Xiao Yifeng had long since exhausted the Golden Core talismans Su Miaoqing had given him. Left with only powerful but slow-casting techniques, he had no choice but to stick close to Mo Shuiyao, letting her take the vanguard while he prepared his moves.
This naturally drew Mo Shuiyao's ire. She cursed him silently for hiding his strength at a time like this, but the situation allowed no distractions. Over a dozen menacing spectral figures surged from the city, their momentum overwhelming as they bore down on the pair.
Mo Shuiyao’s fingers danced, weaving intricate hand seals. Even while manipulating two Immortal Artifacts to attack, she possessed the reserve power to cast additional techniques.
Her movements were fluid, like a dance. As she pirouetted, countless petals drifted from behind her, carrying an intoxicating fragrance toward the oncoming ghosts. Despite their harmless, delicate appearance—floating lightly without a hint of killing intent—the petals were deadly. Mere contact caused the spirits to sizzle and corrode.
More and more petals poured from the void behind Mo Shuiyao, gradually encircling her until she stood within a sea of flowers.
The floral tide swirled with her movements, winding around her like ribbons of silk. Her short dagger and the Moon Blade danced in rhythm, hiding within the colorful storm. They appeared and disappeared like phantoms; every flash of light claimed a powerful vengeful spirit.
She showed absolutely no fear of the encirclement. It didn't matter how many ghosts swarmed her; they were swept into the flower sea and dissolved. The stronger entities were simply picked off by the Moon Blade and her dagger.
Mo Shuiyao drifted through the air, performing a breathtaking dance of death, advancing amidst a sky filled with falling blossoms.
Xiao Yifeng sighed inwardly. What a terrifying woman. Offense, defense, crowd control, and single-target bursts—she has no weaknesses. Is she one of those legendary 'hexagonal warriors' with maxed-out stats?
He knew that if he continued to feign weakness and slack off, Mo Shuiyao’s suspicion would turn into murderous intent. Once she finished cleaning up these wandering ghosts, she might just decide to turn him into one.
Hesitating no longer, Xiao Yifeng gripped Falling Rainbow and began his incantation, taking to the air. Fierce gales immediately coiled around him as he unleashed a rare wind-element art.
The Wild Ghost Village was already a place of extreme Yin and howling drafts—the perfect amplifier for his technique. Under his guidance, the natural Yin winds twisted into roaring hurricanes.
Guided by Falling Rainbow, dozens of terrifying Wind Tornadoes formed, sweeping toward the village. Xiao Yifeng concealed himself within one of them, with five or six other tornadoes coiling protectively around his body.
Any ghost that approached the vortex was sucked in and torn apart by the razor-sharp, Yin-cold winds. Upon destruction, they transformed into pure Yin energy, which only served to fuel the tornadoes further.
Seeing this, the tension on Mo Shuiyao's face eased slightly. The two advanced in tandem. Wherever her petals danced, Xiao Yifeng’s hurricanes followed.
Suddenly, a piercing, soul-shaking shriek erupted from the center of the village.
A terrifying Golden Core Peak ghost creature, flanked by two Late Golden Core subordinates, shrieked and charged toward them. Several Mid-stage Golden Core ghosts followed close behind.
The most powerful among them was, of course, the Ghost King. The creature was a nightmare made manifest—green-skinned, fanged, and exceptionally ferocious, with terrifying black Qi billowing from its body. In its hand, the Ghost King hefted a massive greatsword that pulsed with the aura of a Middle Grade Immortal Artifact, shrouded in ghostly mist.
From all directions, the other Golden Core evil ghosts abandoned their posts and charged straight at the intruders.
Gritting her teeth, Mo Shuiyao actively moved to intercept the Ghost King and its elite guard.
Seeing this, Xiao Yifeng stopped muddling through. He knew these Golden Core creatures were the main event. He spread his arms wide, allowing his hurricanes to scatter and ravage the lesser ghosts throughout the village.
Meanwhile, his main body wielded Falling Rainbow. In a flash, he conjured five or six identical clones, leading them to charge toward the slightly weaker Golden Core spirits with Immortal Swords in hand.
In moments, both sides were locked in brutal close combat. Mo Shuiyao alone held off eight powerful entities, while Xiao Yifeng took on the remaining ten Golden Core ghosts.
The reason they dared to be so audacious was simple: these ghosts could not use the Dao techniques they possessed in life. Their thinking was rigid, and they relied on instinct. If they had been living Golden Core cultivators, Xiao Yifeng and Mo Shuiyao would have turned and fled long ago.
Moreover, both of them had achieved Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, and Mo Shuiyao possessed a First Grade Golden Core. Why would they fear these dead things?
Mo Shuiyao fought the Ghost King and seven elites to a standstill, not losing an inch of ground. She even had the spare capacity to glance at Xiao Yifeng’s battle.
She saw Xiao Yifeng, split into several copies, locked in a fierce melee with ten ghosts. His clones weaved through the enemy lines with impressive speed, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.
Xiao Yifeng’s true body mixed among the clones, launching ruthless sneak attacks. His speed was blistering; every strike elicited wails of agony from the ghosts, demonstrating a strength that was far from weak.
But no matter how sharp Mo Shuiyao was, she could never have guessed his secret: among the "clones" was a doppelganger transformed by the Zhan Xian sword spirit. Due to its innate suppression of evil spirits, the sword spirit actually seemed more "real" and threatening to the ghosts than Xiao Yifeng himself.
Thankfully, the area was thick with ghostly Qi, masking the peculiarities of his aura from Mo Shuiyao’s senses.
Soon, Mo Shuiyao lost the luxury of monitoring Xiao Yifeng. The Ghost King, furious that its prolonged assault had yielded no results, roared in anger.
It opened its maw and spat out a pitch-black orb dripping with corrupt, filthy blood. The orb hurtled toward Mo Shuiyao with the force of a thunderbolt. Unable to dodge in time, she deftly guided the Moon Blade to shield her front.
Clang!
Although she blocked the strike, the heavy impact shattered the rhythm of her dance. The orb ricocheted wildly, attacking her from all angles. Forced into a desperate defense, her technique was interrupted, and the magnificent sea of flowers dispersed into nothingness.
Seizing the opening, the Ghost King roared and landed directly in front of her. Coordinating perfectly with its subordinates, a total of eight powerful ghosts touched down, surrounding Mo Shuiyao in a tight formation.
In unison, the eight ghosts opened their mouths and spat out their pitch-black Inner Cores...