A massive blade of light swept through, parting and then rejoining the dense fog.
Yet, the glimpse of what lay within that brief interval was already enough to instill fear.
What was the true nature of this fog? In broad daylight, why were spirits wandering about?
Where did so many ghosts come from? Even if every single person in Xiaolin Town had turned into malevolent spirits, there couldn't possibly be such a vast number, nearly filling the entire field of vision!
Of course, everyone now realized that with such a dense swarm of wandering spirits, it was likely that Xiaolin Town... no longer had any living souls!
One of the seven major towns under the jurisdiction of the Fenglin City domain had already been lost.
At such a moment, it was Wei Yan's calm voice that first rang out, suppressing the chaos: "Those skilled in fire-based Daoist techniques, mark a warning line fifty paces away from the team and draw a line of fire. The rest of you, eliminate the wandering spirits within the warning line in the shortest time possible!"
The Five Elements Daoist techniques were the most fundamental of all. There were no shortage of cultivators skilled in fire. Following Wei Yan's command, clusters of flames ignited fifty paces away from the team. Then, under the guidance of Wei Yan's adjutant, these flames instantly connected, forming a circular line of fire.
Beyond the circle of fire, the spirits temporarily retreated. The spirits that were enclosed within the circle of fire, however, immediately became frenzied.
At this moment, Li Jianqiu suddenly sheathed his longsword, which was engulfed in flames, and formed seals with his hands in front of his chin, then resolutely dropped them to his side. Two swords of blazing fire appeared in his hands.
The dual swords moved like dragons, carrying him as he plunged into the crowd of spirits. One sword to dispel the ghosts, two swords to shatter the souls.
Simultaneously, a sword light flickered around for a moment, and an innumerable number of spirits were successively annihilated. Only after the sword light receded did Jiang Wang's agile figure become visible.
The Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique, the first killing form!
Everyone was taken aback. They hadn't expected that this cultivator, who hadn't yet condensed the Daoist spiral, could purely use swordsmanship to dispel spirits, and even more efficiently than they could.
As soon as Jiang Wang moved, Zhao Rucheng also sprang into action, his longsword turning like lightning, cutting through the spirits in its path.
He didn't seem to practice much in daily life, but his use of the Purple Qi from the East Sword was not much worse than Jiang Wang's.
In the midst of the chaos, only Du Yehu and Ling He exchanged glances. The mundane martial arts they were skilled in were indeed very difficult to use against spirits, which were on a supernatural level. If they purely stimulated their blood energy, they could indeed kill a few spirits, but facing so many wandering souls, how much blood energy did they have to stimulate?
In fact, Jiang Wang had not kept the Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique a secret from them. However, Du Yehu firmly believed in his own fists and had no interest in swordsmanship. As for Ling He... it was probably due to his talent that his progress was slow, and he still hadn't mastered the killing form, unable to use it in actual combat.
Initially, as the eldest brother among them who worked as hard as Jiang Wang, his strength that didn't fall behind was built on sweat.
The situation on the field seemed favorable, but those with clear eyes knew it was already critical.
The spirits that had appeared so far were all ordinary wandering souls. For some unknown reason, Xiaolin Town had gathered so many spirits, and there must be malevolent spirits, even ghost generals, among them!
This was no longer a situation that this small team could handle. The best course of action now was to quickly disengage from the battle.
However, the group had been traveling through the fog and had long lost their sense of direction. With layers of spirits surrounding the outer circle of fire, breaking through would be no easy feat.
Wei Yan took a step out of the circle of fire, allowing the spirits to swarm and tear at him. His seemingly worn and damaged armor vibrated slightly, and the spirits that almost reached him dissipated.
But there was no joy on his face; instead, he took another step back into the circle of fire and said in a deep voice, "Who among you is skilled in wind-based Daoist techniques? Try to disperse this fog!"
Although he was asking everyone, his gaze fell on Wang Changxiang.
Compared to the Five Elements Daoist techniques of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, wind-based Daoist techniques were relatively niche, but Wang Changxiang was a master of this path.
Without hesitation, Wang Changxiang immediately extended his fingers and sliced through the air in front of him, clearing the surrounding spirits with wind blades. Then, his hands moved like butterflies among flowers, changing seals rapidly. Finally, he brought his hands together in front of his lips, with his index and middle fingers touching and his thumb, ring, and little fingers each paired together. In the triangular area formed by his middle and ring fingers, he opened his mouth and exhaled.
The gentle breath passed through the finger area and suddenly intensified, visibly rotating and growing larger at an astonishing speed before colliding straight into the dense fog. Like a furious divine dragon, it roared within the thick mist.
Wind-based Daoist technique, the Breath of a Dragon Tornado!
This wind was no ordinary wind; it was the Eastern Ming Shu Wind, one of the Eight Winds.
The Ming Shu Wind, which brings clarity and the emergence of all things, was perfectly suited for this situation.
Such a powerful Daoist technique was not something every cultivator of the sixth rank could master. Yet, Wang Changxiang was able to wield it even before opening the Heavenly Gate, which was truly impressive.
After completing the technique, Wang Changxiang's face turned pale, clearly indicating that the technique was a significant burden for him. He managed to stand firm and said, "I leave the rest to you all."
Where the roaring tornado passed, the fog was scattered. For the first time since entering Xiaolin Town, the group was able to see clearly.
Ice sugar gourd skewers leaned against the wall, a rice shop connected to a soy sauce workshop, and the tavern's flag still fluttered in the wind.
Everything seemed unchanged—except for the presence of the wandering spirits.
The spirits within the circle of fire had already been cleared, but those outside still swarmed and lingered. They instinctively feared the flames but, driven by their primal nature, they could not bear to part with these vital humans.
"Bad!"
This cry of alarm sounded the alarm. Everyone saw that as soon as the roaring tornado passed, the distant fog began to gather again. Such fog could not even be completely dispelled by the Breath of a Dragon Tornado.
"Let's take this opportunity to retreat first," Li Jianqiu, holding dual swords of blazing fire, suggested in a deep voice.
In the interval created by the Breath of a Dragon Tornado, the group had already been able to determine their way out. With their current strength, and without the appearance of a ghost general, they had a good chance of retreating safely while fighting.
Wei Yan, holding his blade, gazed at the approaching fog, not knowing what he was thinking.
His adjutant became anxious, "Sir, the situation in Xiaolin Town is beyond our control now! We must mobilize the main force. Moreover, everyone in Xiaolin Town is dead. There's no point in us staying here. How about..."
Wei Yan interrupted him, "All the spirits we've seen so far are ordinary wandering souls, not a single one with clear consciousness. You must understand, it's unnatural to have so many spirits here."
Wang Changxiang frowned and said, "There are no cultivators in the entire Fenglin City domain who specialize in ghost-controlling techniques. This matter should be handed over to the City Defense Army. Once the main force arrives, their sa qi will disperse these spirits without the need for battle."
"The Qingjiang Water Clan is in turmoil, and the City Defense Army has gone to suppress it. By the time they return... it might be too late," Wei Yan reluctantly revealed a piece of significant news.
The Qingjiang River, which runs through the entire Qinghe Prefecture, has the Lüliu River outside Fenglin City as one of its tributaries. But why would the Qingjiang Water Clan, which had long established an alliance with the Zhuang Court, suddenly become restless?
Jiang Wang pondered in his heart. The term "turmoil" indicated that the Qingjiang Water Clan was exercising restraint. However, involving the major waterways of the entire Qinghe Prefecture was a significant matter that the authorities could not take lightly, so it was only natural for the City Defense Army to be mobilized everywhere.
The appearance of the Heart-Devouring Demon... the unrest of the Qingjiang Water Clan... the hundred ghosts walking abroad in Xiaolin Town. These events seemed unrelated, but there was an invisible hand subtly connecting them.
"Something's not right," Wei Yan shook his head, having made a decision: "Everyone follow me and charge forward. I won't stop, and no one is allowed to stop! Those who fall behind are on their own!"
Without waiting for anyone to dissuade him, as soon as he finished speaking, he stepped out of the circle of fire, leading the charge into the depths of Xiaolin Town.
As his adjutant, Zhao Lang naturally followed without hesitation. Then came Li Jianqiu and Wang Changxiang. They were all experienced and, although they did not agree with Wei Yan's decision, they knew better than to scatter their strength at a time like this.
In the end, the entire team quickly mobilized, with Wei Yan as the spearhead, thrusting fiercely into the depths of Xiaolin Town!