Hideous ghost heads lunged at the Four Symbols Heaven Element Array, shrouded in a sinister wind and Evil Qi. They swarmed forward, one wave after another, and in an instant, the Array began to tremble.
A flash of crimson light flared, and from the center of the Array, a Vermilion Bird dozens of feet tall flapped its wings and took flight. The moment it appeared, the air temperature shot up, and the surrounding Fire Element Spiritual Energy surged frantically toward it.
At the command of the Array's operators, the Vermilion Bird circled in the air and inhaled sharply. The massive influx of Fire Element Spiritual Energy caused its form to swell, and it charged toward the densest cluster of ghosts.
The weaker, more illusory ghosts disintegrated into puffs of green smoke upon impact with the Vermilion Bird. But there were simply too many; as soon as one group was destroyed, another swarmed in to take its place.
With every flap of its wings, the Vermilion Bird scattered countless sparks that ignited the ghosts like oil-soaked rags. After a few passes, however, the Vermilion Bird's form had visibly dimmed. At this rate, its Fire Element Spiritual Energy would be depleted long before all the ghosts were incinerated.
This Night Parade of Hundred Demons Technique was a lesser version of the Core Formation Stage technique, the Wail of Ten Thousand Ghosts. It was being cast by two Foundation Establishment Cultivators, dozens of Qi Refining Stage disciples, and an array of banners. The ghosts they summoned numbered far more than a mere hundred.
With a startling flash of white light, a white tiger leaped forth, its killing intent surging to the heavens.
It roared, and sharp rays of white light shot from its body, piercing through countless ghosts. One unlucky, black-robed cultivator was caught in the barrage. He let out a wretched scream as a bowl-sized hole was punched clean through his stomach. He was a dead man.
"A complete Four Symbols Heaven Element Array? The Bai Clan is truly wealthy!"
The older of the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators snorted at the sight. "A Tier Two Top Grade Mountain Protection Array... this could be the pride of a Minor Sect. Junior Brother Chen, the intel from the Sect didn't say there was anything special we needed to watch out for with the Bai Clan, did it?"
"They're nothing special. Weren't on the list of clans to avoid. These Cultivation Families are cowards who value their lives above all else. I wouldn't be surprised if they spent every last Spirit Stone on this Array."
This Junior Brother Chen was a good head shorter than his counterpart and spoke with the grating clang of a broken gong. "Senior Brother Shen, good thing I'm quick, eh? I wiped out the neighboring clan and still had time to come back you up. Otherwise, you'd never have broken this Four Symbols Heaven Element Array on your own. You'd be facing punishment from the Sect Leader for sure when we get back."
"Enough chatter. Use the Profound Yin Sha Qi the Sect Leader gave us before we left. Break this Grand Array, and I'll give you half the souls of the cultivators here!"
"Excellent! As you command, Senior Brother!"
This Junior Brother Chen had already collected over a dozen cultivator souls from annihilating the other Cultivation Family. If he could feast on the souls here, he'd have enough to forge a new Hundred Ghosts Banner when he returned.
For Demon Path Cultivators, their techniques and treasures often required slaughter, and once initiated, their progress in cultivation was lightning-fast.
But perhaps because such methods displeased the Celestial Dao, the bottlenecks between realms were several times more difficult for Demon Path Cultivators to overcome than for their Righteous Dao counterparts. Moreover, they were highly susceptible to birthing Heart Demons, making it nearly impossible to walk the true Great Dao.
It was these various limitations that had always allowed the Righteous Dao forces of the Liang Country Cultivation Realm to keep the Demon Path suppressed.
Though the Four Symbols Heaven Element Array was formidable, the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect didn't take it seriously. If a cultivator of their own realm were manning the Grand Array, they would have turned and fled without a second thought. But a group of Qi Refining Cultivators? They were nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs—utterly useless.
If not for the fear that delays could lead to unforeseen complications, they could think of at least five or six ways to break the Array with ease.
The two men each produced a Jade Bottle. With a quick incantation, they pointed, and two streams of pure, pitch-black Evil Qi shot out. The streams coiled around the Array Banners, and all the ghosts instantly became a hundred times more vigorous, as if they had just swallowed Ten-Complete Great Replenishing Pills.
On the heads of the leading few, distinct facial features began to form. Their bodies, once as thin as mist, rapidly solidified into substantial forms. They even materialized weapons of different styles in their hands.
These two streams of Profound Yin Sha Qi had been condensed by a Core Formation Stage Demon Cultivator using a special Demon Skill. They were infused with the equivalent of a Core Formation True Man's refined Magical Power and were tremendously effective at amplifying several of the Ghost Spirit Sect's Demon Path Techniques.
Bolstered by the two streams of Profound Yin Sha Qi, the power of the Night Parade of Hundred Demons multiplied several times over.
Led by that handful of powerful ghosts, the Vermilion Bird and White Tiger were completely overwhelmed, their forms shrinking with each passing moment.
Fortunately, the Four Symbols Heaven Element Array flickered. A Profound Turtle materialized in the northern corner, moving slowly. A dragon roared, and the Azure Dragon appeared amidst a clap of thunder and a gust of wind.
With the appearance of all Four Symbols, the Array was now being pushed to its absolute limit.
At the core of the Array on the summit of Hanxiu Peak, the Second Elder's eyes were bloodshot. He swapped out twelve dull, depleted Mid-Grade Spirit Stones for fresh ones. In that short span of time, the Four Symbols Heaven Element Array had become a bottomless pit, devouring more than fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
The Second Elder's heart was bleeding—for his dead and injured clansmen, and for the clan's hundred-year savings of Spirit Stones being spent in an instant. It was the equivalent of over five thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, gone in a flash.
"Only twenty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones left! The Low-Grade Spirit Stones can't possibly keep up with the Array's consumption rate! Everyone, listen to me! Once the Spirit Stones are gone, pour your own Magical Power into the Array's core! Every extra second you can buy matters!"
"Yes, Elder!"
Bai Zichen's palm, gripping the Iron Wood Crossbow, was slick with sweat. He had never witnessed a battle between Cultivators before. It was as dazzling as it was deadly.
His heart rode a rollercoaster of hope and despair, rising and falling with the tide of battle. 'Can the Mountain Protection Array hold Hanxiu Peak?'
'Did... did we hold them back?'
The Vermilion Bird exploded, the White Tiger scattered into starlight, and the Profound Turtle collapsed into a pile of rubble. Only the Azure Dragon remained. It unleashed a blinding light, charged through the hundred ghosts, and shattered more than a dozen Array Banners before it, too, slowly vanished.
With the Array Banners destroyed, the remaining ghosts lost their source of power. They instantly grew faint and translucent. Sunlight pierced the dark clouds, and like melting snow, they dissolved into wisps of green smoke.
Bai Zichen didn't have time to rejoice in the power of his clan's Array before he saw the ghosts descend again. This time, there were several colossal banners that blotted out the sky. The Four Symbols Heaven Element Array held for only a few breaths before a crack appeared, like on a fragile eggshell. Then came a second, and a third... until it shattered completely with a deafening roar.
"The Array... is broken..." Bai Zichen said, his voice strained. He felt as if he'd been plunged from heaven into hell in a single instant.
Without the Four Symbols Heaven Element Array to block it, a foul, stinking wind immediately flooded in, threatening to drag this last patch of Pure Land in the Bai Clan Territory down into hell.
"The Hundred Ghosts Banner!" The Grand Elder rose to his feet, gritting his teeth. The destruction of the Array had not caused him to lose hope and wait for death. "Everyone, proceed with the plan!"
Watching the masked, black-robed cultivators charge toward them, Bai Zichen bit his tongue hard and roared, "Everyone, fire your crossbows!"
From the high platform, a few crooked arrows flew out, but they were quickly followed by a volley of hundreds. A dense rain of arrows sealed off a small area.
The two fastest-charging masked cultivators were riddled with so many arrows they looked like beehives. They died without so much as a grunt.
The second row of masked cultivators had time to react. Only one was hit by two arrows; with two spurts of blood, he tumbled to the side, out of the fight. The rest were unscathed.
"Switch crossbows!"
They tossed aside their spent Iron Wood Crossbows, snatching up the fresh, pre-loaded ones at their feet. After a moment's aiming, they let loose another volley.
But one burly, masked cultivator summoned a shield as large as a door panel. He braced it before him, and the endless stream of arrows merely plinked off its surface, failing to leave a single mark.
"Non-cultivating clan members, retreat to the back mountain! All Cultivators, into the storehouse!"
Bai Zichen tossed aside his Iron Wood Crossbow and ran for his life toward the storehouse. This was the final plan the Grand Elder had arranged in advance.
In mere moments, the casualties on Hanxiu Peak were devastating. The Bai Clan Cultivators were inferior to the Sect Disciples in combat experience, Cultivation Techniques, and Magical Artifacts; it often took three or four of them just to handle one enemy. As for the non-cultivating clan members, a single Fireball Technique could incinerate a dozen people at once.
A breeze swept across Hanxiu Peak, carrying the stench of blood across the entire summit. The clang of Magical Artifacts, battle cries, and furious curses mingled in the air. With every passing moment, more people fell.
The ground was littered with severed limbs. Some belonged to the masked, black-robed cultivators, but most belonged to the Bai Clan Members.
Perhaps because he was too young to draw any attention, Bai Zichen successfully reached the storehouse deep within the bamboo forest. More than a dozen clan members were already inside. On the ground lay the Second Elder and several others, unconscious after exhausting their Magical Power to fuel the Grand Array.
'Is my life... really going to depend on this small stone door for protection?'