Chapter 156: Joining Forces to Vanquish the Enemy, a Double Kill

Chapter 156: Joining Forces to Vanquish the Enemy, a Double Kill

"Who is it?"

Cen Ziqin looked towards the source of the voice.

"My identity is not important. I've long heard of the famous Cen Xianzi of Thousand Lakes and Islands. Let's see how you fare against my skills," the hoarse voice said again.

Cen Ziqin let out a soft snort, and the jade-like longsword in her hand slashed through the air.

A white wave slashed towards the back of the two.

But as the person spoke again, Cen Ziqin had already discerned their direction.

"There's no need to rush, Xianzi Cen. Why don't you taste my ghost mist first? Hahaha!"

Along with a sinister laugh, a thick black mist started to envelop the surroundings of Chu Ning and Cen Ziqin.

The entire bamboo forest also turned eerily gloomy.

At the same time, countless piercing screams seemed to echo in their ears.

"This is..."

Chu Ning's heart stirred.

He was very familiar with this black mist. A year ago, he had encountered it outside the Spirit Domain.

That time, it was created by a Golden Core cultivator.

Judging from the person's behavior just now, they were definitely not a Golden Core cultivator. Otherwise, they wouldn't have acted so stealthily towards the two of them.

With this thought, Chu Ning quickly took out two beads from his storage bag.

He wanted to give the beads to Cen Ziqin directly, but then he realized that doing so would expose his ability to release his spiritual sense.

After some hesitation, Chu Ning decided not to act rashly. He held the beads in his hand while keeping an eye on Cen Ziqin, wanting to see if she had any means to counter the enemy.

If she truly couldn't defend against the ghost mist, he could give her the beads then.

At this moment, Cen Ziqin's longsword danced gracefully, and in the blink of an eye, wave after wave of water rippled forth, forming a large water ball that enclosed both herself and Chu Ning.

When the black mist touched the water ball, it was blocked from entering.

Faintly, one could see dark shadows rushing towards them, but upon reaching the water ball, the ghostly faces contorted in extreme agony.

This surprised Chu Ning. Previously, he had received a bead from his sect that could ward off water and poison.

However, when he had tested it, it had no effect on the evil ghostly beings.

He wondered what method this woman was using to even repel those evil spirits.

Just as Chu Ning was thinking about this, a hint of hesitation flashed in Cen Ziqin's eyes, as if she had made a decision.

The next moment, Chu Ning heard Cen Ziqin's voice in his ear.

"Move closer. This spell consumes too much of my spiritual power and spiritual sense. If you move closer, I won't have to expand my barrier so much."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning immediately moved closer to her without hesitation, stopping when they were half an arm's length apart.

As expected, the water ball outside shrank significantly.

"Closer, lean your back against mine," Cen Ziqin instructed.

Chu Ning hesitated for a moment but did as she said, pressing his back against hers.

Instantly, a soft warmth spread across his back.

Chu Ning could feel Cen Ziqin's body stiffen momentarily.

Then, Cen Ziqin spoke again.

"Damn, I didn't expect to encounter someone who could control evil ghostly beings. I do have a way to locate the enemy, but now that I'm dealing with this, it's a bit dangerous for you to be alone here.

However, we can't stay like this either. There are too many evil souls in this ghost mist, and my barrier can only defend against them. It can't harm the enemy.

If this drags on, my spiritual power and spiritual sense will be greatly depleted, and both of us might perish here."

Hearing this, Chu Ning quickly said, "Fellow Daoist Cen, please go and kill that person. I have a treasure that can ward off these evil souls."

"Really?" Cen Ziqin asked, her voice first filled with joy and then a hint of annoyance.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"You didn't give me a chance to speak," Chu Ning replied.

Hearing this, Cen Ziqin let out a soft humph and flashed away, creating a distance of about five yards between them.

As she moved away, Chu Ning infused his spiritual sense into the Soul-Calming Bead.

Instantly, an invisible barrier enveloped him.

Cen Ziqin, who was now five yards away, looked at Chu Ning with a hint of suspicion in her eyes.

As she watched, an evil soul rushed towards Chu Ning, and she took a slight step forward, seemingly ready to rescue him at any moment.

However, the next moment, she saw the evil soul approaching Chu Ning. When it was about a foot away, an invisible wall of qi seemed to repel the ghostly face.

"Oh?"

Cen Ziqin was surprised by this scene.

However, she was now certain that these evil souls didn't seem to pose a threat to Chu Ning.

Her figure flashed, and she flew towards the side, searching for the enemy.

In just a moment, Chu Ning heard the sounds of a clash.

Apparently, Cen Ziqin had found the enemy.

Chu Ning, who was still surrounded by the evil beings, began to ponder.

These ghostly beings were different from the ones he had encountered before, created by the Yin Demon Sect's Golden Core cultivator. The level of these evil souls seemed lower.

Recalling that his Crimson Flame Fireball seemed to have some effect on these evil souls earlier, Chu Ning's heart stirred. Compared to before, his strength had improved significantly.

And if these evil souls were of a lower level, his attacks might not be as ineffective as they had been back then.

With this in mind, Chu Ning raised his left hand, and a streak of crimson flame surged forth.

"Yaaah!"

As the pillar of fire erupted, it struck an evil soul directly, eliciting a piercing scream.

Several evil souls let out piercing shrieks as they scattered in all directions.

Chu Ning's eyes widened at this sight.

He continued to brandish the spear, sending forth waves of flames. Although some evil souls managed to flee, each time he swung the spear, four or five of them would be vanquished.

At that moment, Chu Ning also noticed that the direction in which the evil souls were escaping was always the same.

"Could there be something controlling these evil souls up ahead?" Chu Ning wondered as he strode forward, spear in hand, toward that direction.

After walking about thirty feet, a large black ghostly face appeared about ten feet in front of Chu Ning.

The ghostly face was over three feet in size, and the evil souls that had been scattered by Chu Ning's attacks now fled into it.

However, at the same time, more evil souls flew out from within the ghostly face.

Chu Ning's eyes narrowed, and he immediately channeled the Blazing Flame Technique into the Firebird Spear, then thrust it toward the ghostly face!

The next moment, a crimson ball of fire blasted toward the ghostly face.

"Yaaah!"

The ghostly face let out countless piercing shrieks as the fireball hit it.

At the same time, the black mist within the face churned and seemed to dissipate.

Delighted, Chu Ning swung his spear again, sending several more fireballs toward the ghostly face!

"Yaaah!"

Under the relentless barrage of fireballs, the ghostly face truly began to break apart.

The evil souls scattered in all directions, but the next moment, they seemed to be summoned once more.

They gathered together again, forming another ghostly face that charged straight at Chu Ning.

In response, Chu Ning pushed his Pyro Wood Technique to its limit and infused the Firebird Spear with the Blazing Flame Technique.

Instantly, an extremely powerful flame gathered at the tip of the spear.

At the same time, Chu Ning thrust the spear forward.

The spear, enveloped in flames, pierced straight through the center of the ghostly face!

"Yaaah!"

Unable to withstand the attack, the ghostly face dissipated once more.

Several evil souls rushed toward Chu Ning but were blocked by the invisible protection of the Soul-Calming Bead.

At the same time, Chu Ning continued to brandish the Firebird Spear, sending forth waves of flames.

Before the evil souls could regroup, he unleashed a torrent of fire that wiped out a large number of them, even causing the black mist to thin out.

"How dare you destroy my treasure!"

Just then, a stern shout rang out.

The next moment, all the black mist vanished.

Chu Ning could now see what was happening in the distance.

He saw that Cen Ziqin was currently fighting two cultivators.

One of them, clad in black with a hood that concealed their face, was wielding a ghost-headed staff.

All the black mist had now been drawn into this staff.

Apparently, it was this person who had been controlling the evil souls and speaking earlier.

The other cultivator was a middle-aged man with a pale complexion, dressed simply, and wielding a dragon bone claw.

He had not spoken a word, but his attacks were more fierce than those of the black-robed cultivator.

"Ignore that brat for now. Let's finish off this woman first!" the pale-faced middle-aged man shouted as he swung the dragon bone claw, sending waves of black light toward Cen Ziqin.

After the black-robed cultivator retracted the ghost mist, the power of the ghost-headed staff seemed to increase.

They unleashed a barrage of spells, forcing Cen Ziqin to focus solely on defending herself with her longsword.

Just then, a burst of green light shot toward the trio, aiming for the pale-faced middle-aged man.

Sensing the incoming attack, the man swung the dragon bone claw, sending a black claw shadow to intercept the green light.

Chu Ning had launched the attack, but the middle-aged man did not want to disrupt his offensive rhythm, so he chose not to stop and defend himself.

As expected, the green light was about to dissipate under the strike of the black claw shadow.

From afar, Chu Ning's expression remained unchanged as he continued to shoot arrows infused with the Azurewood Sword Technique from the Divine Wood Longbow, but this time, he did not use the three special arrows.

As expected, the green light, which was not particularly powerful, was easily dispersed.

This time, the middle-aged man with the pale face didn't even bother using the dragon bone claw; he simply waved his hand and cast a spell.

Apparently, after testing and finding that Chu Ning's spell posed little threat to him, he was well-prepared to counter it.

Five times in a row, the arrows shot from Chu Ning's Divine Wood Longbow, infused with the Azurewood Sword Technique, were easily blocked by his opponent.

Meanwhile, Cen Ziqin was becoming increasingly overwhelmed by the attacks of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

She swung her longsword, unleashing the Jade Water Waves, but could only defend and had no opportunity to counterattack.

From a distance, Chu Ning drew his Divine Wood Longbow once more, and this time, there was an arrow nocked on the bowstring.

The Azurewood Sword Technique enveloped the arrow, transforming it into a burst of green light that shot toward the pale-faced middle-aged cultivator.

The man noticed the incoming green light and instinctively waved his hand, sending forth a spell of earthy yellow light to intercept it.

However, the moment the earthy yellow light made contact with the green light, it dissipated.

At the same time, the arrow, still wrapped in green light, continued its trajectory toward the pale-faced middle-aged man.

"Hmm?"

The cultivator finally seemed to react.

His face betrayed a hint of surprise as he saw the approaching green light, and he swung the dragon bone claw, sending a black shadow toward it.

But just like before, the black claw shadow dissipated upon touching the green light.

Although the green light dimmed slightly, it continued to shoot forward.

"Bang!"

The azure light struck the yellow shield, and the cultivator finally saw that within the azure light was an arrow.

However, the defensive shield of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was not that easy to break.

The arrow struck the yellow shield, and the azure light dimmed slightly, as if it would fall at any moment.

But at that moment, two more streaks of azure light swiftly followed.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

With two soft sounds, the two arrows, unhindered by any interference, pierced into the yellow shield.

Half of the arrowheads had penetrated through the shield.

At the same time, the azure light on the arrows intensified as if they were about to pierce through completely.

With these two arrows weakening the shield's defense, the first arrow, which had been wobbling, stabilized.

The azure light, which had dimmed slightly, began to condense and intensify.

The middle-aged cultivator with the pale complexion was shocked and had no time to worry about attacking Cen Ziqin.

He immediately channeled all his spiritual power to maintain the yellow shield around him.

However, if he had used his strongest defense from the start and deflected the arrows, it would have been fine.

But at this moment, the Azurewood Sword Technique's trait caused the three arrows to absorb the shield's spiritual power, and the azure light became even more vibrant.

The middle-aged cultivator tried to push the arrows out, but for a moment, he couldn't do it.

However, as he continuously infused his spiritual power, the yellow shield's defense strengthened, and the azure light couldn't penetrate it directly.

A brief stalemate ensued.

At this moment, the cultivator seemed to finally realize how passive he had been, and he lifted the dragon bone claw in his hand.

But before he could make any move, Chu Ning had already flown closer, brandishing the Firebird Spear, and balls of fire rushed towards the cultivator.

The explosions from the fireballs caused the yellow light to dim even further.

The dragon bone claw, which the cultivator had just raised, fell back down.

On the other end, with the pale-faced cultivator's attacks lessened, Cen Ziqin felt the pressure lessen.

Seeing that Chu Ning could restrain one of them, her bright eyes shone.

The jade-like longsword in her hand slashed out, sending out beams of white light that blocked the attacks from the ghost-headed staff.

At the same time, several powerful sword beams shot towards the black-robed cultivator.

At this moment, although they couldn't see the black-robed person's expression, they could imagine their surprise.

Facing Cen Ziqin's fierce attack, the ghost-headed staff emitted layers of black mist, enveloping the black-robed cultivator.

However, Cen Ziqin's jade-like longsword emitted dazzling sword beams.

The black mist dissipated upon touching the sword beams.

And among those sword beams, the most dazzling beam of white light pierced through the black-robed cultivator's other defenses and struck their body.

The black-robed cultivator staggered.

At the same time, Cen Ziqin flew up, transforming into a white rainbow, and her jade-like longsword stabbed towards the cultivator.

The black-robed cultivator was startled and immediately raised the ghost-headed staff to defend.

However, they couldn't withstand the attack, and the white rainbow formed by the jade-like longsword was incredibly powerful. It pierced through all the cultivator's defenses and directly into their chest.

On the other side, the middle-aged cultivator with the pale complexion was also shocked by this turn of events.

His body burst forth with a wave of yellow light, and then his figure flashed.

He forcibly broke free from the range of Chu Ning's spells.

At the same time, after Cen Ziqin killed the black-robed cultivator, she transformed into a white rainbow and rushed towards the pale-faced middle-aged cultivator who was trying to flee.

Her speed far surpassed his.

"Damn it!"

Seeing that escape was impossible, the cultivator turned to face Cen Ziqin, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

The dragon bone claw turned pitch-black, and as Cen Ziqin's white rainbow struck his shield, the dragon bone claw shot out.

It penetrated through the water screen in front of Cen Ziqin and struck her body.

"Ugh!"

Cen Ziqin let out a muffled hum, and the jade-like longsword in her hand became even more radiant, directly piercing through all of the cultivator's defenses and into his heart.

At the same time, Cen Ziqin was knocked back.

Chu Ning quickly flew over, catching Cen Ziqin in his arms.

Cen Ziqin's bright eyes only had time to glance at Chu Ning before she lost consciousness.

"Fellow Daoist Cen!"

Chu Ning called out softly, but Cen Ziqin didn't respond.

However, seeing the bloodstains under Cen Ziqin's veil, he knew her injuries were severe.

Chu Ning's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he gently placed her on the ground.

Then, he held the Firebird Spear in his hand, and it transformed into a red light that pierced into the bodies of the black-robed cultivator and the pale-faced middle-aged cultivator.

After confirming that they were both truly dead, Chu Ning took their spiritual tools and storage bags.

He also took the corpses of the two demonic beasts.

Then, as usual, he sent out two fireballs to burn the bodies beyond recognition.

After that, Chu Ning quickly carried Cen Ziqin and flew towards the direction of Flying Rainbow Island.

Following the path they had taken before, they arrived at the spot where they had first landed on the island. Fortunately, the journey back was smooth, and no unexpected events occurred.

"Fellow Daoist Cen?"

Chu Ning called out to her again, but Cen Ziqin still didn't respond.

At this moment, he didn't hesitate anymore and took out his Wind-Chasing Shuttle. Holding Cen Ziqin in his arms, he rose into the air and flew towards the direction of Flying Rainbow Island.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end