Chapter 534: Ghost Saint's Disciple
With a loud "bang," a powerful sword wave struck the void a hundred zhang away, as if colliding with an invisible barrier.
Flame sword energy formed a circle and scattered outward.
Behind that invisible barrier, sixteen streams of black smoke flew out, circled through the air, and converged into a massive mass of black smoke.
The third disciple of the Ghost Saint, Yin Wuchang, stepped out from that mass of black smoke.
His face was pale, with jet-black hair hanging down on either side of his cheeks. Like a ghost without weight, he floated three zhang above the sea surface.
Yin Wuchang's gaze fell upon Orange Moon Star Envoy. His hollow eyes finally showed a glimmer of spirit, and he said joyfully, "Junior sister, it really is you. When I saw the moon in the sky emitting an abnormal glow, I knew it had to be you—absorbing moonlight, sending a signal, calling me to come to the rescue."
"If you want to save her, you'll have to see if you have the skill."
Ao Xinyan walked forward, holding a sword in her arms. She rapidly circulated her true qi, and with a "chi" sound, a pair of seven-zhang-long jade-white dragon wings sprouted from her back.
"Whoosh!"
With a flap of her dragon wings, she stirred up a gust of wind.
She soared into the air, rising above the ship, and transformed into a streak of white light, charging toward Yin Wuchang.
Having broken through to the Fish-Dragon Realm, Ao Xinyan's half-dragon body had reached minor completion, allowing her to condense a pair of dragon wings, fly through the sky, burrow into the earth, summon wind and rain—she was capable of almost anything.
"Shua!"
Ao Xinyan drew her Dragon Pattern Emerald Water Sword, trailing a long arc of sword light.
The moment the sword left its sheath, it released a vast surge of sacred qi. The light on the blade's edge was like a green waterfall, cascading down from the clouds and striking Yin Wuchang's head.
"A sacred sword?"
Yin Wuchang's expression shifted. He immediately executed the Yin Ghost Life-Stealing Step Technique, moving swiftly. Beneath his feet, a ghost bridge formed from smoke appeared. With just one step, he reached the other end of the bridge.
Even though Yin Wuchang's movement technique was superb, the sword qi still struck his left shoulder, leaving a half-foot-long sword wound.
Yin Wuchang stared at Ao Xinyan with some surprise and said, "I never thought Zhang Ruochen would have an expert like you by his side. With your level of cultivation, you are no ordinary person, yet I have never heard of a young powerhouse like you from the Half-Dragon Clan. Who exactly are you?"
Ao Xinyan herself hadn't expected that a single strike from her sword could wound the infamous evil path expert, Yin Wuchang.
After all, when Yin Wuchang had made his name, she hadn't even been born.
Was the Ghost Saint's disciple merely a reputation without substance? Or had her own strength truly reached the level of a first-rate expert?
In the Sword Dao Department of the Holy Academy, Ao Xinyan's talent ranked second, second only to Zhang Ruochen.
With her aptitude, at the Heavenly Extreme Realm, she had every chance to break into the top ten of the Heavenly Ranking. Now that she had reached the third transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, the power she could unleash was naturally extraordinary, enough to contend with older-generation experts.
Moreover, she wielded a sacred sword.
With her current cultivation at the third transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, the power she could unleash with a sacred sword was far greater than before.
Ao Xinyan stood seventy zhang above the sea surface, as if beneath the bright moon. Under the moonlight, the wings on her back looked as if they were carved from jade, radiating a crystalline glow.
"The Ghost Saint's disciple is nothing special. You can't even defeat me, yet you still want to fight the group leader?"
A confident smile appeared on Ao Xinyan's pretty face.
Yin Wuchang let out a cold snort and said, "Little girl, don't think that just because you wield a sacred sword, you're something special. Compared to true experts, you're still far off."
Yin Wuchang took out a black bottle and held it in his palm.
He extended a withered finger and pointed at the bottle.
"Hua!"
The surface of the bottle lit up with black patterns, like ghostly runes, gradually glowing brighter.
The next moment, streams of black yin qi surged out from the bottle and flew toward the sea surface.
In an instant, the entire world turned dark and windy, and the surrounding space echoed with the wailing of vengeful spirits.
Each stream of black yin qi condensed into a hideous ghost child. Some stood on the sea surface, clad in armor and holding long spears, like ghost warriors. Others hovered in the void, riding bone horses with sharp horns on their heads, like hellish knights.
At a glance, the number of ghost children reached as many as three thousand, densely packed everywhere, like a ghostly army.
"Ghost children, unite as one," Yin Wuchang commanded.
The three thousand ghost children immediately flew toward Ao Xinyan. When they reached her, they collided with each other and merged into a massive skull as large as a small mountain.
"Wuu!"
With a single strike, that enormous skull sent Ao Xinyan flying back, blood spilling from her mouth, as she landed back on the ship.
Ao Xinyan pressed her jade hand to her chest, a wisp of black ghost qi appearing on her delicate, snow-white face.
Yin Wuchang laughed loudly, spread his arms, and leaped into the air, landing atop the enormous skull. "Little girl, it doesn't feel good to have ghostly energy invade your body, does it? If you submit to me and become my slave, I'll help you dissolve that ghostly energy within you."
"Such mere ghostly energy could harm me?"
Ao Xinyan's divine dragon soul manifested within her, emitting a thunderous dragon roar.
The divine dragon soul condensed into a speck of light, rushed into her meridians, and circulated through her entire body in one cycle, completely devouring the ghostly energy.
Having consumed a large number of Flood Dragon Soul Pills, Ao Xinyan's martial soul had already reached a new level.
The strength of her martial soul was comparable to that of a cultivator at the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm.
The ghostly energy Yin Wuchang had unleashed was naturally unable to suppress her.
Yin Wuchang's eyes turned cold. "Your martial soul is actually a rare divine dragon soul. Interesting. This means I must take you as my slave."
Zhang Ruochen let out a cold snort. "Yin Wuchang, you actually refined three thousand ghost children, committing such heinous acts against heaven's will. Today, I will not let you off."
Ghost children were made from the souls of male infants who had not yet lost their virginity, refined into ghost slaves.
Three thousand ghost children meant Yin Wuchang had killed three thousand male infants and extracted their souls.
"Zhang Ruochen, you're nothing but a coward hiding behind a woman. If you want to fight me, you'll need to cultivate for another ten years. But I don't think you'll have the chance to live that long. Tonight is your death day. Don't worry, after you're dead, I'll take care of that Half-Dragon Clan little girl and your... fiancée. Haha!"
Yin Wuchang's gaze shifted toward Huang Yanchen, and he let out a lewd laugh.
He didn't take Zhang Ruochen seriously at all. In his view, no matter how powerful Zhang Ruochen was, he was only at the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Extreme Realm.
Without reaching the Fish-Dragon Realm, he was still just a mortal.
"Is that so? I'm afraid you don't have the ability."
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes and released his spiritual power.
"Boom!"
A thunderclap echoed from the sky.
Above Yin Wuchang's head, a lead-black cloud suddenly appeared, covering the moon and plunging the entire world into darkness.
Within the cloud, bright bolts of lightning gathered, weaving together as they darted back and forth.
Yin Wuchang looked up at the black cloud, sensing an inexplicable danger. His expression changed as he felt a powerful surge of spiritual power. He turned to Zhang Ruochen in shock and said, "Could it be that you primarily cultivate spiritual power?"
Zhang Ruochen didn't answer him. He simply uttered four words: "Nine-Strike Lightning Blade."
"Crack!"
A brilliant bolt of lightning tore through the void, like a blade connecting heaven and earth, bursting from the cloud and striking down fiercely.
From afar, it looked as if a god was swinging a divine blade from within the clouds.
"I refuse to believe you're really that strong."
Yin Wuchang's eyes gleamed sharply. He spread his arms, and from the palms of his hands, two masses of black light surged forth. They merged together, forming an arc-shaped light shield that he raised above his head, blocking the first lightning strike.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The lightning blades fell one after another, striking the light shield, forcing Yin Wuchang and the enormous skull to plummet rapidly downward.
By the time the seventh lightning blade fell, Yin Wuchang could no longer withstand the force. With a "bang," the light shield shattered. A lightning blade struck his back, leaving a deep wound that nearly split his body in two.
The eighth and ninth lightning blades followed, shattering the enormous skull into pieces, turning it into wisps of ghostly qi that scattered in all directions.
Orange Moon Star Envoy watched this scene in shock, drawing in a cold breath. She thought to herself, "A spiritual power master? Zhang Ruochen's hidden strength is terrifying. Yin Wuchang is no match for him."
Zhang Ruochen remained calm and composed, looking at the severely injured Yin Wuchang and said coldly, "Yin Wuchang, how do you want to die?"
Yin Wuchang was unwilling to accept defeat. He snorted, "Do you think you've already won?"
He glanced toward Orange Moon Star Envoy, took a deep breath, and prepared to unleash a forbidden martial technique, burning his blood to continue fighting Zhang Ruochen.
No matter what, he could not lose in front of Orange Moon Star Envoy.
"I'll go cut him down."
Ao Xinyan's injuries had already healed. She held the Dragon Pattern Emerald Water Sword, ready to fight Yin Wuchang again.
Just then, Orange Moon Star Envoy flew out first.
Her delicate body was as light as willow fluff, trailing her long robes as she landed on the sea surface. "Let me kill him instead."
Hearing this, Yin Wuchang's face turned deathly pale. He stared at Orange Moon Star Envoy in disbelief, his voice dry. "Junior sister... what did you say?"
Orange Moon Star Envoy walked to the opposite side of Yin Wuchang and said coldly, "Senior brother, Zhang Ruochen is now my master. If you are his enemy, you are my enemy. To be honest, I deliberately lured you here. Otherwise, how could I kill you?"
"Master..."
When Yin Wuchang heard the word "master," it felt like a piercing thorn. It was as if he had been struck by five thunderbolts, his entire body trembling.
He stared at Orange Moon Star Envoy in shock, unable to believe that his proud, cold junior sister would one day willingly submit to a man and call him "master."
Could it be that the rumors were true—that Zhang Ruochen had already tamed her into a plaything?
Before Yin Wuchang could think further, Orange Moon Star Envoy's palm had already pressed into his chest, leaving a concave imprint, shattering his heart into a pulp of flesh.
Drops of blood seeped out from the concave imprint.