A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 229 The Way is One Foot Higher

When Master Tianyun attacked the evil dragon, Xianyunzi, who had been hiding, also made his move at the same time. With a flick of his whisk, silver threads appeared around the evil spirit sage, binding several evil spirits. With a forceful twist, they instantly turned into wisps of yin energy, which, when illuminated by the cloud light, instantly turned into wisps of green smoke and drifted away with the wind.

The Demon Sage was caught off guard by Xianyunzi's sudden attack. With the sudden disappearance of Shura and the battle between the evil dragon and Tianyun, his mind was inevitably distracted. In that moment of distraction, the demons around him vanished into thin air. By the time he realized what was happening, Xianyunzi's relentless attacks were already upon him.

"hateful!"

The evil spirit roared in anger, its gaze coldly fixed on the approaching clouds. A flash of eerie light appeared in its hand, and a three-pointed evil spirit sword, shimmering with emerald light, slashed forward. The approaching clouds were instantly dissipated by the sword's impact. But just as the evil spirit was about to escape, it was horrified to discover that giant banners depicting cloud patterns had risen in the surrounding space, which was about ten feet in size.

The banner shone brightly with radiant light and dazzling glow, but an unsettling aura constantly assaulted his mind, making him drowsy and threatening to drag him into an abyss.

The evil sage immediately devised a method to stabilize his mind. He looked solemnly at the vast white space. When it comes to escape techniques and formations, Wujian is the foremost among the four sages. Although the evil sage is second only to the evil dragon in strength, he does not have a deep understanding of formations. Judging from this formation, it is clearly a superior formation. If he does not break it quickly, he will definitely be firmly suppressed and killed by the power of this formation.

Sensing that strange force lingering around him, the Demon Sage wielded the Demon Sword and slashed at the giant banner. The emerald sword light struck the banner directly, but instead of breaking through, an even heavier pressure pressed down on him.

"No, this formation is about using the enemy to defeat the enemy." The evil spirit broke free from the pressure and then sensed that the source of the pressure was very familiar, very similar to its own magical power.

"Give it a try."

The evil spirit activated its protective light shield, and the Myriad Ghosts Blood Devouring Diagram behind it floated forward again. A flash of red light appeared, and hundreds of evil spirits flew out from within, charging towards the giant banner.

"You think you can break this formation? Don't even think about it!"

Watching the evil spirits' movements from outside the formation, Xianyunzi snorted coldly and waved his whisk repeatedly. Streams of light flowed into the giant banner, causing its precious light to intensify and directly repel all the attacking evil spirits. Just as the evil spirits were repelled, the banner suddenly opened up, and a suction force directly swallowed dozens of evil spirits that had not yet stabilized their positions.

The demon who was fighting against the formation suddenly realized that dozens of the demons he had just released had vanished.

"There is indeed something fishy about it."

The demon deflected the incoming force with a single sword strike, its figure remaining firmly still. After only a few breaths, the demon vanished from its solid form, disappearing completely. When it reappeared, it had landed in a dimly lit area.

"This is the realm within the banner."

The evil spirit glanced around and sneered inwardly. This place was indeed strong on the outside but weak on the inside. It was difficult to break through from the outside, but easy to deal with from the inside.

Just as the evil spirit disappeared, Xianyunzi, who was in charge of the formation, sensed something was wrong. After sensing it again, his expression suddenly changed. Before he could make a move, a loud explosion was heard, and the giant banners shattered one after another, and the clouds dissipated.

A malevolent ghost emerged from the clouds with a sinister expression. Upon seeing Xianyunzi, it immediately unleashed the "Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Blood Diagram." Thousands of malevolent ghosts rushed towards it, black mist rose, and a sea of ​​blood surged, resembling a gloomy demonic prison or a realm of Asura ghosts.

Xianyunzi was furious to see the evil spirit break through the formation. This formation was his masterpiece, but he didn't expect it to be broken so quickly. It made him look like he was not good enough.

Thinking of this, Xianyunzi's whisk, like a net, transformed into a vast net, shining towards the attacking evil spirits. At the same time, with a thought, a small jade-colored alchemy furnace landed steadily in front of him, the lid opened, and a cloud of multicolored mist rushed forward.

When the evil spirits arrived halfway, they were first trapped by the net of law and then impacted by the cloud energy, resulting in many deaths and injuries. Whenever they touched the net of law, their bodies would feel as if they were being scorched by the blazing sun. The weaker evil spirits were instantly dissolved and melted by the cloud energy. Only some senior evil spirits who had cultivated for many years were not afraid. Relying on their abundant yin energy, they continued to fight against the cloud energy net of law.

There was only one net of law, but there were hundreds of evil spirits. After only a few breaths, the net of law formed by the whisk had dimmed and even showed signs of breaking. However, the cloud was very resilient. No matter how the evil spirits tore at it, it could always reassemble and launch a counterattack.

Seeing this, the evil spirits' hearts sank, and they released hundreds more evil spirits, which joined the previous evil spirits and attacked from both inside and outside, constantly crashing against the net of law.

"The evil dragon will probably have a hard time, so let's trap this person first."

The evil sage's eyes flashed with malice, and he pointed at the "Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Blood Diagram" in front of him. The diagram shone brightly with red light, and four small evil ghosts flew out from it. Their eyes were bright, but they had a sinister and cunning look on their faces.

These four evil spirits can be said to be the most powerful evil spirits in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Blood Devouring Map. They were all born from the Soul Burning Pool of the Yin Moon Dynasty and were refined by several generations of rulers. Their cultivation level is comparable to that of a sect leader. If it weren't for the many restrictions this thing has, this magic weapon alone would be able to suppress an entire sect.

In order to deal with Xianyunzi, the evil spirits had no choice but to release them ahead of schedule.

"These four spirits are enough."

The evil spirit glanced at Xianyunzi, who was struggling to hold on, and with a flicker of its figure, it left a clone behind to watch over him, while its main body flew eastward, to the place where the evil dragon and Tianyun Daoist were fighting.

Shortly after the evil spirit left, a glint flashed in Xianyunzi's eyes. He channeled his magical power, and the magic net formed by his whisk immediately shimmered with cloud-like light, continuously mending the previously damaged areas and firmly trapping the evil spirit.

At the same time, Xianyunzi pointed at the alchemy furnace in front of him, and a cloud of five-colored energy surged forward again. This time, unlike before, it wasn't a back-and-forth exchange. Wherever the energy passed, the forms of evil spirits exploded, and the yin energy left behind was swept forward. Those evil spirits who had cultivated for many years showed disdain and stepped forward to block, but at the moment of contact, they howled in agony. Under the gaze of the four spirit ghosts, all the evil spirits in front of them were instantly refined into nothingness, leaving a large empty space. The four spirit ghosts and the avatar of the evil spirit sage were all horrified, looking at the rolling five-colored energy in front of them with fear. What exactly was that thing?
Xianyunzi calmly put away his whisk, and with a thought, the five-colored clouds continued to surge forward. Seeing this, the evil spirit sage's clone reached out and summoned the Ten Thousand Ghosts Blood Devouring Diagram. A red light transformed into a wall of light in front of him. The thousands of ghost souls remaining in the diagram, like a black stream, collided with the five-colored clouds without hesitation. Instantly, light shone everywhere, waves of energy surged, and there were mournful screams.

After a loud explosion, more than half of the five-colored clouds were consumed. The remaining clouds scattered around, appearing in patches here and there without any pattern. On the other hand, most of the thousands of ghost souls had been destroyed in this battle, and those that remained were also severely injured. None of them dared to step forward and retreated one after another.

The evil spirit sage's clone was ultimately lacking in magical power and unable to unleash the full power of the Myriad Ghosts Blood Devouring Diagram. In addition, the loss of too many ghost souls had already caused a backlash against him. As soon as his aura became unstable, Xianyunzi seized the opportunity.

Seeing that the opportunity was not to be missed, Xianyunzi once again ignited the alchemy furnace, and an even more intense cloud of five-colored energy surged and swept across the area like a tidal wave, engulfing the ghosts along the way. Its momentum did not diminish as it rushed toward the evil ghost clone and the four spirit ghosts.

The light wall formed by the Myriad Ghosts Devouring Blood Diagram was already teetering on the brink of collapse under the continuous impact of the clouds, with cracking sounds ringing out incessantly. The evil ghost clone's expression changed drastically, and then he gritted his teeth and chanted a series of strange incantations. Just as the clouds shattered the light wall, the Myriad Ghosts Devouring Blood Diagram suddenly rolled up and closed, falling into the hands of the evil ghost sage clone, who glanced coldly at the four spirit ghosts.

"It's time for you to step up your game."

The sudden turn of events caused all four spirits to change their expressions, with a fierce glint flashing in the eyes of the one-horned spirit.

Before they could dodge, the five-colored clouds rushed close. The four spirit ghosts glanced coldly at the evil ghost clones hiding behind them, and then attacked at the same time. Streams of dark light formed a black cocoon that enveloped them. Although the clouds quickly came into contact with it, they did not break through it in one fell swoop.

"This thing is rather interesting."

Xianyunzi's eyes widened in surprise. This five-colored cloud was no ordinary thing. It was called "Five-Colored Radiant Mist." It was the waste gas produced during the refining of various spiritual pills, combined with various rare and precious materials. It had been nurtured in the spiritual veins of Miaoyunque for decades, and its power had reached a new level. It was extremely harmful to the physical body and soul of living beings. Once they were exposed to it, they would either die or be injured.

"Then let's put in more effort."

With a flick of his whisk, rolling five-colored clouds swept down upon the black cocoon-like curtain. At the same time, Xianyunzi flicked out a white light from his hand, which, concealed by the clouds, quickly arrived before the cocoon-like curtain. Its speed suddenly increased, and it struck the curtain like lightning. With just one strike, the curtain became somewhat unstable, and the clouds immediately seized the opportunity to slowly envelop the curtain.

The spiritual light rebounded and landed in Xianyunzi's hand, turning into a white spike.

Inside the cocoon, as the spikes struck, the four spirit ghosts sensed an alien force invading the cocoon. This force was not only disrupting the flow of energy within the cocoon, but it was also constantly pushing deeper inside. In no time, this thing would find the essence of the cocoon, and when it attacked from both inside and outside, the cocoon would be doomed.

The unicorn spirit glanced discreetly at the other three spirits. If things went wrong, it could simply use one of them to fill the gap and buy itself a chance to escape. Once it obtained the Bloodthirsty Myriad Ghosts Diagram, it would be able to find a place to stay in the vast world.

Just as the one-horned spirit was pondering, the other three spirits exchanged glances. As the cocoon was being continuously refined by the cloud, the strange force that had invaded the cocoon had already found its source. In just a few breaths, the one-horned spirit was incredulous. Just as it was secretly alarmed, a loud bang was heard, the cocoon shattered, and rolling clouds surged towards the four spirits from all directions.

Upon seeing this, the unicorn spirit immediately took out a small black flag, swirled around itself, and a jet-black gale enveloped it. The approaching clouds were pulled aside by the gale, and although the clouds continued to advance, they were unable to break through the gale.

Just as the unicorn spirit took out the small flag, the other three spirits also used their own methods to barely push the cloud of energy out. However, they also knew that these magical artifacts alone could not hold out for long, and the best way was to break free from the confinement.

With a chilling gaze, Xianyunzi stared at the four wisps of light enveloped in clouds. He reached out and pressed down, and the clouds condensed into a massive, sky-covering hand, which slowly descended. Before the hand even landed, the one-horned spirit sensed the danger. Without a word, it unleashed its magic power, and the small black flag immediately unleashed several gusts of wind, sweeping away the clouds. Its own figure quickly faded away, and just as the phantom was about to disappear, three beams of light struck it simultaneously.

"you!"

The unicorn spirit roared, its aura instantly becoming chaotic. Its previously ethereal figure solidified again, and the raging storm emitted by the black flag gradually lost its effect. Xianyunzi didn't know what had happened, but the opportunity before him could not be missed. With a slam of his hand, a tremendous pressure pressed down on the unicorn spirit.

With nowhere to hide, the unicorn spirit could only grit its teeth and unleash its black flag. But this was futile; as the giant hand fell, the black flag shattered instantly, and the protective shield also broke. A final, shrill scream rang out, and the unicorn spirit vanished from its spot.

Just as the unicorn spirit was being suppressed by the giant hand, Xianyunzi's expression tightened slightly. Three auras had suddenly disappeared, indicating that the opponent was not without a backup plan. However, he could force out any of their backup plans. With a flick of his sleeve, the remaining cloud energy continued to surge forward.

The demon sage's clone looked at the surging clouds with apprehension. He already knew what had happened when a mournful cry came from the Blood Devouring Demon Diagram. Even the one-horned spirit demon had been suppressed. What ability did he have to fight against this thing?

Just then, the Myriad Ghosts Diagram suddenly lit up, and three phantom ghosts of different shapes emerged from it. The evil ghost clone was first surprised, then furious. The three ghosts turned into light and merged into his body. Before he could cry for help, they had taken control of the clone in an instant.

The demon clone's eyes were first hazy, then clear, and finally turned completely red. Looking at the surging clouds, the demon clone reached out and grabbed a hideous demon mask that landed in front of him. It emitted a ghostly light, pushing the clouds to the sides. At the same time, two more ghostly lights flew out from its body, one on the left and one on the right.

On the left is a long, jet-black ribbon that, after flying out, immediately expands several feet, transforming into a sky-covering curtain that instantly darkens the area. This item is the protective magic weapon of the seductive ghost, named "Sky-Covering Ribbon," which has the effect of creating a dark domain and concealing one's figure. When one is within it, one can disrupt the senses of one's enemies.

On the right is a withered gourd, its mouth open like a bottomless black hole, from which the clouds constantly draw in and pull. This object is the "Void-Refining Gourd," a magical artifact of the underworld, used to devour all life force.

Xianyunzi first saw the sky darken, then his senses became disordered. He calmed his mind and stabilized himself. Looking at the decreasing clouds, he felt a chill. He put his whisk on his arm, pointed his right hand, and the jade-colored alchemy furnace in front of him spun in the air, sending several streams of five-colored light soaring into the sky.

The black domain formed by the Heaven-Covering Ribbon was instantly torn open with a large hole. At the same time, the Void Refining Gourd also absorbed too much cloud energy and began to be unable to hold on. However, the Ghost-Faced Shield remained standing.

(End of this chapter)