Wei Yan now truly revealed the strength befitting his position as second on the Maple Forest City's Merit List, leading the charge deep into Xiaolin Town as if colliding head-on into the swarm of wandering souls. All the souls encountered were shattered with a single strike, dispersing any that dared to block his path. His body seemed enveloped in a layer of cold light, a manifestation of the extreme concentration of Metal Qi. His steps did not falter for a moment, as if nothing could obstruct his advance.
His long knife slashed and hacked, its shrill whistles seeming to cut through the very air. The others followed behind him, only needing to prevent the ghosts on either side from closing in, significantly reducing the risk. Jiang Wang and Zhao Rucheng, one on the left and one on the right, intentionally or unintentionally protected Ling He and Du Yehu in the middle. Ling He was fine, but Du Yehu's face was flushed red. He knew this was not the time for impulsiveness and had no choice but to keep moving forward.
It was unknown how much time had passed. In the slowly gathering dense fog, directions were hard to discern, and even time seemed blurred. The wandering souls they encountered were not very powerful, within the scope that a ninth-rank extraordinary cultivator could handle. However, these eighth- and ninth-rank cultivators did not have abundant Dao Qi within the Tongtian Palace and could not endure prolonged combat. They feared that if they continued for much longer, they would no longer be able to cast spells, otherwise they would damage their Dao Vortex and harm their foundation.
At this moment, Wei Yan stopped. Based on the approximate location, they were soon to reach the very center of Xiaolin Town. Jiang Wang remembered that there was a marketplace there. On market days, people from nearby villages would gather, making it quite lively.
Wei Yan stopped not because he did not wish to proceed, but because a wall of fog blocked his way, halting his knife's advance. Unlike the pervasive fog along the way, this fog wall had a substantial presence and was extremely resilient. With the sharpness of Wei Yan's knife, even a copper wall and iron barrier should have been slashed apart, yet the fog wall remained unmoved.
No matter how many attacks landed, they were like stones sinking into the sea.
Wei Yan was extremely anxious. He keenly sensed that something was amiss beyond the fog wall. It was not a simple act of evil; it might even affect his entire life.
But at this moment, his long knife was caught in a dilemma!
"Who among you has a way to break through? Give it a try!" Wei Yan said gravely, "The situation is urgent and cannot afford delay. I will take full responsibility."
Immediately, a disciple stepped forward to the fog wall and, without a word, began to unbuckle his belt.
"Hey, what are you doing?" someone nearby grabbed him.
"Don't stop me!" the man declared with conviction, "There are many ghosts here, and the Yin energy is very strong. Child's urine can dispel evil and subdue ghosts. I have not lost my virginity yet, so I am the obvious choice!"
This man was named Huang Azhan, an inner-disciple selected in the previous session. He was a drinking buddy with Du Yehu, had a decent personality, but was not very bright.
Wei Yan frowned as he watched Huang Azhan finish his business. The fog wall remained completely still. Only the strong, temporary stench reminded everyone of what had just happened.
"That's strange, maybe it's not enough?" After holding it in for a while, he turned back and called out, "Are there any other virgins here? Let's do it together! Of course, Zhao Rucheng doesn't need to come; you have heavy Yin energy. Du Yehu, come on! Don't be shy. With your noble status, you are destined to remain a virgin forever; your Yang energy must be strong!"
This single sentence mocked two people. If the situation were not so urgent, Du Yehu would have punched him in the face long ago.
Zhao Rucheng sneered, "Azhan, think again. Maybe it's not enough child's urine; maybe we need child's blood?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Azhan stroked his chin and nodded, seemingly considering the feasibility.
Wang Changxiang, who had been feeling weak since he used the breath tornado, said, "When the tornado blew away the fog, I took a look. The wandering souls in Xiaolin Town formed a simple Nine Palaces Array. I wasn't sure at the time, but now, being blocked here in the central palace, I am certain of it."
"How to break it?" Wei Yan was straightforward.
"The array maker did not put much effort into it, and with so many ghosts, they are hard to control like limbs. So the method to break it is simple," Wang Changxiang said with a wry smile. "Destroy the array eyes of the other eight palaces, and this central palace will collapse on its own."
Wei Yan immediately said, "Wang Changxiang will stay here to observe the situation. Four more people will stay and follow his command, ready to support the others. I will go to the Kan Palace. The rest of you divide into seven groups and break one palace each. Finally, we will gather again in front of this central palace."
The great division of heaven is based on the emergence of yang and the entry of yin. Yang begins at Zi, and yin begins at Wu. Therefore, the Taiyi descends into the Nine Palaces, starting from the Kan Palace.
The Kan Palace is located in the exact north, and it is associated with water in the Five Elements. It is not the easiest palace for Wei Yan to deal with, but with his strong power, he does not need to consider these factors.
"Let me remind everyone," Wang Changxiang continued, "The ghosts we have cleared along the way are ordinary, but at the array eyes, there must be vengeful or fierce ghosts. You must all act within your capabilities."
Zhao Lang, who always followed Wei Yan's lead, was the first to respond, "In that case, I will go to the Kun Palace."
Li Jianqiu was even more decisive and had already started towards the west with his sword in hand, "I will take the Zhen Palace. You can divide the rest among yourselves."
The strong cultivators stepped forward and took responsibility. This is the backbone of cultivators.
Jiang Wang and Ling He exchanged glances and said, "The four of us brothers will be responsible for the Xun Palace."
This statement was not an overstatement. Their combat strength had been evident during their journey. Although Jiang Wang had not yet laid the foundation, he relied on the Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique, and his strength was subtly above that of an average ninth-rank cultivator.
The Xun Palace is associated with wood in the Five Elements. Using metal to cut wood is the right strategy. The remaining wood-associated Zhen Palace had already been assigned to Li Jianqiu. Going to other palaces would be less effective for him and Zhao Rucheng.
From another perspective, the situation in Xiaolin Town would not go unnoticed. Their contributions would be recorded. Ling He, Du Yehu, and Zhao Rucheng were all at a critical moment of accumulating Merit Points to exchange for the Meridian-Opening Pill. If they could resolve one palace, it would undoubtedly propel them forward by a great leap.
Everyone's choices strictly followed the order of the Nine Palaces. The Nine Palaces are like this: two and four are the shoulders, six and eight are the feet, three on the left, seven on the right, nine on top, and one on the bottom. From one to nine, they are Kan, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Center, Qian, Dui, Gen, and Li.
Along the way, they fought and advanced. Jiang Wang and Zhao Rucheng's extraordinary sword techniques had already been recognized by everyone, so no one said anything more. The remaining twenty disciples of the Daoist Academy were divided into four groups of five, each choosing one of the remaining four palaces.
It must be said that Wang Changxiang's breath tornado earlier had made a huge contribution. It allowed them to find their direction again in such dense fog, which was the premise for breaking the entire ghost array.
The Xun Palace is located in the southeast. Jiang Wang advanced with his sword in the dense fog. When he faintly saw the tavern ahead, he was relieved. The only tavern in Xiaolin Town was in the southeast direction; they had not taken the wrong path.
"Be careful," Ling He suddenly said, "I feel that there is something very dangerous ahead."
Ling He's intuition had always been accurate, and the group did not take it lightly.
Jiang Wang nodded, "That must be the vengeful ghost that Wang Senior mentioned. It also represents the array eye of the Xun Palace. Rucheng, how many moves of the Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique have you mastered?"
"All are proficient," Zhao Rucheng replied.
There was nothing more to say about this guy's talent. Jiang Wang immediately commanded, "When the time comes, I will make the first move, and you will follow up. Launch the strongest attack in the shortest time to eliminate the target. The eldest and the second will keep an eye on the surroundings and prevent other wandering souls from rushing over. If necessary, do not hesitate to unleash your blood energy."
Before laying the foundation, if one could not master extraordinary means like the Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique, the only way to harm ghosts was to unleash blood energy. However, blood and energy are the foundation of a person, and unleashing blood energy is a great burden on the body. Therefore, Ling He and Du Yehu had been very restrained along the way.
But for Jiang Wang's command, they did not hesitate at all. It was the tacit understanding formed through countless battles side by side.
Although they could not see very far in the fog, the brothers quickly defined the target range and spread out to close in.
At this moment, a sudden shrill scream rang out, as if right beside their ears. In front of Jiang Wang, a sword light suddenly flashed!
Clang!
The first move of the Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique!
A blood-red claw was just blocked by the long sword, and the vengeful ghost of the Xun Palace position appeared in front of the group.
The wandering souls they had encountered along the way were not much different from humans before death, only with faint and pale forms. This vengeful ghost, however, was completely different; it already looked like another kind of creature.
It had a green face and fangs, standing nearly twelve feet tall, tall and robust. Its muscles were bulging, and its claws were blood-red, with one claw tip still dripping blood.
Jiang Wang had known that in the dense fog, the perception of the vengeful ghost would inevitably be stronger than theirs. So he had been on guard, his sword ready. Only in this way could he block the vengeful ghost's attack in the first place.
But he still underestimated the power of this vengeful ghost.
In the brief gap created by the breath tornado, how many wandering souls had they seen? There must have been thousands! Yet only these eight fierce ghosts that sat in the Nine Palaces had emerged. Whether they were cultivated by humans or born from natural fighting, the vengeful ghosts born from them must be extraordinary.
Although Jiang Wang blocked the first attack, he was still scratched by another claw, tearing a piece of flesh from his left arm.
The blood dripping from the vengeful ghost's claw came from his wound. Fortunately, the wound was not very large.
Just as Jiang Wang was attacked and counterattacked, Zhao Rucheng's sword also moved!
The first move of the Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique emphasized speed, which could attack like thunder and defend like lightning. The emperor's anger, like a thunderbolt, shocked the world in an instant!
The vengeful ghost had not yet tasted the torn piece of flesh when Zhao Rucheng's sword pierced its abdomen.
Zhao Rucheng, along with his sword, was embedded in the vengeful ghost, and because of the size difference, he looked like a monkey hanging on a person.
The vengeful ghost howled in pain and suddenly lowered its head.
Not good!
Zhao Rucheng was startled. He kicked off the vengeful ghost's claw, flipped backward in the air, and abandoned his sword to escape. The vengeful ghost was about to pursue, but Jiang Wang's figure flashed like a thunderbolt in front of it.
The second move of the Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique, its determination lies in accuracy.
Jiang Wang had moved far away, but the sword light had just crossed the vengeful ghost's eyeball.
In that instant, dark green liquid burst like lava, and the vengeful ghost let out an extremely miserable scream. This originally chaotic creature now stared at Jiang Wang with its remaining right eye, full of hatred.
It simply did not cover its eye, letting the dark liquid flow, with Zhao Rucheng's sword still trembling in its body, and it charged at Jiang Wang!
Ling He, who was driving away the wandering souls outside the combat range, shot his sword to Zhao Rucheng in the midst of the chaos, "Catch it!"
Zhao Rucheng leaped into the air, grabbed Ling He's sword in mid-air, and like a meteor, he shot towards the vengeful ghost's back again. This sword pierced through its neck and came out from the ghost's chin, resting on its chest!
The vengeful ghost roared and swung its claw back. Because of the angle, this claw was inevitably slower than before. So Zhao Rucheng kicked against its back, intending to use the force to pull out the sword and retreat. But he didn't expect the sword to be tightly clamped by the ghost's muscles. He failed to pull it out in one go and hesitated for a moment.
It was just this moment that the ghost's huge claw fiercely swept across him, knocking Zhao Rucheng flying more than fourteen feet into the dense fog, his fate unknown!
It should be noted that at this time, there were countless wandering souls wandering in the dense fog!
At this moment, Jiang Wang was on the opposite side, and Ling He was still entangled with the wandering souls after sending the sword. Only Du Yehu, who was also guarding the combat circle, was the closest. He had long been unable to bear it. He came here to eliminate evil and purify the world, not to be protected and just to accumulate Merit Points, or even become a burden!
A roar of anger was heard, like thunder. Du Yehu's entire body's blood and energy burst out. The blood energy around him was like a substantial substance rushing towards the sky, and for a moment it was like a beacon!
Blood and energy beacon!
Only warriors whose blood and energy are strong enough can trigger the blood and energy beacon. Even Jiang Wang could not do this.
And Du Yehu's full-force explosion this time proved that he was not inferior to others.
Wrapped in the blood energy force like a substantial substance, he seemed to be wearing a blood-red battle robe. He moved several times faster than usual and in a few steps rushed to Zhao Rucheng's side!