The Green Robe Ancestor’s face was etched with unconcealed astonishment, his palm covertly gripping a Green Fiend Sword, his demeanor grave.
The Nascent Soul Skeleton Ghost Cultivator before him towered nearly ten times the height of the ordinary skeletons in the vicinity, clad in heavy bone armor, wielding a massive bone greatsword, emanating a formidable presence. As it strode forward, it carried an unstoppable, bloodthirsty aura.
Immediately following, more than a dozen smaller Skeleton Ghost Cultivators burst forth from behind the Nascent Soul Skeleton Ghost Cultivator. Each possessed Golden Core cultivation, trailing wisps of black miasma, and they hurtled forward to confront the gathered wicked cultivators of the Savage Isle.
The Savage Isle wicked cultivators were immediately filled with shock and doubt, hurriedly forming up to resist these ghost cultivators.
The Green Robe Ancestor swept his gaze over the cohort of ghost cultivators, finally fixing his stare intently upon the Nascent Soul Skeleton Ghost Cultivator. That entity was simply too tall and imposing; standing amidst a host of Golden Core ghost cultivators, it was like a crane among chickens—blatantly conspicuous and the greatest threat.
“A bunch of useless slackers! How could you not notice so many Skeleton Ghost Cultivators on the island before this?”
The Green Robe Ancestor cursed his subordinates inwardly, yet at the same time, he felt a slight, hidden relief.
Ghost Cultivators often possessed several times the strength of cultivators at the same tier. This early-stage Nascent Soul Skeleton Ghost Cultivator, leveraging the ghostly fog here, was likely capable of defeating an equivalent cultivator by a factor of three—truly formidable.
However, he himself possessed mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, a full stage higher than this early-stage Nascent Soul Skeleton Ghost Cultivator. Even factoring in the disadvantages of this location, he still held a decent chance of victory.
As long as he was willing to pay a certain price, unleashing his ultimate killing move regardless of True Essence expenditure, he was confident he could deal with this Nascent Soul Skeleton Ghost Cultivator!
“Who are you? Are you perhaps the master of this island, the highest-cultivated ghost cultivator here?”
A wicked glint flickered in the Green Robe Ancestor’s eyes as he rapidly calculated how to eliminate the Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivator before him, then seize the entire giant island for himself. The mere thought of this ancient ruin falling into his hands, along with countless undiscovered ancient treasures, sent a wave of intense pleasure surging through him.
“I am General Che Tu of the Skeleton Army. This Bone Mountain Range is my command. Leave this mountain range immediately, and I might spare your life! If you dare trespass into Barren Spirit City and spoil my master’s great plans, don’t blame this general for tearing you limb from limb!”
A strange, black beam shot from the skeleton eyes of the Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivator. A harsh, grating sound, like grinding sand, emanated from its mouth, utterly devoid of any concealment for its killing intent. It slammed its massive bone greatsword heavily onto the ground. With a muffled thud, dry bones scattered, and even the mountain peak beneath its feet trembled slightly.
“Bah! Just a mere early-stage Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivator, yet so arrogant! Do you think this Ancestor fears you? If you wish to die, this Ancestor shall oblige you!”
The Green Robe Ancestor roared, incandescent with rage. A ready green light burst forth from his palm: “Green Fiend Sword!”
Instantly, this Minor Divine Ability flying sword erupted with a dazzling sphere of green light, transforming into two to three hundred feet of malevolent green sha energy, which shot toward the Skeleton General for the kill. The power of this single strike was enough to cleave a mountain peak apart.
As a mid-stage Nascent Soul Ancestor who had commanded respect and ruled the Blood Sea for hundreds of years, no one had ever dared to dismiss and threaten him so openly.
Yet, since arriving on this giant island, he had been constantly thwarted, unable to even subdue a mere mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. A reservoir of wicked fury had built up within him. Now, this early-stage Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivator dared to spout such bluster and threaten him. He could no longer contain his anger and struck immediately, intent on slaying the Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivator.
“Well met!”
The Skeleton General had long reached the end of his patience. Roaring repeatedly, he swung his colossal bone sword, instantaneously cleaving out a black beam several hundred feet long, hacking directly at the Green Fiend Sword that rushed in aggressively.
Boom…
With a loud explosion, the Minor Divine Ability artifact, the Green Fiend Sword, was directly batted away.
The Skeleton General was also heavily struck, forced back several steps before halting.
The Green Robe Ancestor snatched back the Green Fiend Sword, his eyes wide. He saw that the Giant Bone Sword in the hands of the Skeleton General hadn't suffered even the slightest visible scratch.
“Damn it! This bone sword is unbelievably sturdy! It must be a Minor Divine Ability-grade ghost artifact!”
No, its entire skeletal body was probably an intact Minor Divine Ability-grade ghost artifact.
“Killing it won’t be easy, it seems!” The Green Robe Ancestor immediately cursed in frustration. Without deploying a devastating killing blow, taking down the Skeleton General would be immensely difficult.
Just then, another low, sinister, piercing sound drifted out from the ghostly fog: “Cackle, cackle! General Skeleton, since he refuses to leave, let’s just keep him here to keep this Corpse King company! This Corpse King will report back to the Master, and have him refined into an early-stage Nascent Soul Zombie too!”
A figure entirely shrouded in a black robe flickered ghost-like out of the spectral mist.
Its body was far smaller than the Skeleton General’s, and a pair of foot-long, pitch-black fangs protruded from its mouth. Its skin was withered, covered in sparse, uneven hair, and subtly bore a dark, dusky sheen. Hideously ugly, it was clearly a Nascent Soul-level Zombie Ghost Cultivator.
Following this self-proclaimed “Corpse King,” over ten more black-robed Zombie Ghost Cultivators shot out from the fog, each shrieking incoherently. Together with the Skeleton Ghost Cultivators, they formed a standoff line against the more than twenty Savage Isle wicked cultivators.
The Savage Isle wicked cultivators exchanged anxious glances. They recognized that the situation was tipping against them, and secretly bemoaned their fate. However, not only did they fear the severity of the Green Robe Ancestor’s punishment, but even if they disregarded everything and fled for their lives, escaping two Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivators might prove impossible.
“Corpse King! This Bone Mountain Range is the territory I guard! Why are you crossing boundaries from the Zombie Valley?” the Skeleton General angrily turned toward the Corpse King. “This is my Bone Mountain Range!”
“Cackle, cackle! General Skeleton, with your strength, can you kill this Nascent Soul cultivator? At best, you can only fight him to a standstill. Besides, I am not crossing boundaries; I am following the Master’s orders to eliminate any Nascent Soul cultivator invading the Barren Spirit Ruins! If you can’t handle it alone, it’s only right that this King steps in.” The Corpse King was unconcerned.
“The Corpse King!? There isn’t just one Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivator on this island—there are two or three, perhaps more! There might even be ghost cultivators far more powerful than these two early-stage Nascent Souls! That ‘Master’ mentioned by the Corpse King… could it be a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator?! Without late-stage Nascent Soul power, there’s no way to make these two early-stage Nascent Souls submit!”
The Green Robe Ancestor was utterly shaken by the Corpse King’s appearance, a hint of terror flashing in his eyes.
This Corpse King Ghost Cultivator was also clearly an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
The combined strength of the Skeleton General and the Corpse King already decisively surpassed his own. The notion of killing all the ghost cultivators on this island and seizing the ancient ruins through his own efforts had become utterly impossible.
“The ghost cultivators associated with this island possess formidable strength and a massive influence—it’s beyond what this Ancestor can handle alone! This Ancestor will retreat first, join forces with the other Nascent Soul Ancestors on the Savage Isle, and then return to seize this island and its treasures! Even if I have to share some benefits with the others, it’s better than adventuring alone! If I clash head-on with these two Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivators, I’ll either die or be gravely injured.”
The Green Robe Ancestor was both shocked and furious. The situation was dire, and the thought of retreat instantly took hold.
As soon as the thought formed, the Green Robe Ancestor made a swift decision and fled.
“Azure Fiend Evasion Technique!”
The Green Robe Ancestor, accustomed to luxury and comfort, had long been unthreatened, but when it came to running for his life, he was by no means slow. He employed a Wood Element Evasion Technique; the green sha energy surrounding him surged violently, transforming into a streak of emerald light that shot toward the outer reaches of the Bone Mountain Range, covering several miles in an instant. Although there were anti-flight restrictions here, the speed of the Green Robe Ancestor’s Wood Element Evasion Technique was not much slower than flight by sword.
“Run!”
Seeing the Green Robe Ancestor making a desperate escape, leaving them utterly abandoned, the twenty-odd Golden Core Savage Isle wicked cultivators also refused to simply wait for death. They roared and scattered in all directions.
“Kill!”
The Golden Core Skeleton and Zombie Ghost Cultivators awaited this moment, poised to begin a merciless slaughter, charging toward them. A fierce mêlée immediately erupted.
Simultaneously, the Skeleton General and the Corpse King also moved. Without sparing a glance for the chaotic melee of the Golden Core Savage Isle wicked cultivators, they pursued the direction of the Green Robe Ancestor’s escape.
The Skeleton General brought the Giant Bone Sword down with one massive stride, covering hundreds of feet in a flash, rushing like a clap of thunder, relentlessly in pursuit. Rumble! The mountain ranges across dozens of miles vibrated.
The Corpse King’s ghostly form dissolved its black energy in a swirl, vanishing from the spot in mid-air, instantly reappearing hundreds of feet away. With a few flashes, it covered several miles, nipping closely at the Green Robe Ancestor’s heels.
“Damn it, they’re catching up!” The Green Robe Ancestor, employing his Wood Element Evasion Technique, sensed the two dark energies closing in behind him and cursed again. However, though he had always been tyrannical in the Blood Sea, facing the threat of death meant he was not entirely inflexible.
“Fellow Ghost Cultivator Daoists! We have no prior enmity, why pursue me so relentlessly? If you push this Ancestor too far and force me into a desperate fight, we’ll end up mutually destroying each other, and neither of us will gain anything!”
“Since you’ve already come, do you think you can leave? You wish to fight us to a mutual downfall on my Ghost Island? I’m afraid you lack the necessary power!” the Corpse King cackled sinisterly, dripping with mockery. Its speed did not slow at all; instead, it accelerated.
The Skeleton General was slightly slower, dragging the Giant Bone Sword, but he relentlessly pressed the chase with heavy strides.
“A few mere Nascent Soul Ghost Cultivators dare to kill a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Blood Sea and make an enemy of the entire Blood Sea cultivation world! If you fail to kill this Ancestor, and I manage to escape this place by risking my life, I will certainly let the entire Blood Sea and the Eastern Sea cultivation worlds know that the ghost cultivators here dare to establish a phantom domain in broad daylight, harboring malicious intent to turn the Blood Sea into a Sea of Ghosts! When that happens, the Eastern Sea cultivators will launch a massive assault and wipe you all out. Even if you ghost cultivators were ten times more numerous, annihilation would be your only fate—hahaha!” Seeing his plea for peace fail, the Green Robe Ancestor laughed maniacally in his fury, his body radiating surging green sha energy as his speed increased further.
“Oh, my two subordinates cannot kill you?! Then I shall!”
A chilling, authoritative voice descended from the sky above the Ghost Island.
The voice was dull and monotonous, cold, vast, and seemingly devoid of all emotion. As it sounded, all other noises in the sky within a radius of several hundred miles ceased. Even the booming sound of the Skeleton General’s thunderous strides, the Corpse King’s sinister cackle, the sounds of battle between the Bone Mountain Range ghost cultivators and the Savage Isle wicked cultivators—all vanished instantly, as if they had never been.
Although it was merely a faint question, it struck like thunder, exploding in the minds of the Green Robe Ancestor and all the cultivators of the Bone Mountain Range.
The Green Robe Ancestor’s body shook violently; even the circulation of his magical power suffocated for an instant, pressed down by an invisible spiritual pressure that forced his momentum to slow. His speed of escape was forcibly decelerated.
“Who…!”
The Green Robe Ancestor was terrified and abruptly looked up toward the sky. Such a powerful, majestic spiritual pressure was something he had only encountered before when facing late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.