Breath-Blowing Tornado

A massive blade of light swept across, cleaving the dense fog apart—then it closed again.

But the scene glimpsed in that brief interval was already enough to fill anyone with dread.

What exactly was this dense fog? Why were wandering souls roaming beneath the bright sky?

Where had so many ghosts come from? Even if everyone in Small Forest Town had become vengeful spirits, there still couldn't be this many. They nearly filled the entire field of vision!

Of course, by now, everyone knew that with so many ghosts wandering about, there were probably no living people left anywhere in Small Forest Town...

One of the seven major towns under Maple Forest Territory had already fallen.

At a time like this, it was still Wei Yan's calm voice that rang out first, quelling the chaos. "Those skilled in Fire Element Dao Arts, draw a line of fire fifty paces beyond the formation and use it as our perimeter. Everyone else, kill every wandering soul inside the perimeter as quickly as possible!"

The Five Elements Dao Arts were the most basic kind, and there were plenty of cultivators skilled in fire. At Wei Yan's command, bursts of flame sprang up fifty paces beyond the formation. Then, guided by Wei Yan's deputy, the flames joined together in an instant, forming a circular wall of fire.

Outside the ring of fire, the ghosts held back for the moment. But the wandering souls trapped inside it instantly went berserk.

At that moment, Li Jianqiu suddenly sheathed his long sword, which was wreathed in flames. He formed a hand seal before his chin, then swept it decisively down to one side. Two blazing swords of flame appeared in his hands.

His twin swords darted like swimming dragons as he plunged into the ghost horde. One sword cut down ghosts; two swords shattered souls.

At the same time, a streak of sword light swept around in an instant, erasing countless ghosts one after another. When the sword light faded, Jiang Wang's lithe figure stood revealed.

Purple Qi Comes from the East Sword Technique, first killing move!

Everyone was startled. They hadn't expected a cultivator who hadn't even formed a Dao Vortex to destroy souls using swordsmanship alone—and to do so more efficiently than they could.

As soon as Jiang Wang moved, Zhao Rucheng followed. His long sword flashed like lightning, carving a path through the ghosts.

He never seemed to practice much, yet when it came to wielding the Purple Qi Comes from the East Sword, he was hardly any worse than Jiang Wang.

Only Du Yehu and Ling He exchanged helpless looks. Their mortal martial prowess was of little use against supernatural enemies like ghosts. If they purely roused their blood energy, they could shake a few ghosts to death, but how much blood energy could they muster against this many wandering souls?

Jiang Wang had never kept the Purple Qi Comes from the East Sword Art from them. Du Yehu simply believed in his own fists and disdained relying on anything else, so he had no interest in swordsmanship. As for Ling He... perhaps his talent really was the issue. His progress had been slow, and he still hadn't mastered a killing move he could use in actual combat.

Back then, as the eldest among them and the only one whose diligence matched Jiang Wang's, he had built up his ability through sweat alone, never letting himself fall behind.

The situation on the field seemed promising, but anyone with a clear eye knew they were already in danger.

So far, only ordinary wandering souls had appeared. With so many ghosts inexplicably gathered in Small Forest Town, there had to be evil ghosts and vengeful spirits among them—and perhaps even a ghost general!

This was already beyond what their squad could handle. Their best option was to break away from the fighting as quickly as possible.

But after traveling all this way, they had long since lost their bearings in the dense fog. With layers of ghosts surrounding the outer edge of the ring of fire, how could they possibly break through?

Wei Yan stepped out of the ring of fire, letting the ghosts swarm over him and bite. His battered, worn-looking armor shuddered lightly, and the ghosts clinging to him scattered and vanished.

But there was no joy on his face. Instead, he stepped back into the ring of fire and said gravely, "Is anyone skilled in Wind Element Dao Art? Try to disperse this fog!"

Though he was asking everyone, his gaze settled on Wang Changxiang.

Compared with the Five Elements Dao Arts of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, Wind Element Dao Arts were relatively obscure. But Wang Changxiang was an expert in this field.

Wang Changxiang didn't hesitate. He joined two fingers and swept them across before him, using Wind Blades to clear away the ghosts around him. Then his hands fluttered like butterflies among flowers, forming one seal after another. Finally, he pressed his hands together before his lips. His index and middle fingers touched, while his thumb, ring finger, and little finger were joined together. He opened his mouth and breathed through the triangular space formed by his middle and ring fingers.

His gentle breath passed through the opening, then suddenly surged, spinning and swelling at a visible speed before plunging straight into the dense fog. Like a savage divine dragon, it roared through the thick mist.

Wind Element Dao Art, Breath-Blowing Tornado!

This was no ordinary wind, but the Eastern Mingshu Wind, one of the Eight Winds.

Mingshu Wind meant that all things emerged into the light. Used here, it was exactly the right fit.

Not every sixth-rank cultivator could master a Daoist Art of this caliber. Yet Wang Changxiang had been able to wield it even before opening his Earth Gate. He was undeniably formidable.

After completing the art, Wang Changxiang's face had gone pale. Clearly, the technique had taken a heavy toll on him too. He steadied himself with difficulty. "I'll leave the rest to you."

Wherever the roaring tornado passed, the dense fog scattered. For the first time since entering Small Forest Town, the group could see their surroundings clearly.

A string of candied hawthorns leaned against the wall. The rice shop stood beside the soy sauce shop, while the tavern's banner still fluttered in the wind.

Everything looked as if it had never changed—if not for the wandering souls.

The wandering souls inside the ring of fire had now been swept away, but those outside still swarmed and milled about like ants. They instinctively feared the flames, yet they were also instinctively reluctant to give up these living people, so rich in vital energy.

"Oh no!"

The shout rang out like a warning bell. Everyone saw that as soon as the roaring tornado passed, the dense fog in the distance began to gather again. This fog was so thick that even Breath-Blowing Tornado couldn't clear it completely.

"Let's use this chance to get out," Li Jianqiu suggested gravely, holding a blazing sword in each hand.

In the opening created by Breath-Blowing Tornado, everyone had been able to work out the way back. With their strength, they had a good chance of escaping safely while fighting their way out, as long as no ghost general appeared.

Wei Yan held his blade and watched the fog drawing near again, his thoughts unreadable.

His deputy grew anxious as well. "Sir, Small Forest Town is beyond our ability to handle now! We'll need to mobilize the army. Besides, everyone in town is dead. There's no point in staying here! Why don't we..."

Wei Yan cut him off. "Every ghost we've seen so far has been an ordinary wandering soul. Not one has shown clear intelligence. You have to understand, this many ghosts gathering here makes no sense."

Wang Changxiang frowned. "There aren't any cultivators in Maple Forest Territory who specialize in ghost control. This matter should be handed over to the City Guard. Once the army arrives, its killing intent will sweep through here, and these wandering souls will scatter without a fight."

"The Qing River Aquatic Clan has stirred. The City Guard has gone to suppress them. By the time they return... it may be too late." With no other choice, Wei Yan revealed a piece of news carrying enormous weight.

The Qing River was a great river that ran through all of Qinghe Prefecture, and Green Willow River, outside Maple Forest City, was one of its tributaries. But the Qing River Aquatic Clan had long ago signed an alliance with Zhuang Court. Why had they suddenly stirred?

Jiang Wang mulled it over. The fact that they had merely "stirred" meant the Qing River Aquatic Clan was showing restraint. But since this concerned the entire river system of Qinghe Prefecture, the authorities couldn't afford to take it lightly. The mobilization of the City Guard across the region was only to be expected.

The Heart-Devouring Demon had appeared... the Qing River Aquatic Clan had stirred... ghosts were walking by day in Small Forest Town. These events seemed unrelated, yet it was as if an unseen hand were quietly bringing them together.

"Something's wrong." Wei Yan shook his head, having made up his mind. "Everyone, follow me and charge forward. I won't stop, and neither will you! If you fall behind, leave it to fate!"

Without waiting for anyone to talk him out of it, he finished speaking, stepped beyond the ring of fire, and led the charge into the depths of Small Forest Town.

As his deputy, Zhao Lang followed without hesitation. Li Jianqiu and Wang Changxiang came next. They had all been through years of trials. Though they disagreed with Wei Yan's decision, they knew even better that at a time like this, they couldn't afford to split up.

At last, the entire squad swiftly mobilized. With Wei Yan at its tip, it plunged fiercely into the depths of Small Forest Town!