Chapter 1085: Malevolent Ghosts, Fierce Ghosts

Ruyi stayed silent for a moment.

As she stepped forward, she still hesitated.

Her uncle often reminded her not to do anything too dangerous.

But the Sword Qi and Dragon Spirit surging within her Dantian gave her tremendous confidence.

“I'll just go take a look...”

Thinking this, Ruyi continued forward.

She figured her uncle would definitely find out, and she would certainly get a scolding when he did.

But it did not matter. She would actually feel uneasy if he did not scold her.

...

At the center of the colliding Demonic Power.

The situation seemed entirely one-sided.

Tu Hu's Demonic Power was far inferior to Zhu Sheng's.

This was largely because of the Heavenly Tribulation he had endured while escaping the spirit cage, which left his strength far weaker than before, to say nothing of the suppression from the Heavenly Dao.

Tu Hu grew increasingly alarmed. This bamboo demon was completely different from the demons he had previously encountered in the Mortal World; in comparison, the others were nothing more than clay roosters and tile dogs.

Tu Hu knew this could not go on.

When his gaze shifted to the other two men and the horse carriage, an idea suddenly formed in his mind.

“Truly extraordinary,”

Tu Hu muttered.

Zhu Sheng offered a warm smile, drawing his Demonic Power back into his palm. “You flatter me.”

“So, can the two of you step aside now?”

Tu Hu took a half-step back, then suddenly raised his hand.

“Gather, qi destiny!”

Zhu Sheng frowned at the sight, instantly sensing that something was wrong.

Just as he prepared to retreat...

...Tu Hu abruptly flung out three streaks of Demonic Power.

“Trap!”

The moment the word fell, the power of the human dao suddenly swept up from the surroundings, transforming into a seal that locked him and Tu Hu together.

Zhu Sheng's expression shifted slightly. “The Fortune-Borrowing Art...” he murmured.

Tu Hu looked at him. “How about now?”

Zhu Sheng met his gaze. “I truly did not expect a rebellious demon like you to be capable of borrowing fortune.”

Tu Hu laughed. “If not for my injuries and the suppression of heaven and earth, how could you ever have paraded your strength before me? It's utterly ridiculous.”

Using the human dao qi fortune, Tu Hu trapped Zhu Sheng.

Meanwhile, on the outside.

High Priest Shang Yu stepped forward and remarked, “A few mishaps, but it went smoothly enough.”

As he spoke, his gaze drifted to Wu Daozi and Li Gu.

The two men stiffened.

Wu Daozi immediately said, “Take our Lord and go first. I will hold him off.”

Li Gu paused, considered it for a moment, and agreed.

“Be careful!”

He called out, then hurried to the front of the horse carriage, flicked the reins, and drove away.

Wu Daozi looked at the man before him.

Taking a deep breath, he gripped his Painted Scroll and said, “Make your move, sir!”

Shang Yu had no intention of wasting words. He gripped a prayer wheel.

As he muttered in a low voice...

...the wails of yin spirits and fierce ghosts suddenly echoed from the surroundings.

Amidst the surging yin energy, Wu Daozi felt a chill at his back.

Lifting his ink brush, he tapped it between his eyes and chanted in a low voice, “Bestow the Dharma Eye! Reveal the ghosts and evil!”

A faint light gleamed in his eyes. He instantly saw shadowy ghosts emerging from the surrounding woods, following the sound of the prayer wheel.

Wu Daozi narrowed his eyes and immediately brought his brush down.

In moments, a majestic City God Idol was sketched into existence.

“Invoke the city god proper deity!”

As the brush strokes settled, the power of incense manifested.

Accompanied by a low shout from the city god proper deity, the surrounding ghosts and monsters did not dare take half a step closer.

But the effort drained the color from Wu Daozi's face, leaving him deathly pale.

Though he possessed heaven-defying abilities, could use ink and brush to turn drawings to reality, and could commune with ghosts and gods, he was ultimately just a mortal who had never truly stepped onto the path of Cultivation.

Summoning merely a single City God Idol consumed most of his mental energy, leaving him weak in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, the High Priest could not help but murmur, “An impressive technique...”

With that, he stepped forward.

He spun the prayer wheel once more!

“Howling yin winds! Evil spirits! Yin souls! Fierce ghosts!”

The High Priest had carefully chosen this location beforehand.

Not only was this a path Yan Nantian had to take, but in earlier years, it had been a mass grave. Countless bones were buried here. Furthermore, it was a land of ominous yin energy—the perfect breeding ground for fierce ghosts and yin spirits.

“Haaah!!”

Ear-piercing shrieks echoed through the woods.

The yin energy suddenly shuddered. The ghosts and monsters all paused for a second before charging forward like maddened beasts.

The city god proper deity formed of ink drew the sword at his waist and met their charge.

The ghosts shrieked and howled under the righteous aura of the incense.

However, there were simply too many of them. Before long, they overwhelmed the city god proper deity.

Wu Daozi could only watch helplessly as the fierce ghosts tore off the city god proper deity's arm with their teeth. Suffering a backlash from the damage, a metallic sweetness rose in his throat, and his face turned ghastly pale once again.

“Pfft...”

Wu Daozi stumbled back two steps. The manifestation of the city god proper deity dissolved into a puddle of ink, and the power of incense scattered away.

Shang Yu stepped forward, stopping right in front of Wu Daozi. “I admire your masterful Art of Painting,” he said. “It is a pity you have not entered the path of Cultivation. I will not kill you today. Once you step into Cultivation in the future, we shall duel again.”

With that, Shang Yu brushed past Wu Daozi and chased in the direction the horse carriage had fled.

Wu Daozi let out a long exhale, his complexion recovering slightly.

He stared in the direction Shang Yu had gone.

He could not help but sigh heavily.

Ultimately, his skills were just inferior.

He mused that this High Priest of the Northern Desert was no ordinary man either. It was just a pity they stood on opposing sides.

At the same time, the desire for the Dao within Wu Daozi's heart burned even fiercer. He would not forget the words Shang Yu had spoken today. If he ever got the chance, he would definitely fight him again.

“Hyah!!”

Li Gu whipped the reins, driving the horses at a frantic gallop.

Behind him, the horse carriage shook violently.

Sitting inside the carriage, Yan Nantian's expression remained calm.

His mind was tranquil as he kept his eyes closed in deep thought.

That was until a sudden gust of yin wind swirled around the carriage.

Realizing the danger, Li Gu drew his bow and fired an arrow.

“Pure Yang!”

Li Gu shouted, and Pure Yang Qi coated the arrow.

The arrow tore through the air and embedded itself right between the eyes of a fierce ghost.

Instantly, the malevolent ghost's soul shattered, dissipating into nothingness.

But immediately after, even more fierce ghosts and yin spirits materialized before them.

Li Gu's face fell, and he abruptly halted the horse carriage.

“My Lord! Do not leave the carriage!”

With that warning, Li Gu leaped onto the roof of the carriage.

The bow in his hands moved with supernatural skill. Pure Yang Qi swept through the surroundings as he shot down the surging malevolent ghosts one by one.

‘Why are there so many fierce ghosts and yin spirits?!’

Li Gu's expression grew frantic. He was slowly losing the ability to keep up—there were simply too many of them.

The fierce ghosts and yin spirits completely surrounded the carriage, their fierce faces glaring with predatory hunger.

With no other options, Li Gu could only continue drawing his bow and notching arrows.

But he knew he was just delaying the inevitable. It would not take long before this horde of ghosts swarmed them completely and engulfed the carriage.

He immediately jumped down, lifted the curtain, and said, “I will carve out a bloody path for you, my Lord. Please run!”

Yan Nantian opened his eyes and stepped down from the horse carriage.