hōng lōng lóng mèn léi bān de shēng yīn xiǎng qǐ 。 tiān kōng zhōng bào chū hēi hóng èr sè 。 líng huǒ yāo yàn hù xiāng jiū chán 。 xuán huǒ shén zhū yǔ duì fāng jì chū de bǎo wù xiāng chí bù xiū 。 yī shí zhī jiān dào yě nán fēn gāo xià 。
轰隆隆闷雷般的声音响起。天空中爆出黑红二色。灵火妖焰互相纠缠。玄火神珠与对方祭出的宝物相持不休。一时之间倒也难分高下。
A rumbling sound echoed, and the sky erupted with black and red hues. Fiery spiritual flames intertwined with each other. The Divine Flame Spirit Pearl faced off against the opponent's precious treasure without yielding.
nà guǐ wáng jiàn le 。 yī duò zú 。 shēn shàng de mó qì měng rán cuàn qǐ 。 huà wèi le yī dào hēi sè de lóng juǎn jù fēng 。 yuē yǒu shù zhàng cū xì 。 lián tiān jiē dì 。 shēng shì jīng rén yǐ jí 。 xiàng zhe lín xuān hū xiào ér qù 。
那鬼王见了。一跺足。身上的魔气猛然窜起。化为了一道黑色的龙卷飓风。约有数丈粗细。连天接地。声势惊人以极。向着林轩呼啸而去。
Seeing this, the Ghost King stomped his foot, causing a surge of demonic energy to rise from his body. It transformed into a black tornado, about several dozen feet in diameter, reaching up to the sky and down to the ground, its presence shocking. It whirled towards Lin Xuan with great force.
lín xuān tóng kǒng wēi wēi shōu suō 。 rán ér què guǐ yì de méi yǒu duǒ 。 fǎn ér xiù páo yī shuǎi 。 piāo yún luò xuě jiàn fēi shè ér chū 。 zhǎn xiàng shēn hòu shù zhàng zhī chù 。
林轩瞳孔微微收缩。然而却诡异的没有躲。反而袖袍一甩。飘云落雪剑飞射而出。斩向身后数丈之处。
Lin Xuan's pupils constricted slightly, but he did not dodge. Instead, he flicked his sleeve, and the Drifting Cloud Snowfall Sword shot out, slicing at a spot several feet behind him.
yuán běn kōng wú yī wù de dì fāng 。 sà rán hēi yān mào qǐ 。 suí fēng hái chuán lái yī zhèn è chòu de wèi dào 。 bàn suí zhe tòng háo 。 xuán zhēn guǐ wáng xiàn chū le zhēn shēn 。 liǎn shàng mǎn shì jīng nù jiāo jí de biǎo qíng 。
原本空无一物的地方。飒然黑烟冒起。随风还传来一阵恶臭的味道。伴随着痛嚎。玄真鬼王现出了真身。脸上满是惊怒交集的表情。
The previously empty space suddenly emitted black smoke, accompanied by an unpleasant stench as howls of pain echoed. The True Ghost King revealed its true form, displaying a mix of shock and anger on its face.
xià yī kè 。 nà kě pà de mó qì jù fēng lái dào le lín xuān shēn qián liǎng chǐ zhī chù 。 què zì jǐ mò míng qí miào de kuì sàn diào le 。
下一刻。那可怕的魔气飓风来到了林轩身前两尺之处。却自己莫名其妙的溃散掉了。
In the next moment, the terrifying demonic energy tornado approached Lin Xuan's chest, only to dissipate mysteriously without any impact.
zhè bù guò shì huàn shù ！
这不过是幻术！
This was merely an illusion!
“ kě wù 。 nǐ jiū jìng zěn me kàn chuān de ？”
“可恶。你究竟怎么看穿的？”
"Damn it! How did you see through this?"
“ zài xià yǐ jīng shuō guò 。 nǐ de zhè xiē guǐ yù jì liǎng 。 zài wǒ miàn qián 。 bù guò shì fú yún ér yǐ 。 jiù wù xū zài mài nòng xià qù 。” lín xuān lěng xiào yī shēng 。 liǎn shàng mǎn shì qīng shì zhī yì 。
“在下已经说过。你的这些鬼蜮伎俩。在我面前。不过是浮云而已。就务须再卖弄下去。”林轩冷笑一声。脸上满是轻视之意。
"As I have said before, your tricks are nothing but a mere cloud in my eyes. There is no need for you to continue showing off," Lin Xuan sneered, his face filled with disdain.
“ nǐ ……” xuán zhēn guǐ wáng wén yán dà nù 。 zhèng yào pū shàng lái pīn mìng 。 què yòu xiàng shì xiǎng qǐ shén me shì de tíng xià le shēn xíng 。 liǎn shàng de jī fèn zhī sè yī fēn yī fēn de liǎn qù 。
“你……”玄真鬼王闻言大怒。正要扑上来拼命。却又像是想起什么似的停下了身形。脸上的激愤之色一分一分的敛去。
"You…" The True Ghost King's anger flared as he was about to pounce and fight. However, it seemed like he remembered something and stopped mid-air, the fury on his face gradually fading away.
jiàn duì fāng méi yǒu zhōng zì jǐ de jī jiàng fǎ 。 lín xuān de biǎo qíng bù yóu de níng zhòng qǐ lái 。
见对方没有中自己的激将法。林轩的表情不由得凝重起来。
Seeing that his taunt had failed, Lin Xuan's expression turned serious.
“ xiǎo zi 。 nǐ de shén tōng què shí bù cuò 。 dàn hǎo yùn yě dào cǐ wéi zhǐ le 。 xuán zhēn guǐ wáng shēn chū liǎng zhǐ lì zhuǎ 。 xiāng hù zhī jiān nà me yī cuō 。 nà jiān bǎng shàng de shāng kǒu yǒng chū liǎo wú shù pào mò 。 yǐ ròu yǎn kě jiàn de sù dù kāi shǐ mí hé 。
“小子。你的神通确实不错。但好运也到此为止了。玄真鬼王伸出两只利爪。相互之间那么一搓。那肩膀上的伤口涌出了无数泡沫。以肉眼可见的速度开始弥合。
"Boy, your abilities are indeed impressive. But your luck has run out here. The True Ghost King extended its sharp claws, rubbing them together to heal a wound on its shoulder with an incredible speed.
lín xuān zì rán bú huì shǎ shǎ de zài yī páng kàn zhe 。 zhāng kāi zuǐ 。 pēn chū yī kǒu jīng qì 。 piāo yún luò xuě jiàn xī shōu yǐ hòu 。 líng lì dà fàng 。 huà wèi yī piàn xuě bái de jīng máng 。 xiàng zhe lì guǐ hěn hěn dì zhǎn xià 。
林轩自然不会傻傻的在一旁看着。张开嘴。喷出一口精气。飘云落雪剑吸收以后。灵力大放。化为一片雪白的精芒。向着厉鬼狠狠地斩下。
Lin Xuan would not stand idly by. He opened his mouth and expelled a stream of essence qi, which the Drifting Cloud Snowfall Sword absorbed, causing it to emit a brilliant white light as it slashed fiercely at the ghost.
guǐ wáng lěng xiào yī shēng 。 yī yáng zhǎo 。 fàng chū liǎng bǐng guǐ tóu fēi chā 。 yǔ lín xuān dì xiān jiàn zhàn zài le yì qǐ 。
鬼王冷笑一声。一扬爪。放出两柄鬼头飞叉。与林轩地仙剑战在了一起。
The Ghost King sneered and raised one claw, releasing two ghost-head flying spears that clashed with Lin Xuan's Immortal Dao sword, still evenly matched.
yī jiù shì nán fēn gāo xià 。
依旧是难分高下。
This situation frustrated Lin Xuan. Although he had not used all his abilities and only employed two treasures, he was maintaining a stalemate despite his efforts.
zhè zhǒng zhuàng kuàng ràng lín xuān yǒu xiē wō huǒ 。 suī rán tā bìng wèi shén tōng jǐn chū 。 bǎo wù yě jǐn dòng yòng le liǎng jiàn 。 dàn yǐ zì jǐ de shǒu duàn 。 jū rán jǐn yǔ duì fāng wéi chí le yí gè bù shèng bù bài de jú miàn 。
这种状况让林轩有些窝火。虽然他并未神通尽出。宝物也仅动用了两件。但以自己的手段。居然仅与对方维持了一个不胜不败的局面。
After all, both the Divine Flame Spirit Pearl and the Drifting Cloud Snowfall Sword were ancient treasures. The ghost-head flying spears' origins remained unknown, but they showed no signs of weakening either.
yào zhī dào zhè liǎng yàng kě dōu shì gǔ bǎo 。
要知道这两样可都是古宝。
Lin Xuan did not know this. Despite his frustration, the True Ghost King was equally enraged. The two treasures it wielded had been given by its mentor, Lord Ghost Tian. They had been nourished with ten-thousand-year-old demonic energy in the Yin Sha Cave for countless years. Ordinary condensation core stage cultivators' treasures would inevitably be tainted by this demonic essence, leading to a significant loss of spiritual power.
xuán huǒ shén zhū zàn qiě bù shuō 。 yóu qí shì nà piāo yún luò xuě jiàn 。 nǎi shì yuán yīng qī gǔ xiū yí liú xià lái de dǐng jiē fǎ bǎo 。 duì fāng nà liǎng bǐng guǐ tóu fēi chā 。 yě bù zhī jiū jìng yǒu hé lái lì 。 huà wèi liǎng tuán hēi qì 。 jū rán méi yǒu sī háo luò bài zhī yì 。
玄火神珠暂且不说。尤其是那飘云落雪剑。乃是圆婴期古修遗留下来的顶阶法宝。对方那两柄鬼头飞叉。也不知究竟有何来历。化为两团黑气。居然没有丝毫落败之意。
However, the two treasures Lin Xuan released seemed unaffected.
lín xuān bù zhī dào 。 tā gù rán xīn qíng bù hǎo 。 nà xuán zhēn guǐ wáng gèng shì jīng nù fēi cháng 。 suǒ qū shǐ de zhè liǎng jiàn fǎ bǎo 。 dōu shì ēn shī lì tiān guǐ dì suǒ cì 。 céng jīng zài yīn shā dòng zhōng yòng wàn nián mó qì zī yǎng liǎo wú jǐn suì yuè 。 pǔ tōng níng dān qī xiū shì de bǎo wù 。 yí dàn yǔ qí duì dí 。 bì dìng zhān rǎn shàng miàn de mó qì 。 cóng ér líng lì dà shī 。
林轩不知道。他固然心情不好。那玄真鬼王更是惊怒非常。所驱使的这两件法宝。都是恩师厉天鬼帝所赐。曾经在阴煞洞中用万年魔气滋养了无尽岁月。普通凝丹期修士的宝物。一旦与其对敌。必定沾染上面的魔气。从而灵力大失。
The True Ghost King's heart raced as it sniffed the air and detected a primitive aura.
rán ér nà xiǎo zi fàng chū dì liǎng jiàn bǎo wù 。 què shá shì yě méi yǒu de yàng zi 。
然而那小子放出地两件宝物。却啥事也没有的样子。
Ancient treasure!
xuán zhēn guǐ wáng xīn zhōng yī lǐn 。 xiù le xiù bí zi 。 dùn shí wén dào le yī gǔ mán huāng zhī qì 。
玄真鬼王心中一凛。嗅了嗅鼻子。顿时闻到了一股蛮荒之气。
This discovery made the ghost king lick its lips. Condensation core stage cultivators with two ancient treasures were rare indeed. Could this boy have an unsung round infant period elder behind him?
gǔ bǎo ！
古宝！
Of course, now was not the time to dwell on the opponent's identity; he must quickly resolve this situation.
zhè ge fā xiàn ràng guǐ wáng rěn bú zhù tiǎn le tiǎn zuǐ jiǎo 。 néng gòu yōng yǒu liǎng jiàn gǔ bǎo de níng dān qī xiū shì kě zhe shí bù duō 。 nán dào zhè xiǎo zi bèi hòu yě yǒu bù chū shì de yuán yīng qī lǎo guài wù ？
这个发现让鬼王忍不住舔了舔嘴角。能够拥有两件古宝的凝丹期修士可着实不多。难道这小子背后也有不出世的圆婴期老怪物？
After the initial chaos, the cultivators had gradually regained their composure.
dāng rán 。 xiàn zài bú shì zhuī jiū duì fāng shēn fèn de shí hòu 。 bì xū jǐn kuài jiě jué diào duì shǒu 。
当然。现在不是追究对方身份的时候。必须尽快解决掉对手。
Although the main array had been broken, these cunning fellows had set up numerous small restraints. After retreating several miles, they rallied and relied on these arrays to fend off the ghostly creatures' attacks.
jīng lì le zuì chū dì huāng luàn 。 xiū shì men yǐ jīng zhú jiàn wěn xià le zhèn jiǎo 。
经历了最初地慌乱。修士们已经逐渐稳下了阵脚。
The dozen or so ferocious souls in the right wing were particularly successful, decimating human cultivators and pushing them back, leaving them isolated deep within enemy territory.
dà zhèn suī rán bèi pò le 。 kě zhè xiē jiǎo huá de jiā huo 。 bù xià de xiǎo xíng jìn zhì què yǒu shí jǐ chù zhī duō 。 hòu tuì le shù lǐ zhī hòu 。 xiū shì men chóng zhèn qí gǔ 。 yī tuō zhè xiē zhèn fǎ 。 dǐ dǎng guǐ wù men de jìn gōng 。
大阵虽然被破了。可这些狡猾的家伙。布下的小型禁制却有十几处之多。后退了数里之后。修士们重振旗鼓。依托这些阵法。抵挡鬼物们的进攻。
These ghosts did not act impulsively; their own cultivation levels were formidable. Even the weakest among them was no weaker than late-stage foundation establishment stage cultivators. The saying "the bolder the better" applied to these ghostly entities as well.
tè bié shì yòu yì de shí jǐ tóu xiōng hún lì pò 。 yuán běn gōng shì jí qí shùn lì 。 shā dé rén lèi xiū shì diū kuī xiè jiǎ 。 láng bèi hòu chè 。 yǐ chéng gū jūn shēn rù zhī shì 。
特别是右翼的十几头凶魂厉魄。原本攻势极其顺利。杀得人类修士丢盔卸甲。狼狈后撤。已成孤军深入之势。
With their combined strength and the covering force of ghost soldiers behind them, they could easily handle any concealed array.
dào bú shì zhè xiē lì guǐ tóu nǎo fā rè 。 ér shì men běn shēn de xiū wèi 。 jiù yǒu bù fán zhī chù 。 zuì chà dì 。 yě bù ruò yú rén lèi zhù jī hòu qī dì xiū zhēn zhě 。 suǒ wèi yì gāo rén dǎn dà 。 zhè jù huà 。 fàng zài guǐ hún shēn shàng yě shì tóng yàng de 。
倒不是这些厉鬼头脑发热。而是们本身的修为。就有不凡之处。最差地。也不弱于人类筑基后期地修真者。所谓艺高人胆大。这句话。放在鬼魂身上也是同样的。
However, after encountering such an array, they found themselves not only facing hidden traps but also dozens of cultivators within the array. The retreating opponents turned around to attack, releasing their magical artifacts and spiritual talismans. The outcome was inevitable; they were ambushed, and all the ferocious ghosts were utterly defeated.
běn lái yǐ men dì xiū wèi 。 shí jǐ tóu lián shǒu 。 jiā shàng hòu miàn yǎn hù de guǐ zú 。 jiù suàn pèng jiàn shén me yǐn bì dì zhèn fǎ 。 yě bù zài huà xià 。
本来以们地修为。十几头联手。加上后面掩护的鬼卒。就算碰见什么隐蔽地阵法。也不在话下。
Although this loss did not significantly impact the overall situation, it boosted the morale of the cultivators. The stalemate in the battle intensified as a result.
bì jìng zhè zhǒng xiǎo xíng jìn zhì 。 wēi lì yě dōu bù dà 。 qì yàn xiāo zhāng 。 què āi le yíng tóu yī bàng 。 bù jǐn yù shàng le yǐn bì de zhèn fǎ 。 ér qiě zài nà zhèn fǎ zhī zhōng 。 hái cáng yǒu shù shí wèi xiū shì 。 gāng cái bài tuì dì jiā huo 。 yě dōu fǎn shēn yǎn shā 。 fēn fēn fàng chū shǒu zhōng de fǎ qì líng fú 。 jié guǒ kě xiǎng ér zhī 。 zhōng le mái fú 。 shí jǐ tóu xiōng hàn de lì guǐ quán dōu bèi dǎ dé hún fēi pò sàn le 。
毕竟这种小型禁制。威力也都不大。气焰嚣张。却挨了迎头一棒。不仅遇上了隐蔽的阵法。而且在那阵法之中。还藏有数十位修士。刚才败退地家伙。也都反身掩杀。纷纷放出手中的法器灵符。结果可想而知。中了埋伏。十几头凶悍的厉鬼全都被打得魂飞魄散了。
This made the True Ghost King frown deeply. Meanwhile, his two fellow peers were separately engaged by Lady Lan and Wang Peng.
suī rán zhè diǎn sǔn shī 。 wú shāng dà jú 。 dàn jīng cǐ shèng lì 。 xiū shì men dī shì qì 。 què zhòu rán gāo zhǎng le qǐ lái 。 yī shí zhī jiān 。 zhàn jú jìng rán chéng le jiāo zhuó zhuàng tài 。
虽然这点损失。无伤大局。但经此胜利。修士们的士气。却骤然高涨了起来。一时之间。战局竟然成了胶着状态。
Though these two cultivators' strength was inferior to Lin Xuan's, their opponents—the ghost kings—did not display any remarkable abilities either.
zhè ràng xuán zhēn guǐ wáng bù yóu de dà zhòu qí méi 。 ér de lìng liǎng wèi tóng jiē tóng bàn 。 zé fēn bié bèi lán fū rén hé wáng péng chán zhù 。
这让玄真鬼王不由得大皱其眉。而的另两位同阶同伴。则分别被兰夫人和王鹏缠住。
The True Ghost King wanted to break this stalemate but needed to eliminate the obstacle in front of him first.
suī rán nà liǎng gè xiū shì de shí lì bù jí lín xuān 。 kě yǔ tā men duì dí de guǐ wáng 。 shén tōng yě shì yì bān 。 méi yǒu rèn hé chū cǎi 。
虽然那两个修士的实力不及林轩。可与他们对敌的鬼王。神通也是一般。没有任何出彩。
After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled out an object from his pocket.
xuán zhēn guǐ wáng xiǎng yào xià qù dǎ pò jiāng jú 。 zì rán yào xiān chú diào yǎn qián de bàn jiǎo shí cái kě yǐ 。
玄真鬼王想要下去打破僵局。自然要先除掉眼前的绊脚石才可以。
Lin Xuan focused on it. It was about the size of a palm and resembled a bone tile.
lüè yī chóu chú 。 cóng huái zhōng mō chū le yī wù 。
略一踌躇。从怀中摸出了一物。
What kind of treasure was this? Although Lin Xuan was not afraid, he did not take any chances as he reached into his storage bag.
lín xuān dìng jīng wàng qù 。 chéng cháng tiáo zhuàng 。 yuē yǒu bā zhǎng dà xiǎo 。 què shì yī kuài gǔ pái 。
林轩定睛望去。呈长条状。约有巴掌大小。却是一块骨牌。
Seeing this, the True Ghost King snarled and raised its claw to activate the bone tile. It spun rapidly and exploded in a black light dome…
zhè yòu shì shén me bǎo wù 。 lín xuān suī rán bù jù 。 dàn yě bù gǎn dà yì 。 shǒu xiàng chǔ wù dài mō qù 。
这又是什么宝物。林轩虽然不惧。但也不敢大意。手像储物袋摸去。
A black energy shield materialized and expanded outward.
xuán zhēn guǐ wáng jiàn le 。 níng xiào yī shēng 。 lì zhuǎ yī yáng 。 yǐ jiāng nà gǔ pái jì le qǐ lái 。 dī liū liū yī zhuǎn 。 sà rán bào kāi ……
玄真鬼王见了。狞笑一声。利爪一扬。已将那骨牌祭了起来。滴溜溜一转。飒然爆开……
Almost instantly, it encompassed an area of one hundred feet around them, moving so fast that Lin Xuan did not have time to react.
yí gè hēi sè de guāng zhào fú xiàn 。 bìng xiàng zhe sì zhōu kuò zhǎn 。
一个黑色的光罩浮现。并向着四周扩展。
"What is this…" Inside the energy shield, Lin Xuan's face showed surprise. He felt no discomfort but noticed a much denser aura of阴气 (yīn qì) than before. A gentle breeze brought a chill and an eerie sensation.
jī hū shì qǐng kè zhī jiān 。 jiù jiāng fāng yuán bǎi zhàng de fàn wéi lǒng zhào le qǐ lái 。 sù dù zhī kuài 。 lián lín xuān dōu méi yǒu fǎn yìng guò lái 。
几乎是顷刻之间。就将方圆百丈的范围笼罩了起来。速度之快。连林轩都没有反应过来。
Could it be…
“ zhè shì shén me ……” shēn zài guāng zhào zhī zhōng 。 lín xuān liǎn shàng lù chū yī sī chà yì zhī sè 。 hún shēn shàng xià bìng méi yǒu gǎn dào sī háo de bù tuǒ 。
“这是什么……”身在光罩之中。林轩脸上露出一丝诧异之色。浑身上下并没有感到丝毫的不妥。
Lin Xuan guessed that it was indeed a聚阴罩 (jù yīn zhào).
wéi yī bù tóng de shì 。 zài zhè hēi sè de guāng zhào lǐ miàn 。 yīn qì zhī nóng 。 yuǎn fēi gāng cái kě bǐ 。 wēi fēng chuī lái 。 yě ràng rén yǒu yī zhǒng máo gǔ sǒng rán 。 hún shēn lěng sōu sōu zhī gǎn 。
唯一不同的是。在这黑色的光罩里面。阴气之浓。远非刚才可比。微风吹来。也让人有一种毛骨悚然。浑身冷飕飕之感。
"In this凝聚阴罩, my abilities will increase by at least fifty percent. Given your daoist lineage, you can only exert about seventy percent of your power here. With the balance shifting in my favor, you have no chance of victory. If you kneel and surrender now, I might spare your life and allow you to reincarnate."
nán dào shì ……
难道是……
However, Lin Xuan's expression remained unchanged as a sneer formed on his lips.
lín xuān yǐn yuē cāi dào le yì diǎn 。
林轩隐约猜到了一点。
A凝聚阴罩 (jù yīn zhào) was indeed such a thing. To kill him, this guy really spared no expense!
“ xiǎo zi 。 zài zhè jù yīn zhào lǐ miàn 。 wǒ shén tōng de wēi lì 。 qǐ mǎ huì zēng jiā wǔ chéng bù zhǐ 。 ér kàn nǐ suǒ xiū fǎ jué 。 yīng gāi shì dào jiā yī mài 。 zài zhè lǐ 。 zuì duō fā huī chū qī chéng de wēi lì 。 cǐ xiāo bǐ zhǎng 。 nǐ jué wú shèng suàn 。 rú guǒ xiàn zài jiù guì xià tóu xiáng 。 běn wáng kě yǐ wǎng kāi yí miàn 。 fàng nǐ lún huí tóu tāi 。”
“小子。在这聚阴罩里面。我神通的威力。起码会增加五成不止。而看你所修法诀。应该是道家一脉。在这里。最多发挥出七成的威力。此消彼长。你绝无胜算。如果现在就跪下投降。本王可以网开一面。放你轮回投胎。”
The so-called凝聚阴罩 could be found among human cultivators too, but it was more akin to an array than a true treasure. However, it was extremely rare, and few array masters could craft one. These treasures were mostly for personal use and rarely circulated outside.
rán ér lín xuān què shén sè bù biàn 。 zuǐ jiǎo biān gōu lè chū yī sī jī cháo 。
然而林轩却神色不变。嘴角边勾勒出一丝讥嘲。
Lin Xuan had only seen such a treasure in ancient texts; it was called the聚灵罩 (jù líng zhào).
A rumbling sound echoed, and the sky erupted with black and red hues. Fiery spiritual flames intertwined with each other. The Divine Flame Spirit Pearl faced off against the opponent's precious treasure without yielding.
Seeing this, the Ghost King stomped his foot, causing a surge of demonic energy to rise from his body. It transformed into a black tornado, about several dozen feet in diameter, reaching up to the sky and down to the ground, its presence shocking. It whirled towards Lin Xuan with great force.
Lin Xuan's pupils constricted slightly, but he did not dodge. Instead, he flicked his sleeve, and the Drifting Cloud Snowfall Sword shot out, slicing at a spot several feet behind him.
The previously empty space suddenly emitted black smoke, accompanied by an unpleasant stench as howls of pain echoed. The True Ghost King revealed its true form, displaying a mix of shock and anger on its face.
In the next moment, the terrifying demonic energy tornado approached Lin Xuan's chest, only to dissipate mysteriously without any impact.
This was merely an illusion!
"Damn it! How did you see through this?"
"As I have said before, your tricks are nothing but a mere cloud in my eyes. There is no need for you to continue showing off," Lin Xuan sneered, his face filled with disdain.
"You…" The True Ghost King's anger flared as he was about to pounce and fight. However, it seemed like he remembered something and stopped mid-air, the fury on his face gradually fading away.
Seeing that his taunt had failed, Lin Xuan's expression turned serious.
"Boy, your abilities are indeed impressive. But your luck has run out here. The True Ghost King extended its sharp claws, rubbing them together to heal a wound on its shoulder with an incredible speed.
Lin Xuan would not stand idly by. He opened his mouth and expelled a stream of essence qi, which the Drifting Cloud Snowfall Sword absorbed, causing it to emit a brilliant white light as it slashed fiercely at the ghost.
The Ghost King sneered and raised one claw, releasing two ghost-head flying spears that clashed with Lin Xuan's Immortal Dao sword, still evenly matched.
This situation frustrated Lin Xuan. Although he had not used all his abilities and only employed two treasures, he was maintaining a stalemate despite his efforts.
After all, both the Divine Flame Spirit Pearl and the Drifting Cloud Snowfall Sword were ancient treasures. The ghost-head flying spears' origins remained unknown, but they showed no signs of weakening either.
Lin Xuan did not know this. Despite his frustration, the True Ghost King was equally enraged. The two treasures it wielded had been given by its mentor, Lord Ghost Tian. They had been nourished with ten-thousand-year-old demonic energy in the Yin Sha Cave for countless years. Ordinary condensation core stage cultivators' treasures would inevitably be tainted by this demonic essence, leading to a significant loss of spiritual power.
However, the two treasures Lin Xuan released seemed unaffected.
The True Ghost King's heart raced as it sniffed the air and detected a primitive aura.
Ancient treasure!
This discovery made the ghost king lick its lips. Condensation core stage cultivators with two ancient treasures were rare indeed. Could this boy have an unsung round infant period elder behind him?
Of course, now was not the time to dwell on the opponent's identity; he must quickly resolve this situation.
After the initial chaos, the cultivators had gradually regained their composure.
Although the main array had been broken, these cunning fellows had set up numerous small restraints. After retreating several miles, they rallied and relied on these arrays to fend off the ghostly creatures' attacks.
The dozen or so ferocious souls in the right wing were particularly successful, decimating human cultivators and pushing them back, leaving them isolated deep within enemy territory.
These ghosts did not act impulsively; their own cultivation levels were formidable. Even the weakest among them was no weaker than late-stage foundation establishment stage cultivators. The saying "the bolder the better" applied to these ghostly entities as well.
With their combined strength and the covering force of ghost soldiers behind them, they could easily handle any concealed array.
However, after encountering such an array, they found themselves not only facing hidden traps but also dozens of cultivators within the array. The retreating opponents turned around to attack, releasing their magical artifacts and spiritual talismans. The outcome was inevitable; they were ambushed, and all the ferocious ghosts were utterly defeated.
Although this loss did not significantly impact the overall situation, it boosted the morale of the cultivators. The stalemate in the battle intensified as a result.
This made the True Ghost King frown deeply. Meanwhile, his two fellow peers were separately engaged by Lady Lan and Wang Peng.
Though these two cultivators' strength was inferior to Lin Xuan's, their opponents—the ghost kings—did not display any remarkable abilities either.
The True Ghost King wanted to break this stalemate but needed to eliminate the obstacle in front of him first.
After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled out an object from his pocket.
Lin Xuan focused on it. It was about the size of a palm and resembled a bone tile.
What kind of treasure was this? Although Lin Xuan was not afraid, he did not take any chances as he reached into his storage bag.
Seeing this, the True Ghost King snarled and raised its claw to activate the bone tile. It spun rapidly and exploded in a black light dome…
A black energy shield materialized and expanded outward.
Almost instantly, it encompassed an area of one hundred feet around them, moving so fast that Lin Xuan did not have time to react.
"What is this…" Inside the energy shield, Lin Xuan's face showed surprise. He felt no discomfort but noticed a much denser aura of阴气 (yīn qì) than before. A gentle breeze brought a chill and an eerie sensation.
Could it be…
Lin Xuan guessed that it was indeed a聚阴罩 (jù yīn zhào).
"In this凝聚阴罩, my abilities will increase by at least fifty percent. Given your daoist lineage, you can only exert about seventy percent of your power here. With the balance shifting in my favor, you have no chance of victory. If you kneel and surrender now, I might spare your life and allow you to reincarnate."
However, Lin Xuan's expression remained unchanged as a sneer formed on his lips.
A凝聚阴罩 (jù yīn zhào) was indeed such a thing. To kill him, this guy really spared no expense!
The so-called凝聚阴罩 could be found among human cultivators too, but it was more akin to an array than a true treasure. However, it was extremely rare, and few array masters could craft one. These treasures were mostly for personal use and rarely circulated outside.
Lin Xuan had only seen such a treasure in ancient texts; it was called the聚灵罩 (jù líng zhào).