Chapter 10: The Battle of Hanxiu Peak (Part 3)

"Hey, old man, you’re not running away and staying here. Do you think you can stop us by yourself?"

Chen, the junior brother with a hoarse voice, curiously sized up the Great Elder. The Hundred Ghost Banner in his hand was fully unfurled, surrounding the entire Hanxiu Peak, not even a bird could escape.

"Stop you? Of course not. I’m staying here... to kill you and avenge my fallen clan members!"

The Great Elder swallowed a blood-red, strange pill in one gulp. His entire body's skin emitted an eerie red glow, and his aura continuously rose. Despite being at the peak of the Qi Condensation stage, he seemed to be advancing and growing stronger every moment, almost reaching the pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Blood-Consuming Pill? Your Bai family really has some reserves, giving me pleasant surprises one after another."

Chen, the senior brother, had a dark expression, first showing surprise, then quickly turning sinister.

"Don’t even think that the Blood-Consuming Pill can give you the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator for just one incense stick’s time. Once the time is up, your qi and blood will reverse, and you’ll die without a trace. Even if you were a true Foundation Establishment cultivator, you, a clan cultivator, still can’t compare with us, the disciples of a sect."

"Senior Brother Chen, leave this one to me. I can deal with him in just one incense stick’s time. My junior brother is short of a flying sword, and although the old man’s weapon isn’t top-notch, it can still be used."

"Sure, but you won’t get a share of the other things we find in the family’s treasure vault!"

The two Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators casually arranged the fate of the Great Elder and the Bai clan members, but they didn’t relax their guard. They hid behind the Hundred Ghost Banner, concealed in a black cloud, and maintained a distance of several dozen feet, not showing any arrogance.

The Blood-Consuming Pill is a very special second-stage pill, primarily made from the inner core of a second-stage beast, combined with the essence blood of several beasts.

Its effect is simple: a Qi Condensation stage cultivator can instantly possess the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator for one incense stick’s time, at the cost of their life.

The alchemist who created this pill formula originally intended to research a pill that could temporarily boost one’s realm by overworking the qi and blood, with the expected cost being just a few months of weakness. It would also allow the user to experience the power flow of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, which would be beneficial for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, after successfully refining it, the side effects were too severe, and the cost of refining it was high. The alchemist gave up on this formula after several attempts to improve it, so the Blood-Consuming Pill was rarely seen on the market.

"Just one Blood-Consuming Pill indeed can’t do much to you... but if the clan is about to be destroyed, what’s the point of hiding our trump cards?"

The Great Elder muttered to himself, as if making a decision.

"Thousand Bamboo Formation, activate!"

On Hanxiu Peak, countless black bamboo groves stretched out, forming a vast bamboo sea.

At the Great Elder’s angry command, boundless green light shot up from the ground, causing the black bamboo to grow rapidly, forming an array that matched the Hundred Ghost Banner.

"This is... an enlarged version of the Yi Wood Green Spirit Technique?" Bai Zichen, watching from the warehouse, was stunned. The green light felt very familiar, just like the Yi Wood Green Spirit Technique he practiced every day, but on a scale hundreds of times larger.

As the black bamboo grew wildly, countless roots sprouted and entangled the two Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Ghost Spirit Sect.

Although the Hundred Ghost Banner protected them, it couldn’t prevent them from being confined to a small area, unable to break free from the root cage.

The Great Elder took out a green talisman from his chest, bowed solemnly, and sliced his wrist, spraying blood onto the talisman, which immediately transformed into a green jade flying sword.

" Sword Talisman! It’s a talisman treasure, where did your Bai family get a talisman treasure?"

The hoarse Chen junior brother looked as if he had seen a ghost. He consecutively summoned five magical tools to protect himself, then decisively cut off his wrist with a dagger and threw it to the ghost on the main banner of the Hundred Ghost Banner. The ghost devoured the wrist in two bites and crawled out of the banner, attaching itself to his body, forming a fierce black armor.

"It’s impossible. The highest cultivation level of the Bai family’s ancestors was barely at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and there’s never been any mention of a close relationship with any Core Formation ancestor. How could they have a talisman treasure hidden away?"

Chen, the senior brother, also couldn’t believe it. He consecutively slapped three defensive talismans on his body and summoned a large bell to cover his head.

A talisman treasure is a treasure created by a Core Formation cultivator, who sacrifices part of their life force to seal the power of a magical tool into a talisman. Only a Core Formation cultivator who is about to die would do this, to pass the talisman treasure to their closest descendants and disciples.

With the power of a magical tool, the might of a talisman treasure is evident, especially a sword talisman, which is the most lethal among all talisman treasures.

The Great Elder held the green jade flying sword and controlled it with his mind, transforming into a green light that circled around the Chen cultivator three times.

No matter what protective spells or talismans he had, they were as fragile as paper, unable to withstand the sword’s sharpness.

Even the bronze bell, a magical tool, fell to the ground in pieces after the third circle, cleanly split in two.

"Friend, hold back, I am from the Ghost Spirit Sect’s Soul Hall..."

Before the Chen cultivator could finish his sentence, his head was separated from his body, and his soul was destroyed.

The green light dissipated, and the Great Elder reappeared, spitting out another mouthful of blood, his body swaying. Even with the Blood-Consuming Pill, which artificially boosted his power, the Great Elder found it difficult to control the sword talisman. He had pushed the sword talisman to its limit, merging with the green void, to kill the Chen cultivator in just three breaths.

"Time is running out, kill a few more!"

The Great Elder glanced at the hoarse Chen junior brother, making him break out in a cold sweat, and transformed into a green light, slashing at him. He shattered a pair of bells, a flying knife, and two sea-dividing forks, but was blocked by the black armor.

With this respite, the Chen junior brother took out a ghastly green gem and summoned another barrier in front of him.

The green light turned and charged at the surrounding Ghost Spirit Sect Qi Condensation cultivators.

This sword talisman, passed down from the Bai family’s ancestors, had only been used once in hundreds of years, but it had slaughtered all the onlookers, so no news about the Bai family’s talisman treasure had spread. However, when the sword talisman reached the Bai family’s ancestors, it had already been used multiple times, leaving only one last use.

Today, the Great Elder activated the sword talisman, clearly feeling that it could run out of power at any moment, so he couldn’t afford to waste time on the stubborn Chen junior brother.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect were targeted by the Great Elder. Regardless of whether they had defensive magical tools, they were all obliterated by the green light.

The green light dissipated, and the green jade flying sword reverted to a green talisman, which spontaneously combusted, having used up all its power and completed its mission.

"Haha, what a relief! I’ve traded my life for a Ghost Spirit Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator. In the netherworld, my ancestors won’t blame me for wasting the sword talisman!"

The Great Elder fell to the ground, laughing to the sky. He then struggled to turn his stiff head, looking around as if trying to take in the entire Hanxiu Peak.

Bang!

The Blood-Consuming Pill’s effect ran out, and the Great Elder’s body swelled and exploded into a cloud of blood, leaving no trace.

"Damn Bai family cultivators, I will collect all your souls and slowly boil them with demonic fire for forty-nine days, then send them to the Hundred Ghost Banner, ensuring you never achieve rebirth!"

The Chen junior brother finally broke free from the root cage, seeing the carnage on the ground, and was furious, with blood still dripping from his severed wrist.

(End of Chapter)