Chapter 683: Singing

The sect cultivators each displayed their divine abilities, slowing the expansion of the Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation.

Malevolent yin energy churned and Yin soldiers charged, but they were blocked by the Celestial Masters.

These Celestial Masters all had formidable backgrounds. Any single one of them could suppress an entire region, let alone all of them joining forces.

The Golden Bell shook, ringing out with the chimes of a Soul-Capturing Bell. The Hemp-Clothed Elder walked toward Xu Yinglong, muttering a chant.

"Raising my eyes to the azure sky, the guiding master stands before me. First, I capture the green-robed monk; second, the red-robed shaman; third, the yellow-robed Daoist; fourth, the three masters of a hundred arts. If an evil sorcerer weaves his spell, his left hand shall snap, his right hand shall break! As he chants, he shall vomit fresh blood! Let the evil sorcerer roll in three steps and stumble in five! Let his left eye weep tears and his right eye bleed! Let his three souls perish and his seven spirits meet their end! Drag him into the bottomless abyss to face a swift death! I invoke the Six Stars of the Southern Dipper and the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper! By the decree of the Supreme Elder Lord, let it be executed swiftly!"

The incantation he chanted carried a unique melody. It was entirely different from the spells of Qingcheng, Jinshan, and Profound Truth. It was folksy and unrefined, like a casual tune hummed by an old farmer carrying a hoe in the fields.

Yet this seemingly crude tune brought me immense trouble. When I first heard his voice, I didn't take it to heart. I thought that since I was hiding within the Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation, with the Fate Ghost and countless Yin soldiers blocking the way, no one could possibly harm me.

It didn't take long for me to pay the price for my carelessness.

The Hemp-Clothed Elder's singing drew closer, piercing right through the grand formation. Not even the malevolent yin energy could block it.

This song had no effect on the Yin soldiers or the Fate Ghost. It was exclusively targeting me, the only living person!

The moment the singing stopped, I realized something was wrong. My mind felt like it was being pierced by needles. My ears rang loudly, rendering Breath Listening completely useless; double vision blurred my sight, and a sharp pain quickly tore through my pupils.

Just as that bizarre tune had decreed, my left eye began to tear up, and my right eye blurred. Drip, drop. I reached up to touch my face, only to realize my right eye was actually bleeding!

"Ah!"

I shook my head violently. Ever since I cultivated the Judging Eye, this was the first time my eyes had been injured.

Covering my eye with one hand, I tried to speak, but it felt like I had swallowed a ball of fire. My throat was scorched, and my entire vocal tract throbbed with pain.

'What kind of spell is this?' I thought in shock. I took a step forward, but my legs gave out, and I nearly collapsed to the ground.

Propping my arm against the offering table, I lacked the strength to even lift the Ten Directions Talisman Order.

'He's interfering with my will! This singing directly affects the spellcaster!' I didn't know how the Hemp-Clothed Elder was casting his magic. I gritted my teeth, with only one thought in my mind at that moment.

'The Ten Directions Talisman Order requires my intent to maintain it. I alone occupy fifty percent of the talisman nodes. If I fall, everything is over!'

I had bitten through my lip at some point. Ignoring the blood, I lowered the hand protecting my eye, grabbed a corner of the offering table, and forced myself to stand straight.

A drop of blood leaked from my eye socket and slid down my cheek. My expression was incredibly fierce as I muttered, "Hold on. I have to hold on!"

My body was weak and powerless. Red rashes inexplicably broke out across my skin, and the flesh beneath felt as if it were being seared by a raging fire. The unbearable itching and pain made me want to claw my own arms to pieces.

Yet even in such an extreme situation, my will remained entirely unaffected, maintaining half the talisman nodes in the Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation!

My willpower was like a steel blade slaughtering enemies on the battlefield—as long as the banner did not fall, its edge would remain infinitely sharp!

"Once I survive this calamity, I'll make you all pay with your lives!" Blood soaked through my clothes, but I had long grown accustomed to injuries. The Kidney Aperture and Liver Aperture continuously radiated vitality, replenishing my depleted blood and qi.

Outside the grand formation, the Hemp-Clothed Elder also practiced an ocular technique similar to the Heavenly Eye. He witnessed everything happening within the main hall of the Three Yin Sect.

"He can actually still stand? This kid's willpower is truly terrifying! I've lived for most of my life, and this is the first time I've seen anyone withstand my Evil-Slaying Mind-Bewildering Curse." The Hemp-Clothed Elder had seen much of the world and had long reached a state of inner tranquility, but this time, he was visibly moved. "It's a pity that those walking different paths cannot work together. If only I had met him sooner. Truly, fate plays tricks on people."

All efforts eventually yield rewards. To be able to withstand the Hemp-Clothed Elder's Mind-Bewildering Curse, I had to thank the Underworld Live Show. Through one thrilling livestream after another, my will had been tempered until it was as hard as a diamond. That constant grinding between life and death had unconsciously transformed me, allowing me to see my own heart clearly and firming my convictions.

No matter how difficult it got, I had to keep moving forward, because only the moment you gave up would you truly lose.

Inside the main hall, I gritted my teeth and held on. The talisman nodes spurred by my will trembled slightly. The Fate Ghost, now embodying Yama, quickly noticed the anomaly.

It looked back and saw blood streaming from my mouth and eye. With a piercing shriek, its black hair blasted skyward. Regardless of the cost, it frantically expanded the grand formation, driving the Yin soldiers to besiege the Hemp-Clothed Elder with everything they had.

The Yin soldiers howled as they rushed forward, stirring up rolling waves of malevolent yin energy within the grand formation. Standing at the very front of the battle lines, the Hemp-Clothed Elder and Xu Yinglong were dumbfounded. They hadn't expected the Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation to be capable of unleashing even greater power.

"Damn it! That formation spirit has locked onto me!" the Hemp-Clothed Elder yelped. He decisively retreated. The grand formation was expanding too quickly, threatening to completely envelop the ritual altar in an instant.

"Quickly, stop them!" Forced by the situation, Leng Qingxuan's Master and the Qingcheng Taoist Priest attacked together. Of everyone present, only Elder Chen and the Man in the Suit continued to watch from the sidelines. It was unclear if they were waiting for the right opportunity or if they never intended to intervene at all.

"This little bastard really has no respect for me!" The Hemp-Clothed Elder's hair was disheveled, and he looked thoroughly ragged, but the aura radiating from his body only grew stronger.

Leaving Xu Yinglong behind, he sprinted to the edge of the offering table. He lit an incense stick, planted it in front of a specific deity statue, and respectfully bowed three times. Then, shaking the Golden Bell, he pointed one hand at the sky and the other at the statue.

"Transform my body, change my form! My master turns me into the Patriarch of True Martial Arts! I sit in the hall with disheveled hair, terrifying the ghosts and demons of the mortal realm! Great ghosts wail when they see me, Little Ghosts weep tears in my presence! Evil fiends tremble in fear, wicked spirits turn to dust! My first soul rests within the azure clouds, my second soul hides in the nine heavens! Only my third soul has nowhere to conceal itself, so it seeks refuge within the Elder Lord's cavern! One transformation, two transformations, my body turns into the clouds of the nine heavens! I invoke the Six Stars of the Southern Dipper and the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper! By the decree of the Supreme Elder Lord, let it be executed swiftly!"

It was still that same eccentric tune, yet it contained a very distinct power. The old Daoist's skills were completely different from the orthodox sects, but he was incredibly difficult to deal with.

After he finished his chant, the stick of incense he had just offered began to burn slowly amid the turbulent clashes of malevolent energy.

As smoke shrouded the deity, the Hemp-Clothed Elder stood perfectly still, looking like a statue himself. Meanwhile, the deity statue on the offering table began to undergo a transformation.

A trace of spiritual resonance appeared on the Clay Figurine. For some reason, the Yin soldiers seemed exceptionally terrified of it, refusing to step within ten meters of the statue.

Standing inside the main hall of the Three Yin Sect, I watched with my remaining eye. It seemed as though the Hemp-Clothed Elder's three souls had burrowed into the statue, using divine majesty to suppress the evil spirits.

Without the Hemp-Clothed Elder's active control, the agonizing pain in my body eased considerably. My mind cleared, and the red rashes on my skin completely faded away. I was just left feeling a bit weak.

'Sect Celestial Masters are truly difficult to deal with. Some random old guy popped out and nearly took my life,' I thought, my gaze returning to normal as I maintained an astonishing level of calm. 'Elder Chen and that strange Man in the Suit still haven't made a move. If those two can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Sect Celestial Masters, their abilities certainly won't be weak. I have to be careful. I can't afford to make the same mistake twice.'

Taking the lesson to heart, I pulled myself together, constantly monitoring the situation outside the grand formation.

The Yin soldiers hesitated in fear. At this moment, the Fate Ghost, acting as the embodiment of Yama, displayed a side completely unlike before. With a ferocious roar, it acted like a tyrant, forcefully driving the Yin soldiers to charge forward and kill.

The Ten Directions Ghost Refining Grand Formation began to expand once again. Xu Yinglong, unable to retreat in time, was trapped by a massive swarm of Yin soldiers. Even the Sword of the Three Sovereigns couldn't fully protect him.

"Save me!" The Yin soldiers snatched at souls. Now surging forward in a tide, they tore at Xu Yinglong's three souls and seven spirits. Terrified out of his wits, he discarded all regard for his pride and directly cried out for help.

Seeing a fellow Daoist in peril, both the Qingcheng Taoist Priest and Daoist Priest Mei wanted to rescue him. Unfortunately, one of them specialized in rearing ghosts, while the other excelled at cultivating awe-inspiring righteousness. Neither was particularly skilled at soul manipulation.

"Save me!" Xu Yinglong's voice had already begun to distort, laced with the alien tone of a stranger. This meant a yin soul had drilled into his body and was attempting to replace him.

To yin souls, a living person's flesh was a vessel to ferry them across the Yellow Springs and into the Yang Realm. Of course they would fight over it.

Inside the main hall, I also grew a bit tense. If they managed to drag Xu Yinglong's soul out of his body, I could use it as a hostage and buy myself even more time.

"Do not panic, fellow Daoist! I am coming to your aid!"

Listening closely, the voice seemed to be coming from the deity statue on the offering table. I wiped the blood from the corner of my eye and utilized my Judging Eye to observe.

The Hemp-Clothed Elder's eyes were squeezed shut as he rapidly shook the Golden Bell. "The azure skies part, the purple clouds open! The two immortals Zhu and Li deliver the soul! Let the three souls return to the original body! Let the seven spirits return to protect the flesh! The Azure Emperor guards the soul! The White Emperor serves the spirit! The Red Emperor nourishes the qi! The Black Emperor flows the blood! The Yellow Emperor rules the center! Ten thousand gods, do not stray! Let living souls come swiftly! Let dead souls depart at once! I invoke the Six Stars of the Southern Dipper and the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper! By the decree of the Supreme Elder Lord, let it be executed swiftly!"

As soon as the chant was finished, the Yin soldiers around the statue rapidly fled. Xu Yinglong's soul, which had been on the verge of being yanked out, plunged back into his physical body.

"This old Daoist ruined my plans again!" I scowled. The Fate Ghost in the grand formation shared a telepathic link with me. Without needing to communicate, we simultaneously drove the grand formation. Even more Yin soldiers stepped out from the fog, throwing themselves at the ritual altar in suicidal charges.

Under the onslaught of the Yin soldiers, the deity statue on the offering table began to crack. By the time the incense stick in front of it burned out, the Clay Figurine outright exploded!

At the exact same moment, the Hemp-Clothed Elder, whose eyes had been tightly shut, spat out a massive mouthful of blood and collapsed onto the ground.

It took him quite a while to recover before he opened his eyes. His face was as sallow as gold foil, and he was gasping heavily for breath.

Xu Yinglong, whom he had just rescued, straightened the Daoist crown on his head and hurried over. "Daoist Brother..."