Chapter 540: Heaven and Earth Combined Strike
Zhu Xuanji’s eyes shimmered with divine light.
The entire battlefield lay within his field of vision. At present, everything was still unfolding within his layout.
“The Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts are long-famous experts. But from another perspective, widespread fame is also their weakness.”
“The greater the reputation, the more intelligence tends to leak out.”
“As long as there is a direct battle that causes Liangzhu Kingdom pain and humiliation, then with the vast scale of Liangzhu Kingdom, they will certainly be able to find a method to counter the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts.”
For example, True Person Blazing Sun had been urgently dispatched by the royal family of Liangzhu Kingdom. And the Bronze Sundial held by the old man was even treated as a national treasure, stored in the royal treasury. Once taken out and used, it immediately shattered the Profound Yin Frost Realm.
This was the foundation of a cultivation nation—no trivial matter, unfathomably deep!
The Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts were each targeted simultaneously by four or five Nascent Soul cultivators, suffering relentless suppression.
For a moment, Ning Zhuo and the Three Generals Camp were turned from peril to safety, becoming mere spectators.
The Three Generals, Ning Zhuo, and Sun Lingtong inside the Puppet Dragon were all panting heavily, their hearts still trembling.
The battle just now had truly been extremely dangerous.
Not long after the battle began, Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and Ning Zhuo had already lost the initiative. At one point they could only maintain the situation, passively responding to attacks, unable to seize even the slightest initiative.
If this situation had continued, Ning Zhuo would have had no choice but to let the soldiers of the Three Generals Camp be slaughtered, while he and Sun Lingtong escaped alone using the Puppet Dragon.
Of course, Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei would also have been brought along.
But such a result was clearly not what Ning Zhuo wanted.
He had invested heavily into the Three Generals Camp, and continuously at that.
Although he had recovered some of the cost earlier, if he abandoned the Three Generals Camp at this moment, overall it would still be a major loss.
It was not merely a matter of profit calculation. Emotionally, Ning Zhuo was also unwilling to abandon them.
On the one hand, he and the Three Generals had already developed tacit understanding and increasingly deep battlefield camaraderie. Ning Zhuo admired Liu Er’s ambition, and deep down he sincerely wished to see Liu Er steadily approach that ambition.
High in the sky, Heavenly Ghost Frost flew rapidly, his body like a streaking rainbow, twisting wildly as he evaded the encirclement of the Nascent Soul cultivators.
His throat bobbed as he spat out a pale bone sphere.
The bone sphere rapidly deformed in the sky, transforming into a Ghost Gate.
In the next moment, the Ghost Gate flung open wide, releasing a great number of Ice Crystal Ghost Spirits and Snowbone Rakshasas.
A massive tide of ghosts surged across the battlefield.
Several Nascent Soul cultivators snorted coldly. Each used their methods, immediately slaughtering countless ghosts.
“Heavenly Frost, today will be the anniversary of your death next year!” one cultivator in a blue robe shouted softly as he released a flying sword.
North Star Demon-Slaying Sword!
The flying sword drew upon the light of the North Star, transforming into a thread of brilliance that pierced straight through Heavenly Frost’s forehead, delivering a fatal strike.
“Good! What a North Star Sword Master, what a North Star Demon-Slaying Sword!” The other Nascent Soul cultivators praised in unison upon seeing this.
But in the next moment, Heavenly Frost moved again.
“Still not dead?” Everyone was stunned.
The North Star Sword Master frowned deeply, staring at Heavenly Frost in disbelief. “Impossible!”
He was certain that his strike had pierced straight through the vital point between Heavenly Frost’s brows.
Crack. Crack.
Starting from the center of Heavenly Frost’s forehead, countless cracks rapidly spread across his face. The fractures multiplied in an instant, spreading throughout his entire body.
Thin sheets of ice began to peel away from Heavenly Frost’s body, revealing the life aura of another person.
“Wait… you’re not Heavenly Ghost?!”
Everyone was shocked. Because the aura leaking from “Heavenly Frost” was clearly not Heavenly Frost’s—it was the aura of Earth Ghost.
Crack, crack…
The crisp sounds continued endlessly as more and more thin ice fragments peeled away, revealing the figure within.
Sure enough, behind the “Heavenly Frost” mask was the face of Earth Ash—shrunk to half its size.
“This is… Ghost Mask Technique?!” True Person Blazing Sun’s pupils contracted as he recognized the truth.
Immediately, many people looked down toward the battlefield below.
There, the besieged “Earth Ash” chuckled coldly.
“Earth Ghost, you useless fool. You even ruined my ghost mask before I could.”
“Look at how I use your ghost mask—even better than your own methods!”
“Heavenly Frost” snorted coldly. “Untangle your own siege first before mocking me.”
“Earth Ash” burst into laughter. “What difficulty is that? Open your eyes wide and watch carefully!”
He immediately made his move again. But this time, he did not use Earth Element spells, nor ghost-path techniques. Instead—he used ice!
The cultivators besieging him had originally formed a combination specifically aimed at Earth Ghost. But now that “Earth Ghost” suddenly became Heavenly Ghost, the advantageous situation they had created collapsed instantly.
On the other side, the same thing happened with “Heavenly Ghost.” True Person Blazing Sun and Mountain Peak Master were caught completely off guard by the sudden counterattack.
Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and Ning Zhuo watched intently, utterly focused.
“So Earth Ghost was actually Heavenly Ghost, and Heavenly Ghost was actually Earth Ghost!”
“Ghost Mask Technique… It’s said that this ghost cultivation method can borrow the power of a great ghost to form a ghost mask. After wearing it, one can temporarily play the role of the borrowed ghost.”
“The Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts cultivate this technique by borrowing each other’s power. They have immersed themselves in this art for so long that their ghost masks almost cover their entire bodies, nearly reaching the level of a Divine Ability. Truly formidable!”
Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and Ning Zhuo were all broad-minded people. Even when facing mortal enemies, they could still judge objectively and openly praise them.
The situation for Liangzhu Kingdom suddenly worsened!
They had indeed been caught completely off guard by this change.
Many of their methods were highly targeted. But the sudden identity swap of the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts caused many of their plans to fail.
Not only that—they were now the ones being targeted.
During the earlier battle, Ning Zhuo had already realized that the personalities of the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts were completely different, which resulted in entirely different fighting styles.
Now that their true identities were revealed, their real temperaments emerged, causing their combat styles to shift drastically.
The cultivators of Liangzhu Kingdom all needed time to adapt.
On the ground, Heavenly Ghost froze mountains and forests, suppressing four Nascent Soul cultivators alone while firmly holding the upper hand.
In the sky, Earth Ghost was locked in a stalemate with his enemies.
Earth Ghost immediately received mockery from Heavenly Ghost.
“Get lost, all of you!” Earth Ghost shouted angrily. He shoved the greatest interference—Buddha Thoughts—directly into the Heavenly Ghost Mask.
Then he reached up, grabbed his own face, and violently tore outward.
He successfully peeled off the Heavenly Ghost Mask.
The Heavenly Ghost Mask was badly damaged, but once separated from his body it immediately formed on its own, resembling a clone of Heavenly Ghost.
Yet this clone was not ferocious at all. Instead, its face was filled with repentance and compassion.
“My Buddha above, I am a sinner.”
“My sins are grave!”
Earth Ghost himself was now fully revealed before everyone. He shook his head, stretched his limbs, took a deep breath, and sighed.
“This feels refreshing.”
“You all fought quite happily just now.”
“I hope you can remain this happy in what comes next!”
Earth Ghost grinned viciously.
Now free from interference, he unleashed his full strength and immediately stirred up a terrifying offensive.
The several Nascent Soul cultivators in the sky were immediately pushed into a disadvantage, becoming increasingly battered as their situation grew more difficult.
The aftershocks of the battle also reached the Three Generals Camp on the ground.
At this time Ning Zhuo had already entered the military camp, but he had not yet withdrawn the Mechanical Army.
The aftermath of a Nascent Soul–level death battle was not something to underestimate.
Just as they prepared to resist the shockwaves, they were intercepted in advance by the Heavenly Ghost Mask.
“You need not be suspicious.” The Heavenly Ghost Mask wore a dignified expression, smiling gently as it looked at the Three Generals Camp.
“This is what I owe you.”
“And protecting the weak and delivering all beings—this is the meaning of the Buddha.”
These words left everyone in the Three Generals Camp completely dumbfounded.
“So that’s it!” Ning Zhuo’s eyes flashed with brilliance as he immediately explained to the Three Generals.
“I used a method to pour a large amount of Buddha Thoughts into Earth Ghost’s Upper Dantian Sea of Consciousness.”
“When Earth Ghost peeled off the Heavenly Ghost Mask, he transferred all the Buddha Thoughts into the mask as well.”
“We were harmed by Earth Ghost, so the Heavenly Ghost Mask now carries repentance and compassionate Buddha Thoughts. That is why it came to help us!”
After Ning Zhuo’s explanation, the Three Generals immediately understood.
On one hand they marveled at Ning Zhuo’s methods, which could reach directly into Earth Ghost’s Sea of Consciousness. On the other hand they were delighted to gain a powerful ally. Of course, they still maintained caution and vigilance.
“The battle situation is changing again. We should retreat as far away as possible first,” Liu Er issued the order.
The Three Generals Camp dared not recklessly change formation. Maintaining the Iron-Wall Formation, they slowly moved toward the edge of the battlefield.
However, the scale of a Nascent Soul–level battle was extremely vast.
The Three Generals Camp would have to move quite a long distance before reaching true safety.
During the retreat, the Heavenly Ghost Mask indeed gave its all. Even at the cost of damaging itself, it assisted the Three Generals Camp, blocking several waves of attacks for them.
Both the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts and the Nascent Soul cultivators of Liangzhu Kingdom saw this scene—but none had the spare energy to intervene.
“This won’t do—Ning Zhuo cannot escape!”
“If the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts make this move and still fail to capture a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, how could we return to our sect with any face?!”
Seeing Ning Zhuo about to leave, the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts both became anxious.
They shouted one after another.
“Courting death!”
“Since you want to show off your courage, then all of you can die together!”
The Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts raised their arms and shouted in unison:
“Heaven Rises, Earth Descends—Heaven and Earth Combined Strike!”
Before the words finished, Earth Ghost plunged downward from the sky, while Heavenly Ghost rose upward from the ground. The two flew toward each other at tremendous speed.
Earth Ghost’s body was heavy like a falling meteor, diving from the sky while dragging surging ash behind him. The ash grew thicker and thicker, forming a massive rolling cloud behind him. Crimson flames flickered within the ash, making Earth Ghost resemble a descending deity with terrifying momentum.
Heavenly Ghost, clad in white robes, shot upward like a spear piercing the heavens. Behind him trailed a long stream of icy energy—ice-blue frost like a giant cloak draped behind him. Wherever he passed, countless frost blossoms scattered while freezing cold spread across heaven and earth.
The sky churned downward like ink being poured across it, while the ground glowed with ominous indigo light.
Boom—!
The two passed each other in midair, unleashing a thunderous explosion.
Two Divine Abilities combined—
Heaven and Earth Combined Strike!