For a moment, the three Li brothers were baffled.
Staring at the red-clad Malicious Ghost amid the dust and smoke, they couldn’t help but feel a surge of fear. Is this ghost cheating somehow?
The black-robed Daimon Qianmian was also confounded, his palms sweating. Are Nine Yin Fierce Ghosts really that ferocious? Can advancing to the ninth layer of the Core Formation Stage actually trigger such a phenomenon? If she reaches the Golden Core Stage, won’t she be powerful enough to tear a hole in the sky? At that point, with my cultivation at the sixth layer of the Golden Core Stage, it’s hard to say if I could even suppress her!
Even Nie Linglan, the red-clad Malicious Ghost herself, was utterly bewildered.
Feeling the terrifying pressure of the Demonic Qi from the sky, her eyes, once filled with hatred and rage, now revealed deep confusion and doubt. Did I cause this phenomenon? Am I really that fierce? Do I look ugly right now?
Indeed, startled by this heaven-encompassing Demonic Path anomaly, Nie Linglan’s rampaging momentum faltered, the shock frightening her back to her senses.
No! I can’t let her get any stronger, or even I won’t be able to control her, Daimon Qianmian thought, a hint of dread in his eyes. He naturally wanted the Artifact Spirit of his Banner of Ten Thousand Souls to be stronger, but not so strong that it could turn on him. This situation, this phenomenon, had truly unnerved him.
"Banner of Ten Thousand Souls... rise!"
Daimon Qianmian formed a hand seal, and a palm-sized flag shot from his sleeve. It grew with the howling wind, instantly expanding to over ten feet high. As the banner’s fabric flapped, an endless horde of ghostly phantoms swarmed out, emanating an aura of absolute terror.
This was the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.
It was one of the Ghost King Sect’s secret magic artifacts. To even create its basic form, one needed Yin Sha Cold Iron Essence and Ghost Silkworm Thread from a ninth-layer Golden Core Stage beast. After the base was forged, the Ghost King Sect’s secret methods were used to sacrifice the Essence Blood and spirits of at least ten thousand people into the banner. Only then could it be considered initially complete. Finally, a top-quality Malicious Ghost had to be selected and refined into the banner as its Artifact Spirit to unleash the Demon Treasure’s full power.
If Nie Linglan’s cultivation level were to break through to the Golden Core Stage before she was refined into the banner as its Artifact Spirit, the quality of this Banner of Ten Thousand Souls would reach its absolute peak. It would be enough to let Daimon Qianmian dominate the Golden Core Stage, making him nearly invincible.
However, the situation had changed, and he had no choice but to first subdue Nie Linglan at her current level of the ninth layer of the Core Formation Stage.
"Miss Nie, let’s team up and deal with this guy first!" Li Longyou’s gaze was solemn. As the youngest of the three brothers, he made a swift decision, taking the lead and directing his two older brothers to command the Three Talents Sword Formation toward Daimon Qianmian.
Team up? Dream on! Daimon Qianmian scoffed, then slapped his soul-summoning banner. "Tear them all to shreds!"
Instantly, tens of thousands of resentful spirits surged out like a tide. They split into two streams, one trapping the three Li brothers in a deadly encirclement while the other surrounded Nie Linglan.
Under the banner’s control, the endless resentful spirits merged into a massive black bell, trapping Nie Linglan inside. It began to vibrate continuously, emitting a demonic drone.
"Stop struggling! Be obediently refined by the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls and become the Artifact Spirit of my demon treasure!" Anticipation gleamed in Daimon Qianmian’s eyes. "Once I subdue you, I will be unmatched in the Golden Core Stage! I will surely steal the show at next month’s Great Demonic Sacrifice!"
At this moment, both the Li brothers and Nie Linglan were in a completely passive position. Defeat seemed inevitable.
Just then, the ground of the Zhao Residence began to shake violently. The black barrier in the sky manifested once more, but now, it was covered in clearly visible cracks.
A dignified dragon’s roar, a domineering tiger’s howl, a stone-shattering phoenix’s cry, and a deep tortoise’s bellow echoed through the air, shaking the hearts and minds of all who heard them.
The next second, four dazzling pillars of light shot forth, instantly shattering the already crumbling black barrier. The boundless Yin Sha Qi scattered in every direction, and its concentration within the Zhao Residence dropped significantly, erasing its former sinister and terrifying atmosphere.
"The Four Symbols Protective Array to Vanquish Evil!" Li Longyou’s face lit up with delight. "It’s the Four Symbols Protective Array to Vanquish Evil from the Formation Sect! It seems the Sect received our message and sent reinforcements."
While some rejoiced, others despaired. In contrast to the Li brothers, Daimon Qianmian was starting to panic.
Something had changed outside the residence!
It looked like he couldn’t drag this out with these kids any longer. He had to end this quickly.
With that thought, Daimon Qianmian began to gather all his mana, preparing to unleash his ultimate technique.
Just as he was gathering his power for a finishing move, a scream echoed from the east side of the Zhao Residence. It was followed by a ghostly figure shooting toward him, its face a mask of terror. It was his Ghost Servant.
"Master! Master!" the Ghost Servant cried, arriving before Daimon Qianmian and trembling. "The... the reinforcements from the Sanqing Immortal Sect have arrived! There are more than a dozen Golden Core Stage Perfected Persons, and even a Nascent Soul Stage Venerable!"
"We’re surrounded! They told us to give up this pointless resistance and surrender!"
Daimon Qianmian sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes wide with shock.
More than a dozen Golden Core Stage Perfected Persons? And a Nascent Soul Stage Venerable? How the hell am I supposed to fight that? There’s no way! Maybe I should just make a run for it? Wait! If a Nascent Soul Stage Venerable was really here, would they bother asking me to surrender? Couldn’t they just lift a finger and wipe me out? It’s a trick! This is a trick!
The moment this warning flashed in his mind, he felt a sudden chill at his waist, followed by a searing pain.
The next second, the Ghost Servant’s form blurred into a flash of lightning, retreating dozens of meters away. His body was wreathed in brilliant lightning, looking nothing like a Malicious Ghost.
"Bastard! You fight without honor! A sneak attack!"
Daimon Qianmian looked down and saw a Soul-breaking Dagger stuck in his kidney. It was the magic artifact he had personally awarded to his strongest Ghost General. Once it pierced an enemy, it not only caused unstoppable bleeding but could even damage their very spirit.
And now, this imposter had used it to land a critical, armor-piercing blow on him.
"Flickering Lightning Steps!" Daimon Qianmian stared darkly at the ’Ghost Servant’, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. "Are you a disciple of the Sanqing Immortal Sect’s Thunder Sect?"
Though he had been ambushed, Daimon Qianmian’s panic subsided. With a mere Core Formation Stage cultivation, you dared to ambush me? It seems you have no backup nearby after all! If there were truly reinforcements, they wouldn’t have sent a Core Formation cultivator for a sneak attack; they would have simply crushed him with overwhelming force.
Pulling the Soul-breaking Dagger from his waist, blood spurted from the wound, and his face turned deathly pale. "Since you’ve come, there’s no need for you to leave," he snarled.
"You can stay and become a sacrifice for my supreme demon treasure! Gyehehehe!"
With that, a portion of the Malicious Ghosts that had been besieging the Li brothers and Nie Linglan broke off and swarmed toward Wang Xiu, intent on tearing the boy to pieces.
Want to kill me? Let’s see if you have what it takes! A cold smile touched Wang Xiu’s lips. "Four Symbols Great Array, arise!"
Azure, white, crimson, and black divine lights shot from the four corners of the Zhao Residence and flooded into his body, causing his aura to skyrocket.
"From the peaks of ten thousand mountains, I draw the lightning’s flash! With a three-foot blade, I’ll slay all evil trash!"
Wang Xiu formed a sword gesture with his fingers and pointed east.
In that instant, the clear, melodious cry of a sword rang out from the eastern sky, like the roar of a dragon and the howl of a tiger.
The next second, that half of the sky was dyed red. The dark, eerie ghostly qi instantly transformed into a vast, roiling Blood Sea.
Within the Blood Sea, a blood-red longsword shot forth, bobbing upon the sanguine waves. Accompanying the sword’s rise and fall were the blood-shadows of countless beings, constantly materializing within the sea. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt
They were... a herd of robust, fat pigs, baring their teeth and grinning as they bobbed in the Blood Sea, looking...