181: Chapter 181 Division

"Fine, fine, I'm just a Sword Servant."

"Hurry up and follow!" Xiang Liu impatiently interrupted Bai Yu's unfinished words.

Exerting force with her feet, she leaped up, her figure flitting toward the gap in the city wall.

Bai Yu's two Spirit Beasts followed closely behind and caught up.

Inside the city walls.

Yin Qi permeated the air as Yang Yan and Xiang Tian stood side by side.

Looking at the towering black buildings ahead, both of their brows furrowed tightly.

The layout of the buildings inside the city was almost the same as outside.

The difference was that every building was shrouded in thick darkness, lifeless and deathly silent.

"Brother Xiang, the Yin Qi here is too heavy; this is definitely not a good place. We cannot stay long." Yang Yan's voice was kept very low, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Xiang Tian looked at the eerie and sinister scene before him, and myths he had heard in his past life inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

He couldn't help but ask softly, "Brother Yang, do you think this place... could be the Underworld?"

"Hmm? What Underworld?" Yang Yan turned to look at Xiang Tian.

"Uh... I can't explain it in detail." Xiang Tian paused, weighing his words.

"It's roughly where Divine Souls gather after people die."

This explanation should be closest to the image in his memory.

"Brother Xiang, do Divine Souls really gather together after death?" Yang Yan's follow-up question immediately left Xiang Tian speechless.

He himself only knew the myths from hearsay; how could he explain the reason?

"Uh... just take it as me talking nonsense!" Xiang Tian scratched his head awkwardly.

After all, these were just legends and couldn't be taken seriously.

During the interval of their conversation, a deafening beast roar suddenly came from deep within.

"Judging by the power of this roar, the Spirit Beast's Rank is at least at the Fifth Rank Middle Stage or above." Yang Yan's brows furrowed tighter, his expression solemn.

"A single Fifth Rank Middle Stage is naturally nothing to fear, but if they appear in groups like before, even though I have reached the Martial Emperor Peak, it would be as hard as ascending to the heavens to keep my life."

At this time, Bai Yu and the other women flew over in a hurry.

As soon as she landed, she tightly took hold of Xiang Tian's arm.

"Master, the aura here is so cold and gloomy, I'm so scared..."

Xiang Tian patted the back of her hand: "Don't be afraid, let's find an exit first."

With the System by his side, he naturally had no fear of this Yin Qi and Spirit Beasts.

But the others around him might not have such confidence.

"Roar—!"

A massive black shadow suddenly pounced.

It was actually a Vicious Beast even larger than the black tiger they had encountered before.

Its fangs were exposed, its eyes glinted with ferocity, and black Qi swirled around its body.

"Hmph! Seeking death!" Yang Yan snorted coldly.

The long saber in his hand was unsheathed in an instant, and a sharp Saber Qi slashed out, fast as lightning.

"Puchi—"

The black tiger had no time to dodge and was sliced in half by the Saber Qi.

Black blood spurted out.

But in the next second, a bizarre scene occurred.

The two halves of the tiger's body actually began to wriggle slowly.

In the blink of an eye, they transformed into two complete black tigers.

The aura of each one was on par with the previous one, still violent and bloodthirsty.

"What's the situation?" Yang Yan's pupils shrank slightly.

His brows were tightly knitted, his face full of disbelief.

"Splitting into two?" Xiang Tian and the others also changed expression, their brows furrowed into knots.

While they were in shock, Yang Yan slashed again.

As a result, it became three.

"I don't believe this!"

Seeing this, his anger flared even more. Yang Yan raised his long saber, about to strike again.

"Wait, don't slash yet!" Xiang Tian quickly called out to stop him.

His gaze quickly swept across the surroundings, finally landing on those pitch-black buildings.

A flash of inspiration crossed his eyes, "Killing them is useless; instead, the more we kill, the more there will be. Why don't we lure these black tigers into these buildings and trap them? Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

This proposal immediately received everyone's approval.

"Master is still the smart one!" Bai Yu took the opportunity to hold Xiang Tian's arm and act coquettishly.

Once the plan was decided, the three people and two pets acted immediately, taking advantage of their agility.

Step by step, they forced the three black tigers toward a nearby black building and shut the door.

They locked them firmly inside.

"Alright, let's continue looking for the exit." Xiang Tian withdrew his gaze.

He took the lead in walking toward the street ahead, with Yang Yan, Bai Yu, and the others following closely behind.

Not long after they left, a group of Cultivators dressed in Heavenly Sword Sect Disciple uniforms hurried over.

Each had a panicked expression, and their spiritual power was in disarray.

"Senior Brother, it's so terrifying here. The Yin Qi is so heavy I can barely breathe..." A female Disciple's face was pale, her voice trembling.

She tightly gripped the long sword in her hand.

The leading Senior Brother took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in his heart.

He said in a deep voice, "Junior Sister, we can't fly up. If we want to survive, we can only find an exit here. We have no other choice."

"Yeah, if I had known, I wouldn't have meddled in other people's business and gone to investigate that village." Another Disciple complained in a low voice.

"Isn't that right? Who would have thought that seemingly ordinary village would have such a bizarre pit in the middle? We were sucked in as soon as we got close, and we can't fly upward!"

The Disciples spoke one after another, their tones filled with anxiety and regret.

"Alright, stop talking!" The leading Senior Brother frowned and shouted sternly.

"We must conserve our strength, stay united, and remain vigilant for any sudden situations, otherwise no one will get out."

Hearing this, the Disciples shut their mouths.

However, the panic on their faces was still hard to hide.

"Senior Brother, can we... can we really get out?" The pale Junior Sister from before asked softly again.

The leading Senior Brother's tone was firm: "We definitely can! How can we, Disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, admit defeat so easily?"

"But Senior Brother, so many Spirit Beasts died outside. There must be a great horror hidden in here, we..." The Junior Sister's voice grew smaller and smaller.

Thinking of the tragic scene she saw outside, her body couldn't help but tremble.

Having grown up in the Sect since childhood, she had never seen such a bloody and terrifying scene.

"Don't be afraid." The leading Senior Brother softened his tone.

He comforted her, "Although those Spirit Beasts died strangely, so far, we haven't encountered any corpses of Human Race Cultivators. Perhaps the oddities here pose no threat to us."

Just then.

A burst of violent beast roars suddenly came, interrupting their conversation.

The sound was coming from a black building not far away.

"Hmm? There are Spirit Beasts!" The leading Senior Brother's expression changed.

He immediately gripped the long sword in his hand and took a defensive stance.

He reminded everyone, "Everyone be careful, stay alert!"

"Senior Brother, that roar just now should have come from that house!" A Disciple pointed toward the black building with tightly closed doors not far away.

The leading Senior Brother's gaze swept over the building.

He said in a deep voice, "Since the Spirit Beasts are trapped inside, let's not provoke them to avoid complications. Finding the exit is the priority."

"Senior Brother~" That Junior Sister pulled his sleeve and blinked.

"It's not easy to encounter a living Spirit Beast. Why don't we catch it to use as a mount?"

The leading Senior Brother gave her a feigned stern look: "Junior Sister, you still have too little experience, and your Heart-Nature is not steady enough. We Cultivators should focus on Cultivating. How can we covet pleasure and think about mounts?"

"Senior Brother~ you're the best, just agree with me!" The Junior Sister was still persistent, her tone becoming increasingly soft and pleading.

"Besides, the Yin Qi here is so heavy, and it's already consuming a lot of our spiritual power. If we have a few mounts, we can save a lot of physical strength, and we'll be able to find the exit more smoothly. Why not?"

The Junior Sister's words actually enlightened everyone.

Although they had Spirit Stones in their storage rings to replenish Spiritual Qi, Spirit Stones would eventually run out.

If they could have mounts to save physical strength, it would indeed be a good thing.

"Junior Sister has a point. With so many of us, catching a living Spirit Beast should be no problem."

"Yeah, Senior Brother, let's just catch one. At a critical moment, it can also help us block danger."

The Disciples chimed in one after another, their eyes full of expectation as they looked at the leading Senior Brother.

The leading Senior Brother pondered for a moment.

Eventually, he nodded: "Fine, then we will go and catch that Spirit Beast. After forcibly subduing it, we'll make it recognize a master. Remember, do not be careless!"

"Yes, Senior Brother!" the Disciples answered in unison.

They immediately circulated their spiritual power, and the long swords in their hands were unsheathed.

Cold light flickered, and a series of sharp auras permeated the air.

"Bang! Boom—!"

Everyone exerted force together, attacking the door of the black building.

After a loud noise, the tightly closed door was smashed open.

A thick burst of black Qi mixed with violent beast roars instantly gushed out.

"Roar—!"

Three violent beast roars sounded simultaneously, making people's blood surge.

The leading Senior Brother's expression changed.

He warned sternly: "Not good! There are three Fifth Rank Middle Stage Spirit Beasts inside. Everyone deal with them carefully, do not underestimate the enemy!"

Three massive black figures pounced out of the building.

It was precisely the three black tigers trapped by Xiang Tian and the others.

At this moment, they were even more violent, and the black Qi around them was even thicker.

"Senior Brother, what do we do now? Three Fifth Rank Middle Stages, I'm afraid we..." A Disciple's face turned pale.

"What are you panicking for!" the leading Senior Brother shouted sternly.

"With so many of us, can't we deal with three beasts? First, forcibly subdue them, then make them recognize masters. Move!"

"Yes!"

The Disciples responded in unison.

They immediately dispersed and attacked the three black tigers.

An intense battle instantly began.

"Roar—!"

The three black tigers attacked simultaneously, their movements as agile as lightning.

Sharp fangs and claws glinted with cold light as they pounced toward the Disciples.

One of the black tigers directly targeted the delicate Junior Sister.

It struck out fiercely with a claw.

"Bang!"

Caught off guard, the Junior Sister could only subconsciously block with her long sword.

A huge impact instantly struck, and she was sent flying, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Junior Sister—!"

Seeing this, the leading Senior Brother's pupils shrank, and his heart tightened.

He immediately flew over and caught her.

The Junior Sister leaned in his arms, blood on the corner of her mouth.

She smiled bitterly and shook her head: "Senior Brother, I'm sorry, it's too strong, I... I'm not its match."

"It's fine, Junior Sister. Rest here for a while and take a Medicinal Pill to regulate your breath." The leading Senior Brother gently placed her in a nearby corner.

He took out several healing Medicinal Pills from his storage ring and fed them to her.

When he turned to look at the black tiger that had injured her, a raging fire burned in his eyes.

"These beasts injured my Junior Sister, they're seeking death!"

After speaking, he leaped back into the battlefield, the spiritual power on his long sword surging.

A sword light swept out, slashing directly toward the black tiger.

"Bang!"

"Roar—!"

The sword light hit the black tiger's body squarely, and the tiger let out a shrill roar.

Its massive body staggered back a few steps, a deep wound appearing on its body as black blood gushed out.

"So you know pain? This is the price for hurting my Junior Sister!" The leading Senior Brother's eyes were cold.

With a flash of his figure, he instantly arrived in front of the black tiger.

Raising his long sword high, he slashed down without hesitation.

"Puchi—"

The long sword directly severed the black tiger's neck.

The bloody tiger head rolled to the ground, and the massive body collapsed with a thud, motionless.

"Senior Brother, didn't you say we were going to catch it as a mount? Why did you kill it?"

The Disciples fighting the other two black tigers were stunned and asked in confusion.

"Hmph!" The leading Senior Brother snorted coldly.

"It hurt my Junior Sister. No matter how strong it is, it deserves to die!"

Just as he finished speaking, he turned to support the other Disciples.

But at that moment, a bizarre scene occurred again.

The beheaded black tiger's head and its mangled body.

Slowly began to emit black Qi, and amidst the swirling black Qi.

They transformed into two complete black tigers, their auras still violent, and the killing intent in their eyes even thicker.

"Watch out! Senior Brother, it... it's come back to life!"

The Disciple who had just asked the question saw this, his pupils shrank, his face turned pale.

He cried out in alarm.