"We've really run into a tough one this time. Old Zuo, what do we do?"
Hundred-Household Officer Yuan wore a bitter expression, somewhere between laughter and tears.
"You go. I'll hold him off!"
Zuo Zhongliang swung onto his horse and charged at the evil cultivator.
"Quit playing the damn hero! You can't take him!"
Several Unusual Events Bureau officers gritted their teeth and rushed after him, some on horseback, others on foot.
In that instant, these veterans' vitality, spirit, and resolve burned so fiercely that they seemed about to burst from their bodies. Even in Li Ling's perception, a hazy radiance appeared around them.
The sight astonished Li Ling. These mortals' strength of will almost rivaled that of cultivators. They truly deserved their reputation as the Unusual Events Bureau's elite veterans. Every one of them had fought through countless battles and been tempered by experience.
In a flash, Zuo Zhongliang rode up to the evil cultivator's front right. He held his saber at an angle and thrust it out without a trace of flourish, its gleam streaking like a rainbow.
The evil cultivator erupted in fury. "You're courting death!"
His divine sense condensed into gang, like a solid wall, and swept toward Zuo Zhongliang's warhorse with the force of toppling mountains and overturning seas.
Neigh!
The warhorse screamed as though it had struck a wall. Its head twisted aside, and it toppled sideways.
The powerful momentum flung Zuo Zhongliang off as well.
But he used the strength of his waist to maintain his balance, and his saber blazed once more.
The sharp, clear gang edge sheathed the entire saber in silver light, gleaming as though galvanized, as it slashed down through the air.
Startled, the evil cultivator instinctively stirred his divine sense. Amid swirling gang winds, the faint phantom of a great shield rose before him.
Crash!
A silver vase suddenly shattered, its waters bursting forth!
With a crisp shattering sound, the saber's radiance collided violently with the phantom shield. Both exploded into points of starlight.
Zuo Zhongliang lunged through the air with his saber, carrying the remaining momentum into another slash.
The evil cultivator's lower body lay wide open. The blade sliced his right leg, and blood spurted out on the spot.
Blade qi? Li Ling watched from the side in astonishment. He can actually wield blade qi?
But he soon noticed the details of how the saber's radiance had shattered.
So that's it. It's blade gang inclined toward rigid yang energy. Too rigid, it breaks easily—far inferior to a cultivator's balance of Gang Baleful Energy, which combines hardness and softness.
To give vital energy tangible form, one had to shape it through Gang Baleful Energy, harmonizing yin and yang. Gang Condensation alone or refining baleful energy alone each had its own shortcomings.
The incense baleful force Li Ling had previously refined also leaned toward soft, yielding yin energy, like a fist formed to strike someone.
Had he begun with gang condensation instead, pure sword gang would have suffered from excessive rigidity and broken easily. It would also have been difficult to mold into a satisfactory shape that could inflict effective damage.
Only by combining hardness and softness could he achieve his current, relatively perfected method of forming swords from Gang Baleful Energy.
This must be his innate ability as an extraordinary human, equivalent to an incomplete cultivator's technique.
Li Ling could not help feeling sorry for Zuo Zhongliang.
If he were a true cultivator, that blow would probably have severed both of the evil cultivator's legs.
No!
If he were a true cultivator, he could have leveraged his strength in midair and cut his opponent clean in half at the waist!
As these thoughts passed through his mind, the evil cultivator lost his balance and staggered backward.
Several Unusual Events Bureau officers charged up on horseback one after another, likewise trailing their sabers before suddenly extending them as they closed in.
The evil cultivator's clothing was a piece of armor of magical artifact quality, woven entirely from special threads and exceptionally tough.
Even so, driven by the tremendous force of the charging horses, it tore with a sharp sound, exposing shocking wounds.
The evil cultivator barely managed to protect his vital points, but several more wounds of varying depths appeared on his body. Shocked and furious, he leaped up with all his strength and hovered in the air like a floating feather.
"You mortals..."
"Die!"
Smoke and dust billowed from his body, churning violently.
Amid howling gang edges, a sickly green mist gushed in every direction, covering an area more than ten zhang across in moments.
The experienced Unusual Events Bureau officers reacted swiftly, lowering their heads and holding their breath at once. But Hundred-Household Officer Yuan and the other two were wounded. They gave muffled groans, feeling as though someone had rubbed salt into their injuries.
Zuo Zhongliang reached into his robes, pulled out a pill, and tucked it into his mouth. Then he rushed back to the injured warhorse, drew a mechanical crossbow from the saddle, and held it in his left hand.
An instant later, bolts flew toward the evil cultivator's body.
The evil cultivator had just exhausted the force of his divine sense. His hovering body began to fall, and he had to twist aside to evade the bolts.
Seeing this, all the Unusual Events Bureau officers retreated swiftly in unspoken accord. They ran clear of the poisonous mist in one go and gulped fresh air, only then feeling somewhat better.
Zuo Zhongliang said, "Retreat! His leg is wounded-get out of here first. Every one of you who escapes is one more saved!"
Hundred-Household Officer Yuan glanced at him. "Then watch yourself."
The others rode over, picked them up, and vanished around the street corner.
But immediately after rounding the corner, someone voluntarily switched horses, leaving one behind.
This was the unspoken understanding among the Unusual Events Bureau's men, though it might not prove useful.
The evil cultivator limped out after them, his wounded, bleeding face growing more hideous. "Not one of you is getting away!"
Zuo Zhongliang flicked his arm, sending a Dart Shuttle shooting out and cutting off his words.
The evil cultivator dodged sideways and snarled in humiliated fury, "Are you that eager to die? Fine, I'll grant your wish! Killing an extraordinary human like you and refining you into a zombie will be worth far more than those useless wretches!"
As he spoke, green light gathered in his palm. He hurled a mass of Gang Baleful Energy toward Zuo Zhongliang like a short spear.
Boom!
The green cloud spread, engulfing an area several zhang across in thick poisonous mist.
Unable to dodge in time, Zuo Zhongliang inhaled a few mouthfuls. Even though he had taken a Poison-Repelling Pill in advance, his steps still faltered.
Nevertheless, he drove his saber forward with all his strength and rushed up to keep the enemy occupied.
The evil cultivator had not expected Zuo Zhongliang to be so difficult to shake off. He had no choice but to refine gang and baleful intent into a sword and slash repeatedly.
Parrying the blows, Zuo Zhongliang asked in a low voice, "In the eyes of you people of the Demonic Path, are human lives worth nothing beyond being refined into zombies?"
The evil cultivator roared with laughter. "Of course! What other use could mortals like you possibly have?"
Clang!
Suddenly, the sword-shaped gang edge scraped past the saber and struck Zuo Zhongliang.
The sharp sword qi mercilessly split his leather armor and carved a wound down to the bone in his shoulder, staining more than half his body blood-red.
Bubble-like white froth surged from the wound, and a large patch of flesh festered in moments.
Beads of sweat immediately sprang from Zuo Zhongliang's forehead, but he still clenched his teeth and continued fighting without a sound.
Seeing this, Li Ling sighed inwardly. He might hold out against a mid-stage qi refining cultivator for a while, but even the staunchest defense must eventually fail. A miracle is unlikely...
I'd better lend you a hand!
Li Ling now possessed a certain amount of divine sense power, as well as the ability to form swords from Gang Baleful Energy. He also needed practice to improve.
He immediately manifested himself, wrapping his spirit body in Gang Baleful Energy and appearing behind the evil cultivator in a form resembling a Yin Spirit.
Zuo Zhongliang and the evil cultivator noticed him simultaneously and were both startled.
Zuo Zhongliang darted backward at once, choosing to get out of the way first and ask questions later. The evil cultivator hastily turned and unleashed a fierce gang edge.
Before Li Ling could react, a sharp blade resembling sword qi pierced his body.
Li Ling had intended to attack from behind and kill the man, but it now seemed things would not be so simple.
He condensed Gang Baleful Energy far more slowly than his opponent. Had he been merely the lowest sort of wandering soul, or had he possessed a flesh-and-blood body, that attack would likely have killed him.
Yet Li Ling had not come entirely unprepared. His soul projection ability, far beyond qi refining, and his current state were his greatest safeguards.
The evil cultivator saw only a mass of Gang Baleful Energy take shape, a human figure emerging from thin air. His attack met nothing solid, as though the figure were a dream or a fleeting bubble. He froze completely.
"Y-your... who might Your Excellency be?"
Cold sweat poured from him at once. Through his Spiritual Consciousness, he sensed neither flesh and blood nor a ghostly Yin Spirit within, but only emptiness, as though nothing were there.
He was only a qi refining cultivator, utterly incapable of detecting a spirit body that had left its physical vessel. This was a cross-realm suppression originating at the nascent soul level, three whole major realms above him!
In an instant, Li Ling's form made of Gang Baleful Energy coalesced like water, and he restored it completely.
The evil cultivator's pupils contracted sharply, his disbelief deepening. "How can this be?"
The terror and shock in his heart exceeded even those of a mortal who had seen a ghost.
Yin Spirits and ghosts stood far below a primordial spirit. They were merely fallen beings forced to entrust their remnant souls to external vessels after the destruction of their physical bodies.
With their souls incomplete, they had to absorb all kinds of Gang Baleful Energy and vital energy—even blood essence and vital energy—to preserve themselves. This clouded their spirit bodies and made their composition increasingly complex.
Once their spirit bodies lost their original purity, Yin Spirits and ghosts effectively remained in a constant state of tangible manifestation, with the shell surrounding their spirit bodies bound tightly to them.
The most impure among them even appeared in forms resembling ghostly flames, visible directly to mortal eyes.
The essence of such beings had already become extremely inferior, making them even less suited to attaining the Dao than mortal bodies born of a father's seed and a mother's blood.
Yet some accomplished ones could appear and vanish like ghosts, entirely undetectable to ordinary people, and possessed all manner of illusion and invisibility techniques.
Even if this isn't a nascent soul master, he must be an extremely powerful senior ghost cultivator! Either way, he's beyond anything I can handle...
The evil cultivator made his judgment based on what he knew, feeling as though he had fallen into an ice cavern.
Your Excellency? Li Ling wondered inwardly. This evil cultivator's attitude seemed excessively humble and courteous.
Then realization struck, and he noticed that the man was actually trembling slightly.
Is he afraid? The thought flashed through Li Ling's mind, and understanding suddenly dawned.
This fellow has mistaken me for a senior master!
Before reaching a certain cultivation realm, cultivators might gather Gang Baleful Energy with their remnant souls after their physical bodies died, becoming ghost cultivators or Yin Spirits. But they absolutely could not achieve Soul Departure of their own accord.
Nor could they identify the aura of a soul or the characteristics of a spirit body.
A soul existed in a different dimension of space and time from ordinary matter, something truly profound and mysterious. Both nascent soul and spirit transformation belonged to the great path of the primordial spirit, and fundamentally involved cultivating the soul and mind.
Only great cultivators who could likewise achieve Soul Departure could perceive his spirit body!
But even if such great cultivators stood before him, unless they knew the connection between his spirit body and physical body, they would only think him a fellow cultivator of their own realm who had appeared from somewhere unknown.
They could never connect a Soul Departure spirit body like this with a mortal.
"Hehehe..." Li Ling chuckled meaningfully, sweeping his Spiritual Consciousness brazenly up and down the man's body, imitating the attitude he had once seen cultivators take toward ordinary mortals.
Under this scrutiny, the evil cultivator did not turn hostile. Instead, he grew even more humble.
He even hurriedly withdrew the Spiritual Consciousness he had extended earlier.
As a follower of the Demonic Path, he possessed an awareness far stronger than that of disciples of the Immortal Sects: the strong ruled supreme.
Disciples of the Immortal Sects might still have their elders' protection and the care of their lineages. Even if they were slightly discourteous, their lives would not necessarily be at risk.
But in the understanding of those who followed the Demonic Path, this could truly get a person killed!
For the unlucky ones, even a quick, clean death would be a release.
"Junior, you know your place..."
Transmitting his voice through his Spiritual Consciousness, Li Ling fully assumed the bearing of a superior, intimidating his opponent without anything tangible.
As the evil cultivator's expression stiffened slightly, an almost solid sword edge manifested and silently extended toward his neck.
In a split second, it thrust forward with full force.
"But you still have to die!"
Under the evil cultivator's disbelieving gaze, the sharp sword formed from Gang Baleful Energy pierced his throat. Caught completely off guard, he sprayed blood and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
He was dead.
He had died not from Li Ling's sneak attack, but from the awe in his own heart.
His thinking had constrained his actions, leaving him no time to resist.
"You can reach qi refining with that sort of mindset? Having all the spirit roots really is impressive."
Li Ling sighed softly. He had not expected to resolve matters in such a way either.
Given his opponent's actual strength, even if he could not immediately discover Li Ling's weakness, he could still have escaped.
And if he had remembered that powers such as flames and Thunder Gang Sun could counter a soul engaged in night wandering, he could even have posed a threat to Li Ling.
At that point, with his lack of combat experience and limited divine abilities, Li Ling might have had no choice but to flee in panic.
But on second thought, it seemed unfair to blame this evil cultivator for being foolish.
Masters of the Demonic Path had countless ways to torment souls. The death of the physical body was far from the end.
By comparison, this kind of death was the better bargain.
He had already fought several bitter battles and suffered severe wounds. He would not have been so conceited as to deliberately provoke an unfathomable senior master.
Especially when his earlier attack had been completely ineffective.
With a strange sense of ruefulness, Li Ling turned his gaze aside, only to find that Zuo Zhongliang had long since fled the scene and vanished without a trace.
He had not yet worked out how to disguise his identity and origins. Approaching the man to talk could easily have exposed him.
He had originally intended to adopt a cold, aloof demeanor after helping and leave directly. This saved him a good deal of trouble.
Showing none of a master's dignity, Li Ling deployed his divine sense and rummaged through the evil cultivator's baggage, finding an assortment of talismans, pills, and implements.
Disappointingly, he found no devil finger wood. Apparently, not every special-envoy-level follower of the Demonic Path carried such things.
Or perhaps the man had once possessed some but had already used it up.
He should have had connections with Special Envoy Mu and the others. Is there someone higher up directing them?
The Unusual Events Bureau's files also mentioned suspicions that a full disciple of Changzhou's Corpse Immortal Sect was commanding them, attempting to spread their lineage.
One person can't accomplish something like this. They need to develop a power base and train personnel. Something as useful as devil finger wood must be kept in reserve!
If I can find that person...
With these thoughts in mind, Li Ling silently withdrew his Gang Baleful Energy, returned to his Spirit Body form, and slipped away.