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The earth shook, the heavens swayed, and the entire landscape trembled.
Fierce, blood-red, baleful energy surged out of the numerous peaks of Peach Haven Mountain, like thick pillars of crimson light ripping through the dome of heaven.
On the path up Vast Sun Peak.
“Quick! We just have to make it to the peak. That’s where Vast Sun Temple is!”
“Martial Uncle, you have to hold on!”
“Just what level of ghosts are those? They’re simply too terrifying…”
A group of cultivators activated their treasures as they shot up the mountainside.
The leader was the swordswoman of Blue Firmament Peak that Su Yi had met earlier, Xie Yunyan.
They’d obviously been through a fierce battle, as all of them were wounded.
Especially the tiny old man—he was covered in blood and comatose. A tall, stalwart man was carrying him on his back.
When they reached the peak and saw the ruined old buildings, all of them were stunned.
“Even Vast Sun Temple has been destroyed…” someone exclaimed, their face pallid.
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Rumor had it that Vast Sun Temple was where the Peach Haven Mountain Monarch cultivated. It was like an otherworldly paradise, and both gods and ghosts avoided it.
To the best of their knowledge, although the mountain had changed, becoming a ghostly domain, any cultivator who came here in search of good fortune just needed to hide in Vast Sun Temple when they encountered danger. That was enough to ensure their safety. Yet now, Vast Sun Temple had already been reduced to rubble!
This made all of their spirits sank.
“We can no longer simply flee Peach Haven Mountain, so we have no choice but to seek temporary refuge here. So long as we make it through the night, we’ll surely be able to leave at daybreak.” Xie Yunyan swept her gaze across the surrounding area and forced herself to stay calm. “There’s a temple over there. Let’s go have a look.”
She then led her group deep into the ruins and toward the temple, the only building still standing.
In the distance, the peaks swayed, and heaven and earth shook.
Amidst blood-colored mists, countless ghosts flooded in like tidewaters, gathering from all corners of Peach Haven Mountain. They were surging toward Vast Sun Peak in a boundless wave.
There were tens of thousands of them, and they blanketed both heaven and earth.
…
“Hm?”
When Xie Yunyan and her companions entered the dilapidated temple hall, they were unwittingly stunned.
There was a crackling campfire blazing in the center of the hall.
A young man sprawled out in his wicker chair, drinking by himself. He seemed leisurely and content.
A young woman in black stood in a nearby shadowy corner. She held a black wooden staff, and although it was largely obscured beneath her hood, her hair was fiery red.
Even more eye-catching were her pure blue eyes.
When she saw Xie Yunyan and her companions enter, the young woman instinctively raised her staff.
“Put that down,” sighed Su Yi. “I told you earlier, didn’t I? Just stand there and watch.”
The young woman in black pursed her pink lips. It was only after a moment’s silence that she slowly lowered her weapon.
Xie Yunyan and her companions then lowered their guard.
“Young lord, are you seeking refuge here too?” asked Xie Yunyan.
“Refuge?” Su Yi examined these new arrivals, and when he saw that all of them were injured, he instantly understood. “No, I’m not.”
He isn’t seeking refuge? Xie Yunyan couldn’t help but find this strange.
Suddenly, a thin man frowned. “What time do you think it is? You’ve seriously lit a campfire? Aren’t you afraid you’ll draw the ghosts here? Don’t you know anything at all?”
He then walked over, raised his hand, formed a seal, and instantly extinguished the campfire.
Su Yi was stunned.
“Apprentice Brothers, Apprentice Sister, hurry up and bring Martial Uncle inside,” said the thin man, ignoring Su Yi completely. Once he’d called the others inside, they took out recovery medicines and started treating the old man’s wounds.
However, Xie Yunyan instead walked over and said apologetically, “Young lord, forgive us for this abrupt intrusion. Junior Apprentice Brother Yue doesn’t mean any harm; he’s just worried that the fire will attract ghosts and yao.”
Su Yi smiled, not the least bit concerned. “No harm done.”
Xie Yunyan nodded, then turned to her companions and fired off orders. “Everyone, hide your presence and remain on guard. If a ghost enters the temple, try and kill it in one shot. Whatever you do, don’t hesitate. If we last until sunrise, we’ve won!”
Everyone solemnly assented.
Then, Xie Yunyan turned and looked at Su Yi, as well as the black-robed young woman standing in the corner. She said solemnly, “Young lord, I can tell that you two are no ordinary people. Given our perilous circumstances, I sincerely hope we can work together to slay our foes.”
Su Yi smiled. “Want to hear a word of advice?”
“Please, go right ahead,” said Xie Yunyan.
Su Yi gestured to the young woman standing in a corner. “It’s the same advice I gave her. No matter what happens, all you and your companions need to do is watch. Leave everything else to me.”
Xie Yunyan was stunned, but before she could respond, the thin man she’d called “Junior Apprentice Brother Yue” couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “Do you have any idea how perilous Peach Haven Mountain is tonight? How dare you say something so brazen? You’re truly impervious to reason!”
The other Blue Firmament Sword Sect cultivators all had different expressions. Su Yi’s words left them flabbergasted, and they found him difficult to believe.
They’d encountered countless dangers since entering Peach Haven Mountain. All of them were wounded, and even their martial uncle had taken serious injuries in a bid to protect them. He’d yet to awaken since.
They were in dire straits, and all of their hearts were heavy.
Yet now, someone was saying that he could resolve tonight’s dangers single-handedly. Who among them would dare believe that?
“Junior Apprentice Brother Yue! Don’t say such hurtful things!” Xie Yunyan harshly rebuked him.
Her junior apprentice brother pursed his lips, but he obviously wasn’t convinced. “I just can’t stand empty boasting and false promises, that’s all. If he were really that capable, why would he be hiding here?”
Quite a few of his companions agreed.
Even the black-robed girl standing in a shadowy corner couldn’t help but clench her staff, and her eyes shone with anxiety.
Xie Yunyan couldn’t help but grimace. She said to Su Yi, “Young lord, please don’t take offense. Junior Apprentice Brother Yue…”
Su Yi waved her explanation away. “I already said what I needed to say. Whether you listen or not is up to you.”
He’d only just said this when…
Boom!
Bloody, baleful energy surged beneath the distant night sky, and a figure shrouded in an explosive, ferocious aura floated into the air.
He was dressed in dark armor, and his long hair hung loose. His skin was deathly pale, and his eyes blazed with jade flames. His hands gripped a bronze short halberd still dripping with blood.
When he appeared, a terrifying murderous intent spread outward.
“The Jadeblood Ghost King!” someone cried out in alarm within the dilapidated temple.
Xie Yunyan and her companions’ expressions changed.
This was an old ghost who’d cultivated for ten thousand years. He was a master of jade phosphorus flames, and over the years, too many Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivators had died at his hands to count!
Rumor had it that in life, the Jadeblood Ghost King was a true Emperor!
“We’re finished! I’m afraid not one of us will escape tonight…” That Junior Apprentice Brother Yue guy slumped in despondency.
The strongest among them were Xie Yunyan and their martial uncle, but they were only in the Spiritual Revolution Realm. Worse, their martial uncle was comatose.
On her own, how could Xie Yunyan possibly be a match for the Jadeblood Ghost King?
Boom!
Suddenly, the distant skies trembled. Ten thousand feet of blood-colored light surged, then condensed into a graceful, mature, enchanting beauty.
It was just that countless vengeful souls and vicious ghosts surged around her, giving her presence a sinister quality. The sight was enough to make one tremble even in the absence of cold.
“The Blood Enchantress!” Xie Yunyan and the others paled with fright.
This was yet another mighty apparition. She was no weaker than the Jadeblood Ghost King!
“Typically, these mighty ghosts are dispersed throughout different regions of Peach Haven Mountain, and they rarely make an appearance. Why is it that… all of them have come out tonight…?” Xie Yunyan muttered, her quavering voice revealing the full extent of her unease.
In the time that followed, one terrifying ghost after another arrived.
There was a thousand-foot-tall, one-eyed man covered in skeletal chains, with a blood-red axe resting on his shoulders. The head of the axe was easily the size of a house.
There was an ancient corpse in Confucian robes. Its hair was disheveled, and its eyes were hollow. Its whole body emanated wisp after wisp of impure, sinister energy.
There was an enormous bat circling the skies. Its flesh was rotting, and its blood-red eyes shone like lanterns as they shot out blazing firelight.
“The One-Eyed Ghost Monarch!”
“The Corpse Scholar!”
“The Vampire Bat King!”
As they recognized these terrifying apparitions, Xie Yunyan and her companions felt chills in their hands and feet, and they sank completely into despair.
None of them would have guessed that so many terrifying ghosts would come out tonight.
With their power, even if they fought back, they’d be no different from ants trying to shake a tree!
“How could this happen…” someone said bitterly.
“Are we truly finished?” said another, their faces ashen.
“Didn’t our seniors say that so long as we hid within Vast Sun Temple, we could neutralize any danger we encountered? So why is it that tonight… the temple has become the most perilous place of all?” said another, as if having a mental breakdown.
Xie Yunyan remained silent, but her expression shifted erratically.
She too felt indescribable helplessness and despair.
But then, she noticed that the young man sprawled out in the wicker chair still seemed perfectly calm and content, as if he were entirely unaware of the danger outside!
“Miss Ling Zhen, things have already reached this point. You still don’t plan to offer up the Peach Haven Divine Tree?” The Blood Enchantress’s charming voice suddenly emanated from the distant skies, echoing throughout the area.
Ling Zhen? Xie Yunyan and the others were dazed. Who is that?
Su Yi couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly, What a good name! Like the poem: a peach in bloom, its leaves thick and full.
The young woman in black was the spirit born of the three’s source. This name suited her perfectly.
“Ling Zhen! Your master is already dead. With your paltry cultivation, you cannot possibly protect the Peach Haven Divine Tree! If you don’t come out now, you’ll leave us no choice but to destroy Vast Sun Peak!” An enraged bellow boomed like thunder, shaking the night skies.
The Jade Blood Ghost King surged with murderous intent, and his eyes glinted with vicious light.
Xie Yunyan and the others shook from head to toe. Even just the sound of his voice left their minds trembling, and throughout their body, their qi showed signs of disarray.
He was just too strong!
The terrifying ghosts outside were far stronger than they’d imagined!
It was then that the young woman in black emerged from her shadowy corner.
She pursed her lips and clenched her staff so hard that her lips and joints were white from poor circulation.
Xie Yunyan couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, what are you doing?”
“Don’t be afraid. They’re… here for me. I… I won’t let anything happen to you!” The young woman took a deep breath, her pale blue eyes full of staunch determination, as if heaven and earth could crumble around her without swaying her conviction.
Xie Yunyan and the others were stunned.
Su Yi, meanwhile, couldn’t help but sigh. What a foolish girl.