Chapter 446: Ghost King (4)

Volume 4: Winds Rising Overseas

Upon seeing the flood dragon formed by the Azure Bamboo Cloud-Swarm Swords coil towards it, the black giant tiger's eyes flashed with fierce light. After a low roar, it opened its gaping maw and unleashed a continuous stream of over ten head-sized black light orbs, which shot towards the azure flood dragon.

The two ethereal azure flood dragons could tear apart the first few light orbs with their mouths and claws. However, by the seventh or eighth orb, they could no longer withstand the assault.

With a wail, the flood dragon's form was shattered by several light orbs, revealing the flying swords' true bodies.

The two flying swords were struck by the subsequent light orbs and sent flying over ten zhang away, tumbling several times.

At the same time, the azure glow on them significantly diminished, indicating some damage to their spiritual essence.

Upon seeing this, Han Li felt a slight pang of regret. He quickly pointed a finger, and the two flying swords transformed into streaks of azure light, swiftly returning to be reabsorbed into his body for recuperation. Concurrently, he extended his other hand, releasing four identical azure flying swords that flashed and instantly struck towards the giant tiger.

The ghostly figure standing behind the giant tiger seemed a bit impatient upon witnessing this.

It took a deep breath, and an extremely piercing shriek rose up.

Upon hearing this sound, the demonic tiger immediately lowered its head slightly, its neck twisted, and its two front paws dug deep into the ground. Then, a startling scene unfolded! One side of the giant tiger's head swelled significantly, and after a flash of black light, another slightly smaller tiger head abruptly appeared there, transforming it into a two-headed monstrous tiger!

With the appearance of the second tiger head, the demonic energy emanating from the tiger surged dramatically, causing Han Li to frown deeply!

At this moment, the two-headed demonic tiger's artifact spirit, without hesitation, opened both of its mouths simultaneously, spitting out dense black light orbs one after another, which aggressively swarmed towards Han Li.

Han Li dared not be careless. He quickly formed a hand seal, and the four flying swords, already in mid-air, vibrated violently, splitting into eight. Then, with a burst of bright light, the eight flying swords converged, forming a massive azure sword several zhang long.

Han Li gazed at the sword, his eyes flickering with an unusual light. Then, without hesitation, he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of pure True Essence, which transformed into a cloud of azure light. It sprayed onto the broad blade of the giant sword. Immediately, the giant sword let out a long, clear hum and radiated dazzling light. It transformed into a streak of azure light over ten zhang long, slashing fiercely towards the black light orbs, faintly emitting sounds of wind and thunder.

The black and azure lights collided, scattering in all directions with continuous explosions, creating an astonishing spectacle!

The azure giant sword, unstoppable, shattered numerous light orbs in one go, displaying incredible prowess.

However, the black light orbs kept emerging in increasing numbers, surging continuously from the two tiger heads, one after another. There was no sign of them stopping; they seemed endless!

This situation caused Han Li's expression to darken; he was quite surprised.

Just as he was considering whether to use other spells to defeat the opponent or release more flying swords, a slight fluctuation in the air occurred about ten zhang behind him. Then, the incredibly faint gray ghostly figure silently materialized there.

Apart from a pair of blood-red eyes, no unusual aura emanated from its entire body.

Han Li seemed completely unaware of the anomaly behind him.

The gray shadow glanced at the flying insects hovering around Han Li, its red eyes flickering several times. Suddenly, it lunged, transforming into a slender gray rainbow that shot silently towards Han Li's back, intending to crush his Golden Core in one grasp. As for the insects, it paid them no mind. Because the cultivation method it practiced specialized in shape-shifting and stealth, its entire body was currently formless, so how could it fear being detected by insects? Moreover, even if it were detected, it was confident that Han Li wouldn't have time to react before meeting a tragic death under its sharp claws.

The cultivation method of this ghostly figure was indeed extremely bizarre. The gray rainbow shooting towards Han Li made no sound whatsoever and was incredibly fast. Just as it reached Han Li's back in the blink of an eye, the golden and silver armored beetles that had been hovering in the air suddenly buzzed and swarmed towards the gray light. The gray shadow was greatly startled! Before it could react, numerous golden and silver armored beetles blocked its path and rushed towards it.

Instantly, the gray light plunged into the mist of golden and silver insects. These flying insects covered its entire body, turning it into a brilliant golden and silver color.

The gray shadow was a mix of shock and anger. It shook its body a few times, trying to shake off the insects, but to no avail. Then, a dense, strange sensation spread across its entire body.

Startled, it couldn't help but lower its head to examine itself closely. As a result, the bloody light in its ghostly eyes flickered wildly, filled with horror. These seemingly insignificant beetles were tearing at its ethereal ghostly body one by one. Although tearing was very difficult, they were indeed devouring it bite by bite. They were actually able to ignore its formless ghostly body.

At this, the gray shadow became panicked and began to constantly change its form. One moment it transformed into a thick black mist, the next into a scaled monstrous ghost. But no matter how it changed, the dense swarm of beetles clung firmly to its essence, making it impossible to shake them off.

In just this short period, a significant portion of its true ghostly body had been gnawed away by thousands of strange insects.

And just then, Han Li finally turned his head, casting a cold glance at the gray shadow. Without a word, he waved both hands, and two more spirit beast pouches flew into the air. Two additional swarms of golden and silver insects buzzed into existence, then formed two giant arrowheads that shot down, joining the consumption.

The gray ghostly figure finally shrieked in terror, emitting a deafening, strange cry as it called for help from the distant black ghostly figure.

Upon hearing this sound, the black shadow finally showed a hint of anxiety. It glanced at the giant tiger artifact spirit, which was still locked in a stalemate with the azure giant sword, revealing a moment of hesitation. But immediately, the green light in its eyes contracted, and it suddenly transformed into a thick black ghostly mist, lunging at the two-headed demonic tiger.

The black tiger immediately let out a painful roar, suddenly standing upright. Then its two hind legs became thicker and larger, while its front legs became thinner and smaller. Next, after one of the tiger heads became indistinct, a hairy human face appeared, shrouded in thick black mist. The other tiger head's form remained unchanged, but its eyes became filled with tyrannical ferocity.

"Spirit Attachment Art," Han Li gasped, involuntarily muttering the name of the spell.

At first glance, this spell seemed very similar to "Possession," as both involve attaching to a living being. However, in reality, their effects are vastly different!

For one, using "Possession" cannot increase strength; in fact, after possession, one can only exert a fraction of their original power. It's merely a convenient spell for remote manipulation of a body. There are also no major drawbacks after casting it.

The Spirit Attachment Art, however, is different. It cannot be cast on other cultivators; only a cultivator can cast it upon a demonic beast of low intelligence. Moreover, after attachment, not only does one's cultivation become several times the combined cultivation of the caster and the attached entity, but once this secret art is performed, a life-and-death pact is formed with the attached entity. If one of them perishes, the other will likewise be annihilated.

But the most incredible aspect is that after casting this Spirit Attachment Art, an entirely new individual is formed, possessing its own consciousness and memories, completely different from both the caster and the attached being.

Initially, the duration of this attachment isn't very long; it automatically dispels after a short period. However, the more times this art is used and the longer it persists, the more the new individual gradually gains dominance. Eventually, this art becomes irreversible!

Ironically, though, this half-human, half-demon monster, born with astonishing cultivation, has a tragically short lifespan. The price for gaining such astonishing power is an incredible drain on its own lifespan. Often, its demise occurs not long after it truly becomes independent.

Furthermore, although its truth is unknown, there are also rumors that cultivators who practice the Spirit Attachment Art will have their souls fall into an endless abyss upon death, unable to enter the Six Paths of Reincarnation. This makes cultivators in the immortal cultivation world blanch at the mere mention of it.

Fortunately, very few cultivators know of this secret Spirit Attachment Art, and even fewer who know of it would dare to practice it. Otherwise, they would either suffer a massive reduction in lifespan or die as a half-human, half-demon monster.

The combined form of the ghostly figure and the giant tiger before him was exactly like the legendary Spirit Attachment Art. However, this secret art should only be usable by normal cultivators. There have been no reports of demonic ghosts being able to cultivate it, let alone astonishingly using it on their own artifact spirits.

Han Li, who usually kept his emotions hidden, couldn't help but show a face full of suspicion. At the same time, his vigilance greatly increased!