Dragon Elephant Temple.
Hearing those three words, Jiang Chen's gaze shifted, surprise showing in his eyes.
"One of the Dao Alliance's six major powers? Erhu has that kind of backing?"
Back when Chen Xue had invited him to that group mission, she had described Young Master Qin's strength by saying that completing it might give him a chance of entering the Martial Sect.
The Martial Sect was also one of the Dao Alliance's six major powers.
Although everyone said the Dao Alliance's cultivation methods no longer suited the times, to ordinary Unusual Persons, they remained lofty peaks they could only look up to.
If the great families represented the pinnacle of worldly power, then the Dao Alliance stood above the entire world of Unusual Persons. Even after its "decline," it could still stand on equal footing with the Netherworld.
The prestige of the six major powers that controlled the entire Dao Alliance went without saying!
Besides, Jiang Chen had always had a thought at the back of his mind.
Could the power passed down through thousands of years in the Nine Provinces really be so simple?
Perhaps there were deeper reasons behind the Dao Alliance's apparent decline...
"Heh heh heh, a disciple of the Dragon Elephant Temple! Killing you will make this trip well worth my while!" After his initial surprise, Zhang Xianhai broke into a vicious grin. He pricked his finger, dripped his blood onto the earthenware jar, and muttered an incantation.
Nearby, the Ghost Infant, who had been driven steadily back by Zhao Erhu in his Diamond Body state, suddenly developed an eerie blood-red glint in his pupils. The yin energy throughout his body surged, and he actually began fighting Zhao Erhu to a standstill.
Just then, splashing broke the stillness of the lake, mingled with a woman's indistinct voice.
"Give me back my life... give me back my life..."
A female ghost crawled out of the lake, her skin swollen from soaking in the water. Her face brimmed with resentment, the corners of her mouth caught in something almost like a smile, as she fixed her eyes on the students.
Zhao Erhu's expression darkened.
This was exactly what he had feared most.
There was a half-step vengeful ghost in the water. Steward Zhang's appearance had left him struggling to defend himself, putting his classmates in danger.
"Why? Why did you do this to me..." The female ghost approached the students, her resentment astonishingly intense. Her arms hung at her sides, her head tilted at sixty degrees, and only the whites remained in her narrow eyes. Her eerie appearance made their skin crawl.
The students and several Mountain Villa employees all screamed in terror. Some suddenly clutched their throats mid-scream, gasping desperately for air like drowning victims.
Just then, Zhao Erhu spotted Jiang Chen returning. His face lit up, and he hurriedly shouted, "Jiang Chen!!!"
Among the crowd, Jiang Chen had already been waiting for his chance to act. He nodded. "All right!"
He pushed off and charged forward, murmuring under his breath as he ran.
"Demon Transformation-"
"Sea-Reliant Dragon!!!"
Even Zhao Erhu, still locked in combat with the Ghost Infant, was stunned by the sight.
Holy shit!
What are you doing?
He had meant for Jiang Chen to lead their classmates to safety. A half-step vengeful ghost probably wouldn't even need five minutes to slaughter all these students.
But Jiang Chen had charged straight at her. What the hell!
That's a fucking half-step vengeful ghost! You're a D- Unusual Person. Aren't you just throwing your life away?
"Don't go over... hmph, you're asking for death!" Zhao Erhu tried to shout another warning, but the Ghost Infant nearly lunged onto his face, one hand viciously clawing at his eyes. He could only focus on fighting back, with no attention left to spare for another warning.
Ding! Randomly selected divine ability-Minor Water Manipulation Technique!
Understanding dawned within Jiang Chen. As he charged at the female ghost, he let out a low roar without the slightest hesitation.
"Great Strength Bull Demon Fist!"
Ferocious explosive power gathered in his body. He lunged, slamming the female ghost straight back into the lake and plunging in after her.
The female ghost was stunned.
I'm a fucking water ghost! Are you insane, knocking me into the water?
Water Ghost Sun Meiling was stunned. Ghost Qi +30.
Once underwater, the female water ghost moved like a nimble fish. Her withered arm grabbed Jiang Chen's leg, and an enormous force dragged him toward the lake bed. Jiang Chen felt as though a thousand-pound boulder had been tied to his foot.
"Heh heh heh, you came down here yourself!"
The female ghost laughed sinisterly.
Outside, all the students stood frozen.
"Jiang Chen..."
"He knocked the ghost into the lake so we could live!"
"I never imagined our quiet classmate was so loyal and righteous!" Some students couldn't help clenching their fists.
"Jiang Chen is a good person!" The girls' eyes reddened.
"Jiang Chen!" Jiang Xinyi tried to run toward the lake, but Sun Zhibing and several other students held her back.
"Don't go! He's risking his life to hold the ghost back and buy us time to escape. We can't let him down!" Sun Zhibing's eyes were a little red too.
"Everyone! Run! Don't let Jiang Chen's efforts go to waste!" he shouted through gritted teeth.
"Fuck! Jiang Chen!" Li Jie struggled like a madman as Yang Zhi and several other boys held him back.
They had all experienced how terrifying the female ghost was and understood that Jiang Chen was sacrificing himself to save them. They quickly turned and ran away from the lake.
But just then-
BOOM!!!
An enormous blast rang out, like a high-explosive shell detonating on the spot. Everyone felt the terrifying tremors beneath their feet.
Lake water shot more than ten meters into the air. Some students who hadn't yet turned around witnessed the miraculous sight.
"What happened?"
"Did someone throw a bomb into the lake..."
"Is that... the ghost from before?"
Many students' eyes widened. Amid the spray, they saw the female ghost soaring high into the air, countless cracks splitting her body. Her chest had caved in as though struck by a heavy blow, and her face was a bloody mess. She looked utterly wretched.
"What happened underwater?"
"Where's Jiang Chen?"
Everyone gaped, dazed.
Then they saw a head emerge from the lake, followed by the rest of his body. As though riding an elevator, Jiang Chen rose out of the water and stood on its surface as easily as if it were solid ground.
He tilted his head up toward the falling water ghost, his expression indifferent and his eyes like stagnant water. He extended one hand and loosely curled his fingers.
Five streams of water as thick as arms shot out of the lake, wrapped around the female ghost's limbs, and held her two or three meters above the surface.
"Holy crap! That's so cool! Is Jiang Chen an immortal?"
"He must be one of those legendary cultivators! That's fucking awesome!"
Some students couldn't help exclaiming, while even more were too stunned to speak. This was a sight they would surely remember for the rest of their lives.
Water Ghost Sun Meiling was scared out of her wits. Ghost Qi +99!
Down on the lake bed, all she had seen was the young man before her throwing an uppercut. The next instant, it was as though a cannon shell had struck her. Her chest caved in, and she flew out of the lake amid a burst of spray.
That single punch had dispersed most of her yin energy. Now, all she felt was fear.
"..."
A little while later.
Water Ghost Sun Meiling felt humiliated. Ghost Qi +50.
The system notification sounded in Jiang Chen's ears. He paused, turned to look, and couldn't help giving a dry cough.
The female water ghost was suspended in midair by the streams he controlled, her limbs spread wide. It really was a little unsuitable for children.
He considered it for two seconds, then waved his hand and stretched her body even wider.
Ghost Qi +80...
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