Zhu Yanyi remained silent. As the crowd grew, she noticed a strange pattern: when others walked, they walked; when others stopped, they stopped.
It reminded her of a trip to Huangshan Mountain in her past life. The mountain paths were so crowded that they could only move in a queue. If the line moved, she moved. If it stopped, she stopped. That trip was so exhausting that she swore never to return, and indeed, she never did.
The current situation was nearly identical. Zhu Yanyi felt frustrated but said nothing. Looking at the long line of evil spirits ahead, she realized this queue would take a long time to clear. She wondered when they would finally finish this crowded journey.
Her worry was well-founded. They spent half a day just walking this single path. With only seven days originally allotted, this slow start was not promising. However, there was no turning back. They had to keep moving forward.
Fortunately, after half a day, several forks appeared in the road. Following the route provided by Zhan Diting, they chose one path without hesitation.
Soon, they entered another desert.
Zhu Yanyi began to doubt if this place would always be a desert. She sent a mental message to Yan Aohan: "Aohan, I haven't seen any green plants since we started. Will it always be a desert here?"
"The aura of evil spirits prevents other things from surviving. Plants cannot grow, so it naturally becomes a desert," Yan Aohan replied. He knew his wife loved green plants. Seeing none for so long must be uncomfortable for her.
Zhu Yanyi sighed inwardly. "No wonder these evil spirits want to steal other people's homes. This place is uninhabitable for normal beings. Living here would shorten one's lifespan."
Yan Aohan chuckled softly. "It’s fine. Once you conquer this place, you can plant large areas of green plants here."
"I have no interest. I don't care about the evil spirits' environment. Besides, my plants are not meant to be ruined by them." After chatting with Yan Aohan, Zhu Yanyi’s mood improved significantly.
"But walking like this feels endless," Zhu Yanyi said.
"Be careful. We will arrive eventually. Just don't reveal our true identities," Yan Aohan advised.
Zhu Yanyi already knew this, but she couldn't understand why this place was so terrible. No one would willingly come here. It was a place that could drive anyone mad.
There were no plants, no conversation, and everyone focused only on themselves. They had to constantly guard against being devoured. Even a normal person’s mind would break under such conditions, let alone souls who had lost their bodies. It was no wonder they were used by evil spirits.
Zhu Yanyi now understood why evil spirits chose this way of life. They had to keep devouring others to grow strong enough to leave. But before leaving, they had to endure this boring, desolate existence.
Zhu Yanyi looked at the endless desert. It was terrifyingly silent. There was no sound, no sign of life. It felt like they had entered a realm of death.
"Be careful. This area has death energy. If I am not mistaken, many evil spirits died here. Therefore, there are many restless souls that cannot reincarnate," Yan Aohan warned urgently.
Even an ordinary person could feel the lack of vitality here. As the Venerable Yanluo, who controlled life and death, Yan Aohan noticed the situation even more clearly.
Zhu Yanyi saw black specks floating in the air above the desert. They were shadows of resentment.
Under normal circumstances, Zhu Yanyi could summon the Book of Life and Death to guide them to the Underworld. However, she dared not use it here. If these black specks were malicious, it would cause trouble for the Underworld.
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Yanyi took no action and continued moving forward.
The black specks seemed to detect their target and began moving slowly toward them.
Zhu Yanyi sensed that their approach had a specific purpose.
She sent a mental message to the group ahead: "Everyone, be careful. The situation here is not good."
Ouyang Tianyun and Yi Yunfei ahead also noticed. Although they did not act, they communicated via their spiritual sense.
"Senior Brother, be careful. This place is a bit strange," Ouyang Tianyun said seriously.
Yi Yunfei nodded slightly, acknowledging the warning. Although they walked quickly, they heightened their vigilance against their surroundings.
Zhu Yanyi also paid close attention. The stranger the situation, the greater the potential danger. Zhu Yanyi was not someone who would rush into danger knowingly. They were forced to proceed because there was no way back. Since they were already here, they had to move forward.
Zhu Yanyi and Hong Mei continued walking. Strangely, the black specks followed them, waiting for an opportunity. They did not attack directly, suggesting they were not in immediate danger.
However, this uncertainty made Zhu Yanyi more worried. No one knew the true purpose of these black specks.
Yan Aohan’s voice came through again: "Ignore these restless souls. Do not be afraid. They are only waiting for a chance to possess your bodies. If you walk boldly past them, their plan will fail."
Possession? So that was it.
Zhu Yanyi understood. This place was filled with death energy. Naturally, there were countless dead souls. Having no roots or other places to go, they wandered here, waiting for a chance to reincarnate.
However, those who died in the evil spirits' territory, whether humans or evil spirits, found reincarnation difficult. Their only option was to possess living bodies.
Zhu Yanyi and her companions might have disguised themselves as evil spirits to confuse the evil spirits. But to restless souls, the aura of humans and evil spirits was easy to distinguish. Evil spirits were often transformed from souls, while humans were human. That was why the souls followed them.
However, the souls could not get close because of the black aura surrounding Zhu Yanyi and her companions.