Chapter 44: Destroying the Enemy

Liang Yan grew increasingly alarmed. Ever since he had realized the "Two Fish Twin Array" and perfectly fused the "Chaos Cultivation Technique" with the "Mindless Intent Method," he had been conceited, believing himself peerless among cultivators of the same rank. He had not expected these two cultivators, both at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, to pose such a massive threat.

The skeleton controlled by the ghost cultivator attacked with broad, sweeping movements that were incomparably fierce. Meanwhile, the "Wind Blade Technique" controlled by the scholar Feng Kun was unpredictable and ever-changing. One was direct, the other eccentric, yet they coordinated with seamless perfection.

Often, as the two skeletons crossed paths, a wind blade would fly precisely between them toward Liang Yan; or, as a skeleton raised an arm, a wind blade would strike out from beneath its armpit. The wind blades did not hinder the skeletons' movements; instead, they used the skeletons as visual obstructions to strike Liang Yan from unexpected angles.

Just now, driven by a desire for quick success, he had struck a skeleton's arm with his staff. To his surprise, the skeleton merely suffered two broken bones and continued its assault as if nothing had happened. Instead, he had exposed a flaw, allowing a wind blade to slice a small piece of flesh from his back.

Liang Yan was shocked inwardly: "I didn't expect this man's 'Wind Blade Technique' to be so powerful. Since I began practicing the Chaos Cultivation Technique, my physical body can almost withstand a strike from a low-grade spiritual tool used by a cultivator of the same level, yet I cannot block a single one of his wind blades!"

What he did not know was that all spells in the world are divided into four stages: Minor Success, Great Success, Perfection, and Attainment of the Dao. The difference in power between the same spell at different stages is astronomical and defies logic.

Naturally, the higher the level of a spell, the greater the difficulty in reaching its advanced stages. Although this "Wind Blade Technique" was merely a low-tier wind spell, Feng Kun possessed an innate wind spiritual root, making him exceptionally skilled in wind magic. Coupled with his mid-grade spiritual tool, the "Flowing Cloud Fan," which amplified the gathering and condensing of wind, his "Wind Blade Technique" had actually reached the terrifying stage of Perfection. No matter how strong Liang Yan's physical body was, he could not withstand such attacks.

Seeing the skeletons' fierce offensive and the wind blades' cunning and ruthless strikes, Liang Yan knew that although he was unsure how much longer Feng Kun's spiritual energy could sustain the wind blades, he would not be able to hold this stalemate for much longer.

To only defend without attacking was certain defeat!

Liang Yan made up his mind. His internal spiritual energy surged wildly; a streak of blue energy rushed through his meridians toward his eyes as he deployed the "Qi-Observing Method" once more, regardless of the consumption.

Maintaining the "Qi-Observing Method" required a massive amount of spiritual energy. The energy remaining in his body was already less than half, and after activating the method, it depleted even faster. However, Liang Yan had no other choice. While focusing his mind to face the enemy, he searched for opportunities to peer into the spiritual energy circulation within the five skeletons, attempting to find a flaw.

After fighting like this for a while, Liang Yan's eyes suddenly flickered. Through his repeated clashes with the skeletons and the use of the "Qi-Observing Method," he discovered a pattern: every time a skeleton exhausted a move, a ripple of spiritual energy would travel along a black thread to the back of its skull. A black spiritual energy vortex would then appear at one of five positions—the chest, shoulder, or leg—after which the skeleton would launch a new move.

Although the spiritual energy vortex was fleeting, it alerted Liang Yan. Upon closer observation, he found that the energy there was far more abundant than elsewhere, much like the acupoints of a human body.

As for the black threads, he had previously attempted to sever them, but every time he managed to cut one, a new thread would immediately emerge from the back of the skeleton's head, leading down to "Number Six's" left hand.

Since he could not strike at the black threads, these spiritual energy vortices were his last hope.

"My spiritual energy is running low; I have no choice but to take a risk!" Once Liang Yan made his decision, he did not hesitate. He reversed his declining momentum, turning defense into offense. He charged toward the skeletons with a suicidal fighting style, the Nine Dragon Staff roaring incessantly as if to crush the encroaching enemies.

"Hehe, this kid is fighting like a cornered beast; he's on the verge of collapse," Feng Kun laughed as he launched a wind blade.

"Hmph, let's play it steady. Don't give the boy any opening!" the black-clad "Number Six" said coldly.

Feng Kun nodded. "Of course!"

The two had cooperated for many years, sharing a mental connection that made their combined attacks seamless. Having spent years engaged in killing for treasure, they had slaughtered countless cultivators, including those capable of fighting across ranks. Even some seventh-level Qi Refinement disciples from prestigious sects were no match for them.

While Liang Yan fought desperately, the "Scholar-Ghost Duo" slowed their pace. They understood the hunter's principle of "wearing down the hawk"; they simply blocked Liang Yan's retreat and waited for his spiritual energy to exhaust itself, leading to his inevitable demise.

But suddenly, Liang Yan retracted his staff like a slippery eel, dodging the axes of two skeletons. He then began to spin in place like a top. A wind blade struck, but he used his Nine Dragon Staff to deflect its direction; as he spun, the blade was redirected to strike a skeleton on the opposite side.

Knowing the power of the wind blades, "Number Six" panicked and hurriedly controlled his skeleton to dodge.

"Now!"

The opportunity was fleeting, and Liang Yan would not let it pass. He lunged forward, chasing the dodging skeleton, and thrust the Nine Dragon Staff toward a spiritual energy vortex on its left shoulder.

*Crack!* The sound of breaking bone rang out. This time, the Nine Dragon Staff easily pierced the white bone. The spiritual energy within the skeleton seemed to lose its circuit, instantly ceasing to circulate. The skeleton collapsed backward, lying motionless on the ground.

Without relaxing after his successful strike, Liang Yan leaped to the right in a strange posture and threw a punch, striking the throat of another skeleton.

That was clearly another spiritual energy vortex. Shattered by Liang Yan's punch, the spiritual energy within that skeleton vanished rapidly, and it lost all ability to move in the next instant.

This sequence of movements was as swift as a rabbit leaping from a thicket; though it sounded long, it took only a few breaths.

Liang Yan had first used the "Momentum Dissipation Method" to neutralize most of the skeletons' offensive, then used the "Circular Rotation Method" to deflect a wind blade toward a skeleton with an aggressive position, forcing "Number Six" into disarray. Then, he struck a pre-calculated spiritual energy vortex with full force. Seeing it work, he did not stop, immediately employing the "Chaos Cultivation Technique's" fist technique to strike a skeleton on the right. In the blink of an eye, he had neutralized two of "Number Six's" skeletons.

Individually, "Number Six's" "Netherworld Skeletons" were only at the fourth level of Qi Refinement. They were only formidable due to their sturdy defense, fearlessness in death, and the encirclement formation they formed through cooperation. Now that two of the five skeletons were destroyed, a massive gap had opened in their formation.

Liang Yan let out a long roar and burst through the encirclement of the remaining three skeletons. With a hand seal, the Nine Dragon Staff, which was still lodged in a skeleton, let out a majestic dragon roar and soared into the air, rapidly chasing after him.

The two known as the "Scholar-Ghost Duo" were now pale with terror, especially "Number Six." His entire cultivation was centered on the "Ghost Summoning Technique." Now that his supernatural power was broken, his face turned ashen, and he cried out

"Brother Feng, save me!"

However, Liang Yan was simply too fast. Before he could react, Liang Yan was already before him. Liang Yan leaped high into the air just as the Nine Dragon Staff flew toward him. He reached back, caught the staff, and swung it in a wide arc, smashing it down with immense force.

Standing there, "Number Six" looked up at Liang Yan in mid-air. He felt his "momentum, Dao, method, technique, and qi" all being suppressed by the man. It felt as if the person in the air were the sole ruler of heaven and earth, leaving him unable to even conceive of resistance.

He did not know that this was the "Spirit-Exalting Method" within Liang Yan's "Mindless Intent Method." The Spirit-Exalting Method originated from the Taoist secret technique, *The Seven Methods of the Yin Talisman*. Taoist teachings state: "The Spirit-Exalting Method involves five dragons; Heaven and Man possess five qi." By using the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—to enter the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and kidneys, the spirit is transformed and returns to the body, gaining the momentum of heaven and earth.

Although the Xu Mu Sheng was not a practitioner of the Taoist sects, he had carved his own path. He bypassed the Taoist Five Elements method of spirit cultivation and instead used the Confucian "Noble Spirit" to represent the five dragons, creating this Confucian "Spirit-Exalting Method"—a significant innovation.

With a loud *thud*, Liang Yan brought the staff down, striking "Number Six" squarely on the crown of his head. His brain burst, and he died instantly.

Seeing this, Feng Kun's heart nearly split with terror. "Number Six" had been his partner for many years, and their strengths were comparable. To see him die under Liang Yan's staff without even a chance to scream was terrifying.

He let out a shrill cry and turned to flee, while simultaneously reaching into his storage bag to pull out a box, intending to throw it behind him. Unexpectedly, Liang Yan was even faster. He had already stepped behind him and swung the staff at the back of his head. With the sound of shattering bone, Feng Kun slowly collapsed to the ground, still clutching a red wooden box.

From this day forward, the notorious "Scholar-Ghost Duo" of the Zhao Kingdom's Qi Refinement cultivators would become the "Two Ghosts of the Yellow Springs."

"Number Two," who had been observing the battle from the side, was now deathly pale. He had originally intended to stall Tang Diexian and wait for her to deal with Liang Yan before the three of them surrounded him.

The "Scholar-Ghost Duo" had indeed held the upper hand for a time, but they had not expected the situation to reverse in the blink of an eye. Now, it was Liang Yan and Tang Diexian who were surrounding him.

Having witnessed Liang Yan's supernatural power, he knew that if the two joined forces, he would have no chance of survival. His eyes darted around, and he suddenly withdrew his black shield, shouting

"Fellow Daoist, wait!"

Seeing him dispel his technique, Tang Diexian paused for a moment and also temporarily withdrew her spell.

"Number Two" continued, "Your two powers are astounding; I admit defeat. I am willing to swear a Heart Demon Oath to serve you both as my masters. If I ever harbor a second thought, may heaven and earth destroy me! I am, after all, at the fifth level of Qi Refinement. If there are any matters you cannot attend to personally, you may leave them to me."

Seeing Tang Diexian's silence and Liang Yan's slight contemplation, he thought to himself, *It's working!*

He continued, "In truth, I am merely following orders. I have no desire to be an enemy of your sect. I even tried to persuade you peacefully earlier to avoid a death feud; I am sure you both know this. We rogue cultivators have it truly difficult; we can only join organizations and work for them to exchange for a pittance of cultivation resources. It is a matter of necessity."

He appealed to both reason and emotion. Just as he felt success was within reach and was about to say more, an object tore through the air—it was Liang Yan's Nine Dragon Staff. His heart jolted in shock; before he could even summon his small black shield, the staff struck him squarely in the heart. He let out a miserable cry and fell dead.

"We already know the intelligence regarding the Cloud Hidden Society. If we let this man live, there is no guarantee he won't find a way to inform their President. We—"

Before Liang Yan could finish, Tang Diexian raised her hand to interrupt him.

"You don't need to explain anything to me... I am not one of those pedantic women. Besides, throughout this journey, have I ever opposed any of your decisions?"

(End of Chapter)