The Yin-Yang Hundred Spirits Banner was the Yin Yang Dao's most famous law artifact.
Cultivators who practiced the Yin Yang True Scripture could refine their own Yin-Yang Hundred Spirits Banners.
By collecting all manner of Vengeful Ghosts, Sha Ghosts, and other ghosts, they could continually increase the banner's power.
Though Fang Jing was seventh rank, he had spent all his wealth refining the Yin-Yang Dharma Robe and the Black and White Lotus Mask. This time, to refine the Thousand Poisons and Ten Thousand Baleful Intents Arrow, he had borrowed the Yin-Yang Hundred Spirits Banner from Libationer Fang Boxiong.
This Hundred Spirits Banner contained an exceptionally powerful Sha Ghost, already very close to becoming a sixth-rank ghost soldier.
With this Sha Ghost commanding the many Vengeful Ghosts and Fierce Ghosts, sending a hundred ghosts out together to subdue a swarm of Golden-Ringed Poison Bees with extremely low spirituality would be as easy as reaching out and taking them.
The two followers who had gone to destroy the hive and draw out the poison bees both wore straw raincoats and had taken excessive doses of Yellow Flower Powder beforehand. They were in an extremely excited state, and even if the poison bees stung them, they would not die for a while.
Fang Jing formed a method formula with his fingers and pointed forward. A Sha Ghost so red it was almost black led a host of ghost spirits charging over.
Thousands upon thousands of Golden-Ringed Poison Bees gathered together like churning black fog, an imposing sight.
But as the cold wind formed by the hundred ghosts swept over them, the poison bees pattered down like rain, and their piercing buzzing vanished as well.
Fang Jing was delighted at the sight. With another few tens of thousands of Golden-Ringed Poison Bees, he would have enough to refine the Thousand Poisons and Ten Thousand Baleful Intents Arrow.
As for the expenditure of the Hundred Spirits Banner, he would simply kill all these followers as well. Their resentful spirits would be enough to feed it.
Killing dozens of people at once would produce terrifying resentment and Sha Qi as their many resentful spirits gathered. Unless forced to, Fang Jing would not do such a thing.
The Hundred Spirits Banner had not been lent to him for nothing, either. A price always had to be paid.
Seeing success within reach, Fang Jing immediately ordered the followers to go collect the Golden-Ringed Poison Bees.
Jiang Sangu's face was also full of delight. "With these poison bees, you'll have enough to refine the Thousand Poisons and Ten Thousand Baleful Intents Arrow, Incense Master!"
Feeling thoroughly pleased with himself, Fang Jing was about to speak when he suddenly sensed an unusual presence intruding.
Though the ritual altar he had erected was crude, it enshrined the Yin Yang Dharma King and had the Yin-Yang Hundred Spirits Banner as its core. He could sense unusual flows of Qi around it.
The enhancement from the Black and White Lotus Mask also strengthened his five senses somewhat.
Sensing something amiss, Fang Jing hurriedly turned. Several torches had been lit around the altar, casting flickering light over the surroundings.
Yet the person who had suddenly rushed in was dozens of paces away. Even with his eyesight enhanced by the mask, Fang Jing could only see a blurry figure closing in on him at tremendous speed.
"Who's there?!" Fang Jing shouted fiercely. At the same time, he shook the Yin-Yang Hundred Spirits Banner and formed a law seal, summoning all hundred ghosts back.
Jiang Sangu's eyesight was not nearly so good, and she saw nothing. Only when she saw Fang Jing's fierce expression and heard his stern voice did she realize something was wrong.
Though she knew some law techniques, she could not use them on such short notice. She could only draw two throwing knives with one hand and pull out her longsword with the other to guard Fang Jing.
As a ninth-rank martial artist who had developed Manifest Force, with the True Qi she had cultivated through Eighth-Rank Qi Ingestion as well, her actual martial prowess was quite good.
Zhou Wuji blessed himself with the Six Yang Dharma Eye again and saw Fang Jing's and Jiang Sangu's reactions clearly. He could even see the two throwing knives held in Jiang Sangu's left hand and the cold gleam reflected from their exposed tips.
A ninth-rank Manifest Force martial artist who could also circulate True Qi could be said to be about the same as him in his current state, but in every respect, she fell far short.
With a single glance, Zhou Wuji determined that the alluring woman posed little threat. He only needed to kill the Devil Cultivator leading them quickly.
With his altar active, Fang Jing cast extremely fast. With a shake of the black-and-white Hundred Spirits Banner, the almost-black red Sha Ghost led a host of ghosts straight at Zhou Wuji.
The hundred ghosts moved like the wind, reaching Zhou Wuji in the blink of an eye.
Zhou Wuji could see the leading Sha Ghost's appearance, see it turn into a black-and-red skeleton swinging a fire-spouting long saber at him, and see the hundred ghosts following behind it all take skeletal forms, attacking him with sabers, spears, swords, and halberds.
Ordinary people could not see ghosts. Only those at the Sha Ghost level could manifest their forms at will.
Yet with the Yin-Yang Hundred Spirits Banner's enhancement, all hundred ghosts manifested, like hundreds or thousands of ghost soldiers charging together. Though there was only the howl of cold wind, they possessed something of the might of a vast army.
The spiritual power gathered by the hundred ghosts also struck at Zhou Wuji's Divine Sense.
An ordinary person would have been scared to death merely at the sight of the hundred ghosts manifesting.
It was not that they were truly so timid, but that the hundred ghosts possessed the power to seize the soul directly.
Even if Wuzheng were here, he would have had to hold his ritual sword and invoke the blessing of the eight divisions of troops to withstand the hundred ghosts' assault on his soul.
Zhou Wuji, however, relied on his major-accomplishment Heart-Purifying Divine Incantation to keep every force assaulting his mind at bay.
This also saved him some effort and Divine Sense, allowing him to concentrate on wielding the Seven Star Sword.
Normally, the Golden Light Incantation was precisely the counter to ghost spirits like these. But with the Hundred Spirits Banner as their foundation, these hundred ghosts were different from ordinary Sha Ghosts.
Moreover, the gathered might of the hundred ghosts was too great. Even a major-accomplishment Golden Light Incantation would not be so effective.
The Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Sword was better suited, but it required prolonged chanting and was extremely troublesome.
Zhou Wuji abandoned the use of law techniques. He would cut down all hundred ghosts with the Seven Star Sword in his hand.
The black-and-red Sha Ghost raised its blazing long saber and slashed down. Though it was a ghost, once manifested, it could interfere with reality. This blow was enough to kill.
The Seven Star Sword in Zhou Wuji's hand became streak after streak of brilliant sword light, instantly illuminating the host of ghosts.
This was precisely the most radiant Sunset Sword of the Xiaoxiang Sword, drawing upon the image of the setting sun's slanting rays, with river, sky, clouds, and woods seemingly set ablaze.
This sword move had the grandest momentum, yet it was grand without being fierce, powerful without being violent. Instead, its radiant sword light left a lingering resonance that stretched on without end.
The leading black-and-red Sha Ghost was ferocious and domineering, but it killed solely through Sha Qi. It had not condensed any law techniques, much less martial skills.
Beneath the unbroken, firelike radiance of the sword light, the black-and-red Sha Ghost was instantly shredded into wisps of red Sha Qi.
The other ghosts fared the same. Wherever the radiant sword light passed, masses of black vapor scattered and drifted away.
By the time the sword light resolved into a bright, keen blade, the hundred savage, frenzied ghosts had already turned into wisps and threads of black smoke and returned to the Hundred Spirits Banner.
Fang Jing was fairly well informed, yet he had never seen swordsmanship of such consummate skill. He was extremely tense, but barely managed to keep his composure as he called out, "A fine sword, fine swordsmanship!"
He added, "Friend, whatever the matter is, we can discuss it. There's no need to fight!"
At this distance, he could already make out the swordsman's appearance. The man wore a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat, most of his face hidden beneath the hat's shadow, giving him a mysterious air.
But he could still vaguely make out the man's features: a handsome young man.
Fang Jing was puzzled as well. When did such a formidable swordsman appear in Siming County?!
Jiang Sangu, however, had already gone deathly pale, her hands trembling uncontrollably. As a ninth-rank martial artist, she knew full well how terrifying his swordsmanship was.
If she went up to fight him, she would probably lose her life before she even saw where his sword was!
After that burst of True Qi, Zhou Wuji also needed to regulate his breathing. He had originally wanted to offer a few fine words about slaying demons, vanquishing devils, and enforcing justice on Heaven's behalf, but worried that opening his mouth might expose him to some knockout drug or poison gas.
At present, he was relying entirely on the circulation of Qi and was not breathing through his mouth or nose at all.
Once he had regulated his breathing, Zhou Wuji immediately surged forward, heading straight for Fang Jing.
Seeing him draw close, Jiang Sangu was afraid but did not dare evade him. She raised her hand and hurled both throwing knives.
Zhou Wuji did not even dodge. He merely flicked the front of his straw raincoat, raising it to block both knives.
As the straw raincoat rose, Zhou Wuji also threw six White Eyebrow Needles.
His perfection-level Heavenly Pivot Hand made his needle-throwing technique exquisite and concealed. With the combined force of his fingers and True Qi, the six White Eyebrow Needles flew extremely fast.
They were only a little over ten paces apart. The male attendant in long robes had no time to react before White Eyebrow Needles pierced both his eyes, killing him on the spot.
Jiang Sangu did not see the White Eyebrow Needles either, but she heard the faint, sharp whistle of needles cutting through the air.
She knew how to use hidden weapons and immediately guessed that her opponent had used them. Unable to see their direction, she merely jerked her head aside and retreated on instinct, but was a step too slow. Two White Eyebrow Needles pierced through bone and into her skull.
The vibrating, surging True Qi on the White Eyebrow Needles also blasted Jiang Sangu's brain into a mass of bean curd dregs. Without so much as a grunt, the alluring woman fell backward, lifeless.
Fang Jing's martial prowess was only at the eighth-rank level, but he had achieved success in Qi cultivation, and his six senses were far sharper than Jiang Sangu's.
He swept his long sleeve out, catching the two flying needles in it.
The Yin-Yang Dharma Robe was woven from ice silkworm silk, Cloudlight Brocade thread, and other materials. Impervious to blades, water, and fire, it could also enhance the power of True Qi within certain limits. It could be called a very formidable seventh-rank law artifact.
Though the two White Eyebrow Needles were sharp, striking such a powerful law artifact caused them to be sent flying by the surging True Qi.
Zhou Wuji could tell that his opponent's robe was extraordinary, but he had not counted on killing Fang Jing with White Eyebrow Needles anyway. Taking this opportunity, he had already mounted the altar and thrust his sword straight at Fang Jing.
Fang Jing did not retreat. He knew very well that once he left the prepared ritual altar, the power of the law techniques he unleashed would drop by more than half.
Though the Yin-Yang Dharma Robe could resist ordinary blades, the sword in his opponent's hand was clearly no ordinary weapon. Moreover, his opponent's Qi moved with his sword, and Fang Jing did not dare take it head-on.
Only by relying on the altar to cast his techniques now would he have a chance of victory.
At this critical moment, Fang Jing turned the Hundred Spirits Banner, facing its black side toward Zhou Wuji, and simultaneously unleashed his sect's secret technique, the Yin Yang Mirror.
Thrusting straight ahead with his sword, Zhou Wuji saw the long black banner turn into a black mirror. In it was a swordsman wearing a bamboo hat and straw raincoat-his very own likeness.
Zhou Wuji could even see the ring of crimson in his own eyes within the mirror, a change produced by the blessing of the Six Yang Dharma Eye.
Without hesitation, he raised his sword and thrust straight ahead. His reflection in the mirror likewise raised its sword, and the two blades clashed against the mirror's surface...