Chapter 25: Blood and Qi Smoke Signals

At this moment, Wei Yan truly displayed the strength of the second-ranked practitioner on the Maple Forest City Dao Merit Rankings, leading a charge deep into Xiaolin Town, nearly plunging headlong into the swarm of wandering souls.

Yet, every wandering soul was shattered in a single strike; all who stood in his way were dispersed.

A layer of cold light seemed to envelop his body, a manifestation of extreme concentration of Metal-element Qi. His footsteps never faltered, as if nothing in existence could impede his progress.

His long blade slashed and cleaved, emitting continuous shrieks as if even the air itself were being torn asunder.

The others followed in his wake, needing only to prevent the ghosts on either side from closing in, which greatly reduced their risk.

Jiang Wang and Zhao Rucheng flanked him, intentionally or unintentionally shielding Ling He and Du Yehu in the middle. Ling He was managing well enough, but Du Yehu’s face was flushed bright red with exertion; however, knowing this was no time for impulsive pride, he could only keep his head down and push forward.

After an unknown amount of time, the direction became difficult to discern within the slowly gathering thick fog, and even time seemed to blur. The wandering souls they encountered thus far were not powerful, falling within the range that a Ninth-grade transcendent cultivator could handle. However, the Dao-elemental energy of these Eighth and Ninth-grade cultivators within the Heavenly Palace was not abundant; they could not endure prolonged combat. If they continued for much longer, they would be unable to perform Daoist arts, lest they damage their Dao-rotations and injure their foundations.

It was then that Wei Yan came to a halt.

Based on rough calculations of their position, they were soon to reach the very center of Xiaolin Town. Jiang Wang remembered that there was a marketplace there, where people from nearby villages would gather on market days, making it quite lively.

Wei Yan had stopped not because he did not wish to continue, but because a wall of mist blocked his path, forcibly arresting the edge of his blade.

Unlike the mist permeating the surroundings, this mist wall possessed a tangible presence and was incredibly resilient. Given the sharpness of Wei Yan’s blade, even a wall of bronze or iron should have been cleaved, yet this mist wall remained unmoved.

No matter how many attacks fell upon it, they were like stones sinking into a vast ocean.

Wei Yan grew anxious; he sensed keenly that something wrong was happening behind this mist wall. It was not merely a simple act of evil, but something that could potentially affect his entire life.

Yet, with his long blade pointed forward, he was caught in a dilemma of advance and retreat!

"Does anyone have a way to break this? Feel free to try!" Wei Yan said in a heavy voice. "The situation is urgent and there is no time to delay. I will take full responsibility for everything."

Immediately, one disciple walked up to the mist wall and, without a word, began to unbuckle his belt.

"Hey, what are you doing?" someone nearby grabbed him.

"Don't stop me!" the man said with absolute conviction. "This place is filled with ghosts and the Yin energy is heavy. Boy's urine can exorcise evil and suppress ghosts. I have not yet lost my primordial yang; naturally, I am the one for the job!"

This man was named Huang Azhan, an inner disciple selected from the previous session. He was a drinking buddy of Du Yehu and had a decent personality, but he wasn't particularly bright.

Wei Yan frowned. After the man finished his business, the mist wall remained motionless. Only the momentary, pungent stench reminded everyone of what had occurred.

"That's not right, was the amount insufficient?" After holding it in for a while, the man turned back to call out, "Does anyone else have a virgin body? Let's do this together! Of course, Zhao Rucheng doesn't need to join; your Yin energy is too heavy. Du Yehu, come on! Don't be shy; with your looks, you're destined to be a virgin until old age, so your Yang energy must be plenty!"

With one sentence, he insulted two people. Had the situation not been so urgent, Du Yehu would have punched his dog-like head off long ago.

Zhao Rucheng bared his teeth and said, "Azhan, think about it again. Is it that boy's urine isn't enough, and what we actually need is boy's blood?"

Huang Azhan rubbed his chin, falling into deep thought, actually appearing to consider the feasibility.

Wang Changxiang, who had been feeling somewhat weak since unleashing the Breath-blowing Tornado, said, "When the tornado blew the mist away just now, I observed that the wandering souls in Xiaolin Town had formed a simple Nine Palaces Array. I wasn't certain then, but now, having been obstructed at the Central Palace position, I am certain of it."

"How do we break it?" Wei Yan asked directly.

"The array setter was not very meticulous, and it is difficult to command so many ghosts like extensions of one's own limbs. Therefore, the method to break it is simple," Wang Changxiang said with a bitter smile. "Destroy the array eyes of the other eight palaces, and the Central Palace will collapse on its own."

Wei Yan immediately commanded, "Wang Changxiang, stay here to observe the situation. Additionally, leave four people to follow his instructions and provide support to various routes at any time. I will go to the Kan Palace; the rest of you will split into seven groups to break one palace each. Finally, we shall regroup here before the Central Palace."

The heavenly numbers vary greatly, beginning with Yang and entering with Yin. Yang rises at Zi, and Yin rises at Wu; thus, the Nine Palaces under the Taiji start from the Kan Palace.

The Kan Palace is located in the direct north and belongs to the Water element. For Wei Yan, it was not the easiest palace to resolve, but given his immense strength, he did not need to worry about such things.

"What I need to remind you all of is this," Wang Changxiang added. "The ghosts we cleared along the way were ordinary, but there will certainly be vengeful ghosts or fierce ghosts at the array eyes. You must act according to your capabilities."

Zhao Lang, who followed only Wei Yan's lead, was the first to respond, "In that case, I will go to the Kun Palace."

Li Jianqiu was even more decisive, already heading west with his hand on his sword. "Leave the Zhen Palace to me; the rest of you can distribute yourselves."

For the strong to step forward and take responsibility—this was the backbone of a cultivator.

Jiang Wang exchanged glances with Ling He and the others, then spoke up: "The four of us brothers will take responsibility for the Xun Palace."

He was not being arrogant; the combat strength of the group could be gauged from their journey so far. Although he had not yet established his foundation, relying on the Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique, his strength was faintly above that of an average Ninth-grade cultivator.

The Xun Palace belongs to the Wood element, and using Metal to strike Wood was perfectly appropriate. The remaining Zhen Palace, which also belonged to the Wood element, was already handled by Li Jianqiu; going to any other palace would make it harder for him and Zhao Rucheng to exert their strengths.

From another perspective, the occurrence of such a situation in Xiaolin Town would surely have a significant impact. Their contributions during this trip would be recorded. Ling He, Du Yehu, and Zhao Rucheng were all at critical moments of accumulating Dao Merit to exchange for Meridian-opening Pills; if they could resolve a palace this time, it would undoubtedly propel them a great step forward.

The group's choices strictly followed the order of the Nine Palaces. In the Nine Palaces, two and four are the shoulders, six and eight are the feet, three is on the left, seven is on the right, and one is worn on the head. From one to nine, they are Kan, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Center, Qian, Dui, Gen, and Li.

Fighting as they traveled, Jiang Wang and Zhao Rucheng's transcendent swordsmanship had already gained the recognition of the group, so no one said anything. The remaining twenty Dao Academy disciples formed groups of five to take the remaining four palaces.

It must be said that Wang Changxiang's Breath-blowing Tornado had contributed immensely, allowing everyone to find their direction again amidst such thick mist, which was the prerequisite for breaking the entire ghost array.

The Xun Palace is located in the southeast. Jiang Wang advanced with his sword through the thick fog. Once he vaguely saw the tavern ahead, his heart stilled. The only tavern in Xiaolin Town was in the southeast; they had not taken a wrong turn.

"Careful," Ling He suddenly said. "I feel something extremely dangerous ahead."

Ling He's intuition had always been very accurate, and the group did not dare to be careless.

Jiang Wang nodded. "That should be the vengeful ghost Brother Wang mentioned; it also represents the array eye of the Xun Palace. Rucheng, how many forms of the Purple Qi from the East Sword Killing Technique have you mastered?"

"I have mastered them all," Zhao Rucheng replied.

Jiang Wang had nothing to say about this fellow's talent. He immediately commanded, "I will strike first, and you follow up. Unleash your strongest attack immediately; we must annihilate the target in the shortest time possible. Boss and Second Brother, watch the surroundings. Do not let other wandering souls rush in. If necessary, do not hesitate to burst your blood Qi."

Before establishing a foundation, if one had not mastered a transcendent method like the Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique, the only way to inflict damage on ghosts was through the bursting of blood Qi. However, blood Qi is the foundation of a human being, and bursting it places an enormous burden on the body; thus, Ling He and Du Yehu had been very restrained throughout the journey.

But regarding Jiang Wang's commands, they did not hesitate in the slightest. It was a tacit understanding forged through countless battles side-by-side.

Though they could not see far in the mist, the brothers quickly delineated the target area and spread out to surround it.

Just then, a sudden shriek rang out, as if right in their ears. In front of Jiang Wang, a flash of sword light abruptly ignited!

*Clang!*

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

A crimson claw was caught just in time by the longsword, and the vengeful ghost of the Xun Palace position manifested before them.

The wandering souls they had encountered along the way were actually not much different from humans in life, merely having faint forms and pale colors. This vengeful ghost was entirely different; it already looked like a different species altogether.

It had a green face and protruding fangs, standing nearly twelve feet tall, massive and powerful. Muscles bulged across its body, and its pair of claws were crimson, with blood dripping from one of the claw tips.

Jiang Wang had known all along that in the thick mist, the vengeful ghost's perception would inevitably be stronger than theirs. Therefore, he had been on high alert, his sword momentum poised to strike. This allowed him to intercept the vengeful ghost's attack at the first possible moment.

But he still underestimated the strength of this vengeful ghost.

In the brief interval created by the Breath-blowing Tornado, how many wandering souls had they seen? Yet only eight fierce ghosts sat guarding the Nine Palaces. Whether through artificial cultivation or natural slaughter, the vengeful ghosts born from such a process were bound to be extraordinary.

Although Jiang Wang had blocked the first attack, he was still grazed by another claw tip, which tore a strip of flesh from his left arm.

The blood dripping from the vengeful ghost's claw came from his wound. Fortunately, the wound was not large.

Just as Jiang Wang counterattacked after being struck, Zhao Rucheng's sword also moved!

The first killing form of the Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique emphasized speed, allowing for attacks like thunder and defense like lightning. Like the Son of Heaven unleashing the wrath of thunder, it is released in an instant, yet shocks the world!

Before the vengeful ghost could even taste the strip of flesh it had torn away, Zhao Rucheng's sword had already pierced into its abdomen.

Zhao Rucheng, along with his sword, was stuck to the vengeful ghost; due to the difference in size, he looked like a monkey hanging on a person.

The vengeful ghost let out a painful howl and suddenly lowered its head.

*Not good!*

Zhao Rucheng was startled. He kicked off the vengeful ghost's swinging claw, performed a backflip in mid-air, and abandoned his sword to escape. Before the vengeful ghost could pursue, Jiang Wang's figure flashed before its eyes like a bolt of lightning.

The second killing form of the Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique relied on precision.

Though Jiang Wang's body had already moved away, that streak of sword light had precisely crossed the vengeful ghost's eyeball.

In that instant, a dark green liquid exploded like bursting pulp, and the vengeful ghost let out an extremely shrill, miserable scream. This creature, which had been in a state of chaotic consciousness, used its remaining right eye at this moment to glare fiercely at Jiang Wang, filled with surging hatred.

It simply stopped trying to cover its eye, letting the dark green liquid flow, and with Zhao Rucheng's sword still wobbling inside its body, it charged toward Jiang Wang with massive strides!

Ling He, who was driving away wandering souls outside the combat zone, threw his sword toward Zhao Rucheng amidst the chaos. "Catch!"

Zhao Rucheng leaped up, catching Ling He's sword in mid-air. Like a meteor chasing the moon, he shot toward the vengeful ghost's back once more. This strike pierced through its nape, the tip of the sword emerging from the ghost's chin and pressing against its chest!

The vengeful ghost roared and swung its claw back. Due to the angle, this strike was bound to be slower than the previous one. Thus, Zhao Rucheng pressed his feet against its back, intending to use the momentum to pull his sword and retreat. To his surprise, the blade was firmly gripped by the vengeful ghost's muscles; he could not pull it out in one go, causing a momentary delay.

In that single instant, the vengeful ghost's massive claw swept heavily against him, sending Zhao Rucheng flying four or five meters into the thick mist, his fate unknown!

One must remember that countless wandering souls were still roaming in the mist!

At this moment, Jiang Wang was on the opposite side, and Ling He was still entangled with wandering souls after sending the sword. Only Du Yehu, who was also guarding the combat zone, was closest. He had long since lost his patience. He had come on this trip to eradicate evil and cleanse the world, not to be protected while collecting merit, or even to become a burden!

A roar was heard, sounding like rolling thunder. Du Yehu's blood Qi erupted with full force. The blood Qi on his body became as tangible as substance, surging toward the sky like a pillar of smoke!

Blood Qi Smoke!

Only a martial artist whose blood Qi was powerful to a certain degree could trigger Blood Qi Smoke. Even Jiang Wang could not achieve this.

And Du Yehu's full-force eruption proved he was no inferior to anyone.

Wrapped in the tangible power of his blood Qi, his body appeared as if draped in a crimson battle robe. Moving several times faster than usual, he reached Zhao Rucheng's side in just a few strides!