Chapter 134: The Abyss of the Cold Surge

Linghu Qingmo was initially baffled, but soon felt dizzy and disoriented, as if possessed by malevolent spirits.

She followed the advice and did not resist, and then realized she had somehow "awakened"!

The once dim forest suddenly became clear; the wind and rain sounds gained distinct layers. Though her vision could not pierce the towering black mist ahead, she could sense the flow of qi guiding the mist and discern that someone was inside.

Linghu Qingmo did not know how she saw it, but she felt the exact location, as if her ancestral master had descended upon her, guiding her from beyond.

Is this the Spirit Invocation Art?

Remarkably powerful…

Just as she marveled, Linghu Qingmo involuntarily glanced at Xie Jinhuan's tall back, and immediately sensed the movements within his body: his surging qi surged from his dantian, circling all meridians, poised to unleash.

And that pure yang qi, unspent, pooled beneath his dantian like a suspended blazing sun…

Huh? What the hell is this…

Didn't he sleep with Physician Lin Da?

Slept in purity? Then doesn't that mean I…

Pfft, pfft, pfft…

Linghu Qingmo felt her thoughts had grown too lively, her mind wandering wildly; she quickly steadied her spirit and focused entirely on the ghostly mist.

Xie Jinhuan sensed Seeing Mo Mo's gaze darting about, knew she had "awakened," and said no more—holding his sword, he leaned slightly forward, then:

Boom—

Whoosh—

Torrential rain poured through the forest, fierce winds surged!

Xie Jinhuan's three-foot sword pointed diagonally at the ground, his body nearly turning into a flying shuttle, instantly tearing through the mud behind him, his cloak snapping as it revealed a white robe like a white arrow, shooting straight toward the sky-obscuring black mist's ghostly face!

Kui Yunya was still pondering the use of this Spirit Invocation Art when he saw Xie Jinhuan charge like a frenzied, runaway dog—immediately he raised his five-foot Soul-Calling Banner; the black banner swirled with qi, drifting into the rain-lashed mist, as if pulled by invisible threads, instantly elongating into tens of thousands of ice needles, then:

Boom—

The sky-obscuring black mist surged into a churning wave, crushed forward by freezing winds, thick with sharp, piercing sounds:

Hum—

Xie Jinhuan stood before the ghostly mist; as disturbances arose within, he did not retreat but stomped hard, his body like a white lightning bolt, the Zhenglun Sword angled behind him, flashing pale-blue lightning, his left hand revealing the Yellow-Scale Seal.

Huh—

Qi surged into the seal, turning it into a crimson-hot iron; a fireline as thick as a thumb erupted from the qilin's mouth, exploding into a searing flame wave capable of melting refined iron three feet from his body!

The next instant, bone-chilling cold slammed into him; a swarm of ice-crystal locusts burst from the mist, leaving black trails, vaporizing instantly upon hitting the flames—seen from afar, like an avalanche crashing into a furnace, tearing open a gaping hole!

Kui Yunya saw this and thought Xie Jinhuan truly had many treasures—he pointed his Soul-Calling Banner forward, icy cold radiating from his body, instantly turning the surroundings into frost-covered ground, spreading rapidly; raindrops froze before they fell, smashing onto the frozen earth.

Crackling—

Xie Jinhuan had barely charged a few zhang when he felt as if he'd crashed into an icy death prison—the flames from the Yellow-Scale Seal instantly extinguished, his limbs slowing under the extreme cold.

But at that moment, a thunderous explosion rang out behind him!

As Xie Jinhuan charged forward, Linghu Qingmo sensed the ghost cultivator's intent and swiftly raised her sword before her, left hand forming the Thunder Seal as she murmured:

"Nine Heavens' Heavenly Qi, Five Elements Born, Earthly Fiends Summon Lightning, Azure Dragon Crouching… Swift, as the Law Commands!"

Thunder—

Azure Thunder Calms Mountains, Lightning Shakes the Azure Heavens!

A thunderbolt as thick as a bowl erupted from her sword, and in the instant it appeared, it pierced through rain and ice crystals, striking Kui Yunya where he stood holding the banner!

Between man and sword, blinding arcs of lightning connected—seen from afar, it was as if a blazing white tear had ripped open the dim forest, leaving no time to react.

Kui Yunya, hidden within the ghostly mist, never expected a mere fourth-rank mid-stage Daoist Priest to lock onto him directly with thunder art.

Thunder art is hailed as the foremost of all arts—no matter the cultivation level, lightning speed remains nearly identical; the difference lies only in power.

The Daoist Priest chants to build up a big technique, while he poses dramatically in the mist—how could he possibly dodge this?

The instant he was struck by the pure yang thunder, Kui Yunya's body snapped rigid, then collapsed straight backward!

Xie Jinhuan saw the lightning cleave the night sky, his body showing no hesitation—he surged forward along the lightning's path, gathering all his qi into his sword, sliding forward like a drawn bow, roaring with thunderous might:

"Hah—"

Boom—

His three-foot blue blade, wrapped in terrifying qi, slashed downward in a crescent arc!

Ice crystals and frozen earth shattered along its path, dragging the rain into a swirling ice tornado that slammed into the leaf-littered forest!

In an instant, the mountain forest was ripped open into a ten-foot-wide clearing, revealing the black soil beneath.

The violent qi, like a crescent arc, surged forward, instantly cleaving the churning black mist in half, slicing through the spreading domain of freezing death, directly overpowering the lightning's impact point!

But Kui Yunya was a ghost cultivator—though his body was no match for a body cultivator, he was no fragile shaman who shattered at a touch.

Before he hit the ground, the paralysis from the lightning strike had already begun to fade; black ghostly mist surged around him, instantly propelling him over ten zhang sideways, like a burst of squid ink, vanishing into the endless black mist.

Puff—

Then silence—like a phantom swiftly shifting position. He had initially intended to attack Xie Jinhuan, but immediately sensed something was wrong!

That little Daoist Priest far away—she truly had her ancestral master descended upon her!

Linghu Qingmo unleashed her strongest known thunder art, saw the opponent unharmed, realized her cultivation was shallow, and immediately switched to beginner-level thunder art—though the bolt was only as thick as a thumb, good for mere scratching, its frequency was astonishing:

Pitter-patter-patter…

Thunder art cannot auto-target, but it strikes exactly where aimed!

Kui Yunya, hidden in the ghost mist, moved silently and unpredictably—normally impossible to track—but from afar, bolts of lightning kept appearing from a distance, striking straight at his crown!

He anticipated their landing points and dodged frantically, yet she anticipated his anticipation.

Seen from afar, it looked as if the thunder art had grown legs and flew straight to his head!

And as Linghu Qingmo unleashed her thunder art at full speed, she herself felt deeply puzzled.

After all, in all her life, she had never encountered such a cooperative opponent—she struck where he took the hit; occasionally, when she "accidentally" missed, the ghost cultivator would twist his body with supernatural agility and deliberately ram himself into the lightning, as if afraid she'd miss and embarrass Xie Jinhuan's face!

If defeating demons and monsters were this easy, I reckon I could become Zhang Sect too!

I can't kill you with one strike—what about a hundred?

Is this what it feels like when the Ancestor Spirit possesses me?

No wonder the Zhuji Sect, a bunch of singers and dancers, could form their own faction…

…

After several consecutive strikes from Lei Guang, Wei Yunya was also stunned. Though his realm crushed everyone else's, being electrocuted point-blank by the young Daoist Priest was far from painless—he couldn't avoid instant paralysis.

Yang Dabiao and the others, though unable to see the figure in the mist, could see flickering arcs of electricity linking to its forehead; even through the black fog, they could make out its rough silhouette after each strike.

Since the demonic cultists could now be locked onto with the naked eye, these crude warriors knew exactly how to strike.

Constable Xiao Wang raised the Broken Qi Crossbow, firing arrows in rapid succession at the shadowy figure. The specially crafted bolts from the Military Arsenal exploded on impact, releasing invisible paralyzing poison needles like buckshot.

Liu Qingzhi and his partner hurled several round spheres at the ghostly figures; mid-air, they transformed into dozens of "Captive Immortal Ropes."

Though these devices could never touch high-grade cultivators, they could at least restrict movement.

Xie Jinhuan surged forward with full force along the path of Lei Guang, giving the ghost cultivator no chance to attack from behind.

Wei Yunya's body jerked with each electric strike. Seeing that no matter how he feinted, he kept taking the lightning directly, he refused to believe it—his entire body erupted in a cloud of black mist.

Boom~

Then two shadows burst from the mist, darting left and right, splitting into four, then eight…

In an instant, dozens of shadowy figures shrouded in black mist appeared across the mountain forest, scattering in every direction.

This technique was the Mingshen Sect's high-level "Yin Demon Ten Thousand Forms"—sacrificing one's essence blood to merge with corpse smoke, then controlling it with soul power, making every shadow appear identical in shape and aura. When perfected, one man becomes an entire army, specifically designed to counter the pinpoint assassination arts of all other sects—extremely brutal!

By normal logic, even the Sight-Qi technique would struggle to locate the true body.

But…

Zhi zhi zhi…

Linghu Qingmo sensed dozens of new shadows in the mist, yet one of them radiated an aura as vast and overwhelming as the ocean—staring directly at it even stung his eyes. He silently wondered: Is this illusion meant to blind me? Demonic Daoists really are different from humans…

Constable Xiao Wang, following the lightning, fired his repeating crossbow, but through the black fog, he saw none of this grand demonic art he'd only heard about in storytellers' tales.

Xie Jinhuan did see the ghostly shadows—but Seeing Mo Mo struck whom, he struck whom, ignoring everything else.

?

Wei Yunya unleashed the Mingshen Sect's ultimate survival technique, only to find no one among them was startled—he himself was the one stunned!

So after all my clever maneuvers and displays of secret body techniques, you're just giving me a "Don't Care"?

Is the Ancestor you summoned perhaps the Dao Ancestor himself?

If you're going to play so unfairly, then I won't play fair either!

After being struck dozens of times by lightning as thick as a finger, Wei Yunya couldn't shake it off—he finally lost his temper, halted abruptly in the forest, gripped his banner tightly in both hands, and slammed it into the ground with force:

Boom—

Crack crack crack…

In an instant, a sharp ice ring erupted across the muddy mountain ground, spreading outward and freezing the muddy black soil and rain curtain alike. Ice spikes, several feet long, burst from the forest floor beneath the fallen leaves!

Xie Jinhuan crashed into the ice ring; his soaked robes and cloak froze almost instantly. Sensing danger, he flew backward—his clothing snapped with sharp cracking sounds.

Crack crack crack…

A chain of ice spikes surged forward, each piercing the exact spot where Xie Jinhuan had landed, chasing him over twenty zhang before the ice ring finally exhausted its power, forcing him back squarely before the circle formation.

Boom boom boom—

A continuous line of small lightning bolts still locked onto Wei Yunya's head.

Though his scalp had been charred bald, faint smoke rising from his skull, Wei Yunya no longer wasted energy dodging—he held his Soul-Guiding Banner in one hand, glaring furiously at the young Daoist Priest behind the human wall who kept striking him:

"You want to duel? Fine! Old man will fight you!"

As he spoke, Wei Yunya spun his Soul-Guiding Banner at blinding speed before his chest!

Hu hu—

Autumn leaves and rain curtains alike were deflected by invisible force!

A biting gale, like a tornado, whipped the rain into an endless storm of ice needles, hurling them at the seven!

Boom boom boom—

From afar, it looked like a white Binghe river had suddenly erupted between the trees, ruthlessly crushing everything in its path!

And the lightning surging against it was like a tiny electric serpent within the ice river!

Seeing the biting wind and countless ice crystals hurtling toward him, Xie Jinhuan immediately spun his sword in a whirlwind with his right hand, while his left hand activated the Yellow Scale Seal to summon a fire technique—instantly forming a blazing fire wheel before him!

Sa sa sa—

Boom—

The next instant, the ice spikes and freezing current, large enough to engulf all seven, slammed into the fire wheel. The crimson flames visibly flickered out, then surged back instantly.

Liu Qingzhi and his partner, holding the rear, first felt searing heat rush at them, then an icy cold that pierced to the bone—crashing over them like a tidal wave, nearly freezing their limbs solid in an instant.

They swung their long spears, trying to sweep away the endless ice shards—but after only a moment, their movements visibly slowed, their black armor began clattering under impacts, then slowly coated with ice crystals, gradually turning into ice statues.

The two Constables, with shallow cultivation, knelt on the ground, holding shields, their left arms losing sensation almost instantly—fingers frozen solid, fused to their shields.

Yang Dabiao, seeing this, used his towering frame to step forward, raising his blade to block the ice shards and freezing wind, shouting urgently:

"Quick, quick, quick—kill him…"

Boom boom boom—

Linghu Qingmo, shielded by the human wall, was untouched by the ice spikes; the bone-deep cold was mostly dissipated by the flames. He poured all his strength into his secret technique, sending wave after wave of Lei Guang to strike the ghost cultivator's head.

But Wei Yunya was applying "One Force Crushes Ten Tricks"—even if the Dao Ancestor himself had been summoned to fight, it would still come down to brute endurance.

Xie Jinhuan stood at the front, wielding his sword wrapped in the searing heat of the Yellow Scale Seal, resisting the freezing cold that could turn all seven into ice statues.

But this method couldn't protect his entire body—in mere moments, ice spikes pierced his legs, carving bloody gashes that instantly froze him to the black soil.

Seeing that the others could not hold out, Xie Jinhuan retracted his sword at light speed, snatched the long spear from Liu Qingzhi's hand, and then:

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

The seven-foot-long spear coiled around the mountain like a swimming dragon; the spear tip, wrapped in the flames spewing from the Huang Lin Seal, instantly swept away the cold tide that resembled a flood!

The range of the fire ring was so vast that it instantly turned Liu Qingzhi and the others, who had been braving the headwind and cold tide, into having a tailwind; even the shattered ice crystals on their bodies were sucked toward the seven-foot-diameter fire ring in front, as if the spear were prodding a fire dragon, sweeping away everything around!

Wei Yunya stirred all the qi mechanisms within his body to agitate the Soul-Resonating Banner; the endless cold tide, wrapped in a curtain of rain, rushed over the white ice plain like a flood, attempting to drown Xie Jinhuan directly.

But Xie Jinhuan was a tough martial artist; relying on the Huang Lin Seal to ward off the cold and the Coiling Dragon Around the Mountain to isolate his surroundings, he truly would not die for a while, and even lifted the spear to thrust forward midway!

Boom—

The spear tip, wrapped in an endless cold current, thrust forward like an ice dragon breaking the waves, swimming upstream to carve out a hollow in the towering cold tide, striking Wei Yunya directly; but unfortunately, when it was still three or five zhang away, it reached the end of its strength and was forcibly pressed back by the cold tide.

Meanwhile, Wei Yunya, continuously bombarded on the crown of his head by the Little Thunder, with electricity hanging from his head like a wire, clearly did not feel well either; within moments, his robe even burst into open flames, making it impossible to stabilize his qi pulse anymore.

Seeing Xie Jinhuan, relying on his magical artifact and martial techniques, standing firm in the front without falling, and the little Taoist nun behind locking onto the head with every strike, he suddenly conceived the idea of retreating.

But no one expected that, just as both sides were deadlocked, a sound suddenly came from the forest behind Wei Yunya:

"Doo-woo—"

The Xuanmi Whistle sounded, instantly creating a ring of sound waves in the rain curtain, striking Wei Yunya's back with the momentum of a charging thunderbolt.

Wei Yunya, whose scalp was numb from the head-locking thunder, completely did not expect anyone to stab him in the back at such a moment.

The Gu Du Pai's "Ghost Weeping Curse" is a spell technique that attacks the soul and spirit; those struck fall into a trance or even lose consciousness on the spot.

The instant he was hit by the sound wave, Wei Yunya's eyes, which had been brimming with killing intent, immediately showed a moment of trance, and the biting cold tide instantly stagnated.

And in the blink of an eye, Wei Yunya realized a fellow Daoist was sneaking up on him; he immediately turned the black banner to sweep toward the source of the sound waves:

Whoosh—

The biting white frost, like ink splashed out, instantly dyed the forest of Lin Ye behind white!

Boom—

And almost at the same moment, Xie Jinhuan spun the spear, pointing the fiery tip forward; amidst the ice crystals covering the ground, he created a spiral vortex and instantly crashed right in front of Wei Yunya!

Wei Yunya, suddenly sandwiched by three cultivators from front and back, clearly showed a sense of being overwhelmed; by the time the strike landed, Xie Jinhuan was already holding the spear and thrusting straight at the center opening; immediately, he swung the Soul-Resonating Banner horizontally, like a five-foot black staff, to whip at the incoming sharp edge!

Clang—

Xie Jinhuan was whipped so hard by this blow that the spear tip broke off; his body shifted accordingly, but his reaction was incredibly swift; he顺势 spun in mid-air and delivered a whip kick like a strong dragon wagging its tail, striking Wei Yunya's head, creating a loud explosion in the air:

Crack—

A Rank 3 martial artist unleashing his full power with a single strike to the head could directly kick to death any cultivator of the same realm except for demon cultivators who practice body refinement.

Facing this strike, Wei Yunya raised the Soul-Resonating Banner to block; as a result, the high-quality five-foot-long banner was forcibly kicked into a crescent moon shape; the residual force still knocked Wei Yunya back several steps; before his body had even landed, the head-locking thunder technique fell on his head again, causing his figure to freeze for an instant!

Xie Jinhuan seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; as his whip kick landed, the Tiangang Jians had already left their sheaths, and he threw them forward with all his might:

"Die for me!"

Boom—

The thirty-six-section Tiangang Jians transformed into a flying wheel, breaking through the air in the blink of an eye, striking Wei Yunya's chest and abdomen directly!

Facing this almost certain death combined attack, Wei Yunya still woke up in time; seeing the spinning heavy jians approaching, he forcibly twisted his body, grabbed the Tiangang Jians with his left hand, and pointed the Soul-Resonating Banner forward with his right!

Bang—

The Tiangang Jians fell into his left hand; amidst the explosion, Wei Yunya's entire arm and left shoulder instantly exploded into a mist of blood and shattered bones.

But the Soul-Resonating Banner, pointing at Xie Jinhuan, had its black banner cloth fluttering forward!

Xie Jinhuan had brought many weapons this time; the moment he threw the Tiangang Jians, he had already uprooted the Zhenglun Sword; before the blade had fully left the sheath, green-white Lei Guang had surged forth!

But this was not a ghostly technique; Xie Jinhuan had not even taken three steps forward when he felt as if a divine being had grabbed his body; his four limbs weighed a thousand jin each, making it hard to move; blood mist surged from his bloody arms, turning into two red mist snakes that seeped into the banner cloth, and a feeling of exhaustion came from the depths of his soul!

"Be careful!"

Seeing this, Linghu Qingmo's face suddenly changed; she bombarded Wei Yunya with thunder techniques in a frenzy, attempting to cut off the "Soul-Stealing Demon Art" from extracting essence, spirit, and vital blood.

Yang Dabiao, Liu Qingzhi, and the others, seeing this, also dragged their frostbitten limbs, raised their weapons, and leaped toward Wei Yunya!

Xie Jinhuan knew the opponent's intention, but Wei Yunya, having lost half his body, could not instantly drain him to death; therefore, he forcibly resisted the binding, held the sword, and pressed forward with all his might, forcing Wei Yunya to be unable to withdraw his hand.

Wei Yunya, with his left shoulder shattered, blood spraying from his side, yet his waist and back remained straight; holding the Soul-Resonating Banner with one hand, his crimson eyes locked with Xie Jinhuan's; there was no panic or fear in his eyes, only a hoarse utterance:

"No wonder those two little rascals feared you like a tiger; you young man are indeed hard to kill..."

Chak—

Yang Dabiao, holding his blade, rushed forward at full speed; leaping several zhang away, he held the blade with both hands and fiercely chopped at the neck.

Under the weight of the heavy blade, Wei Yunya's head instantly separated from his body, bringing out a line of blood light.

Liu Qingzhi took over his partner's long spear and, almost simultaneously, thrust it into the chest and abdomen, pressing the body to the ground.

And Xie Jinhuan, the instant the binding vanished, had already leaped forward at full speed; the sword in his hand brought forth brilliant sword light, chopping straight at the flying head, instantly slicing the head in half from the middle!

Chak—

Linghu Qingmo flew close, thrusting her sword into the chest of the headless corpse!

Crackling—

The sword blade shone with Lei Guang; in the blink of an eye, the corpse turned black and charred under the Lei Guang!

And the forest of Lin Ye, where the cold wind howled, instantly fell silent under the shining Lei Guang, leaving only the torrential rain washing over the entire ice plain.

Pitter-patter...

Xie Jinhuan, shrouded by the rain curtain, held the banner emitting black qi in one hand and the sword in the other, cautiously looking around.

Meanwhile, Yang Dabiao and the others shivered on the spot, with ice chips falling from their armor and robes.

Constable Xiao Wang and his partner, with beards, hair, and robes all covered in white ice crystals, were directly frozen onto the black earth while holding their shields.

Liu Qingzhi, still shaken, pressed the charred corpse with his long spear and asked:

"Is he dead?"

Linghu Qingmo, having cast thunder techniques for a long time, already felt unsteady and about to collapse, but still held the sword with both hands, electrocuting the charred corpse, and raised her eyes to scan the surrounding forest of Lin Ye:

"Ghost cultivators are hard to kill, but shattering their vessel is equivalent to breaking a supreme-grade magical artifact; he will certainly be combat-incapable for a short time."

"What cultivation does this old ghost possess? After taking over fifty lightning strikes, he nearly pinned us to death. It's truly damn outrageous..."

"It looks like he has entered Rank 1. This place is not suitable for lingering; let's go quickly!"

Yang Dabiao and the others hurriedly ran to lift the two Constables who had frozen in place and carried them out to retreat.

Xie Jinhuan, meanwhile, ran to the source where the whistle had just come from to investigate.

Upon approaching, he discovered Wanyi, wrapped in a black cloak, shivering all over from the freezing cold and rainwater; her cloak was covered in ice shards as she leaned against a tree, frozen and trembling.

"Wanyi?!"

"I... I'm fine... What the hell is that thing?! From so far away, a banner nearly whipped me to death..."

"Stop talking..."

Xie Jinhuan hurriedly ran up, hoisted Wanyi onto his back, and ran toward the outside.

Lin Wanyi had obtained the lead on the 'Sixty-Year Lotus' from Junior Uncle Bu at noon; she had originally wanted to discuss it with Xie Jinhuan, but discovering he had run to Hongzhang County, and not knowing when he would return while needing to give a reply to the sect, she had come over to ask, never expecting to encounter such a ruthless character.

Her body already possessed extremely heavy yin-cold qi, making her resistance to yin-cold arts relatively poor; at this moment, she only felt her thighs frozen numb. Leaning on the man's back, warmth and a sense of security flooded her heart, and she immediately closed her eyes...

—

Nine thousand characters, requesting a monthly ticket or two!

(End of this chapter)