Chapter 129: The Defeat of Jiang Siwen

Liu Dashao stared in shock as Jiang Siwen’s semi-transparent ghostly hand passed through his body. A sweet metallic taste filled his throat, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground.

“Damn you!” Rolling aside into the weeds, Liu Dashao tried to stand, but his entire body ached as if it had been shattered, leaving him unable to move.

Jiang Siwen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes filled with mockery as he looked at Liu Dashao. “Hmph! I thought you were quite capable, but in the end, you couldn’t even withstand a single strike from me. Your petty little spells—what can they possibly do to me? Hahahaha…”

With that, he burst into a fit of hysterical laughter, his voice filled with arrogance and pride, piercing the ears painfully.

“Jiang Siwen, you don’t even spare a child! You’ve truly lost your mind! Today, this old woman will demand justice from you! Child, run quickly!”

Liu Dashao struggled to prop himself up and focused his eyes. It was indeed the old woman, Madame Liu.

“Hmph, old hag…” Jiang Siwen straightened up and stood over Liu Dashao, facing Madame Liu.

As Madame Liu moved, Liu Dashao felt a tremor in the ground beneath him. Several thick willow branches suddenly sprouted from the earth, alive and twisting, wrapping tightly around Jiang Siwen.

Jiang Siwen laughed eerily without dodging, allowing the branches to entangle him and drag him toward Madame Liu.

Madame Liu seized Jiang Siwen’s neck, gripping tightly with the branches.

“Today, I shall eliminate you, this thousand-year-old demon, and fulfill justice!”

Jiang Siwen sneered, “This is your so-called willow branch exorcism? Hmph!”

Before the words had even finished, he suddenly opened his mouth wide toward Madame Liu. Before she could raise her other hand to block, a surge of black mist shot from his mouth and engulfed her.

With a groan, Madame Liu vanished along with the willow branches.

Liu Dashao thought to himself that he had no choice but to fight Jiang Siwen to the death.

Struggling to his feet, he steadied himself, gathered his strength, wiped the blood from his mouth onto his hand, and, muttering an incantation, struck Jiang Siwen with a palm strike.

Jiang Siwen merely waved his hand lazily, easily deflecting Liu Dashao’s strike, then stepped toward him.

Liu Dashao retreated toward the back of the hill, anxiously wondering whether Huang Er’ye was ready.

As he reached the spot where he had previously spat blood, he thought to himself, *Perfect.*

“Li Gua, western direction, golden light shield, as per the decree!”

Liu Dashao pointed at Jiang Siwen and recited the spell. Suddenly, the blood on the ground surged up like silk, expanding into a wall-like barrier between them. Jiang Siwen halted, unwilling to advance further.

Seeing his chance, Liu Dashao unleashed four or five palm strikes through the blood wall. Jiang Siwen staggered backward from the impact. Seizing the moment, Liu Dashao turned and fled toward the back hill without looking back.

As Liu Dashao neared the top of the hill, he felt a sudden gust of cold wind behind him. Without turning, he redirected the force using a transference technique, sending it off to the side.

He knew that Jiang Siwen had launched that ghostly wind to stop him from escaping, but hadn’t expected Liu Dashao to neutralize it.

Liu Dashao scrambled over the hill, but Huang Er’ye was nowhere to be seen.

Just as he was about to call out, he saw Jiang Siwen leap over the hill as well, likely having broken through the blood wall, charging straight toward him.

Liu Dashao’s heart sank. He feared he might be finished.

Jiang Siwen rushed forward and aimed a kick at Liu Dashao’s face.

Unable to cast a spell in time, Liu Dashao raised his arms to block.

He felt as if something heavy had smashed into his chest, sliding backward a great distance. The kick nearly knocked him unconscious.

With great effort, Liu Dashao opened his eyes and saw Jiang Siwen approaching.

Despair filled him. *Where is Huang Er’ye?*

Suddenly, he heard a *whoosh* above him. Something flew past his head. Looking up, he saw a life-sized stone statue soaring toward Jiang Siwen, crashing into him.

Jiang Siwen struck the statue with one palm, shattering it into pieces that scattered in all directions.

Then, three more statues flew past Liu Dashao’s head, heading straight for Jiang Siwen.

“Quick, get behind me, Big Master!”

It was Huang Er’ye’s voice, but Liu Dashao had no strength left, only managing to remain standing with great difficulty. The three statues surrounded Jiang Siwen, who stood motionless, glaring at Liu Dashao with hatred.

Huang Er’ye ran up to Liu Dashao, positioning himself in front of him to face Jiang Siwen. Then, he rapidly spun in place several times.

A deep rumbling echoed from the ground. The earth shook violently, as if something were rising from beneath, sending up a cloud of dust that obscured everything.

After a long while, the dust settled. The three statues surrounded Jiang Siwen, and around them stood a wall of identical stone statues, like those guarding temple entrances.

Jiang Siwen, trapped in the center, merely laughed coldly.

“Hmph! A little fox spirit dares to interfere? You think this stone formation can scatter Liu Dashao’s form? How naive! Haha!”

He suddenly flung out both hands, releasing two surges of black mist that shattered the three statues and sent waves of dark palm winds into the circle.

“Quick, hide somewhere!” Huang Er’ye shouted, then began circling the statue wall.

The entire formation rumbled and slowly rotated, obscuring Jiang Siwen from view.

Liu Dashao slowly moved to hide behind a large rock, watching the statues carefully.

Huang Er’ye ran rapidly around the rotating stone wall, keeping Jiang Siwen trapped inside. Liu Dashao couldn’t see what Jiang Siwen was doing, but through his spiritual sight, he saw a golden glow encircling a swirling mass of black mist.

Liu Dashao’s heart clenched with worry for Huang Er’ye. Suddenly, there was a loud *bang*—a statue was shattered, and Jiang Siwen leaped out through the gap.

Liu Dashao’s heart sank. He quickly looked for Huang Er’ye, who darted backward into the bushes.

Seeing Huang Er’ye escape into the underbrush, Jiang Siwen was about to follow when a chorus of barking erupted from all around, as if thousands of dogs were howling at once.

Puzzled, Liu Dashao watched as over a hundred dogs burst from the bushes on the hillside, all rushing toward Jiang Siwen.

There were large yellow dogs, fierce black guard dogs, and even a few tiny puppies, likely newborns. Dogs of all sizes charged toward Jiang Siwen.

Snarling and barking, Jiang Siwen seemed momentarily stunned, raising his arms defensively.

The fastest among them, a large wolfhound, leaped onto him, biting furiously. More dogs followed, piling onto him, biting and barking. The dogs kept coming, until Liu Dashao could only see a massive writhing ball of dogs.

Some dogs, unable to join the fray, stood nearby licking their paws, watching their pack surround Jiang Siwen.

Liu Dashao thought to himself, *Now you’re done for. Not even a bone will be left. Even a thousand men couldn’t survive this!*

At that moment, Huang Er’ye darted from the bushes and ran to Liu Dashao’s side, his small eyes glinting as he said, “Close your eyes and focus—his ghostly energy has entered your body.”

Liu Dashao obeyed, closing his eyes, steadying his breath, and exhaling several times. He immediately felt lighter, regaining some strength.

Seeing Liu Dashao recover slightly, Huang Er’ye said, “We must leave quickly—these wild dogs won’t hold him for long!” With that, Huang Er’ye led Liu Dashao away.

But just a few steps later, Liu Dashao noticed the barking had vanished.

He turned his head.

Not only was the massive dog pile gone, but there was no trace of the dogs at all—only chaotic marks on the ground hinted at the fierce struggle that had just occurred.

A chill ran down Liu Dashao’s spine. As he turned to call for Huang Er’ye, a pair of hands suddenly gripped his throat.

He felt his feet lift off the ground.

Looking down with difficulty, he saw Jiang Siwen’s hand clamped tightly around his neck.

Jiang Siwen’s clothes were torn, his scholar’s cap gone, his long hair disheveled. His once-handsome face was now twisted and grotesque. Nearby, Huang Er’ye lay motionless.

Liu Dashao bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood at Jiang Siwen. The ghost recoiled slightly at the touch of yang blood, and Liu Dashao’s feet touched the ground again.

As soon as he landed, Liu Dashao quickly activated a foot technique, forming a hand seal. *I must keep my distance—I’ll use the Heavenly Soldiers’ Swift Method.*

“Nine Palaces, Swift Gate, soul transfer, body stabilization, borrowing celestial speed, peace and calm, as decreed by Laojun, so it must be!”

With that, Liu Dashao instantly appeared before Huang Er’ye, scooped him into his arms, then leaped forward to face Jiang Siwen again. Before the ghost could react, Liu Dashao struck him in the face with a palm strike, forcing him back a few steps.

Then Liu Dashao stepped back once more, retreating far to the edge of the hill.

This was the “Swift Symbol of Divine Soldiers” from the *Qi Men Dun Jia*, which stated: *Close one soul, stabilize six spirits, summon heavenly soldiers, borrow the talisman of Tai Bai, step forward and vanish, travel three thousand miles in a day—this is speed.*

Now, Liu Dashao could only rely on this celestial speed to evade and strike.

Holding Huang Er’ye tightly, Liu Dashao darted rapidly around Jiang Siwen, striking with a palm strike whenever he got close.

Jiang Siwen, now flustered, could only block the relentless palm strikes.

Liu Dashao felt the wind beneath his feet, running effortlessly.

He darted in all directions, striking, then leaping away. He felt dizzy from his own movements, up and down, never experiencing such speed before. Despite the danger, he began to enjoy the sensation of rapid movement.

But he dared not relax for even a moment, continuing to press Jiang Siwen relentlessly.

Once again, he charged toward Jiang Siwen, but before he could strike, Jiang Siwen suddenly released a surge of black mist from his body, knocking Liu Dashao down.

The black mist struck Liu Dashao’s chest, sending icy coldness through his body. His throat felt dry and numb. He fell to the ground, unable to rise again.

“Hmph! Boy, have you run enough? It’s time to die!” Jiang Siwen said, pulling a dagger from his sleeve and lunging toward Liu Dashao’s throat.

“Evil spirit! Release my disciple at once!” A familiar voice rang in Liu Dashao’s ears.

He turned his head, and tears streamed down his face.

Standing not far away was Zhang Enpu, the one he had longed to see day and night.

“Old man! You finally showed up!” Liu Dashao shouted with all his strength.

Liu Dashao saw the love in Zhang Enpu’s eyes, which quickly turned to fury as he stared at Jiang Siwen.

“A Qing Dynasty scholar, born into a scholarly family—yet even as a ghost, you take out your anger on a child? How shameful!” Zhang Enpu’s words failed to stop Jiang Siwen.

He raised the dagger high, ready to stab Liu Dashao.

Liu Dashao turned his head to dodge. In a flash, Zhang Enpu straightened his back, inhaled deeply, bent forward, and with a *swish*, drew a clear, water-like long sword from behind, hurling it toward Liu Dashao.

At the same moment, Liu Dashao heard a deafening *clang* of metal. Looking sideways, he saw Zhang Enpu’s sword strike true, knocking the dagger from Jiang Siwen’s hand.

Jiang Siwen, missing his strike, hastily retreated. Liu Dashao took the chance to roll over and sit up.

Zhang Enpu leaped to Liu Dashao’s side, shielding him behind him. Liu Dashao felt a surge of emotion and clung to Zhang Enpu’s leg.

Zhang Enpu looked down at him with pain in his eyes, gently stroking Liu Dashao’s head, his voice soft. “Ah… I’ve let you suffer, my disciple. Now, I shall deal with this ghostly scholar and avenge you.”

With that, he pushed Liu Dashao further behind him.

“Hmph! Another one to die with you!”

Jiang Siwen’s mouth stretched wide, as if it would split open. His hair covered his face, obscuring it, revealing only his elongated mouth.

Zhang Enpu took a stance, sword in hand, pointing directly at Jiang Siwen.

With a *hiss*, Jiang Siwen spat a surge of black mist. Before Zhang Enpu could react, it rushed toward him.

Zhang Enpu smiled faintly, waved his sword in a few elegant arcs before his chest, and the black mist was blown away as if by a sudden gust of wind.

With the mist cleared, Zhang Enpu leaped forward, slashing Jiang Siwen repeatedly with his sword.

Jiang Siwen, clearly afraid of the sword, could only block with his black mist, unable to counterattack.

With one hand on the sword and the other drawing talismans in midair, Zhang Enpu shouted, “Borrowing the power of heaven and earth, as decreed!” Then, biting his tongue, he spat blood onto his palm and struck repeatedly toward Jiang Siwen.

A series of *booms* echoed around them. Jiang Siwen, now overwhelmed, could only dodge frantically.

Golden light erupted from Zhang Enpu’s palm, leaving deep craters in the ground.

Suddenly, Jiang Siwen crouched and flung another black-mist dagger from his sleeve, whistling toward Zhang Enpu’s face.

Zhang Enpu barely deflected the strike before pulling out a yellow talisman, placing it on the ground, and chanting while his hands moved in a complex pattern. The talisman trembled and *whooshed* toward Jiang Siwen.

Jiang Siwen casually released a wave of black mist to envelop the talisman.

Zhang Enpu pointed at the talisman, and it suddenly expanded into a massive cloth, wrapping Jiang Siwen tightly.

Zhang Enpu closed his eyes and recited an incantation. The giant yellow talisman radiated brilliant golden light.

The talisman writhed violently, and Jiang Siwen’s muffled groans of pain echoed from within.

“Yin retreats, evil spirits are sealed!” Zhang Enpu chanted. The talisman began to shrink, compressing Jiang Siwen inside.

Just as Liu Dashao began to relax, a *boom* shattered the talisman into pieces. Jiang Siwen burst forth, lunging straight at Zhang Enpu’s chest.

Zhang Enpu hadn’t expected Jiang Siwen to break free so suddenly. The strike landed squarely on his chest.

Zhang Enpu staggered backward. Liu Dashao, dragging his battered body, rushed to support him.

Zhang Enpu clutched his chest, blood seeping through his fingers.

Jiang Siwen, also weakened by the talisman’s effects, sat cross-legged on the ground, preparing to cast a spell.

Liu Dashao’s heart pounded. *Can ghosts even perform spells?*

Zhang Enpu, unfazed, picked up the sword and drove it into the ground.

“Hmph! Old man, feel the full force of my ultimate technique!”

Jiang Siwen’s hands moved strangely, and the surrounding black mist grew denser, accompanied by eerie howls.

Looking closer, countless vengeful ghosts surrounded Jiang Siwen, ready to strike. Jiang Siwen was summoning the power of ten thousand ghosts to attack them.

Zhang Enpu remained calm, placing talismans around the sword in a formation.

“Summoning eastern spirits, southern elders, western warriors, northern guardians—each to their place, summoning ghostly soldiers!”

With one hand gripping the peachwood sword, his veins bulging, Zhang Enpu shouted, and the sword snapped.

He raised the broken blade toward the sky. A blue beam shot upward, accompanied by a sudden gust of wind. Before Jiang Siwen could act, Zhang Enpu struck with a palm strike, roaring, “Ghost soldiers, make way!”

Liu Dashao felt the ground tremble violently, nearly knocking him off his feet.

It sounded like thousands of horses charging, like an army on the battlefield. Looking ahead, he saw an awe-inspiring sight—ancient warriors, armed with swords and spears, their weapons gleaming, ready for battle.

The general at the forefront raised his sword, and thousands of soldiers sounded their war horns.

“Kill!”

The sound nearly deafened Liu Dashao as the ghostly army charged toward Jiang Siwen, the earth shaking with the thunder of hooves and footsteps.

Liu Dashao stood frozen, stunned by the spectacle.

The ghostly soldiers kicked up a cloud of dust, obscuring everything.

Zhang Enpu swayed unsteadily. Liu Dashao supported him, realizing that summoning the ghostly soldiers had drained Zhang Enpu’s strength.

They stood silently, watching the dust settle with the fading sounds of battle.

Jiang Siwen lay motionless on the ground, his body nearly transparent.

“The ghost soldiers have shattered his soul form, but he still retains one魂. His cultivation is indeed formidable,” Zhang Enpu said weakly.

Translation:

“The ghost soldiers have shattered his soul form, yet he still clings to a single魂. His cultivation is truly formidable,” Zhang Enpu said faintly.

“Ha… After centuries of cultivation… Surviving countless cycles… Yet I still couldn’t escape today…” Jiang Siwen murmured, his face turned sideways, lifeless.