Blade - Unbound

Chapter 75: Fierce Consecutive Battles

Sha Lifei cried out in alarm, “Damn it, why’s this unlucky bastard here?!”

He immediately grabbed his blade before ducking behind the ritual altar.

Seeing this, Zhao Facheng instantly grew anxious. “You look fierce enough, yet you’re this cowardly? I told you to guard the altar, why are you hiding?!”

Sha Lifei poked his head out nervously. “That guy’s too strong. I can’t beat him. A few exchanges and I’ll probably get beaten to death.”

Zhao Facheng himself was not skilled in martial combat. Originally, when he saw Sha Lifei swaggering all the way over and loudly proclaiming he would personally slaughter the demon, Zhao Facheng had assumed he was formidable.

Who would’ve thought he was all bark and no bite?

Yet the ritual to summon yin soldiers could not be interrupted midway, otherwise the entire process would have to start over.

Left with no choice, Zhao Facheng sighed helplessly. “What are you afraid of? I’ll find you some helpers!”

With that, he formed a hand seal with one hand while brandishing his sword with the other, lifting several yellow talismans and igniting them before sweeping them across the altar.

He chanted, “By decree of the Three Nether Divine Lords Returning to True Origin of the Nine Essence, soldiers of every camp, obey at once!”

Pop! Pop! Pop!

A row of Wandering Soul Jars before the altar instantly burst open. Fierce yin winds howled as streams of black smoke immediately surged outward. All arts that summoned spirit soldiers and ghost troops possessed upper, middle, and lower altars.

The upper altar troops were also known as Register Soldiers, essentially heavenly soldiers and heavenly generals. They commanded immense power. Only true orthodox mystic path sects and ancient lineages could command them. However, summoning them required tremendous effort. Whether it was formal memorials, grand rites, or multiple high-ranking ritualists, no single aspect could be missing.

The middle altar troops mostly consisted of ancestral soldiers accumulated by major sects over countless years. They were nourished daily with incense offerings and regularly trained. They were powerful and obedient. Once disciples received proper ordination registers, they gained the authority to command them, but even then, approval still had to be formally requested.

As for the lower altar troops, they were privately gathered and raised by individual Daoists or ritualists. They could be commanded easily. The drawback, however, was that their origins varied wildly, and insufficient cultivation when commanding them would easily result in backlash.

Zhao Facheng also raised some spirit troops himself. But unlike Chen Fakui, he had not mixed puppet arts into his forces. Thus, his yin soldiers could only attack the spirit and soul. Even so, his yin soldiers were far from weak. They appeared as black mist and smoke, visible even to the naked eye.

Sha Lifei’s confidence immediately surged at the sight. Waving his blade wildly, he charged back out. “Asshole Yuan, take a slash from your Grandpa Sha!”

He moved quickly, and his calculations were perfect. Even martial artists like Zhou Pan, who had reached the Jin Transformation Realm, were made from flesh and blood. They could not become indestructible vajras.

As long as the yin soldiers took the brunt of Yuan Qu’s attention, Sha Lifei only needed to casually swing his blade and lop off his head. Thus, he closely followed behind the streams of black mist.

Opposite him, Yuan Qu did not dodge at all. The strange art that Chen Fakui had used allowed mortals to borrow the power of ghosts and gods through their physical bodies. It granted abilities such as spiritual sight, divination of fortune and disaster, object searching, spirit protection, and many other functions.

Ritualists had kept spirit mediums at their side since ancient times. The only thing was, the technique also carried flaws. Yuan Qu’s mind had already been corroded by yin killing qi. Killing intent flooded his brain, and the calm rationality he once possessed had been eroded away.

Seeing the black smoke rushing toward him, he roared wildly and continued charging forward without dodging, both arms raised to shield his head.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Several sharp cracking sounds echoed out as the black smoke was smashed apart by the collision. Though the yin spirits themselves had not been destroyed and quickly reconvened nearby, they clearly lacked the raw power to stop Yuan Qu.

Zhao Facheng’s expression changed dramatically. “A spirit medium puppet!”

Through it looked like Yuan Qu had been unaffected, that was not the case at all. He was suffering greatly. One needed years of training to endure the possession of yin spirits. One needed to be capable of retaining self-awareness and also completely surrender their body to the being possessing them. It was only through long-term practice that one could learn to freely transition between the two states.

However, Yuan Qu had already been contaminated by yin killing qi and was barely maintaining even a thread of sanity. After being struck by several yin soldiers, his mind went completely blank. His eyes rolled white as blood vessels burst across them. Veins bulged violently across his face as he roared like a beast while sprinting forward.

He bulldozed through the yin soldiers, leaving only Sha Lifei in his path. Seeing Yuan Qu’s terrifying appearance, Sha Lifei was so frightened his soul nearly left his body. He panicked, abruptly squatting down and covering his head.

Under normal circumstances, such behavior would have been suicide. Thankfully, Yuan Qu had gone completely berserk. Continuing to charge straight ahead, he tripped over Sha Lifei and tumbled wildly forward with flailing limbs, landing face-first on the altar behind them in a spectacular crash.

Zhao Facheng exclaimed, “Perfect timing!”

He instantly grabbed a handful of rice from the altar offerings. Rapidly chanting an incantation, he blew a breath across it before scattering the rice outward.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

A rapid string of cracking sounds rang out, like bamboo splintering apart. The white rice grains struck Yuan Qu’s body, instantly turning black and exploding. The technique originated from the Five Grains Evil Repelling Art.

Those five grains were considered the essence of heaven and earth. Since ancient times, they had been used as offerings to the gods, leading to numerous related evil-banishing arts. For example, people used five grains of rice to cleanse houses and dispel misfortune. Southern regions used red beans to ward off evil. Glutinous rice was used to combat corpses and undead. There were even spirit medium women who specialized in rice divination and exorcism.

The rice Zhao Facheng used had long been worshipped before ancestral altars and was heavily infused with the power of incense. Naturally, its effect was extraordinary.

The yin spirits attached to Yuan Qu felt everything. The rice struck them like burning coals scattered across their backs, causing them to shriek in agony.

Yet, Zhao Facheng’s attacks did not stop. Forming another hand seal with his left hand, he grabbed a handful of pine resin powder with his right and violently flung it toward the candle flames.

The flames surged suddenly, engulfing Yuan Qu. Screaming in unbearable pain, Yuan Qu rolled frantically across the ground trying to extinguish the fire. The exchange perfectly illustrated the relationship between ritualists and martial artists.

With Yuan Qu’s combat skills, if he had managed to close the distance, he could have easily killed Zhao Facheng. But relying solely on the physical body left one vulnerable to attacks from yin soldiers, which disrupted the mind and spirit.

Chen Fakui’s spirit-medium technique amplified Yuan Qu’s strength through yin spirit possession while also making him resistant to the assaults of yin soldiers. However, it had muddled his mind, reducing his martial abilities to less than thirty percent of his original capabilities.

Dizzy and unbalanced, he had given Zhao Facheng the perfect opportunity to attack. Naturally, Sha Lifei would never miss such a chance. Though tripping Yuan Qu had caused him to tumble across the ground as well, he immediately leapt back up, blade in hand.

Taking three rapid steps forward, he swung downward with both hands, snarling, “Fuck your graddad!”

A cold light flashed as an arm flew into the air. Yuan Qu had instinctively rolled to avoid the fatal strike, but his arm was severed cleanly from his shoulder.

Yuan Qu screamed in agony. “AHHHH!”

Yet instinctively, he used an old ape climbing branch maneuver, flipping himself upright before launching a beautiful side kick in midair.

Because of the pain and interference from the yin spirits, his breathing was disrupted and he failed to unleash any hidden force. Even so, the strength granted by the possession remained.

The kick struck Sha Lifei squarely in the chest and sent him flying backward, nearly overturning the altar entirely.

“ARGH!”

The impact also awakened Sha Lifei’s ferocity. Enduring the pain, he staggered back up and prepared to charge once more.

“Stop!” Zhao Facheng hurriedly blocked him. “He’s possessed right now and doesn’t feel pain anymore. Charging in now is suicide.”

Sure enough, after extinguishing the flames covering him, Yuan Qu slowly stood once more. As he stood there, holding a dagger in only one hand, his rolled-back eyes and twisted veins made him resemble a genuine evil ghost.

Sha Lifei gulped hard. “What do we do?”

Zhao Facheng answered with a grim expression, “To break this technique, we need the urine of a virgin boy!”

Sha Lifei stared blankly. “Little Yan’s not here, so what’s the point of saying that...”

Mid-sentence, however, he suddenly looked at Zhao Facheng with a strange expression.

Zhao Facheng’s face darkened. “It specifically requires the urine of an infant boy only one month old! But there’s another method, and I do have dog blood. The effect is decent enough, but I need time to prepare it. Hold him off for now!”

With that, he kicked Sha Lifei back at the frenzied monster.

Sha Lifei cursed furiously, “You heartless bastard!”

But seeing Yuan Qu already lunging toward him, he immediately performed a lazy donkey roll to dodge before leaping to his feet and fleeing.

At this point, Yuan Qu’s ability to think was completely gone. Filled with hatred toward the man who severed his arm, he pursued Sha Lifei relentlessly. Sha Lifei’s combat skills were poor, but his ability to flee for his life was exceptional.

Rapid sprints, side rolls, snake-like footwork... Again and again, he narrowly avoided deadly attacks.

Meanwhile, behind him, Zhao Facheng had retrieved a leather pouch from his chest. Pouring dog blood into a bowl, he ignited a yellow talisman, chanted an incantation, tossed it into the bowl, and stirred it with his finger. The dog blood turned a dark, almost black, shade.

Sha Lifei was continuing to dodge Yuan Qu in complete panic. Finally, he started sprinting directly toward the altar. “You damned bastard, are you done yet?!”

Zhao Facheng roared furiously, “Duck!”

He leapt over the altar and splashed the dog blood in Sha Lifei’s direction. Sha Lifei immediately fell into a roll. The black dog blood arced over his head and splashed the pursuing Yuan Qu.

“AAAAH! AAAAH!”

This time, the damage was even worse. White smoke erupted from Yuan Qu’s body as he clawed frantically at his own face. The blood runes across his skin blurred and twisted chaotically.

Sha Lifei flipped back upright as he cursed loudly, “Die already!”

He lowered his center of gravity, charging forward while reversing his grip on the Guanshan blade in his hand. When he passed Yuan Qu, the blade swept across in a single motion.

Pfffttt!

A massive wound instantly opened across Yuan Qu’s throat as blood sprayed violently outward. Sha Lifei used his momentum to spin, unleashing a savage kick that sent Yuan Qu flying.

Yuan Qu’s head slammed directly against the massive stone before the altar, sending brain matter exploding everywhere. There was no doubt about it now. The freak was definitely dead.

Sha Lifei finally heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the ground.

Meanwhile, Zhao Facheng immediately resumed preparations and continued casting his ritual, face growing darker. “Protect the altar, I’m sending the final command signal!”

Sha Lifei quickly struggled back up with his blade in hand. Looking at the sky, worry filled his eyes. “This is bad, the hour of the rat is almost here...”

***

In the forest high upon the hill, the battle had likewise reached its conclusion.

Zheng Heibei had now become a walking blood gourd. Sword wounds covered his entire body. Blood flowed endlessly from him, especially across both arms, where deep cuts exposed the bone beneath.

At the same time, several yin spirits possessed him simultaneously. His humanity had been long since stripped away. His eyes rolled white as veins twisted grotesquely across his face. Every ounce of his body’s potential had been unleashed. Yet even so, he was still no match for Luo Mingzi.

Had his instincts not protected his vital points at critical moments, he would already be dead. However, Luo Mingzi himself looked grim. He truly had not expected these two fools to be so utterly stupid.

A martial artist’s body was more precious than gold, especially for experts in the Dark Jin Realm. Once they were possessed, their combat power increased greatly, but if they failed to recover properly afterward, early death was inevitable. The fool before him had actually believed Chen Fakui’s nonsense enough to let multiple yin spirits possess him simultaneously.

He was monstrously fast, which had forced Luo Mingzi into constant defense and left no opportunity to cast his techniques. Though only half the time it took to burn a stick of incense had passed, Luo Mingzi had lost valuable time.

Thinking about the possibilities, Luo Mingzi suddenly drew a triangular yellow talisman folded into shape and secretly pressed it against his back. Focusing his spirit, he rapidly formed several hand seals in succession. The astral qi in the area immediately shifted.

The possessed Zheng Heibei instantly sensed danger.

Howling like an enraged ape, he lunged forward. “AWGUAGHH!”

However, instead of retreating, Luo Mingzi advanced. His Seven Star Sword swept in a cloud-like feint before his body twisted and the blade slashed downward, severing Zheng Heibei’s left foot.

As Zheng Heibei lost his balance and pitched forward, Luo Mingzi’s left-hand seal had already completed. Stepping to the side, he slammed his palm directly into Zheng Heibei’s back.

A massive explosion erupted as the yin spirits possessing Zheng Heibei were completely blasted apart. But Luo Mingzi had also infused the strike with hidden force. The palm strike exploded with tremendous power, accompanied by the sound of shattering bones as Zheng Heibei’s spine was pulverized.

Boom!

Zheng Heibei’s massive body crashed to the ground, dead. Without sparing him even another glance, Luo Mingzi immediately rushed toward the tomb. Yet halfway there, his expression suddenly changed.

Chen Fakui now stood behind the altar, hair hanging wildly loose. In one hand he held a dagger, with which he had carved three pairs of bloody wounds into his own forehead, resembling three pairs of blood-red eyes.

Blood streamed down his face as he muttered continuously, “The altar preserves the underworld, with the Great Luo unhindered, the Western White Heavenly Demon avoiding the Three Insights...”