The spectral realm was filled with twisted black vortices.
The entire realm was on the verge of collapse, of vanishing into oblivion.
Now, we had no other choice.
Whether this black hole was an exit or not, we could only gamble.
After my Uncle-Master charged into the black hole, I followed close behind.
The moment I leaped into the air and plunged into the black hole.
I only felt myself instantly engulfed in darkness.
This was immediately followed by a sensation of rapid descent.
I reached out, grasping wildly in the darkness, but couldn't catch anything.
Instead, beneath my feet, it felt as though ripples were spreading through water…
Before I could get a clear look, I heard a "plop" and fell into the water.
The sound of "gurgling" bubbles filled my ears.
I swam around in the water.
Finally, I surfaced, emerging from the water.
"Ah! I'm out, am I out?"
I gasped for air, instinctively calling out.
While splashing the surface, I looked around.
Everything was dark, save for faint lights in the distance. I was immersed in a cold, dark pool.
"Xiao Qin, Xiao Qin…"
A wave of joy washed over me; it was my Uncle-Master.
"Uncle-Master!"
I followed the sound and saw my Uncle-Master swimming towards me.
But before we could get close.
A loud shout rang out.
"Ah…"
The next second, two figures plummeted from the sky.
"Plop, plop," with splashes of water.
It seemed Lao Mo and Xia Qiu Xi had also made it out.
"Lao Mo, Qiu Xi!"
I called out.
Immediately, Xia Qiu Xi surfaced:
"We're out, we're out. Is everyone alright!"
"Mm, we're fine!"
"Help, help me, gurgle, gurgle…"
Suddenly, Lao Mo cried out.
And the sound of him frantically splashing in the water.
It turned out the kid couldn't swim.
But my Uncle-Master, closer to him, immediately reached out and grabbed him:
"Hold steady, don't flail around."
"Good, good, Uncle-Master!"
Lao Mo said in a panic.
Seeing this, we all breathed a sigh of relief.
While we didn't know where this pool was, all we knew was that we had finally gotten out.
This was no longer the spectral realm.
Following this, waves of ghostly energy surged.
The sound of "whoosh, whoosh" echoed continuously.
One by one, souls drifted out from a dark opening above our heads.
The height was about seven or eight meters.
No wonder my Uncle-Master couldn't respond after entering earlier.
Having just emerged and falling into the water, he couldn't even reach the exit.
But these souls were different, one or two hundred of them, continuously drifting out with a "whoosh."
In a short while, the area above our heads was densely packed with one to two hundred souls.
Upon their appearance, they all looked around excitedly.
"We're out, we're out!"
"We finally made it!"
"I want to reincarnate, I want to reincarnate!"
"…"
The souls were overjoyed.
Of the over five hundred souls, only about two hundred had emerged.
The rest had either been killed by specters or swallowed by those twisted black holes.
We few temporarily ignored the souls, and after gathering in the pool.
Lao Mo was flustered in the water, repeatedly swallowing gulps.
My Uncle-Master and I supported him, stabilizing his body.
Then, we swam towards the shore nearby.
Upon reaching the shore, Lao Mo immediately collapsed onto the ground.
"Damn it, I'm a child of destiny. I didn't get bitten to death by ghosts, but I almost drowned."
As he spoke, he spat out a mouthful of water.
I sat on the shore and smiled:
"Fortunately, everyone is safe. It's just that we don't know what kind of place this is."
After speaking, I surveyed the surroundings.
Apart from a faint light in the distance by the pool.
The entire cave was adorned with stalactites, and two hundred souls floated about.
These souls were now rapidly drifting down.
Appearing before us.
"Esteemed Daoist priests, thank you all."
"Yes, Daoist priests, thank you for leading us out."
"Your great kindness and virtue, please accept my bow."
"…"
Many souls, men and women alike, began to thank us, even kneeling in gratitude for surviving.
Seeing this, my Uncle-Master raised his hand:
"My dear sirs and madams, there's no need.
This humble Daoist is merely acting on behalf of heaven.
Now that you have returned to the mortal world, reincarnate early!
Do not linger in the human realm…"
"Thank you, Daoist priest."
"…"
These spirits were all nascent souls.
Nascent souls, also known as ghosts who have died within the past month.
These spirits could, for the most part, sense the path to the underworld through their instincts.
That is, where the Yin-Yang Gates constructed by the surrounding underworld and netherworld were located.
They did not need escort; they could find their own way.
After thanking us and kowtowing, the more than two hundred nascent souls all drifted out of the cave.
They soon disappeared from our sight.
And as these souls departed.
Invisible wisps of white mist were absorbed into the Ghostly Longevity Coin on my left hand.
Looking down at it again now.
I found that the color of the Ghostly Longevity Coin had changed directly from black to pure purple.
I glanced at it, feeling a sense of surprise.
How much ghostly longevity, how much merit, how much lamp oil had been collected from this trip to the spectral realm?
To make the black Ghostly Longevity Coin turn directly purple.
My initial estimation.
This venture had at least increased my lamp oil lifespan by half a year…