At that moment, Wei Yan finally revealed the true strength that had earned him second place on the Dao Merit Board in Maple Forest City. He led the charge into the depths of Small Forest Town, almost hurling himself straight into the ranks of the Wandering Souls.
Yet every Wandering Soul fell apart at a single blow. Those that stood in his way scattered.
A layer of cold light seemed to shroud him, the sign of Metal Element Qi gathered to an extreme degree. His steps never faltered, as though nothing in the world could stop him.
His great saber cleaved through the air with repeated shrieks, as if it could slice the very air apart.
The others followed behind him, needing only to keep the ghosts on either side from closing in. Their risk was greatly reduced.
Jiang Wang and Zhao Rucheng took the left and right, intentionally or otherwise keeping Ling He and Du Yehu between them. Ling He was fine, but Du Yehu's face had flushed red with frustration. Still, he knew this was no time to act on wounded pride, so he could only lower his head and press on.
No one knew how long they had been traveling. In the slowly gathering dense fog, it was hard to make out their direction; even time seemed to blur. The Wandering Souls they had encountered so far were not strong, within the range that ninth-rank transcendent cultivators could handle. But these eighth- and ninth-rank cultivators had only so much Dao Essence in their Heaven-Connecting Palaces. They could not keep fighting for long. If they had to hold out much longer, they would be unable to cast Daoist Arts without damaging their Dao Vortices and harming their foundations.
It was then that Wei Yan stopped.
By a rough estimate, they were close to the very center of Small Forest Town. Jiang Wang remembered that there was a market there, always bustling whenever the market day came around and people from the nearby villages gathered.
Wei Yan had not stopped because he did not want to continue. A wall of fog blocked the way, stopping his blade dead.
Unlike the dense fog that spread along the road, this wall had a tangible presence and was incredibly tough. With the sharpness of Wei Yan's blade, even an iron wall should have been cleaved apart, yet this fog wall remained unmoved.
No matter how many attacks landed, they vanished like stones sinking into the sea.
Wei Yan was growing frantic. His keen senses told him that something was wrong on the other side of the fog wall—something more than a simple evil deed, something that might even affect the rest of his life.
Yet with his blade pointed toward it, he was caught between advancing and retreating!
"Does anyone have a way to break through? Try anything you can!" Wei Yan said gravely. "There's no time to waste. I'll take full responsibility."
One disciple immediately strode up to the fog wall and, without a word, started undoing his belt.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Someone beside him grabbed him.
"Don't stop me!" The man declared with absolute confidence, "There are ghosts everywhere here, and the yin energy is heavy. A virgin's urine can ward off evil and suppress ghosts. I've kept my yang essence intact, so naturally I must do my part!"
The man was named Huang Azhan, an inner disciple selected the previous year. He was friends with Du Yehu, and had a decent personality, though he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.
Wei Yan frowned. After Huang Azhan finished relieving himself, the fog wall hadn't budged. Only the brief but overpowering stench reminded everyone what had happened.
"Something's not right. Was that not enough?" Huang Azhan held it in for a moment before turning back to rally the others. "Anyone else still a virgin? Come join in! Zhao Rucheng, you can sit this one out. You've got too much yin energy. Du Yehu, get over here! Don't be shy. With a face like yours, you were destined to stay a virgin for life. Your yang energy must be overflowing!"
One sentence mocked two people. If they hadn't been in such a desperate situation, Du Yehu would have punched his stupid head clean off.
Zhao Rucheng bared his teeth. "Azhan, think about it. Maybe virgin's urine isn't enough. Maybe what we need is virgin's blood?"
Huang Azhan stroked his chin, lost in thought, and seemed to be genuinely considering whether that might work.
Wang Changxiang, who had been somewhat weak ever since using the Breath-Blowing Tornado, said, "When the tornado blew away the fog earlier, I took a look. The Wandering Souls in Small Forest Town had formed a simple Nine Palaces Formation. I wasn't sure at the time. Only now, after we've been blocked at the Central Palace Position, am I certain."
"How do we break it?" Wei Yan asked bluntly.
"The one who set up the formation didn't put much effort into it, and with so many ghosts, it's hard to control them as if they were his own limbs. So the solution is simple." Wang Changxiang gave a bitter smile. "Break the formation cores in the other eight palaces, and the Central Palace will collapse on its own."
Wei Yan immediately said, "Wang Changxiang, stay here and watch the situation. Take four others with you to follow his orders and provide support wherever needed. I'll head to the Kan Palace. The rest of you, split into seven groups and each break one palace. Then we'll meet here in front of the Central Palace."
The divisions of the heavens follow the great pattern: yang emerges, yin enters. Yang begins at Zi, yin at Wu. Thus, Taiyi descends through the Nine Palaces, beginning with the Kan Palace.
The Kan Palace lay due north and belonged to Water among the Five Elements. It was not the easiest palace for Wei Yan to deal with, but his strength was formidable, so he did not need to consider such things.
"I must remind everyone," Wang Changxiang added. "The ghosts we've cleared along the way were ordinary ones, but there must be a Resentful Ghost or Vengeful Ghost at each formation core. Everyone, know your limits."
Zhao Lang followed Wei Yan's lead in all things and was the first to respond. "In that case, I'll go to the Kun Palace."
Li Jianqiu was even more decisive. Already heading west with a hand on his sword, he said, "Leave the Zhen Palace to me. The rest of you can divide up the others."
The strong stepped forward, taking responsibility upon themselves. That was the backbone of cultivators.
Jiang Wang exchanged glances with Ling He and the others, then said, "The four of us will take the Xun Palace."
He wasn't boasting. The group had seen enough of one another's fighting strength along the way to get a sense of it. Although Jiang Wang had yet to establish his foundation, his Purple Qi Coming from the East Sword Art put him somewhat above an ordinary ninth-rank cultivator.
And the Xun Palace belonged to Wood among the Five Elements, making Metal's suppression of Wood especially effective. Li Jianqiu had already taken the Zhen Palace, the other palace belonging to Wood. Jiang Wang and Zhao Rucheng would have had a harder time contributing in any of the others.
Besides, the incident in Small Forest Town was certain to have a major impact. Their contributions would all be recorded. Ling He, Du Yehu, and Zhao Rucheng were at a crucial point in saving Dao Merit to exchange for Vein-Opening Pills. If they could clear one palace this time, it would surely propel them a great stride forward.
The group's assignments strictly followed the order of the Nine Palaces. The second and fourth form the shoulders, the sixth and eighth the feet; the third is on the left, the seventh on the right, the ninth on the head, and the first beneath. From one to nine, they are the Kan, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Central, Qian, Dui, Gen, and Li Palaces.
They continued fighting as they traveled. Everyone had already recognized the transcendent swordsmanship of Jiang Wang and Zhao Rucheng, so no one had any objections. The remaining twenty Dao Academy disciples formed four groups of five and chose the four remaining palaces.
It had to be said that Wang Changxiang's Breath-Blowing Tornado had made an enormous contribution. It had helped them find their bearings again in the thick fog, which was essential to breaking the entire ghost formation.
The Xun Palace lay to the southeast. Jiang Wang advanced through the dense fog with his sword in hand. When he could just make out the tavern ahead, his heart settled. The only tavern in Small Forest Town was in the southeast; they hadn't taken a wrong turn.
"Be careful," Ling He suddenly said. "I sense something extremely dangerous up ahead."
Ling He's instincts were always sharp, so the others didn't dare take it lightly.
Jiang Wang nodded. "That should be the Resentful Ghost Senior Brother Wang mentioned. It's also the formation core of the Xun Palace. Rucheng, how many forms of the Purple Qi Coming from the East Sword Art's killing techniques have you mastered?"
"All of them," Zhao Rucheng replied.
Jiang Wang had nothing to say about the man's talent. He immediately gave his orders. "I'll strike first. You follow up, unleashing your strongest attack right away. We must kill the target as quickly as possible. Big Brother and Second Brother, keep an eye on our surroundings and don't let any other Wandering Souls rush in. If necessary, don't hesitate to unleash your blood and qi."
Before establishing their foundations, those who had yet to master a transcendent technique like the Purple Qi Comes from the East Sword could only harm ghosts by unleashing their blood and qi. But blood and qi were the very root of a person's life. Unleashing them placed a tremendous burden on the body, so Ling He and Du Yehu had held back throughout the journey.
Yet they didn't hesitate for an instant to follow Jiang Wang's orders. That was the understanding they had forged through countless battles at one another's sides.
Though they couldn't see far through the fog, the brothers quickly marked out the target area and spread out around it.
Just then, a shrill scream rang out, as if right beside their ears. A sword's gleam suddenly flashed in front of Jiang Wang!
Clang!
The Purple Qi Coming from the East Sword Art, first killing technique!
A scarlet claw had just been caught on his long sword. The Resentful Ghost of the Xun Palace appeared before them.
The Wandering Souls they had encountered along the way had been little different from humans in life, except for their hazy forms and deathly pale color. This Resentful Ghost was completely different. It looked like another kind of creature altogether.
It had a green face and fangs, and stood nearly twelve feet tall, huge and powerful. Its muscles bulged, and its pair of claws were scarlet. Blood dripped from the tip of one.
Jiang Wang had known that in the dense fog, the Resentful Ghost's senses would be sharper than theirs. He had been on guard, his sword poised to strike. That was the only reason he had been able to block the Resentful Ghost's attack in time.
But he had still underestimated its strength.
In the brief gap created by the Breath-Blowing Tornado, they had seen more than a thousand Wandering Souls. Yet only eight powerful ghosts had appeared, one guarding each of the Nine Palaces. Whether they had been deliberately cultivated or born from natural slaughter, the Resentful Ghosts that emerged from them had to be extraordinary.
Jiang Wang had blocked the first attack, but the tip of another claw still brushed past him, tearing a strip of flesh from his left arm.
The blood dripping from the Resentful Ghost's claw had come from his wound. Fortunately, it wasn't too deep.
At the same moment Jiang Wang was attacked and countered, Zhao Rucheng's sword moved!
The first killing technique of the Purple Qi Coming from the East Sword Art focused above all on speed, allowing one to attack like thunder and defend like lightning. When the Son of Heaven unleashed a thunderous fury, it took but an instant—and shook the whole world!
Before the Resentful Ghost could taste the strip of flesh it had torn away, Zhao Rucheng's sword had pierced its belly.
Zhao Rucheng was left hanging from the Resentful Ghost, sword and all. Given the difference in their size, he looked like a monkey clinging to a man.
The Resentful Ghost howled in pain and dropped its head sharply.
Not good!
Zhao Rucheng's heart lurched. He kicked off the claw sweeping toward him, flipped backward through the air, and abandoned his sword to escape. The Resentful Ghost was about to pursue him when Jiang Wang's figure flashed before it like a bolt of lightning.
The second killing technique of the Purple Qi Coming from the East Sword Art—the secret lay in precision.
Jiang Wang had already passed it, but his sword's gleam swept precisely across the Resentful Ghost's eyeball.
In that instant, blue-black fluid burst apart like splattered pulp, and the Resentful Ghost let out an incomparably shrill scream. The creature, whose mind had been a muddle, now glared at Jiang Wang with its remaining right eye, hatred surging like a flood.
It didn't even bother to cover its eye. Letting the blue-black fluid stream down its face, with Zhao Rucheng's sword still wobbling in its body, it simply charged toward Jiang Wang in great strides!
Ling He was driving away Wandering Souls outside the battle circle. In the middle of the fight, he flung his sword toward Zhao Rucheng. "Catch!"
Zhao Rucheng leaped into the air and caught Ling He's sword. Like a meteor chasing the moon, he shot behind the Resentful Ghost once more. The blade pierced the back of its neck, and its tip emerged beneath the ghost's chin, stopping against its chest!
The Resentful Ghost roared and slashed backward. Because of the angle, this swipe was bound to be slower than the last. Zhao Rucheng braced both feet against its back, hoping to pull his sword free and leap away. But the Resentful Ghost's muscles clamped around the blade, holding it fast. He failed to pull it free at once, and lost a split second.
In that split second, the Resentful Ghost's massive claw slammed into him and sent him flying four or five meters into the dense fog, his fate unknown!
And there were still countless Wandering Souls prowling in that fog!
Jiang Wang was on the other side of the fight, while Ling He was still tangled up with Wandering Souls after throwing his sword. Only Du Yehu, who was guarding the battle circle just like them, stood closest. He had long since been unable to hold back. He had come to destroy evil and purge the world, not to be protected while coasting on Dao Merit—or worse, to become a burden!
A roar rang out, shaking the air like thunder. Du Yehu unleashed all his blood and qi. A solid torrent of it surged from his body toward the crown of his head, and in that instant, it looked like beacon smoke!
Blood-and-qi beacon smoke!
Only a martial artist whose blood and qi had reached a certain level could summon such a sight. Even Jiang Wang couldn't do it.
This full-force outburst from Du Yehu proved that he was no less than anyone else.
Wrapped in the tangible force of his blood and qi, he seemed to have donned a scarlet battle robe. Moving several times faster than usual, he reached Zhao Rucheng in just a few strides!
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