Chapter 24: Breath Tornado

A massive blade light flashed, cutting through the thick fog.

Yet, the sight glimpsed in that briefest of intervals was enough to strike terror into the heart.

What was the true nature of this thick fog? Why were wandering souls roaming freely in broad daylight?

Where did so many ghosts come from? Even if every single person in Xiaolin Town were turned into a fierce ghost, there could not possibly be such a number—they nearly filled the entire field of vision!

Of course, everyone realized by now that with such a dense swarm of ghosts wandering about, it was likely that... not a single living soul remained in all of Xiaolin Town!

Of the seven major towns under the jurisdiction of the Fenglin City Domain, one had already been lost.

Even in such a moment, it was Wei Yan's calm voice that rang out first, suppressing the chaos: "Those skilled in Fire-element Daoist arts, establish a perimeter fifty paces from the team and draw a line of fire. The rest of you, eliminate the wandering souls within the perimeter in the shortest time possible!"

Five Elements Daoist arts were the most fundamental; there was no shortage of cultivators skilled in the Fire element. Following Wei Yan's command, bursts of flame ignited fifty paces from the team. Under the guidance of Wei Yan's adjutant, these flames instantly connected, carving out a circular line of fire.

Outside the fire circle, the ghosts temporarily retreated. But the wandering souls caught within the circle instantly turned violent.

At that moment, Li Jianqiu suddenly sheathed his flame-clad longsword. He formed a hand seal before his chin and then decisively slashed it toward his side. Two blazing swords of flame appeared in his hands.

The twin swords moved like swimming dragons, carrying him instantly into the swarm of ghosts. One strike to destroy a ghost, the twin blades to shatter a soul.

Simultaneously, a streak of sword light completed a rapid revolution, and countless ghosts were annihilated one after another. As the sword light receded, Jiang Wang's agile figure was revealed.

The Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique, First Killing Form!

Everyone was shocked. They hadn't expected this cultivator, who had not yet condensed a Daoist Vortex, to destroy souls purely through swordsmanship—and with an efficiency that surpassed even their own.

As Jiang Wang moved, Zhao Rucheng also rose. His longsword spun like lightning, carving a path through the ghosts.

Though he rarely showed how hard he practiced, his use of the Purple Qi from the East Sword was not much inferior to Jiang Wang's.

In the field, only Du Yehu and Ling He stared at each other in bewilderment. The mundane martial strength they specialized in was indeed difficult to apply against supernatural enemies like ghosts. If they purely stimulated their blood qi, they might be able to shake off a few ghosts, but facing such a multitude, how much blood qi could they possibly trigger?

In truth, Jiang Wang had not withheld the Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique from them, but Du Yehu placed absolute faith in his fists and had no interest in swordsmanship. As for Ling He... it was likely due to his natural talent; his progress was slow, and to this day, he had not mastered a killing form that could be used in actual combat.

Back then, as the only "big brother" among them whose level of effort was not inferior to Jiang Wang's, the combat strength he possessed to avoid falling behind was built entirely upon layers of sweat.

The situation on the field seemed favorable, but those with keen eyes knew it was critical.

The ghosts appearing so far were merely ordinary wandering souls. For some unknown reason, so many ghosts had gathered in Xiaolin Town; there were bound to be malevolent ghosts, fierce ghosts, or even Ghost Generals among them!

This was no longer a situation this squad could handle. The best course of action was to break away from the combat as quickly as possible.

However, having traveled through this thick fog for so long, they had long since lost their sense of direction. With layers of ghosts surrounding the fire circle, breaking through would be no easy feat.

Wei Yan stepped out of the fire circle, allowing the ghosts to swarm and bite at him. With a slight tremor of his seemingly battered and worn armor, the ghosts that nearly touched him dissipated.

Yet, there was no joy on his face. Instead, he stepped back into the fire circle and said in a heavy voice, "Is anyone skilled in Wind-element Daoist arts? Try to disperse this fog!"

Though he was asking the group, his gaze fell upon Wang Changxiang.

Compared to the Five Elements of Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, Wind-element Daoist arts were relatively niche, but Wang Changxiang was an expert in this path.

Wang Changxiang did not hesitate. He immediately swept his fingers in front of him, using wind blades to clear the surrounding ghosts. Then, his hands moved like a butterfly fluttering through flowers, shifting through hand seals. Finally, he pressed his hands together before his lips, joining his index and middle fingers, while his thumbs, ring fingers, and pinkies met respectively. Within the triangular area formed by his middle and ring fingers, he exhaled.

That gentle breath passed through the finger gap and suddenly became violent, rotating and expanding at a visible speed before crashing straight into the thick fog. It was like a raging divine dragon roaring amidst the heavy mist.

Wind-element Daoist Art: Blowing Dragon Cyclone!

This was no ordinary wind, but the Eastern Bright Subdued Wind, one of the Eight Winds.

The Bright Subdued Wind is that which brings all things to light. Its use here was perfectly timed.

Even among Rank 6 cultivators, not everyone could master a Daoist art of such power. For Wang Changxiang to be able to wield this technique before opening his Heaven and Earth Gate was nothing short of formidable.

Upon completing the technique, Wang Changxiang's face turned pale; clearly, this art was also a significant burden for him. He managed to stand firm. "I leave the rest to you all."

Wherever the roaring cyclone passed, the thick fog was dispersed. For the first time since entering Xiaolin Town, the group was able to see clearly.

Tanghulu skewers leaned against walls, rice shops were adjacent to soy sauce workshops, and the banners of the restaurants still fluttered in the wind.

Everything seemed unchanged—if not for the presence of those wandering souls.

The wandering souls within the fire circle had been swept clean, but the ghosts outside the circle still gathered in swarms, hovering. They instinctively feared the flames, but they also instinctively refused to let go of these vital, energy-rich living beings.

"Oh no!"

This cry served as a warning bell. The group saw that just as the roaring cyclone passed, the distant thick fog began to coalesce once more. This kind of fog could not even be cleared by the Blowing Dragon Cyclone.

"Take this opportunity to retreat first," Li Jianqiu suggested in a low voice, wielding his flame-clad swords.

During the interval created by the cyclone, the group was able to discern their path back. With their strength, as long as no Ghost General appeared, they had a high certainty of retreating safely while fighting.

Wei Yan stared at the approaching fog with his blade, his thoughts unreadable.

His adjutant grew anxious. "My Lord, the situation in Xiaolin Town is no longer something we can handle! We must mobilize the army. Besides, everyone in Xiaolin Town is dead; there is no point in us staying here. Why not..."

Wei Yan interrupted him. "The ghosts we have seen so far are all ordinary wandering souls; not even one has a clear consciousness. You must realize, for there to be this many ghosts here, it defies all logic."

Wang Changxiang frowned. "There are no cultivators in the entire Fenglin City Domain who specialize in ghost-controlling arts. This matter should be left to the City Guards. Once the army arrives and their baleful aura surges, these wandering souls will disperse on their own."

"The Qingjiang Water Clan is showing signs of unrest, and the City Guards have gone to suppress them. By the time they return... it might be too late." Wei Yan was forced to reveal a piece of highly significant information.

The Qingjiang is a great river that runs through the entire Qinghe Prefecture, and the Green Willow River outside Fenglin City is one of its tributaries. But the Qingjiang Water Clan had long ago entered an alliance with the Zhuang Clan; why would they suddenly show signs of unrest?

Jiang Wang pondered this in his heart. The term "unrest" suggested the Water Clan was being restrained. However, for a matter involving the water veins of the entire Qinghe Prefecture, the authorities could not afford to be negligent, so the mobilization of City Guards from various regions was a necessary response.

The Heart-Devouring Demon appears... the Qingjiang Water Clan shows unrest... the hundred ghosts of Xiaolin Town roaming in daylight. These events seemed unrelated, yet an invisible hand seemed to be pulling them all together.

"Something is wrong." Wei Yan shook his head, having made his decision. "Everyone, follow me and charge forward! As long as I do not stop, no one is allowed to stop! Those who fall behind are left to fate!"

Without waiting for anyone to dissuade him, he stepped out of the fire circle with his blade raised, leading the charge into the depths of Xiaolin Town.

As his adjutant, Zhao Lang naturally followed without hesitation. Then came Li Jianqiu and Wang Changxiang. They were all seasoned veterans; though they did not agree with Wei Yan's decision, they knew better than anyone that strength could not be divided at a time like this.

Finally, the entire team mobilized rapidly, with Wei Yan as the arrowhead, driving fiercely into the heart of Xiaolin Town!