Zhongkui did not linger on that mark, for she urgently conveyed to Ye Yu, via inner-voice transmission, everything about Ting Yu—and earnestly insisted they must leave at once. The terror of a half-step Emperor realm foe was beyond imagination!
Ye Yu nodded gravely. Indeed, there was no time to dally—one normally struck swiftly and without hesitation. As Zhongkui scoured her mind for the best escape route, Ye Yu sprang into action. He wove a complex hand seal with his left hand, and beneath Ting Yu’s feet a most sinister formation erupted. Instantly, innumerable black Skyfire Flames burst from his very body—Forbidden Art: Incinerating Blood Flame!
In but a breath’s time, Shan Ting’s immortal husk was reduced to ashes. It was no surprise—it was merely an empty shell, utterly helpless against the inferno. Ting Yu, however, wrapped in his dense, solid ghost qi, slipped free in an instant, emerging largely unscathed—exactly as Ye Yu anticipated. Once one reached half-step Emperor, ordinary spells and techniques could no longer harm him much.
With Shan Ting’s form gone, Ting Yu’s true, colossal figure reappeared—vast beyond measure, far larger than either Fenzhu or Qu You. “Bastard! I finally found a suitable immortal vessel, and you destroy it! Boy, I’ll peel your skin off and crunch your bones!” His roar carried a fetid stench. Ye Yu snorted, summoning an invisible barrier before himself and Zhongkui, sealing out the filth entirely.
Ting Yu could never have guessed that destroying Shan Ting’s body was only the first step in Ye Yu’s {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} plan. He needed Ting Yu to reveal his soul-body—only then could the next phase proceed. Zhongkui shot Ye Yu a look of disbelief. Wait—didn’t I just tell you to flee? Not to charge in headlong! You nodded so quickly, yet your actions were the exact opposite. Are we even on the same wavelength?
Before she could speak again, an oppressive aura suddenly pressed down, as if a great boulder lay upon her heart, hindering even her ghost qi’s flow. Looking up, she saw a thousand-foot Soul-Summoning Banner plummet into place before them. Its vast surface whipped in the gale, the tortured phantoms of countless fiends howling in agony as they struggled in vain against its bonds.
“Aaah!” Ting Yu howled, aghast to see his third brother, Qu You, trapped there. He lunged forward, intent on tearing the banner and freeing him. Ye Yu merely smiled. Seeking your brother? Then reunite, by all means. With a wave of his hand, the banner shot toward Ye Yu, and as he flicked his fingers, a host of wandering souls streamed forth. Their surging ghost qi blackened the very sky. Nourished by the banner, each spirit had grown in substance and strength. Together they rushed Ting Yu, swiftly enveloping him.
At their forefront was Qu You himself—already mind-controlled by the banner, he no longer recognized his elder brother. He opened his jaws and bit down upon Ting Yu. But Ting Yu, half-step Emperor though he was, suffered no serious wounds; even Qu You only tore a little flesh.
Normally, Ye Yu would have ignored such minor harm. Even if they gnawed for an hour, Ting Yu wouldn’t be grievously hurt. To Ting Yu’s dismay, however, the phantoms began ravenously devouring his ghost qi—a dire problem. With so many spirits, the absorption was rapid! Desperate to break free, Ting Yu gaped wide and began devouring the phantoms around him. To Zhongkui’s eyes, it looked like ghost-eaters being eaten—an abhorrent spectacle!
Just then, Ye Yu lifted his sword qi slightly, and a violet talisman’s phantom flashed into view. “Righteous Thunder to Destroy Evil!” This was the Supreme Mandate Decree Technique awarded in his dream. It could summon the power of Heaven and Earth. In the Heavenly Realm’s storm, infused with thick ghost qi, the thunder grew even more ferocious—perfect for his plan.
As the violet talisman streaked skyward, the murky firmament rent open with a thunderous crack. Torrents of heavenly lightning, like roaring dragons, crashed down upon the phantoms and Ting Yu. In an instant, a blinding flash swept across the scene, its destructive might warping the very skies. Even at some distance, Zhongkui felt that unstoppable force.
Two breaths later, the thunder ceased. All the phantoms had dissolved into nothingness. Ye Yu felt no pity—he knew that at this stage, mere numbers never brought qualitative change. Whether they survived or not mattered little. What counted was capturing Ting Yu the half-step Emperor. With him absorbed into the banner, the Soul-Summoning Banner’s power would soar, not just matching but surpassing that of a high-grade immortal artifact—and perhaps one day rival the Dao-Emperor Armaments themselves.
At the last moment Ye Yu halted his strike. Ting Yu lay gravely wounded but alive, his body crackling with residual lightning—unable to move a muscle. Seizing the chance, Ye Yu snapped the banner around him like a cap. “Come to me, then!” Instantly, the banner drew Ting Yu into itself. With his addition, its shaft thickened, exuding newfound strength—had it grown fatter? Ye Yu stifled a laugh. He could already feel the banner’s power swelling, destined for the upper echelons of immortal relics.
Zhongkui gazed at the banner with awe and fear. “Earlier he said many strange things—could you retrieve his memories and see what he meant? I truly want to know what this ‘Great Era’ he mentioned is!”
