An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 163 The Ghost General's Powerful Strength

Chu Xiu gave Rasputin a meaningful look and said calmly, "That's enough."

Upon hearing this, Su Jinyu raised her hand and waved it, causing the five pillars engraved with ancient patterns to sink back into the ground. The Blood Demon, bound by the electric net, struggled to its feet and glared resentfully at Su Jinyu.

Chu Xiu asked with some curiosity, "A very special skill. What is your profession?"

“【Rune Shaman (A)】” Su Jinyu curled her lips, seemingly somewhat disgusted with her profession: “I was dragged down by my profession level, so I wasn’t chosen by the Heavenly King to be trained as a disciple.”

"Of course, that's not the only reason. My combat test score wasn't high either. They said I had poor mental fortitude and wasn't calm enough when facing danger. That's why I ultimately chose the researcher path."

“But your strength is not weak,” Chu Xiu said.

"That's because the power of a rune shaman comes from their understanding of the runes they have mastered, and my talent allows me to learn them very well. So even though I didn't use causality points to allocate points, I still managed to train all my skills to a very high level, and even learned new rune skills on my own."

"Moreover, I am no longer the same person I was during the test. Over the years, I have been honing my combat abilities."

Chu Xiu nodded. Professional skills are not fixed. Theoretically, a mage can also master the skills of a warrior. After all, reality is not as restrictive as in the game. All professions are essentially a kind of inheritance.

Like many mage classes, they learn basic melee skills such as [Parry] and [Slam], which are low-level but can be quickly applied in actual combat.

However, learning skills outside one's profession requires a lot of extra effort and hard work, and it is even rarer for someone like Su Jinyu to comprehend the relevant skills on their own.

"Su Jinyu has great potential. The combat power of mage-type professions largely depends on the knowledge they possess, and her talent allows her to learn at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people."

"If the professional level is raised to S, that would be extremely amazing."

Chu Xiu thought to himself.

He happened to have an upgrade seed in his possession, and even the [Resurrection Wine] that Su Jinyu desperately needed, Chu Xiu had seen in the treasure vault of the Boundless Blood Pool before, when Rasputin had clamored to have it.

However, he certainly wouldn't be so bored as to give away these precious items to others for nothing.

Without giving it any further thought, Chu Xiu shifted his gaze to Rasputin: "Have you sensed those components now?"

Rasputin hung his head, with wisps of black smoke rising behind him, looking weak and pitiful. He honestly said, "I sensed four more pieces within a 20-mile radius, but they have all been found and are being transported back by corrupted soldiers."

"As for further out, I can sense that there are still a lot of scattered debris, but I really don't know the exact location, and I can't even tell which direction it is in."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu narrowed his eyes: "Rasputin, I hope you understand the price of deceiving me. You finally have a physical body, don't ruin it because of your own greed."

Rasputin shrank back, and after a long while hesitated, he said, "There are three cores that I can sense more clearly: the heart, the brain, and the Blood Demon Core. These three are the most important components of a Blood Demon, and they are also the foundation upon which we depend for survival."

"The Blood Demon Core is at the bottom of the pit. I can sense that it has been occupied by a being similar to me. Besides that, that guy has already collected seven or eight more parts. As for the heart and brain, they are far away, at least hundreds of kilometers away from here. However, I can sense that these two parts are not moving, so they should not have been found yet."

Rasputin's words made Chu Xiu nod. Although he didn't know if the guy was hiding anything from him, he didn't dwell on it any longer and instead started thinking about the current situation.

He surmised that the farther away they were, the weaker the control the corrupted soldiers would have over the beings at the bottom of the pit. Meanwhile, the [heart] and [brain], as core components, possessed a far greater capacity for [corruption] than ordinary components, and the abyssal creature populations that formed around them were also much stronger, making it impossible to retrieve them with just a small elite force.

Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the heart and brain can be retrieved from the creature trapped at the bottom of the pit before it breaks through the mountain and escapes.

The next course of action is then clear.

"First, avoid the enemy's main force and use my high mobility to launch an interception. With the help of Rasputin's positioning ability, intercept as many parts as possible that the corrupted creatures find, and eliminate them while they level up!" "Then, get ahead of the underground calamity and get the [Heart] and [Brain]!"

Without further thought, Chu Xiu looked at Rasputin and said, "Lead the way."

A few minutes later, Chu Xiu, who was riding on the four-winged bird and looking down, suddenly noticed his target.

In the dense forest not far away, a large number of decaying creatures are moving at an extremely fast speed.

According to Rasputin's senses, this was the largest piece of equipment in the vicinity, and because it was close to another smaller piece of equipment, the two groups had come together. A rough scan revealed that there were at least three thousand corrupted soldiers!

These warrior-class creatures were well-trained, maintaining their formation even while moving at high speed. Each group was well-organized, with gunners providing cover, massive tanks wielding large shields, and snipers and scouts leaping and moving between the trees with their sniper rifles.

Chu Xiu also discovered dozens of awakened soldiers of the Fierce Rank. These elites surrounded several mechs, forming several heavily guarded escort teams. Clearly, the [contaminant] was hidden among them.

I wonder if there are any corrupted awakened beings in this dense forest that looks like a green ocean.

Gazing down, Chu Xiu smiled and said, "Perfect for testing the strength of the Hundred Soul Banner."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved the Hundred Soul Banner, and a massive number of ghosts surged out!

However, unlike the previous chaos, this time all the ghosts gathered around the ghost general in the form of spirits. Countless ghosts intertwined together, forming a huge black storm that swept towards the corrupted soldiers below!

The anomaly in the sky immediately alerted the corrupted soldiers. They raised their special guns, which were fused with flesh and blood, and fired into the sky, instantly creating a dense barrage of bullets. However, the black storm composed of countless ghosts had no physical form, and each bullet passed through the air without any resistance, as if it were hitting the air itself!

The next moment, countless howling ghosts charged directly into the ranks of the corrupted soldiers.

Under Chu Xiu's shocked gaze, the corrupted soldiers swept by the black storm seemed to have all their life force drained away in an instant. Their skin became dry and aged at a visible speed, while a large number of Yin Wind Blades shot out continuously, cutting their weakened bodies into pieces!
The moment they made contact, the corrupt soldiers’ formation began to crumble!
The black storm, however, did not stop and continued to rush towards the elite squad guarded by mechs!

“Bang bang bang!!!”

The opposing mechs reacted extremely quickly, their two anti-aircraft rapid-fire cannons on their shoulders locking onto the ghost legion in an instant and opening fire without hesitation!
Each shell, carrying a large amount of kinetic energy, tore through the air and roared into the ghostly army. You could see the black storm being torn open by the shells, and there seemed to be shrill screams coming from inside, but in just a moment, it was restored to its original state.

"Boom!!!"

A massive storm swept towards the mecha, instantly draining the life force from the surrounding green leaves, turning them dry and withered. The flesh and blood on the mecha shrank rapidly, and most terrifyingly, even the metal showed signs of damage, as if it had been corroded by strong acid and then left to dry in the sand for decades!
As for the corrupted soldiers of the ferocious rank surrounding the mecha, they fared even worse. While their life force was being drained, countless tiny wounds appeared on their skin, as if they had been cut by tens of thousands of blades in an instant! This astonishing scene shocked Su Jinyu and Rasputin, who stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Even Chu Xiu showed a look of surprise!
"Is this how the Ghost General fights in his spirit form?"

He could clearly see that after integrating all the ghosts, the ghosts' souls became even more resistant to injury.

In the past, physical attacks could also sever the soul body, and the energy attached to it would cause considerable damage after passing through the soul body. This was the main source of damage from physical attacks to soul-type creatures.

But now, with countless ghosts mixed together, the kinetic energy of a single bullet, three thousand joules, will be shared by several ghosts.

This isn't simply about dispersing the amount of damage, but about dispersing the impact of the damage! Tyson's heavy punch might kill someone outright, but if it's spread out into ten parts, it's like being kicked by a cat—you could get it a hundred times over without any problem!
This has increased the entire ghost army's resilience by an unbelievable amount! They can even withstand the onslaught of anti-aircraft guns from mechs!
In terms of offensive capabilities, the Ghost General has integrated the power of all ghosts together. The black storm is like a collection of life-reaping spells and yin wind blades that are constantly being released in all directions. As long as it passes by, you will be hit by dozens of life-reaping spells and yin wind blades in an instant!
Under this fighting style, even with three thousand corrupted soldiers, they were almost powerless to fight back! The black storm composed of countless ghosts raged across the field, taking the lives of thousands of corrupted soldiers in just a few breaths! The number of ghosts that were injured or killed was pitifully small, and they were all low-level ghosts!

"If I had had this method before, I wouldn't have needed Xue Li and the others to draw fire. I could have wiped out that large number of corrupted creatures all by myself!" Chu Xiu couldn't help but exclaim.

"but."

"This fighting style also has its drawbacks."

Chu Xiu narrowed his eyes, keenly realizing the problem.

Just as this thought arose in his mind, the mech, which was constantly being impacted, suddenly made a "click" sound of switching ammunition. The next moment, a loud explosion rang out, and a round-headed bullet shot out from the cannon barrel and exploded suddenly after entering the ghost army!

The raging flames instantly engulfed a large number of ghosts, and countless souls screamed in agony amidst the flames!

But the mech switched its ammunition from rapid-fire bullets to high-explosive bullets!

At the same time, several nearby mechs also began to provide support, with high-explosive bombs exploding in the air and crashing into the black cloud formed by the ghosts!
Not only that, but a corrupted awakener rushed out from under the trees. This was a level 6 general, one level higher than the warrior awakener who fought Chu Xiu earlier. After he muttered something, a burst of blazing lightning suddenly exploded from his hand, turning into hundreds of lightning snakes that rushed into the dark clouds!

In an instant, a large number of ghosts turned to ashes in the lightning, and even the core ghost general was affected! His soul was annihilated!
These are the two biggest weaknesses of the Ghost Legion. First, when they gather together, they become a huge target and are easy to hit. Second, wide-range attack skills can cause great damage to them!
Previously, when Chu Xiu led the ghosts into battle, they would maintain a distance of at least ten meters from each other in open areas. Now that they are all concentrated together, if Chu Xiu were to charge into the center of the black cloud formed by the ghosts with the Great Sun Guardian Shield and unleash his burst skill, he could probably wipe out at least a third of the ghosts in an instant!
The second weakness is that its combat size is too large, making it difficult to concentrate forces to attack a single target effectively.

The fact that such a massive army of ghosts managed to hold out for over ten seconds and launch a counterattack demonstrates that while the attack had a wide range, its individual damage was not outstanding, and its power was very dispersed.

In short, it is suitable for dealing with a large number of low-level creatures that are not individually strong, and can often defeat them without taking any damage.

Knowing the situation, Chu Xiu didn't engage in a direct confrontation with the remaining elite troops, but instead promptly waved the Soul Banner.

In an instant, countless ghostly creatures fell rapidly, solidified in mid-air, and then crashed heavily to the ground!
"Wow!!!"

One by one, grotesque-looking monsters with long claws emerged from the smoke and dust, and the moment they landed, they pounced on the corrupt soldiers around them!
The corrupt soldiers' formation had already been shattered by the back-and-forth impacts of the black storm, and now they could only scatter in the mountains and forests to fight on their own. Meanwhile, the ghosts, under the command of the ghost general, formed a unified force led by individual fierce ghosts, and surrounded and killed the isolated corrupt soldiers!

Hundreds of ferocious-level squads transformed into terrifying forces, and the remaining corrupted soldiers were torn to pieces by the onslaught of ghosts without any power to resist.

Instantly, a large number of blood flowers bloomed in the mountains and forests.

Ghost General roared and charged to the side of a mech, raising his three-meter-long hammer and slamming it down!

With a force exceeding two thousand points, even heavy armor made of steel plates several centimeters thick was instantly flattened like plastic. A single hammer blow dented the massive mech from the inside! Sparks flew from its limbs, and its legs, unable to withstand the immense force, forced it to its knees on the ground!

"boom!"

Ghost General unleashed another punch, smashing through the core of the mecha and rendering it completely unusable!
Mechs that were close to the rank of general were instantly killed in the blink of an eye!

"court death!"

At this moment, a roar resounded in the sky. It was the awakened one at the sixth level of the general who roared and swooped down from the sky!

He was incredibly fast, instantly rushing to the front of the ghost general. A huge horse-slaying sword appeared in his hand, and he slashed down at the ghost general!

However, facing this corrupted awakener who was 5 levels higher than him, the Ghost General showed no fear whatsoever. The massive warhammer seemed weightless as he effortlessly lifted it from the dented mech and swiftly placed it in front of him.

"clang!!!"

A chilling metallic clang rang out as the demon general, with his immense strength, withstood the attack. He then lifted the corrupted awakener with a powerful thrust, sending him flying. At the same time, a dark vortex suddenly appeared in his other hand!

As soon as the vortex appeared, it began to absorb the power of the surrounding ghosts, rapidly expanding and solidifying. In less than 0.1 seconds, it swelled to the size of a basketball!

The next instant, as the Ghost General extended his left hand, it suddenly exploded into countless black lines, like a pitch-black tiger pouncing towards the corrupted awakener in mid-air!
The corrupted awakener reacted quickly, forming a shield around its body. However, after the shield was swallowed by the black lines, its energy began to decrease rapidly, and it even began to draw life force from the corrupted awakener through the shield!
This caused his expression to change drastically, and he hurriedly fled into the air. But after he broke free from the encirclement of the black threads, his skin was already wrinkled and withered like that of a sixty or seventy-year-old man!
This horrifying scene filled him with horror, and he instinctively blurted out, "What kind of monster are you?"

Not only him, but even Chu Xiu was secretly astonished.

The combat abilities of the demon general in its physical form are equally abnormal. Not to mention its extremely high base attributes, it can also absorb the power of surrounding demons to unleash terrifying life-snatching skills.

Of course, there are also drawbacks. While this skill is powerful, it comes at the cost of draining the power of nearby ghosts. As you can see, the ghosts around the Ghost General are noticeably weaker.

However, this minor drawback is insignificant compared to its astonishing power. This terrifying life force absorption ability could probably kill an ordinary abyssal creature of the sixth rank instantly!

As the overall elite level of his ghost army increases, the power of the Hundred Ghost Manipulation Technique can be further enhanced!
Having figured things out, Chu Xiu stopped observing.

"It's time to end this battle."

With a thought, his magical power surged into the Hundred Soul Banner!

[Command - Charge]

The next moment, all the ghosts seemed to have taken a super tonic, and their speed and attack power increased dramatically. They surged out and swallowed up the remaining corrupt soldiers in an instant!
(End of this chapter)