The Buddha Saves Those With "Destiny"

The Buddha Saved Those with "Yuan." Those two streams of dense ghostly qi, thick as water buckets, were like two ferocious venomous dragons, shrouding the entire city in a death grip.

The yin wind howled in fury, and the sound of ghosts wailing still pierced the soul even from dozens of li away.

"Ghosts circling the city..."

Sun Ze's old, wrinkled face went taut, and a trace of dread flashed through his cloudy eyes.

His lifespan was nearly exhausted, and what he feared most was being tainted by such yin-evil things. Just looking at them made him feel as if what little vitality he had left was being drained away.

Wu Tang's brows also locked tightly. He stopped his flying sword, his expression grave. "Judging by the density of this ghostly qi, I'm afraid these aren't ordinary lonely souls or wild ghosts. At the very least, they're two fierce ghosts at the late stage of Qi Refining."

"Let's go around," Sun Ze immediately suggested. "Taking a few hundred li more is still better than provoking this kind of trouble."

Zhao Hao hovered at a "low altitude" of sixty zhang, the face beneath his mask without the slightest ripple.

Late-stage Qi Refining ghosts?

Wasn't this just cultivation material delivering itself to his door?

"Please wait a moment, fellow Daoists."

His hoarse voice was still drifting in the wind when Zhao Hao's figure had already turned into a streak of black light and charged straight over.

On the way, he reached into his storage bag with one hand and took out a banner wreathed in black qi.

It was precisely the first-grade top-quality magical artifact he had obtained from Jia Ren—the Soul Summoning Banner!

"Mere little ghosts, and you dare act wantonly!"

Foundation Establishment Early Stage Li Fire Power poured into it without the slightest reservation!

Buzz—!

The Soul Summoning Banner swelled violently against the wind. The originally pitch-black banner surface instantly erupted with intense black light, and a huge black vortex rapidly took shape upon it. A terrifying suction force that made the soul tremble suddenly burst forth!

The two fierce ghosts that had just rushed out of the ghostly qi, revealing fangs and sharp claws, instinctively sensed deadly danger. They let out a shriek and tried to flee.

But it was already too late!

That enormous suction force was like invisible iron chains, locking them down tight.

The two fierce ghosts were pulled until their forms twisted, struggling desperately as black qi surged over their ghostly bodies in an attempt to resist. But before a top-quality magical artifact driven by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, their vicious nature was instantly drowned by fear.

"Screee—!"

Their shrill screams were stretched long and thin. Like insects pinched by an invisible giant hand, they were swept into the vortex on the banner surface without the slightest suspense. Not even a bubble rose before they vanished without a trace.

The ghostly qi entrenched over Blackstone City also seemed to have had its dragon bone drawn out; it rapidly collapsed and dispersed into nothing.

Above the city, the wind stilled and the waves calmed.

In the distance, Wu Tang and Sun Ze were completely frozen in place.

The flying sword Wu Tang had just summoned was still suspended before him, and even the spiritual light at the tip of the blade had forgotten to flicker.

As an alchemist, his divine sense was sharp, and he could clearly feel just how pure and tyrannical the spiritual power Zhao Hao had poured into the magical artifact in that instant had been. That was absolutely not something an ordinary Foundation Establishment Early Stage Rogue Cultivator could possess!

Sun Ze's face was even more blank with shock, and the light of the blood-red flying wheel beneath his feet dimmed by several degrees.

He cultivated the blood path and was most sensitive to matters of souls and spirits. The feeling that banner gave him was more sinister than any demonic artifact he had ever seen!

Two fierce ghosts comparable to ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators had just disappeared like that?

This "Fellow Daoist Zhao," who had kept flying at a low altitude and looked excessively cautious, just what kind of background did he have?

"Let's go."

Zhao Hao casually put the Soul Summoning Banner back into his storage bag, feeling quite satisfied.

The soul power of these two fierce ghosts was enough for him to cultivate two "Yin Soul Nails." In the future, he would have one more underhanded method to use against enemies.

The three of them restrained their auras and slowly descended into Blackstone City.

At the city gate, a middle-aged cultivator in red finery with a seventh-level Qi Refining cultivation had long since been respectfully waiting there with several subordinates.

"Junior Li Song greets the three Foundation Establishment seniors!"

As soon as Li Song saw the three descend, he immediately rushed forward with a face full of gratitude and performed a grand salute.

"Many thanks, Senior, for taking action and removing the ghostly disaster from my Blackstone City!"

Zhao Hao glanced at him.

This man's aura was unsteady. Though there was reverence in his expression, there was not much terror of imminent catastrophe. This made a trace of strangeness rise in Zhao Hao's heart.

"Are you the garrison commander of this place?" Zhao Hao asked in a hoarse voice.

"Replying to Senior, this junior is indeed." Li Song's attitude was humble to the extreme.

"Since this place is within the territory of Thousand Buddha Temple, why has it become haunted to this extent, yet no eminent Buddhist monks have come to subdue the demons?" Wu Tang could not help but voice the doubt in his heart as well.

Logically speaking, Buddhist cultivation methods restrained yin-evil ghosts the most. This was within Thousand Buddha Temple's sphere of influence; there should not have been ghosts of this scale causing trouble.

When he heard this question, a trace of bitterness immediately appeared on Li Song's face, along with a somewhat indescribable oddness.

He made an inviting gesture to the three of them, explaining as he led the way.

"Three Seniors may not know this, but the eminent monks of Thousand Buddha Temple emphasize one word: 'yuan.'"

"Fate?" Sun Ze's hoarse voice was full of incomprehension.

Li Song gave a bitter smile and lowered his voice, deliberately stressing the word "yuan." "Senior, it's the yuan from 'yuan-fen.' Without 'yuan,' they won't make a move easily."

What kind of people were Wu Tang and Sun Ze? They immediately understood the meaning hidden between the lines.

"You mean... spirit stones?" Wu Tang's expression turned wonderfully complicated.

Li Song nodded awkwardly. "To invite a mage of the Foundation Establishment Realm to act, the price starts at no less than three thousand spirit stones. Blackstone City is only a mortal city. Three years of tax revenue from the city lord's manor would barely scrape together that amount."

Wu Tang and Sun Ze looked at each other, both shocked by Thousand Buddha Temple's clearly marked prices and its shameless, money-over-face operation.

How was this any different from a Devil Dao Sect collecting protection fees?

"Are we supposed to just let those ghosts entrench themselves outside the city?" Sun Ze frowned.

"Alas, Senior, there are things you don't know."

Li Song sighed, led the three into the city lord's manor hall where tea had already been prepared, and continued.

"In truth, those two ghosts are strange as well. They only come once or twice a month, and each time they suck a portion of one or two mortals' blood essence, making them gravely ill, but they never harm their lives."

"As time went on, the city lord's manor simply turned a blind eye. After all, no one had died, and no one was willing to spend that unjust money."

Zhao Hao, who was just lifting his teacup, suddenly froze.

They did not harm lives?

They only sucked a portion of blood essence?

How was this some vicious ghost? This was clearly keeping blood food in captivity!

Normal ghosts were bloodthirsty by nature. Once they tasted flesh, they would only grow worse and worse. There was absolutely no way they would show such restraint.

Behind this sort of "sustainable draining of a pond to catch fish," there had to be a master controlling them!

The face beneath Zhao Hao's mask instantly turned solemn.

He immediately sent a voice transmission to Wu Tang and Sun Ze with his divine sense.

"Something's wrong! These ghosts are raising mortals like livestock. There must be a ghost cultivator controlling them from behind. We have to be extremely careful!"

When Wu Tang and Sun Ze heard this, their hearts also jolted, and they were just about to respond.

Right at that moment!

A powerful and evil pressure of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage descended from outside the city without the slightest warning, instantly enveloping the entire city!

Li Song's hand trembled, and his whole body was crushed until his knees went weak. He was so frightened he nearly knelt straight on the floor.

An incomparably arrogant voice rang through the entire city like a clap of thunder!

"Who dares touch This Seat's ghost pets?!"