Chapter 443: Chaos Battle

Beyond the Taihu Ruins, a great battle was about to erupt.

"I never expected you, boy, to command three Sky-grade bloodline beast kings—truly beyond my comprehension."

"If that's the case, let this old ancestor see your true strength."

The golden toad ancestor's grating voice rang out, and immediately his aura surged and ebbed; from his mouth he spat a black mystic pearl, which exploded into a vast black mist that rolled toward Qin Ming like a tidal wave.

Zzzz~ Qin Ming's figure blurred, vanishing instantly from his spot; the black mist struck empty air, landing on nearby rocks and trees, hissing as it produced countless plumes of black smoke.

The mountain's body was even melted open into a hole over a hundred zhang in diameter.

Clearly, the black mist contained some violently corrosive toxin.

"Hmm? Fast speed."

"But can you withstand this next move of mine?"

The words had barely left his mouth.

The warts on the golden toad ancestor's skin suddenly swelled grotesquely, transforming into countless black dots that fell around Qin Ming.

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

Boom! Boom! Boom! Countless black toxic mists exploded around Qin Ming.

Sealing off every possible escape route.

Boom! A blood-red gangqi armor materialized on Qin Ming's body, completely blocking the toxic mist.

"You actually blocked my Dark Water Black Poison?"

"Not bad at all!"

Qin Ming's gaze sharpened, and he formed a hand seal in his palm.

Shhh! Shhh! Instantly, countless black vines appeared beneath the golden toad ancestor, instantly entangling him; the black thorns pierced his defenses and drove deep into his flesh.

The golden toad ancestor instantly felt his soul grow dizzy, nearly fainting.

"What kind of devilry is this?!"

The next instant, the golden toad ancestor let out a shrill cry and transformed into a cloud of black mist, dispersing and breaking free from the black vines' grip.

Even though he had escaped the black vines' attack, he was still shaken.

"A spirit body? So you're a ghost cultivator?"

Qin Ming now understood—the golden toad ancestor, like his master, had become a ghost cultivator.

Though his lifespan was longer, his path forward in cultivation was effectively severed, each tribulation more deadly than the last.

Having been humiliated repeatedly by a junior, the golden toad ancestor was furious.

He muttered incantations, then pointed a finger; from his skull flew three black soul-doves, emitting hoarse cries as they dove toward Qin Ming.

As the three black soul-doves drew near, Qin Ming's surroundings abruptly changed—he felt as if he had fallen into an endless sea of blood.

Countless viscous, blood-colored monsters reached for him.

"Illusion?"

Though caught in the golden toad ancestor's illusion, Qin Ming did not immediately descend into madness.

Instead, he merely used his powerful spiritual sense to resist the illusion's intrusion.

Then—

Two crimson mystic lights erupted from Qin Ming's eyes, sweeping across the endless blood sea before him.

The crimson light instantly pierced through the illusion, then obliterated the three black soul-doves.

"Aaaah!!"

Outside, a scream rang out—the golden toad ancestor's eyes were blood-red, clutching his head in agony.

These three soul-doves had split from his own spirit body, intimately tied to him.

With part of his soul destroyed, his main body suffered heavy damage.

This secret technique belonged to soul-path attack.

Previously, against Golden Core cultivators of higher realm, the golden toad ancestor had crushed them effortlessly with this technique—never once failing.

But who could have imagined—

Qin Ming's spiritual strength surpassed that of this thousand-year-old toad demon!

And he also possessed an extremely potent illusion-piercing secret technique.

The golden toad ancestor's cloudy eyes finally showed a flicker of unease.

After recovering, he roared toward the sky; a gloomy black aura enveloped his body, swelling and shifting rapidly.

In an instant, he transformed into a monstrous black toad, dozens of zhang tall, its body covered in black pustules oozing poison.

The moment the black demonic toad appeared—

Its overwhelming late-stage Gao Jie aura surged outward in all directions across the Taihu Ruins.

Nearby cultivators turned to stare, hearts pounding in terror.

……

On another front—

The opponent battling Nanlan Xi was a short boy, also at Gao Jie mid-stage, wielding a blood-colored bone banner that unleashed a flood of ghostly entities.

Nanlan Xi held a golden dust whisk magic treasure and, with her spirit tortoise companion, fought back fiercely.

"Hehehe!"

"Nanlan Xi, why not surrender quietly?"

"Become my concubine, and I'll guarantee your safety!"

The short boy suddenly let out a lewd laugh, his eyes roaming over Nanlan Xi's body.

"Hmph! Old fool Tong Yin." "Stop your empty talk and size up yourself."

"Consider whether you'll even survive to return to Wan Hun Valley today."

Nanlan Xi's eyebrows tightened; her magic power surged violently, and her dust whisk instantly transformed into a shower of golden light, raining down from above.

"Featherfall Divine Thread!"

The golden light from the dust whisk pierced through the horde of ghosts like peeling silk, reaching the short boy's face.

The golden threads struck the bone banner, causing it to shudder violently.

Tong Yin the Devil's face twisted in shock; he no longer dared to underestimate, and with his withered hands formed seals, hastily recalled the blood bone banner.

He bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood onto the banner; immediately, dark winds howled and demonic energy churned.

From the dense demonic aura emerged a blood-armored corpse with a Core Formation aura.

The corpse radiated torrents of blood flame, extending ten inch-long claws as it lunged at Nanlan Xi.

Nanlan Xi's spirit tortoise flashed forward; its shell glowed with earth-yellow spiritual light as it blocked the attack.

Boom! The corpse's bony claws struck the light barrier, producing a violent impact.

The spirit tortoise was instantly flung away by the corpse.

Nanlan Xi was alarmed and furious, but seeing her companion unharmed, she steadied her composure.

"Comrade Nanlan, I'll assist you!"

"This big guy said he'd unleash a massacre—and he will!"

At that moment—

The voice of the Devouring Rat, arrogant and defiant, rang out; he held a black steel trident, its tip dangling the severed head of a demonic Golden Core cultivator.

Tong Yin, upon seeing the head on the Devouring Rat's trident, his eyes narrowed sharply, and he cried out in disbelief:

"Old Li the Ghost!!"

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

The Devouring Rat sneered, then flung the head away, boasting loudly: "Why not possible?"

"I'll take your short little head too, and send you to join him down below."

Before even fighting, the Devouring Rat launched a personal attack with his words.

Tong Yin, always revered in Wan Hun Valley, had never been spoken to like this.

He flew into a rage, commanding the blood-armored corpse to lunge at the Devouring Rat.

The Devouring Rat didn't retreat—he advanced, swinging his black steel trident, unleashing a wave of black mystic light that pierced straight through the corpse.

Boom! One thrust—straight through the heart of the once-fearsome corpse.

Then he twisted his wrist violently, splitting it cleanly in two.

Seeing this, Tong Yin was stunned; without a word, he turned and fled in the opposite direction.

"Hey? Weren't you just so bold? Why run now?"

"Stop right there, you little runt!"

The Devouring Rat immediately summoned his Silver-Winged Frost Bees, leapt onto them, and shot off like a streak of silver light in pursuit.

Nearby, Nanlan Xi stared in astonishment; the Azure Water Crocodile was also chasing a Golden Core elder of the Worshiping Fire Sect into panicked flight.

Within the underground palace of the Taihu Ruins—

Qingxuan Laozu and others clashed with two demonic cultivators and the White Bone True Person.

Wei Wuya and Pei Qing and the others all bore wounds.

Liu Jinyuan of Yuan Mo Men and Yan Laomo of the Joyful Sect were both heavily injured.

"What's happening above?"

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

"These sneaky, lazy bastards!"

"When I get out, I'll settle accounts with them!"

Liu Jinyuan cursed with a dark expression.

The two senior envoys of Lihuogong also grew increasingly alarmed as they fought the White Bone True Person.

Especially He Kang, who had begun the battle with full confidence, now looked increasingly grim.

After a fierce exchange of blows,

they had all unleashed their full strength without holding back.

Yet he could clearly sense that the White Bone True Person had not yet exerted his full power.

"Why does our sect's treasured Golden Radiance Sun Pearl have no effect on him?"

He Kang frowned deeply, a sense of unease creeping over him.

At that moment,

the White Bone True Person's pale face twisted into a sinister smile. "Enough warm-up. I'm done playing with you."

Crackling.

In the stunned gazes of all present, the White Bone True Person reached out and grasped the air with five fingers.

A terrifying ripple suddenly surged through the void.

A white bone sword, wreathed in cold white flames, appeared in his hand.

(End of Chapter)