Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er, along with others, remained hidden in the shadows, refraining from rashly entering the fray. The battlefield situation, while seemingly perilous, was actually at a stalemate.

The three veteran treasure-hunting cultivators, including Xiu Shi Pang, were well aware of the specters inhabiting this ancient ruin. Thus, they came fully prepared, carrying numerous talismans and elixirs specifically designed to counter ghosts and miasmas of corrupted energy and blood, alongside spiritual wines and stones. The corpse-miasma emanating from the specters posed little threat to them.

However, the constantly reanimating skeletons and the horde of zombies spewing foul corpse-qi that polluted their magical artifacts gave them absolutely no chance to catch their breath. Every attempt to force a breakthrough was ruthlessly suppressed and driven back.

Naturally, the legion of skeletons could not possibly breach the defenses formed by the three late-stage Golden Core cultivators utilizing their Primordial Spirit Artifacts.

Both sides were locked in an unyielding deadlock. The immense expenditure of spiritual power was severely draining Xiu Shi Pang and his two companions.

Meanwhile, the ghost cultivators, seeing no progress, were growing anxious.

The ghost cultivators controlling the battling skeletons and zombies, and Xiu Shi Pang’s group, were locked in a fierce exchange, none of them noticing the arrival of Ye Qin and his party.

After observing the battlefield for a brief moment, Ye Qin turned to Huangfu Bing'er and the Wang uncle and nephew beside him, calmly stating in a deep voice, "They have three early to mid-stage Golden Core ghost cultivators, dozens of Golden Core puppets, and over a thousand peak Sixth-Tier skeletons and zombies.

However, our side also has seven mid to late-stage Golden Core cultivators; our strength is by no means weak. We have over a fifty percent chance of victory.

There are simply too many skeletons and zombies here; killing them is endless. A direct, brute-force approach will likely exact a considerable price. If we are to rescue Fellow Daoist Pang and the others quickly, we must directly eliminate those three ghost cultivators."

"Mmm!"

Huangfu Bing'er nodded in agreement and said softly, "Striking directly at those three ghost cultivators and killing them will render the rest of the skeleton swarm less frightening. But they are hidden amidst crowds of skeletons and zombies, making the assassination difficult. Do you have a plan to reach them?"

Ye Qin pondered for a moment, then turned to the Elder Wang, saying, "Fellow Daoist Wang, I fear we will need the assistance of you two."

Elder Wang and Xiu Shi Wang exchanged glances, showing a hint of apprehension. The skeletal horde here was stronger than the one that had previously besieged them; how could they not be afraid?

Elder Wang hesitated for a moment before offering a wry smile,

"Without the three experienced and powerful cultivators like Fellow Daoist Pang, it would be extremely difficult for the few of us to search for treasures here. As long as we can save Fellow Daoist Pang’s trio, my nephew and I will not refuse.

However, as Fellow Daoist Ye knows, after that bloody battle, my nephew and I have barely recovered one-third of our spiritual power. Even fighting to the death, we probably cannot exert much force. My demise would be a minor issue, but I fear delaying Fellow Daoist Ye's plans."

Ye Qin understood their fear of taking risks due to their depleted strength, but he shook his head and comforted them, "You two need not worry. You don't have to engage in a protracted fight with these skeletons and zombies. Later, you only need to lure the attention of those few ghost cultivators from the rear of the battlefield, drawing the skeletal horde to pursue you, dispersing a few hundred skeletons.

I will sneak attack the other two ghost cultivators. Regardless of success, this will force them to recall a hundred skeletons to protect themselves. This way, the swarm surrounding Fellow Daoist Pang will surely diminish significantly, dropping from over a thousand to just a few hundred.

Bing'er will exploit the weakest point in the skeleton ranks, coordinating from the inside to help Fellow Daoist Pang’s trio break out. Once they break free, we will encircle and attack the three ghost cultivators."

Ye Qin spoke to Huangfu Bing'er, "This plan should work, but I fear unforeseen complications..." The Wang uncle and nephew remained somewhat hesitant.

Huangfu Bing'er interjected then, "With your movement techniques, luring them from the periphery, your speed will definitely outpace these skeletons and zombies. As long as you are careful not to be encircled by the horde, there won't be any danger. Once Fellow Daoist Pang’s trio is rescued from the encirclement, our victory is assured, and those ghost cultivators will be easy to deal with."

"Very well, let's proceed according to Fellow Daoist Ye's arrangements!"

Elder Wang saw that Ye Qin's mind was set and ceased his reluctance. He agreed, taking his nephew, and quietly slipped toward the rear of the skeleton swarm.

"Bing'er, you be careful too!" Ye Qin cautioned, slightly concerned. "Don't worry!" Huangfu Bing'er smiled faintly, flickered, and vanished into the spectral fog. Ye Qin immediately concealed his form and aura, slowly closing in on the battlefield.

A short while later, the Wang uncle and nephew suddenly burst from the spectral fog, launching several top-tier flying sword artifacts that instantly annihilated over a dozen skeletons. Then, with lightning speed, they transformed into two streaks of light, disappearing back into the fog to attack skeletons in other directions.

This unexpected assault caused a slight ripple of chaos in the massive army of skeletons and zombies.

The three black-robed ghost cultivators couldn't help but turn their gaze toward the Wang uncle and nephew.

"Hmph! It’s them again! I didn't kill them last time, yet they dare venture deeper into the Bone Mountain?"

One of the gaunt, black-robed ghost cultivators recognized the Wang duo instantly and shrieked shrilly.

"Che Ze, the strength of these two mid-stage Golden Core cultivators seems rather weak. Did you perhaps lose to them before? That would be truly shameful!" another, slightly sturdier black-robed ghost cultivator jeered.

"I almost killed them and was about to bring their physical bodies back to the Ghost Lord for refinement, but two other mid-stage Golden Core cultivators suddenly appeared. How could I fight against the four of them alone! I retreated temporarily then, not wishing to bother with them. I never expected them to be so reckless as not to be scared off, actually daring to penetrate the mountain range."

Che Ze roared loudly, "I'll take a contingent of skeletons and eliminate those two!"

"That's fine. You take three hundred skeletons to kill them. I'll stay here with Che Lang." The burly black-robed skeleton ghost cultivator considered it and agreed. Che Ze immediately detached three large squads of skeletons to pursue the Wang duo.

In less than the time it takes to draw a breath, the chaotic skeleton and zombie army restored order and returned to their respective combat roles.

The other two Golden Core ghost cultivators continued to manipulate the skeletons besieging Xiu Shi Pang’s trio.

"We are under the Ghost Lord's command to patrol the Bone Mountain Range and guard the Barren Spirit Ghost City! For nearly a hundred years, the island has been tranquil, with no outsiders seen. I don't know why, but recently, the Ghost Lord suddenly dispersed part of the blood mist surrounding the island's perimeter, exposing the spectral energy and attracting the covetous gaze of the East Sea cultivators. In the last few dozen days, the number of East Sea cultivators appearing on the Ghost Island has gradually increased. Che Sen, why wouldn't the Ghost Lord simply slaughter all these trespassing East Sea cultivators instead of allowing them to enter the island? Yet, he orders us to patrol the Bone Mountain Range and prevent them from approaching the Barren Spirit Ghost City—isn't this superfluous? If all the ghost cultivators of Ghost Island were unleashed, not a single East Sea cultivator could step foot onto the island."

A black-robed zombie ghost cultivator, whose pale face was stiff and withered, licked his lips with a long red tongue, scanning the surrounding spectral fog with his cloudy, bloodshot eyes cautiously.

"Silence! The Ghost Lord’s divine abilities reach heaven and earth; he established the vast Barren Spirit Ghost Domain. We must not speculate on his will. It is because of the Ghost Lord that we still exist. We only need to follow orders. Che Sen’s face darkened, and he barked, "Since these two have appeared here, the other two East Sea cultivators are likely to show up as well. Be wary of their sneak attacks."

"Hmph, mere two mid-stage Golden Core cultivators. I, Che Lang, would like to see how formidable they are!" the black-robed zombie ghost cultivator scoffed dismissively.

"Why are the Wang duo here? Weren't they surrounded by the skeleton horde several hours ago? With their strength, how could they possibly escape?"

"We can't worry about that now; we must fight our way out first!"

Xiu Shi Pang's trio, trapped in the siege, were unable to break free. Seeing the Wang uncle and nephew suddenly appear, they were overjoyed. They had always looked down on the Wang duo’s weak strength, but now they seemed to be a lifeline. In this short time, the distraction had drawn away several hundred skeleton archers and spearmen, significantly reducing the pressure of the incoming attacks.

Ye Qin stealthily advanced within the spectral fog, calmly waiting for his opportunity.

The Corroded Bone Crocodile Skeleton Demon also lay silently on the ground, its dark eye sockets flashing with a terrifying, eerie glow. As a skeleton demon, it didn't need to worry about attracting attention amidst the piles of bones.

Not until Che Ze led hundreds of skeletons far away in pursuit of the Wang duo, making their immediate return impossible to support the remaining two ghost cultivators.

"Now is the time!"

Ye Qin seized the moment and struck suddenly, shooting out from the pile of bones where he was concealed.

The Golden Bird Brilliant Light Sword shot forth rapidly. Under the full exertion of his spiritual power, it instantly swelled, unleashing an incomparably fierce golden light that tore through the murky spectral fog, enveloping an area of several zhang in dazzling gold. The spectral fog rapidly dissolved under the golden light.

Accompanied by a tearing sound that nearly split space, the golden light pierced through the skeleton and zombie ranks like a broken bamboo, heading straight for the black-robed skeleton ghost cultivator.

Dozens of outer-ring Sixth-Tier skeletons were blasted apart in the span of a single breath, falling in swathes.

The Corroded Bone Crocodile Skeleton Demon, boasting Ninth-Tier strength, also charged forward, biting fiercely with its giant maw and whipping its tail wildly, sending dozens of Sixth-Tier skeletons flying in the blink of an eye.

"Good, you've finally arrived! Since you could defeat Che Ze, let me, Che Lang, see how powerful you are!"

A dark glint flashed in the eyes of the black-robed zombie ghost cultivator. Suddenly, his dry, inky-black left hand emerged from his black robe, transforming into a colossal, multi-zhang spectral hand engulfed in torrents of green-black flames, reaching out to grasp the golden light with an air of supreme arrogance.

"Ghoul Spirit Yin Fire!"

The spectral hand, shrouded in corpse flames, grabbed fiercely at the golden light, managing to seize it. This hand seemed to be forged from something incredibly resilient. The sharp sword light emitted by the mid-tier Primordial Spirit Artifact’s golden sword couldn't even sever this spectral hand.

The grade of this spectral hand was likely that of a high-tier Primordial Spirit Ghost Artifact.

The eerie green-black corpse flame released by the spectral hand rapidly consumed the golden light emitted by the sword, reaching directly toward the flying sword’s body. Once the flying sword's body was contaminated by the corpse-qi, the degradation of the Primordial Spirit Artifact's grade was almost inevitable.

"Hahaha, your Primordial Spirit Artifact is nothing more! It can't even deal with my Enchanting Spirit Ghost Hand." The black-robed zombie burst into wild laughter. With a wave of its right hand, hordes of skeletons and zombies lunged at Ye Qin. Ye Qin was so frustrated he could barely speak.

If it weren't for the fact that his internal injuries had just recently healed, and he wished to avoid over-expending his spiritual power by deploying the Grand Five Elements Sword Formation, he would not tolerate this zombie ghost cultivator running rampant here.

Seeing the swarming skeletons rush him, Ye Qin frowned, rapidly retreated, and casually slapped out a stack of several dozen mid-tier fire, earth, and wind talismans. These transformed into Exploding Flames, Crushing Stones, and Wind Arc Slashes, blasting the attacking skeletons and zombie puppets into pieces as they fell.