Li Shiming stared blankly at the scene before him; he had not needed to search actively but merely traveled in a straight line for several hours before seeing a huge palace.
A desolate land suddenly featured a palace that seemed utterly out of place no matter how one looked at it.
What shocked him more were the four Fourth Grade Ghost Souls floating in front of the palace’s main gate; these were four Nascent Soul-level ghost souls.
Originally, he believed there was only one Fourth Grade Ghost Soul in this space; clearly, his judgment had been wrong.
He had underestimated the power of the Cave Heaven Master; it seemed to the master, Fourth Grade Ghost Souls were nothing to fuss over.
It was only because he had the protection of the Heavenly Ghost that the Fourth Grade Ghost Souls could not detect him, which emboldened him to approach the palace.
He slowed down his speed to a crawl, not wanting to stir the air and be discovered by the Fourth Grade Ghost Souls.
Not to mention four, even a single Fourth Grade Ghost Soul was more than he could handle at the moment.
As he neared the palace, he saw a plaque above the great doors that bore three ancient characters: ’Hell Path.’
"Hell Path, could this place be Hell?" he wondered, but he quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought since this was a Cave Heaven, likely created by that great power.
He looked eagerly towards the Hell Path Palace, thinking that if there was any treasure in this space, it would be within this palace.
Approaching the Fourth Grade Ghost Souls, he dared not even use his "Divine Eyesight."
The Fourth Grade Ghost Souls exuded a terrifying spiritual suppression, but Li Shiming did not feel too uncomfortable.
This was not to say his spirit was strong enough to resist the spiritual suppression of the Fourth Grade Ghost Souls, but rather that the suppression he was experiencing was distributed among one hundred ninety-one brains, allowing him to face it with ease.
He had never been so close to a Fourth Grade Ghost Soul before; the semi-transparent body of the ghost soul faintly shimmered with strange and complex runes, and normally invisible spiritual energy flowed like water within the ghost soul.
He was somewhat worried about the Heavenly Ghost, which was only of the third grade; if it could not withstand the spiritual suppression of the Fourth Grade Ghost Souls, it would become visible before the four of them, rendering all his abilities useless for self-defense.
When he connected his mind with the Heavenly Ghost, he felt greed emanating from it.
He sighed in relief, realizing that not only was the Heavenly Ghost unafraid of the Fourth Grade Ghost Souls, but it also wanted to devour them.
The Heavenly Ghost had merged with a Heavenly Demon’s shell and had acquired some characteristics of the Heavenly Demon to some extent.
The Heavenly Demon represents a higher spiritual life form than the ghost souls; even if weaker, food is still food, and powerful food is just a bit tougher.
Of course, Li Shiming would never allow the Heavenly Ghost to attempt devouring a Fourth Grade Ghost Soul. He did not know if the Heavenly Ghost could genuinely consume a Fourth Grade Ghost Soul, and besides, with four of them present, devouring one would certainly alert the others.
Then he would face attacks from the remaining three Fourth Grade Ghost Souls. Perhaps the Heavenly Ghost could handle them, but he, their master, certainly could not.
Upon reaching the palace, he discovered it was constructed entirely from countless dry bones.
He felt a chill run down his spine; although he had killed many cultivators himself, the sheer number of bones here gave him the sense of being in an actual Hell.
He also understood the source of the Yin Cold Power emanating from the palace; with so many bones making up the palace, each bone was a source of this chilling energy.
As he stepped onto the palace stairs, if not for his Great Elder-level Body Refining strength that made his body extremely defensively powerful, he would have struggled to resist the erosion of the Yin Cold Power.
How many beings had Great Power Zhai Ge killed to create such a palace?
What was more terrifying was, upon examining the bones that made up the palace, he found the original owners of these bones were likely not weaker than the second grade, with a substantial number of them being third-grade bones.
Li Shiming stayed off the ground; he was somewhat reluctant to touch the floor.
At the entrance, he turned back for a glance at the four Fourth Grade Ghost Souls, saw they were still floating around, and then confidently stepped inside.
Entering, he found a great hall that lacked the treasures he had expected; at the center stood a portal.
Unwilling to believe that he had come up empty-handed after spending so much time and risking so much, he felt a great discontent.
Unclear where the portal might lead, if it transported him outside the Cave Heaven, his exploration would end here.
The palace was spotlessly clean, containing nothing but the portal, and walls, floors, and domes made of bones.
"Forget it, it’s best not to linger here any longer, in case the Nascent Soul Ancestors catch up and create trouble!" Li Shiming thought to himself.
No longer dwelling on what he could gather, he flew towards the portal.
Before exploring, he had also discovered that the portals at the point of entry could not facilitate his exit; thus, he had to find another way out while inside the Cave Heaven, and clearly, the portal before him was the way out of Hell Path.
Passing through the portal, he found himself in a room as space shifted.
"Congratulations for passing the ’Hell Path’; you are the first to succeed in the ’Hell Path’ challenge and are entitled to a reward!" a voice devoid of emotion announced.
The sudden voice startled Li Shiming; he looked around, noting the room was small and devoid of any life forms.