Chapter 1234
Bearing the Fury, A Fortuitous Coincidence
Chapter 1234 Bearing the Fury, A Fortuitous Coincidence
Above the great formation, on the sea surface.
Qi Rong, Long Ziyun, and the other three were hiding inside a transparent protective shield, manipulating a magic array to defend against the incoming attacks.
Not far in front of them, from among hundreds of black mists, countless ghost cultivators attacked, led by the "Netherworld Ancestor" who had previously been defeated.
Looking at Long Ziyun and the others who were still putting up a stubborn resistance in the great formation ahead, the "Ancestor of the Netherworld" immediately showed a hint of joy on his face.
"Hahaha, you really haven't left yet. Today, this old ancestor can finally take revenge!"
Once I've refined you all into ghost servants, I'll have a few more capable henchmen under my command.
Previously, he was alone and no match for the combined forces of "Jin Chen Dao Ren" incarnation and Long Ziyun and others, and failed to break through the formation below that blocked everyone.
Even after retreating to his cave, the "Ancestor of the Underworld" remained indignant and did not let the matter rest.
Within a few months, he gathered his many ghostly minions and attacked again to avenge his previous defeat.
This time, not only did the "Ancestor of the Underworld" appear in person, but he was also surrounded by an army of countless ghosts, numbering in the tens of thousands.
The eight ghost cultivators standing beside him had reached the Nascent Soul realm.
Including the three Nascent Soul ghost puppets summoned by the "Ancestor of the Underworld," there are already more than a dozen Nascent Soul combatants alone.
Moreover, the "Ancestor of the Underworld" has tens of thousands of low-level ghosts assisting him, making his strength far greater than before.
Even when facing the avatar of "Jin Chen Dao Ren", "You Ming Lao Zu" was confident that he could defeat his opponent and leave Long Zi Yun and the others behind.
Seeing that the great formation guarded by Long Ziyun and the others was also on the verge of collapse under the siege of more than a dozen Nascent Soul warriors on their side, and would not be able to hold out for long.
The "Ancestor of the Underworld" immediately cast a spell and stepped forward, preparing to personally force out the people below.
The "Ancestor of the Underworld" shot a cold glint in his eyes, and the ghostly mist in front of him swirled rapidly. Soon, a huge ghost head suddenly appeared, opening its mouth and spitting out a beam of black light.
Before the black light arrived, a giant blue dragon suddenly flew out of the sea and crashed head-on into the other.
As the two attacks clashed, the spiritual light quickly dissipated, revealing another figure—it was the avatar of "Jin Chen Dao Ren" who had come to the rescue just in time.
"Hahaha, you've finally come out. Last time the outcome was undecided, today I'll see how much skill you still have."
Seeing his old rival reappear, the "Netherworld Ancestor" was not angry but delighted, and there was even a hint of greed in his eyes.
He cast a spell again, manipulating the ghost head in front of him to release bursts of black light, which then entangled the external avatar of "Jin Chen Dao Ren".
At the same time, the "Ancestor of the Netherworld" urged his many ghost cultivators to intensify their attack on the formation ahead and take down Long Ziyun and the others who were still struggling in the formation.
In his view, as long as he could hold off the "Golden Dust Taoist's" avatar, the remaining ghosts would be able to quickly defeat Long Ziyun, Qi Rong, and the others.
When the time comes, this formidable opponent will surely perish under the siege of so many ghosts.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Faced with the combined attack of more than a dozen Nascent Soul level ghost cultivators and tens of thousands of low-level ghosts, several cracks quickly appeared on the protective shield above the formation.
Seeing this, the ghost cultivators became even more excited and intensified their attacks.
Just as the "Ancestor of the Underworld" was looking rather smug, thinking that he would soon break through the great formation in front of him...
Unexpectedly, the numerous ghosts surrounding the formation suddenly emitted screams of agony.
"what!"
".
At the front of the battlefield, countless golden petals flew out and instantly entangled a Nascent Soul ghost cultivator who was attacking the formation.
Before the opponent could react, the golden petals transformed into sharp blades and slashed at it rapidly, and a violent collision sound rang out from within the black mist.
Seeing how powerful the golden petals were, the Nascent Soul ghost cultivator still wanted to use magic to resist them.
However, the several black shields he released only lasted for a short while before being shattered by countless golden blades.
"This is bad!"
A cry of alarm rang out, and the once-arrogant Nascent Soul ghost cultivator was instantly swallowed up by countless golden lights and quickly disappeared into the world.
On the other side, in mid-air.
Five enormous golden bronze mirrors appeared out of thin air, surrounding hundreds of ghosts.
The next moment, as countless white flames flew out of the "golden bronze mirror," the ghosts trapped inside immediately screamed in agony.
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of ghosts were annihilated by the raging flames.
".
As powerful beams of spiritual light suddenly appeared on the battlefield, the ghost cultivator army, which had just held an absolute advantage, was forced to retreat repeatedly by this sudden surge of power.
They lost countless ghosts in an instant and were forced to retreat from the front of the battlefield.
In mid-air, six late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, including Song Qingming, Xia Mo, and Wang Quan'an, appeared, their oppressive aura instantly covering the entire battlefield.
Seeing that the many ghosts he had brought had been utterly defeated, the "Ancestor of the Underworld" was also surprised.
He had previously believed that Long Ziyun and the others were hiding here to steal "yin spirit energy" because they had found some treasure down below.
I never imagined that this dark and gloomy place deep in the outer sea would hide so many experts in the late Nascent Soul stage.
Although the number of ghost cultivators he brought was large, how could they possibly defeat the enemy when surrounded by so many late-stage Nascent Soul experts?
If he had known this would happen, he would never have dared to come here and provoke these people.
Seeing that Song Qingming, Xia Mo and others had already slaughtered countless people in the ghost cultivator army and were unstoppable.
The "Ancestor of the Underworld" immediately ordered a retreat. He himself also cast a spell to release a black magic staff, forcing his opponents to retreat.
"It's those damned ghost cultivators again, daring to come here to die."
If they hadn't disturbed the Grand Elder's seclusion that day, our alliance's hard work over the years would not have been in vain.
We implore all fellow cultivators to help clear away these ghostly creatures; our alliance will certainly not treat you unfairly.
Previously, Wang Quan'an and other elders of the Four Seas Business Alliance had long been displeased that "Jin Chen Dao Ren" had failed to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.
Now, faced with this attack from the ghost cultivators, he naturally vented his anger on them.
Seeing that the "Ancestor of the Underworld" wanted to escape, Wang Quan'an was the first to cast a spell to chase after him, and soon they were locked in a fierce battle.
Upon hearing Wang Quan'an's words, the others also rushed forward to chase after the ghost cultivators who had scattered and fled.
After glancing at the "Netherworld Ancestor's" side, where four late-stage Nascent Soul experts were already besieging him, Song Qingming did not choose to join in the fun.
Instead, he focused his divine sense on another Nascent Soul ghost cultivator nearby, who was weaker.
Low-level ghosts usually don't have anything useful on them, so killing them wouldn't be very rewarding for Song Qingming and his group who were in the late Nascent Soul stage.
Therefore, the ghosts that everyone is eyeing are basically high-level ghost cultivators at the Golden Core realm or above who contain ghost cores.
On Song Qingming's side, the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror" was quickly activated. As long as those ghost cultivators were trapped inside, they would soon be directly refined by the "Mysterious Yang Blazing Flame" inside.
In less than half an hour, Song Qingming had successfully collected more than a dozen ghost pills, two of which had even reached the Nascent Soul stage.
Only then did he realize that he had chased after them for over a thousand miles.
Seeing that he had not found any high-level ghosts above the Golden Core realm in the black mist ahead, Song Qingming immediately used magic to flash back to the battlefield.
Just as Song Qingming turned to cross a stretch of sea, his divine sense suddenly detected something new in the nearby sea, and he immediately stopped.
Before Song Qingming could cast a spell, a black shadow suddenly darted out of the sea and transformed into a streak of light, heading straight into the distance.
"Huh! It's him."
Upon seeing the somewhat familiar ghost cultivator ahead, whose cultivation had actually reached the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, Song Qingming immediately recognized him as the "Netherworld Ancestor" who had been besieged by Wang Quan'an and the others earlier.
However, although the current "Ancestor of the Netherworld" is still at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, his aura has obviously weakened considerably.
Song Qingming had personally witnessed Wang Quan'an and his group besieging the opponent, and the fact that "Old Ancestor of the Netherworld" was able to escape from so many experts was already beyond his expectations.
Having run into the other party, Song Qingming was not going to let it go easily. He immediately used his magic to activate the "Nine Palaces Meteor Escape" and quickly chased after them.
The "Netherworld Ancestor," who was casting a spell to escape ahead, looked at Song Qingming, who was chasing after him, and whose escape speed was no less than his own. His face was extremely ugly at this moment.
In order to escape the encirclement of Wang Quan'an and his group, "Old Ancestor of the Underworld" was seriously injured. In the end, he was able to escape hundreds of miles away by self-destructing a high-level magic weapon in his hand.
He intended to hide in the sea for a while, but unfortunately, he was still detected by Song Qingming's divine sense as he passed by.
Seeing that the opponent was getting closer and closer, "Ancestor of the Netherworld" gritted his teeth and pushed his escape speed to the limit, despite his injuries.
Although many of the supernatural abilities of ghost cultivators can be countered by righteous cultivators of the same level, making it difficult for them to defeat their opponents head-on.
However, based solely on his speed, "Netherworld Ancestor," a peak Nascent Soul expert, should theoretically be stronger than Song Qingming, whose cultivation level is only at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage.
To the surprise of the "Ancestor of the Underworld," the person behind him also possessed a secret technique that allowed him to escape at an incredibly fast speed, which was in no way inferior to his own.
The two of them chased each other for tens of thousands of miles.
To the "Ancestor of the Underworld"'s even greater surprise, he was already starting to feel the strain from frequently using his secret techniques.
However, Song Qingming behind him still couldn't slow down his escape speed, and it seemed that he still had some mana in his body.
"That's strange. How come this guy hasn't run out of magic power yet? Could it be that he's carrying some ten-thousand-year-old spiritual liquid?"
"No, if I get entangled with him in my current state, I definitely won't be able to get away. I must find a way to return to my cave before I can deal with him."
Facing Song Qingming relentlessly pursuing him, the "Netherworld Ancestor," already somewhat exhausted, grew increasingly pale.
Meanwhile, Song Qingming seemed to sense that the opponent's escape speed was slowly weakening, and a smile appeared on his face.
Having first helped "Jin Chen Dao Ren" break through to the Nascent Soul realm, and then pursued those Nascent Soul ghosts, Song Qingming had indeed consumed a lot of his magical power.
However, because of the fragment of the map on his body, his own mana recovery speed is also far greater than that of others.
Especially after obtaining and fusing the fourth fragment a few years ago, the speed at which the fragment helped restore mana was increased again.
Although he appears to be consuming magic power very quickly, his internal magical energy has remained at a certain level, showing no signs of exhaustion.
Seeing that "Ancestor of the Underworld" was the first to give up, Song Qingming's expression showed no surprise.
But just as he was about to catch up to the other party by several hundred feet, the "Netherworld Ancestor" suddenly turned around and cast a spell to throw out four thin black needles, which headed straight for Song Qingming's location. Seeing these rapidly flying black needles, Song Qingming, who was already on guard, immediately cast a spell to release his natal magic weapon, the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," to block them in front of him.
As the two magical treasures clashed, a clanging sound rang out, and Song Qingming was forced back dozens of feet by his opponent.
Before he could cast another spell to move forward, another dark figure rushed towards him and crashed head-on into Song Qingming, who was still not on his feet.
A loud "BOOM!" suddenly rang out.
The next moment, countless black mists emerged from the figure, directly trapping Song Qingming and his natal magic weapon, the "Five Elements Divine Light Realm," within them.
"Huh! It's a self-destructing puppet."
Seeing that the "Netherworld Ancestor" was willing to so easily abandon even the Nascent Soul puppet in order to hold him back, he was shocked.
Standing in the black mist, Song Qingming had not expected the other party to be so decisive.
In the distance, in mid-air, the "Ancestor of the Underworld" looked at Song Qingming, who was trapped by the black mist. His expression had just relaxed a little, and he was about to escape from this place.
Suddenly, a golden light pierced through the black mist and shone directly on him.
"This is impossible!"
The black mist that the "Ancestor of the Underworld" just activated was a powerful divine ability that he had cultivated within his body for thousands of years.
Even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator could at least trap the opponent for a short while, preventing them from escaping easily.
But before his eyes could even register the disbelief, the golden sword light sliced through the black mist, and a figure immediately flew out from within.
In mid-air, a golden giant sword appeared in Song Qingming's hand.
The powerful aura emanating from the giant sword was in no way weaker than the cyan flying sword in the hand of the "Golden Dust Daoist" avatar.
"not good!"
Upon witnessing this scene, the "Ancestor of the Underworld" realized that the person before him was far more formidable than he had imagined, and he lost the confidence to continue fighting against him.
Before Song Qingming could launch an attack, the "Netherworld Ancestor" had already turned into black mist and disappeared into the deep sea below.
Seeing this, Song Qingming, who was holding the "Golden Palace Cloud Light Sword", raised his hand and cast a spell. The giant sword in his hand automatically turned into countless sword lights, like rain falling into the deep sea.
"boom!"
A series of booming sounds rang out, and the next moment, the "Netherworld Ancestor," who had not yet escaped far, was forced out of the sea.
This time, before the "Ancestor of the Underworld" could even cast a spell, more than a dozen golden chains flew out from all around, freezing him in mid-air.
"You think you can stop me with this?"
Seeing that he was trapped by the other party, "Ancestor of the Underworld" immediately cast a spell to summon bursts of black flames, which enveloped the golden chains on his body.
But just as the black flames appeared, a flash of lightning suddenly appeared above the golden chains, and crimson lightning instantly shattered them.
"Crimson Sun Divine Thunder, how come you still have this on you!"
Ghost cultivators are restrained by thunder and fire, and are most afraid of these extremely powerful and yang divine thunders in the world.
Upon seeing the "Crimson Sun Divine Thunder" summoned by Song Qingming, the "Netherworld Ancestor" was immediately filled with panic. He desperately urged the black flames but could not break free from the solid cage where the chains and lightning merged.
Just as the "Netherworld Ancestor" was fighting against the "Crimson Sun Divine Thunder," another golden magic array appeared in mid-air, and a powerful pressure instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.
"Seven Star Sword Light, fall!"
"I have cultivated diligently for ten thousand years, how could I possibly lose to you!"
"what!"
Faced with the powerful sword light falling from the sky, the "Ancestor of the Netherworld" desperately tried to dodge, but he was still unable to break free, and his figure was instantly enveloped by the sword light.
This "Ancestor of the Underworld" was first besieged and seriously injured by Wang Quan'an and his group, and then chased by Song Qingming all the way, leaving him with very little magical power.
In this state, they were powerless to resist Song Qingming's all-out "Seven Star Sword Array".
A shrill scream rang out as seven sword beams pierced through the black mist above the "Netherworld Ancestor's" head, shattering his entire body.
The white sword light dissipated, and the figure of the "Netherworld Ancestor" had vanished from the spot, leaving only some fragments of black mist lingering around him.
A flash of light, and Song Qingming landed, the "Golden Palace Cloud Light Sword" still in his hand, emitting bursts of golden light.
With his divine sense sweeping across the battlefield, Song Qingming's gaze quickly fell on an object scattered above the battlefield.
With a gentle lift of his hand, he caught a black flying needle in his grasp—the very same magical artifact that the "Ancestor of the Underworld" had previously used against him.
After examining it carefully and finding nothing unusual about the magical artifact, Song Qingming immediately put it away.
Just as Song Qingming was casting a spell to put away his magical artifact, his divine sense, which had already covered the entire battlefield, suddenly sensed a subtle fluctuation of spiritual energy in the surrounding area.
Looking up, one could see a piece of cloth floating in mid-air, slowly drifting away into the distance with the wind.
"Hmph! It really is still there."
The next moment, the "Golden Palace Cloud Light Sword" locked onto a void in mid-air, and several sword lights shot out.
The sword light pierced through the void, and a cloud of black mist appeared out of nowhere, causing the people to flee in panic.
But before it could escape far, a giant crimson hand formed from lightning grabbed it, and the black mist quickly transformed into a semi-transparent humanoid figure.
"Fellow Daoist, we have no grudge against each other, please spare my life."
"I have cultivated for ten thousand years and have accumulated many precious spiritual items in my cave. If you spare me, I am willing to take you to retrieve them."
"Whatever you want, those things are yours, how about that?"
"Oh, right, I also have a Xuan Jade Bed that can help."
".
Despite the constant pleas for mercy coming from the "Netherworld Ancestor" ghost infant, Song Qingming remained unmoved and simply reached out to cover its head.
The next moment, the sound stopped abruptly, and the "Netherworld Ancestor" ghost infant seemed to be imprisoned in mid-air by something.
Meanwhile, Song Qingming closed his eyes tightly, rapidly circulating his magical power in his hands, his expression becoming extremely serious.
".
After a long while, Song Qingming, with a few beads of sweat on his face, finally stopped casting the spell and couldn't help but exhale a few breaths.
"Forcibly searching the soul of a Nascent Soul peak cultivator is still a bit too much for me now, but fortunately I still gained some results."
In the world of cultivation, the technique of soul searching is generally used by higher-level cultivators against those whose cultivation is lower than their own.
Song Qingming's cultivation level is currently only at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage, while "Ancestor of the Netherworld" is a powerful ghost cultivator who has been at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage for thousands of years.
Fortunately, after a fierce battle, the remaining ghost infant of "Old Ancestor of the Underworld" was already very weak.
In addition, Song Qingming had cultivated a profound soul technique, and after several attempts, he was still able to find some useful information from the other party's soul memories.
After sealing the "Netherworld Ancestor" ghost infant, Song Qingming immediately summoned the "White Bone Flying Boat" and then transformed into a streak of light, quickly leaving the spot.
".
Tens of thousands of miles from the battlefield, beneath an island.
A dozen or so low-level ghosts were darting back and forth in the sea, surveying the surroundings.
They simply circled around in the sea, never daring to approach the island ahead, as if there were some terrifying creature inside, making them somewhat wary.
Suddenly, a streak of light flashed in front of them, and then a figure appeared in the sea.
"Woo, woo, woo!"
Upon seeing the suddenly appearing figure, the ghosts seemed to go berserk, screaming and charging towards them.
As the sword light flashed, several low-level ghosts were annihilated in mid-air before they could even escape.
After overcoming the immediate obstacle, the newcomer glanced at the void ahead and immediately swung his golden greatsword, unleashing a monstrous aura that parted the surrounding seawater.
A cracking sound rang out, and the previously empty scene transformed into a black hole that was over ten feet high.
"As expected, it's here. It seems I didn't miss this trip!"
His figure passed through the cave entrance ahead, and Song Qingming's figure immediately appeared in a grand hall.
Before he could make a move, countless green lights suddenly lit up in the originally pitch-black hall and surrounded Song Qingming.
Seeing this, Song Qingming gently patted his waist with his right hand, and a crimson jade plate suddenly appeared in mid-air.
A flash of light appeared, and a black figure materialized out of thin air, landing beside Song Qingming.
"Senior Qu, I'd appreciate it if you could help me deal with these strange things."
"Hey! How come there are so many ghosts? You didn't sneak into their lair, did you?"
Seeing countless ghosts swarming towards them, Qu Bai, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but ask a question.
"Indeed, we entered those guys' lair, but please rest assured, senior. Those powerful guys have all been dealt with, so there will be no danger."
I need to look around to see if I can find anything good. I'll have to trouble you to handle things here, senior.
In the previous battle with the ghost cultivators, most of the enemy's Nascent Soul level combatants had already perished outside, and the remaining "Netherworld Ancestor" had also fallen at Song Qingming's hands.
Currently, the remaining creatures in this hall are mostly low-level ghosts at the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages, which pose no threat to Qu Bai, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Upon hearing this, a smile immediately appeared on Qu Bai's face, and he replied:
"Hehe! It just so happens that I need to devour some primordial spirits to improve my own origin, and these ghosts are quite suitable for me."
"Don't worry, just go about your business!"
Having said that, Qu Bai ignored Song Qingming and used magic to transform into a streak of light, rushing directly towards the numerous green flames in front of him.
Song Qingming nodded slightly and turned to look around the entire hall.
(PS: It's almost the end of the year, and there's so much to do. I'm going out for drinks again tomorrow; this is the third time this week. It seems like it's happening much more frequently this year than in previous years!)
(Speaking of banquets, Xiaomeng likes being seated at a table with children the most. What do you fellow cultivators think?)
(End of this chapter)