Chapter 57
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Chapter 57: Ghost Wave
“Hidden Sky Asura Sword, destroy!”
A furious roar erupted from the mist, and Li Hui clearly saw the man with the tied-back hair, his robes fluttering as a giant sword suddenly appeared above him. He had not revealed this sword while chasing Lian Luosha or facing the Golden Sword Talismans before.
“Destroy, destroy, destroy, destroy…” The blue beak of a bird behind the man grasped the hilt of the giant sword, twisting outward to slay. Not a single one of the dozens of ghosts, large or small, was spared; their bodies disintegrated.
“Wow, that’s powerful! This guy has a secret weapon.” Li Hui gasped, pulling back slightly. It would be difficult to defeat such a dangerous cultivator before he activated the Spirit Motion Seventh Pattern.
“Hahaha! Concentrating Spirit stage cultivator, I’ll bring you along to marry a beauty; she’ll surely be thrilled.” A chilling laugh filled the air from all directions, prompting Li Hui to quickly lie down and hold his breath, feeling a cold breeze sweep over him from above.
Lian Luosha held Li Hui tightly, her face pale. She felt as though she had just brushed against the Ghost Gate when that cold wind passed by.
Li Hui looked up; although not very clearly, he saw a hand the size of a millstone reaching for the man with the tied-back hair.
A moment later, a series of terrifying explosions resounded. Then light pierced through the ghost mist, revealing the surroundings, but it lasted only a few breaths.
With a “ding,” the man’s giant sword landed nearby, its blade covered in black cracks.
Aside from the giant sword, Li Hui couldn’t see anything else; both the man and the millstone-sized hand seemed to have evaporated without a trace.
Sounds of gnawing echoed in the ghost mist, heart-stopping and mesmerizing. It was as if the ghosts were enjoying a grand feast, with the food being cultivators and monks—many must have died.
Both Li Hui and Lian Luosha wondered, when would Jin Mingyang close the net? Or had he played too big a game and could no longer take it back?
After two sticks of incense, visibility gradually restored, the ghost mist quickly dissipating. The courtyard was filled with rivers of blood, and scattered corpses littered everywhere. No more than forty cultivators survived, including those gravely wounded on the ground, with their faces full of horror as they looked around. The number of ghosts had not decreased; it was actually increasing.
“Run!” Someone shouted, leaping toward the distance, but before reaching the courtyard wall, an enormous talisman stamped down from the sky.
Why call it an enormous talisman? Because it was a terrifying three feet long and one foot wide, covered in countless symbols. The whole talisman had a black background with red characters, its edges faintly glowing with green light, and purple lantern tassels that seemed to drip blood hung below.
“How can there be such a large talisman in the world?” Li Hui exclaimed in shock.
Lian Luosha’s expression tensed as she whispered, “That’s not a talisman; it’s a decree left behind by a powerful figure of the sect before dying. The purple lantern tassels are specifically designed for banishing ghosts and killing.”
Before she finished speaking, the fleeing cultivator let out a hideous cry, and then his body began to swell uncontrollably. He grew a pair of horns atop his head, and his face twisted into something grotesque. By the time he hit the ground, he had transformed into a blue-faced, fanged ghost.
Fear, astonishment, and panic spread among the cultivators as they instinctively drew together.
Li Hui saw Bai Yulian and Zhang Tianhua standing together, with a tall, cold-faced man between them, likely Mo Xinghe, who held a piece of rough yellow talisman paper between his fingers. Not far away, Gao Yuhu carried a hoe, appearing pale after an intense battle, while Liu Feng from the Hidden Sky Sect lay fallen at his feet.
Compared to the level of casualties among other cultivators, all six from the Jade Symbol Sect remained unharmed, boasting a survival rate of one hundred percent. Even Jin Mingyang, who was secretly controlling the talisman formation from the shadows, frowned slightly, not expecting such an outcome.
“Li Hui, how are you still alive?” Zhang Tianhua glared at him venomously as the ghost mist dissipated.
“Ha ha! Senior Brother, what are you saying? I’m a good person, full of virtue. With hazards like you around, how could I die? Not only will I not die, but I’ll also live just fine, enjoying every day.” Li Hui shouted, quickly pulling clothes from his chain bag to drape around Lian Luosha. There would surely be great dangers ahead, and he couldn’t afford to be distracted.
Lian Luosha felt embarrassed to continue depending on Li Hui’s back, yet the two of them worked in perfect harmony, avoiding the crowd.
If being in numbers was effective, so many wouldn’t have died. The key was the word “trust”; no one trusted anyone, and even the strongest couldn’t unleash their power. In contrast, the two had smaller goals—Li Hui didn’t say he completely trusted Lian Luosha, but she was certainly more trustworthy than anyone else.
Choosing the lesser harm when faced with two dangers, and choosing the greater benefit with two advantages, is critical for survival in the cultivation world.
Li Hui glanced at the talismans scattered on the ground but had no time to collect them. The silver snake bracelet could have provided a great boost.
While it seemed long, it was merely a moment. The screaming ghosts surged forward, and even in that wedding procession, a ghost lost control and, urged by the talisman formation, spewed black mist as it rushed over.
“Kill!” Mo Xinghe shouted, throwing a handful of spirit talismans. Bai Yulian transformed into the thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara, activating the talismans at the perfect angle, some shooting forth as light and others sprinkling white light to protect their side.
Li Hui watched in awe. The accumulation of Bai Yulian and Mo Xinghe in the realm of talismans was beyond what a fledgling like him could compare. No wonder the Inner Sect disciples and true disciples from the Jade Symbol Sect feared group attacks the least—if they had their goods, they could run rampant.
Lian Luosha activated several Four-Pattern Pine Tree Talismans, while Li Hui raised the Green Wood Eight Trigram Shield, primarily focusing on defense given the overwhelming number of enemies, seeking opportunities to break free and conserve strength.
As thousands of ghosts surged forth, the ghostly souls wreaked havoc. The Green Wood Eight Trigram Shield only held for five or six breaths before it exploded violently, releasing its final might.
Then, the golden bell talismans adhered to his body began to ignite one after another, followed by the Four-Pattern Pine Tree Talismans transforming into shadows of trees until the ghosts rushed with slightly diminished momentum, exhausting their defensive talismans.
Just like that, it happened quickly. Fortunately, Lian Luosha still had some in hand, carelessly throwing them out to staunch the attacks.
“Whew, whew, whew…” Each breath felt heart-stopping, surrounded by ghosts with strange shapes and terrifying appearances.
Despite the low level of these ghosts, their sheer numbers were overwhelming, enough to send chills down one’s spine. This was akin to having a multitude of talismans that, in sufficient quantity, could shake a big tree. Not to mention some powerful ghosts had yet to make an entrance, clearly possessing considerable intelligence.
“Junior Brother, I can’t hold on much longer! If you have any assassination weapon, don’t hide it!” Lian Luosha’s face turned pale; she had exhausted all her resources and could not wait for a breakthrough.
“Wait!” Li Hui had already gripped the drunken talisman and the infatuation talisman since the moment the ghosts gathered. However, they took too long to activate, and he wasn’t sure if they would work on the ghosts.
Meanwhile, the jade tablet was still being prepared, but the gathered cultivators couldn’t hold on much longer. The ones who survived to this point were all elite; in their last moments, their retaliation could be devastating.
