"Act with caution. Report back immediately upon ascertaining the exact situation. Remember, do not act rashly," the supervising elders repeatedly admonished their juniors.
"Understood."
"When we are entangled with that Shuofang Ghost King, you shall seize the opportunity to act!"
The Immortal Alliance had been too careless this time. Who would have thought that the ghost cultivators of Fengdu, who had been law-abiding for hundreds of years, would suddenly become so active, catching them completely off guard.
The supervising elders and the Immortal Venerables believed it was not necessary to fight a protracted battle. They would decide after thoroughly investigating what had transpired within Fengdu. However, the primary mission was to deal with the Shuofang Ghost King first.
The formation known as "Bai Mu" had been largely dispelled by the spiritual treasure "Kirin Talisman," but those still trapped could not be rescued in time, and had to be temporarily left behind. The Immortal Alliance involved over a dozen sects, and the elite disciples from each sect possessed combat capabilities that were not inferior to one another.
"Let's attack together!"
The Buddhist cultivators, their robes in yellow, white, and brown, numbering in the hundreds, led the charge, with stacks of talismans flying out from their sleeves. Their hand gestures shifted rapidly, forming blurs. The talismans, initially plain white paper, were infused with spiritual energy, causing dense characters and incantations to gradually appear on their surfaces.
"Great Compassion and Universal Salvation! Absolve!"
The white talismans, like white pigeons soaring through the sky, transformed into the "Great Compassion and Universal Salvation Circle." The pale golden Buddhist circle expanded, forming a vajra that encircled the Shuofang Ghost King.
The sword cultivators cooperated with the Buddhist cultivators. Sword cultivators typically fought alone and possessed a strong sense of territoriality. Unlike the Buddhist cultivators who were universally versed in Buddhist teachings, they combined their efforts. According to their respective cultivation techniques, they wielded their swords, manipulating blue, green, red, and purple spiritual energies to control their destiny swords. A sword array converged above the Shuofang Ghost King's head.
"Lingering Sun on Snow—"
"Severing Green Kill—"
...
Their hand seals were not as uniform as the Buddhist cultivators', but were varied, each displaying unique tricks. The destiny swords transformed into streaks of iridescent light, weaving around the Shuofang Ghost King's body, searching for his most vulnerable points. After the sword cultivators had laid the groundwork, the true powerhouses from various sects took action. They transformed into streaks of light, soaring forward, each displaying their unique abilities like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea. The sky instantly became a riot of colors, with spiritual lights appearing incessantly.
The Shuofang Ghost King's power was now manifested, transforming him into a giant. He regarded the immortal cultivator disciples below as a swarm of ants, with disdain and contempt.
"Pierce!"
A hundred immortal swords in the sky found their positions, then sliced through the air, piercing the Shuofang Ghost King with intense sword light. However, the Shuofang Ghost King, or rather, the Shuofang Ghost Emperor as he should be called now, his physical body was vastly different from before. The spiritual treasures and spirit artifacts were repeatedly broken, and the minor wounds inflicted were not even registered by the Shuofang Ghost King.
"What do you have to fight this Emperor? Even if I stand here and let you hit me, you won't be able to harm a single hair on my head!" His arrogant and haughty voice exploded like a barrage of cannons, its sound waves breaking through the clouds, the wind howling. With a wave of his giant palm, a black tide of thick smoke billowed forward. In a single encounter, he shattered the newly formed sword array, scattering the sword cultivators and their companions haphazardly. However, the "Great Compassion and Universal Salvation Circle" binding him caused him to be somewhat wary. Once it tightened, it would leave blistering marks on his dark skin, greatly restricting his movements.
"Annoying insects! You dare obstruct me, all of you must die!" He made a grasping motion towards the ground. The ground trembled and shook, the soil hardening and solidifying, transforming into wooden spikes that shot up rapidly from his feet, forming rows that surged towards the Buddhist cultivators' hand seals. Upon seeing this, the Buddhist cultivators had no choice but to abandon their talismans and evade. However, they quickly repositioned themselves behind the Shuofang Ghost King.
The Shuofang Ghost King glanced at other areas. The ghost cultivators engaged in combat had all advanced their realms, but this improvement was merely due to the abundance of ghostly energy filling their bodies. They were currently in high spirits, engaged in fierce battles with the immortal cultivator disciples. His ghost pupils blazed with ferociously malevolent light. With a grasping motion, he drew in a large area of nearby ghost cultivators and immortal cultivator disciples, devouring them all. His actions were utterly inhuman, disregarding friend or foe, becoming a demon who resorted to any means to achieve his goals. However, he did not absorb this power into his body. Instead, he used the "Blood Demon Art" to transform it into a vast rain of blood, flinging it towards the Buddhist cultivators. He intended to deal with these bothersome Buddhist cultivators in one decisive blow.
However, he was intercepted by the combined efforts of the Immortal Venerables and supervising elders from various sects.
"Scum! Can you block this? Hahaha..." With a wave of his sleeve, the blood rain transformed into a blood tide, crashing forward fiercely. At the same time, the Shuofang Ghost King drew in another large area, shocking both the ghost cultivators and the immortal sect disciples into hastily distancing themselves from him, paying no heed to their opponents. With his other hand, the Shuofang Ghost King amplified the power of the blood tide, directly overturning those who were blocking him.
*Pfft—*
With no one to intercept them in front, the Buddhist cultivators were also heavily injured and coughed up blood due to the backlash.
"Now's our chance, let's get out of here!" Ru Lan urged anxiously.
However, Lu Ziyin and Yan Tianjiao seemed as if they were glued in place, their faces filled with worry, unable to take a step. The situation was so perilous that they could not leave with peace of mind.
"Fools! Our mission is not to flee the battlefield, but to perform the more important task of rescuing people. What good will it do for you to charge forward? It's as if you think fighting desperately will help you defeat the Shuofang Ghost Emperor. You're just asking to be defeated! Are you going or not? If you've forgotten your promise to the elders, then stay here!"
Unable to persuade them, Ru Lan, filled with anger, flew away alone on her sword, avoiding the crowd, and headed towards the Shuofang Black River. However, after a short while, she turned her head and saw that these people had indeed followed, but each of them had a dejected, dark expression, clearly feeling disheartened. Ru Lan was also worried about the battle, but she knew better what she should be doing.
She couldn't help but look back again, only to witness a scene that exceeded her expectations. She was initially stunned, then her eyes widened further, and finally, she exclaimed excitedly.
"Lu the fool, Yan Tianjiao, look behind you!"
They turned their heads in confusion. With their eyesight aided by their spiritual sense, they could clearly see things within several miles. They saw that behind them, a dazzling, sun-like radiance suddenly appeared, so strong it pierced the night like day. Intersecting golden threads pierced through the heavy, gloomy, large cloud masses, forming thin, shimmering scales. They forcefully tore open a rift in the entire dark sky, allowing sunlight to slant down. Then, along a golden pathway paved in the air, a luminous white figure appeared. Upon his arrival, the members of Wushang Mansion swarmed towards him. Those who had remained largely inactive, only showing themselves to release the "Kirin Talisman," now experienced a qualitative leap in their aura, as if everything that had happened so far was merely a warm-up, and the real battle was just beginning to sound its alarm.