Chapter 634: Cloudveil Fiend Robe
“What?!” The Scarlet Ghost General, who had rushed in a step behind, almost could not believe her own eyes.
Among the six Ghost Generals who had stormed into the Immortal City, the Long-Axe Ghost General ranked among the very strongest. Yet he had failed to withstand even a single move and had been slain outright!
Terrifying!
Just a moment ago, the Scarlet Ghost General had been the same as the Long-Axe Ghost General before his death—brimming with killing intent and lofty ambition.
In this instant, however, her heart was filled with shock and dread; her soul nearly fled her body as she turned to run.
The next moment, she truly turned her head—
The Scarlet Ghost General fell in battle.
“Mother!” Ning Zhuo called out anxiously.
He reached out and grasped the hand that the Buddhist Physician Meng Yao had freed, his face full of worry.
He knew well that the state his mother was in was far from good. This kind of “awakening” posture inflicted intense depletion upon her own spirituality.
Ning Zhuo would rather struggle bitterly himself than see his mother’s spirituality harmed.
As if sensing the concern in his heart, the Buddhist Physician Meng Yao smiled and took the initiative to comfort him. “This giant paper effigy was originally created by me. I also made arrangements here, so it triggered and ‘awakened’ me.”
“This state cannot be sustained for long. I still need to ‘slumber’ and immerse myself in cultivating the Path of Aberration.”
Ning Zhuo asked curiously, “Mother, you are cultivating the Path of Aberration?”
The Buddhist Physician Meng Yao nodded. “That’s right. Only by mastering this path can one heal Dao injuries. The spirituality within my body is far more than what I remember.”
“I suppose it must be the Fire Cremation Prajna Liberation Scripture, yes? You learned it from the Lava Immortal Palace?”
Ning Zhuo nodded. “Mother, you guessed it at once! Although I have not yet truly taken control of the Lava Immortal Palace, I already have a plan. I have not disgraced you!”
The Buddhist Physician Meng Yao smiled gently. “Good child. It is thanks to you.”
“As your mother, I have never once given up striving.”
Ning Zhuo’s eyes reddened. Choked with emotion, he was on the verge of tears. “Mother, I am doing well. For you, I can do anything!”
The Buddhist Physician Meng Yao nodded again. “Just now, when I wielded the sickle, it counted as a practical application of the Path of Aberration.”
“This path is indeed extremely difficult to cultivate, but I have already grasped some clues.”
“Child, I truly need you to gather spirituality for me. The region where I was most active during my lifetime was the Soaring Cloud Kingdom.”
“The Myriad Phenomena Sect was my sect. If you can join it, that would be an excellent thing.”
A key thought suddenly occurred to Ning Zhuo. His brows furrowed, revealing killing intent. “Mother, I encountered the Chaotic Fate Sect! Was it them who harmed you? I will avenge you!”
The Buddhist Physician Meng Yao replied, “Within the Chaotic Fate Sect, there is indeed my enemy. I was plotted against and killed by one of them.”
“I cannot tell you this person’s name. The time has not yet come. You are only at the Foundation Establishment stage—still too weak.”
“If you learn of it in advance, it will instead alert that person. That would be extremely inappropriate.”
“Even any matters related to the Chaotic Fate Sect—you must keep your distance and avoid contact as much as possible.”
Ning Zhuo asked, “Mother, when will I be strong enough to avenge you? When will I be able to take the initiative to deal with matters related to the Chaotic Fate Sect?”
The Buddhist Physician Meng Yao first frowned, then pinched her fingers to calculate. At last, she revealed an unfathomable smile. “That opportunity will arrive far sooner than you imagine.”
“At that time, it will temper you once more and grant you a tremendous breakthrough in your state of mind.”
Ning Zhuo’s eyes widened. “Mother, you even know the Path of Destiny? How come I never knew? Can you teach me?”
He looked up, his black-and-white eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.
Seeing his eager anticipation, the Buddhist Physician Meng Yao chuckled. “Do you know that not everyone can grasp the Path of Destiny?”
“Little Zhuo, your fate is extremely special. The Path of Destiny is rather avoidant of you.”
Ning Zhuo asked plainly, “Avoidant? I avoid destiny?”
The Buddhist Physician Meng Yao gently patted his head again. “To be precise, it is destiny that avoids you. The destiny of heaven and earth has its own arrangements. It will not allow you to encounter or learn the Path of Destiny—otherwise, it would invite terrifying consequences.”
Ning Zhuo stared. “What?!”
Then he thought again. “But I really want to learn it. Why can’t I? Hmph, at worst I’ll be like the Lord of the Forgotten River and defy heaven and fate once in a while. If I manage to learn it, that’s profit!”
The Buddhist Physician Meng Yao laughed heartily. “Such ambition. As expected of my child. You are right. Always complying with heaven and fate—even if life flows smoothly—would be dull and uneventful.”
“Go ahead and try. I believe that through accumulation over time, there will eventually be one chance where you get what you wish for.”
Ning Zhuo nodded repeatedly. “Mm!”
He had too many things he wanted to tell his mother. Yet now that the moment had arrived, his thoughts were tangled, and he did not know what to say. His heart was completely filled with joy—he had even forgotten they were on a battlefield!
The Buddhist Physician Meng Yao, however, had been closely monitoring the outside world. She spoke first, “Little Zhuo, now is not the time for us mother and son to chat.”
“This incident concerns the Lord of the Forgotten River’s century-long scheme. If he succeeds, living beings will suffer, and the entire Yin Tide Black Marsh will fall.”
“Yield me the position of main array controller. I will first slay the two obstructive Deadbone Colossi outside.”
Ning Zhuo immediately stepped aside. “Alright, Mother. I will guard you!”
The Buddhist Physician Meng Yao sighed with emotion. “You truly have grown up. Mother can now rely on you as well. However, while guarding me, prepare the Fire Cremation Prajna Liberation Scripture as much as possible. Later, when the opportunity arises, you must burn this giant paper effigy.”
Ning Zhuo was startled. “Huh?”
But the Buddhist Physician Meng Yao did not explain further. Her expression turned solemn as she slowly closed her eyes, focusing fully on controlling the giant paper effigy.
Within the giant paper effigy, a large number of paper puppets split off.
Under her control, these puppets began working in perfect coordination to repair the internal formations.
When Ning Zhuo sensed this with his divine sense, his heart trembled violently.
This was far too difficult!
Even if he exerted himself fully, he could not even comprehend the formations inside, let alone repair them.
Of course, the giant paper effigy had been arranged by Meng Yao during her lifetime, so she naturally understood these formations thoroughly. But to control hundreds of paper puppets simultaneously to repair formations—
The difficulty of such manipulation, the mental expenditure, and the depth of formation mastery required were all enormous!
“Even if I understood these formation mysteries, I could at most control two paper puppets to repair them!”
“Mother’s level of mechanism control is actually this high? It’s almost terrifying.”
Ning Zhuo was utterly amazed.
At the same time, new worries arose in his heart—such astonishing manipulation must certainly cause tremendous depletion of her spirituality!
“Mother, is it truly worth it for you to do this?” He genuinely did not wish for her to work so hard.
The formations within the giant paper effigy were swiftly restored.
On one hand, this was due to the astonishing attainments the Buddhist Physician Meng Yao displayed in mechanisms and formations. On the other hand, it was also because the Long-Axe and Scarlet Ghost Generals had focused solely on breaking through and capturing the leader, rather than concentrating on destroying the formations.
The formations roared as they activated in unison.
On the battlefield, the giant paper effigy struggled upright, lifted its chest, and stood once more!
A faint white radiance emanated from its entire body. The holes from before were rapidly repaired until it was flawless once again.
This scene immediately drew the full attention of the Yin Soldiers’ army!
Inside Luo Si’s command tent—
“Not good!” Xie Sichao’s expression changed drastically. “The names of the Long-Axe and Scarlet Ghost Generals have already been struck off the military registry.”
The two generals had fallen in battle.
Luo Si immediately issued orders. “Dispatch the Deadbone Colossi to deal with the giant paper effigy. Have the Vanguard General and the others focus their full strength on it as well!”
The remaining two Deadbone Colossi had been wreaking havoc nearby, waiting for the Long-Axe and Scarlet Ghost Generals to dismantle the giant paper effigy from within.
They had not expected the two to fall in an instant, catching the Yin Soldiers’ army completely off guard.
After all, in their view, even if the giant paper effigy’s internal defenses were formidable and the two generals were at a disadvantage, reinforcements could have been sent in time.
The sudden awakening of the Buddhist Physician Meng Yao had erupted with astonishing battle power, instantly slaying the two generals and throwing the Yin Soldiers’ side into passivity at this critical point.
Luo Si’s command was entirely correct and issued in a timely manner.
The two Deadbone Colossi strode forward, shaking the ground with booming steps as they attacked the giant paper effigy from left and right.
At the same time, the Vanguard General and the other Nascent Soul-level enemies charged over as well.
“This is bad!” Tie Guzheng’s eyes widened in fury, yet he had no forces left to dispatch.
The City Lord’s paper clone had beaten the four Ghost Generals back step by step. She glanced at the giant paper effigy behind her, then turned her head and erupted with full force, seizing the opportunity to slay the Mourning Music Ghost Performer!
Qing Chi led the Azure Scorch Army, locked in fierce combat with the Headless Ghost Cavalry. Seeing the giant paper effigy in danger, he was furious and rushed to reinforce without regard for his own safety—but distant water could not quench a nearby fire.
The giant paper effigy once again fell into crisis. Ning Zhuo could not help holding his breath.
The Buddhist Physician Meng Yao’s divine sense transmitted to him: “Little Zhuo, watch carefully. This move is called Cloudveil Fiend Robe.”
In the next instant, the white radiance around the giant paper effigy surged brilliantly, piercing into the sky and triggering a change in the celestial phenomena.
Cloud qi arose out of thin air, swirling and surging toward the giant paper effigy.
Then it rapidly transformed into a layer of cloud garments.
This white cloud robe was neither gauze nor mist—transparent like icy silk, yet flowing with needle-like glints.
As the giant paper effigy moved, the cloud robe flowed accordingly—possessing the softness of drifting clouds and the sharpness of needles!
At this moment, the giant paper effigy’s aura skyrocketed, and its battle power surged explosively!
The Buddhist Physician Meng Yao secretly instructed Ning Zhuo, “This is Cloudveil Fiend Robe—plain clouds as silk, fiendish energy as dark needles; gentle as the Heavenly River hanging in ribbons, wrathful as baleful fiends covering the sky!”
“To cultivate this method, you must grasp two key points.”
“First is the Nine Transformations of the Cloud Sea: gather, disperse, surge, fall, flow, congeal, split, burn, annihilate. Transform cloud intent into the meridians, allowing the fiend robe to breathe like living clouds, absorbing and redirecting force like cotton when struck, and crushing enemy souls like surging rivers when counterattacking.”
“Second is the manipulation of fiend energy. Draw any type of fiend energy and temper it into the cloud veins. Each strand of fiend energy condenses into a dark needle—razor sharp, like a hedgehog, uniting offense and defense.”
“Little Zhuo, when you enter the Myriad Phenomena Sect in the future, you may choose to study Cloud Canon and Garment Condensation Art, then apply fiend energy.”
“Cloud Canon states: ‘Ride the righteous flow of the Nine Heavens’ drifting clouds; clouds have no constant form, transforming into three thousand manifestations…’”
“Garment Condensation Art contains a verse: ‘With the soul as shuttle, draw down heavenly winds; extract thunder fiend as warp and weft. With a single thought, clouds arise to cloak golden palaces; through a thousand tribulations, fiend energy guards the spiritual altar.’ Therefore, Cloudveil Fiend Robe is, in essence, not a spell but a divine art! It merely employs fiend energy, making its outward form appear like a spell.”
“Most important is the Cloudveil General Outline, left behind by the Myriad Phenomena Sect’s predecessor, Daoist Cloudfiend. He once said: ‘Cloudveil is not a veil, but the manifestation of Heaven’s benevolence; the fiend robe is not a robe, but the reverse scale of heaven and earth!’ In this single sentence lies the core secret of Cloudveil Fiend Robe!”
Ning Zhuo instinctively pricked up his ears, listening carefully and memorizing every word without omission.
During this transmission, the Deadbone Colossi had already lunged close.
Under the Buddhist Physician Meng Yao’s control, the giant paper effigy first confronted the one on the left.
It did not dodge at all—it met attack with attack!
When the Deadbone Colossus’s massive fist struck the Cloudveil Fiend Robe, layers of flowing clouds unfolded, guiding, deflecting, and dissolving the tremendous force until only ten percent remained, landing upon the giant paper effigy’s body—where it was evenly distributed throughout.
On the effigy’s own fist, however, the Cloudveil Fiend Robe had concentrated a large number of dark fiend needles.
Two punches landed upon the Deadbone Colossus, shattering it like dry branches and rotten wood. The dark needles easily pierced through the giant bones, and the subsequent immense force smashed apart the skeletal frame.
Both punches punched straight through the Deadbone Colossus’s body, causing it to stagger and collapse into a severely wounded state.
A fierce wind surged from behind.
The giant paper effigy turned to evade, then counterattacked in the same motion.
One arm swept horizontally; the fiend needles instantly shifted onto the arm like a massive guillotine, cleaving the Deadbone Colossus cleanly in two at the waist!
!?!
The Vanguard General and the many Nascent Soul cultivators who witnessed this scene were all stunned!
The change in the giant paper effigy’s battle power before and after was far too immense!
What exactly had happened?
The giant paper effigy stepped back and crushed the head of the previously downed Deadbone Colossus into powder.
The Cloudveil Fiend Robe surged and rolled, pure white clouds encircling its body in endless flow.
For a moment, both friend and foe could not help but stare.
“Good!” Tie Guzheng rejoiced.
Yang Sanyan also let out a breath of relief.
“As expected of Little Zhuo!”
“My family’s Jiao Ma is the best!”
Sun Lingtong and Qing Chi were overjoyed, all worry gone.
A sharp glint flashed in the paper clone’s eyes as she pressed the four Golden Core Ghost Generals into a desperate defense. Seizing a flaw, she drove one back and finally rushed inward to strike at the unmoving Mourning Music Ghost Performer.
A Nascent Soul-level Ghost General intervened, blocking her at the critical moment.
The paper clone was furious!
She knew that had been a supreme opportunity. Having missed it, another might not come.
Sure enough, the Vanguard General’s side reacted swiftly, dispatching some of their number to reinforce the Mourning Music Ghost Performer.
Ning Zhuo’s gaze shifted as well. “Mother, we should quickly kill that ghost cultivator holding the candle and cut off the enemy’s teleportation route!”
He wished to reinforce, but the Buddhist Physician Meng Yao said, “I must conserve my strength, Little Zhuo.”
“The enemy has already been deterred.”
“If I unleash myself recklessly, my time of clarity will shorten drastically.”
“Do not worry. The City Lord’s true body will certainly act!”
“You may begin preparing your spell—prepare to burn this giant paper effigy.”
“So soon?” Ning Zhuo asked in surprise.
The next moment, the entire city shook. Vast waves surged, the Ink River roared, and the Yin Tide rose wildly!
The South City Gate suddenly shut, and the White Paper Immortal City began to ascend!