The “Tai Zhen Seven Cultivators Scripture” and the Twin Yin-Yang Demons joined forces to confront the Mulan Sacred Bird, but within moments, they were once again at a disadvantage.
The Twin Demons fared slightly better, their eerie ghost-path techniques allowing them to barely defend themselves amidst the raging azure flames with their combined corpse-qi and chilling winds. However, the Tai Zhen Seven Cultivators, already drained of spiritual power, were on the verge of collapse. Two of the elders were particularly worse off—one with a face flushed crimson, his spiritual light flickering erratically, and the other pale as paper, wisps of white vapor flickering in and out of his nostrils. These were clear signs of severe spiritual exhaustion, likely from using secret techniques to forcibly stimulate their potential.
Han Li frowned, glancing first at the chaotic battlefield before him, then at the woman surnamed Le, who stood steadfastly guarding the ancient lamp in the distance.
“Keep an eye on the Soul-Crying Beast. Don’t let anything happen to it. If the danger becomes too great, recall it immediately. I’ll lend you the Soul-Summoning Pearl for now. I’m going to destroy that ancient lamp first,” Han Li said in a voice so low it was nearly inaudible. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed a black-gray orb behind him, which vanished in a faint white flash.
“Yes! Master, be careful. That peacock’s abilities are formidable,” came the worried voice of Silvermoon from the seemingly empty space behind Han Li. Han Li nodded calmly, and when he confirmed no one was watching, his figure blurred before vanishing entirely.
Han Li’s nameless Qi-refining technique, derived from demonic cultivation, might not match Silvermoon’s innate stealth abilities, but in terms of suppressing his aura, it was no less effective. He pushed the technique to its limits, sealing away every trace of his spiritual energy and even forcibly restraining his own presence. His target wasn’t just the woman surnamed Le—it was also the unfathomably powerful Mulan Sacred Bird.
In the distance, the woman surnamed Le watched as the gaunt elder and his companions were entangled by Long Han and the other cultivators, a trace of anxiety flickering across her face. Though she remained by the ancient lamp, she turned and shouted something in an ancient tongue to the giant bird nearby, her expression pleading.
The demonic bird, which had been spewing azure flames, paused at her words. It twisted its neck to glance disdainfully at the battle involving the gaunt elder before turning back and unleashing several more bursts of azure fire, forcing the Tai Zhen Seven Cultivators into further disarray. With a sharp cry, it suddenly spread its wings and soared into the sky.
After a quick circling motion, the bird shook its radiant, glass-like feathers toward the elder’s direction. A flurry of azure plumes detached from its body, transforming into hundreds of foot-long firebirds. Without any command, the firebirds chirped excitedly before darting toward the gaunt elder and his allies.
Seeing this, the woman surnamed Le relaxed slightly. With these summoned spirit birds aiding them, the elder’s side would surely hold out, and victory was only a matter of time.
Just as she let her guard down, a thunderous roar erupted from the center of the battlefield. Startled, she turned to look. Han Li, who had just stealthily approached her vicinity, also glanced over in surprise.
At the heart of the battlefield, another critical confrontation was unfolding. The Ten Thousand Souls Formation, jointly controlled by dozens of Ghost Spirit Sect disciples, had finally halted, its ghostly mist hovering motionlessly in the air. Blocking its path was the colossal stone golem, a phantom beast conjured by several Mulan Great Masters.
Under the command of the Mulan masters, the golem had already crushed the surrounding Tiannan cultivators. With no other enemies nearby, it naturally turned its attention to the Ghost Spirit Sect disciples hiding within the formation. The earlier explosion had been the stone giant slamming its palm down onto the ghostly mist.
Before the strike even landed, countless boulders the size of millstones rained down from its fingers. Even the most confident Ghost Spirit Sect disciples dared not take the blow head-on. With a collective shout, they maneuvered the mist to evade, stopping only after retreating several dozen feet.
By now, both Tiannan and Mulan forces understood the battle had reached its climax. After a brief deliberation, the Ghost Spirit Sect elder overseeing the formation decided to unleash its ultimate technique at any cost.
Before the stone golem could pursue, eerie chants rose from within the ghostly mist. A bloodcurdling scream pierced the air as a crimson beam shot skyward. The dark, sinister mist suddenly turned blood-red, as if infected.
The two Mulan masters standing atop the golem’s shoulders exchanged uneasy glances. Moments later, the chanting ceased. The blood mist churned violently before dozens of multicolored streaks of light shot out—the fleeing Ghost Spirit Sect disciples.
This only deepened the confusion of the two Mulan masters.
Abandoned by its summoners, the blood mist seemed to come alive, writhing and twisting into countless tendrils of varying sizes. It shrank rapidly, condensing at its center.
The Ghost Spirit Sect elder, having fled fifty or sixty feet away, turned back with a sinister smirk. “With so many Mulan masters’ blood essence and a willing sacrifice, this time, it shouldn’t fail…”
As he fretted, the blood mist had shrunk by more than half, pulsating ominously. The two Mulan masters controlling the golem gritted their teeth and commanded it to stomp down with all its might.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling, yellow-tinged gale swept across the battlefield, obscuring vision. The golem’s movement slowed momentarily before resuming.
When the Mulan masters’ sight cleared, they were stunned to find the blood mist now enveloped in a swirling yellow tempest, its contents completely hidden. Then, with a tearing sound, the wind split apart, and a crimson figure shot out.
The two masters gasped—a ten-foot-tall, blood-red demon had emerged!
The fiend had curved horns, a horse’s tail, gleaming fangs, and arms thick as logs, covered in translucent scales. Its fingers ended in razor-sharp claws.
Though massive compared to ordinary cultivators, the demon was dwarfed by the hundred-foot-tall golem. Yet it showed no fear, letting out a piercing screech before glaring at the stone giant with cold malice.
With a sudden lunge, it shot toward the golem’s leg, raking its claws across the stone. Chunks of rock crumbled away.
The Mulan masters reacted swiftly, commanding the golem to smash its fists down with lightning speed. The demon was sent flying, half its head obliterated. Yet it simply flipped upright, its shattered skull regenerating in a flash of crimson light before charging again.
Enraged, the Mulan masters directed the golem to grapple with the demon while hurling their own magical treasures into the fray. The battle raged on, explosions and blood-red flashes lighting up the battlefield.
The woman surnamed Le watched with a frown, her eyes glinting. As a Mulan Great Master, she knew the golem’s power well. The fact that the Tiannan cultivators had summoned a demon capable of matching it surprised her. Still, she wasn’t overly concerned. If the golem could hold out a little longer, the Mulan Sacred Bird would finish off its opponents, securing their victory.
Glancing at the giant bird, she saw it had finally unleashed its full power, transforming a hundred-foot radius into a sea of azure flames. A sudden flap of its wings had shattered the combined defenses of the seven elders and the Twin Demons, trapping them separately within the inferno.
Now, the bird focused most of its attacks on the Tai Zhen Seven Cultivators, leaving the Twin Demons to struggle under its lesser attention. The seven elders were on the brink of collapse, their lives hanging by a thread.
Reassured, the woman turned back to the nine ancient lamps before her. Seeing they still held half their oil, she relaxed further.
Suddenly, her brows twitched. In a flash, she plucked a flame from one lamp and flicked it away. Thirty feet away, a figure materialized within a green glow—only to burst into flames moments later, reduced to ashes with a single scream.
Without even looking, the woman formed a hand seal, extinguishing the distant fire with a soft “puff.”
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