"What in the world is this?!" Ji Zidian’s expression darkened slightly. "Her soul has already scattered, yet she can still control the fog?"
Jiang Ling’er asked, "Could it be that she isn’t dead yet?"
Not dead?
Ji Zidian shook her head confidently. "The aura from that female ghost was at the third or fourth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage at most. My Wind-Thunder Talisman Sword Art is something even an expert at the seventh level of the Foundation Establishment Stage couldn’t withstand. She’s absolutely, positively dead!"
Wang Xiu held his breath and focused his attention. "There must be accomplices," he said. "And judging by the density of this fog, they’re far stronger than she was."
GIGGLE... GIGGLE...
Within the fog-shrouded jungle, clear, bell-like laughter rang out.
"Hehe, what a handsome young sir!"
"We sisters have devoured over a hundred men in this forest, yet we’ve never seen one as handsome as you."
"Young sir, you look so full of vigor. Your Yang energy must be quite potent. Why not stay and play with us sisters? We guarantee you’ll experience the greatest pleasure in the world."
[Ding!]
[Someone has been detected bragging. Congratulations to the Host for receiving +6 Mana.]
In the foggy woods, white shadows drifted past, fleeting in an instant. At a glance, there were at least a dozen Malicious Ghosts, each emitting an aura that was firmly at the Foundation Establishment Stage or higher and radiating dense Demonic Qi.
This meant they had devoured humans!
Furthermore, judging by the density of the Demonic Qi surrounding them, the number of people they had eaten was substantial, likely numbering in the hundreds as they claimed!
"Wretched creatures!" Ji Zidian’s phoenix-like brows arched in fury, her face contorting with unprecedented rage.
CLANG!
As if sensing its master’s fury, the Celestial Heart Sword hummed and shot from its sheath. In an instant, wind and thunder raged. A massive beam of sword light swept out in the direction the Celestial Heart Sword pointed, clearing the fog in a ten-meter radius around Ji Zidian.
Screams of agony echoed through the mist, quickly followed by venomous curses and furious denunciations.
"Bitch!"
"Don’t get cocky! You won’t be able to keep that up for long!"
"This fog will gradually corrode your Mana and confuse your minds."
"KEK-KEK-KEK-KEK!"
"Before long, your Mana will be exhausted. Then we’ll see how we deal with you!"
The Malicious Ghosts weren’t making idle threats. Although Ji Zidian’s sword light had swept the immediate area clean, new fog quickly billowed in to take its place, rendering her effort futile. As the fog grew denser, the group’s vision became almost completely obscured. Even their Divine Sense could only probe three to five meters away; anything further was a complete blur.
"Senior Brother, hehe~"
"Kiss me, hehe~"
"Hold me, hehe~"
"Mmm, Senior Brother, don’t... hehe~"
Jiang Ling’er, having the lowest Cultivation Level, had already lost her mind to the fog. Her face was flushed red, and she seemed absolutely ecstatic.
What in the world...? Wang Xiu pressed a hand to his forehead. What do the girls in this cultivation world even think about all day?!
Seeing Jiang Ling’er’s dazed expression as she puckered her lips and lunged toward him, Ji Zidian rolled her eyes and delivered a swift chop to the back of Jiang Ling’er’s neck.
"This girl has lost her senses. If we don’t knock her out, she’ll only drag us down!" The purple-haired girl’s expression turned solemn. "Junior Brother, I once learned a Spell in the Scripture Pavilion called the Wind God’s Evil-Banishing Chant. It should be able to disperse this ghostly fog. However, I need to concentrate completely while casting it and cannot be disturbed by anyone, otherwise, it’s very easy to suffer a cultivation deviation."
Wang Xiu’s expression turned thoughtful. "I will stand guard for you, Senior Sister!" he said earnestly.
"Good."
Ji Zidian nodded slightly and immediately sat cross-legged on the ground. She closed her eyes tightly as her ten fingers rapidly formed a series of hand seals, and a grand, majestic aura began to rise around her.
"Vast is the sky, clear is the earth, where Heaven and Earth conjoin their essence."
"Gods of the Nine Heavens, bestow upon me tranquil fortune."
"All evils recede, all wickedness purged."
As Ji Zidian recited the incantation, a powerful wind suddenly began to blow through the forest. This ghostly fog was a condensation of Yin energy that ordinary mountain winds couldn’t disperse, but under her Wind God’s Evil-Banishing Chant, the dense mist began to thin.
SWISH!
From within the dissipating fog, several silk ribbons shot out, aiming straight for Ji Zidian. Clearly, the Malicious Ghosts knew they couldn’t let her finish her Spell. If the fog was scattered, their home-field advantage would be drastically weakened.
"Heh," Wang Xiu scoffed. "With me standing guard, did you really think I’d let you harm Senior Sister Ji? Who do you take me for?!"
"Activate!"
With a soft cry, the Black Tortoise Mirror in Wang Xiu’s hand flared with brilliant green light. It shot forth, expanding hundreds of times as it flew through the air, and formed a protective dome that enveloped Ji Zidian, Jiang Ling’er, and Wang Xiu. It remained completely impervious to the ribbons’ attacks.
The Black Tortoise Mirror! It was Luo Binglan’s favorite piece of equipment in her youth. It could be used for both offense and defense and had multiple functions. It had only been severely damaged when she was ganged up on, causing it to degrade to the level of a Magic Artifact. Otherwise, it would have been considered a top-tier item even among Spiritual Artifacts.
And these pathetic little Malicious Ghosts at the Foundation Establishment Stage thought they could break its defenses?
CLANG!
More silk ribbons shot out from the fog, wrapping tightly around the Black Tortoise Mirror while slithering like vipers, trying to probe for any gaps in the turtle shell’s defense.
"Wind God manifest, dissipate the mist!"
"Heavenly energies shatter evil, leaving nowhere to hide!"
"DISPERSE!"
Under the protection of the turtle shell, Ji Zidian’s Wind God’s Evil-Banishing Chant finally reached its conclusion. In that instant, a ferocious gale howled between heaven and earth, sending sand and stones flying as it swept through everything. The ghostly fog, once so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, was instantly blown away without a trace.
"Junior Brother!" Ji Zidian opened her eyes, her brow furrowing slightly. "Why did it get so dark?"
Her Divine Sense burst forth, and after a quick scan of their surroundings, her expression also became peculiar. "Your Magic Artifact... is... surprisingly useful."
CLANG!
The Celestial Heart Sword was drawn again. The silk ribbons tightly wound around the Black Tortoise Mirror snapped one by one, and the mirror shrank back to the size of a palm, which Wang Xiu retrieved.
"Wretched creatures!" Ji Zidian sneered, her sword in hand as she stared at the dozen or so white-robed Malicious Ghosts drifting in the woods. "Let’s see what other tricks you have up your sleeves!"
Without the interference of the ghostly fog, Ji Zidian was completely unafraid, even though the Malicious Ghosts before her were all at the fourth or fifth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage. After all, the disciples of the Sanqing Immortal Sect were all famous for their combat prowess. And the Thunder Sect was one of the most formidable legacies even within the Sanqing Immortal Sect.
Forget ten of them—even twenty such ghosts, with their shallow foundations built on devouring mortals, were beneath her notice!
"KEK-KEK-KEK-KEK!" The leading ghost laughed coquettishly. "My, my, little sister, you’re quite impressive. It seems just the few of us won’t be enough to defeat you!"
"Sisters, come on out!"
"Let’s give our distinguished guests a proper welcome!"
The moment her words fell, an eerie wind swept through the forest. One after another, white, ghostly figures emerged. All of them were Malicious Ghosts at the Foundation Establishment Stage, numbering thirty to forty in total. Their Cultivation Levels were generally at the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage, with quite a few even at the seventh!
"How is this possible?!" Ji Zidian’s pupils contracted sharply. "How could so many Malicious Ghosts appear in Maple City without the Sanqing Immortal Sect receiving any news?! You! Just what are your origins?!!"