Chapter 321: Chaotic Battle

Outside the Taihu Ruins, a great battle was on the verge of erupting.

"I never expected you, kid, to command no fewer than three Heaven-grade bloodline Demon Kings under your rule; it truly baffles this Old Ancestor."

"In that case, let this Old Ancestor witness your strength."

The Toad Old Ancestor's voice, rough as a broken gong, rang out; immediately, the qi surrounding him surged and pulsed as he spat forth a black mystic pearl, which erupted into a cloud of black mist that swept sky-high and earth-wide toward Qin Ming.

Buzz—Qin Ming's figure blurred, vanishing instantly from his original spot; the black mist struck nothing, crashing instead onto nearby rocks and trees, where it hissed and billowed up countless plumes of black smoke.

On the mountainside, a massive hole over a hundred zhang in diameter had been melted open.

Clearly, this black mist contained some violently corrosive poison.

"Hmm? Such speed."

"However, can you withstand this next move of mine?"

The words had barely left his mouth.

The warts on the Toad Old Ancestor's skin suddenly swelled grotesquely, then burst into countless black dots that fell around Qin Ming.

These black dots expanded like bubbles, emitting a nauseating stench.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Countless clouds of black poisonous mist exploded around Qin Ming.

They sealed off every possible escape route for him.

Boom! A suit of blood-colored protective armor made of fierce qi materialized on Qin Ming's body, blocking all the poisonous mist.

"You can actually block my Dark Water Black Poison?"

"Not bad, your skills!"

Qin Ming's gaze sharpened as he formed a hand seal.

Swish! Swish! In an instant, countless black vines appeared beneath the Toad Old Ancestor, entangling him immediately; black poisonous thorns pierced through his defenses and drove deep into his flesh.

The Toad Old Ancestor instantly felt his spiritual soul reel, nearly fainting on the spot.

"What devilish thing is this?!"

The next moment, the Toad Old Ancestor let out a strange cry, then transformed his entire body into a cloud of black mist that scattered, breaking free from the black vines' restraint.

Even though he had dodged the black vines' attack, he still felt a lingering fear.

"A soul body—so you are a ghost cultivator?"

Qin Ming now understood what was happening: the Toad Old Ancestor, like his master, had become a ghost cultivator.

Although they would enjoy a longer lifespan, their future path of cultivation would face tribulations increasingly severe, essentially cutting it off.

Having suffered repeated setbacks before a mere junior, the Toad Old Ancestor grew exceedingly furious.

He chanted incantations under his breath, then flicked a finger; from within his skull flew three black soul doves, emitting hoarse cries as they dove toward Qin Ming.

As soon as the three black soul doves drew near, the scenery in Qin Ming's vision changed drastically; he felt as though he had plunged into an endless sea of blood.

Countless viscous blood-colored monsters reached out to grab him.

"An illusion technique?"

Though Qin Ming had fallen victim to the illusion technique cast by the Toad Old Ancestor, he did not immediately descend into madness.

Instead, relying solely on his powerful spiritual soul strength, he resisted the illusion's erosion.

Then.

Two beams of crimson mystic light burst forth from Qin Ming's eyes, sweeping across the endless sea of blood before him.

The crimson practice light instantly pierced through this illusion realm, subsequently sweeping away and extinguishing the three black soul doves.

"Ah!!"

From outside came a miserable scream; the Toad Old Ancestor stood with bloodshot eyes, clutching his head in agony.

These three soul doves had split from his own soul body and were intimately connected to him.

With a portion of his soul body destroyed, his main body also suffered considerable injury.

This secret technique belonged to soul-path attacks.

Previously, when facing Jin Dan realm cultivators of higher realms than himself, the Toad Old Ancestor could always crush them using this secret technique, never once failing.

Yet who could have expected.

That this kid Qin Ming's spiritual soul strength would surpass his own, a toad demon who had lived for ten thousand years!

And that he also possessed some extremely powerful secret technique for breaking illusions.

A flicker of disturbance finally appeared in the Toad Old Ancestor's clouded eyes.

After recovering, he roared toward the heavens; a gloomy black qi completely enveloped his body, then constantly shifted and expanded.

In an instant, it transformed into a giant black toad dozens of zhang in size, its body covered in black pustules that continuously oozed poisonous fluid.

The moment the black demon toad appeared.

A powerful aura of late third stage swept in all directions from the Taihu Ruins.

It caused nearby cultivators to turn and look in terror, their hearts trembling.

……

On the other side.

The one battling Nalan Xi was a short boy, also at the mid-Jin Dan realm, wielding a blood-colored bone banner that released ghostly entities sky-high and earth-wide.

Nalan Xi, holding a golden whisk as a magical treasure, fought alongside her spirit turtle beast pet, matching the opponent blow for blow.

"Heh heh heh!"

"Nalan Xi, why don't you just surrender peacefully."

"Become a concubine under my sect, and I guarantee your safety!"

The short boy suddenly burst into lewd laughter, his gaze constantly scanning over Nalan Xi's body.

"Hmph! Old scoundrel Tong Yin." "Save your breath and stop blustering; have you no sense to weigh your own worth?"

"You should consider whether you can still return safely to the Ten Thousand Souls Valley today."

Nalan Xi's eyebrows knitted together, magic power surging wildly around her body as the fly-whisk in her hand instantly transformed into a swath of Jin Guang, scattering across the sky.

"Falling Feather Divine Art!"

The Jin Guang formed by the fly-whisk pierced through layers of ghostly creatures in an instant, peeling them away layer by layer like stripping silk from a cocoon, before arriving before the short child.

The threads of Jin Guang struck the bone banner, erupting into a violent tremor.

On Tong Yin Yan Laomo's face, shock immediately appeared; daring no longer to be overconfident, his withered hands formed seals as he hastily recalled the Blood Bone Banner.

Seeing this, he bit through the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of fresh blood onto the Blood Bone Banner, whereupon gloomy winds suddenly rose all around and demonic qi churned violently.

Amidst the oppressive black demonic qi, a blood-armored demonic corpse with an aura at the Jin Dan stage remarkably stepped forth.

The demonic corpse, wreathed in towering blood flames, extended ten inch-long sharp claws and lunged to kill Nalan Xi.

Nalan Xi's spirit turtle beast pet flashed forward; a layer of earth-yellow spiritual light shimmered across its shell as it moved to block the blood-armored demonic corpse.

Boom! The bone claws of the blood-armored demonic corpse slashed against the light barrier, emitting a fierce sound of impact.

That spirit turtle was instantly slapped flying by the demonic corpse.

Seeing this, Nalan Xi felt both tense and furious, but upon noticing her beast pet was not seriously harmed, she finally calmed her mind.

"Fellow Daoist Nalan, I will assist you!"

"This Grand Master said there would be a great slaughter, so a great slaughter there shall be!"

Just then.

Shi Tian Shu's unruly voice rang out; holding a black steel fork in its hand, upon which hung the severed head of a demonic path Jin Dan cultivator.

Opposite them, Tong Yin, seeing the head on Shi Tian Shu's steel fork, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he could not help but cry out in shock:

"Li Muhe Laogui!!"

"How is this possible? With his abilities, how could he have died at your hands!"

Shi Tian Shu sneered coldly, then flung the head in its hand away, shouting arrogantly, "Why is it not possible?"

"Once I take your head too, you little dwarf, I will send you down below to reunite with him."

Before Shi Tian Shu had even begun fighting, it already spoke flowery words, launching personal attacks first.

Usually within the Ten Thousand Souls, Tong Yin was revered by ten thousand people; where had he ever been spoken to like this?

He immediately flew into a rage, controlling the blood-armored demonic corpse to pounce at Shi Tian Shu.

Seeing this, Shi Tian Shu did not retreat but advanced instead; dancing the black steel fork in its hand, it stirred up a swath of black profound light and fiercely stabbed the blood-armored demonic corpse.

Boom! With just one strike, it pierced the previously ferocious demonic corpse straight through the heart.

Then, exerting force violently, it churned and split the corpse in two from the middle.

Seeing this, Tong Yin was startled; without saying another word, he actually turned his head and fled in the opposite direction.

"Eh? Weren't you quite arrogant just now? Why are you running?"

"Stand still for this Grand Master!"

Shi Tian Shu immediately summoned the Yin Yi Shuangfeng, mounted it, and transformed into a streak of silver light to give chase.

Nearby, Nalan Xi watched dumbfounded; not far away, the Profound Water Crocodile was also chasing a Jin Dan Laozu of the Baihuo Sect until he fled in panic.

Inside the underground palace of the Taihu Ruins.

Elder Qingxuan, Yunxi Laozu, and others were locked in fierce battle with two demonic path cultivators and White Bone True Person.

Wei Wuya, Pei Qing, and the others had all sustained injuries to varying degrees.

Liu Jinyuan of the Yuan Demon Sect and Yan Laomo of the Joyous Union Sect were both covered in wounds.

"What exactly is happening up above?"

"Why haven't the old ghosts from the other four sects arrived yet?"

"Those slippery, deceitful bastards!"

"Once I get out of here, I will definitely settle accounts with them!"

Liu Jinyuan cursed with a gloomy and sinister expression.

The two Envoys of the Li Fire Palace, facing White Bone True Person's attacks, grew increasingly alarmed the more they fought.

Especially Elder He Kang, who had been full of confidence at the start, now wore an increasingly grim expression.

After a series of fierce exchanges.

They had basically employed every trick at their disposal, holding nothing back.

Yet he could clearly feel that the opposing White Bone True Person seemed to have not yet exerted his full strength.

"Why does our sect's supreme treasure, the Golden Dawn Blazing Sun Pearl, have no effect on him?"

Elder He Kang frowned tightly, a vague sense of unease rising within him.

Just then.

On White Bone True Person's pale face, a strange, sinister smile appeared. "Alright, the warm-up is over; I won't play with you anymore."

Crackling sounds rang out.

Before the astonished gazes of everyone, White Bone True Person extended his five fingers and made a grasping motion in the void.

Suddenly, a terrifying fluctuation transmitted from the void.

A white bone sword, its entire body burning with white cold flames, appeared in his hand.

(End of Chapter)