Xu Deling was a prodigy, fully capable of effortlessly fighting opponents above her cultivation level.
However, facing three late-stage third-tier Red Jade Scorpions simultaneously was pushing the limits of her endurance.
The remaining three scorpions charged straight at Xu Chuan.
With a flip of his hand, the Heavy Profound Seal materialized above his palm.
"Suppress!" he commanded.
The Heavy Profound Seal flew into the air above the scorpions. The spiritual pressure of a descending mountain crushed down, causing their bodies to instantly sink under the weight.
"Fall!"
Rapidly expanding to nearly eighty feet in size, the Heavy Profound Seal crashed down like a miniature mountain.
One of the late-stage third-tier Red Jade Scorpions was too slow to dodge and was crushed beneath the Heavy Profound Seal on the spot.
The scorpion's carapace cracked, covered in a web of pale white fissures.
It was clearly in a state of severe injury.
At the same time, the might of the Sword of the Azure Dragon showed no signs of weakening.
Even while controlling two high-grade magic treasures simultaneously, Xu Chuan did not feel the slightest bit strained.
The rest of the group—Ye Fan, Xu Deyue, Xu Mingyuan, Xu Mingshu, and Xu Mingxuan—fended off the remaining dozen or so early and mid-stage third-tier Red Jade Scorpions.
From time to time, they also had to deal with sneak attacks from numerous first and second-tier scorpions.
A battle of this scale was more than enough to significantly increase their combat experience.
As for Xu Mingxian, under the enhancement of Xu Chuan's secret method, he concealed his aura and dove into the sea of sand.
Following Xu Mingxuan's directions, he made his way toward the location of the fourth-tier mineral vein.
About seven or eight minutes later.
He located a section of the fourth-tier mineral vein.
After some investigation, he found that the vein stretched for more than three miles.
If mined, it would yield a massive amount of Blazing Sun Flame Gold ore.
It would be incredibly difficult for an early-stage Golden Core cultivator to extract such a large vein. Even for Golden Core completion stage cultivators, it would require a team of four or five working together.
And the time it would take would not be short, either.
Therefore, Xu Chuan had handed this task over to the Profound Yin Corpse King.
"First, set up the array," he muttered.
Xu Mingxian focused his mind and activated the formation flags of the Cloud Heaven Illusionary Array.
A moment later.
The entire fourth-tier mineral vein was enveloped within the grand array.
A thick fog shrouded its outer perimeter.
The Red Jade Scorpions were not like the Chi of the battlefield; the Bewildering Tracks Array would be highly effective against them.
Furthermore, the Cloud Heaven Illusionary Array possessed powerful illusion effects. Even if mid to late-stage third-tier Red Jade Scorpions entered it, they would be trapped for a long time.
With the grand array established.
Xu Mingxian immediately patted the Yin Corpse Pouch at his waist and said in a low voice, "Senior Profound Yin, extracting the mineral vein will depend on you."
Whoosh!
A dim gray streak of light flew out in response.
It landed, revealing the tall, icy figure of the Profound Yin Corpse King.
The corpse qi around him was restrained, yet a terrifying chill naturally emanated from his body.
Hearing Xu Mingxian's words, his crimson ghost eyes glanced at the young man. His voice carried zero emotion, "Xuan Yin will naturally obey the Master's orders."
His tone was cold; it was obvious he did not think much of Xu Mingxian.
Xu Mingxian did not mind.
Everyone in the Xu clan had their own division of labor.
He only needed to control the formation and prevent any other scorpions from disturbing the process.
The Profound Yin Corpse King said no more and stepped toward the edge of the vein.
He slowly raised both palms, and the dormant corpse qi around his body suddenly erupted!
A violent energy radiating freezing yin qi surged out like a tidal wave. In just a few breaths, it blanketed the entire winding Blazing Sun Flame Gold vein.
"Rise for me!"
The Corpse King let out a low roar, the outpouring of his energy intensifying.
Rumble!
In an instant, the earth shook and the mountains trembled!
Centered around the vein, the sea of sand for over three miles in every direction boiled like a pot of porridge, violently churning and collapsing!
Endless yellow sand cascaded like flowing water into the massive sinkhole forming at the center.
Continuous, muffled cracking and booming sounds echoed from the ground, rumbling like distant thunder!
The sheer magnitude of the disturbance far exceeded the aftershocks of any previous battle, as if a gigantic beast were rolling over deep within the earth!
Such an earth-shattering spectacle naturally caught the attention of both Xu Chuan and the Red Jade Scorpions.
They snapped their heads toward the collapsing region in the distance. Their compound eyes first showed shock, which quickly morphed into monstrous fury.
"You're stealing the mineral vein?!"
One of the peak third-tier Red Jade Scorpions roared, "How is this possible?! How could mere Golden Core stage cultivators shake and extract an entire fourth-tier mineral vein?!"
A violent wave of mental energy swept out, attempting to investigate the situation.
However, the area was already shrouded by Xu Mingxian's grand array.
Their divine sense could not pierce through to see what was happening inside.
One peak third-tier scorpion tried to rush over and check the vein.
The Sword of the Azure Dragon extended a dragon claw, forcing the beast back.
Xu Chuan smiled faintly. "Don't get distracted during a fight. Otherwise, you'll die."
The two scorpions were enraged, but they had to admit that Xu Chuan indeed possessed the strength to heavily injure or even kill them.
In just a few moments.
The previously injured late-stage third-tier Red Jade Scorpion had already been slain by Xu Chuan.
And another one had sustained injuries.
Seeing this, the peak third-tier beast had no choice but to order some lower-tier scorpions to investigate the situation.
On the distant battlefield.
The Red Jade Scorpion King, currently locked in a fierce battle with Moyue, also sensed the changes at the mineral vein.
"Cunning, shameless humans!!!"
It bellowed in anger. Its massive pincers unleashed a monstrous wave of molten lava, temporarily forcing Moyue back as its colossal body tried to turn and lunge toward the vein.
"Hmph! Do you think I am an existence you can simply dismiss at will?"
The transformed flood dragon, Moyue, let out a cold snort, freezing light erupting from his dragon eyes. "Stay right here!"
His massive and powerful dragon tail tore through the air, carrying world-toppling force. Striking first despite moving later, it violently whipped into the side of the Scorpion King!
Bang!
The Scorpion King was sent flying sideways for over a mile.
A couple of cracks appeared on its lava-like carapace, and its hisses were filled with agony and rage.
When it tried to charge toward the vein again, Moyue was already upon it, sticking to it like a shadow.
A deadly weave of freezing breath and vicious dragon claws made it impossible for the beast to break free.
The Scorpion King was infuriated but helpless. It could only vent its anger on Moyue while praying that none of these humans would actually be able to extract the mineral vein.
A large swarm of low-tier Red Jade Scorpions barged into the perimeter of Xu Mingxian's Cloud Heaven Illusionary Array. Like clay oxen entering the sea, they were instantly swallowed by the thick fog.
Plunged into illusions and the Bewildering Tracks Array, they completely lost all sense of direction.
They could not even transmit a single message out.
The ground continued its relentless rumbling.
Time ticked away, second by second.
About thirty minutes later.
The collapse deep within the sandy sea reached a critical point.
Roar!
A bellow overflowing with majestic corpse qi exploded from the depths of the earth, shooting straight up into the clouds!
"Fourth-tier spiritual pressure!"
Whether it was the third-tier scorpions or the Scorpion King, horror washed over all of them.
"You actually have a fourth-tier helper?!" The Scorpion King glared at Moyue.
Moyue merely replied coldly, "None of your business!"
Before the roar even faded.
Immediately following it.
Amidst the chaotic storm of collapsing sand and exploding rock, a grayish-black figure pierced through the sandy waves and shot into the sky!
It was precisely the Profound Yin Corpse King.
Xu Mingxian flew out closely behind him.
Along the way, he had even scooped up the corpse of an ancient cultivator buried somewhere in the sand, tossing it into his storage ring.
To extract the fourth-tier mineral vein, the Profound Yin Corpse King had exhausted a tremendous amount of energy.
At this moment, the corpse qi seething around his body was boiling so violently that he couldn't completely rein it in.
Hovering over his open palm, tightly bound by corpse qi, was a miniature crimson-gold mineral vein barely a foot long.
With the vein uprooted from the earth, its original location had utterly caved in.
This triggered a massive explosion, as though the sky were falling and the earth shattering!
Witnessing this scene, a bright smile bloomed on Xu Chuan's face. "I'm done playing with you all. Let's go!" he declared loudly.
Before his words even faded, he commanded the Sword of the Azure Dragon to launch a frenzied assault.
Screech!
Thwack!
Unable to dodge in time, the two peak third-tier scorpions were sent tumbling backward, numerous cracks fracturing their hard shells.
Afterward, he swept up the corpses of the two late-stage third-tier scorpions on the ground, transformed into a streak of cyan light, and darted off into the distance.
The Profound Yin Corpse King and Xu Mingxian closely followed.
On the other side.
Xu Deling also abruptly unleashed her full power.
A fire phoenix cried out as golden flames explosively ignited, forcing her opponents into a hasty retreat.
Though she failed to kill them, she inflicted severe injuries.
Having no desire to drag out the fight, she quickly disengaged and fell back.
Xu Mingshu and the others employed their respective techniques, driving back the surrounding Red Jade Scorpions.
They stored away all the monster corpses littering the ground and rapidly made their exit.
Chasing right after the cyan light.
The peak third-tier scorpions and the rest of the third-tier beasts scrambled to pursue them.
However, Xu Chuan casually hurled the Heavy Profound Seal behind him, blocking their path.
The Heavy Profound Seal then reversed its course, morphing into a streak of black light that shot back into Xu Chuan's sleeve robe with a swoosh.
By then, the scorpions had entirely missed their window to give chase.
Even if a few had managed to catch up, they would only be offering up more demonic beast materials on a silver platter.
After all, there was still a formidable fourth-tier Corpse King among the group.
Watching Xu Chuan's party slip away, the Red Jade Scorpion King went completely berserk.
But Moyue had no intention of staying tangled up with it. He immediately soared off in another direction.
Its rage unquenchable, the Scorpion King bolted in hot pursuit of Moyue.
Unfortunately, its speed was still a step too slow compared to the flood dragon.
Fifteen minutes later.
It lost him completely.
Left with no other option, the Scorpion King returned in defeat.
Moyue, meanwhile, relied on his mental connection with Xu Chuan to circle back and rendezvous with the others.
Within a valley near the edge of the Foggy Area.
Moyue reverted to his human form and descended into the valley.
"You've arrived, Moyue," Xu Chuan said, greeting him with a smile.
"Let me see that fourth-tier Blazing Sun Flame Gold vein."
Xu Chuan brushed his hand over his storage ring, and the foot-long sealed crimson-gold vein materialized.
"As scorchingly hot as the sun. It's a shame its attributes don't match mine," Moyue noted.
"Were you planning to sleep on it or something?" Xu Chuan chuckled.
"I would be perfectly content to sleep on a mountain of ore."
Hearing this, everyone burst into light laughter.
Afterward, Xu Chuan stowed the mineral vein away.
He then had everyone process the Red Jade Scorpion corpses, harvesting all the useful demonic beast materials.
The sheer amount of demonic beast materials the Xu clan had acquired through their slaughter during the great tribulation was enough to last them for several decades.
For the next two months.
Xu Chuan led them to several different locations, continuously scouring the periphery of the Foggy Area for resources.
However, it was mostly Xu Mingxuan, Ye Fan, and the others who went out exploring.
Xu Chuan generally stayed behind at their camp to cultivate.
His practice of the Sword of Divine Sense secret method was already yielding results.
Even at the mere beginner stage, it was enough to damage the divine sense of Nascent Soul cultivators and fourth-tier demonic beasts.
Lately, however, he had been feeling a bit unsettled.
Suddenly.
Xu Chuan noticed some movement not far away.
It was Xu Mingxuan's group returning.
The main force tasked with scouting for resources consisted of two alternating teams: Xu Mingxuan, Ye Fan, and Xu Deyue, or Xu Mingxuan, Xu Deling, and Xu Mingyuan.
The two groups took turns venturing out.
"Why are you back so soon? You were barely gone for fifteen minutes," Xu Chuan asked.
Xu Mingxuan replied, "I was feeling extremely uneasy. My instincts told me that if we went any further, massive trouble would descend upon us."
Xu Chuan's brow furrowed slightly.
Staying within a certain radius around him was safe, but leaving that radius spelled danger.
He pondered for a moment before his eyes suddenly lit up.
"So it seems he's caught up to us," he deduced.
"Who?" Xu Mingyuan asked.
Xu Mingxian immediately realized who it must be. There was likely only one existence capable of making Xu Chuan look so serious.
"Father, is it that fourth-tier Ghost King?"
Xu Chuan gave a slight nod and briefly recounted the previous incident to them.
"To think there was such a convoluted history. It seems the Ghost King has recovered and returned for revenge. He likely intends to use us as bargaining chips against you."
Xu Mingyuan rubbed his chin. "Thankfully, Third Brother's danger intuition is astonishing. He didn't wander too far and decisively chose to retreat."
"Why are there so many fourth-tier creatures lately? I thought advancing to the Golden Core stage was already incredible," Xu Mingxuan sighed emotionally.
Xu Deling smiled. "Third Uncle, successfully completing Divine Ability Core Formation at your age makes you a renowned prodigy even back in the Azure Dragon Prefecture."
Xu Chuan spoke up. "This is the Ancient Battlefield. Naturally, there's no shortage of fourth-tier entities.
"However, there shouldn't be too many in the outer perimeter. Most of them venture deep into the battlefield in search of better opportunities.
"A portion of the Golden Core completion stage cultivators trapped at the Nascent Soul bottleneck will likely head in to try their luck at finding a Nascent Soul Formation opportunity as well."
"Going into the depths? Isn't that just seeking death?" Xu Mingxuan stared blankly.
"Yet many factions must have successfully obtained Nascent Soul Formation opportunities in the past. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so eager to enter the Ancient Battlefield."
Pausing for a moment, Xu Chuan continued, "I was originally planning to explore the depths myself after mastering a certain secret art. But given the current situation, I won't be able to rest easy until this Ghost King is eliminated."
The group instantly fell silent.
If Xu Chuan weren't around, their combined strength wouldn't even be enough to scratch a fourth-tier Ghost King.
"We're holding you back, Father," Xu Mingyuan said, cupping his fists.
Xu Chuan waved his hand dismissively and chuckled. "This is a karma of my own making. I am determined to obtain that Nine-Leaf Soul-Nourishing Lotus.
"However, since he is equally set on acquiring that spirit medicine.
"We can certainly try inviting him into a trap."
"Father, you mean..."
"Two against one. The advantage is ours!"
Xu Chuan beamed. "Let's cultivate in this valley for a while. If any Chi show up, we'll simply change locations."
"Yes, Father."
Over a month later.
Xu Chuan successfully mastered the Sword of Divine Sense.
However, he was still only at the entry-level stage. Above that were minor success, great accomplishment, and perfection.
This was the case for many divine abilities and secret arts. Due to their immense difficulty, simply practicing them didn't guarantee reaching great accomplishment, let alone perfection.
It was much like cultivation itself.
Some spent their entire lives trapped at early Foundation Establishment, while others remained stuck at early-stage Golden Core forever.
Xu Chuan flipped his palm.
A small sword, only a few inches long, hovered over his palm. It was etched with complex patterns and emitted a soft, lustrous white glow.
The sharp, oppressive sword qi it radiated was, in fact, a concentrated spiritual sense attack.
It was formed entirely from divine sense, yet appeared as solid as physical matter.
Staring at the Sword of Divine Sense, the corners of Xu Chuan's mouth curled up slightly. "With this killing move, I can finally inflict considerable damage on Nascent Soul cultivators.
"It might even be able to interrupt them from casting divine abilities."
Xu Chuan could slaughter Golden Core stage cultivators like dogs, and his greatest source of confidence was his divine sense secret methods.
Even if they attempted to self-destruct, Xu Chuan could forcefully interrupt the process.
His previous Divine Sense Silver Needle technique had fallen short when used against Nascent Soul cultivators.
Two days later.
Xu Chuan handed a Spirit Beast Pouch to Xu Mingshu and a Yin Corpse Pouch to Xu Mingyuan, before fastening another Yin Corpse Pouch and Spirit Beast Pouch to his own waist.
What followed was a staged farewell scene.
Then, riding a beam of cyan light, he flew straight toward the Foggy Area.
'Hm, he left. Where is he going?'
The Ghost King trailed him from afar for quite some distance. 'So he's heading to the Foggy Area. That makes sense. His combat strength is practically equal to a Nascent Soul cultivator, and his magic treasures, divine abilities, and even his divine soul are all top-tier.
'The only area he falls short in is his mana pool.
'It's completely normal for him to venture inside to search for a Nascent Soul Formation opportunity.'
He paused, his eyes rippling slightly, and muttered to himself, "I'm probably just overthinking it. But just in case, it wouldn't hurt to wait another two or three days before making a move."
Seven days later.
"It seems I really was worrying over nothing."
The Ghost King had waited three days, still felt uneasy, and then waited another three days. Only now did his mind finally settle.
'I've been so cautious. There's no way he could have known I was spying on them from the shadows.'
"It's time to teach these people the price of offending this King!"
The fourth-tier Ghost King let out a bizarre cackle. Morphing into a cloud of black mist, he charged straight at the camp where Xu Mingxian and the others were stationed.
Not long after.
A dark shadow cloaked in sinister ghost qi silently glided into the sky above the Xu clan's temporary camp like an owl in the night.
Its crimson ghost eyes swept over the area below before it decisively raised a massive palm swirling with ghost qi.
In a flash, freezing yin winds howled, and the sky lost its color!
Dense yin qi frantically gathered from all directions, condensing in front of its palm into a colossal, pitch-black ghost hand hundreds of feet wide that blotted out the sun.
Its palm lines were as deep and clear as ravines, wrapped in the phantom images of countless wailing resentful souls.
Carrying the terrifying momentum to crush mountains, the giant hand forcefully slammed down toward Xu Mingyuan and the others!
The horrifying fourth-tier spiritual pressure felt completely tangible.
As it descended, the very air seemed to freeze solid.
Xu Mingyuan and the others' expressions drastically changed.
Even though they had prepared for this, facing this rage-filled strike head-on still violently shook their minds.
After all, this was the first time they were personally facing an attack from a Nascent Soul-level powerhouse.
"Strike!"
Xu Mingyuan roared, forcing down the palpitations in his heart.
Before his words could echo away, Xu Deling and Xu Mingxuan responded with perfect synchrony.
Xu Deling pointed her finger, sending her Heavenly Sun Shield soaring into the sky.
Expanding against the wind, it morphed into a thick, solid layer of crimson-gold light screen that shielded them from above like an overturned bowl.
Almost simultaneously.
Xu Mingxuan deployed the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
The tower's body projected cascading layers of gorgeous, dreamlike seven-colored radiance.
Within the crimson-gold light screen, it formed an additional layer of defense that enveloped them in a thousand-foot radius.
Boom—!!!
The pitch-black ghost hand ruthlessly struck the crimson-gold light screen!
A tremendously muffled explosion detonated, sounding like two mountains crashing into each other.
At the epicenter of the collision, yin qi and crimson-gold light frantically erupted, eroding and annihilating one another!
The resentful souls bound to the ghost hand let out agonizing shrieks as they touched the crimson-gold flames, dissipating entirely.
The crimson-gold light screen quaked violently, rippling with intense waves.
Its edges even flickered wildly, clearly bearing an immense burden.
However, it was not broken!
It perfectly withstood the very first strike.
Seeing this, a flash of surprise swept across the Ghost King's crimson eyes, instantly replaced by a deep chill and cruel mockery. "A high-grade defensive magic treasure?
"You have quite a bit of heritage, it seems.
"But with mere Golden Core cultivators powering it, how long can you possibly last? Break for me!"
With that said, the Ghost King didn't rest for even a second. He raised his other ghastly hand.
Yin qi rapidly converged once more. A second, equally terrifying black ghost hand instantly took form before slamming down on top of the first!
"Activate the array!"
Just as the Ghost King was condensing his second palm.
Xu Mingxian rapidly formed hand seals, activating the pre-arranged formation flags of the Cloud Heaven Illusionary Array.
A faint layer of clouds and fog manifested out of thin air, spreading at a staggering pace and entirely isolating the battlefield from the outside world!
He simultaneously triggered the confinement formation.
If anyone wanted to leave, their only option was to forcefully shatter the grand array.
Of course, whether it was the Bewildering Tracks Array or the confinement formation, they were both merely at the early third tier. It was impossible for them to stop a Nascent Soul stage entity.
They couldn't even trap a Golden Core completion stage cultivator for very long.
For the Ghost King, all it would take was a single strike to blast open the grand array.
"An early third-tier formation? How laughable. How could such a toy possibly contain me!"
"You fools must think you aren't dying fast enough, so you decided to seal yourselves in here to die—"
The Ghost King was right in the middle of a disdainful sneer.
But the very next second, his expression froze completely.
Roar!
Awooo!
Two entirely different but equally overwhelming roars tore into the sky from the camp below!
One of them was intimately familiar to him—it was the very same transformed flood dragon that had previously laid siege to him.
The other, he had never encountered before.
Xu Mingyuan and Xu Mingshu acted in unison, firmly slapping the Yin Corpse Pouch and Spirit Beast Pouch at their waists.
A stream of grayish-black corpse qi and a flash of dark green demonic light erupted into the sky at the exact same time.
On the left, the grayish-black corpse qi coalesced into the form of the Profound Yin Corpse King, his body exuding monstrous corpse qi and his eyes burning with blazing spectral flames!
On the right was none other than Moyue, flaunting his half-human, half-dragon form.
The instant they materialized, they formed a pincer formation, flanking the Ghost King in the middle.
Freezing corpse qi and piercing dragon might, completely entangled in unrestrained killing intent, thoroughly locked onto the Ghost King.
The Ghost King's crimson eyes contracted violently. The ghost qi swirling around his body rippled chaotically from shock and fury.
"To think that after being so cautious, I still fell for your trick!"
He swept his gaze between the Profound Yin Corpse King and Moyue.
In a split second, he understood everything. Xu Chuan's departure was nothing more than a scheme to lure the tiger from its mountain.
The stratagem had been incredibly simple.
He just didn't have as much patience as Xu Chuan's group.
If he had only waited another month or two.
Xu Chuan might have actually emerged from the Foggy Area by then.
As for the array, it was purely meant to prevent him from escaping.
With the formation present, even if it could be shattered in a single blow, it would ultimately still hinder his ability to smoothly cast any evasion divine abilities.
"Only realizing it now? Too late!"
Moyue flashed a toothy grin, his slitted pupils brimming with disdain.
"I've been around for quite a while, and I have yet to see anyone outsmart Xu Chuan! You old ghost, since you didn't learn your lesson the last time, today will be the day you die!"
Meanwhile, within the Foggy Area of the battlefield.
Xu Chuan had merely ventured thirty miles inward before coming to a halt.
He feared running into an unexpected situation that might trap him and prevent him from returning in time.
'It's done.'
Upon receiving Moyue's mental signal, Xu Chuan immediately summoned his evasion light, morphing into a streak of cyan rainbow that shot right out of the Foggy Area.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Xu Chuan had already returned to the camp.
He saw the Ghost King, Moyue, and the Corpse King locked in a vicious, inseparable brawl.
Moyue's dark green flood dragon form writhed and coiled in his attempt to strangle the enemy. His freezing breath and merciless dragon claws constantly ripped away at the billowing ghost qi.
The Profound Yin Corpse King acted like a heavy hammer completely fearless of death. His massive fists and sharp claws, condensed with vile corpse qi, fiercely collided with the Ghost King, letting out series of deafening booms.
Surrounded and under siege, the Ghost King rapidly transformed his ghost qi into thousands of forms.
One moment, it morphed into countless wailing skull heads biting wildly at the air; the next, it whipped up a storm of grayish-white yin winds that gnawed at the bones and corroded souls.
Wherever the yin winds passed, even the spiritual qi in the air was polluted and corrupted. It constantly sought to pierce through Moyue and the Corpse King's protective demonic light and corpse qi.
Ghost Dao divine abilities were eerie and vicious. They had temporarily managed to hold off the vicious assault of two mighty fourth-tier existences.
Yet, it was overwhelmingly clear that the Ghost King was struggling just to parry the blows. Fresh wounds continuously opened across his ghostly form, leaking large amounts of yin qi.
Down below.
A crimson-gold light screen and a seven-colored light screen stood strong, shielding the rest of the group.
They weren't foolish or arrogant enough to try to intervene in a Nascent Soul-level battlefield, so they simply stayed put behind the magic treasure's protection and quietly observed the fight.
"Grandfather is back," Xu Deling called out.
Possessing Spirit Eyes, she was the very first to spot Xu Chuan.
Xu Chuan spared them a single glance, and seeing that they were unharmed, charged straight onto the battlefield.
The Azure Dragon Treasure Umbrella spun rapidly above his head, letting down its familiar cyan-gold light screen to protect his body.
Simultaneously, he cast a sword art, and a clear, resonant dragon roar echoed through the air once more.
The twenty-eight flying swords shot out in rapid succession, instantly assembling into a majestic, claw-waving Sword of the Azure Dragon with sword qi that pierced the heavens.
Baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, the sword dragon, carrying peerlessly sharp sword light, savagely crashed into the Ghost King from the flank!
"You hateful little thief! This is all your fault!"
The Ghost King was apoplectic with rage, but facing a three-pronged assault, the pressure on him multiplied exponentially.
"Natural treasures are claimed by those destined for them. We happened to come across it. Ghost King, if you couldn't beat us to it, how is that our fault?
"Besides, weren't you relentlessly hounding me simply because my cultivation level looked weak and easy to bully?
"Why didn't I see you trying to ambush the Nascent Soul senior from back then instead?" Xu Chuan retorted.
"It's fine that you stole the lotus seeds, but the Nine-Leaf Soul-Nourishing Lotus requires tremendous amounts of yin qi and yin souls to cultivate! Taking it is useless because you cannot properly nurture it! As long as you hand it back over to this King!
"This King will immediately leave! I can even bestow some treasures upon you as compensation!"
"Whether or not we continue cultivating it is not something for you to worry about, Ghost King. As for the treasures... this junior will naturally be taking those as well!"
"Despicable!"
The Ghost King's crimson eyes remained furiously locked on Xu Chuan.
Letting out a terrifying screech, he obstinately chose to attack Xu Chuan directly, completely disregarding the combined pincer attack of Moyue, the Corpse King, and the Sword of the Azure Dragon.
Xu Chuan, naturally, had no intention of fighting him head-on.
His ability to contest with a Nascent Soul cultivator relied heavily on his magic treasures.
His own divine ability combat strength still fell a bit short.
The Ghost King knew just as well that Xu Chuan was the core of their entire group.
Hence, even as his injuries mounted, he put everything on the line to batter Xu Chuan's cyan-gold light screen.
In just a brief moment.
The cyan-gold light screen was already littered with cracks.
Believing he had found a glimmer of hope, the Ghost King completely ignored a devastating punch from the Profound Yin Corpse King aimed straight at his waist.
His entire body's ghost qi insanely gathered into both hands, shaping into two unthinkably massive, pitch-black ghost claws.
One claw barely managed to parry Moyue's sweeping dragon tail strike, while the other viciously slashed right at Xu Chuan!
Bang!
The Corpse King's heavy fist squarely slammed into the Ghost King's side. The strike sent his ghostly form trembling violently as yin qi splashed in all directions.
But by taking the hit head-on, his full-powered swipe solidly slammed into Xu Chuan's cyan-gold light screen!
Crack—!
Having already sustained too many attacks and suffered considerable wear, the Azure Dragon Treasure Umbrella's light screen shattered like fragile glass under the weight of this fury-fueled blow!
The fragments of the light screen scattered and dissipated into nothingness.
A flash of savage delight crossed the Ghost King's eyes.
It was as if he could already envision this utterly detestable human cultivator being ripped to shreds by his ghost claws in the very next second.
He forcefully gathered the last of his yin qi, turning into a cloud of ghost mist to dodge the subsequent attacks from Moyue, the Corpse King, and the Sword of the Azure Dragon. With a rapid flash, he appeared right in front of Xu Chuan.
"Die for me!"
Gripping a long spear forged purely from yin qi, the Ghost King fiercely thrusted it forward.
Naturally, a shield immediately materialized in front of Xu Chuan, blocking the lethal strike.
This shield looked incredibly ancient in design. Made of neither metal nor jade, a murky, gray radiance flowed smoothly across its surface.
Hiss—
The Ghost King's yin qi spear, a strike with enough power to bore a hole straight through a mountain peak, merely provoked a series of barely perceptible ripples as it slammed into the Primordial Magnetic Light Screen.
Like a pebble tossed into a bottomless pond, it immediately returned to absolute calm.
Upon witnessing this scene.
The Ghost King's pupils shrank to pinpricks, his inner horror finally plunging into a dark, icy despair.
He instantly realized that the grade of this shield was absolutely not something he could pierce in his current state.
In that fleeting moment of lost composure.
Xu Chuan had already morphed into a streak of cyan light and darted back hundreds of feet.
Moyue's freezing breath and the Corpse King's deadly corpse qi once again arrived to strike!
The Ghost King howled miserably as his ghastly frame grew increasingly dim and his aura heavily withered. He had suffered devastating injuries.
He glared venomously at Xu Chuan. "What a hidden trump card! What a profound scheme!"
"To think that after living for two to three thousand years, I would actually suffer such a catastrophic loss by your hands!"
He genuinely never expected a Golden Core stage cultivator like Xu Chuan to possess such a mighty magic treasure.
Though he didn't know the exact grade of that shield, he knew with absolute certainty that it was an item countless Nascent Soul cultivators would fight to the death over.
"You all forced my hand!"
Pushed to the absolute brink, the Ghost King unleashed a hysterical roar.
The ghost qi swirling around his body suddenly collapsed inward before violently erupting outwards!
It looked as though he were preparing to put his life on the line for a final clash, but surprisingly—
Swish! Swish! Swish!
From within the dense yin qi, three nearly identical phantom figures of the Ghost King instantly separated and dashed out.
Each figure carried an incredibly substantial aura, making it impossible to distinguish true from false. The three figures frantically fled in completely different directions—east, south, and west—at unparalleled speeds!
Witnessing this, Moyue and the Profound Yin Corpse King almost instinctively picked a target and gave chase.
Xu Chuan's eyes flashed, and he immediately commanded the Sword of the Azure Dragon to pursue the remaining one.
'Three figures? Is it really that coincidental?'
Filled with suspicion, Xu Chuan kept his eyes locked tightly onto the thick residual yin qi.
As expected!
From within the gradually dissipating yin qi.
An exceptionally faint, tiny dark shadow with an almost perfectly concealed aura drifted toward the edge of the grand array like a phantom!
"I didn't manage to master it last time, but this time, I'll let you experience a Nascent Soul-tier divine sense secret method!" Xu Chuan sneered.
Almost the very instant the dark shadow moved, a brilliant light blazed between his eyebrows.
The newly formed Sword of Divine Sense within his spiritual sea had already broken through space and slashed out!
Formless and intangible, its speed was far beyond anything a movement technique could ever match.
"Ahhh!"
A scream far more tragic and agonizing than any heard prior violently ripped from the dark shadow!
The tiny dark shadow was seen writhing and tumbling erratically.
Its condensed yin qi rapidly melted away and scattered like ice exposed to the blazing sun, revealing the main body of the Ghost King hidden within!
By now, his aura had completely plummeted.
This single strike from Xu Chuan's Sword of Divine Sense had caused damage more severe than all of his previous injuries combined.
"Xuan Yin, Moyue, don't let the others escape! They must contain portions of the Ghost King's origin, which is why it's so hard to tell them apart!"
Based on the Ghost King's injuries, Xu Chuan accurately deduced the mechanics behind his secret method.
After all, while the Sword of Divine Sense was formidable, its effectiveness depended entirely on the user's divine sense strength.
If the Ghost King had been in his prime, this strike would have certainly injured him, but nowhere near to this devastating degree.
A Ghost King's divine sense was inherently stronger than that of a human cultivator, not to mention that he was at the peak of the early-stage Nascent Soul realm.
To be wounded this gravely—aside from his previous injuries—Xu Chuan could only attribute it to the backlash of that very escape technique.
"How did you guess it?"
Xu Chuan offered no reply.
His only goal now was to capitalize on his enemy's moment of weakness and take his life!
"Slash!"
"Slash!"
It was a golden opportunity he couldn't afford to waste.
Fighting through the nauseating dizziness brought on by repeatedly activating the Sword of Divine Sense, Xu Chuan mercilessly launched two more consecutive strikes!
Consequently, his complexion turned deathly pale.
"No!"
The Ghost King's miserable shrieks finally began to fade.
His battered ghost phantom was on the verge of total dispersion, his aura so hollowed out that he struggled to even maintain a physical shape.
It was only then that Xu Chuan flicked his sleeve robe, unfurling the Hundred Ghost Banner.
"Go! Devour him! With this, you will definitely advance to the fourth-tier Ghost King realm!"
"Kekeke—"
A ferocious, greedy, and intensely excited hiss rang out.
The Blood Fiend Ghost King shot out like a thick beam of bloody light!
He had long been driven restless and agitated by the pure and overwhelming Ghost King aura swirling outside.
Now, catching the scent of a fourth-tier Ghost King's origin soul qi weakened to the absolute extreme, he reacted like a starving beast spotting the most supreme delicacy, lunging forward without the slightest hesitation.
Naturally, the Ghost King tried to resist.
The two ghostly phantoms viciously tangled with one another, but the fully primed Blood Fiend clearly had the upper hand!
After all, in terms of foundational strength, he was truly only one minor opportunity away from reaching the fourth tier himself.
Even without this feast, giving him a few years, or perhaps a dozen, he would have eventually crossed the threshold safely.
But Xu Chuan didn't have time to wait.
'It looks like I need to lend him a hand.'
Xu Chuan formed a seal with his fingers and lightly guided it through the air.
The Origin Life and Death Seal flew out from his dantian, morphing into streaks of black and white light that slammed directly into the fourth-tier Ghost King.
Its devastating suppressive effect on the Ghost Dao had already been proven long before.
And right now, it was absolutely not something a desperately weakened Ghost King could withstand.
Heavily wounded yet again, the Ghost King's defenses crumbled, allowing the Blood Fiend Ghost King to wildly accelerate his devouring process.