As everyone was extremely puzzled, a commotion arose around them.
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of ‘people’ appeared around them, making their scalps tingle. No one knew where they came from; they appeared like ghosts.
Moreover, like the first person, all these people had no aura fluctuations.
A raspy voice echoed from the void, sounding exceptionally eerie. Billy and the others looked around but saw no one. Even within the range of their spiritual power, there was no trace of anyone, leaving them clueless about the source of the voice.
As the voice faded, the eyes of those surrounding them suddenly lit up. They bared their teeth and claws and rushed toward Billy and his group.
“Stop pretending to be ghosts!” Ian Blade shouted angrily, pulling out a large knife from his storage ring and slashing at the nearest man. With his current cultivation level, a full-force strike could instantly kill a half-step Entering Ancestry Realm.
However, in the next moment, an even more shocking scene unfolded. Ian Blade’s blade light passed directly through the man’s body as if it were slicing through the air, leaving no trace behind. The man’s body seemed illusory; the blade light did not affect him.
“What the hell!” Stout cursed. As he spoke, he unleashed his full strength and punched another woman. The massive phantom fist stirred the void violently.
But the result was the same as Ian Blade’s strike. The fierce punch passed through the woman’s body without causing any harm.
“What is going on?” Soul Chaser shouted. Simultaneously, everyone, including Billy, attacked with their full strength. Yet, all their attacks were as ineffective as striking air.
At this moment, the opponents began their assault. A chilling aura swept toward them like a wind from hell, making everyone shiver. The dense attacks left no room for evasion, forcing them to defend by attacking.
The only consolation was that these attacks were not as illusory as their bodies and could be blocked. However, they soon realized the problem. Although they could block the attacks, it consumed their Chi power. Meanwhile, their opponents seemed like machines, endlessly attacking without any depletion of Chi power.
Billy and his group could manage for now, but if this continued, they would eventually be exhausted since their Chi power was limited.
“Billy Boy, this isn’t working!” Opal said while blocking an attack. “Should we try using an Array Talisman?”
“Alright,” Billy responded.
“I’ll do it!” Stout shouted, pulling out a Green Array Talisman.
In the next moment, a powerful aura swept across the scene, enveloping it in mist. Billy and his group disappeared from their original positions and retreated beyond the array’s range. Without targets to attack, the eyes of those people dimmed again, and their attacks slowed down, wandering like zombies.
Then, the array launched its offensive. Countless arrows shot toward those people. However, just like before, the arrows passed through their bodies without any effect.
“What are these things?” Stout exclaimed while watching the ghost-like figures within the array.
“Who knows!” Judge replied, looking at Billy. “Boss, the array can only trap them for half a day. We should leave before they break free.”
“The old leader of the Blacksmiths’ Alliance might know what’s going on. He said he’d be back in three days, which is tomorrow,” White Tiger suggested.
“Good idea,” Judge nodded. “We can use another Array Talisman if needed.”
“Mr. Billy!” Before Judge finished speaking, The Scholar’s voice came from ahead.
They looked up to see The Scholar, Annalise, and Tommy, the old leader of the Blacksmiths’ Alliance, approaching from the left.
“The Scholar, why are you back early? You said three days,” White Tiger asked upon seeing them.
“We heard you were attacked and came to check,” The Scholar replied. “What’s happening? Who are they?”
“Who knows! They look like ghosts!” White Tiger pointed to the array area. “They’re trapped there for now.”
“Mr. Billy, you couldn’t handle them?” The Scholar asked Billy.
“He couldn’t,” Tommy replied gravely.
“What do you mean?” The Scholar turned to Tommy.
“Do you know what those things are?” Soul Chaser asked Tommy.
“Yes,” Tommy nodded. “They’re not human.”
“Not human?” Soul Chaser was stunned. “Are you saying they’re ghosts?”
“Exactly,” Tommy nodded again. “They’re wandering souls being controlled.”
“Really?” Casey and others exclaimed in surprise.
“You’re not joking? There are real ghosts here?” Felicia asked with a pale face.
Not just her; Frostblade and Alex Long also looked uneasy. Although they were martial artists who had seen many strange things, they were still women. Hearing about ghosts right in front of them naturally startled them.
“Yes,” Tommy continued. “It’s not surprising since warriors can have avatars and soul consciousness. Ghosts aren’t that different.”
“Soul consciousness is like a ghost but formed consciously by its owner and can exist independently,” Tommy explained. “These so-called ghosts are controlled by someone using dark methods and have lost their consciousness.”
“Alright…” Felicia took a deep breath.
“Do you know who’s controlling them?” The Scholar asked Tommy again.
“It should be those people,” Tommy replied.
“Which people?” The Scholar was puzzled.
“You know who,” Tommy retorted.
“Hmm?!” The Scholar and Annalise’s pupils contracted slightly.
“You mean those people can come and go freely now?” Annalise asked Tommy.