Chapter 377 - 361: Rat-head Mask

Chapter 377: Chapter 361: Rat-head Mask

Ghost Nether Elder’s expression was grim.

He, a mighty Core Formation master, had his blood sacrifice stolen by two Foundation Establishment Stage ants. To him, this was a burning shame.

Without another word, Ghost Nether waved his great sleeve, and the [Soul Banner] instantly transformed into a black screen that blotted out the sky.

"Ten Thousand Souls Devouring Immortal, Senluo Prison, open!"

Amidst the wails of ghosts and howls of wolves, countless vengeful spirits and tormented souls shrieked out from the banner. They circled, tore at each other, and merged in the air, steadily coalescing into a giant, ghastly face.

But Li just flicked his finger, and a storage pouch shattered in response.

A sky-full of white mist billowed out—it was spirit-infused flour ground from spirit grain.

"Rise!"

A gale stirred, and the white mist blotted out the sun and sky, dyeing the moonlight a ghastly white. At the same time, several [True Human-Blood Buns], saturated with the essence of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, were thrown into the mist to form the core of a formation.

On the other side, Zhang San once again brought out the chipped, broken bowl.

Facing the nether demonic fire from the ghastly face’s mouth, the broken bowl scooped up an entire clump of the ghostly flames, drawing it all inside.

"Thanks for the free demonic fire, kind stranger!"

With a fierce wave of his sleeve, Zhang San sent the clump of demonic fire in the bowl transforming into a venomous dragon that crashed into the cloud of Spiritual Power flour!

BOOM—!!!!

A shockwave mixed with fire and turbulent Spiritual Power tore through the lesser ghosts still trying to converge, shredding them in an instant!

Though the move looked immense and powerful, it didn’t cause much damage to the already-formed giant, ghastly face!

The sole remaining ghastly face suddenly smashed down toward Zhang San and Li, and the [Broken Bowl] instantly enveloped the two of them.

And at the very moment the [Broken Bowl] was smashed by the ghastly face...

...it was empty?

’Where did they go?’

Suddenly!

Sensing two figures suddenly appear behind him, the Ghost Nether Elder spun around in alarm.

"Only noticing now?"

Zhang San’s entire body was crimson, his skin cracking; Li’s meridians bulged all over his body as his Spiritual Power flowed in reverse, causing him to swell up like a ball.

"Art... is Pai Daxing!!!!"

Those were the last words they left here before returning to the fountain!

The Ghost Nether Elder was completely stunned.

’What is Pai Daxing? Self-destruction?’

’This is a Cultivator’s last resort, a method of mutual destruction not to be used unless all hope is lost! They’d only exchanged a single move, not even using all their trump cards or magic treasures, and now they were just getting close to self-destruct their Qi Sea and Dantian?!’

’It was like playing a game of chess: after only the first move, his opponents had flipped the board and were trying to drag him off a cliff with them!’

’Madmen! They were two complete madmen!’

At this life-or-death moment, the Ghost Nether Elder could no longer care about the dignity of a great master. He frantically pushed his mind, trying to summon the thousands of vengeful spirits he had stationed on the barren mountain outside the city to absorb some of the force from this fatal blow for him.

However—

’It was severed.’

He discovered in horror that the thread of his Divine Sense connecting him to the thousands of resentful souls on the barren mountain had been... inexplicably cut off!

’What in the world... happened over there?!’

But fate gave him no more time to think.

At this moment, the self-destruction of two Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, caused by the reverse flow of their Spiritual Power as they sacrificed themselves, stacked and amplified one another, transforming into a storm of annihilation.

THUD!

First came a deep, muffled boom.

Immediately after, a mushroom cloud rose into the sky above Anhe City!

The light was so brilliant it instantly outshone the cold moon, illuminating the entire dark city as if it were day!

Only then did the deafening sonic boom finally spread out!

BOOOOOM—!!!

A sky-shattering crack exploded atop the barren mountain!

In her [Demon-Fiend Form], Su Ling’er, wreathed in a monstrous black aura, threw a punch that forcefully shattered the enormous ghoul before her!

The terrifying force of her fist erupted into a shockwave, blasting away all the surrounding eerie green ghost-flames and low-level resentful spirits!

Then, with a grasping motion of one hand, she forcibly gathered the scattered vengeful ghosts and ghouls, drawing them into her body to temper herself!

As the baleful yin energy entered her, the pressure emanating from her body skyrocketed again. A swelling sensation of an imminent breakthrough filled her. She could feel she was just one step away from the Late-stage Foundation Establishment.

But... it wasn’t enough!

She didn’t even understand why so many resentful spirits and ghouls had appeared on this barren mountain to block her path.

Until the next moment, when she understood!

The [Heart Guarding Pendant] that Su Wenxuan had been struggling to maintain finally exhausted its last trace of Spiritual Power, its light dimming completely.

The concealment effect instantly failed!

The small, mouse-masked figure appeared, completely exposed, in the sight of the sky-full of ghouls!

"ROAR—!!"

The army of resentful spirits that had been besieging Su Ling’er instantly split, and countless spirits lunged toward Su Wenxuan once more!

Su Ling’er also noticed Su Wenxuan’s presence, her eyes splitting with rage. Without the slightest hesitation, she plunged back into the tide of ghosts.

Every punch she threw was met with the wails of vengeful ghosts, every claw strike took a swath of yin souls, and she recklessly absorbed all the scattered baleful yin energy into her body.

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!

But there were simply too many vengeful ghosts and ghouls.

Though Su Ling’er was ferocious, she was only at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. The ghosts and ghouls came in endless waves; she would kill one layer only for another to appear, like an insurmountable wall standing stubbornly between her and her brother.

Inside the encirclement, the claws of dozens of ghouls were already resting on Su Wenxuan’s shoulders. Twisted, hideous faces pressed close to his as the shadow of death loomed over the child.

At that moment, time seemed to slow down.

In Su Wenxuan’s mind, countless images flashed by like a revolving lantern.

At dusk, the boss vividly telling heroic tales of the Nine Schools Sect;

The warm smiles of his parents at the dinner table, and the steaming hot food;

The longing and yearning for Cultivation in his sister’s eyes when she first left home...

And now—

His sister, who, in order to save him, to become stronger, had turned herself into this thing that was neither human nor ghost.

She was wreathed in black energy, her eyes crimson, frantically charging through the tide of ghosts again and again.

"Sis..."

The "great hero’s dream" Su Wenxuan had heard about in the pavilion seemed to shatter into the dregs of reality at this moment, leaving only a child’s simplest wish—he didn’t want his sister to die.

"Sis! Don’t come any closer! You’ll die!!"

"Run! Go save the people in the city... Don’t worry about me! I’m a burden... I’m not worth you dying here for me!!"

But Su Ling’er seemed to have gone deaf.

In her crimson eyes, there seemed to be only that small figure.

"Get out of my way!!"

She once again blasted apart a ghoul blocking her path, forced in the process to gulp down mouthfuls of the impure yin energy to sustain herself.

Closer.

She was so close.

"Give me... your hand!!"

However, reality is cold and cruel.

"WHOOSH—"

The tide of ghosts surged. The momentary gap was instantly filled by countless ghouls. The black tide crashed down mercilessly, completely swallowing the small figure and separating Su Ling’er’s outstretched hand from him, on opposite shores of life and death.

"Wenxuan..."

The red light in Su Ling’er’s eyes froze, and she felt as if she had fallen into an abyss.

’It’s over.’

’Everything is over.’

But in that very instant—

BUZZ!!!

A brilliant ray of light suddenly erupted from the center of the ghost tide!

The light came from the mask on Su Wenxuan’s head... the [Nine Schools Sect · Mouse-Head Mask]!