Since You're Here, Stay Behind!

The Bone Flying Boats had yet to reach the Forward Outpost Base when the Yin Soldier Blood Puppets aboard leaped down like dumplings dropping into a pot, then swarmed toward the base in a great rush.

However, the first to Launch an Attack on the Forward Outpost Base were not the Yin Soldier Blood Puppets, but those Bone Flying Boats.

As the three Bone Flying Boats flying at the front neared the Forward Outpost Base, they were abruptly shrouded in black mist, then transformed into colossal beasts and crashed thunderously into the base's Protection Formation.

Rumble—

The violent thunderous roar resounded through heaven and earth. The entire Forward Outpost Base shook, and even the ground and mountains trembled along with it.

Fortunately, the Yellow Earth Thick Spirit Array's defensive power was indeed commendable. Even such savage impacts were blocked by the formation.

But this was only the beginning. The Yin Energy beasts formed from the Bone Flying Boats continued battering the formation, while the Yin Soldier Blood Puppets behind them Immediately Followed By, launching an assault on the base walls as well.

In an instant, a fierce battle erupted.

The Puppets within the walls seemed to have gone mad, relentlessly hurling all manner of spells beyond the city. Those spells were not especially powerful, but their sheer numbers drove back wave after wave of Blood Puppets.

The soldiers atop the walls also frantically loosed volleys of Arrows. The sharp arrows carried flickering Spiritual Light, piercing through layers of black Yin Energy mist and greatly hindering the Yin Soldier Blood Puppets.

Under the cultivators' control, the Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats in the air blossomed with streams of crimson flame, transforming into enormous firebirds that tangled with the Yin Energy beasts outside the formation.

Yang Jizhen stood atop the Vermilion Bird Statue at the prow, personally controlling a firebird as it rammed headlong into a Yin Energy beast.

Formed with Bone Flying Boats as their foundation and condensed Yin Energy as flesh and hide, these colossal beasts possessed terrifying strength, far surpassing Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

By comparison, the Vermilion Bird phantoms condensed by the Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats were somewhat weaker, because they were merely pure constructs of energy.

If not for the formation's protection, the Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats would have been no match for the Bone Flying Boats.

The battle entered its fiercest stage from the very beginning. Both sides deployed every means at their disposal, yet due to the limited area of the battlefield, the number of individuals truly involved in the fight was not large.

And the true battlefield was not here at all, but in Great Void.

As the battle at the Forward Outpost Base began, powerful auras rose one after another within Great Void.

Soul Refining Hall Master Li Shanghun; Vice Hall Masters Ghost Exquisite and Qi Heiyun; Soul Casting Division Master Mo Ling; Vice Division Master Xie Wushuang; Soul Suppressing Division Master Ling Baishuang; and Vice Division Master Ye Zhongxing.

After Xing Nan had been slain by Yue Yao, Li Shanghun had immediately appointed another Vice Division Master to the Soul Suppressing Division—Ye Zhongxing.

Aside from the two Golden Core cultivators still in secluded cultivation, the people before them were practically the entirety of Soul Refining Hall's High-End Military Force. It could be said that Soul Refining Hall had come out in full force.

Likewise, White Jade Capital had also come out in full force.

Yang Zhengshan, Su Mei, Yue Yao, Su Jiangxue, Su Qingfu, Green Ox, Xuan Zhen, Lin Xiqiu, Yunxiao, Kou Ta, Hong Fuxiu, and Yu Qingyi—a total of twelve people, all present.

Twelve against seven. White Jade Capital appeared to hold the advantage, but that was not actually the case.

They held the numerical advantage, but were at a disadvantage in strength. It could not be said that they were entirely disadvantaged, however, because Yang Zhengshan was White Jade Capital's greatest advantage.

Among Soul Refining Hall's seven Golden Core cultivators, apart from Ye Zhongxing, the newly Promoted Vice Division Master who was only at Golden Core Early Stage, all the others possessed cultivation at Golden Core Mid Stage or above.

In contrast, although White Jade Capital had twelve Golden Core cultivators and Demon Kings, half of them were only at Golden Core Early Stage.

The two sides faced off within Great Void as Li Shanghun watched the Qi Mechanisms gradually emerge.

He merely swept a glance over Kou Ta, Hong Fuxiu, and Yu Qingyi, paying them no heed at all.

He did not spare Yunxiao, Lin Xiqiu, or Xuan Zhen a second look either.

His cloudy eyes flickered faintly when they fell upon Green Ox, Su Jiangxue, and Su Qingfu.

When his Spiritual Sense locked onto Yue Yao, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Finally, his Spiritual Sense settled on Su Mei. "I never expected you to be here too!"

Only upon seeing Su Mei did he feel any interest in speaking.

Su Mei was likewise sizing up the people from Soul Refining Hall. "I never expected your Soul Refining Hall to come out in full force either!"

"Heh heh, it is fortunate that this old man was cautious. Otherwise, I truly would have fallen for your scheme!" Li Shanghun said with a cold laugh.

How could he still fail to understand? White Jade Capital had been trying to lure them out.

In his view, his caution had been correct. If he had not personally led people here and had merely sent a few people to investigate, that would have been no different from sending them to their deaths.

Su Mei broke into peals of laughter. "Li Shanghun, you do not actually think you have seen through this scheme, do you?"

At this moment, her heart was filled with delight, for she knew Yang Zhengshan's plan had succeeded.

If Li Shanghun had only dispatched two or three people, that would instead have ruined Yang Zhengshan's plan. Soul Refining Hall coming out in full force was precisely what Yang Zhengshan wanted.

The more people Soul Refining Hall sent today, the greater Wuchang Ghost Sect's losses would be.

Conversely, if Soul Refining Hall had only sent two or three people, it would not have been able to inflict massive losses on Wuchang Ghost Sect.

At her words, Li Shanghun suddenly had a bad premonition.

He looked around. "Where is Yang Zhengshan?"

Everyone before him had exceeded his expectations. Yet Yang Zhengshan, whom he had expected to see, had not appeared at all, leaving him profoundly uneasy.

Su Mei only kept laughing.

Within Great Void, Yang Zhengshan stepped calmly out of the Void. He wore a Green Pine Law Robe and held a Fly Whisk, walking forward step by step, neither hurried nor slow.

The dense Qi Mechanism did not conceal his figure. On the contrary, it set him amid brilliant radiance.

Revealing one's form in Great Void was no easy matter, because it required suppressing one's own Qi Mechanism.

Qi Mechanism was not the same as aura. An aura could be controlled at will, but Qi Mechanism was difficult to suppress and could only be concealed.

Yet concealing one's Qi Mechanism would also conceal one's figure, making it impossible to reveal oneself.

For Yang Zhengshan to reveal his form in Great Void like this meant that his control over Qi Mechanism had reached an incomparably Subtle Insight level.

Yang Zhengshan flicked his Fly Whisk. Invisible Dao Intent passed like a gentle breeze through the smoke-heavy Great Void, faint ripples sweeping across everyone.

"Were you looking for me?"

Yang Zhengshan looked at Li Shanghun, his tone calm.

Li Shanghun stared at Yang Zhengshan, his wrinkled face filled with gravity.

"You are Yang Zhengshan!"

"That is right!"

"How is that possible?" Li Shanghun's eyes were full of shock.

Who was Yang Zhengshan?

He was merely an inconspicuous Golden Core cultivator.

But who was the man before him?

That unfathomable Qi Mechanism, that cultivation which could not be seen through, and even the special Dao Resonance that seemed to accompany every movement.

This was absolutely not the state an ordinary Golden Core cultivator should possess.

Yang Zhengshan slowly stepped forward. With his footsteps, a pair of black-and-white Yin Yang fish spread outward from beneath his feet.

After he had comprehended the Way of Life and Death, the Way of Wither and Flourish had merged into it. Of course, this did not mean the Way of Wither and Flourish had vanished; rather, the Way of Life and Death encompassed the Way of Wither and Flourish.

In the blink of an eye, the Yin Yang Taiji Diagram enveloped everyone within it.

Li Shanghun's expression grew increasingly ugly. Shock appeared in Mo Ling's eyes, while Ling Baishuang seemed somewhat panicked.

"Great Void has been sealed!" Ling Baishuang said in terror.

Just now, she had tried to leave Great Void and return to the real world, only to find herself blocked outside the real world.

Li Shanghun's heart sank with a thud.

The reason Yang Zhengshan had arrived slightly late was because he had been using the Divine Ability to Seal Great Void.

In the real world, he had sealed all of Great Void within a hundred-li radius of the Forward Outpost Base.

Those within Great Void could not return to the real world, and those in the real world could not enter Great Void either.

Within the Life and Death Yin Yang Diagram, everyone's life and death rested on a single thought from Yang Zhengshan.

That was somewhat exaggerated. At the very least, Yang Zhengshan could not kill Li Shanghun with a single thought.

Li Shanghun was, after all, at Golden Core Peak. Though far inferior to Half-step Entering Dao, he was still not someone Yang Zhengshan could casually manipulate.

"Since you're here, stay behind!"

Yang Zhengshan said softly. In an instant, he swung the Fly Whisk in his hand. Yet his target was not Li Shanghun, but Mo Ling.

Mo Ling possessed Golden Core Late Stage cultivation, and his Divine Path Intent was somewhat strange. Yang Zhengshan therefore planned to kill him first, then slowly deal with Li Shanghun.

As for the others, he would leave them to Su Mei and the rest.

Without Mo Ling, Su Mei and the others would hold an almost absolute advantage.

The Fly Whisk swept out, its slender Silk Threads transforming into stalks of Green Bamboo. Before anyone could react, the Green Bamboo had already pierced Mo Ling's body.

Mo Ling only had time to let out a muffled groan before his entire body transformed into a stalk of Green Bamboo.

The nearly Ten Zhang High Green Bamboo stood alone within Great Void. Its crisp bamboo leaves emitted crystalline radiance, like emerald Jade.

The Evergreen Bamboo Staff—no, it should now be called the Evergreen Fly Whisk—had originally been an Authority Artifact containing Life Control.

But now that it was in Yang Zhengshan's hands, it had become something infinitely close to a Spirit Treasure.

Its only difference from a Spirit Treasure was that it had not yet nurtured a Spirit of Artifact.

Once Yang Zhengshan nurtured a Spirit of Artifact within it, it would become a Spirit Treasure.

That solitary stalk of Green Bamboo was Mo Ling's life force made manifest. Turning a Golden Core cultivator into a Spiritual Item—and a rare third-rank Spiritual Item at that—was an immense divine ability, a terrifyingly immense divine ability.

Such an abrupt change left everyone stunned. Yet Li Shanghun reacted quickly. Before Yang Zhengshan could make another move, a skull suddenly flew from Li Shanghun's chest.

The skull was the size of a fist, as pure and clear as crystal, with two clusters of gray-white soul fire burning in its eye sockets.

The soul fire flickered. In an instant, the skull became a streak of light and shot toward Yang Zhengshan.

Yang Zhengshan stared at the Crystal Skull, his black-and-white eyes narrowing slightly.

An Authority Artifact!

The foundation of a great power truly could not be underestimated.

Sensing the Dao Intent contained in the skull, Yang Zhengshan abruptly took a step forward and pressed his long hand against it.

When Li Shanghun saw Yang Zhengshan suddenly approach the skull, he was overjoyed. This skull was his only means of contending against a Half-step Entering Dao expert.

The skull's exact origins had long since become unclear, but it was indeed an Authority Artifact, likely one passed down from Remote Antiquity.

The Divine Path Intent it contained was Devour Divine Soul. Any divine soul it set its sights upon could almost never escape the fate of being devoured.

It was like a curse. No matter where one fled, it would follow without end.

Even if one could block it temporarily, it would cling like a maggot to the bone.

As for destroying it, what a joke. This was an Authority Artifact. Even a Half-step Entering Dao expert would not dare claim they could destroy it.

The only way to make it stop was for its master to give the order.

In Li Shanghun's eyes, Yang Zhengshan's brazen action was no different from courting death.

But in the next moment, he understood that Yang Zhengshan was not courting death. Yang Zhengshan truly had a way to deal with the skull.

Yang Zhengshan's palm pressed against the skull, and the skull became like an obedient cat, allowing Yang Zhengshan to toy with it as he pleased without making any move at all.

The Crystal Skull was a Curse Artifact. The most troublesome thing about it was that it could not be shaken off. Its actual power was not especially great; as long as it could not touch its target, it could do nothing to them.

If anyone else faced this Crystal Skull, they would likely be chased into fleeing everywhere. But before Yang Zhengshan, this troublesome Authority Artifact was instead the easiest kind to handle.

That was because he possessed the Divine Ability to Seal Great Void. It looked as though he held the Crystal Skull in his hand, but in truth, he had sealed the Crystal Skull. A fist-sized Crystal Skull required only a fist-sized Void Space.

Yang Zhengshan picked up the Crystal Skull, examined it carefully, and smiled softly. "An interesting little thing!"

This little thing was indeed interesting, but no more than that.

Authority Artifacts were not beings of despair-inducing power. In their original owner's hands, an Authority Artifact could rival a Spirit Treasure. But in another's hands, it was only a somewhat special Spirit Artifact, sometimes not even as useful as one.

Take the Evergreen Fly Whisk in Yang Zhengshan's hand. In Pei Lun's hands, it could only threaten Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivators. But in Yang Zhengshan's hands, after he had comprehended the Way of Life and Death, the Evergreen Fly Whisk's power was no weaker than that of a Spirit Treasure.

Seeing that Yang Zhengshan had actually sealed the Crystal Skull, Li Shanghun turned and fled. Yet even as he fled, he did not forget to restrain Yang Zhengshan.

He flung out another Spirit Artifact. A black long banner expanded in the wind, and countless ghostly beings surged forth, intending to block Yang Zhengshan.

"Immortal or ghost, before life and death, all are but a wisp of green smoke!"

Yang Zhengshan murmured. His figure flew out unhurriedly. The Yin Soul Generals still tried to stop him, but the moment they approached Yang Zhengshan, they were sealed by an invisible force and silently vanished.

Of course, they had not truly vanished. Yang Zhengshan had merely sent them into the Divine Soul Hall.

Only after Yang Zhengshan collected the Myriad Ghost Banner did those ghostly beings finally settle down completely.

The process sounded rather troublesome, but in reality, Yang Zhengshan had merely flown over, grabbed the Myriad Ghost Banner, and tossed it into the Divine Soul Hall.

Within the Divine Soul Hall, Red Soul would naturally suppress the Myriad Ghost Banner, extract the Yin Soul Generals within it, and cast them beneath the Divine Soul Hall's formation.

Seeing that the Myriad Ghost Banner was useless, Li Shanghun threw out another cluster of gray-white flame.

This flame possessed none of the scorching heat fire ought to have. Instead, it radiated a bleak, icy aura.

Yang Zhengshan recognized its origin with a single glance.

Nether Prison Underworld Fire, a type of Heaven and Earth Exotic Fire. Like Solar True Fire and Southern Bright Leaving Fire, it was a manifestation of Heaven and Earth Dao Intent.

Unfortunately, such Heaven and Earth Exotic Fire no longer posed any threat to Yang Zhengshan.

Had no one noticed that he no longer even brought the Golden Crow Eight Trigrams Furnace into battle?

That was because Golden Crow's Solar True Fire no longer offered him any assistance in combat.