Chapter 283: Chapter 281: Sect Annihilation Within 30 Years
A jade-like index finger slowly extended, landing gently on the blood-red Dragon Head Walking Stick.
DING!
Granny Ghost felt as if struck by lightning. Her spiritual connection to the Dragon Head Walking Stick vanished in an instant, leaving a void.
Her original Lifebound Magical Treasure was the Black Water Bottle. Years ago, during an ambush on Master Ge Cang, it was struck by Divine Thunder, and a century of refinement went up in flames.
With great difficulty, she had managed to absorb a subterranean Yin Qi river to nourish and restore the Black Water Bottle, only for it to be caught in Ancestor Yangg’s self-detonating Golden Core during the sect war.
At such close range, she could only save her life by using her Lifebound Magical Treasure to shield herself.
Having barely survived, Granny Ghost had no choice but to elevate the Dragon Head Locust Soul Staff, a Mid-Grade Magical Treasure, to be her new Lifebound Magical Treasure, nourishing it with her Pill Qi.
But this short amount of time was nowhere near enough to fully refine it into a true Lifebound Magical Treasure.
The Dragon Head Locust Soul Staff fell from the sky. Granny Ghost’s defenses were wide open, her horrified gaze fixed on the moonlight pressing in on her chest.
’How can this be!’
’The Dragon Head Locust Soul Staff, reinforced with a Ghost Spirit Sect Secret Technique, should have been able to hold on for a while!’
’Back when Master Ge Cang blockaded our gate, Daoist He, with the power of the Grand Array behind him, managed to withstand more than a dozen moves before he was severely injured and teleported back inside the array.’
’No matter how astonishingly talented this Bai Zichen is, no matter how they praise his Sword Dao Talent to the high heavens, given his age and cultivation, he can’t possibly be stronger than Master Ge Cang!’
Granny Ghost, clinging to this thought, realized immediately that she had been catastrophically wrong.
The Sword Light was far more powerful than she had imagined, and some unknown technique had frozen her Divine Soul, slowing her reaction by a beat.
Her Magical Treasure was swatted down by a seemingly gentle tap of a finger, failing to buy her even half a breath’s time.
Otherwise, at the very least, she could have mobilized the power of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Formation to escape back into the array.
"Hm?"
The Moonlight dissipated, and Bai Zichen exited his state of Body and Sword Unity with the Moon Xuan Sword.
He had been ninety-percent certain that one strike would be enough, yet he found Granny Ghost still alive and well.
It wasn’t that she had some defensive Secret Treasure, but that two Core Formation Ghost Kings had teleported beneath the Sword Light, blocking it with their bodies.
"No wonder even someone with Brother Ge’s strength couldn’t find an opportunity to kill a Core Formation Cultivator, instead letting them escape severely wounded..."
Bai Zichen’s expression was placid, showing no surprise. He still looked at her as if she were already dead.
Granny Ghost’s mind was still reeling from the Moonlight, leaving her unable to divert her focus to control the Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Formation.
However, besides the two of them, there was another Core Formation True Man on the field.
Fairy Taohua had just thought the Moonlight Sword Light was coming for her, and the color had drained from her face.
But she quickly reacted, manipulating the Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Formation as best she could and issuing a command to the two nearest Core Formation Ghost Kings.
These Ghost Kings had once been Core Formation True Men or Tier Three Demon Beasts in life. After death, their Divine Souls were refined into the array, turning them into tormented spirits trapped within, their existence worse than death.
Fairy Taohua had already flashed back to the Mountain Gate. Granny Ghost, feeling she had narrowly escaped death, summoned two more Ghost Kings. This was the limit of what the Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Formation could muster.
With two Ghost Kings protecting her, she could block even another terrifying strike like the last one.
’Besides, how could he possibly unleash such a powerful Body and Sword Unity attack twice in a row?’
"Once Brother White Bone comes out of seclusion—"
Knowing her life was no longer in danger, Granny Ghost turned and spoke viciously just as she stepped into the Mountain Gate.
Halfway through her sentence, she looked down in astonishment. A blossom of blood bloomed on her chest. A wound as small as a grain of rice was causing all the strength to drain rapidly from her body.
"I didn’t say you could leave. The Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Formation is useless... On the day of my great-uncle’s burial, I’m in need of a Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivator’s head for a sacrificial offering!"
Bai Zichen’s expression was indifferent. He slowly lowered his hand as a silk-like thread of moonlight, having pierced through Granny Ghost’s chest, gradually faded.
The two Core Formation Ghost Kings dissolved into countless wisps of black smoke. Their pure Yin Qi Ghost Bodies could not withstand a single strike from the Refining Sword into Silk technique.
The Moon Xuan Sword had rested in its Sword Box for several years, long enough to fully replenish the Origin Power it had previously expended.
This was the third time he had wielded the Refining Sword into Silk Realm, and he was growing more proficient. He knew exactly what kind of power was contained within that single thread of moonlight.
The killing power of a Sword Silk almost always exceeded the endurance limit of a Core Formation True Man; there was no need to deliberately control or guide it.
Any such attempts would only waste the power of Refining Sword into Silk.
This single strike had silently killed one Core Formation True Man and two Core Formation Ghost Kings without the slightest fluctuation or leakage of power.
’He still hasn’t appeared after such a fierce battle. It seems White Bone True Man really is in seclusion.’ Bai Zichen looked at the Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Formation, knowing he couldn’t break a Tier Three Array by himself. He spoke coldly, "Tell White Bone that within thirty years, I will annihilate the Ghost Spirit Sect... to commemorate the Qingfeng Sect disciples and Bai Clan Members who have died at their hands over the past century!"
He snatched up Granny Ghost’s corpse and departed, a solitary and imposing figure.
The thousands of Ghost Spirit Sect disciples were speechless, staring dumbfounded at the departing Sword Light. Most of them had yet to recover from the earlier shock.
"Did Granny Ghost really die?" a bewitching female Cultivator in revealing clothes murmured.
"Of course it’s true. Is the Sect truly going to fall in our generation...? He came from the north with a single sword, slew a Core Formation Ancestor before our Mountain Gate’s Grand Array, and left without a care... Who in this world can stand against such a person?"
A young, foppish cultivator holding a white fan, his face powdered and hair slicked back, felt a life-or-death crisis closing in.
They could have laughed off such an arrogant declaration of sect annihilation from any other Core Formation True Man. They were protected by a Tier Three Grand Array, with Core Formation Ancestors guarding the Sect from within.
Unless a Nascent Soul True Monarch intervened, they could have weathered a siege even by several times their number of Core Formation True Men.
But the combat prowess Bai Zichen had just displayed was too terrifying. He treated the Ghost Spirit Sect as if it were nothing, his aura at its absolute peak.
The words he’d left them with were spoken as calmly as if stating an inevitability, sending a chill down the spine of every Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivator.
Some of the quicker-witted Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivators exchanged glances, a strange light flashing in their eyes as they each began to form their own plans.
"Don’t panic! Raise the Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Formation to its highest level! Don’t conserve Spirit Stones! With the Tier Three Grand Array, that Bai Zichen can’t possibly break in!"
Fairy Taohua’s full chest heaved violently. Granny Ghost, another Early-Stage Core Formation Cultivator just like her, had died right in front of her, even with the help of the array.
Four of their nine Core Formation Level Ghost Kings had been destroyed in an instant. This was an accumulation of hundreds of years of the Ghost Spirit Sect’s efforts, not something that could be easily replaced.
All of this nearly caused her to lose her composure and her decorum in front of the Sect Disciples.
After speaking, she realized her tone had been too weak and quickly added, "Brother White Bone is about to come out of seclusion! The paltry Qingfeng Sect will be dealt with easily! Pacify the disciples under you and make sure no trouble breaks out!"
After her speech, Fairy Taohua took two Elders close to her and left.
But it was doubtful how much effect her words had on the hearts of the Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivators.
Everyone knew very well that Master Ge Cang from the Qingfeng Sect alone could suppress their own several Core Formation Ancestors.
They had once been blockaded at their own gate for half a year, becoming the laughingstock of the Liang Country’s Cultivation Realm.
Now, a Master Bai had appeared—a Sword Cultivator who seemed even more ferocious, having already slain two Core Formation Ancestors, Daoist He and Granny Ghost.
White Bone True Man had been stuck at the Mid-Stage Core Formation for nearly a century. Could one period of seclusion really allow him to advance by leaps and bounds and fight two such experts at once?
Even the most loyal disciples of the Ghost Spirit Sect didn’t dare to be so confident.
Unrest rippled through the populace. Within the Ghost Spirit Sect, which had barely calmed down, an undercurrent of turmoil was brewing.
Most Cultivators worried for their future, and some with extensive connections were already looking for a way out.
...
When Bai Zichen returned to Hanxiu Peak, he arrived just in time for the auspicious hour of the funeral procession.
In addition to the Bai Clan Members, every Cultivation Family in Black Mountain had sent representatives to pay their respects and offer condolences.
Even the Qingfeng Sect sent three Elders, who presented funeral couplets.
A few years ago, when the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Patriarch of the Qingxi Huang Family passed away, the scene hadn’t been half as grand as today’s.
"Greetings, Ancestor Bai."
The three Qingfeng Sect Elders saw the Sword Light descend and immediately stepped forward to pay homage.
Besides them, the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators didn’t even have the right to approach and could only bow from a distance.
Bai Zichen’s gaze swept over them. The three looked somewhat familiar, but he didn’t recognize them well.
"Sect Leader Gu Xisheng of the Qingfeng Sect has come to pay respects to the Bai Clan Elder!"
Just as he was about to walk toward the gravesite, another loud announcement echoed from outside Hanxiu Peak.
The Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the many Cultivation Families looked on with envy. For the Sect Leader of the Qingfeng Sect to attend the funeral of a mere Qi Refining Cultivator was an incredible honor.
It was something that had never happened in the entire history of Black Mountain.
But then they glanced at Master Bai standing at the head of the assembly and felt it was perfectly reasonable.
A Core Formation Ancestor of the Sect had been staying here for several days. Even if the Sect Leader didn’t come in person, it would have been expected for a Hall Master-level figure to attend at the very least.
Gu Xisheng led several Elders up Hanxiu Peak, their entire party dressed in plain mourning clothes.
After entering, he bowed and then stood quietly behind Bai Zichen, keeping a low profile and not trying to upstage the host.
Bai Zichen gave a slight nod and walked toward the gravesite.
He was well aware that Gu Xisheng had come because of him, but he was very satisfied with this attitude.
Bai Jiu’an was already gone, and that couldn’t be changed. Even if Cultivators believed in reincarnation, the honor due to him after death could not be diminished in the slightest.
The coffin was slowly lowered into a spot with the best feng shui on the Bai Clan’s land, chosen long ago. The tomb, constructed from Tier Two green jade, covered dozens of acres.
The towering, vigorous green cypresses had all been urgently procured by the Clan from various places; each was several hundred years old.
Bai Zichen dug the first shovelful of earth, passed the shovel to Bai Ziying, then took Granny Ghost’s corpse from his storage bag and nailed it to a tree.
"The Ghost Spirit Sect has invaded our Black Mountain time and again. Countless Cultivators from both our Sect and our Clan have died at the hands of those Demon Cultivators. The enmity between us is as deep as the sea... Today, I offer the life of a Core Formation Cultivator to my great-uncle’s spirit in heaven. Within thirty years, I will shatter the Ghost Spirit Sect, exterminate their clan, and sever their lineage!"
An uproar went through the crowd. So this was the monumental deed Master Bai had accomplished during his day-long absence.
Although they didn’t know the details—that Bai Zichen had slain Granny Ghost in front of the Ghost Spirit Sect’s Mountain Gate Grand Array while she was with another Core Formation True Man—the corpse of a Core Formation True Man appearing before their eyes was shocking enough.
"Junior Martial Uncle Bai upholds the Righteous Dao! Your sword purges evil! You will surely restore clarity and order to the Cultivation Realm!"
Gu Xisheng was the first to prostrate himself, leading all the other Cultivators to bow low.
The grand burial ceremony lasted for an entire day. It wasn’t until nightfall that the guests gradually departed.
After Bai Jiu’an was laid to rest, Bai Zichen remained at the gravesite for another month.
He was both mourning his great-uncle and, it seemed, bidding farewell to a Bai Family with fewer and fewer familiar faces.
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