Chapter 251: Chapter 42: The Flame God Palace’s Counterattack (Part 2)
"Senior Sister."
It was Ren Yan.
He bowed toward the palace gate, a look of reverence on his face, his former laziness and cynicism gone.
From within the palace, the nun said faintly, "Come in."
As her voice fell, the palace doors opened.
Ren Yan walked slowly into the palace and said, "Senior Sister, the Flame God Palace says they want to retaliate against the Yinluo Sect. It seems the matter we’ve been planning can begin."
The nun stated flatly, "Tell them that in three days, I will demon-taint the Abyssal Marsh."
Ren Yan clasped his hands. "I’ll contact the Flame God Palace right away."
...
Ao Mountain Island, the Dong Family’s Ancestral Land.
In the center of the island stood a large estate. From a distance, one could see a vast, lush forest of fine bamboo, dark and verdant, where the wind whistled like a dragon’s roar. The entrance to the estate was flanked by two decorative archways. Atop the colorful brocade walls, gnarled vines and creepers coiled and intertwined, their branches cleverly forming the words "Enduring Family Legacy," while long, moss-like tendrils draped down to the ground.
On the red, gold-lacquered pillars of the main gate was a couplet:
Quietly watching the stars and moon, one feels a thousand years of transformation.
Contemplating creation, one delights in the four seasons of spring blossoms and autumn fruits.
As one of the four great families of the Abyssal Marsh, the Dong Family was considered the most low-key.
The Life Talisman Elders of the Dong Clan Elders’ Meeting, in particular, were all reclusive and rarely showed themselves unless a major family matter occurred.
Even the meeting place for the Clan Elders Council was located in an elegant and beautiful garden, not some grand palace or opulent pavilion.
The Dong Family had built its foundation on Talismans and Arrays, and the many Talisman Masters and Array Masters they nurtured all developed calm and reserved personalities.
On this day, a tall and handsome man walked into the estate.
He had a gentle face, an androgynous and striking beauty, and skin as fair as jade—the very picture of a man with feminine features.
Among the younger generation of the Dong Family, he was the undisputed leader.
—Dong Fangyu.
He walked through the estate and arrived outside the bamboo cottage where the Clan Elders Council met. He saw the door was open, and a figure sat inside.
He bowed and said, "Third Aunt, I have arrived late."
His voice was deep and powerful, creating a strange and startling contrast with his appearance.
The figure inside slowly turned her head, revealing a cold, icy face. It was a woman in her forties.
She wore plain clothes, and her aura was powerful yet restrained. She was at the Late-stage Life Talisman Cultivation.
Therefore, even though Dong Fangyu was a True Disciple of the Yinluo Sect, he had to be completely respectful at this moment, not daring to overstep his bounds in the slightest.
For one, he knew his Third Aunt had a strict and cold personality and disliked impetuous people.
For another, he knew his Third Aunt’s true cultivation and strength. Although she was a family Elder, she was in no way inferior to the Inner Sect Elders of the Yinluo Sect.
Among the dozen or so Elders in the Dong Clan Elders’ Meeting, her power was the most formidable.
Dong Baishuang said faintly, "Come in and speak."
Dong Fangyu entered the bamboo house, sat down on a jade mat, and looked at Dong Baishuang. "May I ask why Third Aunt has summoned me today?"
Ever since breaking through to the Life Talisman stage, he had been cultivating on Cyan Cloud Peak and rarely returned to Ao Mountain Island except for sect missions.
Dong Baishuang said, "I intend to cultivate a Secret Technique that requires the aid of thirty-three Celestial Ghosts. You have cultivated the Celestial Demon Talisman Scripture for many years and can lend me a hand."
Dong Fangyu frowned slightly upon hearing this.
Celestial Ghosts were a vast species from the Outer Void. Though not as numerous as Outer Celestial Demons, their strangeness was just as great, if not more so.
Celestial Ghosts were formless and shapeless, possessed limitless strength, and had bizarre Divine Techniques. They loved nothing more than to devour the Life Soul and Spirit of living beings. They would often gather in hordes to invade a realm, consuming every last Life Soul and Spirit before departing, satisfied.
The *Celestial Ghost Talisman Scripture*, one of the nine great ultimate techniques of the Yinluo Sect, was a path of Talismans created by a Demon Dao master who referenced the Original Divine Techniques of the Celestial Ghosts.
In essence, it imitates the Divine Techniques of the Celestial Ghosts.
The first form of the Netherworld Sword Technique also originates from this.
When Dong Fangyu heard that his Third Aunt wanted to use thirty-three Celestial Ghosts to aid her cultivation, he felt that something was wrong, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.
Seeing his hesitation, Dong Baishuang said coldly, "What, are you unwilling to help your Third Aunt?"
Dong Fangyu said apologetically, "Not at all. I am of course willing to lend a hand. I just don’t know how I can help."
Dong Baishuang said, "Summon the Celestial Ghost Talismans you have refined."
Dong Fangyu didn’t dare to delay. With a point of his finger, a string of nearly transparent Talismans with a restrained glow flew out from the void!
The Talismans were connected end to end, slithering through the air in a winding dance. There were exactly thirty-three of them.
The fluctuations of aura from the first three were particularly distinct; they were already Tier Two Talismans.
The remaining thirty were all Tier One Talismans.
Dong Baishuang took out a scroll—an array diagram—and slowly unrolled it. Instantly, a deep blue Light Array enveloped the bamboo cottage, its strange light lingering and swirling without cease.
"Have your Celestial Ghosts merge with this Array," Dong Baishuang said.
Hearing this, Dong Fangyu nodded. "Alright."
With that, the Spell in his hand changed. The thirty-three Celestial Ghost Talismans instantly transformed into thirty-three Celestial Ghosts that roamed the void, darting about unpredictably. Though formless and shapeless, they emanated a dense and ferocious aura.
As the thirty-three Celestial Ghosts entered the Array, they were instantly clad in a layer of blue light, revealing their forms.
These were not true Celestial Ghosts from the Outer Void, but rather transformations of the Talismans. They simulated the Original Divine Techniques of the Celestial Ghosts and could be commanded as such.
Dong Baishuang glanced at Dong Fangyu and said, "Go outside and stand guard for me. Without my express permission, no one is to enter."
Dong Fangyu nodded, then rose and walked out of the bamboo cottage.
「A moment later.」
He sensed a powerful, lofty, and boundless demonic will traverse the layers of the void and descend into the bamboo cottage.
An incomparably tyrannical aura washed over him. It was almost like a divine might—violent, domineering, and suffused with a demonic nature. It was as if a Demon God had entered the cottage, inspiring terror, awe, and the urge to submit!
