Chapter 138: Jiang Min Makes Her Move

The ancient mountain gate of the Ziyin Sword Sect had long since been overgrown with towering primeval forests after ten thousand years.

A wave of ghostly Qi surged and rolled outward in all directions. Wherever it passed, vast swathes of ancient trees toppled over, revealing a wide clearing. Seeing that the shockwave was about to engulf Xiong Tianhai and his five companions, Xiong Tianhai and Hu Xiuzhu immediately channeled the spiritual treasures in their hands.

"Hah!"

Xiong Tianhai let out a roar, gripping the Thunder Tiger Banner with both hands and lashing it forward. Spiritual energy poured wildly into the flagstaff, instantly consuming a major portion of his peak Foundation Establishment spiritual power. As the banner whipped through the air, a giant tiger with lightning wings sprouted from its surface, spewing a blinding bolt of lightning from its mouth that transformed into a rolling river of thunder to meet the ghostly wave.

Meanwhile, Hu Xiuzhu and her two companions simultaneously curled their fingers to form hand seals, each releasing a beam of light condensed with vast spiritual energy that sank into the Nine-Sun Pagoda hovering above them. The Nine-Sun Pagoda hummed and vibrated, scattering golden spiritual light that enveloped all three of them.

Rumble!

The giant waves of ghostly Qi collided with the sea of thunder and the golden spiritual light, erupting into even more violent shockwaves that surged outward. The mere aftermath of the blast caused even more ancient trees to topple. However, the Thunder Tiger Banner and the Nine-Sun Pagoda were clearly capable of contending with the Soul-Devouring Banner, successfully withstanding the ghostly wave and creating a temporary stalemate.

"Want to kill us? It won't be that easy."

Yao Sheng wore a cold expression as he held the Soul-Devouring Banner high.

The Golden Core ghostly spirit finally crawled completely out of the banner's surface, suspended in mid-air with black mist flowing around its body. The dense ghostly Qi of this realm caused it to stretch its arms, and then it unleashed a startling suction force, absorbing the ghostly and resentful Qi that had accumulated in this pocket world for ten thousand years.

Whoosh!

Dense ghostly Qi mixed with countless howling resentful spirits rolled in from all directions, transforming into a vortex that rushed toward the Golden Core ghostly spirit in the air.

Xiong Tianhai's face turned grave. He had not expected the trump card brought by Yao Sheng to be so powerful. This single Golden Core ghostly spirit alone was enough to contend with all of them. Even though both the Thunder Tiger Banner and the Nine-Sun Pagoda could restrain evil spirits, in this place saturated with ghostly Qi, the Soul-Devouring Banner could exert an even greater advantage.

"Hu Xiuzhu, the ghostly spirit is growing stronger. We must stop it."

Xiong Tianhai shouted, holding the large banner horizontally in front of him. The two companions beside him immediately grabbed it, and the three of them channeled their spiritual power into the flagstaff together. The Thunder-Winged Tiger roared and charged directly toward the Golden Core ghostly spirit.

Hearing Xiong Tianhai's words, Hu Xiuzhu concealed a trace of profound meaning in the depths of her eyes and shouted:

"Freeze!"

Her peripheral vision suddenly swept toward the plump cultivator beside her with a meaningful look. The plump cultivator nodded at her, and then, the three of them altered their hand seals, once again casting spiritual light onto the Nine-Sun Pagoda. Roaring golden flames immediately surged from the pagoda body, condensing into chains of light that locked toward the Golden Core ghostly spirit.

Ultimately, their methods were far more conservative than Xiong Tianhai's.

The Golden Core ghostly spirit did not sit still and await its doom. While its body continued to expand, it waved both palms, stirring up thick black mist to strike the golden-fire chains and the Thunder-Winged Tiger respectively.

Bang!

Boom!

Astonishing might erupted from the points of collision.

"Block it!"

Yao Sheng, standing directly beneath the Golden Core ghostly spirit, changed expression slightly and hurriedly shouted. If they were even grazed by the aftermath of such a powerful battle, they would suffer severe injuries.

Dong Kaiyuan was already prepared, tossing out a turtle shell covered in ancient runes. The shell grew continuously as it was thrown, blocking the space above their heads and shielding them from the exploding shockwaves in the air.

At this moment.

A sudden change occurred.

A thick arm suddenly burst out from the soil beneath Yao Sheng's feet, gripping a dagger flashing with dark emerald light, and plunged it into Yao Sheng's leg with lightning speed.

Yao Sheng's expression shifted drastically. His gaze swept behind Hu Xiuzhu, only to find that the fat man was completely gone, having silently burrowed beneath his feet without him sensing it in the slightest.

What formidable concealment and earth-escape techniques.

Yet immediately after, feeling the poison surging through his bloodstream, panic struck his heart. He shouted to Dong Kaiyuan:

"The dagger is poisoned! Kill him!"

Yao Sheng uttered these words through gritted teeth, his face looking ghastly. In an instant, he felt dizzy and lightheaded. Forget about drawing a Dao talisman; his entire body had grown weak, and the strength in his hands involuntarily loosened. The plump hand proved extremely agile, snatching away the long pole of the Soul-Devouring Banner. Just as Dong Kaiyuan was about to step forward to contest it, the hand vanished beneath the earth in the blink of an eye, escaping through the soil and looking ready to carry the Soul-Devouring Banner back into the protective golden light range of the Nine-Sun Pagoda.

"Damn it."

Seeing that Yao Sheng was poisoned and on the verge of fainting, Dong Kaiyuan had no time to pursue the plump cultivator. His hands rapidly wove several hand seals, and a large net woven from cyan light immediately chased after the plump cultivator, yet it was clearly a step too slow.

At this moment.

Clang!

A blinding sword light ignited within the gloomy world, hurtling like lightning from among the forest. Before anyone could react, it slashed straight into the ground at a speed several times faster than the cyan net.

"Ah!"

The soil, covered in fallen leaves and weeds, was split open by a bottomless, charred, deep crevice. The plump cultivator's miserable howl echoed from beneath the earth, and his presence vanished in the blink of an eye.

This sudden turn of events.

Startled everyone present.

A sword cultivator!

It was Ming Ruoshu, the undisputed champion of the Villains' Trial—she had arrived!

Xiong Tianhai and Hu Xiuzhu felt their minds shake, an incredulous look surfacing on their faces. They had originally thought that by joining forces and wielding spiritual treasures, they could easily kill Ming Ruoshu, despite her formidable sword mastery.

Yet they never expected that upon her very first appearance, Ming Ruoshu would decisively slay someone.

It was a heavy warning.

To everyone present!

Hu Xiuzhu's expression was unsightly to the extreme. She had originally intended to kill Yao Sheng and his companion alongside Xiong Tianhai, and seize their Soul-Devouring Banner in the ensuing chaos. She never anticipated that Ming Ruoshu would cut in halfway and cost her companion his life.

What a fast sword!

It was utterly catching them off guard.

Only now did she understand that being able to stand alone as the champion in the perilous Villains' City, and being valued by the Ghost Mountain Elder to the point of being granted entry here, was certainly not a matter of luck, but the result of genuine prowess.

Though the forest appeared empty, the sword light was undeniable. Everyone knew that Ming Ruoshu must have concealed herself using invisibility or stealth techniques. Even with their powerful spiritual treasures, failing to find her whereabouts rendered them useless. Open spears were easy to dodge, but hidden arrows were hard to guard against...

"It's Ming Ruoshu. Let's go!"

Weighing the situation, Hu Xiuzhu suppressed the anger in her heart. She grabbed the zither-playing cultivator's arm, leaped onto a long ruler, and propelled herself toward the direction of the plump cultivator's corpse under the protection of the Nine-Sun Pagoda overhead, intending to take the Qiankun pouch and the Soul-Devouring Banner together from the body.

Although the physical body of the Soul-Devouring Banner had been snatched away, Dong Kaiyuan, who had sacrificed his heart's blood, could still barely command the Golden Core ghostly spirit. Refusing to allow Hu Xiuzhu to approach the place where the plump cultivator had died, he let out a harsh roar.

"Stop her!"

As the order fell.

The Golden Core ghostly spirit suspended in mid-air transformed into a long, chilling afterimage at a terrifying speed, reaching in front of Hu Xiuzhu in an instant and slamming its palms toward the Nine-Sun Pagoda.

Realizing she had no chance to retrieve the plump cultivator's possessions, Hu Xiuzhu had no choice but to use the Nine-Sun Pagoda to fend off that palm strike. Unwillingly, she fled the scene, riding the Nine-Sun Pagoda away into the distance.

With Ming Ruoshu's appearance and Hu Xiuzhu's retreat, Xiong Tianhai frowned, casting a reluctant glance at Yao Sheng and his companion. Unwilling to consume further energy here, he decisively issued an order.

"Fall back!"

To guard against a sneak attack by Ming Ruoshu, they also retreated under the cover of the Thunder-Winged Tiger, leaving no openings whatsoever.

Once these cultivators had departed.

Yao Sheng, severely poisoned, could no longer hold on and collapsed into unconsciousness.

Seeing him faint, Dong Kaiyuan hurriedly dashed to the spot where the plump cultivator had died, blasted open the ground with spells, and dug out the plump cultivator's corpse and the Soul-Devouring Banner. First, he waved his hand to summon the Golden Core ghostly spirit back into the banner, and then hurriedly grabbed the plump cultivator's Qiankun pouch to search for the antidote inside.

"The antidote... which vial is the antidote..."

Whoosh!

A cool breeze swept past.

Jiang Min's figure slowly materialized, her feet touching the ground. She looked at the fallen, unconscious Yao Sheng, watching his body turn purplish, twitching continuously, with black blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

She frowned slightly.

"Such an overbearing poison. The methods of these people are practically impossible to guard against."

"From now on, no matter when or where, I must be on guard against both heaven and earth, and never let anyone get close to me."

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