Yet this being was somewhat unusual; it seemed capable of concealing its Nen.

This wasn't because it knew I could detect Nen and was deliberately hiding.

In fact, according to what Grandpa said in the dream, all living things possess Nen, and all living things can perceive Nen.

Just like that foreign girl earlier, although only I could see her powerful Nen, both Dàxióng and Niè Chuān, despite being unable to see it, still felt that oppressive presence.

Ordinary creatures naturally wouldn't have such immense Nen, but when you approach one, or when it moves, you can usually sense something to a greater or lesser degree.

The most compelling evidence is something like this: if you walk in total darkness, unable to see what surrounds you, many people can still sense the feeling of being watched if someone is observing them nearby.

Logically, being looked at by another person should generate no sensation at all; this feeling is mostly transmitted through a form of Nen.

Creatures wishing to hide themselves can only achieve true invisibility by concealing their Nen along with themselves.

However, as I said just now, no matter how well they hide, they are easily exposed the moment they begin to move, as their Nen betrays them.

Compared to me, Dàxióng and Niè Chuān only saw a few dead leaves rustle slightly, but even they knew something must have been by the base of the wall just then.

So Niè Chuān asked me, "Was there something over there just now?"

I nodded and replied, "It was something capable of invisibility, or maybe it was just incredibly fast; in any case, I don't know where it is now."

"Invisibility?" Dàxióng froze for a moment, asking, "That thing... couldn't be a ghost, could it?"

I shook my head and said, "I didn't get a clear look, but I believe that after some people die, their Nen can linger. However, Nen is just energy and requires a carrier. As a form of ethereal energy, the possibility of ghosts existing is very slim."

Hearing this, Dàxióng relaxed considerably and remarked, "It wants to play hide-and-seek with us, but we big shots don't have time for that. Let's ignore it and just leave."

Though I thought the same, I had a nagging feeling this thing wouldn't give up so easily.

It had been hiding in the corner of the room the whole time, observing us for a long time. I wasn't clear on its objective, but it was definitely more than simple curiosity.

Thinking this, we started walking towards the door.

But just then, the door slammed shut with a resounding bang.

We were all startled, sensing that events were taking a turn for the worse.

Sure enough, after the door closed, a strange, dry cackle echoed from some unseen corner of the room.

"You... you guarantee that's not a ghost?" Dàxióng sounded distinctly uneasy upon hearing the laughter.

I didn't answer him, instead frowning and scanning our surroundings, yet still finding nothing.

The laughter seemed to emanate from one direction, yet simultaneously felt like it was coming from all directions at once.

Although the sky hadn't completely darkened yet, the blood-red sunset pierced through the broken windowpanes, casting the room's objects and figures in an exceptionally eerie light.

We glanced around, bewildered, finding ourselves in a deeply passive situation.

Yet I knew this helplessness wouldn't last long. Since the other party had sealed the door, they were bound to make a hostile move; after all, a single door couldn't actually trap us.

Indeed, after we stood still for a moment, a reddish mist suddenly began to rise from the surrounding floor.

Noticing the suspicious color of the vapor, I knew it had to be poison, and I cursed, "It's toxic gas! Cover your mouths and noses, quickly!"

"No, this isn't poison gas..." Niè Chuān spoke up at that moment.

"If it’s not poison gas, then what—" Before I could finish, I inhaled a sharp, pungent sting of chili powder.

The scent hit me instantly, bringing tears and snot streaming down, coughing so violently I nearly blacked out.

The other two were suffering much the same way. We frantically stripped off our outer garments, wet them with water from our canteens, and used them to cover our mouths and noses.

Dàxióng, while coughing into his makeshift mask, mumbled angrily, "Damn it, this is trying to choke us to death! Quick, we have to get out of here."

"No! If we can't open the door in a moment, we'll suffocate quickly. It's faster to jump out the window; at worst, we start over," I stated.

They both clearly agreed with my idea and charged towards the window together.

However, the moment we turned back, we froze. The window, we realized, was blocked by a figure at some point while we weren't looking.

Saying it was a person, I wasn't entirely sure, as all we could see was a head bearing two short horns, and a flowing, ethereal silk robe covering its lower half.

The head resembled something out of the Hellboy movie, but its mouth was enormous, filled with jagged, uneven fangs, staring at us with a dull gaze.

Another similarity to Hellboy was that this creature’s face was the color of chili peppers, radiating an intensely malevolent aura.

The strangest thing was that I couldn't sense any Nen from this entity whatsoever; it was like a lifeless object.

Dàxióng was growing frantic by now. Ignoring the creature's many oddities, he lunged forward with a powerful punch aimed at its midsection.

But as his fist struck its body, I watched in disbelief as it landed with the soft, airy impact of hitting a quilt hanging on a clothesline.

Dàxióng lunged forward, missing entirely, and disappeared into the folds of the silken robe.

This thing truly had no physical body; I was stunned and quickly warned Dàxióng, "Get back here!"

At that moment, Dàxióng seemed to have fallen into a black hole, vanishing completely.

Just as I assumed he had passed through the creature's body and fallen out the window,

The creature's previously shriveled silk robe began to slowly inflate, becoming plump and full.

Furthermore, I noticed that the entity's previously vacant eyes were gradually regaining focus.

Those eyes, initially filled with panic and incredulity, slowly turned cold.

"Dàxióng! Those eyes belong to Dàxióng!" Niè Chuān exclaimed from the side.

In truth, I had already noticed it myself; that expression, that physique—they bore a strong resemblance to Dàxióng.

"I see... I see... No, but this is impossible..." Dàxióng's voice emerged from the strange shell.

What had he seen? Curiosity burned in my mind, and I was about to ask, but Dàxióng suddenly rolled his eyes back and lunged toward us.

This was precisely the scenario I feared most. Dàxióng was the strongest fighter among us, and when he fought desperately, he disregarded everything. Neither of us stood a chance against him in that state.

And even if we could overpower him, we absolutely could not harm Dàxióng’s true body, which made the situation incredibly tricky.

"Takeda Shingen, you thought you were clever, trying to blow up the Bronze Gate and seal me away forever, Hahahaha..." Dàxióng chanted as he rushed at us.

Although the voice was Dàxióng's, the tone was completely alien.

He was likely being controlled by some form of Nen.

Upon closer inspection, I confirmed it: black threads had appeared within the white Nen surrounding Dàxióng's body, binding his native Nen.

Just as I recognized those black threads as another type of Nen, Dàxióng's hand clamped down on my chest.

I ducked low, evading his ferocious strike, and rolled aside.

But Dàxióng immediately spun around and lunged toward Niè Chuān.

Though Niè Chuān and I shared the same essence, he wasn't as agile as I was, and could only turn and flee.

I expected Dàxióng to pursue Niè Chuān relentlessly, but surprisingly, Dàxióng stopped after a couple of steps, pointed at Niè Chuān, and commanded, "Guards! Seize these two intruders and throw them into the bamboo grove to feed the great snakes!"

Saying this, he planted his hands on his hips and stared fixedly toward the main gate.

However, it was clear no servants or enforcers would appear, given how long this place had been abandoned.

Seeing no one approach, Dàxióng's massive red face contorted in rage. He rolled up his sleeves and shouted, "Sasuke! Katō! Where are you people? Where did everyone run off to?"

Hearing the name Sasuke, I froze, wondering if this Sasuke referred to the old white-haired man.

If that was the case, the Nen currently controlling Dàxióng could only be the Nen of Raikū Monk.