Malicious Ghosts!
They were on par with Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators from the Great Immortal Gates. The birth of a single Malicious Ghost required it to devour massive amounts of Yin energy or consume the blood and souls of countless humans.
Logically, for forty or fifty Malicious Ghosts to appear within the Sanqing Immortal Sect's domain, it would have to be accompanied by a massive loss of human life. An event of that scale could not possibly have escaped the sect's notice.
Unless... there was an even greater mastermind behind them!
"Junior Brother!" Ji Zidian's gaze was grave. "There are too many of them; this is beyond what we can handle. Take Junior Sister Ling'er and retreat now! I'll hold the rear!"
HEE HEE...
The leading Malicious Ghost, clad in crimson robes, had a Cultivation Level that had clearly reached the Ninth Heaven of the Foundation Establishment Realm. A thick aura of malevolence and Demonic Qi shrouded her.
She giggled. "Leave? Now that we've all revealed ourselves, how could we possibly let you go?"
As she spoke, forty to fifty Malicious Ghosts had already swarmed and surrounded Wang Xiu and Ji Zidian, their dense, ghostly malevolence sealing the area so tightly that not even the wind could pass through.
"Who dares stop him?!" Ji Zidian's phoenix-like brows arched, her aura skyrocketing.
Purple lightning suddenly burst from her body, winding around her like dragons and serpents until she was completely enshrouded. She slowly extended her arms, and between her breasts, a purple, cloud-shaped pattern gradually emerged.
Then, an endless stream of lightning burst forth from the purple cloud, exuding an aura that made all the Malicious Ghosts tremble in fear, forcing them back step by step.
CLANG!
As the lightning converged, the cry of a saber rang out, echoing throughout the valley.
The next moment, Ji Zidian drew a completely purple, single-edged Tang-style saber from her chest, its entire blade wreathed in dense lightning.
"A Spiritual Artifact!" The face of the Malicious Ghost in red changed drastically, her eyes filling with terror and dread. "A lightning-attribute Spiritual Artifact!"
A Spiritual Artifact was superior to any Magic Artifact. It possessed a rudimentary spiritual intelligence, allowing it to automatically protect its master, and its power was more than enough to crush a lesser weapon. Generally, weapons of this caliber were wielded by cultivators at the Nascent Soul Stage or higher. Even among the Perfected Persons of the Golden Core Stage, very few possessed a Spiritual Artifact. Yet this young woman, a mere Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, had one sealed within her body. This is completely absurd!
With the Spiritual Artifact drawn, Ji Zidian's aura climbed another notch. "Junior Brother, southwest! Break through!"
The moment she spoke, she shot southwest, her feet tracing the steps of the Heavenly Gang Beidou. With each step, her aura surged.
After the seventh step, she slashed the Purple Cloud Saber toward the sky. A ten-foot-long purple Dragon of lightning rose into the clouds and pounced on the Malicious Ghosts in the southwest.
In an instant, three Malicious Ghosts were torn to ash by the lightning Dragon, while five others retreated in terror, their own ghostly auras dimming considerably.
The Seven Steps Dragon Slaying Technique! It was one of the Thunder Sect's ultimate legacies, said to be capable of slaying a True Dragon within seven steps, making its user invincible in close combat. Combined with the power of a lightning-attribute Spiritual Artifact, it was the perfect counter to these Malicious Ghosts, who were steeped in Demonic Qi!
SWOOSH!
The encirclement was torn apart. The Black Tortoise Mirror transformed into a brilliant green light and shot out, vanishing into the forest in an instant.
What a fast strike, the Malicious Ghost in red thought, staring at the spot recently ravaged by the lightning Dragon with deep apprehension in her eyes. If I had taken that strike head-on, I would have lost at least half my life. And I'm at the Ninth Heaven of the Foundation Establishment Stage, while she's merely at the Sixth Heaven! To be so ferocious despite being three minor realms weaker... The True Disciples of the Sanqing Immortal Sect are truly terrifying!
"Little sister," the Malicious Ghost in red sneered, silently taking half a step back. "That Spiritual Artifact of yours makes for a grand display. But how many more times can you use a move like that?"
Ji Zidian stood, saber in hand, and stated indifferently, "It will be enough to kill you."
With that, she formed a hand seal with her left hand. The Celestial Heart Sword whistled through the air as green and purple runes of wind and lightning materialized around it. Imbued with the power of the elements, the sword slashed toward the other Malicious Ghosts surrounding the one in red.
Meanwhile, she herself once again stepped in the pattern of the Heavenly Gang Beidou. Like a jade Flood Dragon, she drew an endless torrent of lightning and charged toward the leader.
If she can kill the leader and intimidate the others, breaking out will be much easier!
"Trying to kill me?" the red-robed ghost sneered. "In your dreams!"
As she spoke, she shot backward, shoving her "sisters" into Ji Zidian's path. The purple dragon of lightning appeared once more, and another three to five ghosts had their souls scattered to the winds.
"You're all alone!" the ghost taunted. "How can you possibly fight me? Die!"
Seeing Ji Zidian's attack lose its momentum, the other Malicious Ghosts swarmed her.
CLANG! The ghost in red concentrated an endless amount of baleful energy into a black demonic blade and swung it down at Ji Zidian's head from behind.
"Fool." Ji Zidian let out a long cry. Her crystal-clear purple hair danced in the wind as the dimmed Purple Cloud Saber in her hand once again erupted with violet light.
Dragon's Return!
She and the Purple Cloud Saber became one, transforming into a purple Flood Dragon. It shattered the black demonic blade before slamming heavily into the red-robed Malicious Ghost.
AAAAH!
The Malicious Ghost in red let out a piercing scream as she was engulfed by the endless lightning.
"Master! You just stood by and watched me die... I hate you!"
Master? These Malicious Ghosts have a master? A sense of alarm seized Ji Zidian. She quickly circulated her Mana to defend herself, instinctively raising the Purple Cloud Saber to block her chest.
ROAR!
Suddenly, a tiger's roar echoed from the jungle.
The entire Mingyue Mountain seemed to tremble. In the instant the roar sounded, a white tiger with upturned eyes appeared behind Ji Zidian, its ferocious demonic qi soaring into the sky.
Facing Ji Zidian, who was mid-air with no way to evade, the white tiger fiercely swung a paw. The air cracked like thunder.
CLANG!
The lightning protecting her shattered. Ji Zidian was sent flying like a meteor, crashing through several ancient trees before she slammed heavily into the ground.
The Spirit Weapon, the Purple Cloud Sword, was also knocked from her grasp, landing point-down in the earth.
"Mid-stage Core Formation... a Devil General!"
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Ji Zidian's eyes filled with despair.
The mastermind behind these Malicious Ghosts was actually a mid-stage Core Formation Tiger Demon, and it had been hiding nearby the entire time.
Damn it! If this had been a straightforward, one-on-one fight, I might have had a fighting chance with the Purple Cloud Saber.
But now, her Mana was mostly depleted, she was injured from a sneak attack, her internal energy was in turmoil, and the Purple Cloud Sword was out of her hands. There was no way she could threaten this Tiger Demon anymore.
This Tiger Demon was simply too cunning and cautious.
A dignified Devil General at the Core Formation Realm—with an aura indicating it was at least at the fourth or fifth heaven—had resorted to a battle of attrition against two Foundation Establishment juniors. And it had even launched a shameless sneak attack.
"What a stunningly talented True Disciple of the Sanqing Immortal Sect. Truly impressive," the massive white tiger said, its voice that of a seductive woman. As it slowly paced, a white light radiated from its body, gradually transforming it into a noblewoman dressed in white.
The Tiger Demon looked at Ji Zidian with amusement. "You killed my favorite Attending Maid, but I'm not angry."
"You are far more perfect than she was, with even greater potential."
"Once I kill you and refine you into my Ghoul Servant, you will undoubtedly be my most perfect creation yet."