Somehow, dark clouds rolled above the Sword Plain at some point as the wind gushed.
A gale swooped in from every direction as the thick spiritual energy trembled in turn. The air pressure took a plunge, sending chills down everyone’s spines as their bones clattered.
Ye Fan’s ribs were broken, and his internal organs were crushed. The spiritual pressure he barely kept on his dantian through a secret technique broke down when he heard Chuyan’s words as well. His pool of Qi dissipated as he slumped down on the ground…
Now, however, he stood up on his own, his limbs convulsing and contorting and his hands actually tearing a gash in his forehead.
A large white eyeball bulged from the slit as unknown black matter clawed through his chest and suddenly extended countless tentacles to drag the two Disciplinarians into his bottomless chest in a flash.
All these things happened within a few seconds!
Someone cried out in the crowd, “A Wraith!”
Upon hearing that, no one dared chance a glance as they ran. Thousands of disciples melted into a commotion swiftly and shouted while they fled, “Junior Brother Ye Fan got into Qi Deviation!”
“No, Junior Brother Ye Fan is a Wraith!”
“No, this bastard summoned a Wraith!”
“He’s an Apostle!”
Suddenly, the scene became chaotic, as all sorts of claims were made…
Although Inner Disciples went through Wraith prevention drills every year, a Wraith had appeared inside the mountain guarding array only once in thousands of years.
When they recalled it, it seemed like something that had happened yesterday!
That was a very different incident, however.
When the Wraith had appeared on the Sword-Wielding Mountain, the Sword-Wielding Elder had been there and the other Elders had been free. Once the Wraith had appeared, it had disappeared in the blink of an eye before the disciples could even react.
Now, the Wraith had made a rare appearance on the low-altitude Sword Plain!
The Sword-Wielding Elder was absent.
The Medicine Elder was on the Hundred Herb Hill about 10 kilometers away.
Bo Yunzi, the Commandment Elder, and the Sword-Tempering Elder were all repairing and maintaining the array and could not get there at once.
This was precarious!
“A Golden Core Wraith!”
As both Disciplinarians died on the spot, the Wraith sucked in their spiritual power promptly and leveled up from the Foundation Establishment to the Golden Core.
Filled with grief that seemed to come from ancient chaos and an oppression that was vast and soundless, everyone suddenly felt their breaths solidifying as if countless gigantic hands that could tear space apart were ripping their spiritual roots and as if pieces of sticky, incoherent, bizarre syllables were thumping against their souls like an enchanting bell.
As he watched the two Disciplinarians who vanished in the dark abyss, Luosheng’s eyes were squinted and his fat body moved rather heavily. His eyes twitched suddenly, and he snapped out rapidly, shouting at the crowd, “Disciples below the Golden Core, go into the underground cave at once!”
“The Elders are running the array and can’t risk taking on the enemy lest higher-tier Wraiths sneak in by using this opportunity. Golden Core disciples are required to tackle the enemy in unison.”
“Junior Nephew Jiang, take Junior Brother Xiao away quickly!”
Chuyan looked stunned.
A living person had just turned into a Wraith under broad daylight?
Chuyan had never faced a situation like this. Her little face paled as her eyes froze in shock. Her mind was blank, and she was unable to hear Luosheng calling out to her.
Then, Xiao Ran’s palm, which was laced with resonance, patted her head and her adorable bun.
“Wake up!”
Chuyan was shaken into clarity abruptly and pulled Xiao Ran away to leave, knowing how dangerous it was.
“Hurry up, let’s go!”
Xiao Ran was not going to leave. He had a feeling that the Wraith was coming for him. If he fled and the Wraith gave chase, a lot more people were going to die on the way.
There were dozens of Golden Core disciples there, so it was not like he had no chance of survival. In addition, Body Merging Bo Yunzi was guarding the array on the central mountain. It was possible that he would risk offering a hand at a critical juncture.
“We’re Sword-Wielders. How could we leave?”
Chuyan was flabbergasted while staring at Xiao Ran in a stupor. The man, who looked gentle and elegant, actually possessed a tough side.
Oh well, she could only stay since Xiao Ran refused to leave.
Ominous clouds curled as gales went amok. A mournful howl tore into one’s soul and spirit.
The sect members got a hold of themselves.
Other than Xiao Ran, the over 30 other people on the Sword Plain were Golden Core cultivators. There were Inner Sect Trainers, Elite Disciples, Sect Leaders, and Elders from Zongzhi’s sub-sects.
Accompanied by a grieving cry, the Wraith gradually showed its complete form.
Ye Fan’s head was surprisingly intact, but an enormous white eyeball had occupied his features, so it looked ghastly.
Countless white little dots were reflected inside the eyeball, tightly packed and blinking incessantly as they moved around, forming strange soul-stealing patterns.
Ye Fan’s body was long gone, and thousands of thin tentacles were growing on his head, making it as round as a hovering sunflower. Four of the tentacles that mutated from his limbs were the thickest and could probably launch attacks.
The Sunflower Wraith did not continue attacking others after devouring the two Disciplinarians. Instead, it hovered in front of Xiao Ran, garbling in a low rumble.
“I’m… the Emperor’s… Caliber…”
‘Yeah, okay, you are—your family is too!’
Xiao Ran was not going to argue about talent with a Wraith as he stared at the little white specks in the large white eye, suddenly realizing that these white little dots seemed to have some sort of correspondence with the spreading tentacles.
“Oh no!”
He was guessing that the Wraith could very well be attempting to hypnotize the surrounding Golden Core cultivators with these white dots and then absorb their spiritual power with its tentacles, thus evolving and ascending level.
“Everyone, evacuate. This thing is hypnotizing us!”
All the cultivators were startled, only then discovering that their spiritual pressure was slowly dissipating at an almost unnoticeable speed.
Right at that moment, three sword rays sped over from the northern sky.
“Ring Sword Array!”
12 flying swords dropped vertically, pinned themselves 3.5 meters away around the Wraith, and stopped most of the tentacles.
In the blink of an eye, three figures landed in front of everyone.
“Step back, Golden Core cultivators. It’s absorbing spiritual power!”
The speaker was Chen Gongxing, while two Inner Sect Trainers were behind him. All three of them had a Nascent Soul cultivation base.
Then, the people on the Sword Plain breathed in relief and cupped their fists before greeting them. “Senior Brother Chen, Senior Brother Zhang, Senior Brother Ouyang.”
Chen Gongxing took a glance at the Wraith. He looked like goosebumps were rising on his dry face, which had seen better days.
“No need for courtesy. It’s a coincidence that I came in time, as I’d invited two Senior Brothers to watch the battle here on the Sword Plain.”
Senior Brother Zhang and Senior Brother Ouyang were older and were both experienced Trainers in the sect. Both of them cupped their fists before Luosheng. “Our apologies for not being able to save both Junior Brothers in time.”
“No one expected this. Three Senior Brothers, you are already saving all of us by coming here in time.”
Luosheng let the matter go and swiftly told the three men, “I’ll leave this to you, Senior Brothers. The Golden Core Senior Brothers, Junior Nephews, and I will go forth to direct the disciple retreat.”
The Golden Core disciples withdrew orderly and returned to their respective areas to instruct the disciples and prevent new incoming Wraiths from approaching.
Xiao Ran, Chuyan, and the three Nascent Soul Trainers were the only ones left on the Sword Plain.
Chen Gongxing patted Xiao Ran’s shoulders.
“You go too.”
“Me?” Xiao Ran frowned.
What about the first option of a Sword-Wielder?
Chen Gongxing replied, “The last time was just a theory assessment. It proves that I didn’t misjudge you. You’re indeed an incredibly talented Sword-Wielder, but you’re just in the Qi Refining stage now. This is not your battle yet. If you die here, I’ll meet my death on the Sword-Wielding Mountain in three days.”
Xiao Ran shook his head calmly, thinking that Chen Gongxing had underestimated the Wraith.
“We’re already on the battleground.”
The two old Nascent Soul Trainers did not even regard the Wraith.
“Bo Yunzi’s watching from the top of the mountain. If there’s really danger, he’ll risk using thunder and saving you. Relax, just consider it test cultivation.”
Xiao Ran chuckled dryly. “The Wraith wouldn’t let me consider it a test.”
Upon saying that, he casually launched an attack with his sword. Despite the spiritual strength driving the weapon and the accumulating sword force that howled like a dragon, it was ultimately swallowed by the Wraith in an instant.
A slash that had killed Ye Fan promptly was nothing in front of the Wraith.
“This Wraith isn’t quite the same. Its white eye can change forms, and it has too many thin tentacles. Both work together and will suck in spiritual power through bizarre hypnosis. It might evolve like a rolling snowball.”
Elderly Senior Brother Ouyang said while stroking his beard, “No need to panic. The Wraith is a creature too. Could three of us Nascent Soul cultivators not take down a Golden Core Wraith?”
In the blink of an eye, three of them surrounded the Wraith, placing themselves in strategic positions.
“Samadhi Fire!”
Three beams of yellow Nascent Soul realm flame spurted toward the Wraith, merging into a white blaze on it.
The Wraith was swiftly burned into ashes but rose from the ashes again in a flash, condensing itself into a sunflower form once more.
“Huh?”
What was even more unbelievable was that the Wraith had absorbed the Nascent Soul strength in the flame and promptly ascended to a Nascent Soul Wraith!
The three men were nonplussed.
“How is this possible!”
“What kind of Wraith is this?”
An Emperor Wraith, perhaps, Xiao Ran thought.
The Wraith that Ye Fan had turned into seemed to have the Emperor’s Caliber despite being a Wraith. It soaked up spiritual energy limitlessly and kept getting reborn and evolving after its death…
Normally, there were only two ways to tackle a Wraith.
The first was a ranged high-spirit pressure spell that subdued and destroyed the Wraith’s physical body with a force that exceeded the limit of the Wraith, thus absorbing spiritual power. It was too bad that Samadhi Fire, which was supposed to guarantee certain victory, had failed.
The second solution was the melee sword battle. Killing it physically was the only way left.
Out of the three men, Chen Gongxing, who was the best swordsman, moved swiftly.
Stepping close to the Wraith, he swung his sword directly.
It was now a battle between a Nascent Soul cultivator and Wraith!
Even though Chen Gongxing’s techniques were solid and his sword skills were top-notch, it was not an immediate victory. He quickly got entangled in the Wraith’s robust limbs and found himself in a sticky fight.
When he slashed off a tentacle with his sword, another one grew on the spot…
The speed of his sword could hardly keep up with the speed at which the tentacles were growing. If it were not for Chen Gongxing’s seasoned and secure techniques, as each of the steps he took was in the blind spot of the tentacles, he would have been gone long ago.
Taking in the situation, the other two elderly men only now realized the severity of the matter. Both of them were old, and their seniority was hindering their techniques. Their deaths would be futile if they stepped up anyway, so they shouted, “This isn’t a Wraith we Nascent Soul cultivators can deal with. Senior Brother Chen mustn’t die. Senior Brother Bo Yunzi, please use a strike of thunder to kill this Wraith!”
On the array point of the central mountain, Bo Yunzi was silently sitting in a lotus position. The choice was presented as a dilemma.
Behind the two old men, Xiao Ran, who had been ignored on the Sword Plain like air, led Chuyan over.
“Hold on!”
Xiao Ran thought that the humanoid Wraith that had appeared on the Sword-Wielding Mountain last time possibly had some sort of relation to this Wraith.
That Wraith could judge the situation and fled when it met a powerful being, while the earlier form of this Wraith, Ye Fan, was a scheming old fox. He had trapped him with that wall in the battle earlier to lure him into breaking it and running into the black tower.
In that case, the Sunflower Wraith in front of them could be much cleverer than they had imagined and could have set up a trap!
If high-tier Wraiths were waiting for an ambush outside the mountain guarding array, a loophole resulting from the thunder would allow them to invade it by using that chance. Xiao Ran’s master was not in, and the Sect Leader was in recuperating cultivation—Zongzhi Mountain could possibly be wiped out just like that.
Nonetheless, Chen Gongxing was already in a neck-to-neck battle. His life could be at risk at any time. Yinyue Zhenren was still on her way but she was not experienced in battle…
This was a perilous situation, so there could be no more delays. Xiao Ran made a plan at once and told the two old Trainers, “Please cover for me here, Senior Brothers, to prevent the Wraith from ambushing me. Give me a moment.”
At this moment, the Trainers dared not assume superiority.
“Alright.”
Xiao Ran then told Chuyan, who was behind him, “Deliver spiritual power to my dantian.”
Chuyan was taken aback and reminded him in a whisper, “Are you able to take the spiritual power of the Golden Core?”
Xiao Ran was speechless. How could she be mulling over something so insignificant at a critical juncture like this!
“Why didn’t you ask me if I could take it when you had me under you last night?”
The elderly Trainers froze, unable to keep up with the youngsters’ line of thinking.
Unfazed, Chuyan stood behind Xiao Ran and gathered her spiritual energy on her palms.
She did not have to bend. She met the back of Xiao Ran’s dantian precisely when she raised her palms. With a shove, a vast stream of Golden Core spiritual power charged into Xiao Ran’s pool of Qi!
Plurgh!
Failing to hold himself back, Xiao Ran spat blood and gritted his teeth to regain his composure.
“Can you be gentler?”
“Oh, okay.”