Chapter 621: Eye Above All Yang San Yan

Haunting winds swirled violently, and specters filled the air.

Dense ghostly energy enveloped the city's defenses, greatly interfering with the spiritual senses of the defending cultivators and severely limiting their vision to within three zhang (about 10 meters).

Big-headed ghosts, small-headed ghosts, hanged ghosts, soul-hooking geckos, and other spectral beings rose with the wind or climbed the city walls, constantly assailing the ramparts.

"Hold the line! Hold the line!""Father!!""Die—!""Don't push too far forward!""Form ranks! Form ranks!"

Shouts, commands, screams, and furious roars of grief intertwined, weaving a hymn of mortals defending their homeland.

The endless, cruel, and numb nature of the ghost tide, alongside the courage, heroism, and sacrifice of the living, represented two invisible forces constantly contending through living bodies and ghostly forms, locked in a struggle of life and death.

Tie Gengzheng, as the commander of the city guard army, coordinated the city's entire defense line.

Reports on the battle situation from various sections of the defense line arrived continuously, making his face grim as iron. This ghost tide was comparable to the final stages of previous ones, having reached historical record proportions. Had it not been for the White Paper City Lord's prior heavy rewards that attracted almost all able-bodied fighters from the villages and towns surrounding the Immortal City, White Paper Immortal City would have fallen long ago.

"Even so, our casualties are rapidly mounting—"

"What's worse, a well-trained and disciplined army of yin soldiers is menacingly eyeing us from the outskirts of the battlefield!"

"And what about us?"

Even Tie Gengzheng himself and the city guard army were not considered true cultivation armies. The only one in the entire city that could barely be counted as such was the Azure Scorched Army.

Given this comparison, the defenders could truly rely only on White Paper Immortal City itself!

Thump, thump, thump.— The earth trembled as a colossal black shadow, darker than night and as massive as a hill, gradually approached from the depths of the dense ghostly tide. It crashed through the curtain-like gloomy winds, trampling low-level ghostly mist that couldn't evade it, and with its heavy, hulking frame, it charged towards the city gates.

"Undead Bone Giant!" Tie Gengzheng suddenly stood up, fully on guard. Alarm bells blared across White Paper Immortal City!

Innumerable black and dark grey bones intertwined and pieced together to form a gigantic monster. Every bone was remarkably thick, sturdy, and ancient, weathered by the erosion of ghostly energy and time.

With every step it took, the ground groaned like it was struck by a heavy hammer, rumbling like thunder.

Its strides were enormous; though slow, in just over a dozen steps, it reached the city wall.

The tall city wall didn't even reach its neck.

The cultivators standing on the ramparts were exactly level with its mouth and nose.

The Undead Bone Giant raised its palm and directly slammed it onto the city wall. The previously unmoving wall shuddered violently, then emitted a sound like tearing paper. Accompanying these sounds, cracks appeared on the wall, rapidly spreading.

Boom, boom.

The Undead Bone Giant struck the wall twice more. The violent tremors spread along the city wall to the surroundings, shaking the defending soldiers off balance and making them reel. The surrounding ghostly beings suffered even more; in the confrontation between the Undead Bone Giant and White Paper Immortal City's wall, almost all of them were annihilated.

It absolutely couldn't be allowed to continue its rampage.

With determination, Tie Gengzheng personally charged forward, wielding an iron fan taller than himself, and attacked the Undead Bone Giant's face. The two immediately engaged in a direct confrontation.

Although the Undead Bone Giant was only at the Core Formation (Jindan) level, amidst the ghost tide, it displayed combat power comparable to the Nascent Soul (Yuanying) stage. Tie Gengzheng was only at the Core Formation (Jindan) level, but as the commander of the city guard army, he could utilize the power of White Paper Immortal City with every move, thus possessing the ability to fight.

The two sides clashed for nearly ten rounds, with neither gaining an advantage.

"We're here!"

"Charge with me!!!"

The Azure Scorched Army appeared, with Qing Chi still leading the charge. This army swept like a whirlwind across almost the entire rampart; wherever they went, ghostly beings were overthrown and suffered heavy losses. Qing Chi once again became the focus of everyone's attention, gaining great prominence.

The more she fought, the more invigorated she became. The military spirit that elevated their troop's type resided within her, allowing her to constantly sense the full status of the Azure Scorched Army.

"Paper Armor Art and Shadow Crossing Art are truly practical.""Little Ma is still formidable; he immediately chose the most suitable direction for us.""The Yang Cultivation Institute is already defunct. When will he return and fight alongside me?"

Amidst the battle, Qing Chi's thoughts raced like lightning, and she found herself missing Jiao Ma (Ning Zhuo).

The vanguard general of the Yin army, observing the battle from afar, began to feel restless.

The dense ghostly tide could not obstruct his vision. He surveyed the entire battlefield: Tie Gengzheng held off the Undead Bone Giant, while Qing Chi cleared the surroundings. White Paper Immortal City had regained its footing thanks to the combined efforts of the two individuals and one army.

The strongest part of the ghost tide was here!

Going forward, the ghost tide's offensive would gradually weaken.

"Flying Spear Ghost General." The vanguard general suddenly spoke.

Immediately, a ghost general stepped out from the ranks to his left.

The ghost general bowed his hands: "At your service!"

The vanguard general reached out, picked three military tokens from a pen holder on the table, and tossed them to the Flying Spear Ghost General.

He ordered: "I grant you three portions of military power. Do your best to kill Tie Gengzheng; Qing Chi would also suffice."

"Your subordinate obeys."

The Flying Spear Ghost General reached out, grasped the three military tokens, and immediately left the general's tent, arriving at a high platform in the outdoor plaza.

He held his head high and chest out, stared for a moment, then took out a long spear artifact and launched it against the wind!

The spear was incredibly sharp, easily piercing through the violent gloomy winds, and in a few blinks of an eye, it shot towards Tie Gengzheng's head.

Tie Gengzheng's eyes widened in fury, and he strained with all his might to raise the iron fan in his hand. Sparks and golden light shot out simultaneously, and the grating sound of metal clashing made the surrounding cultivators wince. The fan ribs of the iron fan were pierced by the spear. Tie Gengzheng rolled backward three times, then, still shaken, he scrambled to his feet, having narrowly escaped death.

Seeing that Tie Gengzheng was already prepared, the Flying Spear Ghost General sighed in regret and took out another artifact spear.

He imbued it with his Core Formation (Jindan) power, simultaneously expending a second military token. Under the military power enhancement, he threw it with full force once more.

This time, the spear was aimed not at Tie Gengzheng, but at Qing Chi.

Tie Gengzheng felt a great sense of foreboding, thinking, "Damn it, this flying spear is powerful and heavy, yet it's also insidious and tricky. It only allowed me to detect it when it was right in front of me."

"If there's a second one, how will others defend themselves?"

Thinking this, Tie Gengzheng immediately ordered: "Quickly, have the Azure Scorched Army retreat from the ramparts!"

But it was too late.

The second flying spear had already traversed several li (approximately 0.5 km each) and was about to reach the ramparts, aiming to pierce Qing Chi's head.

Qing Chi was completely unaware, deeply engrossed in battle!

Just as her life hung by a thread, a gray-white bone staff appeared out of thin air and struck the side of the flying spear. The flying spear was knocked off course; by the time it reached the city wall, it was severely off target, piercing through the air, flying over White Paper Immortal City, and disappearing into the horizon. The collision between the staff and the spear was so fierce that it directly shattered the surrounding ghostly energy, creating a massive disturbance which caused many nearby cultivators to look on in surprise.

Qing Chi, however, continued to fight fiercely, oblivious.

Qing Yan, who had been protecting her, nervously looked up and around.

The Flying Spear Ghost General's pupils constricted. He immediately used his last military token, infusing it into a third flying spear.

His throwing motion was even faster than the previous two times.

This time's target was still Qing Chi!

However, before the third spear had flown even a li, it inexplicably vanished in mid-air, as if it had never existed!

The Flying Spear Ghost General's face showed incredulous shock.

Having failed to kill any enemies with all three spears, he could only, with a heavy heart, brace himself and return to the main camp to report.

Inside the tent, the atmosphere was markedly different from before.

However, the vanguard general did not blame the Flying Spear Ghost General. His expression was cold as he said: "White Paper Immortal City has received powerful reinforcements. You are pardoned this time." He dismissed the Flying Spear Ghost General, telling him to rejoin the ranks in a perfunctory manner, his primary attention focused on the spot where the third flying spear had mysteriously vanished.

The appearance of the bone staff was one thing, but what truly concerned the vanguard general was the reason for the third flying spear's disappearance. Because it happened too quickly, the vanguard general had not discerned any clues.

The Undead Bone Giant opened its enormous mouth, unleashing a wave of death energy.

Tie Gengzheng unfurled his iron fan, summoning a gale of steel. After the two collided, the wave of death energy was weakened by eighty percent but still surged over the ramparts. Tie Gengzheng was hit by the wave of death energy, sent flying backward over a dozen steps, and crashed into the city gate tower.

Freed from the entanglement, the Undead Bone Giant suddenly bent forward and slammed its shoulder into the city wall. White Paper City's wall couldn't withstand it; like a stack of thick paper severely twisted, it directly bulged far into the city.

This sight filled all witnessing cultivators with dread.

The Undead Bone Giant pulled back, preparing for a second impact.

"No!" The cultivators sensed the danger, and many desperately unleashed attacks, but when they struck the Undead Bone Giant, the damage was negligible and ineffective.

At this critical moment, a calligraphy scroll appeared out of thin air, floating above the Undead Bone Giant. It fully unfurled, revealing a large character for 'Suppress' (鎮) inside.

The 'Suppress' character detached from the scroll and flew directly to the center of the Undead Bone Giant's forehead, where it was deeply etched. The Undead Bone Giant's aura, combat power, and speed plummeted, as if a giant had shouldered a mountain, its threat drastically reduced.

Subsequently, the recently appeared bone staff flew behind the Undead Bone Giant.

The bone staff suddenly grew, instantly becoming taller than the city wall and thicker than a main beam.

Thump, thump, thump.

The bone staff struck the Undead Bone Giant's back, each blow shattering numerous undead bones. The third strike directly crushed its spine, causing the Undead Bone Giant to fold in half and collapse on the spot, paralyzed.

Upon witnessing this scene, Tie Gengzheng and others were overjoyed, knowing that powerful reinforcements had arrived.

The next moment, the bone staff shrunk and landed in the hand of a grey-robed cultivator. He wore a white bone mask, his eye sockets deep-set with no pupils, only two points of ethereal blue ghostly flame. He was Daoist Gumu of the Soul Devouring Sect.

Near the blank calligraphy scroll, another cultivator appeared. His face was clear and unblemished, with three long strands of beard. His eyes flashed like lightning, exuding an air of scholarly refinement. It was Zhou Wenyan, the Confucian cultivator from the All-Books Pavilion.

The last person appeared directly beside Qing Chi.

He wore a dark cyan Daoist robe, stood tall and straight like a pine, with his hands clasped behind his back, proudly standing on the city wall's rampart.

"Ghosts! How dare you invade my Immortal City!"

His face was as flawless as jade, a vertical mark on his forehead tightly closed, and his eyes held undisguised contempt and fury. Such superior talent saw nothing but emptiness before him.

The next moment, the vertical mark on his forehead suddenly split open, revealing a vertical eye.

The eye emitted pure, forceful, and majestic white light.

Wherever the white gaze shone, everything was erased, vanishing from existence. No ghostly being could escape its misfortune; the only difference was that higher-cultivation ones could resist for a few breaths before disappearing into thin air!

The vertical eye on this three-eyed cultivator's forehead swept across, and all ghostly beings on that section of the city wall vanished into thin air. He turned his head and swept his gaze again, and all ghostly beings and gloomy winds on the city wall defense line to his left disappeared.

"Yang Sanyan of the Myriad Phenomena Sect, Extermination Hall, is here." The young cultivator suddenly spoke, his voice cold and full of arrogance.

All the cultivators on the ramparts turned their gazes towards him, filled with surprise, shock, and admiration. In an instant, morale soared!

Qing Chi also stared at Yang Sanyan, who was just a foot away, her gaze curious.

In the distance, the Yin army's vanguard general pondered for a moment, sighed, and ordered: "Retreat the army."

These three cultivators possessed astonishing strength, each at the Core Formation (Jindan) level. Yang Sanyan was even more exaggerated, displaying combat power with the aura of the Nascent Soul (Yuanying) stage!

Yang Sanyan's vertical eye closed. He slightly turned to the side, extended his right hand, and without a word, directly grabbed Qing Chi.

Qing Chi's hair immediately stood on end, and she instinctively retreated, attempting to create distance.

But the next moment, her shoulder was seized by Yang Sanyan's hand.

"Little girl of the ghost race, don't run around!"

Qing Yan turned pale with fright and quickly knelt on one knee, indicating they were allies.

Yang Sanyan snorted coldly: "If not for that, you would have long lost your lives. My brother mentioned you in his letter, and someone named Jiao Ma. He told me he had pledged allegiance to Jiao Ma. Now he's dead! How did Jiao Ma protect my brother? You are close to him, so go summon him. He must bear heavy responsibility for my brother's death!"

Qing Chi struggled, but in the blink of an eye, she was completely suppressed by Yang Sanyan.

Qing Chi's eyes widened in disbelief, for at this moment she was augmented by military power, yet she found herself utterly unable to resist Yang Sanyan!

Qing Yan, helpless, could only grit her teeth: "Please wait, my lord, I will immediately bring Young Master Jiao Ma over."

"Have him come to greet me swiftly." Yang Sanyan walked off, still holding Qing Chi.

He was tall, and Qing Chi was petite; he carried her as if she were a small cat.

Yang Sanyan arrived at the city gate tower, directly chased away the cultivators stationed there, and grandly seated himself in the main seat. He casually tossed Qing Chi at his feet.

He no longer took action, while Zhou Wenyan from the All-Books Pavilion and Daoist Gumu from the Soul Devouring Sect continued to act, swiftly clearing the remaining ghostly beings.

Seeing that the battle had stabilized, Tie Gengzheng thanked Zhou Wenyan and Daoist Gumu, then approached Yang Sanyan to pay his respects.

"Incompetent fool, go and properly reinforce the city defenses; do not disturb me." Yang Sanyan refused to grant him an audience. At that moment, the only person he truly wanted to see was Jiao Ma.

Soon, led by Qing Yan, Ning Zhuo arrived at the city gate tower.

Qing Yan didn't forget to send a spiritual message, earnestly reminding him: "Jiao Ma, be mindful of your attitude. Yang Sanyan is from the Myriad Phenomena Sect; his strength and status are extraordinary. More importantly, Qing Chi is still in his hands."

"Hmph, so you are Jiao Ma? Give me—" Yang Sanyan snorted coldly, but did not finish his sentence.

The next moment, Ning Zhuo pushed with both palms, directly overturning the city gate tower.