Li Yan’s expression grew solemn as he drew the Nine Dragon Staff from his storage bag, assuming a state of high alert.
It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to intervene earlier; rather, the Red-Faced Ghost was simply too fast. In an instant, the creature had absorbed the life souls of several Corpse Ghost Sect disciples, causing its cultivation to surge. At this moment, their only hope was to rely on their combined strength to see if they could fight back.
Beside him, Li Xiran also drew her long saber, gripping it tightly with both hands as she watched the Red-Faced Ghost with wary eyes. Only the Golden Monkey King maintained his casual, boisterous demeanor, occasionally baring his teeth and snarling at the Red-Faced Ghost.
The Red-Faced Ghost gave a sinister smile and suddenly slapped his storage bag. A red ghost banner and a black wooden stake flew out from within. As the banner soared into the air, it emitted bursts of ghostly wailing and howling, and a strange, eerie power descended. Standing beneath the banner, Li Yan and the others felt their very life force being forcibly drained away, bit by bit.
"Retreat first!"
Li Yan shouted a warning and quickly backed away, intending to escape the banner's range. However, just as he moved, the Red-Faced Ghost grabbed the black wooden stake with both hands and slammed it violently into the ground.
*Boom!* Black mist suddenly erupted from the ground around them, rising sharply. In the blink of an eye, it formed a black mist wall nearly ten zhang high, trapping Li Yan and his companions inside.
The black mist wall was thick with Yin energy. Li Yan didn't dare try to force his way through; instead, he raised the Nine Dragon Staff and struck the wall heavily. However, the blow felt like a stone sinking into the ocean; his strength seemed to hit nothing but tofu, finding no resistance whatsoever.
As the Nine Dragon Staff sank deep into the black mist, rings of Yin energy coiled around it, carrying a powerful corrosive property. In an instant, the staff's spiritual essence was significantly diminished.
Pale with shock, Li Yan hurriedly pulled the staff back and circulated his "Hunchun Technique" to expel the Yin energy, only then finding some peace of mind. He exchanged a glance with Li Xiran, and both of them instinctively looked up at the ghost banner hovering in mid-air.
"Since we can't get out for now, we might as well deal with the greatest threat above us—that banner!"
Gripping her saber with both hands, Li Xiran leaped high into the air, slashing forcefully toward the banner. The tip of her blade left a white streak in the air. Meanwhile, Li Yan muttered incantations, pressing his fingers together in a sword gesture and pointing toward the banner. A streak of blue light shot toward it.
After prolonged cultivation, his Lightning Training Technique had finally reached a minor stage of mastery, allowing him to manifest and retract lightning at will without the need for long periods of concentration.
The blue streak and the white blade light struck the banner almost simultaneously, yet unexpectedly, they produced no sound at all. The red ghost banner merely swayed slightly, absorbing both Li Yan's and Li Xiran's attacks without sustaining even a hint of damage.
"How is this possible?" Li Yan thought in shock.
His Lightning Training Technique had reached a minor stage of mastery. Although the lightning he produced was not the Profound Gate Astral Lightning, it was at least a form of lightning law from the heavens and earth. It was well known that ghost-path supernatural powers feared divine lightning; it could be said that lightning was their natural nemesis. Yet now, his lightning had failed to cause even the slightest damage to the banner. It was utterly inconceivable.
While Li Yan and Li Xiran were attacking the banner, the Red-Faced Ghost and the Monkey King had also engaged in combat. The Red-Faced Ghost naturally saw their movements, but he merely responded with a contemptuous smirk.
In the Red-Faced Ghost's eyes, the Monkey King—who had also broken through the second threshold of Qi Refinement—was his only true opponent. He held Li Yan and Li Xiran in utter contempt; once he dealt with the Monkey King, the three of them would become his prisoners.
Enveloped in swirling ghost qi, he attacked the Monkey King with his fleshy palms, showing no fear in the face of the monkey's massive golden club. Several times, he used his bare fists to clash directly with the wooden staff, completely ignoring its sharp metallic qi.
On the contrary, the Monkey King not only had to deal with the Red-Faced Ghost's ferocious attacks but also had to contend with the silently spreading, pervasive, and sinister ghost qi. Caught in a defensive struggle, the monkey was gradually forced back, the disparity in their strength becoming evident.
Although both were at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, the Monkey King had only recently advanced, and his aura was not yet stable, causing his supernatural powers to be significantly weakened.
The Red-Faced Ghost, however, had been immersed in this realm for many years and possessed insidious, hard-to-defend ghost-path secret arts. Furthermore, having just absorbed the life souls of six cultivators from the Corpse Ghost Sect, his strength had surged to the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refinement. The gap between them was actually immense.
Seeing the Monkey King at a disadvantage, Li Yan intended to step in and help, but he suddenly felt a gust of yin wind from behind. He turned his head and was struck with horror. On the black mist wall, the ghostly mist was churning, and three small grey ghosts were actually crawling out from it. They were withered in appearance, with unnaturally large heads.
Though their appearance was grotesque, their movements were incredibly fast. The moment they landed, they lunged toward Li Yan.
Left with no choice, Li Yan could only deal with the small ghosts first. Just as he engaged his three opponents, he heard the ring of a saber nearby. Glancing over, he saw that three small ghosts had also emerged near Li Xiran, engaging her in combat.
These small ghosts were not particularly powerful, but they were exceptionally fast and worked in perfect coordination. If an attack failed, they would immediately retreat, clearly intending to exhaust the two of them.
Under that red ghost banner, the less spiritual power one had, the faster their life force would be stripped away. This tactic was no different from boiling a frog in lukewarm water, waiting to slowly wear them down to death.
The more Li Yan fought, the more anxious he became. He couldn't help but shout to Li Xiran, "Heroine, where is your Dragon-Tiger Divine Art? What are you waiting for? Use it to knock down that banner, otherwise, we're all going to perish here today!"
Li Xiran's face flushed red upon hearing this, showing a rare moment of embarrassment. She replied, "That... my cultivation isn't high enough. I can only trigger that supernatural power once every ten days. I already used it the last time we sparred..."
Li Yan's eyes rolled back, nearly dying of frustration. He thought to himself, *This silly girl used her trump card on me right from the start without showing any mercy, and now that we're facing a real enemy, she's out of moves!*
However, despite his anger, the priority was to find a way out. He glanced toward the Monkey King and the Red-Faced Ghost and whispered to Li Xiran, "Fighting like this isn't a solution. The Red-Faced Ghost trapped us because he intends to pick us off one by one. If the Monkey King falls, we are dead."
Li Xiran repelled a small ghost with a strike of her saber and moved closer to him, whispering, "What do you suggest?"
"Rather than sitting here waiting for death, we might as well take a desperate gamble!" Li Yan said with a grim expression. "I will hold off all the small ghosts. You find a way to help the Monkey King launch a sneak attack on the Red-Faced Ghost."
"You alone?" Li Xiran hesitated. "It's easy enough for us to handle three ghosts each, but to face six at once, I'm afraid you won't last long!"
"Don't worry about that; I have my ways. Just remember, you only have one chance to sneak attack the Red-Faced Ghost. Use whatever trump card you have in your sleeve—do not hold back!"
Li Xiran nodded heavily. "Rest assured, Brother Li!"
With their plan set, they moved closer to each other in silent understanding. What had been one person fighting three ghosts became two people working together to face six.
Fighting back-to-back, Li Yan suddenly waved his large sleeve, and a small redwood box flew out. He then held two fingers vertically before his chest with his left hand and muttered a low incantation.
*Bang!*
The redwood box shot out thousands of red needles, forming a cloud of fire in mid-air. However, upon closer inspection, the fire cloud was merely a flickering afterimage left by the flying needles.
The actual needles had already struck the surrounding small ghosts. The ghosts let out strange shrieks and scrambled backward. Seeing this, Li Yan shouted
"Now!"
Li Xiran had already understood. She kicked off the ground, darting through the gap left by the retreating ghosts, and charged straight for the Red-Faced Ghost.
The small ghosts were not physical entities; though they were hit by the Red-Pine Needles, they weren't actually injured, merely startled back by the contained Li-Fire power. At that moment, black qi swirled around them, suppressing the flames, and they lunged toward Li Yan once more. Meanwhile, the three ghosts that had been bothering Li Xiran let out eerie cackles and prepared to pursue her.
Li Yan's figure flashed as he stood alone before the six ghosts, slamming the Nine Dragon Staff into the ground. Barehanded, he assumed a strange stance: a horse stance with a bowed back, his left hand resting on his right arm, and his right fist thrusting forward. It was the "Single Punch Stance" of the Hunchun Technique.
His cultivation was now far beyond what it once was; he was no longer the mere first-level Qi Refinement brat from the Cui Mountain Auction. As he executed the "Single Punch Stance," a brilliant golden light erupted from his body, and a surge of Buddhist power swept through the surroundings.
The six small ghosts showed expressions of terror and actually huddled together, funneling their ghost qi into the foremost ghost. That ghost's claws were shrouded in black mist as it slowly thrust a punch toward Li Yan.
*Boom!*
Gold and black collided, producing a world-shaking roar. Li Yan retreated several steps, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. The six small ghosts were also not unscathed; they tumbled backward onto the ground, looking withered and listless.
As Li Yan clashed with the six ghosts, Li Xiran also rushed toward the Red-Faced Ghost.
With his level of cultivation, the Red-Faced Ghost naturally noticed Li Xiran's movement. He was currently suppressing the Monkey King and expected to subdue him shortly. Seeing Li Xiran charging at him, he curled his lip in disdain. "A mere ant thinks she can harm me?"
The Red-Faced Ghost held one hand vertically before his chest, seemingly preparing a spell, when he suddenly saw Li Xiran toss a jade statue from her storage bag.
The jade statue depicted a man in white, with a gentle and modest countenance but exceptionally sharp eyes. He held a whisk in one hand and had a precious sword on his back, resembling a Daoist patriarch.
The jade statue floated in mid-air, emitting a soft glow. Li Yan didn't think much of it, but the Red-Faced Ghost merely glanced at it before being struck as if by lightning. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his body retreated uncontrollably for three steps. His knees buckled, and he nearly fell to his knees.
"What is this?!" the Red-Faced Ghost demanded, struggling to suppress the panic in his heart.
But Li Xiran had no intention of answering. She performed a flip in mid-air, arriving above the Red-Faced Ghost, and her long saber whistled through the air, turning into a streak of white frost as she slashed down at him.
Though the Red-Faced Ghost had been heavily wounded by the jade statue, his realm was still far superior to Li Xiran's. As he regained his composure, his eyes filled with ruthless malice. Instead of retreating, he pressed forward, his hand erupting with sinister ghost qi as he thrust a palm toward Li Xiran.
At that moment, Li Yan had just finished his exchange with the six ghosts. Glancing back, he shouted urgently, "Not good! Dodge!"
To his surprise, Li Xiran acted as if she hadn't heard him. She did not dodge, continuing her strike toward the Red-Faced Ghost.
Seeing the Red-Faced Ghost's palm approaching, Li Xiran merely tilted her body slightly to avoid his vital points.
*Thud!* The Red-Faced Ghost's palm struck her slender waist squarely. Li Xiran coughed up blood, but there was no hesitation in her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she drove her long saber straight into the Red-Faced Ghost's chest.
*Boom! Boom!*
Two massive sounds followed: one was the sound of the Monkey King arriving and smashing the Red-Faced Ghost's head with his club; the other was the sound of Li Xiran being sent flying like a broken kite, eventually crashing into and cracking a mountain rock.