demon Slayer Commandant?”
His eyes flickered, and Li Hai's figure blurred, transforming into a crescent moon shadow, instantly crossing a thousand feet to appear before the woman.
“Who?!”
The sudden appearance of a stranger startled the female Commandant, who almost raised her bow to shoot.
But when she clearly saw Li Hai's face, she forcefully stopped her movements and exclaimed in surprise, “Li Hai?”
“Hmm?” Li Hai raised an eyebrow. “You know me?”
“Not exactly.” The female Commandant said, “But I know of you, to be precise…”
She paused, then continued, “All the Demon Slayer Commandants in the Dragon Mountain region know of you, and even the Dajing Demon Slayer Division Headquarters became aware of your existence after you forged your Commandant token.”
“Strange, strange.”
Li Hai asked, puzzled, “Could it be that you installed cameras in the training ground below Mingtang Pavilion?”
This was the only possibility he could think of.
“Cameras?”
The female Commandant clearly hadn't heard that term. She replied directly, “It's not cameras, it's a secret image-capturing rune array. It can silently record the sound, light, and shadows of a designated area, so we saw your conversation with Station Master Cha and the process of you slaying the ghost.”
After hearing what the female Commandant said, Li Hai finally understood the whole story.
He then marveled, “This Dao of Arts is truly interesting; it even has such strange and peculiar techniques.”
With that, Li Hai looked at the female Commandant and asked,
“By the way, I haven't yet asked Your Excellency… what is your name?”