Chapter 40: Celestial Fire Kills the Enemy
Chapter 40: Celestial Fire Kills the Enemy
The Qiankun Ring Within the Sleeve, a small trinket Deputy Sect Leader Chen Ji of the Xuanxin Sect had once played with. Currently, it stored the Sixth Rank spell – Celestial Fire Technique.
An overwhelming aura erupted from the ring, instantly dominating the entire area. Terrifying fluctuations of Magic Power swept over the Purple Lake, then abruptly locked onto the nearby Cultivator Ghost Weeping like the fiery gaze of a dragon turning back. The latter was scared out of his wits by this aura, thinking he had encountered some ancient monster in disguise. His thoughts and movements utterly froze as he watched a dazzling stream of fiery rope “swish” down onto him…
“Hiss…”
The Ghost Cultivator barrier, which had easily endured several Third Grade spells without damage, suddenly screamed as countless vengeful spirits shrieked the moment the celestial fire touched its surface. They vaporized instantly, revealing a horribly distorted face filled with terror inside.
“No! No!!!”
Ghost Weeping finally let out a desperate wail at the last moment, frantically throwing out all sorts of Spiritual Artifacts and Talismans…
It was useless!
Every Fourth Grade Ghost Cultivator spell was like a dewdrop thrown into a bonfire before the Sixth Rank Celestial Fire Technique. Before even making contact, they vaporized instantly under the terrifying high temperature, and then…
Like a fiercely struggling moth, Ghost Weeping “poofed” and ignited completely, vanishing into the bonfire.
Ghost Weeping, a Fourth Grade Ghost Cultivator under the command of the Yellow Spring Demon… perished!
His soul didn’t even manage to escape before it was evaporated by the residual heat of the Celestial Fire Technique.
Clack.
Something dropped from directly above the spot where Ghost Weeping’s corpse had vanished.
Lu Hangzhi glanced at it. It was a black pearl, seemingly imprisoning countless vengeful spirits; ghostly shadows flickered densely within. His eyelid twitched violently as he quickly grabbed it with his power.
Wails and cries like a landslide and tsunami surged into his mind.
Ice-cold, his brain froze instantly.
Lu Hangzhi felt only a powerful tide of vengeful resentment aggressively rushing towards him, invading his body…
Meow!
The Mirror Spirit Cat suddenly bristled, springing out too fast for the eye to catch. It slapped the black pearl out of Lu Hangzhi’s hand with its paw before landing back on his shoulder.
The tide of vengeful resentment receded from his body like a flood tide.
Regaining control of his body, when Lu Hangzhi came back to his senses, his gaze upon the black pearl held both fear and awe.
That was close!
Fortunately, the Mirror Spirit Cat sensed something wrong with the black Soul Pearl and acted in time, or he would have likely been forcefully seized by countless vengeful spirits.
After acting, the Mirror Spirit Cat calmed down again, but its pupils were fixed intently on the black Soul Pearl on the ground, seemingly warning its master to be very, very careful.
Lu Hangzhi sank into thought.
Everything Ghost Weeping possessed had been burned to nothing by the Celestial Fire Technique, yet this object alone remained intact. It was definitely extraordinary.
“I’ll take it back and let Master see it.”
With that thought, Lu Hangzhi carefully used his power to lift the black Soul Pearl and move it into his Qiankun Pouch. Only then did he relax, turning towards the group of Cultivators by the Purple Lake.
Events had changed too quickly!
With Ghost Weeping’s death, all the body-snatched Ghost Cultivators lost mobility and collapsed. The fighting at the Purple Lake had ceased.
However, the group of Third Grade Cultivators, including Zhu Fuqin and Elder Xu, still hadn’t recovered from the shock of Ghost Weeping’s demise.
Or rather…
They were still trapped by the terrifying fluctuation of Magic Power that had erupted so abruptly.
“What just happened…”
“Master wasn’t entirely at ease about me leaving the sect this time, so he specially gave me one protective item. Sadly, I received it not long ago and haven’t had the chance to use it until now… Otherwise, Elder Zhu wouldn’t have lost his life. Senior Sister, please accept my condolences.” Lu Hangzhi walked up to the group, offering an explanation and apology.
Elder Xu and the others immediately regarded him with profound respect.
So the earlier spell fluctuation really had come from Lu Hangzhi!
Though grief-stricken, Zhu Fuqin still had her wits. She gave a bitter shake of her head at his words. “You can’t blame yourself for this, Junior Brother. The fault lies with the Yellow Spring Demon; I will hold him accountable sooner or later. What pains me is that you had to use the Magical Artifact Deputy Sect Leader Chen entrusted to you because of this mission…”
“The Magical Artifact is of little consequence, Senior Sister; don’t fret about it. But what that Ghost Cultivator said before his death seems true. If the Yellow Spring Demon has truly returned to life, taken multiple Marketplaces, and is about to lay siege to Violet Cloud Town soon, we must quickly devise a countermeasure. Otherwise, Violet Cloud Town will likely fall.”
Prompted by Lu Hangzhi, everyone snapped out of their joyful relief at their narrow escape.
Ghost Weeping was dead, but behind him stood an even more powerful, notorious Ghost Cultivator!
Gloom settled over the entire group.
“Our entire force was nearly wiped out by one Ghost Weeping,” Elder Xu said solemnly, stepping in front of Lu Hangzhi and clasping his hands in a formal salute. “Violet Cloud Town absolutely cannot withstand a second such ordeal. Honorable Lu Hangzhi, I implore you to set off immediately and return to the Xuanxin Sect. Inform Deputy Sect Leader Chen Ji of these events, and beseech the mighty Cultivators of the Xuanxin Sect to intervene and save Violet Cloud Town from peril.”
The Guard Camp Cultivators behind him saluted in unison:
“Honorable Lu Hangzhi, we beseech your righteous aid!”
“Senior Sister, what about you?” Lu Hangzhi asked, glancing at Elder Zhu’s body, then at Zhu Fuqin.
Zhu Fuqin’s original mission was to unify the three major families of Violet Cloud Town. Yet unforeseen tragedy struck – her father perished, along with most of the town’s Cultivators. Powerless against Ghost Weeping, her ambitions had been thoroughly crushed. Still caught between sorrow and confusion, she gave a bitter smile.
“My father is gone. I must stay at the Zhu Residence to soothe the populace and maintain stability. This errand… I entrust it entirely to you, Junior Brother.”
Lu Hangzhi nodded firmly.
“Time is of the essence. I depart now to report back to the sect!”
With that, the group returned to Violet Cloud Town.
Reaching his residence, Lu Hangzhi tossed an Essence Spirit Fruit to his Divine Crane. The crane soared into the sky.
He didn’t know.
Not long after he left Violet Cloud Town, a shadowy figure arrived near the Purple Lake. Its blurred form radiated a chilling air of vengeful spirits.
“So that’s Violet Cloud Town. Senior Brother Ghost Weeping’s aura ends… here?” Reaching the epicenter of the fierce battle, the shadow halted. Sensing the residual aura of the Sixth Rank spell, its eyes flashed with shock and alarm. It swiftly spun around and vanished back into the darkness.
A Sixth Rank Cultivator!
The aura of a peak Mid Stage Epiphany Stage powerhouse!
“Violet Cloud Town is guarded by a True Disciple of the Xuanxin Sect. I must inform our Master at once!”
The Ghost Cultivator sent by the Yellow Spring Demon retreated in utter panic.
Unbeknownst to the Cultivators of Violet Cloud Town, because of that single “Celestial Fire Technique,” the entire town had temporarily dodged a catastrophe.
…
Acting with urgency, Lu Hangzhi continuously urged and fed more Essence Spirit Fruits to his Divine Crane, pushing it to maximum speed. By dawn, they arrived back at the sect.
“Master!”
Luo Hangzhi swiftly found his master, Chen Ji, in the Golden Jade Hall. Chen Ji seemed to have expected something, waiting there already. His gaze swept briefly over the Qiankun Ring Within the Sleeve, then rested on the black Soul Pearl Lu Hangzhi retrieved from his Qiankun Pouch. His expression changed immediately.
“Soul Pearl?”
Chen Ji’s face turned solemn as he summoned it onto his palm.
“Be careful, Master.”
“Fine. Just some ordinary restless spirits and resentful souls. They can’t harm me,” Chen Ji replied. “Where did you get this?”
Lu Hangzhi hurriedly recounted everything he had witnessed in Violet Cloud Town.
As Chen Ji listened, the gravity in his gaze intensified, until finally, murderous intent flared.
“Yellow Spring Demon! A hundred years ago, you fiend, you luckily escaped death. Now, a hundred years later, you revive your old ways? Worse, you dare prey upon disciples of my Xuanxin Sect!”
“Master, I implore you to rush aid to Violet Cloud Town! Violet Cloud Town is grievously wounded now. Senior Sister remains there; her situation is highly perilous.”
Lu Hangzhi spoke rapidly.
Chen Ji nodded, his expression turning grave.
“Set your mind at ease. Violet Cloud Town isn’t far from the sect. Flying over on swords will get us there in no time. However, we cannot underestimate this menace. The Yellow Spring Demon was already a Fifth Grade Ghost Cultivator a century ago, close to the strength of a Sixth Rank Cultivator. After meditating for a hundred years, his cultivation is formidable. I fear even I might struggle to subdue him. I will report this at once to the Sect Master and seek his direct command.”
“…”
Lu Hangzhi was inwardly shaken.
Yet, considering it again… Ghost Weeping was only Fourth Grade, but in the Purple Lake, he had nearly overturned Violet Cloud Town’s entire Cultivation force single-handedly! His strength was absurdly high, absolutely matching that of a Fifth Grade Cultivator. Therefore, the Yellow Spring Demon from a century ago probably possessed power equivalent to that of a True Disciple of the Xuanxin Sect.
After a century… now boldly and openly capturing multiple Marketplaces without a single leak, showing signs of openly confronting the Xuanxin Sect… it was likely his current strength was truly monstrous.
Chen Ji, worthy as the Xuanxin Sect’s Deputy Sect Leader, had seen the peril at a glance…
“Come with me to see the Sect Master.”
Lu Hangzhi felt the surroundings shift. When his vision cleared, he stood in a simple, austere courtyard with earthen walls.
“Huh?”
“Where is this…?”
Lu Hangzhi looked left and right. He sensed this place was extremely poor in Spiritual Energy, inferior even to Daoshan Peak. It didn’t resemble a Spiritual Peak at all, making him uneasy.
“Senior Brother,” Chen Ji addressed the air, “the Yellow Spring Demon has returned. He has already slaughtered Cultivators and mortals from several Marketplaces, sacrificing souls to forge blood artifacts and Soul Pearls. His cultivation level has likely risen to a point where very few can contain it.”
A small, crude wooden door swung open from the earth hut. A short, dwarfish old man with whitish hair stepped out slowly from within.
Sect Master?
Lu Hangzhi took a deep breath, shocked. He couldn’t detect any trace of Magic Power fluctuation from this white-haired old man at all.
“The Yellow Spring Demon?”
The white-haired old man’s gaze settled on Lu Hangzhi, scrutinizing him up and down, seeming far more interested in the youth. “Good. Good,” he murmured.
Chen Ji evidently knew the second “good” had nothing to do with his report about the Yellow Spring Demon. He flipped the Soul Pearl towards the Sect Master. “My disciple Hangzhi obtained this Soul Pearl when he killed the Ghost Cultivator in Violet Cloud Town. Their soul-gathering rate is alarming. If this continues, once they complete their preparations, the threat to the Xuanxin Sect will be imminent.”
The Sect Master withdrew his gaze and spoke, unhurried.
“The Yellow Spring Demon’s foundation was damaged a hundred years ago. Even if healed, advancing to Seventh Grade or above is nearly impossible. This time, you shall take command. Lead the True Disciples: Hu Bugui, Nangong Jun, Xue Tong. Also bring Leng Wuya from this year’s newly selected True Disciples. Go and eradicate this demonic evil. Furthermore, permit these True Disciples to each select one Ghost Cultivator-countering Magical Artifact from the Golden Jade Hall for their protection.”
“This junior brother obeys.”
Chen Ji accepted the order.
Just as Lu Hangzhi thought matters were settled and prepared to bow out, he heard his master’s tone shift.
“Sect Master Senior Brother, my disciple not only has the merit of eliminating the Ghost Cultivator, but also recovered one blood weapon’s Soul Pearl, rescued people, and delivered the urgent warning. That makes fourfold merit. How should the Sect reward such accomplishments?”
“…”
Lu Hangzhi was dumbfounded. He noticed the white-haired Sect Master exchange a long-suffering look with his master for a moment before uttering faintly, “Counting all these contributions… indeed, they should merit an exchange for one top-grade spell.”