Translator: CinderTL
"Hmph, you're nothing but earthbound ghosts, yet you dare speak of freedom? How laughable!" Luo Qingwei's words were few, but her tongue was sharp as a blade, unerringly striking at others' vulnerabilities.
"Heh, why not?" Yuan Anping chuckled softly, his laughter tinged with sorrow and despair, yet carrying a faint glimmer of hope. He tilted his head slightly, meeting the gazes of the assembled ghosts, and declared, "Consider the very word 'freedom.' Though bound by countless constraints, there always exists a stroke that breaks free from its cage. Does this not perfectly reflect my current predicament?"
"As long as hope remains in my heart, I will, like that stroke, shatter these shackles and escape this prison," Yuan Anping said, his voice soft yet brimming with unwavering resolve.
"Hmph," Luo Qingwei snorted coldly, at a loss for a retort.
Xu Sanyan smiled and interjected, "You focus only on 'freedom,' neglecting the word 'cage.' Though the cage may appear porous at first glance, even the strength of a dragon or bull cannot break the yoke above one's head. Perhaps this better describes your current situation."
Yuan Anping fell silent for a moment, pondering Xu Sanyan's words. To his surprise, he nodded in agreement.
"You speak truly," he conceded. "Then let us wait and see whether I shatter this cage or remain bound by these shackles, or perhaps vanish like smoke. Whatever the outcome, I will face it with equanimity."
Yuan Anping's voice was filled with resolve. He had grown weary of this unchanging existence, enduring the same monotonous days for ten thousand years. Even if his soul were to scatter into oblivion, he would have no regrets!
"Enough talk! A battle is inevitable!"
Luo Qingwei waved her hand, and a cold, clear sword light flashed, only to be casually dispersed by Yuan Anping.
"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!"
Yuan Anping's pupils narrowed into slits, and a vast expanse of pitch-black ghost energy surged behind him, as if countless tormented souls were writhing and wailing within, sending chills down the spines of all who witnessed it.
Xu Sanyan spread his fingers, summoning his great halberd, and charged forward.
A clash was inevitable. Yuan Anping intended to use them as test subjects, attempting to extract the fruit of life. If they didn't unite to eliminate him first, they would be picked off one by one.
"Kill!"
The battle erupted instantly.
Fang Qingge raised his longsword high, shouting, "Azure Lotus Intent!"
In that instant, ten thousand rays of light converged upon his blade. The Jade Clarity sword intent blazed brilliantly against the gray sky, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"Go!"
The sword intent surged toward Yuan Anping like a mountain torrent unleashed.
"Hmph!"
Yuan Anping scoffed coldly, flicking his sleeve. The pitch-black ghost energy behind him flowed at his command, coalescing into a massive, misty hand that intercepted the sword intent mid-air.
Boom!
In an instant, the flood-like sword intent crashed against an invisible dam, unable to advance even an inch, blocked by the massive palm.
Yuan Anping's expression remained unchanged.
Fang Qingge gritted his teeth, a sense of helplessness creeping into his heart. The gap in their cultivation levels was simply too vast; his most powerful strike had been casually deflected.
"Vajra Demon Subduing Palm!"
Jingyi soared into the air, the colossal Buddha shadow behind him radiating scorching golden light that seemed to dye the heavens and earth in gold.
The Buddha's solemn face showed no trace of compassion as its massive hands descended with thunderous force, each strike deceptively slow yet impossibly swift.
This attack was far more potent than the previous one. The Buddha's phantom form had grown more solid, its aura more ferocious.
"Hmph, Demon Subduing Palm?"
Yuan Anping's eyes turned cold. He had always despised these bald donkeys, droning on about "the Buddha says this" and "the Buddha says that," as if even the Buddha's farts smelled like incense.
"Ha!"
Yuan Anping's arms shook violently, and the dense ghost energy behind him suddenly coalesced into a colossal beast. With the face of a lion and the body of a warhorse, a single horn atop its head emitted a wisp of black mist as it charged fiercely toward the Buddha.
With a thunderous crash, the golden-glowing Buddha's palm was instantly pierced by the ghost beast's horn. The pitch-black horn continued its relentless momentum, piercing through the Buddha's form before Jingyi's disbelieving eyes.
Pfft!
Jingyi clutched his chest and spat a mouthful of blood skyward. His mystical arts had been shattered, triggering a violent backlash. A metallic sweetness rose in his throat, and he could no longer suppress the blood surging upward.
The illusory Buddha vanished, and the golden light that had filled the sky receded completely—a thunderous roar that ended in a mere drizzle.
Xu Sanyan shook his head in resignation. The little monk Jingyi was truly unlucky, having his arts broken twice, each time suffering the backlash.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Elder Ren and his group clashed with Yuan Anping's ghost generals. Despite their overwhelming numerical advantage—nearly five hundred cultivators against just over a hundred ghosts—Elder Ren's forces were steadily being pushed back, struggling to hold their ground.
The disparity in high-end combat power was staggering. The ghost generals numbered nearly ten, each equivalent to a Soul Refining Realm cultivator, while the ordinary ghost soldiers possessed strength comparable to Initial Stage Dao Seeking Realm cultivators. It took seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators working together to withstand a single ghost soldier.
Zuoqiu Yi and her sisters combined their efforts to entangle one ghost general, with the brunt of the pressure falling on Zuoqiu Chen and Zuoqiu Hui. The others provided support, yet the situation remained fraught with peril.
Suddenly, the ghost general turned with a malevolent grin, flicking its finger. A jet-black stream of ghost energy shot toward Zuoqiu Yi. The attack was so insidious that no one could react in time, not even Zuoqiu Chen, the group's most powerful cultivator.
"Yi'er, watch out!" Zuoqiu Hui cried out in alarm, throwing herself forward, but it was too late.
"Dodge!" Zuoqiu Xin's longsword flew from her hand, attempting to intercept the attack, but it fell just short.
Zuoqiu Yi's pupils constricted violently. She frantically channeled all her spiritual power, condensing it into a transparent light barrier before her.
Bang!
The ghost energy pierced through the barrier without resistance, hurtling toward her heart under the despairing gazes of the others.
Whoosh—
At that moment, a jet-black shadow flashed across the battlefield, striking the ghost energy with lightning speed and dispersing it.
Zuoqiu Yi froze for a moment, then realized she had been saved. Her gaze followed the shadow, revealing a longsword—a pitch-black blade she recognized instantly.
Lin Fan's sword.
Zuoqiu Yi watched as the sword landed in Lin Fan's hand. His face was deathly pale, a clear sign of the immense strain the strike had placed on him.
After all, a ghost general possessed a cultivation level equivalent to the Soul Refining Realm. Though slightly weaker than an ordinary Soul Refining Realm cultivator, it was still far beyond the capabilities of Lin Fan's mere Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation.
Even a casual strike from the ghost general would require Lin Fan to exert every ounce of his strength to block.
Zuoqiu Yi pursed her lips, her eyes darkening with sorrow. She turned away from him, steeled her resolve, and plunged back into the fray.
Seeing their younger sister was safe, Zuoqiu Chen and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief and resumed their fierce battle against the ghost general.
Lin Fan's heart ached as he watched Zuoqiu Yi's retreating figure. Why wouldn't she even spare him a single word?
He cared for her so deeply, even risking his life to protect her amidst the chaos of battle. Yet she refused to acknowledge him with even a single word.
"Ahhh!!"
Lin Fan roared skyward, venting his fury upon the enemy before him. His pitch-black sword seemed to sense its master's rage, its speed suddenly surging to unprecedented levels.
A mere Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator was now fighting on equal footing with a Dao Seeking Realm ghost soldier!
Overcoming such a cultivation gap was now child's play.
(End of the Chapter)
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