"You—who are you from Qingxiao Sect?"
The four-armed old man faced Shen Yue and spoke. His voice was hoarse and aged, as though it had traveled through ancient years to reach the present.
Shen Yue countered, "And who are you? I'm not asking about your identity as a ghost. Before your death, you must have been a swordsman of extraordinary attainment."
The four-armed old man replied, "This old one came from Northern Court. I was once the Sword God of Northern Court. I offended the powerful and fled beyond the borders, only to end up in such a state. Though I may appear ugly now, my sword techniques and sword intent surpass what they were in life. Would you like to try?"
Hearing him call himself a Sword God, a change flickered through Shen Yue's eyes. He said nothing further and took the initiative to attack.
As he advanced, Shen Yue's sword intent erupted, causing his speed to surge dramatically.
The four-armed old man leapt up, meeting him in midair. Man and ghost clashed blades, each unleashing razor-sharp sword techniques. Their strikes were so swift that they dazzled the eye. Sword qi and ghostly qi shot off in all directions, shattering eaves, punching through courtyard walls, and slicing apart the accumulated snow.
For a time, neither side could gain the upper hand.
The four-armed old man was enraged. How could he fail to defeat a swordsman whose realm was lower than his own? Would that not mean his swordsmanship was inferior?
He suddenly plummeted to the ground. His four arms spread wide, and violent sword qi erupted from the earth like a raging gale sweeping up snow. Forced back, Shen Yue raised his sword to block in midair, yet he was still driven backward by the fierce sword qi. His right sleeve was instantly torn open, and threads of blood splattered outward.
Shen Yue flipped in the air. As he turned, he abruptly hurled the wooden sword in his hand.
Boom—
The wooden sword transformed into a streak of sword light, like a cold flash streaking across the night sky. It pierced through the four-armed old man's sword qi and shot straight toward his chest.
Unfortunately, the old man evaded it with ease.
The four-armed old man shifted rapidly, forcing the descending Shen Yue to move his gaze swiftly in pursuit, attempting to lock onto his opponent's position.
Within the Prefect's Residence.
Great Demon Luo, possessing the body of an old man, continued to sit in meditation and circulate his technique. He could hear the rumbling outside—the battle was extraordinarily intense.
From the corner of the hall, a white-haired man stepped out of the darkness. Half of his face resembled that of a wolf, the other half was handsome, making for a deeply unsettling appearance. He wore black robes, beneath which ghostly qi churned.
"Big Brother, with so many auras of cultivators, Qingxiao Sect must have arrived. However, as we guessed, Qingxiao Sect is not powerful," the white-haired man sneered.
His name was Gui Bei, ranked second among the Sixteen Evil Ghosts, second only to Great Demon Luo.
Great Demon Luo opened his eyes and said faintly, "It is said that Qingxiao Sect was once merely a minor martial sect. Li Qingqiu used less than 20 years to cultivate so many cultivators. He is not to be underestimated."
Gui Bei laughed and asked, "Big Brother, even a heaven-defying genius would find it impossible to cultivate to a realm stronger than yours or mine within a few decades."
Both of them had been cultivators in life. Their understanding of cultivation surpassed that of the other evil ghosts.
Although they had failed to send ghosts to infiltrate Qingxiao Sect, they had learned roughly about its situation through the martial world.
Li Qingqiu had taken over as Sect Master at the age of 16. In just 18 years, he had transformed Qingxiao Sect from a minor martial sect of 7 members into a cultivation sect of over 10,000.
Even Great Demon Luo and Gui Bei had to admit that Li Qingqiu's methods were formidable—but only his methods. Cultivation required the accumulation of time. No matter how extraordinary Li Qingqiu's talent, how strong could he become in merely 18 years?
"The Soul-Seizing Black Demon has vanished without a trace. Perhaps he has already been destroyed by Qingxiao Sect. This Li Qingqiu's strength cannot be underestimated."
Great Demon Luo continued. Upon hearing this, Gui Bei grew somewhat dissatisfied. At this point, what use was there in continuing to elevate the enemy?
Just then, the great hall trembled. Dust and gravel fell from above.
Gui Bei turned to look, surprise appearing on his face. "This person is truly remarkable. With only the cultivation of the ninth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm, his sword intent has reached such a degree. Could Sword Ghost really be unable to defeat him?"
Great Demon Luo gazed beyond the hall and said, "My ghost soldiers are being reduced rapidly. Though those Qingxiao Sect disciples are not strong, they are sufficient to deal with my ghost soldiers. You must not be careless. Perhaps Li Qingqiu will soon kill his way here."
Hearing this, Gui Bei raised his right hand. From his palm grew a bone blade, which lengthened rapidly until the hilt emerged from his palm. He grasped the hilt and walked to the very front of the hall, turning to face the direction of the main doors, waiting quietly.
…
On the street, Yun Cai landed on the ground. She lifted her head, revealing silver-blue eyes that gleamed like gemstones in the night.
Dozens of corpse ghosts were charging toward her. She showed no fear and was just about to cast a technique.
Three figures leapt over her head and charged forward.
At the forefront was Xiao Wudi. He threw a punch, and vast vital energy erupted forth. Like a raging gale, it tore apart the corpse ghosts ahead of him, clearing a path as flesh and blood flew everywhere.
Xiao Wuming held the Qingxiao Sword, his steps nimble. Each strike was clean and decisive, the blade wreathed in poison. He pierced through the hearts of corpse ghosts—one step, one ghost.
Seeing the Xiao brothers rushing to provide support, Yun Cai curled her lips and immediately followed.
As far as the eye could see, disciples of Qingxiao Sect had already spread out across various areas, preventing the corpse ghosts from slaughtering Liu Jing's army.
Beyond the endless stream of corpse ghosts, other ghosts rampaged through the night, placing considerable pressure on the disciples of Qingxiao Sect.
The evil ghosts that had escaped from Ghost King Ridge were no longer lying in wait either. One after another, they revealed themselves.
Shen Yue and Jiang Zhaoxia each restrained one evil ghost. Zhao Zhen and Li Yang were locked in fierce battle with another. Ji Ya, together with more than a dozen True Disciples, surrounded and attacked two evil ghosts.
Boom—
A burly evil ghost with a head full of white hair smashed through a rooftop and leapt toward Xiao Wuming.
Before this evil ghost, Xiao Wuming appeared diminutive. In his eyes, the ghost's figure completely filled his field of vision.
Whoosh—
The sound of tearing air rang out. A silver sword shadow shot forth, piercing straight through the white-haired evil ghost's chest and sending him stumbling backward.
Xiao Wuming immediately leapt aside and turned to look, only to see that it was Yun Cai who had struck.
With her Myriad-Law Spirit Eyes open, Yun Cai had unleashed the Soul-Stealing Flying Sword. The attack had cost her greatly, and her expression was extremely grave.
The white-haired evil ghost landed on the street. He lowered his head to glance at his chest, then lifted his gaze toward Yun Cai. His face twisted ferociously as he said coldly, "Little girl, do you take this old man for a mere ghost soldier?"
He was secretly alarmed. Yun Cai's strike had been too fast and too tricky—he had not even had time to evade. Most crucially, that sword shadow had actually injured his ghost soul.
As his words fell, the white-haired evil ghost shook his arms violently. Vast ghostly qi spread outward, sweeping past the three Xiao brothers and brushing over Yun Cai.
Yun Cai raised her sword to block. Within the vision of her Myriad-Law Spirit Eyes, the ghostly qi did not merely sweep by; instead, it left behind strange and complex invisible restraints along its path. At first glance, it was as though countless chains had sealed off the entire street.
Immediately afterward, the white-haired evil ghost leapt up and lunged at Yun Cai.
The three Xiao brothers were horrified to discover that they could not move. The moment they tried, their entire bodies felt as though pierced by needles.
Yun Cai saw through the white-haired evil ghost's method and found a flaw. However, her cultivation was inferior to his. Just as she attempted to shift toward that opening, the white-haired evil ghost had already reached her.
In that instant, Yun Cai saw the flaw in his move, yet her body could not react.
Slash—
A streak of sword qi swept horizontally, sending the white-haired evil ghost's head flying high into the air. Blood spurted like a fountain. In that moment, the invisible restraints in all directions vanished abruptly, and everything returned to normal.
Yun Cai instinctively turned, dodging the falling corpse of the white-haired evil ghost as it crashed heavily onto the street.
She turned her head to look and saw Li Qingqiu appear ahead, sword qi swirling around him. He held a sword in one hand and a banner in the other. The Soul-Refining Banner erupted with a terrifying suction force, drawing the white-haired evil ghost's soul into it.
After completing all this, Li Qingqiu swiftly vanished.
Yun Cai let out a breath of relief. In that brief instant just now, she had realized that her Myriad-Law Spirit Eyes were not omnipotent.
…
Within the main hall of the Prefect's Residence.
Great Demon Luo opened his eyes once more and said in a deep voice, "Quickly—kill that swordsman outside at once!"
Upon hearing this, Gui Bei did not question it and immediately disappeared from where he stood.
More than half of the buildings within the Prefect's Residence had already collapsed into ruins. Shen Yue's right arm was drenched in blood. His wooden sword bore numerous chips. He stared at the four-armed old man in the distance, breathing heavily.
Facing the Sword God of Northern Court, Shen Yue had no chance to divide his attention. Every move required his full strength, causing his vital energy to be consumed at a tremendous rate.
Even giving it his all, he was unable to slay the four-armed old man.
The four-armed old man was also breathing hard. Evil ghosts did not tire, but in fighting Shen Yue, he had been expending sword intent, which placed a great burden upon his mind.
Shen Yue's attainments in the sword Dao stirred jealousy within him.
"It seems I cannot allow you to become a ghost god. Otherwise, this old one will never surpass you."
The four-armed old man stared at Shen Yue and spoke coldly as he slowly straightened his body.
Shen Yue also rose. Suddenly, he seemed to sense something and instinctively tilted his head. A tall figure had appeared behind him.
It was Gui Bei!
Gui Bei swung the bone blade in his hand, intending to decapitate Shen Yue with a single strike.
This is bad!
Shen Yue's pupils dilated. He had no time to dodge.
Clang!
A longsword blocked Gui Bei's bone blade for him. Shen Yue's gaze shifted instinctively and Li Qingqiu's figure entered his field of vision.
Li Qingqiu had used the Supreme Movement Art to shift over and intercept the fatal blow for Shen Yue.
Twisting his wrist as he gripped the Tianhong Sword, a terrifying surge of sword qi erupted, directly sending Gui Bei flying backward.
Gui Bei landed atop a roof beam. From afar, he stared at Li Qingqiu, narrowing his eyes as he asked, "Awakening Spirit Realm—who are you?"
Li Qingqiu did not answer him. Instead, he glanced at Shen Yue and asked, "Are you alright?"
Shen Yue straightened, brushed past him, and continued to face the four-armed old man. He replied, "My robes are slightly damaged."
The corners of Li Qingqiu's lips curved upward. The two moved almost simultaneously.
One charged toward the four-armed old man; the other toward Gui Bei.
Seeing Li Qingqiu rush directly at him, Gui Bei's face twisted into a savage grin. He let out a wild laugh and suddenly raised his blade to slash at Li Qingqiu.
Vast ghostly qi surged like a monstrous tide toward Li Qingqiu, unstoppable. Within the ghostly qi, bone blades sprouted one after another, incomparably sharp.
Li Qingqiu did not evade. Instead, he unleashed one of the Immortal Severing Three Swords.
Sword light illuminated the Prefect's Residence!
The sword light that Li Qingqiu transformed into pierced through the vast ghostly qi. Countless fragments of bone blades were blasted away as he drove his sword straight to Gui Bei's front.
Gui Bei's savage, greedy smile instantly froze.