Chapter 293: Chapter 291: Martial Brothers’ Combined Might
Two bone spurs on White Bone True Man’s arms shot out. One transformed into a White Bone Lock Chain, the other a White Bone Flying Sword. Both emitted invisible ripples that locked onto their targets, traversing over a thousand zhang to appear instantly.
At the same time, a White Bone Golden Core, composed of countless bone fragments, throbbed wildly in his chest, establishing a connection between his massive skeleton and the mysterious Underworld.
As long as the Golden Core remained, his True Essence was inexhaustible.
He clapped his hands together, and a colossal bone hand clawed down from the sky, forming a Bone Prison.
Meanwhile, the surviving Ghost Spirit Sect disciples began pouring jar after jar of Essence Blood onto the Hundred Ghosts Banner. It was the blood of Tier Three Demon Beasts or Core Formation True Men, preserved through special means.
RIIIP!
The banner flag was torn asunder. The Indigo Ghost King ripped through its surface and descended upon the world.
The Evil Ghost casually snatched several nearby Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators, stuffed them into its mouth, and began to feast, chewing with great relish.
"Evil Ghost King, join me and slay our enemies!"
White Bone True Man divided his attention three ways, silently chanting the sect’s spiritual incantation to control the Evil Ghost on the Hundred Ghosts Banner.
This Evil Ghost King was one of the thirty-four legendary Ghost Kings of the Underworld, born from the malicious thoughts of all living beings.
Of course, the Evil Ghost King that appeared in the mortal realm could not be its true self. It was merely a projection formed from the thousands of years of sacrifices and refinement poured into the Hundred Ghosts Banner, which had attracted a wisp of the Evil Ghost King’s divine consciousness.
Even so, this Ghost King’s power far surpassed that of an ordinary Perfect Core Formation Ghost Cultivator.
The Evil Ghost King’s three heads turned, and its six arms each manifested a Demon Treasure, all formed from Demonic Qi.
Six beams of Demon Light shot from its eyes like six sharp swords, piercing through space.
Master Ge Cang faced this situation with complete composure. He reached out with his slender hands, grabbing directly for the White Bone Lock Chain and the White Bone Flying Sword.
CRACK! CRACK!
The chain wrapped around his left hand while his right hand seized the flying sword. His hands had taken on a crystalline, five-colored sheen, like glazed porcelain.
He slammed his hands together. The chain shattered into several links, and the flying sword snapped in two.
Master Ge Cang’s hands were completely unharmed, without a single scratch. He turned and threw a punch, shattering the descending Bone Prison into countless bone fragments.
At the same time, he blinked his right eye, and a Thunder Dragon shot out, obliterating the Demon Light from the Evil Ghost King.
The Thunder Dragon let out a roar, drawing in hundreds of bolts of Divine Thunder that swelled its body several times over before it charged toward the Evil Ghost King.
"Master Yanx, Lianyu, what are you waiting for? Attack now!"
White Bone True Man had already overestimated Master Ge Cang’s strength, yet he now discovered that he had still underestimated him.
He had risked becoming an inhuman, ghost-like puppet and entered the Underworld Nether Coffin to transform himself into the White Bone True Demon Body, thereby obtaining a Perfect Core Formation cultivation.
But now that they had clashed, he realized that Master Ge Cang had also broken through to Core Formation Perfection.
Coupled with the fact that the Innate Qianyuan Divine Thunder Net was a natural counter to Demon Path Cultivators, the combined force of White Bone True Man and the Evil Ghost King’s avatar was actually on the verge of being overwhelmed by Master Ge Cang.
Meanwhile, he clutched a Bone Whistle in his hand, ready to blow it at any moment.
’Brother Ge seems to have gotten much stronger after breaking through to Core Formation Perfection...’
’This strengthening is all-encompassing, not just in his Thunder Skills or physical body. It’s something only cultivators of the same tier can perceive.’
Bai Zichen had originally thought his own strength was on par with Brother Ge’s, but now he realized he was likely a notch below his senior brother at Core Formation Perfection.
’Although the Divine Thunder Net’s suppressive effect on Demon Path Cultivators is what makes the situation look so one-sided, Brother Ge is far from using his strongest techniques.’
"Don’t fret, Fellow Daoist White Bone. I’m coming."
Fairy Lianyu threw out a square kerchief. It spun until it was the size of a table, and by the time it began to descend from the sky, it had already expanded to be several zhang wide.
After sending out her Magical Treasure, she instead took two light steps back.
Master Ge Cang’s divine might struck fear into her heart. ’So many Core Formation True Men working together could indeed kill Ge Cang,’ she thought, ’but his final counterattack would take at least two or three of them down with him.’
Fairy Lianyu possessed no supreme defensive treasure that could guarantee her survival in such a scenario. It was better to play it safe and take advantage of the chaos from a distance.
"What fine technique. Even the True Monarchs of the Five Thunders Sect are merely on par with this level of mastery in Thunder Skills..."
Yanx Rulong offered his praise, then with a flick of his wrist, an Inkstone Treasure whizzed out. He then produced a writing brush, dipped it in ink, and tapped it lightly.
As the brush moved, ink-black bars appeared in the air, forming a cage that trapped Master Ge Cang within.
The two cultivators in robes and hoods exchanged a glance. One of them took out a Talisman Treasure and exhaled a breath of Pill Qi, causing the talisman to burst into flames instantly.
A Talisman Treasure that would make a Core Formation True Man cautious was, of course, no ordinary magical treasure. It was a True Talisman Treasure, peeled from a Spiritual Treasure itself.
Before a cultivator’s passing, it was common for them to disregard the damage and strip power from a Magical Treasure to create three to five Talisman Treasures at any cost.
But a True Talisman Treasure, because it contained forty percent of the original weapon’s might, could only be created one at a time.
Furthermore, the damage it inflicted on the source treasure itself was extremely severe.
To use a Spiritual Treasure as the source for a True Talisman Treasure was a luxury only a Nascent Soul Major Sect with several Spiritual Treasures could afford.
An ordinary sect would sooner worship a Spiritual Treasure on a pedestal; how could they possibly risk degrading it by doing something as shortsighted as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?
Only a Nascent Soul Major Sect had deep enough pockets to be willing to do so.
After all, a Spiritual Treasure could only be wielded to its full potential by a Nascent Soul True Monarch, while a True Talisman Treasure could be used to replicate that power by a mere Core Formation True Man, or even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
The Holy Lotus Sect Elder before them pointed a finger. Hundreds of specks of gilded light flew from the True Talisman Treasure, like a shower of feathers falling from the sky.
Each speck of golden light was a Flying Needle. The True Talisman Treasure had been made from a set of Flying Needle-type Spiritual Treasures.
"Ge Cang, so you have a day like this... A hundred years I’ve waited to avenge my crippled hand!"
Daoist Mu grit his teeth, his heart filled with both hatred and jealousy for Master Ge Cang, who was his junior in age.
In the past, he had bottled up his hatred, not daring to seek revenge, and even had to pretend to be magnanimous and unbothered.
Now, finally having the chance to personally send Master Ge Cang to his doom, his hands trembled with excitement.
He brought out a Bronze Cauldron and had just struck it for the first time when an indescribably cold and beautiful flash of moonlight swept past.
Daoist Mu stammered, and his large, hooded head flew into the air. The uncontrolled Bronze Cauldron fell, crashing to the ground with a tremendous BOOM.
’What a fine treasure. A Living Spirit Flying Sword is truly worthy of its name. A single thought is all it takes for it to completely understand my intentions...’
Bai Zichen appeared on the other side of Xiaoluo Mountain. He had originally intended to kill the Core Formation Cultivator who was activating the True Talisman Treasure.
However, due to their positions, Daoist Mu was closer to him. Moreover, he hadn’t even activated a Protective Dharma Treasure, which made him a defenseless target in front of a Sword Cultivator like Bai Zichen.
With the speed of a Tier Four Flying Sword, never mind Daoist Mu with his meager Early-Stage Core Formation cultivation; even several cultivators much stronger than him were a beat too slow to react.
He transformed into a streak of Moonlight Sword Light, which then turned into a single thread of Sword Silk upon reaching the enemy, instantly killing a Core Formation True Man.
An eruption of Sword Qi had already turned Daoist Mu’s insides to chaos, saving him the trouble of a finishing blow.
’I probably didn’t even need to reveal the Refining Sword into Silk Realm to deal with him... but it’s always better to overestimate the enemy. Better to have overkill than to leave him barely alive for someone to rescue.’
Bai Zichen glanced regretfully at the storage pouch on Daoist Mu’s corpse. For the sake of efficiency and safety, he hadn’t even used his Sword Light to sweep up the spoils.
It might have only taken a fraction of a second, but after identifying six Core Formation True Men at close range, no amount of caution was excessive.
Especially since the leading old man was a Perfect Core Formation Cultivator, on the same level as Master Ge Cang. Even if his strength was slightly inferior, he was not to be underestimated.
If he were to get tied down by such a figure, with so many other Core Formation True Men around, he would fall into the very encirclement Master Ge Cang had specifically warned him to avoid.
"A Mid-Stage Core Formation Sword Cultivator. You must be that Bai Zichen... What has the Qingfeng Sect done to deserve two disciples like this?"
Yanx Rulong sighed with a look of amazement and took out a calligraphy scroll.
He had originally wanted to turn his attention and deal with Bai Zichen, but a panicked shout from White Bone True Man made him continue wielding his brush.
At the same time, the scroll unfurled. Massive characters flew out, lining up in a row, each one pulsing with terrifying power.
This was an Ink Treasure from a Nascent Soul True Monarch. Having been carried on his person for several hundred years, it had been imbued with Vast Energy and had developed incredible Divine Techniques.
Although it had never been formally refined, in the hands of a Confucian Cultivator, it could unleash power equivalent to a Tier Three Secret Treasure.
"Zheng’er, you and the others surround him! Don’t let him escape!"
The five Core Formation Cultivators from the Celestial Principle Sect each took a corner and slowly closed in.
Facing a terrifying Sword Cultivator who could instantly kill someone right before their eyes, the group shed their previous arrogance and set aside their pride as disciples from the Central Domain.
They tacitly chose to join forces. Countless magical treasures, sword glints, and blade shadows flashed as they implemented the sect’s trained method for dealing with powerful Sword Cultivators, managing to suppress even the moonlight.
With a powerful neighbor like the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, the Celestial Principle Sect had always considered them their hypothetical enemy, even before any conflict had erupted.
They had undergone countless special training sessions on how to counter Sword Cultivators, learning how to best leverage their numerical advantage to close the gap with a powerful individual.
Now, the Celestial Principle Sect launched their attack with two Late-Stage Core Formation True Men as the main assault, Le Zheng in the center, and two Mid-Stage Core Formation True Men providing cover and finishing moves.
They instantly formed a staggered but orderly offensive. Magical Treasures, Flying Swords, and Talismans were unleashed in sequence, not only avoiding any reduction in their killing power but actually enhancing each other.
For a moment, Bai Zichen could only recall his Moon Xuan Sword and spin it in a circle, forming an impenetrable defense around himself.
White Bone True Man saw Master Ge Cang tear an arm off the Evil Ghost King, which wailed incessantly.
He then saw lightning erupt from Master Ge Cang’s feet as he wielded a Thunderstruck Wood Staff, swatting away the hundreds of gilded Flying Needles one by one.
"Ge Cang, I will sever your Thunder Skill! Let’s see what tricks you have left to survive then!"
White Bone True Man could bear it no longer. He raised the Bone Whistle and blew with all his might, and the whistle immediately disintegrated.
This Bone Whistle was crafted from a small piece of bone from a Tier Four Demon Beast, the Thunder-Devouring Whale. When activated, it could absorb every last trace of thunder and lightning within a hundred-li radius.
It was considered a rather ordinary Secret Treasure among those left behind by the Ghost Spirit Sect, but against Master Ge Cang, it was as good as a top-tier one.
An illusion of the Thunder-Devouring Whale, hundreds to thousands of zhang long, appeared in the sky. With a mighty inhale, it swallowed the entire surging Thunder Sea.
It let out a satisfied burp, then began to swim leisurely around Xiaoluo Mountain.
Any Thunder Element Spiritual Energy that appeared in this space was instantly devoured, leaving nothing behind.
Master Ge Cang’s Qiantian Primordial Yang Divine Thunder Net had become a tree without roots, making it extremely difficult to even manifest.