Chapter 106
The pursuit was heading straight toward Spider Mountain.
This made Wang Yu suspicious. Could it be that a disciple of the Blood Reversal Sect had obtained this opportunity? Or perhaps… it was a leader of Five Yin Peak in disguise.
Both possibilities seemed likely.
Coincidentally, this very canyon was where, a few days earlier, Wang Yu had ambushed and slaughtered a group of his fellow sect members who tried to rob him. The ground still bore scattered ice shards and bloodstains, silently telling of the tragic deaths that had occurred here.
“Stop.”
“You have nowhere left to run.”
Two Foundation Establishment cultivators were chasing an unknown cultivator. One blocked the front, the other the rear, cutting him off at the midpoint of the canyon.
The trapped cultivator had no choice. He removed the artifact concealing his appearance and aura, revealing the unmistakable pressure of Foundation Establishment fourth layer. He shouted sternly:
“Fellow Daoists, I am an official of the Blood Reversal Sect. This place is not far from Spider Mountain, which falls under my sect’s domain. Do you truly wish to fight me to the death here?”
The two pursuers froze for a moment. Naturally, they did not dare offend the Blood Reversal Sect. Yet having come this far, they could not back down, nor were they willing to give up the opportunity of a Flood Dragon Inner Core. “Heh. That third-rank inner core was sealed within a Spirit-Sealing Stone. It was originally a treasure that we brothers had set our sights on, yet you cut in and seized it. And now you think you can just retreat? On what grounds!”
Wang Yu had just arrived at the edge of the canyon when he heard this. His spirit instantly jolted.
A third-rank Flood Dragon Inner Core?!!
Hiss—
Such a thing, even a Core Formation cultivator would go all out to obtain. A treasure that could stir the hearts of all.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator from Five Yin Peak, having quickly assessed the situation, wore a face as dark as ink. This was his opportunity. He absolutely would not yield.
Two early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators were far from enough to make him back down.
“Heh. Twisting words. I considered that your cultivation was not easily earned. But since you no longer wish to live, I will send you on your way.”
With that said.
He waved his right hand, and a second-rank lower-grade artifact, the Thousand Ghost Banner, unfurled. Instantly, ghostly mists boiled forth, blotting out the blazing sun above, transforming the canyon into a realm of wailing spirits.
The two brothers did not hold back either. While protecting themselves with true essence energy, each summoned a second-rank artifact spear and swung forward.
Hundreds of spear-shaped attacks formed from true essence shot out densely, piercing toward the ghostly fog.
The battle had begun.
In the shadows, Wang Yu circulated the Night Concealment to its extreme. Even his breathing slowed to the bare minimum. Though this was only a high-grade spell, when cultivated to perfection it could even hide from the divine sense of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
As long as he made no sound, there was no fear of being discovered.
In midair.
Hundreds of true essence spears pierced through the ghastly domain. A few shafts of sunlight spilled through the gaps, falling on the Five Yin Peak cultivator’s face, which grew increasingly gloomy.
“Five Ghosts Great Evil Art: Wailing Resentful Sound!”
One by one, pitch-black skulls condensed together, forming five bone towers of skulls. Their jawbones clattered as if playing sinister instruments.
An invisible sound wave, sharp and mournful, poured forth. It drilled into the minds of its victims, shaking their Niwan Palaces violently and causing their vision to darken.
It was a sound-type spell that directly attacked divine sense.
Even Wang Yu had never seen such a technique, nor did he know that Five Yin Peak held such second-rank spell inheritances.
The two brothers, caught head-on, suffered greatly. They clutched their heads, howling in pain.
Seizing this chance, the surrounded Foundation Establishment cultivator revealed a triumphant grin. The Thousand Ghost Banner rolled up onto its shaft, transforming into a massive spear.
The black smoke trailing from it drew a long streak in the air as it thrust toward one of the brothers. Judging by the sharp gleam at its tip, being pierced would mean far more than just a simple bloody hole.
At the critical moment, from the pouches at the brothers’ waists that resembled storage bags, a flash of spiritual light burst forth. Two spirit beasts leapt out, both shaped like leopards, each with a single horn on its head, and covered in crimson fur that blazed like fire.
“Spirit beasts protecting their masters...
“And they are second-rank early-stage spirit beasts. Are you both Beast-Taming cultivators?!”
Just as Gu Dao cultivators have their Life-Bound Insects, and Ghost Dao cultivators have their Life-Bound Spirit Ghosts, those who cultivate the path of Beast-Taming naturally form life-bound connections with spirit beasts.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator of Five Yin Peak wore a grim expression. Against two early Foundation Establishment opponents, he was more than seventy percent confident of victory. But if two Foundation Establishment spirit beasts were added to the battle... the result was hard to say.
The ambush at first sight nearly cost the two brothers their lives, proving how critical intelligence was in life-and-death battles between cultivators of the same realm.
Now that the lingering influence of the sorrowful, entangling melody had passed, the situation swiftly reversed.
“Brother, use the Soul-Suppressing Bell for defense. I will take the main assault.”
“Alright.”
As the two brothers and their two Flame-Horned Leopards charged forward, the five skeletal cairns rapidly dispersed. One after another, skulls merged into a giant skeletal head behind the Five Yin Peak cultivator.
Its jaws opened, spitting a storm of bone spikes like nails to block the incoming assault.
Suddenly he shouted aloud.
“There is only one Flood Dragon inner core. Yet you are two brothers. If you truly get it, will it go to the younger or the elder? Hahaha!”
The elder brother’s expression changed mid-charge.
“A ploy to sow discord. Do not be deceived.”
“I know. Once the treasure is in our hands, how we divide it is our business. What does it matter to you, old fool!”
“Flame-Horned Leopards!”
With a sharp command, the two Foundation Establishment spirit beasts erupted in crimson flames, their speed instantly doubling. They became streaks of fiery light, piercing through the rain of bone spikes.
In the blink of an eye they reached behind the Five Yin Peak cultivator and exhaled torrents of blazing fire, the heat so fierce it warped the air.
“Chudodo—”
The flames struck a bronze mirror. This was also a second-rank low-grade magical artifact. After all, as a Foundation Establishment deacon of the Blood Reversal Sect, his wealth far exceeded that of ordinary rogue cultivators.
The mirror absorbed the fire. Its surface flipped, instantly shooting out a condensed pillar of flame that blasted the elder brother straight into the ground.
This reversal technique was indeed astonishing.
“Damn it.”
Realizing he could not approach, the younger brother rapidly changed hand seals and shouted, “Demonic Spirit Rampage Technique!”
The Flame-Horned Leopard bound to him suddenly surged in power. The flames under its four paws flared three feet high, and its body swelled to three times its size.
It ferociously slashed at the Five Yin Peak cultivator.
Its blazing claw-blades sent the bronze mirror flying, then tore through the mass of skeletal heads, throwing the battlefield into chaos.
The cultivator raised his ghost banner, clashing head-on with the beast’s claws. Even in close combat against a rampaging spirit beast, he did not fall behind, proof that his weapon techniques had been honed diligently.
In just a few breaths, several more exchanges passed.
At that moment, the younger of the ambushing brothers formed another hand seal. Five or six talismans shot out from his storage bag, spreading to five directions. Bolts of azure lightning burst forth from the talismans.
They shattered the Foundation Establishment cultivator’s protective true energy. At the same time, the elder brother, who had been slammed into the ground, crawled up covered in dirt. Without hesitation, he also cast the Demonic Spirit Rampage Technique.
Both Flame-Horned Leopards attacked at once. The Five Yin Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator was finally wounded. His once-pristine robes were shredded like rags.
He constantly had to resist searing flames, leaving him battered and disheveled.
“Damn it!”