Chapter 27
Yu Sui had just resolved the problem of Breath Soil competing for Five Elements energy last night and condensed her Five Elements Light Cores into one, preparing to focus on cultivating this single core to advance her realm.
Based on her Five Elements Light Core's current level, she was a First Realm Nine Schools Arts practitioner.
The star chart should have opened a basic military formation for her, but something went wrong somewhere, and it opened a special-grade military formation instead.
In this world filled with war smoke and flames, saturated with killing intent and blood scent, this power and atmosphere that vowed to destroy everything reminded Yu Sui of the Strange Fire within her body.
If she had to find an explanation from within herself, that could only be it.
At this moment, Yu Sui faced her companions' scrutiny with an innocent expression, but inwardly thought: if exposed, it would be best to kill them all within the military formation.
But if they challenged the military formation together and three died leaving only her, it would look suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
There would be too many complications afterward. Unless absolutely necessary, she shouldn't take action.
Wei Ren stared at Yu Sui: "You were an Ordinary Practitioner for over ten years, suddenly gained Five Elements Light Cores, and opened a special-grade military formation with First Realm power. It's hard not to suspect there's something going on."
Yu Sui said somewhat surprised: "You seem to know me well."
Wei Ren only showed his usual lazy smile: "We're both from Qingyang, and I'm an Agricultural School disciple. I grew up hearing Princess's name."
His words were teasing but truthful.
When Yu Sui heard him mention Agricultural School, she understood this person was probably connected to Lady Su and Breath Soil.
More evil spirits emerged from the flames ahead, their charred bodies burned by flames and stained with countless sparks. With each step, sparks fell and rolled on the ground. As they accumulated, they ignited new fires elsewhere.
Endless regeneration, never extinguishing.
"Did we open the wrong one? Can we go out and start over?" Xue Mushi asked.
Li Jin Shuang said: "Break the formation, or wait for the time to run out."
"This can't be broken, right?" Xue Mushi scratched his head. "Can you break it?"
Xue Mushi looked at Yu Sui, thinking since the military formation opened based on her realm assessment, perhaps she had a way.
Yu Sui also scratched her head: "I really only became a Nine Schools Arts practitioner last night. This is my first time seeing a military formation. Breaking it seems unlikely. How long until it disappears?"
She looked at Li Jin Shuang at the end.
Li Jin Shuang's expression was grave: "Hard to say. I've never seen a special-grade military formation either."
"I estimate it's hopeless. It won't disappear without ten days to half a month, unless someone interferes from outside," Wei Ren said. "But who would think we're trapped in a special-grade military formation? We still have to figure out how to break through ourselves."
Xue Mushi stared at the hellish scene ahead, then said to Yu Sui: "Are you the Thirteenth Realm Nangong Ming?"
Yu Sui: "......"
This person had already given up on himself.
Yu Sui glared back: "You probably got your engagement broken off because you think about things this way, right?"
Xue Mushi hung his head and withdrew into himself.
"Whatever the case, survive first." Wei Ren put away his usual casual attitude and became serious. Five Elements energy surrounded him forming protection as he stared intently at the evil spirits holding ghostly swords ahead: "Here they come."
Li Jin Shuang drew her sword and stepped sideways, blocking in front of Yu Sui. She gripped her sword and slashed horizontally. Sword energy swept across with visible Five Elements energy vibrations.
The evil spirits charging with swords and blades leaped up, perfectly dodging this strike. Sparks fell from the sky as their shrieks produced sharp sounds that were also attacks, disturbing others' minds and amplifying fear and killing intent in their hearts.
Wei Ren cursed after seeing this. This was a special-grade military formation where even the small soldiers were damn sword masters.
Evil spirits swarmed forward with golden-red eyes, bared fangs, and twisted grins, filled with murderous intent as they attacked the four.
Xue Mushi and Wei Ren used Wind-Riding Techniques to retreat. The evil spirits that had dodged Li Jin Shuang's sword energy by leaping threw their weapons, which shattered into countless fragments in flight, shooting toward the two retreating men.
The evil spirits pursued very quickly—they weren't running but using Wind-Riding Techniques like them.
Li Jin Shuang fought the lead evil spirit. Swords clashed with crisp sounds, both blades trembling. Li Jin Shuang applied force and broke the evil spirit's blade, then swept horizontally to decapitate it.
Yu Sui didn't have time to praise this beautiful decapitating strike before seeing more evil spirits leap toward Li Jin Shuang.
Li Jin Shuang never stopped, taking one step per slash. She always completed a cycle within nine steps, drawing the charging evil spirits into her sword formation, disarming them before decapitation.
Military School Nine Schools Arts: Nine Revolutions. Nine steps per cycle, disarming enemies who entered the Nine Revolutions sword formation.
But there were too many evil spirits.
Li Jin Shuang was pinned down, killing one only for a hundred more to come.
As she decapitated enemies with her Nine Revolutions sword formation, the evil spirits following behind no longer blindly charged forward. Instead, they observed from the edges, then pressed one hand against their blade to cast techniques.
Li Jin Shuang caught this from the corner of her eye while fighting, frowning. The evil spirits casting techniques on their blades attacked simultaneously, leaping from above to slash at Li Jin Shuang. Seven strikes broke through her sword formation as seven swords pressed down together. After Li Jin Shuang knocked back several nearby evil spirits, she immediately held her sword horizontally to block these seven strikes, but was pushed back by the sword energy and forced out of her Nine Revolutions formation.
The sounds of clashing blades continued without pause.
Li Jin Shuang was pushed back by the seven evil spirits' combined attack, barely maintaining her stance. If she retreated further, she'd be pushed into the pile of evil spirits.
The evil spirit army ahead were almost all masters with swords and blades. They were battle-tested, not only excellent soldiers but also Nine Schools Arts practitioners.
Each evil spirit's movement scattered sparks from their bodies. Yu Sui used Wind-Riding Techniques to dodge their pursuit, several times surrounded by three to five evil spirits but breaking out each time.
In this situation, she had to act.
Yu Sui, who had been dodging, suddenly spun around. The evil spirit in front gripped its sword with both hands to slash at her.
Zhen trigram, arts creation, Thunder Rest.
The instant Yu Sui turned, deep blue light flashed in her eyes. Numerous tiny thunder serpents leaped from her long sword, coiling around and stopping the attacking blade. The evil spirit was covered by small thunder serpents that exploded, burning it to ash.
Before resolving the Breath Soil problem, Yu Sui had learned how to use the sixty-four trigrams arts creation under Saint Chang Gen's guidance.
Last night's time was limited, and emotions interfered, so Yu Sui only practiced Wind-Riding Techniques with Mei Liangyu.
Now the evil spirits in the military formation were perfect for Yu Sui's practice.
Five Elements energy spread from her body forming protection. Yu Sui seized a long sword and slashed at pursuing evil spirits. After cutting a path through the evil spirit horde, she used Wind-Riding Techniques to leap up, sword raised toward Li Jin Shuang's position.
Her horizontal sword sweep sent out sword energy that scattered airborne sparks and reed flowers. Thunder serpents fell with the sword energy to bite those seven evil spirits.
Yu Sui decapitated evil spirits. Three reacted quickly and retreated, while Li Jin Shuang's pressure lessened. She coordinated with Yu Sui's counterattack to decapitate the remaining four evil spirits that hadn't retreated in time.
Ash and sparks brushed past Yu Sui's face. She raised her hand to wipe them away, tidying her somewhat disheveled hair. Meeting Li Jin Shuang's surprised gaze, she said gently: "I also studied sword techniques for four years at the National Academy. Though I learned slowly, I do know some."
In Li Jin Shuang's eyes, Yu Sui was delicate, naive, and beautiful.
These were things her grandmother said she didn't need and wasn't allowed to possess. Her grandmother told her to despise all delicate, naive, beautiful children because they were weak.
Even though Yu Sui's face was smudged with ash, those moist, bright almond eyes calmly watched the evil spirits ahead without a trace of panic or fear. The bloody battlefield wind stirred her pink dress, the ornaments at her waist, and hair accessories, all producing delicate clinking sounds.
Li Jin Shuang's eyes reflected this pink figure, beautiful as peach blossoms, but something she could never touch. Even looking too long would bring scolding and interrogation: "By longing for these bright, precious colors, have you not abandoned the weakness in your heart? Do you want to be a weakling with no power to resist when your entire clan is slaughtered?"
At this moment, Li Jin Shuang gazed at Yu Sui before her. Thunder Rest's glow flickered, gathering into a beam of pale blue light in her dark eyes.
She asked herself:
Is this really a weak person?
……
More evil spirits chased Xue Mushi and Wei Ren. These two had tried several times to escape encirclement unsuccessfully and were now completely surrounded, forced to fight back-to-back.
Both had Five Elements energy burning around them defensively.
Wei Ren glanced back, smiling coldly: "You're a Taoist School disciple—why don't I see you use any Five Elements arts creation? Nangong Sui can use Thunder Rest at First Realm. What about you?"
Xue Mushi said: "I can't."
"Why can't you?" Wei Ren asked through gritted teeth. "Taoist School and Ghost Way School, Yin-Yang School and Military School—Five Elements arts creation is these four schools' strength, a required Nine Schools Art for disciples. You say you can't—how did you reach Fourth Realm?"
Xue Mushi hesitated: "Through divination practice."
Wei Ren: "......"
He said expressionlessly: "Then why didn't you divine this disaster before entering Asura Hell?"
Xue Mushi was honest: "Insufficient realm."
Wei Ren stabbed mercilessly: "You getting your engagement broken by the Yin-Yang School Saint Maiden really can't be blamed on her."
Xue Mushi lowered his eyes, looking dejected.
"If you don't pull yourself together, I won't bother protecting you. In this special-grade military formation, even small soldiers are Nine Schools Arts practitioners. We might actually die," Wei Ren finished just as high-leaping evil spirits slashed down with swords, separating the two.
Xue Mushi was pushed away by Wei Ren. In the flash of sword light, Wei Ren, who was a step slower, had his sleeve torn open, the blade cutting a long wound to his shoulder along his skin.
Wei Ren clicked his tongue and grabbed the sword to counterattack, but the disarmed evil spirit immediately retreated while another sword-wielding evil spirit took its place.
Their clashing swords produced dull sounds. The evil spirit's attack speed increased, sparks flying from the clashing blades. Wei Ren was forced back by the fierce assault with no chance to fight back.
His specialty poison was useless against evil spirits in the military formation. In Asura Hell, Wei Ren was the most severely restricted.
Wei Ren had noticed evil spirits attacking from behind but was too suppressed by the frontal evil spirit to spare attention. Just as he frowned, he suddenly heard the sound of coins clinking.
Four copper coins encircled Wei Ren and his opponent, producing clear, pleasant sounds that penetrated all barriers and reached directly into the soul's depths.
Xue Mushi held the fifth copper coin, his transparent Five Elements energy resonating with the four coins to create another world within this world, freezing all evil spirits within.
The evil spirits attacking from behind froze in mid-air, their swords already at Wei Ren's head, touching his hair. The frontal evil spirit's blade pressed against Wei Ren's forehead, having just cut a bloody line before stopping.
Wei Ren reacted quickly, immediately slashing horizontally to decapitate the front evil spirit, then turning to strike behind.
"Why didn't you use this technique earlier?" Wei Ren glared at Xue Mushi after finishing off the evil spirits.
But Xue Mushi's face was tense: "Can't control it long. Hurry."
Wei Ren grabbed another long blade, wielding sword and blade to slaughter all evil spirits within the copper coin boundary.
Xue Mushi's divination: Energy Stabilization could freeze the world within his arranged trigram by removing Five Elements energy from the divination world. Evil spirits in the military formation, who existed through Five Elements techniques, couldn't move.
It was a Nine Schools Art that somewhat restrained military formations.
Just as Wei Ren finished killing the evil spirits in the divination boundary, he suddenly looked toward the city. They were quite far from the city gate, roughly at the battlefield's center. Because of the City Guardian King General at the gate, they didn't dare approach—only fools would run that way.
Countless evil spirits had chased them from the flames near the City Guardian King General. Now pursuing them weren't just endless evil spirits but also a sky full of arrows.
The spark-bearing arrow rain fell like stars after heaven's collapse, coming from high and far, carrying power and killing intent to destroy everything. The arrow tips burned with flickering flames from their force.
Fire arrows shrieked as they passed, one grazing Xue Mushi's cheek and drawing bright red blood.
Simultaneously, an arrow struck the floating copper coin, knocking away the four coins and collapsing Xue Mushi's divination world. The evil spirits stationed nearby immediately pursued.
Yu Sui looked up at the arrow rain and told Li Jin Shuang: "Can't win. Let's run."
She immediately used Wind-Riding Techniques to fly toward the reed marsh.
Li Jin Shuang struck down the last evil spirit and also stopped fighting to run.
The four fled for their lives, wanting to escape the evil spirit army from the city. They ran in the opposite direction, toward vast reed marshes that seemed endless. They had to pass through these tall reeds to reach the battlefield's other side.
Arrow rain and evil spirits pursued. Their speed was fast, but the fleeing four were faster. The previously quiet reed marsh now rustled urgently with their passage. The reeds swayed, and Yu Sui's pink dress was stained bloody red by the blood-soaked reeds.
As the reed marsh swayed, more and more reed flowers floated up. Arrow rain fell, sparks igniting the ground, flames consuming the reed marsh and advancing forward.
Yu Sui once again heard her own heartbeat. Everything around her went quiet except her pounding heart, reminding her whether she was still alive.
The intense heartbeat, reeds brushing her face, scarlet reed flowers flying past her eyes, blood scent floating in her nostrils, the battlefield's persistent smoky scenes—all penetrated through her eyes, ears, nose, and skin pores into her soul's depths.
Stirring her deeply buried desires.
The killing intent eternal on battlefields, the powerful force controlling everything, evil spirits wielding swords, sparks from clashing blades, blood splattering with them—
So this was what being alive felt like.
Yu Sui, who was running forward with Wind-Riding Techniques, smiled inappropriately. The reeds taller than her concealed the path ahead, just like when she came to this world—the road forward was always obscured, unable to see where to go.
What lay ahead?
Even knowing it was dangerous, not knowing the specific danger, she could only carefully test everything.
Yu Sui seemed to have walked an endless long road, finally finding a place where she could briefly stop and rest today.
Under the battlefield's stimulation of blood and fire, Yu Sui finally felt that she was still alive.
Not yet dead.
Yu Sui gripped her sword hilt tightly. Sensing Five Elements energy clashing ahead, she slashed horizontally. Her sword energy cut the reeds at their waist, revealing the path ahead's true face:
Moonlight emerged from black clouds, silver radiance reflecting in the long river dividing the battlefield. Clear river water flowed, and black and white twin fish played in the water.
Huge shadows also reflected on the water's surface.
They stood densely along the shore—armored horses slowly raised their eyes to look at the people emerging from the reed marsh across the river.
Black cavalry bore weapons on their backs, their bodies concealed beneath iron armor, only golden-red eyes visible under helmets, staring at their enemies in the darkness like the evil spirits.
As dark clouds swallowed the moon above, what glowed golden on the ground were the Divine Soul Light Cores belonging to the black armored cavalry.
Thousands upon thousands of them.
Yu Sui stopped hard, staring at the black armored cavalry's Divine Soul Light Cores across the river, not daring to take another step forward.
Li Jin Shuang, who followed, also stopped, silently tightening her grip on her sword.
Wei Ren and Xue Mushi burst from the reed marsh, saw the scene across the river, and shivered.
If the evil spirits were sword masters, then the black armored cavalry across the river were Thirteenth Realm Nine Schools Arts practitioners.
Thousands upon thousands of Thirteenth Realm practitioners.
This damn thing was special-grade military formation: Asura Hell.
This was meant for Nine Schools Saints to challenge.
Wei Ren and Xue Mushi slowly looked toward Yu Sui on their left.
Yu Sui said softly: "Being able to die on the same year, month, and day, we're quite fated. Let's be good friends in the next life too."
Wei Ren said expressionlessly: "Who wants to be friends with you?"
Yu Sui stared at the Thirteenth Realm black armored cavalry ahead, still speaking softly: "We're about to die anyway. Making a friend before death isn't bad. Do you have friends? You don't, right?"
Wei Ren: "I do."
Xue Mushi scratched his head, seemingly afraid of alerting the Thirteenth Realm army across from them, also lowering his voice: "I do too."
Only Li Jin Shuang didn't respond.
Yu Sui glanced at Li Jin Shuang, who remained silent but tense, ready to fight at any moment: "Then Li Jin Shuang doesn't have any."
Li Jin Shuang still didn't reply.
She indeed didn't need to refute—she truly had none.
Yu Sui continued softly: "This shouldn't be my problem. You all saw—I only have First Realm strength."
Wei Ren asked back: "If it's not your problem, whose is it?"
Yu Sui said: "Then it's the star chart's problem. My Senior Brother said when there are problems, don't look for causes in yourself. Be confident—it must be someone else's problem."
Wei Ren's eye twitched slightly, cursing inwardly at what nonsense Mei Liangyu had taught her.
After a moment of silence, Xue Mushi said: "I don't want to die here."
Wei Ren snorted coldly: "I don't want to either."
"Then fine. If we die, come find me for revenge. If we don't die, let's write off our grudges and be friends after we get out," Yu Sui said. "Turning enemies into friends is also a kind of Nine Schools Art, right?"
Wei Ren said: "Master Chang will regret taking you as a disciple."
But Yu Sui smiled: "I bet the old master won't."
"Li Jin Shuang," Yu Sui looked at the black armored cavalry ahead, softly calling Li Jin Shuang's name. "Here's a chance to make friends. Don't waste it."
After hearing this, Li Jin Shuang said nothing but silently switched to gripping her sword with both hands.
This special-grade military formation was too difficult for them. If the black armored cavalry across the river attacked together, thousands of Thirteenth Realm Nine Schools Arts techniques could instantly kill these four.
If they retreated, the city side still had the non-Thirteenth Realm Saint-level City Guardian King General. Its fiery eyes might burn them alive just by appearing in its field of vision.
Even if not burned by the City Guardian King General, they'd be exhausted by endless evil spirits and die fighting to the last moment.
No matter what, they couldn't escape death.
Wei Ren asked Xue Mushi: "Aren't you good at divination? Don't you have a way to break this situation?"
Xue Mushi looked pained: "I don't divine fortune, poverty, or life and death. I learned killing."
At these words, the other three looked at Xue Mushi with different expressions.
Xue Mushi sighed lightly, saying slowly: "Taoist School Seven Kill Trigram—I only learned this."
"If I remember correctly, this seems to be a Nine Schools Art forbidden by Taoist School," Wei Ren said.
Yu Sui asked curiously: "Is it powerful?"
"Powerful and sinister, which is why it's forbidden," Wei Ren said, looking at Xue Mushi. "Didn't expect someone who looks like a wooden blockhead to be so bold, daring to learn trigram techniques strictly forbidden by your school. Is this why you got your engagement broken?"
Xue Mushi: "......"
"I mean, I don't want to die. Even if exposing my Seven Kill Trigram study gets me expelled from the academy, I want to get out alive," Xue Mushi said after silence, his previous slowness replaced by firm determination.
He stepped forward but was stopped by Yu Sui: "Hey, wait. Don't rush alone. To break a military formation, you need to kill the City Guardian King General. What's the point of fighting these Thirteenth Realm dead soldiers?"
Xue Mushi: "......"
The youth who had just been filled with courage as if to save the world was deflated.
Wei Ren asked coldly: "Besides the impossible task of killing the City Guardian King General, what else is there?"
Li Jin Shuang spoke quietly: "This is a masterless military formation. No one gives military orders. It only attacks when enemies are discovered. This river should be the key to triggering the Thirteenth Realm dead soldiers across from us. As long as we don't cross the river, their attacks won't be triggered."
"But evil spirits will still chase us from behind," Wei Ren said. "Where can we hide?"
Yu Sui stepped back two paces: "At least we won't cross the river."
She'd rather keep fighting evil spirits than cross the river to be instantly killed by thousands of Thirteenth Realm dead soldiers.
"Military formations are also materialized Five Elements techniques. If we can't kill the City Guardian King General, maybe we can break down its Five Elements energy to accelerate its disappearance," Li Jin Shuang suggested.
Wei Ren stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Sounds reasonable. Like Xue Mushi's trigram technique earlier—it drained Five Elements energy from a certain area."
"But I can't cover such a huge military formation," Xue Mushi hung his head. "If I try bit by bit, even if I use up all my Five Elements energy, it won't change anything."
The Five Elements energy maintaining a special-grade military formation was beyond their imagination. With Xue Mushi's limited Energy Stabilization range, even if he drained himself to death by evil spirits, Asura Hell would still trap them firmly.
Yu Sui said: "What if I use Five Elements arts creation to amplify it?"
Xue Mushi looked up: "How much can you amplify?"
Yu Sui estimated: "Ten times the original?"
Xue Mushi thought about it: "Not enough. Still too little. Ten times would just be shaking a leaf off a giant tree."
"Then think of other ways to destroy Five Elements energy," Wei Ren said.
Yu Sui looked at the black armored cavalry across the river. Though she possessed Divine Mechanism: Heavenly Eye, so far she'd only resonated with Heavenly Eye regarding communication array-related Number Mountains. Other times, she didn't know how to use this power.
Like now.
No one had taught her, nor told her what kind of power this was.
Yu Sui relied entirely on this power's instinct, guiding herself when it should appear.
She was a child with world-destroying power, lacking combat experience and guiding predecessors, only able to explore slowly by herself.
For Yu Sui, getting out was actually simple.
She only needed to ignite a spark of Strange Fire—that power capable of destroying heaven and earth could easily break the special-grade military formation before her.
Yu Sui's thoughts inevitably focused on Strange Fire. Looking down, her eyes reflected the black and white twin fish playing in the river water. In a trance, she heard someone laughing softly by her ear.
The underwater Yu Sui laughed by her ear: "Lend you power, how about it?"
"Just burn them all."
"I can do it."
"Hesitation will only get you killed."
The corpse-strewn battlefield with killing intent everywhere seemed to be Strange Fire's favorite. Everything before her was what Strange Fire most wanted to see.
Yu Sui said to Strange Fire in her heart: "Shut up."
She withdrew her gaze and told Xue Mushi: "A hundred times—I can amplify it a hundred times."
Xue Mushi looked up in surprise.
Wei Ren hissed: "Don't go crazy first."
"I don't want to die either," Yu Sui stared at Xue Mushi. "I've barely survived until now. Even if I have to die, it won't be here."
From Yu Sui's eyes, Xue Mushi saw himself—different faces but the same expression.
This time, Xue Mushi didn't hesitate to ask if she could do it. After a moment of silence, he said: "Alright."
Wei Ren rubbed his forehead: "Are you two crazy, or am I crazy? What do you think?"
He turned to ask Li Jin Shuang.
Li Jin Shuang looked back toward the City Guardian King General, not answering but saying: "Evil spirits are catching up."
Wei Ren seemed to give up struggling. He laughed coldly, just ready to vent all his frustration on these evil spirits. Turning to walk to the front, he said with his back to them: "You two better hurry up. Once evil spirits reach us, I won't be able to help."
Li Jin Shuang gripped her sword with one hand, joining Wei Ren at the front line.
Yu Sui told Xue Mushi: "It doesn't have to drain all Five Elements energy. We can focus on one point. As long as it becomes unbalanced, that counts as success."
Five Elements energy imbalance would at least greatly reduce threats within the military formation.
Xue Mushi thought: "Then let's target Five Elements Fire."
Perfect—she had natural suppression over Five Elements Fire.
Yu Sui nodded, pointing ahead: "Turn around."
Xue Mushi was startled but obediently complied. After turning, he asked: "Why?"
"Secret technique—can't be seen," Yu Sui said. "I'm not as bold as you."
She referred to the forbidden Taoist Seven Kill Trigram but also obliquely indicated she wasn't using orthodox Nine Schools Arts either.
Xue Mushi: "Okay."
He didn't ask more questions. Walking forward a few steps with his back to Yu Sui, he opened his palm with four copper coins standing upright: "Starting now."
Li Jin Shuang and Wei Ren were ordered by Yu Sui not to look back. They also had no time to look back, busy fighting the pursuing evil spirits to the death.
Wei Ren also stopped hiding his abilities, forming seals with both hands and exhaling golden Five Elements energy.
Agricultural School Nine Schools Art: Phantom Beast: Snake Shadow.
From all darkness, snake-like phantoms quietly grew, emerging from all directions to attach to pursuing evil spirits, opening snake mouths to bite fatal spots.
Snake phantoms born from darkness bit evil spirits' necks, tearing off their heads.
Sparks from evil spirits' bodies fell, burning the phantoms. Soon after, new ones grew from darkness. Like evil spirits born from flames, they regenerated endlessly.
Li Jin Shuang, who had decapitated an evil spirit with one sword, couldn't help glancing at Wei Ren maintaining his Nine Schools Art in place, frowning.
Never mind Xue Mushi—the Nine Schools Art Wei Ren was using was also forbidden by Agricultural School. Agricultural School had even declared anyone learning Phantom Beast techniques was Agricultural School's mortal enemy.
"Don't keep looking at me," Wei Ren had fine sweat on his forehead, raising an eyebrow with an evil smile toward Li Jin Shuang. "Keep looking and we'll die."
Three evil spirits leaping high slashed down with swords. Li Jin Shuang retreated to dodge, then swept her sword. Snake phantoms bit the evil spirits' sword-gripping hands, helping her disarm them.
The two cooperated to hold the front line.
Behind them, bright light suddenly flashed—moonlight shimmering. But Li Jin Shuang and Wei Ren didn't look back.
Xue Mushi also didn't look back. He was struggling to maintain the trigram world created by his copper coins, targeting Five Elements Fire to drain it from Asura Hell.
Yu Sui closed her eyes, diving into consciousness depths, gazing at Strange Fire, and separating a hundred Five Elements Light Cores that had regenerated today.
The Five Elements Light Cores glowing with pale white light were separated from Strange Fire, floating around Yu Sui in a long line. They were tiny, normally overlooked by the naked eye.
The separated Light Cores reflected Xue Mushi's Energy Stabilization trigram technique ahead. Yu Sui connected them with Eight Trigram arts creation, amplifying Xue Mushi's trigram technique a hundredfold, continuously draining Five Elements Fire from the military formation.
As they drained it, sparks on evil spirits' bodies visibly decreased. Without spark support, they became dark, slow-moving charred corpses.
The four rapidly consumed their Five Elements energy but saw some results, hope rising in their hearts. Maybe they could succeed.
The change happened in an instant.
The black armored cavalry watching from across the river suddenly moved.
The horse carrying the black cavalry stepped forward twice to the riverbank's front. The cavalry rider's eyes were golden-red as he gripped a long spear. Bending backward like a bowstring, he snapped back and hurled the spear. Silver light flashed from the spearhead as it flew toward Xue Mushi with killing intent.
Both Xue Mushi and Yu Sui sensed this murderous spear and acted simultaneously.
Over a hundred Light Cores shattered, their explosive Five Elements energy slowing the silver spear briefly. Yu Sui extended both hands to intercept it as thunder serpents flickered, covering the spear shaft to help pull it back.
Xue Mushi looked back just in time to see the black armored cavalry across the river preparing to throw a second spear.
In a flash, lightning blazed. Yu Sui was struck and sent flying by the first spear, rolling several times through the reed marsh.
Li Jin Shuang and Wei Ren, who couldn't catch her in time, looked back in shock.
How did the Thirteenth Realm dead army across the river start attacking?!
The five copper coins in Xue Mushi's formation instantly blocked in front of him, holes facing each other, instantly generating countless black threads connecting heaven and earth. They grew straight and dense, cutting everything in this heaven and earth the moment they appeared.
Seven Kill Trigram, First Trigram: Strangulation.
Black threads extended backward, strangling the evil spirits who had resumed normal movement after Energy Stabilization disappeared.
But they couldn't stop the black cavalry's second thrown spear.
As the spear shaft shattered, explosive Five Elements energy also shattered Xue Mushi's Seven Kill Trigram. The black threads vanished instantly.
Yu Sui stood up from the ground, wiping blood from her face. She heard the sound of thousands of Thirteenth Realm dead soldiers across the river drawing their swords.
Tens of thousands of dead soldiers drew swords toward the four across the river, preparing for battle.
Death's aura spread, pressing heavily on everyone's hearts. Facing tens of thousands of Thirteenth Realm Nine Schools Arts practitioners, they had no chance of victory.
Wei Ren felt they were finished.
Li Jin Shuang would never make friends in this lifetime.
Xue Mushi, knocked down and beaten back, clenched his fists.
Battlefield winds stirred bloody reed flowers floating up, some falling into the river water. Yu Sui looked up at the army across the river, her eyes shimmering with magnificent light.
……
It had just turned night.
The sky darkened as stars met the earth again.
Mei Liangyu and the others emerging from the Martial Path arena all looked displeased. They were unsatisfied with today's results because although Wei Kun hadn't successfully advanced to Class A, he also wasn't beaten up by them—the man forfeited directly after drawing lots and discovering his opponent was Mei Liangyu.
Mei Liangyu had waited for him all day for this result. His expression was as cold as a snowman in winter.
Nian Qiuyan was busy consoling Kong Yiyi, who was ready to directly grab Wei Kun for a beating, holding her back. He couldn't manage alone, so he called Cang Shu to help restrain Kong Yiyi.
Cang Shu looked at Mei Liangyu striding out of the Martial Path arena and asked Xing Chun, "Can you hold him back?"
Xing Chun gestured reassuringly: "I can handle it, I can handle it."
So Cang Shu went to help Nian Qiuyan.
Xing Chun chased after Mei Liangyu to the outside of the Martial Path arena. It was quite lively outside too—many students who had attempted advancement hadn't left yet, including Gu Qian and his group.
Gu Qian stood by the Yin-Yang Five Elements Field waiting for someone. Hearing the commotion from the Martial Path arena, he looked over and saw Mei Liangyu walking out with a cold expression, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Xing Chun caught up to Mei Liangyu, calling: "Hey, preventing him from returning to Class A is already good news. He's been hiding from you like a dog, scurrying everywhere. As long as you're here one day, he won't dare go to the outer city. Besides... holy shit, what's that situation over there?"
Mei Liangyu was still walking forward when Xing Chun looked toward the Yin-Yang Five Elements Field: "Hey, hey, hey, come back. Look at Nangong Sui—your Junior Sister. Did they just come out of a basic trial?"
The star chart within the Yin-Yang Five Elements Field activated, sending back the disciples who had been in trials.
At this moment, starlight blazed within the field.
Mei Liangyu looked back, his gaze passing over Gu Qian and the others to land directly on Yu Sui, who was covered in blood and wiping her face. His steps halted, his expression sharpening.
Gu Qian, who had been waiting by the Yin-Yang Five Elements Field for Yu Sui, was also stunned by the four emerging figures.
None of the four who came out were clean—all covered in blood, all wounded.
Yu Sui was lowering her head, wiping blood and ash from her face. When she looked up and saw many familiar people standing around the field, she paused.
Wei Ren glanced coldly at Gu Qian and the others nearby: "What are you looking at? Never seen people fresh out of a trial?"
He was thoroughly irritated now.
Yu Sui, too tired to explain, looked at Xue Mushi: "You restart it. I can't lose those two points."
Xue Mushi pointed at Li Jin Shuang: "Let her do it."
Before Li Jin Shuang could refuse, Wei Ren said: "We're both Fifth Realm—whether you go or I go, it's the same. I'll be damned if I don't believe it. Try opening another Asura Hell."
Li Jin Shuang was straightforward, directly placing her hand on the star chart to activate a new trial.
The four blood-covered people blinked and vanished back into the Yin-Yang Five Elements Field, leaving only the bewildered onlookers behind.