Chapter 140: Chapter 132: Giant Power
"Halt!"
"Come forward, one by one!"
Under the cover of night.
Shadowy figures shifted restlessly, surrounded by a forest of blades and spears.
The arrowheads nocked on longbows and powerful crossbows glinted with a cold light, blanketing the area in a murderous aura. The sight made the Magicians, who had sensed the turn of events and were preparing to flee the Ghost Market, freeze in their tracks.
"To hell with this!"
The Ghost Market wasn’t just home to legitimate Magician merchants; it was also a haven for Evil Cultivators and practitioners of the Evil Dao seeking refuge from disaster and persecution.
In fact,
the latter were far more numerous.
To achieve any real success in the path of Magic, it was nearly impossible without a powerful backer, without taking shortcuts, and without seizing resources for oneself.
When you got down to it, was there a single Magician in the Ghost Market whose hands weren’t stained with blood?
No one knew what the consequences of being captured would be, but with an entire army deployed, the outcome was sure to be grim.
"Attack!"
Following the furious roar, dozens of ghostly figures burst from the crowd and charged toward the soldiers.
Vengeful Spirits!
Fierce Ghosts!
Ordinary Vengeful Spirits were instantly dissipated by the surging Qi Blood of the army, and even the few Fierce Ghosts couldn’t withstand the dense Evil Qi.
But in large enough numbers, they were sufficient to cause a degree of chaos.
TING-A-LING...
A Magician shook a Copper Bell, and the ground trembled as several Copper Armored Corpses leaped from the earth and charged into the crowd.
Curse Techniques!
Ghostly Mist!
Soul-Capturing and Soul-Seizing...
Not to mention the swarms of Spirit Talismans that filled the sky, transforming into all manner of bizarre attacks. As the Magicians unleashed their various Secret Techniques in a massive volley, the army at the forefront was thrown into immediate disarray.
"Fire!"
TWANG!
A thousand arrows formed a curtain of rain, descending from the sky and blanketing the area so densely that there was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
"Ah!"
"They’re Breaking Technique arrows!"
"Be careful!"
In the blink of an eye,
the scene descended into chaos.
Figures fell like harvested wheat, row after row.
Experts hidden among the Magicians and powerful warriors from the army emerged one after another, engaging in a bloody slaughter amidst the chaos.
NEIGH...
Two armored generals spurred their horses into a gallop.
Their mounts were also clad in heavy armor, and their hooves left scorched marks on the ground as they galloped.
With a sudden leap,
they covered a distance of seventy or eighty feet.
The breath from their mouths was like magma, and with a single vicious bite, they could rip a living person’s head clean off.
If the horses were this formidable, the generals on their backs were even more extraordinary. With a simple flick of his long spear, one of them dismembered a Magician of the Profound Light Third Realm on the spot, completely ignoring the Magic spells hurtling his way.
The Fire Cloud Cavalry!
The army’s elite warriors, whose strength was comparable to that of a Mage.
Their warhorses were a type of Exotic Beast, and the men themselves had cultivated Secret Techniques that granted them astonishing physical power.
Man and horse as one, they were an unstoppable force on the battlefield!
General Wan had four Fire Cloud Cavalry under his command, and two of them had actually shown up today.
...
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Zhu Ju became a blur, mingling with the crowd as he sprinted toward the Ghost Market’s exit, trying his best not to stand out.
A quick scan of his surroundings brought a few familiar figures into view.
The one-armed Ye Baici was summoning ball after ball of raging fire, bombarding his surroundings to sow even more chaos.
Even the Tomb Immortal had left his grave. His small, thin frame carried a bulging sack on his back. His Body Technique was quite unique; he flickered like a phantom, covering several dozen feet with each flash.
And that person was...
Hek Dianli from the Government Office?
The man’s expression was grim. He wielded a thin sword, and with a flick of his wrist and a flash of Sword Light, a soldier would fall.
He didn’t strike often, but every move he made was fatal.
Without exception!
BOOM!
An explosion suddenly erupted behind him.
A shadow was engaged in battle with one of the Fire Cloud Cavalry and Daoist Bai Zhi.
The shadow would sometimes disperse and dissolve into its surroundings, only to emerge from another person’s shadow to launch a fierce attack.
The Yin Candle Daoist!
He was a notorious Mage from Yidu, renowned in the Cultivation Realm for decades for his Firefly Shadow Candle technique. He had participated in several Evil Dao campaigns that resulted in the massacre of entire sects and clans.
Thanks to his unique Cultivation Technique, he was actually holding his own for the moment, even when facing two Mages at once.
"Amitabha Buddha!"
During the stalemate,
a figure descended from the sky, his massive hand spread wide as if to encompass everything, crashing down toward the Yin Candle Daoist.
Tathagata Divine Palm!
BOOM!
The ground for dozens of meters around trembled violently.
PUH!
The Yin Candle Daoist spat out a mouthful of blood as he stumbled out of a shadow, his face a mask of horror as he stared at the Monk who had attacked him.
"Yuanye!"
"Aren’t you dead?"
The newcomer was none other than ’Yuanye’, the Abbot of Bamboo Mountain Temple, the Great Mage of the Buddhist Sect who had died at the hands of Wan Zhengyang.
"Amitabha Buddha."
Yuanye placed his palms together, a bitter look on his face.
"This humble monk has already died, but I am bound by wicked karma and cannot find release. I now reside in Abi Hell!"
He spread his kasaya, revealing a physical body covered in bizarre patterns, and shook his head helplessly.
"A Blood Puppet!"
The Yin Candle Daoist’s eyes filled with terror. With a flicker, his body merged into the shadow at his feet.
"Donor."
Yuanye stepped forward and activated his Celestial Eye Technique. A Buddhist light shone from his eyes, illuminating the figure hidden in the darkness.
"You cannot escape."
"Surrender without a fight, and General Wan might spare your life."
*
*
*
"Giddy-up!"
"Giddy-up!"
Xinhai pulled on the reins, guiding his sturdy horse as it galloped through the dense forest.
His forehead was beaded with sweat and his face was deathly pale. He kept glancing back toward the Ghost Market, his eyes filled with worry.
’I wonder how Master is doing?’
TWANG!
The sound of a vibrating bowstring, though not loud, echoed in his ears like a summons from a specter of death.
’This is bad!’
’Why is there an ambush here too?’
"Om! Ma! Ni! Hum!"
Ming King Curse!
As his Heart Method circulated, his eyes flew wide with fury. He thrust his hands forward and clamped down hard, catching an incoming arrow between his palms.
At the same time, he let out a furious roar, unleashing the Buddhist Lion’s Roar Skill in the direction the arrow had come from.
A visible sound wave swept forward. Although it didn’t harm anyone, it diverted the subsequent arrows, allowing him to escape disaster.
However, the sudden maneuver also caused the woman lying on the horse’s back to cry out in pain.
"Donor,"
Xinhai said urgently,
"Are you all right?"
"It’s you?" The woman, who looked to be around sixteen, had delicate and pretty features, though her face was pale from blood loss.
She struggled to look around and whispered,
"There’s an ambush ahead! Turn, quickly!"
"Ah!"
Startled, Xinhai hastily changed the horse’s direction.
TWANG!
"Watch out!"
A volley of arrows flew toward them, their tips glinting coldly in the moonlight, and the two riders’ faces filled with despair.
’It’s over!’
WHOOSH...
Suddenly,
a gust of wind swept past, and the incoming volley of arrows scattered like dandelion seeds, flying off in random directions.
"Master Xinhai."
Zhu Ju’s figure appeared on a tree branch. He nodded toward the two of them.
"We meet again."
"Donor Zhu." Xinhai was overjoyed and asked hurriedly,
"Have you seen my master?"
In the chaos just now, he had been separated from Yuanding and the others, and had lost even more time saving the young woman beside him.
Now he didn’t even know where he was.
"No."
Zhu Ju shook his head.
"Don’t worry. Master Yuanding is a good man favored by fortune. He’ll be fine."
"I hope so." Xinhai’s face was still etched with worry. A few comforting words weren’t enough to dispel his fears after witnessing such a chaotic situation.
Though they were talking, they didn’t slow down. The horse carried the two of them straight toward a patch of mountain forest.
"Master."
Zhu Ju landed lightly, nodding to Xinhai.
"You go on ahead. I’ll catch up."
The trouble behind them wasn’t resolved, but he knew he wouldn’t succeed in convincing Xinhai to abandon the woman on the horse.
’Might as well get a little exercise,’
’Besides, it’s about time for me to head back anyway.’
"Huh?" Xinhai froze, but before he could figure out what was happening, the woman on the horse’s back grabbed his arm.
"Young Master Zhu."
The woman’s long hair flew in the wind as she stared intently at Zhu Ju.
"Thank you for your help. My name is Situ Kongli. If I survive this ordeal, I will be sure to reward you handsomely."
’Situ Kongli?’
’Situ!’
’So that’s how it is!’
Realization dawned on Zhu Ju.
After watching the two of them disappear into the distance, he turned to look back the way they came and saw a figure speeding toward him, low to the ground.
It was a woman, over two meters tall, clad in heavy armor that weighed nearly a thousand catties, yet her Body Technique was as light and silent as a willow catkin.
With a gentle sway, she covered several dozen feet.
CLACK!
Tie Yan landed, her eyes narrowing from within her helmet as she looked at the figure blocking her path.
"Zhu Ju?"
"That’s me."
"I’ve heard of you. Your Saber Technique is decent."
"You flatter me."
"Interesting." Tie Yan rolled her neck, then began walking forward at a steady pace. "You’re a very interesting person," she said.
"If you’re willing to formally join the Celestial Capital Sect, I can let you live today."
"No need." Zhu Ju shook his head.
"Care for a round?"
"A round?" Tie Yan’s voice grew grim.
"Then die!"
BOOM!
The hard rock beneath her feet exploded as she shot toward Zhu Ju like a cannonball.
A giant in heavy armor, moving at high speed...
Her fist suddenly loomed large before his eyes. The wild grass and vines around him silently disintegrated into dust.
Power!
Power!
Power!
Mighty Divine Fist!
BANG!
Zhu Ju suddenly raised a hand to block the incoming Fist Force. A dense web of cracks spread across the rock beneath his feet, and violent gusts of wind swirled around him.
The sleeve on his arm instantly exploded, revealing a thick limb that shone with a metallic luster.
"Good!"
Tie Yan laughed heartily.
"Exhilarating!"
"You’re the first person to ever meet my fist head-on!"
"Again!"
She roared, her fists blurring into afterimages as terrifying Fist Force erupted madly within a three-foot radius.
She was confident that even if a man cast from solid steel stood before her, she could pulverize him into iron paste with her Barbaric Power alone.
BANG!
BANG! BANG!
Zhu Ju stood his ground, his hands either slapping or pressing, meeting her fierce Strength with his own, not yielding an inch.
SCREEE!
The piercing airflow suddenly converged, and the thousand fist-afterimages before him abruptly merged into a single, massive fist.
Time seemed to stand still.
There was only the Fist Force, which seemed to press down slowly but was actually moving with incredible speed.
HUUU...
Zhu Ju slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and crossed his arms, raising them to meet the incoming fist.
BOOM!
The ground for dozens of feet around shook violently as visible ripples of Qi Force expanded outward.
"Haha..."
"Excellent!"
"How exhilarating!"
When even a strike like that failed to make her opponent retreat, Tie Yan didn’t get angry. Instead, she laughed, a wild, uninhibited laugh.
"Again!"
Bull Demon’s Strength!
Her eyes snapped open. Wisps of black Qi began to rise from beneath her thousand-catty armor, and in her Divine Soul, the phantom image of a bull demon slowly emerged.
Power!
"ROAR!"
She stomped her foot, and her fist shot out like a bolt of lightning.
A flicker of astonishment crossed Zhu Ju’s eyes. He abruptly raised his right hand as the Five Elements True Evil circulated wildly within him.
BANG!
The cracked rock beneath their feet could no longer hold and shattered as if a bomb had detonated within it.
What remained of the clothes on Zhu Ju’s upper body was blasted away, leaving nothing behind.
"This power..."
He gazed at his opponent, the surprise in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a strange, almost unnerving calm.
"Is still... too weak!"
SWOOSH!
CRACK!
He shot out one hand with the speed of a thunderclap, seizing her shoulder and slamming her violently into the ground.
BOOM!
The earth trembled.
"You think you’re strong?"
"You think your power is great enough?"
Zhu Ju grabbed her by the throat, staring directly into the crimson eyes beneath her helmet as he ground her head into the dirt.
"Idiot!"
"There isn’t a single Hard Skill in this world stronger than the one I cultivate!"
BANG!
