"Who is he? Where did he come from?"
Quan Zhi asked, looking around in confusion.
"Look at his robe, he's one of the outer disciples."
Li Ling replied, pointing at Ju Feng.
"An outer disciple? How dare he barged into us?"
Quan Zhi raged in anger, and was about to approach the unresponsive Ju Feng.
"Wait."
Shao Cheng raised his hands to halt Quan Zhi's movement.
"Think about it. How can a disciple of the outer section just appeared from nowhere?"
"Yea, from the thin air."
Li Ling quipped in.
"Maybe, it's a disguise? An enemy?"
Quan Zhi asked with raised brows.
"Enemies can't enter these premises without the elders knowing."
Shao Cheng answered while watching the unconscious Ju Feng.
"Must be a real disciple then. But how?"
"Let's check on him first, i don't think he's in a good condition. We'll find out soon."
They slowly approached Ju Feng who was still lying on the ground with blood streaking from the corner of his mouth. When they'd neared him enough to see his face clearly, one of them, a female disciple of the house of water, quickly moved to his side. She gently raised Ju Feng's before rummaging through her spatail sac.
"Be careful Su Ming, we still don't know what we're dealing with here."
"I know him, Quan Zhi. He's one of the new outer disciples."
"Are you certain, Su Ming?"
"Yes, I am."
Su Ming answered as she put a yellow pill into Jufeng's mouth and guided it down his throat.
"He was the outer disciple watching the combat training between Li Qiang and Wang Lei."
"Oh, that crazy one outside the training area."
"Come on, Zhi."
"What? Can't I talk anymore?"
"An outer disciple? Heavens tears. How did he turn out from the thin air?"
"Who knows. We should inform the elders without delay."
"He's not moving. Is he dead?"
"Let me inform the elders. I'll be back in a moment."
Li Ling took off in a flash using the Swift-Steps but ran into an invisible barricade. She continued to try different areas but with the same result.
"We are sealed off."
Li Ling said in fright.
Then, all of them began to feel the presence of a vigorous force-field. They had the urge to run but they knew they couldn't outrun whatever it was that was approaching them. Gradually, the force-field began to grow in intensity, causing them to brandish their weapons.
"Who's there?"
"Show yourself."
"Really? Show myself? Hmm, how commanding. I like that. Alright, I'll show myself."
The force-field cotracted and a transparent figure of a mutated human appeared.
"Okay, this is the best I can do. I had to drop the acolyte body I was using. You see, I can't show the real me even if I want to. Though I doubt you'll like the look anyway. Hehehe."
The audible sound of laughter emanated from the lips of the mutated figure.
"Yes you should also inform your elders, but of course, you can't. Because you are already inside my force-field. They can't even see you or hear you no matter what you do. Do you want to know why?"
The revenant drew closer, forcing the group to move cautiously backwsrds.
"Can you see that over there? Oh, you can't even see where I'm pointing. Never mind. Anyway, that's the Golden Phantom Seal."
Seeing the expressions on their faces, the revenant continued happily.
"Yes, it's a high-grade heavenly talisman. Do you even know how many years it took me to make it? You'll sympathize with me if you do. But at least, there was a form of joy in making it. Do you want to know why? This' the best part. Tell me you want to know about it."
Receiving no response from the disciples, the mutated figure gave an audible sigh.
"Well, I'll tell you anyway. It was made using the Unseen Ghost seeds, cores and jellies of the invisible deep sea worms, the core and blood of some mirage hares and other stuffs you can't find in your world. Hmmm, I think I'm forgetting something important. Let me see..."
The revenant trailed off as if it was in a deep thought.
"Yes, I also used the phantom cores of slain Zhuji cultivators. What? Why y'all looking as if you've seen a revenant? Oh, ok. I am a revenant. So what? You are humans, and I'm a revenant. No big difference. Hehehe."
More sound of laughter came from the revenant before he made a change of tone.
"I was in a good mood all day. Not looking forward to me kiling any cultivator today, I guess. I was only trying to locate the exact position of the Sinnughar core."
The figure stopped, while thinking about the core he was sent to retrieve. The core of a primordial beast belonging to the mighty Foremost, Kamirhia. The ultimate ruler of the Phantom realm. It was a treasure of his which he simply couldn't do away with.
"I was finding it peacefully, when that foolish boy walked into my force-field. And more foolishly stepped on the seal and disrupted my force-field. What a pity, I should have killed him with my own hands. He's dead anyway. Back to the dealings on hand, where was I?"
Despite being annoyingly arrogant, Quan Zhi was a strong core disciple of the house of fire. So, he had the opportunity to receive a powerful fire technique from the sect ancestral vaults. He had chosen and was learning the Sage-Of-Flame fire technique. Fire was already violent in nature. The fire technique took violence of fire to another level. Especially, if the technique was completely mastered.
Quan Zhi stared intently at the area of the force-field, and initiated his most powerful move.
"From heavens above comes the blaze and from the crust below comes the fire. The Meteor-Rite Spears."
Immediately, circles of fire enclosed the area around the revenant. Several spears of fire battered the figure endlessly from the inside of the circles for few seconds before the technique being torn apart by the revenant.
"Are you disappointed? Aww, don't be. You may be at the gates of the phantom core, but you're still a four-pillar premier. How can you, in this obviously insane universe, compare to me? Oh, are you wondering how i know? The light of your aura is dark grey. Which means you've not yet formed your bronze core. Nonetheless, I'll show the difference between you and me. My turn."