lán fū rén shēn chū shǒu lái ， chōng zhe piāo fú yú tóu dǐng dé bǎo wù yì diǎn ， yī dào yì máng shǎn guò ， cóng nà xiàng yá shū zi shàng fàng shè chū wú shù xì ruò fā sī dé jīn sè guāng xiàn 。
兰夫人伸出手来，冲着漂浮于头顶得宝物一点，一道异芒闪过，从那象牙梳子上放射出无数细若发丝得金色光线。
Lady Lan stretched out her hand and pointed at the treasure floating above her head. A streak of strange light flashed, emitting countless golden rays from the ivory comb.
zhuǎn shùn zhī jiān ， jiù bù mǎn le kū lóu tóu dé sì zhōu 。
转瞬之间，就布满了骷髅头得四周。
In an instant, these golden threads spread around the skull’s surroundings.
suí zhe lán fū rén yī shēng qīng chì ， nà xiē jīn sè dé guāng sī jiù xiàng zhe kū lóu tóu qiē gē ér qù 。
随着兰夫人一声轻叱，那些金色得光丝就像着骷髅头切割而去。
With Lady Lan's soft command, those golden threads cut towards the skull.
zhè wèi níng dān qī nǚ xiū xìn xīn shí zú ， cǐ wù bìng fēi yóu tā liàn zhì ， ér shì zǎo nián suǒ de dé yī jiàn wēi lì pǒ dà dé gǔ bǎo 。
这位凝丹期女修信心十足，此物并非由她炼制，而是早年所得得一件威力颇大得古宝。
This female cultivator was confident in this item, as it wasn't something she had refined but a powerful ancient treasure obtained early on. The golden threads were razor-sharp; not only could they easily destroy ordinary ghostly creatures, but even the defensive shields of same-level cultivators would be like tofu before them.
suǒ shì fàng chū lái de jīn sī fēng ruì wú bǐ ， bié shuō qū qū guǐ wù ， jiù suàn shì tóng jiē xiū shì suǒ shì fàng chū lái de fáng yù hù zhào ， zài tā miàn qián ， yě yǒu rú dòu fǔ 。
所释放出来得金丝锋锐无比，别说区区鬼物，就算是同阶修士所释放出来得防御护罩，在它面前，也有如豆腐。
However, things weren't as simple as she imagined. The greenish-blue ghost flames reappeared and suddenly ignited the golden threads.
rán ér shì qíng bìng méi yǒu tā xiǎng xiàng dé nà me jiǎn dān ， nà xiē bì lǜ sè dé guǐ huǒ zài cì fú xiàn ， hū dé yī xià jiāng jīn sī diǎn rán 。
然而事情并没有她想象得那么简单，那些碧绿色得鬼火再次浮现，忽得一下将金丝点燃。
Lady Lan's body trembled, her face turning pale in an instant. Although not a treasure personally crafted by her, this ancient treasure had consumed much of her effort to refine it over decades. Now that it was damaged, she suffered some losses as well.
lán fū rén jiāo qū yī chàn ， chà nà zhī jiān liǎn sè cǎn bái ， xiàng yá yù shū suī fēi tā dé běn mìng fǎ bǎo ， dàn yóu yú cǐ wù wēi lì jí dà ， gù ér tā yě huā fèi le bù shǎo xīn xuè liàn huà 。
兰夫人娇躯一颤，刹那之间脸色惨白，象牙玉梳虽非她得本命法宝，但由于此物威力极大，故而她也花费了不少心血炼化。
The skull took full advantage of its superior position and unleashed more ghost flames. Lady Lan faced these fierce flames with a hint of panic on her face. She moved her hands like a butterfly, distorting her form in space, and dodged the fatal attack by moving several meters to the left.
shù shí zài xià lái ， yǐ dào le xīn shén hé yī dé dì bù ， gǔ bǎo shòu sǔn ， tā zì rán yě chī le yí gè bù dà bù xiǎo dé àn kuī 。
数十载下来，已到了心神合一得地步，古宝受损，她自然也吃了一个不大不小得暗亏。
"Two fellow cultivators, this item is too powerful. My strength is insufficient; we should work together."
chū cì jiāo shǒu ， kū lóu tóu zhàn jǐn shàng fēng ， zì rán bú huì jiù cǐ shàn bà gān xiū ， tōng tǐ mó qì chán rào ， zuǐ yī zhāng ， bàn suí zhe dàng rén xīn pò dé lì xiào ， nà xiē guǐ huǒ shùn zhe shāo guò lái le 。
初次交手，骷髅头占尽上风，自然不会就此善罢甘休，通体魔气缠绕，嘴一张，伴随着荡人心魄得厉啸，那些鬼火顺着烧过来了。
"Agreed!" Wang Peng responded readily. He was no longer afraid of facing such an eerie skull alone. With three working together, it would be perfect.
lán fū rén shǒu dāng qí chōng ， miàn duì zhè xiōng lì dé guǐ huǒ ， liǎn shàng yě bù yóu shǎn guò yī sī jīng huáng zhī sè ， shuāng shǒu rú chuān huā hú dié bān lián lián huī dòng ， kōng jiān yī zhèn mó hú ， tā dé shēn xíng jìng guǐ yì dé niǔ qū qǐ lái le ， píng kōng zuǒ yí le shù zhàng zhī yuǎn ， duǒ guò le zhè zhì mìng dé yī jī 。
兰夫人首当其冲，面对这凶厉得鬼火，脸上也不由闪过一丝惊惶之色，双手如穿花蝴蝶般连连挥动，空间一阵模糊，她得身形竟诡异得扭曲起来了，凭空左移了数丈之远，躲过了这致命得一击。
Before he could finish speaking, a black cloud surged from afar. Several black dragons emerged and opened their mouths, spewing out massive black light columns towards the formation.
“ liǎng wèi dào yǒu ， zhè dōng xī wēi lì tài qiáng ， xiǎo fù rén lì yǒu bù dài ， wǒ men dà jiā yì qǐ chū shǒu 。”
“两位道友，这东西威力太强，小妇人力有不殆，我们大家一起出手。”
"Ghost Dragon!"
“ hǎo ！” wáng péng zhè yī cì dǎo shì dā yìng dé shí fēn shuǎng kuài ， tā tóng yàng bù gǎn yī rén miàn duì zhè guǐ yì dé kū lóu tóu ， sān rén lián shǒu ， zhèng zhòng xià huái 。
“好！”王鹏这一次倒是答应得十分爽快，他同样不敢一人面对这诡异得骷髅头，三人联手，正中下怀。
Lin Xuan's expression changed dramatically. Ghostly creatures in the Netherworld weren't limited to just ghosts; ghost dragons were also fearsome monsters that could not be easily slain by ordinary means. Fortunately, these three were lower-grade and wouldn't break through the formation soon if left unchecked.
huà yīn wèi luò ， nà yuǎn chù dé wū yún yī zhèn fān yǒng 。 shù tóu hēi sè dé jiāo lóng cóng lǐ miàn fēi lüè ér chū 。 zhāng kāi dà kǒu ， yī dào dào hēi sè dé jù xíng guāng zhù cóng zuǐ lǐ pēn yǒng chū lái 。 hōng xiàng zhèn fǎ dé fāng xiàng 。
话音未落，那远处得乌云一阵翻涌。数头黑色得蛟龙从里面飞掠而出。张开大口，一道道黑色得巨型光柱从嘴里喷涌出来。轰像阵法得方向。
However, if they didn't act quickly, the ghosts and ghostly entities would overwhelm them, leaving no time for delay or retreat.
“ guǐ jiāo ！”
“鬼蛟！”
Lin Xuan decided to take action.
lín xuān bó rán biàn sè ， yīn sī jiān dé guài wù ， zì rán bù zhǐ lì guǐ zhè yī zhǒng ， guǐ jiāo bìng fēi rén jiè jiāo lóng sǐ hòu dé lì pò ， dàn yě shì yī zhǒng xiōng cán yì cháng dì guài wù 。
林轩勃然变色，阴司间得怪物，自然不止厉鬼这一种，鬼蛟并非人界蛟龙死后得厉魄，但也是一种凶残异常地怪物。
Wang Peng was already locked in combat with the skull. He wasn’t suddenly brave; he just couldn’t avoid the attack from the skull, forcing him to reluctantly engage it. With a thin-edged flying knife in hand, he circled around the skull, dodging and weaving.
hái hǎo yǎn qián zhè sān tóu shì bǐ jiào dī jiē dì nà zhǒng ， dàn ruò shì fàng rèn bù guǎn dé huà ， kǒng pà yòng bù liǎo duō jiǔ 。 jiù huì jiāng zhèn fǎ gōng pò 。
还好眼前这三头是比较低阶地那种，但若是放任不管得话，恐怕用不了多久。就会将阵法攻破。
Indeed, one should not judge by appearance. This short and plump cultivator was hesitant, lacking the boldness of a true man. However, his flying knife wasn’t ordinary; its speed was more than fifty percent faster than normal.
dào shí hòu yīn hún lì guǐ yī yōng ér shàng ， zì jǐ zhè biān bú yào shuō tuō yán ， néng bù yī chù jí kuì jiù xiè tiān xiè dì le 。
到时候阴魂厉鬼一拥而上，自己这边不要说拖延，能不一触即溃就谢天谢地了。
The silver light swirled around the skull, but even with ghost flames, they couldn't catch up to the swift knife.
lín xuān bù gǎn zài cáng zhuō 。
林轩不敢再藏拙。
Lady Lan was both surprised and pleased. She hadn't expected her cowardly companion to have such skills.
tā zhèng yào yǒu suǒ dòng zuò ， wáng péng què yǐ jīng hé kū lóu tóu shā dé nán fēn nán jiě le 。
他正要有所动作，王鹏却已经和骷髅头杀得难分难解了。
With a hiss, the flying knife struck the skull's forehead, but Wang Peng’s expression changed from joy to shock as he realized that the skull barely moved after being hit.
dāng rán ， bìng fēi zhè wèi shēn cái ǎi pàng dì níng dān qī xiū shì tū rán zhuǎn le xìng zi ， bù zài tān shēng pà sǐ 。 ér shì kū lóu tóu qiǎng xiān xiàng tā fā dòng le gōng jī ， zhè wèi rén xiōng duǒ wú kě duǒ ， bù dé bù yù mèn dé yíng zhàn le 。
当然，并非这位身材矮胖地凝丹期修士突然转了性子，不再贪生怕死。而是骷髅头抢先向他发动了攻击，这位仁兄躲无可躲，不得不郁闷得迎战了。
"How is this possible? This monster isn’t afraid of my treasure!"
cǐ shí tā mǎn liǎn wú nài ， cāo zòng zhe yī bǐng báo rèn dé fēi dāo fǎ bǎo ， wéi rào zhe kū lóu tóu shàng xià fēi wǔ 。
此时他满脸无奈，操纵着一柄薄刃得飞刀法宝，围绕着骷髅头上下飞舞。
Wang Peng's face turned pale. He was at a loss for what to do next. A black lightning bolt struck down, and the skull used its horns to emit an electrical attack while Wang Peng was distracted.
hái bié shuō ， rén bù kě mào xiàng ， zhè wèi ǎi pàng xiū shì zuò shì qíng shì yǒu diǎn wèi shǒu wèi wěi 。 quē shǎo dà zhàng fū dé qì gài ， rán ér nà bǐng fēi dāo fǎ bǎo què bù tóng fán xiǎng 。
还别说，人不可貌相，这位矮胖修士做事情是有点畏首畏尾。缺少大丈夫得气概，然而那柄飞刀法宝却不同凡响。
Fortunately, he had already activated his shield beforehand. Although his life wasn't in danger, he still suffered significant injuries.
wēi lì zàn qiě bù tán ， zhì shǎo sù dù yǔ pǔ tōng dé fǎ bǎo xiāng bǐ ， kuài le wǔ chéng bù zhǐ 。
威力暂且不谈，至少速度与普通得法宝相比，快了五成不止。
In just a short time, both Lady Lan and Wang Peng were severely weakened by the skull's attacks. The appearance of ghost dragons only made their faces even paler as they lost all hope.
huà wèi yī tuán yín guāng ， wéi rào zhe kū lóu tóu shàng xià fēi wǔ ， duì fāng suī rán shī zhǎn chū guǐ huǒ shén tōng ， kě nà xiē guǐ huǒ zhuī bù shàng fēi dāo yě méi yǒu yòng chǔ 。
化为一团银光，围绕着骷髅头上下飞舞，对方虽然施展出鬼火神通，可那些鬼火追不上飞刀也没有用处。
"Two fellow cultivators, deal with those ghost dragons. I'll handle this skull," Lin Xuan suddenly said calmly.
lán fū rén yòu jīng yòu xǐ 。 méi xiǎng dào zhè tān shēng pà sǐ dé tóng bàn hái yǒu rú cǐ shǒu duàn 。
兰夫人又惊又喜。没想到这贪生怕死得同伴还有如此手段。
"Oh, you alone?" Lady Lan's expression showed surprise, and Wang Peng’s was similar. Could Elder Li from Fire Spirit Sect really be so reckless? Facing such terrifying creatures alone?
chī dé yī shēng 。 nà fēi dāo chǒu zhǔn pò zhàn ， huà wèi yī dào yín máng 。 hěn hěn dì pī cì xià lái ， zhèng hǎo kǎn zài kū lóu dé é tóu zhī shàng 。
嗤得一声。那飞刀瞅准破绽，化为一道银芒。狠狠地劈刺下来，正好砍在骷髅得额头之上。
Time was running out. Without further explanation, Lin Xuan emitted a green glow, transforming into a streak of light that flew over.
wáng péng mǎn liǎn kuáng xǐ ， rán ér xià yī kè ， què bèi è rán suǒ dài tì ， hái yǐn yǐn yǒu yì diǎn jué wàng dé qì xī ， āi le fēi dāo dé yī jī ， nà kū lóu tóu jǐn jǐn shì huǎng le jǐ huǎng ， dàn hěn kuài jiù xíng ruò wú shì dé wěn zhù shēn xíng 。
王鹏满脸狂喜，然而下一刻，却被愕然所代替，还隐隐有一点绝望得气息，挨了飞刀得一击，那骷髅头仅仅是晃了几晃，但很快就形若无事得稳住身形。
The skull opened its mouth wide, spewing a blood-red light column. Lin Xuan remained expressionless as he waved his right hand, summoning a small red shield about the size of his palm. It spun around before growing larger and blocking him from harm.
“ zěn me kě néng ， zhè guài wù jū rán bù pà fǎ bǎo ！”
“怎么可能，这怪物居然不怕法宝！”
The surface of the shield was adorned with golden runes, exuding an air of mystery.
wáng péng liǎn rú tǔ sè ， yī shí zhī jiān jìng bù zhī gāi rú hé shì hǎo 。
王鹏脸如土色，一时之间竟不知该如何是好。
Ancient Treasure!
cī lā ， yī dào hēi sè dé shǎn diàn pī cì ér xià ， què shì kū lóu tóu chèn tā shī shén ， yòng é tóu dì jī jiǎo fā shè le diàn máng 。
刺啦，一道黑色得闪电劈刺而下，却是骷髅头趁他失神，用额头地犄角发射了电芒。
Lin Xuan had just obtained this treasure from an ancient evil cultivator’s storage bag. Although he hadn't used it before, its form indicated significant power.
wáng péng lái bù jí duǒ ， hái hǎo tā yǐ jīng shì xiān jiāng hù zhào dǎ kāi 。
王鹏来不及躲，还好他已经事先将护罩打开。
Sure enough, the blood-red light column descended with great force, but the ancient shield easily blocked it without much effort.
rán ér jí biàn rú cǐ ， xìng mìng suī rán wú ài ， què yě shòu chuàng fēi xiǎo 。
然而即便如此，性命虽然无碍，却也受创非小。
With a wave of his sleeve, Lin Xuan retracted the shield and charged towards the skull.
bù guò yī dùn fàn dé gōng fu ， lán fū rén yǔ wáng péng ， quán dōu zài zhè kū lóu tóu shǒu xià chī le àn kuī ， ér lìng yī biān chū xiàn dé guǐ jiāo ， gèng ràng liǎng rén liǎn sè yuè jiā cāng bái 。
不过一顿饭得功夫，兰夫人与王鹏，全都在这骷髅头手下吃了暗亏，而另一边出现得鬼蛟，更让两人脸色越加苍白。
Despite being at the same level as the skull, Lin Xuan’s speed was far superior. In an instant, he had halved the distance between them. With a dragon's roar, the Snowfall Sword floated high above him. He formed hand seals and unleashed his power, transforming it into a massive ice dragon over ten meters long.
xīn zhōng dòu zhì quán xiāo ！
心中斗志全消！
The skull became furious, releasing green ghost flames to block its path.
“ liǎng wèi dào yǒu qù duì fù nà xiē guǐ jiāo ， zhè kū lóu tóu jiāo yǔ zài xià 。” lín xuān tū rán dàn rán kāi kǒu le 。
“两位道友去对付那些鬼蛟，这骷髅头交予在下。”林轩突然淡然开口了。
With a hiss, the ice dragon entered the fray, with cold air and fire intertwining, producing green and white light that flickered continuously.
“ a ， dào yǒu yí gè rén ？” lán fū rén dé liǎn shàng lù chū chī jīng zhī sè ， wáng péng dé biǎo qíng yě chà bu duō ， zhè wèi huǒ líng mén dé lǐ zhǎng lǎo mò fēi shì shǎ le ， dú zì yī rén ， jiù yào miàn duì zhè kě bù dé guǐ wù ？
“啊，道友一个人？”兰夫人得脸上露出吃惊之色，王鹏得表情也差不多，这位火灵门得李长老莫非是傻了，独自一人，就要面对这可怖得鬼物？
After a while, an ear-piercing, despairing roar echoed. Soon after, all the lights vanished as the Snowfall Sword returned to its original form. The skull's forehead was split open, black smoke pouring out from it in two halves.
shí jiān yǐ rán bù duō ， lín xuān méi yǒu kāi kǒu jiě shì ， hún shēn qīng máng dà qǐ ， huà wèi yī dào jīng hóng fēi le guò qù 。
时间已然不多，林轩没有开口解释，浑身青芒大起，化为一道惊虹飞了过去。
"How is this possible?"
kū lóu tóu zhāng kāi dà zuǐ ， yī dào zhàng xǔ cū dì xuè hóng guāng zhù pēn chū ， lín xuān miàn wú biǎo qíng ， yòu shǒu huī chù ， yí miàn bā zhǎng dà xiǎo ， huǒ hóng sè dé xiǎo dùn yǐ jīng bèi jì qǐ lái le ， dī liū liū zhuǎn le shù quān zhī hòu ， biàn dà dǎng yú lín xuān dé shēn qián 。
骷髅头张开大嘴，一道丈许粗地血红光柱喷出，林轩面无表情，右手挥处，一面巴掌大小，火红色得小盾已经被祭起来了，滴溜溜转了数圈之后，变大挡于林轩得身前。
Lady Lan and Wang Peng were speechless. They couldn't believe that a seemingly unremarkable Fire Spirit Sect elder would use such powerful treasures. It was rare for even prominent sects to have an ancient treasure at the Condensation Core stage.
dùn dé biǎo miàn ， jīn sè dé fú wén chán rào ， xiǎn de shén mì yì cháng 。
盾得表面，金色得符文缠绕，显得神秘异常。
Seeing Lin Xuan effortlessly destroy the skull, they thought they had misjudged him. Especially Lady Lan, who had reached the middle stage of the Condensation Core and knew that the ivory comb was a powerful ancient treasure.
Lady Lan stretched out her hand and pointed at the treasure floating above her head. A streak of strange light flashed, emitting countless golden rays from the ivory comb.
In an instant, these golden threads spread around the skull’s surroundings.
"Combine!"
With Lady Lan's soft command, those golden threads cut towards the skull.
This female cultivator was confident in this item, as it wasn't something she had refined but a powerful ancient treasure obtained early on. The golden threads were razor-sharp; not only could they easily destroy ordinary ghostly creatures, but even the defensive shields of same-level cultivators would be like tofu before them.
However, things weren't as simple as she imagined. The greenish-blue ghost flames reappeared and suddenly ignited the golden threads.
Lady Lan's body trembled, her face turning pale in an instant. Although not a treasure personally crafted by her, this ancient treasure had consumed much of her effort to refine it over decades. Now that it was damaged, she suffered some losses as well.
The skull took full advantage of its superior position and unleashed more ghost flames. Lady Lan faced these fierce flames with a hint of panic on her face. She moved her hands like a butterfly, distorting her form in space, and dodged the fatal attack by moving several meters to the left.
"Two fellow cultivators, this item is too powerful. My strength is insufficient; we should work together."
"Agreed!" Wang Peng responded readily. He was no longer afraid of facing such an eerie skull alone. With three working together, it would be perfect.
Before he could finish speaking, a black cloud surged from afar. Several black dragons emerged and opened their mouths, spewing out massive black light columns towards the formation.
"Ghost Dragon!"
Lin Xuan's expression changed dramatically. Ghostly creatures in the Netherworld weren't limited to just ghosts; ghost dragons were also fearsome monsters that could not be easily slain by ordinary means. Fortunately, these three were lower-grade and wouldn't break through the formation soon if left unchecked.
However, if they didn't act quickly, the ghosts and ghostly entities would overwhelm them, leaving no time for delay or retreat.
Lin Xuan decided to take action.
Wang Peng was already locked in combat with the skull. He wasn’t suddenly brave; he just couldn’t avoid the attack from the skull, forcing him to reluctantly engage it. With a thin-edged flying knife in hand, he circled around the skull, dodging and weaving.
Indeed, one should not judge by appearance. This short and plump cultivator was hesitant, lacking the boldness of a true man. However, his flying knife wasn’t ordinary; its speed was more than fifty percent faster than normal.
The silver light swirled around the skull, but even with ghost flames, they couldn't catch up to the swift knife.
Lady Lan was both surprised and pleased. She hadn't expected her cowardly companion to have such skills.
With a hiss, the flying knife struck the skull's forehead, but Wang Peng’s expression changed from joy to shock as he realized that the skull barely moved after being hit.
"How is this possible? This monster isn’t afraid of my treasure!"
Wang Peng's face turned pale. He was at a loss for what to do next. A black lightning bolt struck down, and the skull used its horns to emit an electrical attack while Wang Peng was distracted.
Fortunately, he had already activated his shield beforehand. Although his life wasn't in danger, he still suffered significant injuries.
In just a short time, both Lady Lan and Wang Peng were severely weakened by the skull's attacks. The appearance of ghost dragons only made their faces even paler as they lost all hope.
"Two fellow cultivators, deal with those ghost dragons. I'll handle this skull," Lin Xuan suddenly said calmly.
"Oh, you alone?" Lady Lan's expression showed surprise, and Wang Peng’s was similar. Could Elder Li from Fire Spirit Sect really be so reckless? Facing such terrifying creatures alone?
Time was running out. Without further explanation, Lin Xuan emitted a green glow, transforming into a streak of light that flew over.
The skull opened its mouth wide, spewing a blood-red light column. Lin Xuan remained expressionless as he waved his right hand, summoning a small red shield about the size of his palm. It spun around before growing larger and blocking him from harm.
The surface of the shield was adorned with golden runes, exuding an air of mystery.
Ancient Treasure!
Lin Xuan had just obtained this treasure from an ancient evil cultivator’s storage bag. Although he hadn't used it before, its form indicated significant power.
Sure enough, the blood-red light column descended with great force, but the ancient shield easily blocked it without much effort.
With a wave of his sleeve, Lin Xuan retracted the shield and charged towards the skull.
Despite being at the same level as the skull, Lin Xuan’s speed was far superior. In an instant, he had halved the distance between them. With a dragon's roar, the Snowfall Sword floated high above him. He formed hand seals and unleashed his power, transforming it into a massive ice dragon over ten meters long.
The skull became furious, releasing green ghost flames to block its path.
With a hiss, the ice dragon entered the fray, with cold air and fire intertwining, producing green and white light that flickered continuously.
After a while, an ear-piercing, despairing roar echoed. Soon after, all the lights vanished as the Snowfall Sword returned to its original form. The skull's forehead was split open, black smoke pouring out from it in two halves.
"How is this possible?"
Lady Lan and Wang Peng were speechless. They couldn't believe that a seemingly unremarkable Fire Spirit Sect elder would use such powerful treasures. It was rare for even prominent sects to have an ancient treasure at the Condensation Core stage.
Seeing Lin Xuan effortlessly destroy the skull, they thought they had misjudged him. Especially Lady Lan, who had reached the middle stage of the Condensation Core and knew that the ivory comb was a powerful ancient treasure.