Danger! The dark warrior's charge
The instant he collided with the phantom wall, the dark warrior swung his massive black sword. The apparition shattered with a crash, exposing the real village hidden behind the illusion.
In the space of a breath, the formation had swiftly filled in the shattered mirage. Amid the chaos, the monsters had already caught sight of the village's outline and roared as they lunged toward the faintly glowing edge of the barrier.
The dark warrior let out an earthshaking roar, his sword pointing straight at the watchtower where Lin Xu stood.
"This is bad!" Lin Xu's pupils contracted sharply at the sudden turn of events. The candle flame in the Bright Light Lamp in his hand flared, sending a beam of light straight at the dark warrior.
But though the extraordinary illusion struck the warrior, it was as if it had hit an invisible wall. The light collapsed with a boom in the dark warrior's sea of consciousness, failing to stir the slightest ripple.
Only then did Lin Xu realize that the pure will of these battle-hardened warriors, tempered through countless fights to the death, had long since become as solid as a rock. Even a grandmaster-level illusion would struggle to shake their minds in a short time.
And time was precisely what he lacked most!
The ground cracked inch by inch beneath the tread of heavy armor. Pitch-black Sword Qi tore across the earth and slammed into the stone wall on the village's outskirts.
The sandstone wall shook violently. Spiderweb cracks instantly spread across the surface of the roughly 1.5-meter-thick wall, and broken stones and grit came tumbling down.
The dark warrior bellowed and pressed his attack. Vast black Qi gathered on his blade, and a second heavy strike crashed down, bringing great sections of the stone wall crashing down.
Striding over the rubble, the dark warrior pointed his greatsword at the watchtower.
The Dharma Protector Wronged Soul silently emerged behind the dark warrior and reached out with a twisted ghostly claw, clawing viciously at him.
Boom!
Dark Battle Qi erupted, sweeping outward like black flames and blasting the lunging wronged soul away.
Swish! Swish!
Sensing the danger, the Daoists trained their attacks on the dark warrior without waiting for Lin Xu's command.
Several streaks of spiritual light shot from the watchtower. Talismans intertwined in the air to form a net that descended over the dark warrior, only to be shattered in midair by Dark Battle Qi.
The Dharma Protector Wronged Soul let out a piercing shriek under the impact of the black Qi, its form twisting. In an instant, it fled more than ten meters and reformed amid swirling ghostly Qi, the flames of resentment in its eyes burning even brighter.
The dark warrior's cold gaze sharpened. His blade abruptly turned, black Qi coiling around it like a dragon, and he casually slashed through the air at the wronged soul. Sword Qi tore through the air and struck it in an instant.
The wronged soul shrieked as it darted away, preparing to strike again, only for a beam of psychic force to come hurtling toward it and strike it hard.
It was the dungeon's Evil Eye!
The Dharma Protector Wronged Soul let out a piercing wail. Its illusory body twisted violently, flickering like a dying candle in the wind before silently vanishing from where it stood.
Temporarily free of the Dharma Protector Wronged Soul's harassment, the dark warrior was only ten paces from the watchtower, and apart from a few barricades, nothing stood in his way beneath it.
This was Lin Xu's first time facing an intermediate professional. He had never imagined the dark warrior's attack would be so fierce and swift. From the start of the assault to the destruction of the wall, the entire process had taken less than ten seconds!
Lin Xu's pupils contracted sharply. His fingers flew through hand seals as he rapidly recited an incantation. Talisman paper burst into flame in his palm, turning into streaks of crimson light that shot straight at the warrior's face.
The greatsword swept across, reducing the flame talismans to flying ash amid swirling black Qi. The dark warrior stepped forward, raised his sword, and cleaved through the last of the talisman flames. Then he leaped up, his greatsword raised high and tearing through the air. Terrifying Battle Qi gathered as he prepared to bring it down on Lin Xu and the Daoists of Xuanwei Monastery atop the watchtower.
But at that very moment, the Dharma Protector Evil Eye, having finished charging, finally seized the fleeting opportunity.
In the next instant, a seemingly tangible ray of soul light shot from the Dharma Protector Evil Eye beside Lin Xu and struck the dark warrior in the blink of an eye.
Boom!
A powerful soul shockwave spread outward. The dark warrior's body jerked to a halt, his greatsword freezing in midair as the light in his eyes shook violently.
The warrior fell heavily from the air. Amid the billowing dust, the dark warrior knelt on one knee, his head bowed and the greatsword in his hand planted in the ground to support his body.
Drops of black blood trickled through the gaps in his helmet, burning tiny scorch marks into the soil.
A beastlike growl rumbled in the dark warrior's throat as black Qi churned violently, trying to disperse the lingering effects of the soul shock.
More than a dozen fire talismans came down in succession like meteors chasing the moon, striking with fierce force and blasting the dark warrior until he swayed on the verge of collapse.
Amid the surging black Qi, the warrior suddenly raised his head, the bloody light in his eyes flaring. He let out a low, deafening roar and gripped his sword hilt tightly with both hands, abruptly sweeping up a black storm from the ground that forcibly shattered every last remnant of the talisman flames.
"Kill!"
At that critical moment, a squad of Dao soldiers arrived in time. The Soul-Slaying Halberds in their hands traced streaks of cold light, striking straight at the dark warrior's throat and joints.
The dark warrior roared and spun into a slash. Dark Battle Qi surged out like a tide, shattering the halberd shadows. After gathering a little force, he swept the greatsword in his hand toward the attacking Dao soldiers.
Crescent-shaped dark Sword Qi tore through the air, sweeping out with the breath of decay and destruction.
The glow of magical power flickered through the Dao soldiers' ranks like a flowing Milky Way, gathering the stars into a single line before erupting.
In the hands of the Dao soldier squad leader at the front, the tip of the Soul-Slaying Halberd blossomed with rays of azure light, forming a tide of light that surged upstream to meet the descending dark Sword Qi.
Boom!
The azure light and black Qi collided with a tremendous crash, and the blast swept broken stones and splintered wood into the air.
The dark warrior was driven back three steps. A crack opened in his shoulder armor, and black Qi spilled from it like smoke.
All five Dao soldiers shuddered and retreated half a step. Blood seeped from the corner of the squad leader's mouth, and the Soul-Slaying Halberd nearly slipped from his grasp.
Just then, another squad of Dao soldiers charged in from the flank. Five Soul-Slaying Halberds intertwined into a formation, their cold light sealing off the warrior's retreat like a net.
The dark warrior howled in fury and swung his sword. Amid the churning black flames, he actually broke open a gap in the halberd formation and prepared to gather Battle Qi to unleash another devastating Sword Qi strike.
In the next instant, an invisible light descended from the top of the watchtower.
It was the Evil Eye Dharma Protector!
Soul Shock Blast!
A soul shockwave spread out, then was confined to an extremely narrow cone, striking the dark warrior's sea of consciousness with precision.
The warrior's whole body shuddered as though his head had been struck by a heavy hammer. The black Qi protecting him instantly dispersed, and his sword froze halfway through its slash.
In the next instant, the five Soul-Slaying Halberds moved like stars returning to their orbits, tracing streaks of cold light as they pierced the dark warrior's shoulder blades and the backs of his knees.
The dark warrior let out a piercing roar. His greatsword flew from his grasp, and both knees slammed into the ground as black blood gushed like a fountain.
He still tried to struggle, but a Soul-Slaying Halberd struck his helmet hard, producing a dull ring of metal and stone.
The dark warrior's roar stopped abruptly. His head hung low, and only his heavy breathing echoed inside his iron helmet.
It took long to tell, but in truth, only a few breaths had passed from the moment the dark warrior launched his assault to the moment he was subdued on the ground.
At the breach in the wall, another team of Dao soldiers had formed an alternating formation of two squads and was locked in a fierce battle with another dark warrior who had broken into the village.
At the village gate, a third dark warrior was swinging his sword in a wide sweep, forcing the halberd-wielding Dao soldiers to retreat again and again.