Chapter 15 Vicious Ghosts

From the dark, deep hole leading downward came a thin, flat voice: 'Xiao Qi, you are the cleverest. This task is for you. Go and eliminate the intruder.'

'Yes, Master.' The handsome young man replied respectfully without any hesitation.

'Go.'

As the words fell, clank, clank, clank—the iron plate on the ground rotated again, sealing the passage tightly. Only then did the six men and women breathe a long sigh of relief. Even though they were the closest disciples, they were always terrified in the presence of their master, for any disciple who dared to offend him had been tortured to death and denied reincarnation for eternity.

'I wonder what kind of treasure the master is refining,' said a girl in purple softly. 'All in all, including those tortured to death elsewhere, he's already killed hundreds of innate lifeforms and countless ordinary mortals. The master also said that once the treasure is complete, he won't even fear a True Person of the Myriad Manifestations. I really don't know what kind of treasure it is.'

'It must be a terrifying treasure.'

'Even now, when the master's treasure is only half-finished, he already looks down on the Zifu cultivators of these Yan Mountain tribes. Once it's truly completed...' The six men and women murmured among themselves. What they were most curious about was the mysterious treasure their master was refining, but unfortunately, the master had always been in the secret chamber deep within the mountain, forbidding anyone from entering.

Even after the passage was sealed, not a single sound could be heard from inside.

'Whoosh!'

A blurry, ferocious ghostly figure detached from the body of a bound innate lifeform, letting out a silent scream. The blurry ghost pierced through the mountain rock and converged toward the secret chamber deep within the mountain. This sight made the six men and women tighten their hearts. Only true vicious ghosts could be seen by them.

'Another vicious ghost!'

The six men and women recalled that the second senior brother, who had once offended the master, was tortured to death, turned into a vicious ghost, and then sucked in. Even his soul was absorbed... clearly, he was denied reincarnation for eternity.

'Xiao Qi, go deal with the enemy in the formation now.' The senior brothers and sisters urged him.

'What's the rush?' The handsome young man strode out.

...

Amid the black mist, the handsome young man moved stealthily, the mist parting automatically to form a path wherever he passed.

A talisman appeared in the handsome young man's left hand, its vein-like patterns etched with strange runes, while a horsetail whisk appeared in his right hand.

'Go.' The handsome young man flicked his whisk, and thousands of white threads instantly stretched to dozens of feet, sweeping toward Ji Ning, who was sitting cross-legged in the distance.

Ji Ning, sitting cross-legged, sensed something and looked up.

A sky full of white threads descended upon him.

'Break,' Ji Ning said softly. The water and fire lotus leaves surrounding him expanded greatly. As the two layers of huge lotus leaves rotated, the invading white threads were ground and tangled, unable to approach Ji Ning any further.

'Controlling water and fire?' The distant handsome young man's pupils contracted. 'It seems he's an innate lifeform who cultivates the divine body and controls water and fire. This could be troublesome. I thought I could capture him with the whisk, but it seems that won't work.' The thousands of white threads quickly retracted and vanished, and a long whip appeared in his right hand.

'You dare trespass into my formation? State your name!' shouted the handsome young man.

Ji Ning had already stood up. He glanced at the handsome young man and said, 'This is the border between the Ji and Tiemu tribes, but you don't look like you're from either. What exactly is your origin?'

'I'll tell you, and it'll scare you to death,' the handsome young man snorted.

'Go ahead and say it. Let's see if it scares me to death,' Ji Ning said, holding his swords in both hands.

'Take this!' The handsome young man didn't continue the conversation, clearly unwilling to reveal his origin. He lashed out with his whip. The black whip elongated as it cut through the air, and when it reached Ji Ning's head, the tip transformed into a black snake head, lunging straight at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning merely watched. The black whip broke through a layer of fire lotus leaves but was then blocked by the water lotus leaves.

'What kind of technique is that water-fire lotus?' The handsome young man was no ordinary spirit beast; he could see at a glance that Ji Ning was an innate lifeform who cultivated the divine body and controlled water and fire, but he didn't understand the essence of Ji Ning's move.

Swoosh!

Ji Ning, who had been calmly watching him swing the whip, suddenly executed the Windwing Evasion Technique without warning. In an instant, he leaped toward the handsome young man with astonishing speed. As he transformed into a wisp of green smoke and leaped out, the Beiming Sword in his hand also executed 'Dripping Water Pierces Stone,' thrusting toward the handsome young man's head.

"He's not to be trifled with. Run!" The handsome youth suddenly activated the talisman he had been holding in his left hand, which transformed into a hazy shadow that merged into his body. The handsome youth vanished into thin air.

With a whoosh, Ji Ning appeared where the handsome youth had stood moments before, frowning: "Escape art? It must have been performed using a talisman. A Qi Refining Xiantian cultivator actually possesses an escape talisman. The Zifu cultivator behind him must favor him greatly."

Talismans are also graded.

Talismans like the Speed Talisman, Lightness Talisman, Vajra Talisman, and Strength Talisman are the most basic. Escape talismans are considered more advanced. Talismans like the 'Ten-Thousand-Mile Tracking Talisman' are extremely precious treasures that cannot be bought anywhere. Unfortunately, the Ten-Thousand-Mile Tracking Talisman is not with me now. Even if it were, I couldn't directly reach the inner sanctum of the mountain because I've lost my sense of direction in this maze. Of course, I could still use it to escape, but I didn't bring it with me.

"Although I have an escape talisman on me, the five elements are in flux within this maze, so I simply cannot 'escape'." Ji Ning was well aware of this. After much contemplation, he had gained considerable insight into formations.

He also had a good understanding of the great formation that trapped him.

With the five elements in flux, escape was impossible unless the person controlling the formation deliberately helped. Unfortunately, that person wanted him dead, so how could they help?

...

The handsome youth hurriedly entered the mountain's interior.

"Little Seven is back."

"Junior apprentice-brother, did you slay the enemy?"

"Junior apprentice-brother surely succeeded with ease." Seeing the handsome youth's expression, the senior apprentice-siblings knew he had failed, and they began to tease him.

But the handsome youth shouted: "Senior apprentice-siblings, you don't know how formidable that enemy is. If I had been even a little slower, I would have died at his hands."

"That formidable?"

"Does he have a powerful magic treasure?" The other five men and women were astonished, knowing their junior brother's strength.

The handsome youth quickly said: "He, like our senior apprentice-brother, cultivates both body and Qi! In divine demon body refinement, he is also a Xiantian lifeform. Just now, he dashed and appeared before me in an instant. I only escaped by luck because I had already taken out the escape talisman. Just from that dash, his speed is probably at the Xiantian perfection level of divine demon body refinement."

"Ah."

"Xiantian perfection in divine demon body refinement?"

"How did such a formidable person suddenly appear?" The other five senior apprentice-siblings were shocked.

The handsome youth exclaimed: "It seems only the senior apprentice-brother can handle him. Senior apprentice-brother has already reached Xiantian perfection in both Qi cultivation and body refinement. With numerous magic treasures, strange items, and poisons on him... of the nearly a hundred Xiantian lifeforms in Yan Mountain, most were captured by senior apprentice-brother."

"Who's talking about me?" A low voice sounded.

The six men and women turned to look. At the huge entrance of the mountain's interior, a man in a black robe with disheveled hair walked in. His sinister aura was identical to their master's. The man was carrying a large sack, which he casually threw down after entering the cave dwelling, revealing some legs and feet from inside.

"Senior apprentice-brother." The six men and women all bowed respectfully. They knew well how formidable their senior apprentice-brother was. When their master was fleeing, senior apprentice-brother had once fought one-on-one with a Zifu cultivator and managed to escape with his life.

"I went to the Kou clan's territory and captured these three Xiantian lifeforms. Their dantians have been crippled. Tie them up." The black-robed man ordered.

Immediately, servants rushed forward and dragged out the three bound people from the sack: one woman and two men. The woman was extremely charming, but all were unconscious.

"That beauty Kou Hua has been captured too."

"Three more have arrived."

"They're from the Kou clan."

The bound Xiantian lifeforms from the Ji, Tiemu, Bianhe, and other Yan Mountain clans glanced over. The black-robed man's face twisted, and a green light flickered in his pupils: "Torture them! Drive them mad! Torture them to death! See if they still have the leisure to watch these three. If you don't torture them to death, and one doesn't become a vengeful spirit, I'll make you into vengeful spirits!"

"Yes, yes, yes." The servants trembled with fear, then rushed forward again, using every means to torture these Xiantian lifeforms whose dantians had been crippled.

Seeing the senior apprentice-brother's anger, the other six men and women were also alarmed.

The black-robed man turned to look at his fellow disciples: "Were you talking about me just now?"