第三百六十三章 严峻形势

sì hū rén shàng wèi dào qí ， gù ér xiū shì men dōu mò mò bù yǔ ， zhǐ yǒu shǎo shù xiāng shí zhī rén jiān huò jiāo tán liǎng jù ， yòu děng le xiǎo bàn gè shí chén ， yě zhǐ yǒu yī rén lái dào dà diàn lǐ 。

似乎人尚未到齐，故而修士们都默默不语，只有少数相识之人间或交谈两句，又等了小半个时辰，也只有一人来到大殿里。

It seemed that not everyone had arrived, so the cultivators were silent. Only a few familiar faces exchanged brief words now and then. Another half hour passed, but only one person came into the grand hall.

yī dào chuán yīn fú fēi rù chǔ tiān shū de shǒu lǐ ， tā chá kàn yǐ hòu ， méi tou yí zhòu ， jiē zhe shén sè níng zhòng de tái qǐ tóu ：“ gè wèi dào yǒu ， yuán běn chǔ mǒu suǒ yāo qǐng de ， hái yǒu tiān yún zōng de liǎng wèi zhǎng lǎo ， bù guò gāng cái jiē dào dì zǐ chuán xìn ， zhè liǎng wèi dào yǒu bù xìng pèng shàng le guǐ wáng wéi gōng ， yǐ rán xiōng duō jí shǎo ， shí zhī shì lái bù liǎo zhè lǐ le 。”

一道传音符飞入楚天舒的手里，他查看以后，眉头一皱，接着神色凝重的抬起头：“各位道友，原本楚某所邀请的，还有天云宗的两位长老，不过刚才接到弟子传信，这两位道友不幸碰上了鬼王围攻，已然凶多吉少，十之是来不了这里了。”

A transmission talisman flew into Chu Tianshu's hand. After checking it, his brows furrowed as he raised his head with a serious expression: "My fellow daoists, I had invited two elders from the Heavenly Cloud Sect, but just now my disciple received a message saying that these two friends unfortunately encountered an attack by the Ghost King and are likely unable to make it here."

cǐ yǔ yī chū ， xià miàn dùn shí “ wēng ” de yī shēng zhà kāi le guō lái ， jí biàn zài zuò de dōu shì níng dān qī gāo shǒu ， yě sǒng rán dòng róng ， bù shǎo rén de liǎn shàng shèn zhì lù chū le wèi jù zhī sè 。

此语一出，下面顿时“嗡”的一声炸开了锅来，即便在座的都是凝丹期高手，也耸然动容，不少人的脸上甚至露出了畏惧之色。

This statement immediately caused a commotion. Even though most of those present were Core Formation cultivators, they were still taken aback. Many faces showed signs of fear.

“ ān jìng ， zhū wèi dào yǒu qiè mò zì luàn zhèn jiǎo ， chǔ mǒu qǐng dà jiā lái ， jiù shì xiǎng yǔ zhū wèi gòng shāng yù dí zhī cè 。” chǔ tiān shū ké sòu yī shēng ， bù jǐn bù màn de kāi kǒu ， tā de shēng yīn bù dà ， què qīng yì gài guò le suǒ yǒu cáo zá ， ér qiě yǐn yǐn hán yǒu ràng rén xīn shén ān níng de gōng xiào 。

“安静，诸位道友切莫自乱阵脚，楚某请大家来，就是想与诸位共商御敌之策。”楚天舒咳嗽一声，不紧不慢的开口，他的声音不大，却轻易盖过了所有嘈杂，而且隐隐含有让人心神安宁的功效。

"Be quiet, fellow daoists. Do not panic. I called everyone here to discuss strategies for defending against the enemy," Chu Tianshu coughed and spoke calmly. His voice was soft but easily drowned out all the noise around him, with a subtle effect that calmed people's minds.

zhòng xiū shì yī jīng ， zhè cái jiàn jiàn ān jìng ， chǔ tiān shū shēn wèi dì zhǔ ， yòu shì zài zuò zhī rén xiū wèi zuì gāo de ， yú qíng yú lǐ ， zhòng rén zì rán yào gěi tā miàn zi ， hé kuàng xiàng xiàn zài zhè yàng hùn luàn ， yě tǎo lùn bù chū gè suǒ yǐ rán 。

众修士一惊，这才渐渐安静，楚天舒身为地主，又是在座之人修为最高的，于情于理，众人自然要给他面子，何况像现在这样混乱，也讨论不出个所以然。

The cultivators were startled but gradually quietened down. As the host and one of the highest-ranking cultivators present, Chu Tianshu naturally commanded respect from everyone. Moreover, in such chaos, it would be hard to come up with any clear strategy anyway.

“ chǔ xiōng de níng shén jué ， què shí shén miào fēi fán ， jì shì nín yāo wǒ men qián lái ， zhè yī dài yòu shì guì jiā zú de shì lì fàn wéi ， xiǎng bì duì yú nà xiē guǐ wù men de dòng xiàng ， chǔ xiōng shì liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng ， hái qǐng jiāng mù qián de xíng shì xiāng gào ， wǒ men yě hǎo què dìng xià yī bù de xíng zhǐ 。” yī wèi shēn cái ǎi pàng de xiū shì ， miàn lù yōu sè de dào 。

“楚兄的凝神诀，确实神妙非凡，既是您邀我们前来，这一带又是贵家族的势力范围，想必对于那些鬼物们的动向，楚兄是了如指掌，还请将目前的形势相告，我们也好确定下一步的行止。”一位身材矮胖的修士，面露忧色的道。

"Brother Chu, your Concentration Art is truly remarkable. Since you invited us here, this area falls under your family's influence. You must have a good understanding of the movements of those ghostly creatures. Please share the current situation so we can decide our next steps," said a short and plump cultivator with worry on his face.

“ shì a ， shì a ， hái qǐng chǔ jiā zhǔ rú shí xiàng gào 。”

“是啊，是啊，还请楚家主如实相告。”

"Indeed, indeed. Please tell us the truth, Master Chu."

“ liào mǒu sān tiān qián jìn rù shí wàn dà shān ， zhè cái gāng gāng shòu liè guī lái ， jiù dé dào le guǐ wù jìn gōng de xiāo xī ， jù tǐ qíng xíng rú hé ， jǐn jǐn shì tīng dào yī xiē liú yán chuán shuō ， yě bù zhī dào yǒu jǐ fēn kě xìn dù 。”

“廖某三天前进入十万大山，这才刚刚狩猎归来，就得到了鬼物进攻的消息，具体情形如何，仅仅是听到一些流言传说，也不知道有几分可信度。”

"Lao Liao entered the Ten Thousand Mountains three days ago and just returned from hunting. I only heard rumors about the ghost attacks; I don't know how much of it is true."

“ lì mǒu yě shì zhè yàng ， tīng shuō guǐ luó chéng zhōu biān de wèi chéng 。 rú jīn yǐ quán bèi gōng xiàn le ， jiū jìng shì bú shì zhēn de ？”

“厉某也是这样，听说鬼罗城周边的卫城。如今已全被攻陷了，究竟是不是真的？”

"I'm in a similar situation," said Li Hai. "I heard that the outer city around Ghost City has been completely overrun, but is it really so?"

“ hāi hāi ！” chǔ tiān shū tái qǐ shǒu lái ， xiàng xià xū àn ， zhòng rén jiàn le ， quán dōu ān jìng xià lái ， tā liǎn lù kǔ xiào zhī sè ：“ zhè xiē wèn tí ， zhū wèi jiù shì bù wèn ， zài xià yě huì yī yī jiě shuō 。 rú jīn dà dí dāng qián ， zì rán shì yào qún cè qún lì ， chǔ mǒu qǐ huì yǐn mán xiāo xī ， dà jiā fàng xīn jiù shì 。”

“咳咳！”楚天舒抬起手来，向下虚按，众人见了，全都安静下来，他脸露苦笑之色：“这些问题，诸位就是不问，在下也会一一解说。如今大敌当前，自然是要群策群力，楚某岂会隐瞒消息，大家放心就是。”

"Ahem!" Chu Tianshu raised his hand and gently pressed down. The cultivators fell silent as he smiled wryly: "These questions would come up anyway, even if you didn't ask. In times of crisis, we must pool our wisdom. I won't hide any information; please be assured."

tīng le chǔ tiān shū de huà ， xiū shì men wú bù biǎo qíng yī huǎn ， jìng jìng de děng tā yán 。

听了楚天舒的话，修士们无不表情一缓，静静的等他言。

After hearing Chu Tianshu's words, the cultivators relaxed and waited quietly for him to continue.

“ rú jīn wài miàn què shí yáo yán mǎn tiān 。 biàn chuán dì xiǎo dào xiāo xī yǒu zhēn yǒu jiǎ 。 guān yú guǐ luó chéng dì zhàn kuàng 。 shuō shí huà 。 wǒ chǔ jiā yě bìng bù qīng chǔ 。”

“如今外面确实谣言满天。遍传地小道消息有真有假。关于鬼罗城地战况。说实话。我楚家也并不清楚。”

"Indeed, rumors are rampant outside. Some of these small-town stories may or may not be true. We don't know much about the situation in Ghost City," said Chu Tianshu.

“ bù qīng chǔ 。 zěn me kě néng 。 nǐ chǔ jiā bú shì zhè lǐ dì dì tóu shé ma ？” nà ǎi pàng xiū shì chōng kǒu ér chū 。 suí jí liǎn sè yī biàn 。 bào le bào quán ：“ duì bù qǐ 。 zhāng mǒu kǒu wú zhē lán 。 shī yán le 。”

“不清楚。怎么可能。你楚家不是这里地地头蛇吗？”那矮胖修士冲口而出。随即脸色一变。抱了抱拳：“对不起。张某口无遮拦。失言了。”

"How can that be? Your Chu Family is supposed to be the local overlords here?" The short and plump cultivator blurted out, then quickly apologized: "Forgive me, I spoke without thinking."

“ zhāng xiōng bù bì jiè yì 。 nǐ zhè huà suī bù zhōng tīng 。 què shì shì shí 。 wǒ chǔ jiā què shí zài zhè yī dài pǒ yǒu gēn jī 。” chǔ tiān shū yī jiù liǎn sè píng hé 。 dàn dàn dì shuō 。

“张兄不必介意。你这话虽不中听。却是事实。我楚家确实在这一带颇有根基。”楚天舒依旧脸色平和。淡淡地说。

"Do not mind it, Brother Zhang. You are right; our family does have a strong presence in this area," said Chu Tianshu calmly.

lín xuān zé xīn zhōng yī lǐn 。 àn zì tí xǐng zì jǐ yào liú yì cǐ rén 。 gāng cái nà huà duì chǔ jiā ér yán kě shì dà bù jìng 。 jiù suàn fēi cháng shí qī 。 bù zuò zhuī jiū 。 kě chǔ tiān shū lián yì diǎn nù sè yě méi yǒu 。 rú cǐ biǎo xiàn 。 bú shì xīn xiōng kāi kuò 。 jiù shì dà jiān dà è 。 zài lín xuān kàn lái 。 duō bàn shì hòu 。

林轩则心中一凛。暗自提醒自己要留意此人。刚才那话对楚家而言可是大不敬。就算非常时期。不做追究。可楚天舒连一点怒色也没有。如此表现。不是心胸开阔。就是大奸大恶。在林轩看来。多半是后。

Lin Xuan's heart tightened as he silently reminded himself to keep an eye on this person. That statement was highly disrespectful to the Chu Family, even if it wasn't pursued now. But Chu Tianshu showed no sign of anger; such behavior suggested either a broad-minded nature or great wickedness. In Lin Xuan's view, the latter was more likely.

qí tā rén 。 què wèi bì yǒu lín xuān zhè yàng dì xīn jī yǎn lì 。 zhì shǎo nà shuō cuò huà dì ǎi pàng xiū shì 。 tīng chǔ tiān shū huà lǐ méi yǒu guài zuì dì yì si 。 sōng le kǒu qì 。 mǎn liǎn gǎn jī 。

其他人。却未必有林轩这样地心机眼力。至少那说错话地矮胖修士。听楚天舒话里没有怪罪地意思。松了口气。满脸感激。

Others did not have Lin Xuan's keen insight. The short and plump cultivator breathed a sigh of relief when Chu Tianshu seemed unfazed by his words, looking grateful.

“ bù mán zhū wèi dào yǒu 。 zhè cì lì guǐ lái shì xiōng xiōng 。 sān dà guǐ dì qí chū 。 tǒng yù xià xiá suǒ bù 。 měng gōng guǐ luó chéng 。 ér qiě pài chū lì guǐ yīn hún 。 fēng suǒ yào dào 。 tú shā wǒ luò dān dì rén lèi xiū shì 。 yīn wèi cù bù jí fáng 。 wǒ men què shí chù yú le xià fēng 。 ér yào dào bèi fēng suǒ 。 tōng wǎng guǐ luó chéng dì lù quán dōu bèi qiā duàn 。 nà lǐ shí wú xiāo xī chuán lái 。 bù guò jù chǔ mǒu tuī duàn 。 xíng shì kǒng pà bù róng lè guān 。” chǔ tiān shū tàn le kǒu qì 。 dàn dàn dì jiě shì le jǐ jù 。

“不瞒诸位道友。这次厉鬼来势汹汹。三大鬼帝齐出。统御下辖所部。猛攻鬼罗城。而且派出厉鬼阴魂。封锁要道。屠杀我落单地人类修士。因为猝不及防。我们确实处于了下风。而要道被封锁。通往鬼罗城地路全都被掐断。那里实无消息传来。不过据楚某推断。形势恐怕不容乐观。”楚天舒叹了口气。淡淡地解释了几句。

"Let me be honest with you all. The current situation in Ghost City is dire, but it doesn't concern us much. Our immediate task is to find ways to deal with the present crisis," said Chu Tianshu, his expression grave.

ér lín xuān tīng le cǐ yǔ ， zé xīn zhōng yī dòng ， sān dà guǐ dì ？

而林轩听了此语，则心中一动，三大鬼帝？

"Does that mean those ghosts are about to attack here?" Lin Xuan suddenly broke his silence and asked.

àn zhào rén lèi xiū shì dì rèn zhī ， yīn hún xiá gǔ zhōng què shí jǐn yǒu sān tóu xiāng dāng yú yuán yīng qī xiū shì de guài wù ， bù guò lín xuān què qīng chǔ ， jiù zài bù jiǔ qián ， yòu yǒu yī míng yuē “ hào tiān ” de jiā huo chéng gōng jìn jí ， rú jīn yīng gāi shì sì dà guǐ dì 。

按照人类修士地认知，阴魂峡谷中确实仅有三头相当于元婴期修士的怪物，不过林轩却清楚，就在不久前，又有一名曰“昊天”的家伙成功晋级，如今应该是四大鬼帝。

This matter was closely tied to everyone's lives, so the other cultivators also showed concern.

zhè jiā huo yǐn ér bù chū ， xiǎn rán bú shì nà xiē guǐ wù shǒu xià liú qíng de yuán gù ， ér shì lìng yǒu yīn móu ， bù guò lüè yī sī suǒ ， lín xuān bìng méi yǒu jiāng zhè ge xiāo xī xiàng zhòng rén tòu lù 。

这家伙隐而不出，显然不是那些鬼物手下留情的缘故，而是另有阴谋，不过略一思索，林轩并没有将这个消息向众人透露。

"You're right, Fellow Daoist Li," Chu Tianshu looked at Lin Xuan. This young elder of Fire Spirit Sect seemed too young for his position. But he didn't have time to ponder it; he continued: "Although we can't know what's happening in Ghost City, my disciples have been searching for ghostly creatures in this area. Reliable intelligence indicates that those creatures are already paying attention to the large number of cultivators here and are preparing an attack. They will arrive within a day."

“ zhū wèi dào yǒu ， guǐ luó chéng nà biān xíng shì rú hé ， duì wǒ men lái shuō ， qí shí dào wú guān jǐn yào ， dāng wù zhī jí ， hái shì xiǎng bàn fǎ yìng fù yǎn qián de wēi jī 。” chǔ tiān shū tàn le kǒu qì ， yī zì yī dùn ， biǎo qíng níng zhòng yǐ jí 。

“诸位道友，鬼罗城那边形势如何，对我们来说，其实倒无关紧要，当务之急，还是想办法应付眼前的危机。”楚天舒叹了口气，一字一顿，表情凝重以极。

"A day? So short?" The short and plump cultivator interjected again.

“ yǎn qián de wēi jī ， nán dào nà xiē lì guǐ jiù kuài yào jìn gōng zhè lǐ ？” lín xuān tū rán yī gǎi chén mò ， chā kǒu wèn shàng le yī jù 。

“眼前的危机，难道那些厉鬼就快要进攻这里？”林轩突然一改沉默，插口问上了一句。

"I assure you, Brother Zhang, it's one hundred percent accurate," said Chu Tianshu. "To gather this information, my family has lost five disciples." A trace of pain flashed across his face.

cǐ shì yǔ zài zuò zhòng rén de shēn jiā xìng mìng ， xī xī xiāng guān ， qí yú xiū shì yě wú bù lù chū guān zhù de shén sè 。

此事与在座众人的身家性命，息息相关，其余修士也无不露出关注的神色。

The other cultivators sighed sympathetically. Some offered words of comfort, but most frowned in thought about their current predicament. They had expected the ghostly creatures to target them sooner or later, but not so quickly. Their main focus should have been on Ghost City.

“ lǐ dào yǒu suǒ yán bù cuò 。” chǔ tiān shū tái tóu kàn le yī yǎn lín xuān ， zhè wèi huǒ líng mén zhǎng lǎo ， nián qīng dé guò fèn le diǎn ， bù guò cǐ shí cǐ kè ， tā yě méi yǒu xīn qíng qù tàn jiū shén me ， liǎn sè yī chén dì kāi kǒu le ：“ suī rán wú fǎ zhī dào guǐ luó chéng nà biān zhàn kuàng rú hé ， dàn wǒ chǔ jiā dì zi ， yǐ jīng quán lì sōu suǒ zài zhè yī dài huó dòng de yīn hún guǐ wù de xiāo xī ， jù kě kào qíng bào ， nà xiē jiā huo yǐ jīng zhù yì dào wǒ men zhè lǐ yǒu dà liàng de xiū shì jù jí ， yě zài zhěng hé rén shǒu ， zhǔn bèi xiàng zhè lǐ dòng gōng jī ， zuì kuài ， zài guò yī tiān de shí jiān jiù huì dào dá zhè lǐ 。”

“李道友所言不错。”楚天舒抬头看了一眼林轩，这位火灵门长老，年轻得过分了点，不过此时此刻，他也没有心情去探究什么，脸色一沉地开口了：“虽然无法知道鬼罗城那边战况如何，但我楚家弟子，已经全力搜索在这一带活动的阴魂鬼物的消息，据可靠情报，那些家伙已经注意到我们这里有大量的修士聚集，也在整合人手，准备向这里动攻击，最快，再过一天的时间就会到达这里。”

Did these creatures really intend to exterminate everyone?

“ yī tiān ， zhè me duǎn ， chǔ xiōng ， zhè ge xiāo xī kě què shí ？” nà shēn cái ǎi pàng de xiū shì ， zài yí cì chā kǒu le 。

“一天，这么短，楚兄，这个消息可确实？”那身材矮胖的修士，再一次插口了。

As Core Formation cultivators, they all had extensive knowledge and had read many accounts of battles between ghosts and humans.

“ zhāng xiōng bù yòng huái yí ， chǔ mǒu gǎn kěn dìng ， zhè shì bǎi fēn zhī bǎi zhǔn què de xiāo xī ， wèi le shōu jí dào qíng bào ， wǒ chǔ jiā yǐ jīng yī lián zhé sǔn le wǔ míng dì zǐ 。” chǔ tiān shū shuō dào zhè lǐ ， liǎn shàng shǎn guò yī sī tòng xī 。

“张兄不用怀疑，楚某敢肯定，这是百分之百准确的消息，为了收集到情报，我楚家已经一连折损了五名弟子。”楚天舒说到这里，脸上闪过一丝痛惜。

Back then, it seemed distant and unimportant, but now the brutal war came back to haunt them—thousands of cultivator souls returned to the underworld, with even two senior元婴期 cultivators perishing. The loss of Core Formation cultivators was also significant. Everyone felt a sense of danger.

xià miàn dì xiū shì zé xī xū bù yǐ ， yě yǒu rén suí kǒu ān wèi le jǐ jù ， dàn gèng duō de ， zé zhòu méi bù yǔ ， sī kǎo zhe mù qián de chǔ jìng 。

下面地修士则唏嘘不已，也有人随口安慰了几句，但更多的，则皱眉不语，思考着目前的处境。

Especially now that key passageways were heavily guarded by ghostly creatures, they seemed trapped in a desperate situation.

suī rán dà jiā yě zǎo liào dào guǐ wù huì dīng shàng zhè lǐ ， dàn zěn me yě méi xiǎng dào rú cǐ xùn sù ， àn lǐ ， men de dà bù fèn jīng lì yīng gāi zài guǐ luó chéng cái duì 。

虽然大家也早料到鬼物会盯上这里，但怎么也没想到如此迅速，按理，们的大部分精力应该在鬼罗城才对。

The atmosphere in the grand hall became heavy and oppressive as everyone pondered their next moves.