The cave was deathly quiet save for the soft hum of energy emanating from the altar at its center.
Bai Cheng's breathing caught as he moved slowly forward.
The glowing runes danced and pulsed like a heartbeat, the energy around the altar both enticing and menacing.
"This. this doesn't feel right," Bai Cheng grumbled, looking over his shoulder at his dog, who whined softly.
His instincts were crying out for him to turn around, but his curiosity—and the distant hope of discovering something remarkable—kept him going.
As he moved towards the altar, his foot slipped over the lip of a intricately carved rune along the doorway. A low roar echoed through the cave. The ground shifted ever so slightly, and Bai Cheng stood stock-still, clutching his staff.
The reverberation of stone on stone surrounded him. He sensed it before he saw it—the unnatural presence of something.
From the ground, dark, spectral figures began to rise. Their forms were ghostly yet solid, their faces twisted and half-formed like remnants of shattered souls.
Their eyes glowed faintly, betraying no emotion, only intent. Bai Cheng's heart sank as he counted them. Six. Then eight. Then ten.
He swore under his breath.
These weren't just illusions or low-level spiritual constructs. The energy radiating from them screamed of a cultivation level far beyond his own. Core Formation, at least. And they weren't just standing there—they were closing in.
"Great. Ghouls," Bai Cheng sarcastically muttered, his voice trembling. He motioned to his dog. "Hide. Now. I'll take care of this."
The dog stalled, snarling at the apparitions, but followed, slipping into darkness. Bai Cheng set his shoulders and held his staff high.
He whispered to himself, "Shadow Step. Bone Breaker. Dodge. Survive. Don't die. Easy plan."
The lead ghoul attacked him, its motion eerily quick. Bai Cheng sidestepped to the side with Shadow Step, barely evading a clawed hand that swiped through the air. A second ghoul approached from his right, its arm extending abnormally long, trying to snatch him.
Bai Cheng turned, his staff blocking the attack with a resounding crack. The impact knocked him backward, but he was able to keep his footing.
"Alright, you guys don't play fair," Bai Cheng muttered. He darted between the advancing ghouls, his movements quick and precise, his mind racing.
No matter how many strikes he landed, they didn't falter.
His Bone Breaker technique shattered their limbs, but the broken parts simply reformed, their bodies twisting grotesquely as they regenerated.
He swore again. "This isn't working. What the hell are you things?"
One of the ghouls responded—not verbally, but with a strike. It extended its hand, dark energy surging around its fingers, and sent a blast of black fire hurtling at him.
Bai Cheng dodged it barely, the flames singeing the earth where he had been standing a moment before.
"These guys have techniques I've never seen before," he muttered, ducking under another attack.
"Lost-era stuff. Great. Just my luck."
Bai Cheng ran behind a stone pillar, gasping for breath. His body was already complaining about the constant dodging. He peered around the corner just in time to spot three of the ghouls moving towards his location.
"I can't keep this up," he told himself, his fingers closing more tightly around his staff. "Think, Bai Cheng. Think.
You're not going to out-run these things forever."
He scanned the ground frantically for anything that might be of use. That was when he noticed it—a shattered sword, half-covered in earth close to the altar. Its blade shone weakly in the low light, the hilt decorative and broken, but it radiated a weak aura of power.
"That's new," Bai Cheng grumbled, moving towards it.
The ghouls picked up on his plan and quickened their pace, their steps becoming wilder.
He growled in annoyance and sprinted for the weapon, dodging a ghoul's swipe that left deep claw marks in the stone where he had been a moment before.
He made it to the weapon and pulled it out. It was heavier than he anticipated, and its blade, though dull in some spots, possessed an edge that could still slice. The power that radiated from it was weak but unmistakable—it wasn't a regular weapon.
"Alright, let's see what you can do," Bai Cheng said, hefting the broken blade. The ghouls didn't hesitate, their attacks relentless. He swung the blade, its edge slicing cleanly through one of the specters. For a brief moment, the ghoul's form shimmered as though it might dissipate, but then it reformed, whole and unyielding.
"Of course," Bai Cheng complained. "Why would it be so easy?"
He was forced to retreat again, narrowly avoiding another barrage of attacks. As he dodged and parried, something clicked in his mind. These things weren't just mindless guardians—they were bound to something.
The altar. The glowing runes. The energy pulsating through the air.
It's a test," Bai Cheng realized, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "It has to be. They're not going to stop until. until I do something.
He glanced at the altar, then back at the ghouls. They were closing in again, their movements coordinated, cutting off his escape routes. He was running out of time.
Bai Cheng took a deep breath and walked to the center of the cave, standing right in front of the altar. The ghouls came after him, their bodies twisting and morphing as they got into position to attack.
He raised his staff, his fingers gripping the wood tightly, and bellowed, "Come on, then! All of you!"
The ghouls paused for a moment, as if taken aback by his disobedience. Then they charged forward in unison, a tide of shadowy power and clawed fingers. Bai Cheng remained firm, his thoughts racing.
The air became heavy with tension, the glowing runes surrounding the altar flashing brighter as the ghouls advanced. Bai Cheng's heart thundered in his chest, but he didn't flinch.
"Whatever it is you're testing me for," he growled between clenched teeth, "you'd better let me through."
The ghouls were almost upon him when he made his move.