Aweee-ahhhhh! Xin Jia roared up to the heavens, an invisible wave of sound shattering the ground and the ancient castle above, rocketing toward the sky. The sound wave detonated tens of thousands of meters above the earth, and a faint rumble of thunder echoed from the heavens immediately afterward. Xin Jia rapidly formed hand seals, accompanied by the resonance of powerful incantations, drawing the vital energy of the earth veins within a ten-li radius frantically toward him. Under the array’s influence, this terrestrial energy coalesced in Xin Jia's hands, transforming into a blinding, dazzling yellow light.
“Essence of Earth, solidify and manifest!”
With a furious bellow, the immense terrestrial energy gathered in Xin Jia’s hands was unleashed. The earth energy immediately condensed into a massive earthen dragon, over three hundred meters long, which violently coiled and heaved beneath the ground. The incomparably fierce force completely "tossed aside" the ground covering a full li in radius. The colossal, great Klunburg Palace soared into the air amid the earth's deafening roar. The surging, dense power of the earth veins blasted into the secret chamber overhead. The several restrictive wards of the Three Witches Sect within the chamber immediately… activated, sending streaks of cryptic blood-light and ghostly flames howling forth, colliding fiercely with the gigantic earth dragon.
Crack! With a sharp sound, nearly half of the earth dragon's head was shattered by the blood-light and ghost-flames. A blood-colored mirror floating in the secret chamber and three green banners simultaneously split into countless fragments.
Xin Jia had aggregated the power of Zhao Yi and a hundred others, further merging the enhanced portion of Gu Xiechen’s spiritual power to manifest the true form of the earth dragon. How could this power be slight? Even the prohibitions laid by Elder Wu in the secret chamber, though venomous, fierce, and peerless in might, were caught completely off guard by the vast, boundless force of the Earth.
Pfft! A mouthful of blood sprayed out. The cinnabar mole on Elder Wu’s brow flickered intensely, and a thick, coppery scent of blood diffused into the surroundings.
Wu Qingfu, who had been walking toward the blonde woman, suddenly felt an immense force surge up from beneath his feet. All the marrow, muscle, and meridians from his toes to the root of his thigh were pulverized by the sudden, massive shockwave. Screaming wildly, Wu Qingfu was hurled halfway across the sky. Terrified, he watched as two massive, arm-like hands emerged from the cracked ground and seized both the abducted blonde woman and the boy, dragging them down into the earth.
Elder Wu, spitting blood, roared in extreme fury, "Junior! How dare you…"
Before the words left his mouth, a small bell, pure white and lacking any impurities yet thin as a cicada's wing, flew out from beneath the ground, jingling rapidly. A moment later, white mist began to billow up from the flat ground, instantly shrouding an area spanning several li. Within this mist, not only the naked eye and ears but even Elder Wu’s usually sharp spiritual sense found absolutely no purchase.
His spiritual sense, condensed to the point of substance, powerful enough to shatter small mountains, spread out in all directions. Elder Wu was mad with rage, desperately trying to locate the sneak attacker. Yet, wherever his consciousness reached, it encountered only soft emptiness. His spiritual sense seemed to have shot out hundreds of li in an instant, yet it also felt as if it were perpetually circling nearby. He couldn't find a single human figure, not even a ghost.
“You two juniors! What staggering audacity!”
Elder Wu howled in exasperation. He rapidly formed hand seals, continuously shooting out streams of black threads that seeped into the surrounding white mist.
The bell chimed softly within the white mist, but the black threads, which had seemed utterly hopeless moments before, showed no reaction whatsoever.
Just as Klunburg Palace was being lifted, Gu Xiechen took advantage of the momentum and leaped up. Wagus and Caesar Pineintu, among others, were battered and shaken into the sky. A massive dragon tail swept past, snatching a tower of the ancient castle and slamming it fiercely onto Wagus. The crushing weight struck Wagus, sending him hurtling several li away, with more than half his bones broken.
Caesar Pineintu and the other vampires secretly invited by Elder Wu sensed the immense power hidden within the earth. They exchanged glances and simultaneously transformed into plumes of black mist, rapidly fleeing. As he fled, Caesar Pineintu did not forget to curry favor, shouting, “Wagus retreats! Gu Xiechen wins the duel! In the name of the Vice-Counselor of the Non-Human Species Joint Council, Wagus shall never seek revenge against Mr. Gu Xiechen again!”
A half-headed earth dragon let out a piercing dragon roar as it burrowed out from underground. It viciously swept a claw across the castle shrouded in white mist, causing the castle to shatter as if it were made of chocolate wafers. The earth dragon opened its gigantic maw and roared toward a certain spot within the white mist. Vast swathes of Earth Divine Thunder erupted from its mouth, the lightning flashing wildly, the dull thunderous crashes causing immense waves to rise on the nearby sea surface.
From within the white mist came Wu Qingfu’s terrified cry: “Master, save me!”
A viscous blood-light spread out from the mist, but it dispersed after only three to five zhang before being swallowed and assimilated by the ceaseless white fog.
Elder Wu howled in fury, his voice hoarse: “Disciple… hold on! Your master will now use his great divine ability to slaughter this gang of impudent whelps!”
A colossal silhouette broke through the white mist and rushed out. Xin Jia, holding the blonde woman and the small boy, reached Gu Xiechen.
“Exalted One, the people you wished saved, this humble general has successfully brought them out! This general has inspected them with magic; they have no severe external injuries, but there are certain evil curses hidden within their bodies.”
“Damn it!” Gu Xiechen cursed in rage. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Give it your all! Wipe out everyone inside!”
As Gu Xiechen gave the order, Zhao Yi, who had rushed out right behind Xin Jia and was continuously striking the Cloud-Piercing Bell, immediately stopped. The white mist slowly dissipated, revealing Elder Wu and the heavily wounded Wu Qingfu inside.
The earth dragon was currently spitting Earth Divine Thunder and locked in combat with Elder Wu. Elder Wu, in turn, was constantly shooting out streams of Yin Thunder, and the two were battling fiercely, making quite a spectacle.
The Earth Divine Thunder and the pale green Yin Thunder collided ceaselessly and densely. The muffled explosions were so jarring they felt as if they might leap out of one’s chest.
In the white mist, Elder Wu’s spiritual sense was restricted; he could only take blows passively, unable to see where the earth dragon was located. However, once the mist cleared, Elder Wu displayed his full might, unleashing thirteen consecutive strikes of shadowy green, arm-thick Yin Thunder that blasted lumps of earth debris off the dragon’s body. In the blink of an eye, the massive earth dragon was blasted into two segments by Elder Wu. Seeing a large amount of yellowish earth energy spraying out from the dragon's severed halves, the two pieces gradually faded away.
Elder Wu looked toward Gu Xiechen’s side and grinned maliciously: “…Junior! Now I shall show you my true methods! Heh heh, I originally only intended to call you out alone to kill you, the main culprit, without alarming anyone. Who knew you would insist on making such a huge commotion… Heh heh, even if the whole world knew I killed you, so what? Do I, an Elder, fear that old Ghoul Emperor?”
The previous earth dragon was condensed from the essence of the Great Earth; it had no flesh, blood, or life force whatsoever. Countless vicious and sinister techniques of the Three Witches Sect could not be used against it. Elder Wu could only rely on his formidable cultivation to forcibly destroy the earth dragon. But against Gu Xiechen, he had far more methods available.
Biting his own right index finger like a rabid dog, Elder Wu sucked a mouthful of blood and spat it heavily into the air. The spittle mixed with his saliva formed a short, blood-soaked blade radiating sinister ghostly energy, which spun rapidly around Elder Wu. Elder Wu stared fixedly at Gu Xiechen, sneering chillingly, “Try my sect’s Fou Qu Blood Blade!”
As soon as the blood blade took shape, Gu Xiechen felt a cruel, malevolent aura envelop him. With a sharp cry from Elder Wu, the blood blade flashed, piercing through the void across hundreds of meters in an instant, arriving before Gu Xiechen.
Xin Jia waved his hand, and a bolt of Earth Divine Thunder blasted onto the blood blade. The blade was easily shattered into countless fragments. Traces of saliva and blood ignited spontaneously without fire, instantly vaporizing into poisonous gas.
Gu Xiechen froze, stunned. He asked in surprise, “Is this what you call the Fou Qu Blood Blade?”
Elder Wu was also stunned, murmuring in confusion, “What’s going on? Once the Fou Qu Blood Blade is manifested, it will never dissipate without consuming a human life. Even the Samadhi True Fire or the Five Thunders Orthodox Method cannot eliminate it. How can this ordinary Earth Thunder neutralize my sect’s secret technique?”
Xin Jia sneered disdainfully, sighing softly, “A paltry side-path technique, daring to show off before us true gods? Our lightning arts are secretly transmitted from the Primordial Thunder God Puhua Celestial Venerable; how can they be compared to the petty Five Thunders Orthodox Method of the cultivation world?”
Gu Xiechen ignored the arrogant Xin Jia, waving his hand to unleash a continuous barrage of attacks upon Elder Wu.
The first to strike was Aredia, attacking from thousands of meters away. The moment she appeared, dozens of highly compressed fireballs shrieked toward the elder. This time, Aredia held nothing back; every fireball was unleashed with full power, each one dozens of times stronger than when she had hunted Gu Xiechen at Heaven Star.
Immediately following her were the Sirens, who sprang up from the sea beside them. Thousands of charming young women rushed out from around him, leaping and soaring toward Elder Wu. Each girl carried a heavy bomb in her hands. All the maidens appeared so sacred and solemn, evoking words like 'magnificent,' 'inspiring,' and 'facing death calmly.'
Amidst a tsunami of shouts proclaiming, “Long live Master!”, these maidens were the first to reach Elder Wu. Thousands of them densely surrounded the enraged elder and simultaneously detonated the bombs strapped to them.
Dozens of fireballs struck almost simultaneously. Waves of heat washed over the area, and gigantic cumulonimbus clouds rose, obliterating the last remnants of Klunburg Palace. A massive crater appeared where it once stood.
All of Elder Wu’s subordinates affiliated with the castle were annihilated by the continuous assault. Even the Jizo Temple, which had barely escaped, turned to ash in the explosion.
A scream, piercing and comparable to the cry of a mourning cuckoo, drifted from the flames. Elder Wu roared with all his remaining strength: “Even if the Corpse Emperor himself stood here, I would still tear you little mongrels to pieces!”
Vast streams of viscous blood-light spread out from the fire. Elder Wu, caught off guard, stripped bare, his body covered in wounds, burst forth clutching the near-dead Wu Qingqun.
He held a banner forged from human bones tightly in his hand. With a flick of the banner, the area within ten li was plunged into darkness, and sinister cold winds whipped about wildly on the flat ground. Everywhere echoed with jiu-jiu ghost sounds, causing Gu Xiechen and the others’ heads to spin, their souls threatening to leave their bodies.
Zhao Yi panicked, about to strike the Cloud-Piercing Bell again, when a cold laugh, like the sound of a tearing cloud, suddenly traveled from afar.
“If I were here, would you truly dare kill them?”
The voice arrived with extreme speed; in the time it took to utter those few words, it had traveled instantly from the distant ocean to the immediate vicinity.
With a massive boom, a fist so enormous it almost filled the entire sky, trailing a torrent of evil energy, broke through the black fog and ghostly winds overhead, smashing directly into Elder Wu’s Bone Banner.
Immediately following that domineering, irresistible, and upright punch was a treacherous, insidious rising kick to the groin!
The Bone Banner in Elder Wu’s hand was pulverized by the punch, and viscous, filthy blood spurted simultaneously from all seven of his orifices.
That rising kick struck Elder Wu’s lower body, making him howl, “Oww-oooh!” and leap up a full few hundred meters, clutching his groin.
A gust of sinister wind enveloped Elder Wu’s entire body. Utilizing the momentum from his jump, he sped toward the high heavens, intending to transform into wind and escape.
“Leave behind the methods and antidote for the curse, or perish!”
A stern voice echoed through heaven and earth. With just a flicker, the Corpse Emperor’s impossibly tall figure materialized, blocking Elder Wu’s path.
Elder Wu, who had already transformed into a wisp of dark wind, was dejectedly clutched by the neck and lifted in the Corpse Emperor’s hand, resembling a small dog held by a bear.
Gu Xiechen let out a sudden, deep sigh of relief. Damn, this fellow’s speed was truly incredible.
A rising kick to the groin… what kind of effect would it have when struck by a zombie’s rising kick?