Chapter 157: Unable to Hold Back—Everyone Joins In to Harvest Ghosts

This time, when the attack landed, the seal on the stone pillar twisted even more violently.

In just two shrieks, two fierce ghost shadows snarled as they began forcing their way out!

Yu Xian’s expression didn’t change, but four green vines cracked like whips through the air.

Just like before, they yanked the ghosts out mid-emergence, compressed them into black spheres, and sent them into his sleeve.

“This…”

Now the six others could no longer sit still.

How could one person keep taking them like this?

If they let Yu Xian continue, wouldn’t they just be watching him harvest everything?

Qi Xuan’s eyes twitched. With a light chuckle, he stepped forward and said, “Fellow Daoist Yu, you’ve worked hard. Allow me to assist you.”

Without waiting, he approached the stone pillar.

Seeing this, the others didn’t waste time either. Each said something like “I’ll lend a hand” or “Slow down a bit, Brother Yu,” and quickly closed in on the pillar.

Yu Xian remained calm and unbothered. He simply stepped back and said with a faint smile, “Thank you, fellow Daoists, for the help.”

The others surrounded the stone pillar, not sparing Yu Xian another glance. All their eyes gleamed with a greedy light as they stared at the distorted seal.

Qi Xuan was the first to speak. “Everyone, let’s begin!”

With that, he pointed at the pillar.

Qi Xuan’s spiritual strength was far greater than Yu Xian’s.

With that one strike, the entire pillar trembled violently. The screeching of ghosts roared like thunder, shaking the entire hall.

Yu Xian narrowed his eyes slightly and shook his head.

The six others turned pale.

Especially Qi Xuan—he was stunned. He had clearly held back his strength!

He had deliberately controlled his power—so why had it caused such a massive reaction!?

But there was no time to reflect.

The blood-red seals on the pillar began to writhe furiously as one after another ghostly shadow appeared, wailing and howling. Over a hundred fierce ghosts struggled to break free!

“Fellow Daoists, if we don’t act now, we won’t be able to catch them!” Yu Xian called out as some of the group hesitated, looking like they might flee.

“He’s right! Quick—take them down!” Jiang Xiaolong shouted, immediately sending spiritual threads forward, binding five ghosts and dragging them out in one go.

The others sprang into action without needing further encouragement.

Magical tools and spells roared as they each suppressed and sealed the ghosts just before they fully emerged.

Yu Xian, of course, wasn’t idle. His eyes glowed green as his four vine-whips lashed out, snatching and sealing four ghosts one by one.

Although he could control eight vines, he deliberately held back—four was enough. That level of power matched his apparent early Foundation Establishment realm.

In no time, the group had sealed nearly half of the emerging ghosts.

But the rest burst forth with piercing shrieks, flooding the hall into a sea of ghostly shadows.

Dozens of fierce ghosts shrieked and wailed, the cries echoing through the grand hall like the anguished moans of the dead.

If it were only a handful of ghosts, the pressure of the Foundation Establishment cultivators might’ve made them flee.

But this was sixty to seventy of them.

The sheer numbers and dense ghostly aura overcame the suppression from the cultivators’ spiritual pressure.

These ghosts had no true consciousness yet—only instinctive bloodlust and hatred.

They wanted to devour the seven cultivators.

To them, devouring a cultivator meant a chance to grow stronger, possibly advancing to Tier Four—and even regaining memories of their past life.

A primal hunger surged from the depths of their souls.

All seven cultivators sealed the black ghost orbs in their sleeves and turned grimly to face the ghost tide.

“Sixty or seventy Tier-Three ghosts? What, do they think they can turn the heavens upside down?” Jiang Xiaolong sneered, releasing his full spiritual aura with a low growl.

The others followed suit without hesitation, casting spells with sharp focus.

Yu Xian stood silently, wrapped in his wooden spiritual armor, his four vines forming a dense green barrier around him like a protective sphere. A faint green glow shimmered around him.

He didn’t chant or gesture. He simply watched the incoming ghosts coldly.

ROAR!!

After circling the group for just a moment, the ghosts roared in unison and lunged at them!

Strangely, Yu Xian became the main target—thirteen fierce ghosts charged straight toward him!

Compared to the others, that was the most.

After all, ghosts instinctively feared the strong and preyed on the weak. And among the seven, Yu Xian’s aura was the weakest—early Foundation Establishment.

So they swarmed him first, intending to devour the weakest prey.

The others had six or seven ghosts each, surrounding them tightly—but none had time to worry about Yu Xian.

Thirteen Tier-Three ghosts—devouring an early-stage Foundation cultivator? Easy!

But even as the ghosts encircled Yu Xian, his face remained calm.

The four vines wrapped protectively around him, forming a ball of greenery. They shielded him like tightly wound arms.

These vines, so useful for grabbing ghosts, now proved to be a powerful defensive tool as well.

Yu Xian had just realized this while fighting earlier.

They could attack, bind, defend, and even fetch objects—once fully mastered, they’d function like extra limbs.

Spiritual energy constantly flowed into the vines, repairing them as the ghosts tore at them. Combined with his wooden armor, the ghosts couldn’t break through for now.

But this wouldn’t last forever. Eventually, they’d tear through.

Yu Xian was already preparing a hand seal. If things turned dire, he’d go all out.

Meanwhile, the other six cultivators revealed their true strength.

Each of them wasn’t just any Foundation cultivator—they were among the few who might one day form a core.

The vast majority of cultivators never passed Foundation Establishment in their lifetime. Those with even a chance to reach Core Formation were geniuses.

And these six were all such geniuses.

Jiang Xiaolong danced his fingers in the air, manipulating spiritual threads with frightening precision—better even than Yu Xian’s vine control. He wrapped six ghosts and compressed them in the air with smooth, deliberate motion.

Su Mofeng was surrounded by a soft breeze. Six ghosts floated helplessly in it, drawn in by the wind and slowly crushed.

Ge Xiyu didn’t use any spell. He held his ghost-absorbing umbrella, calm as ever. With each flash of light from the umbrella, a ghost was drawn into it—clearly a tool tailor-made for restraining spirits.

Qi Xuan was the most dazzling of all.

Lightning arced around his body, striking ghosts with crackling bursts that left them shrieking and smoking.

Ghosts were innately terrified of lightning, and Qi Xuan, a lightning cultivator, battered eight ghosts into submission, reducing their forms to pale shadows before compressing them into spheres.

Tong Xue and Kang Xinping were more traditional—relying on protective shields and slowly subduing the ghosts one by one.

In no time, more than half the ghosts were dealt with.

The remaining ghosts, though mindless, began to sense the change.

The oppressive spiritual pressure returned, and the balance tipped in the cultivators’ favor.

The ghosts began to panic and tried to flee.

But by now, it was too late.

Qi Xuan laughed coldly, stepping toward the grand hall’s entrance. With a flash of lightning, he blocked the door. “Filthy wraiths—none of you are leaving.”

Crackling lightning filled the air, and the ghost shrieks began to fade.

Yu Xian’s eyes flashed. One vine shot out, no longer used for defense, and lashed at a ghost trying to flee.

Four more ghosts tried to escape in different directions—only to be snagged by vines, one after another.

Four more spheres joined Yu Xian’s collection.

The remaining ghosts flew in panic like headless flies, only to be caught and sealed by the others.

When it was all over, Yu Xian had harvested fifteen ghost orbs in total.

Among the others, Jiang Xiaolong had the most with seventeen.

Qi Xuan had fourteen, and the rest had ten or eleven each.

The grand hall returned to silence, and the seven cultivators all wore satisfied expressions.

They had captured dozens of Tier-Three ghosts—extremely valuable whether for personal use or for trade.

Qi Xuan smiled at Jiang Xiaolong, then glanced back at the stone pillar.

But this time, no one moved.

Everyone understood clearly—this pillar had reached its limit.

Any further disturbance might completely destroy it, releasing an untold number of ghosts.

Greed was one thing. Foolishness was another.

The line between the two was the line between fortune and death.

The seven exchanged subtle nods.

Jiang Xiaolong chuckled. “Fierce ghosts make great Yin Pills, and the more the better… but too much is hard to chew. Besides, we can’t linger here. We need to explore deeper into the tomb. Just judging from these thirteen sealed pillars… the master of this tomb must’ve been unimaginably powerful. Whatever inheritance lies ahead… must be extraordinary.”

“Well said, Brother Jiang,” Qi Xuan replied with a hearty laugh.

The others voiced their agreement. Yu Xian, naturally, had no objections—he was content to follow quietly and collect rewards when possible.

Of course, if true danger appeared, he wouldn’t follow them blindly.

With their decision made, the group suppressed their greed for now.

These thirteen stone pillars were treasure troves—and if a chance came later, no one would hesitate to return.

Fierce ghosts were rare. You couldn’t just go around killing people to make them.

If the Soul-Banner Immortal ever found this place, he would likely go mad with joy and abandon everything to harvest them all.

One Tier-Three ghost was worth more than hundreds of ordinary souls.

After all, few mortals died with such intense hatred, resentment, and spiritual rage.

But now was not the time.

They would scour this place for all opportunities, and then return for the pillars later.

The seven cultivators moved deeper into the tomb, seeking side chambers and hidden halls.