Chapter 563 - 359: Baleful Surge (Part 2)

Chaos erupted all around them, but they sent no reinforcements, holding their positions. No matter the circumstances, their primary mission was to protect the Twelve Pillars here. All else was secondary.

However, what no one expected was that the crisis came not from without, but from the very things they were sworn to protect: the Twelve Pillars, where the Power of Human Dao Incense was most concentrated.

HUMMMMM!!

The ground within the city trembled slightly, and the water in the man-made river suddenly began to churn. A terrifying vortex formed right where one of the Twelve Pillars stood.

BOOM!!

Suddenly, a blast of Yin Sha Qi so dense it was almost tangible erupted from the vortex, shooting straight toward the heavens. The erupting Yin Sha Pillar pierced through the golden barrier of light that enveloped the city.

SPLASH!! SPLASH!! SPLASH!!

As the river churned, hands clad in tattered armor clawed onto the riverbank. From the water, the forms of numerous Sword Soldier Ghosts materialized.

"Damn it, we’ve got a situation!"

"All squads, prepare! Don’t let the Evil Spirits ashore! Suppress the Yin Sha and quell the disturbance immediately!"

The expressions of the masters guarding the area changed drastically. Their leader, a Celestial Net Department Thousand Households, roared the command.

No one dared to hesitate. They immediately unleashed their strongest Techniques and fanned out to confront the horde of Yin Soldiers that had materialized from nothing.

The five squads of peak Sensing masters communed with the gathered Power of Incense. Brilliant, bright-yellow pillars of light erupted from their bodies as they simultaneously activated their Techniques.

BOOM!!

Their Qi and Blood and the Power of Incense were linked through their Techniques, creating a formation commanded by the Celestial Net Department Thousand Households at its head.

For a moment, their combined might surged, surpassing that of even some powerful Innate Level masters.

"Slay!"

The Celestial Net Department Thousand Households bellowed. Everyone swung their arms in unison. Under their combined power, Primordial Qi converged, coalescing into a massive blade tens of meters long that slashed down at the pillar of Evil Qi soaring into the sky.

This wasn’t a Combined Attack Technique, but a military formation art. With their auras linked, their collective power was enough to move Ghost Gods!

They had to first scatter this erupting Yin Sha, then suppress the turmoil beneath the Twelve Pillars and quell the chaos.

However, just as their combined attack was about to strike the Yin Sha Pillar, a decaying long spear suddenly swept out from within. It generated a terrifying shockwave as it collided with the massive blade.

BOOM!!

The shockwave rippled outward as the masters’ combined slash shattered. The sweeping arc of the spear, fueled by Yin Sha, crashed into the group of experts.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!!

From that single blow, everyone was forced back several steps. Their military formation wavered, and the color drained from their faces as they desperately resisted the Yin Sha to stop the thrust of the decaying spear.

Then, a tall figure slowly strode out of the Yin Sha Pillar to stand upon the churning river water.

He was burly and wore tattered red armor, a tuft of blood-red plumes adorning his helm. His entire being radiated an aura of decay. Half of his face had rotted away to a skull, while the other half was still covered in bluish-black skin. A violent, bloodthirsty light flickered in his crimson eyes.

The moment this figure appeared, the surrounding Yin Sha Qi surged again, and the entire area seemed to dim. The Sword Soldier Ghosts, which had been sluggish before, now leaped swiftly from the water, their ferocity magnified.

’This is bad... his appearance is actually partially dispelling the surrounding Power of Incense?! Is this a characteristic of an Evil Spirit’s partial Realm?!’

’If that’s the case, not only will it be harder to quell the Yin Sha fluctuations, but the amount of Power of Incense we can call upon will also decrease. Our strength will be drastically reduced.’

’To be capable of such a feat... could this person be...’

The lead Celestial Net Department Thousand Households’ expression grew grave. He was privy to many secrets, including the fact that a terrifying entity from the Battle of Heqing Dao was suppressed beneath the very pillars they guarded.

Jing Zeng, one of the Ghost Gate Twelve Riders.

’This makes things very troublesome...’

The Celestial Net Department Thousand Households took a deep breath.

At the same time, similar situations were occurring at the locations of the other Twelve Pillars, each with a varying degree of impact.

Eight Array Points corresponded to eight of the Twelve Pillars. These eight pillars were the most heavily affected, with six of them leaking the power of the sealed Ghost Gate Twelve Riders they were meant to contain.

It was chaos upon chaos!

「Inside the South Mansion’s Garrison Command.」

Countless vines had already enveloped the entire Garrison Command, transforming it into a gigantic tree from which countless more vines lashed out at a lone figure.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Yang Zhongyuan’s arms were a blur, unleashing a continuous flurry of blade-light that slashed at the encroaching vines.

Yet, no matter how many he severed, the vines regenerated at an incredible speed and immediately attacked him again. The cycle repeated endlessly, without a moment’s rest.

Although they posed no threat to his life, they had him completely pinned down, making it impossible for him to escape.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

As Yang Zhongyuan watched twelve pillars of Yin Sha shoot up into the sky across the city, his expression grew even more grim.

"Hah!"

He let out a sudden, great shout. The light from his blade spread like a hurricane, severing all the vines and striking the massive tree they formed, leaving countless deep gashes in its trunk. However, in the blink of an eye, the gashes glowed with a bloody light and healed completely. The severed vines reconnected and launched their assault anew.

"Hahahaha, Yang Zhongyuan, don’t waste your energy. Just stay here and keep me company."

A giant, ancient, and bizarre human face, covered in wrinkles, had grown upon the great tree. It looked down at Yang Zhongyuan and let out a strange laugh.

"We prepared a massive amount of Blood Food Power just to tie you down for a while. I’m even willing to abandon this shell of mine."

"You just stay here and watch as everything unfolds in South Mansion!"

the ancient face said, laughing heartily.

Yang Zhongyuan’s eyes narrowed.

「Outside the city.」

Two figures were locked in a chase. Ten Thousand Laws Inference, piloting his True Body Dharma Aspect, was in hot pursuit of the Sword Gu.

His opponent refused to engage him head-on, instead employing hit-and-run tactics. Lacking a proper method to pin his foe down, Ten Thousand Laws Inference found he couldn’t capture his quarry.

Suddenly, Ten Thousand Laws Inference whipped his head around to look back toward the city. His expression changed drastically when he saw the twelve Yin Sha Pillars rising into the sky.

He spun around, intending to return to South Mansion, but a terrifying blast of Sword Light shot at him from behind, forcing him to turn and defend himself.

"Where do you think you’re looking? Our little game isn’t over yet."

the Sword Gu said with a loud laugh.

Ten Thousand Laws Inference took a deep breath. ’Ever since Jin Ce, who used the Nine-Nine Sealing Element, was dragged into the enemy’s Extreme Technique without a trace, the situation has been spiraling out of control. We’ve completely fallen into their tempo.’

’Things are looking very bad.’

「An open area within the city.」

Several thousand ordinary citizens had been gathered in this place for protection. Officials, along with disciples from various sects who had assembled during the chaos, formed an outer perimeter, constantly patrolling the area.

Among them were several familiar figures: He Xijun and a few disciples from the Red Heart Sect at the Blood Strengthening realm.

Feeling another tremor and seeing the Yin Sha Pillars shooting into the sky, gasps of shock erupted from the crowd. Some began to sob in fear, and panic rippled through the gathered civilians.

But something even more terrifying was about to happen.

A disturbance rippled through the nearby river channels. Gaunt arms, clad in scraps of armor, reached out to grab hold of the banks. Then, one after another, Sword Soldier Ghosts clawed their way into view.

"Prepare for battle!"

the lead official bellowed.

’A Yin Sha eruption... and now even Sword Soldier Ghosts are appearing in the city? What in the world is going on?! What happened?’

He Xijun’s face was grim. She had no way of knowing the full extent of the changes across the city. At this moment, she was terribly worried about the disciples who had been separated from them in the chaos, especially Zhao Xuanqi.

’For a new disciple who just joined, a situation like this is extremely dangerous.’

’Please be okay...’

Gritting her teeth, He Xijun offered a silent prayer. At the same time, she unleashed her Technique, erupting in Blood Fire as she charged the Sword Soldier Ghosts swarming over the riverbank.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xuanqi and his companions, having just killed an Innate Level master, abruptly halted on their way to their next target. They, too, looked up at the Yin Sha Pillars soaring into the heavens.