Chapter 224 189: Martial Artist vs. Cultivator
At the foot of the mountain.
Among the densely packed Imperial Court army, Tang Zhengkou was carefully listening to the sounds of bombing from the mountain.
The moment the bombing stopped, he suddenly drew the sword from his waist and shouted loudly, "Full charge!"
"Full charge!"
"Full charge!"
In an instant, countless Imperial Court soldiers charged towards Yuanhe Mountain along predetermined paths.
Yuanhe Mountain, being the largest sect in Haizhou, occupied several huge mountain peaks.
To display their sect's presence, the people of Yuanhe Mountain even constructed rows of smooth stairs under the mountain gate for the disciples to walk on.
But now, these roads and steps had become advantageous aids for their annihilation.
The vanguard of the Imperial Court army quickly reached the foot of the mountain; some sentries at this location, still in doubt about the explosion sounds from the mountain gate, were shot dead by arrows that came rushing.
Beyond these sentries, were the rebel troops stationed under the mountain.
Even while they were confused and terrified by the explosion behind them at Yuanhe Mountain, the Imperial Court army descended like divine soldiers and soon engaged in combat with them.
The prepared rolling stones, logs, and molten gold, hadn't had the chance to be used before the Imperial Court army pierced through the formation.
Numerous soldiers and rebels began to fight recklessly.
"Damn it! Where are the people from Yuanhe Mountain? Are we just supposed to hold off the Imperial Court army here?"
"Damn it! The people from Yuanhe Mountain said they'd come to support us, yet no one's here..."
"My men are almost all dead!"
"Ah...! Yuanhe Mountain! Even as a ghost, I won't spare you...!"
A multitude of miserable screams echoed beneath Yuanhe Mountain, and the rebels sent for reinforcements waited endlessly for a reply, while their formation continually retreated, nearing collapse.
Meanwhile, on Yuanhe Mountain.
Silhouettes appeared high in the sky, using the momentum of the descent to land on Yuanhe Mountain in a very short time.
Soon, they rushed towards the Yuanhe Mountain disciples who stood in shock, with severe injuries, or were trapped under rubble.
"Pfft!"
With one swing, a Yuanhe Mountain disciple was killed.
More Dragon Scale Army descended from the sky, joining the massacre.
"Damn it! It's the Imperial Court army! Kill them!"
"Quick~! Stand up quickly!"
Among the rubble, there were also Yuanhe Mountain disciples who luckily survived.
With their fellow disciples dying miserably, they bit their teeth under the order from the sect and charged at the soldiers.
But more people were terrified by the Celestial Thunder that fell from the sky, resisting while fleeing towards the foot of the mountain.
The majority, unfortunately injured by the Celestial Thunder or crushed by rubble, could only die one by one at the hands of the Dragon Scale Army.
In such chaotic scenes, in the dense forests on one side of Yuanhe Mountain, Xie Jiuque watched the descending Imperial Court soldiers in shock.
"Is this, this what Your Majesty's strength is?"
"To attack from the sky and have elite soldiers execute decapitation tactics, this, this..."
"Under the wide heavens, which sect can be their opponent!"
Xie Jiuque chuckled bitterly, "Here I was, wholeheartedly dreaming of becoming the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch, but in the eyes of Your Majesty, even the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch is just a slightly stronger ant!"
He glanced at the chaotic battlefield, thought for a moment but didn't join, instead changing his hiding place while his gaze remained fixed on Wuu Dashan not far away.
Wuu Dashan wasn't dead.
But he was close to dying!
That Five Directions Soul Gathering Banner was eerily floating in mid-air, threads resembling blood vessels extended out, tightly binding Wuu Dashan.
His blood was being absorbed bit by bit by the Five Directions Soul Gathering Banner!
That Wang Feiyu had no good intentions at all.
On the surface, it was to let them control the Five Directions Soul Gathering Banner, using it to surround and kill Xu Mujun.
But the true purpose was merely to treat them as pawns and cannon fodder!
As long as Xu Mujun could be killed, anyone could be their pawn.
Thankfully, he was clever, letting others substitute for himself.
In the other four directions, it seemed that they were all like Wuu Dashan, controlled by the Five Directions Soul Gathering Banner.
At this moment, in front of the ruins of the great hall, Wang Feiyu was rapidly forming gestures with his hands, waves of strange Spiritual Qi surged from his body and spread to the surroundings.
Over the entire Yuanhe Mountain, five strange black pillars of energy shot up into the sky, almost enveloping most of Yuanhe Mountain.
"Hahaha..."
"The Five Directions Soul Gathering Banner is all controlled by Martial Artists, although I don't have Spirit Stones in hand, the blood flesh of Martial Artists can activate the group of ghosts!"
Wang Feiyu laughed loudly; beside him, Wang Zifeng cautiously watched the surroundings, acting as his Protector.
"Zifeng, where is Zitong?"
"Old ancestor, I didn't see, we separated earlier."
"Useless...! Could he have been killed by the Imperial Court army..."
Wang Feiyu gritted his teeth and said, "I'm impatient now, once the Five Directions Soul Gathering Array is activated, only dead men can walk out."
"If he unfortunately died, then let's turn him into a Fierce Ghost."
"A soul of a middle-stage Qi Cultivation cultivator is enough to become the Ghost King of this place's group of ghosts."
"Heaven and earth omnipresent, ghost hero of the Underworld!"
"With my blood, transformed into guidance!"
"Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Soul... command!"
His hands once again formed a strange spell, followed by the piercing screeches of ghosts resonating continuously.
As if Fierce Ghosts were rushing out of Nine Nether Hell!
In a trance, the entire Yuanhe Mountain was filled with shadowy gray-black ghost figures.
Some had no hands, some had no feet, and their eyes were lifeless, faces pale, covered in blood.
As soon as they appeared, they howled at the sky and fiercely charged at the soldiers.
"What a pity, these people were killed by that strange weapon, and died in panic and fear, with no resentment or evil qi, turning into ordinary ghosts."
Wang Feiyu said with some regret, "If they had died fighting the Imperial Court's army, they could have been transformed into evil ghosts in my Five Directions Soul Gathering Array."
"But it's not too late, as long as the Five Directions Soul Gathering Banner is here, everyone who dies on Yuanhe Mountain will transform into fierce ghosts, hahahaha...!"
Meanwhile.
In the other four directions of Yuanhe Mountain, strange and massive changes were occurring.
Yuann Sanli looked at the Five Directions Soul Gathering Banner embedded in his chest, eyes full of despair and anger.
He clapped his hands, using the Yuanhe Mountain's unique skill, Yuanhe Martial Extreme Palm, only to cause a series of vibrations on the surface of the banner, unable to affect its body at all.
"Ah...!!!"
He roared in anger, his inner strength surging, trying to sever the banner.
But he found that his inner strength was now like stagnant water, tightly bound by a strange black mist, unable to move.
"Wang Feiyu! Damn you! You dared to deceive me!"
"Yuanhe Mountain disciples, quickly rescue me!"
With his roar, the nearby Yuanhe Mountain disciples noticed him and rushed to save Yuann Sanli.
Unfortunately, as soon as they touched the black mist outside the Five Directions Soul Gathering Banner, they were instantly corroded into corpses.
Combined with the continuous descent of the Dragon Scale Army, Yuann Sanli found no one could save him at that moment.
"Ah...!"
"Wang Feiyu! Even if I become a ghost, I won't let you go!"
"Ah...!"
With Yuann Sanli's cries, his entire figure was immediately engulfed by the black mist.
In the other three directions, Wang Pu sat cross-legged, allowing the banner to transform into countless blood vessels penetrating his body.
To let these vessels penetrate deeper, he relaxed his body, allowing the banner's vessels to operate at will.
In the other two directions.
Six First-grade Martial Artists from Yuanhe Mountain were in even worse straits.
They struggled with all their might, trying to shake off the control of the banner.
But no matter how they struggled, they couldn't break free from the countless black vessels.
From afar, they looked like unfortunate souls in a snake's den, being torn apart by countless small snakes.
As their flesh and blood were devoured by the banner, one by one, the slain disciples and soldiers were transformed into evil ghosts, attacking the rest of the Imperial Court's army!
And with each martial artist and soldier's death, pure strands of qi blood power and soul power, driven by the banner, concentrated on Wang Feiyu, who absorbed them!
"Hehehe, hehehe... this is power."
He muttered softly, his tone becoming feverish as his power surged.
"Demonic Path Cultivation Technique, as long as one is ruthless, progress is swift."
"I can clearly feel the bottleneck of my Qi Cultivation Stage starting to break through!"
"Killing a hundred thousand! Using the souls of a hundred thousand as a guide, I can definitely break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, hahahaha..."
He laughed heartily, spreading his arms wide, as the black banner rolled behind him like a black dragon, enveloping him completely.
The myriad ghostly shadows gathered in front of him, becoming nourishment for his sudden surge in cultivation.
With the absorption of countless evil ghost's soul power, Wang Feiyu's pupils grew increasingly dim, replaced by boundless evil qi, slaughter, and madness!
He... was on the verge of madness!
"Whoosh...!"
At this moment, a piercing sound suddenly rang out, a figure descended from the sky, slashing towards Wang Feiyu!
"Puff!"
The Hundred Ghosts Banner surged, blocking the scarlet blade light instantly, but the blade tore open a huge crack.
"Huh?"
This attack jolted Wang Feiyu from his frenzy, and he looked up, his eyes full of astonishment.
"Evil qi! Such intense evil qi... although the Demonic Path advances quickly, it will eventually lead to fire and demonic, luckily..."
"Xu Mujun!"
He looked up sharply, recognizing the one-armed elder who just delivered the strike!
Xu Mujun held the saber in one hand, surrounded by ghostly shadows too cowed to approach, silently roaring in anger instead.
"Wang Family remnant..."
Xu Mujun steadily raised the long knife in his hand, pointing it at Wang Feiyu from afar.
"Today is your death day!"
"Heh~"
Wang Feiyu sneered, "Death day?"
"Whose death day it is, remains to be seen!"
"Hundred Ghosts Devouring Soul, Great Dark Heaven!"
"Roar!"
In an instant, the Hundred Ghosts Banner behind Wang Feiyu shook violently, and evil ghosts clad in armor and wielding steel swords stepped out, forming a battle array, charging fiercely at Xu Mujun.
"Xu Mujun! To kill you, I've paid a huge price, specifically collecting a hundred fierce ghost army souls filled with evil qi."
"Among them are even five ghost generals transformed from Innate Realm experts!"
"Meeting your end under my Hundred Ghosts Army Soul Formation is a blessing for you!"
"Kill him for me!"
"Roar!"
