Chapter 390: Ghostly Messenger

After Chen Mobai beheaded Yuan Hongyuan and the other four, he was about to collect their bodies when a strange cold aura suddenly surged from behind him. Following this, an incredibly sharp energy, like a keen blade, pierced directly towards the back of his head. "A sixth one!?" Chen Mobai was slightly shocked. The strength of this sixth attacker was clearly a significant notch above Yuan Hongyuan and his group, likely at the Foundation Establishment Completion stage. Moreover, the timing of the attack was perfectly chosen: right after Chen Mobai had slain all his opponents and was relaxing. But he had clearly used his Void-Piercing Spiritual Eyes to observe all directions—up, down, left, and right—and had only seen five Foundation Establishment cultivators! Where did this one come from? However, now was not the time to ponder such questions. Chen Mobai's spiritual sense rapidly rotated. The Scarlet Cloud Smoke Silk, re-refined by Ming Yihua, transformed into a cyan-red protective aura, rising from his feet to shield his back.

However, this long-waiting opponent was extremely powerful. Although the chillingly sharp blade was blocked by the cyan-red aura for a single breath, it was still effortlessly torn open, piercing towards the Yuzhen acupoint at the back of Chen Mobai's head. Just as he was about to be decapitated, a massive, translucent finger bone appeared out of thin air. It met the cold, dark blade, then gently pressed and ground it, like Mount Tai descending. An indescribable, immense force crushed the flat figure holding the dark blade into a cloud of black mist scattering across the sky. "Hmm?" The Myriad Law Body was connected to Chen Mobai's mind. The surreal feeling of crushing something that seemed to offer no resistance, as if grinding empty space, made Chen Mobai turn around in great surprise. He saw his assailant and finally understood why he hadn't detected them before. This was not a sixth opponent at all, but the very first Foundation Establishment cultivator he had killed with his Yi Wood Divine Thunder. The corpse, which had its head burst by his Yi Wood Divine Thunder, was still lying in the middle of the street. However, all the powerful spiritual energy that had been contained within it had now completely detached, transforming into the vague, shadowy black mist before him. "What are you?" Chen Mobai had never encountered such a life form, one that had completely broken free from the confines of a physical body. All its power seemed to have merged into this black mist, formless, shapeless, and unconstrained.

"To think, a young fellow like you possesses such terrifying strength," the Underworld Emissary said, his voice vibrating the air with spiritual energy after shedding his physical form. At the same time, from within the black mist, he pulled out a small black banner and gently waved it towards the four cultivators Chen Mobai had slain, including Yuan Hongyuan. Accompanied by piercing wails, the black formation flags held in the hands of the four corpses flew up, transforming into illusory figures that merged into the small banner in the Underworld Emissary's palm. "Why... why..." Hong Xu's tragic voice cried out. Chen Mobai saw his soul being drawn up by the black formation flags, firmly bound to the banner's surface, clawing desperately but unable to break free. "If you had managed to kill him, you would still be useful. But since you're dead, let's put you to good use and enhance the power of this Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner," the Underworld Emissary's cold voice resonated. Following this, Tang Xiaomei's soul was also extracted and refined into the formation flag. However, Tang Da's body, which Chen Mobai's sword aura had severed at the waist, underwent a transformation. His upper and lower halves began to reattach, with flesh growing rapidly from the wound to bind them together. His entire body suddenly swelled, his skin turned dark greenish-black, and two horn-like protrusions grew from his head.

A malevolent spirit from the Yellow Springs: Ox-Head! As the Underworld Emissary waved the Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner in his hand, Tang Da, now resurrected as an Ox-Head, clambered to his feet on the street. He had completely lost his mind at this point. With a casual swing, he tore apart the shop he had crashed into. Then, with saliva dripping from his mouth, his bulging, bowed legs kicked a crater into the ground before he lunged like a cannonball, grasping violently at Chen Mobai in mid-air. He seemed to have been transformed into a monster devoid of pain, with extremely powerful regenerative abilities. "If I chop him into pieces with the Primal Yang Sword Aura, will he still recover? No, better be cautious!" Chen Mobai activated his Void-Piercing Spiritual Eyes, instantly discerning Tang Da's current general state. With an unknown powerful enemy still before him, he felt he couldn't waste too much time on this Ox-Head, who seemed immune to pain and fatigue. He opened his mouth and spat out an azure sword pill. Like a spark of fire, it flew with a stream of light and pierced the Ox-Head's glabella. Immediately, a wisp of azure flame ignited on the Ox-Head's head, and in an instant, it spread along the blood, engulfing his entire body. Chen Mobai had activated the "Blood-Burning" characteristic of his Azure Flame Sword Aura. Though the Ox-Head felt no pain, heat, or burning, by the time he reached Chen Mobai, his entire body's blood and moisture had been completely incinerated by the Azure Flame Sword Aura, turning him into countless particles of grayish-white ash that scattered into the heavens and earth.

"Azure Flame Sword Aura!?" The Underworld Emissary, witnessing this scene, spoke with a hint of shock in his voice. He hadn't encountered the Primal Yang Sword Aura before, as it was a sword art from the Immortal Sect, so he had assumed it was merely a terrifying killing artifact wielded by Chen Mobai. However, the sight of the Ox-Head being reduced to ash by a single azure sword pill immediately reminded him of memories that should have long been dead, for he had witnessed similar scenes before. "Alright, now it's truly just you left." Having dealt with the Ox-Head, Chen Mobai turned his gaze to the Underworld Emissary, who was still in the form of black mist. The Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror floated above his head, and the Profound Yang Divine Light Barrier was ready to be activated at any moment. He couldn't fully gauge the strength of this opponent, so he prepared to go all out and resolve the situation as quickly as possible to avoid any further complications.

"Heh heh, I never expected a casual ambush mission to lead me to a genius like you!" The Underworld Emissary, despite witnessing the third-tier artifact and the Azure Flame Sword Aura, did not retreat. The black mist he embodied, along with the Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner, circled around Chen Mobai like a black dragon, then suddenly burrowed into Yuan Hongyuan's corpse. *Sizzle!* Chen Mobai frowned. His Yi Wood Divine Thunder Art erupted once more, dazzling electric light at his fingertips condensing into a massive pillar of lightning that heavily struck Yuan Hongyuan's corpse. However, the Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner spewed forth a mass of dark black mist, surprisingly resisting his powerful third-tier thunder spell. By this time, the Underworld Emissary had already possessed Yuan Hongyuan's corpse. The orange-red glow where the Primal Yang Sword Aura had sliced him was still flickering, a sign of the sword aura's lingering power. But the Underworld Emissary nonchalantly condensed black mist into a blade, cutting away another section of the wound along with the remaining sword aura. Then, the upper and lower halves effortlessly reunited, forming a new parasitic body.

"Damn it... So that's... the main purpose of the Yellow Springs Sacred Fruit..." At this moment, Yuan Hongyuan's soul manifested on the Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner. Seeing the Underworld Emissary effortlessly take over his body, he finally realized what had happened, his face filled with regret. "So you've figured it out? There's no spiritual medicine in this world that can instantly elevate someone's cultivation by an entire realm," the Underworld Emissary said indifferently, waving the Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner in his hand. Yuan Hongyuan's spectral image on the banner immediately dimmed. *Whoosh!* Meanwhile, Chen Mobai had already unleashed the full power of his third-tier artifact, the Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror, to its maximum controllable extent. Pure white, intensely scorching Yang flames descended like a deluge, crashing down upon the newly possessed Underworld Emissary. As the Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner waved, plumes of dark black mist rose. However, the power that had been able to resist the Yi Wood Divine Thunder seemed to be counteracted by the pure Yang fire, gradually weakening and starting to retreat inch by inch. "Oh, so your artifact is even a Pure Yang demon-refining treasure!" the Underworld Emissary exclaimed in surprise. But there was nothing he could do now. He could only unleash the full power of the Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner. The malevolent spirits refined into the banner began to manifest their forms amidst the dark mist, quickly numbering a hundred. Then, controlled by the small black banner in the Underworld Emissary's palm, these hundred spirits moved in eerie patterns, forming a Grand Hundred Ghosts Array in mid-air. Streaks of chilling, ominous cold formed within the array, constantly clashing with the pure Yang fire, and gradually, they managed to stabilize the situation.

Chen Mobai's gaze swept over the scene, clearly understanding the situation. His Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror was being held back by the opponent's Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner. This wasn't because his artifact was inferior, but rather because the opponent's cultivation realm seemed significantly higher than his, and they were also employing a formation to boost their power. Without hesitation, he once again opened the lid of the yellow gourd at his waist. The moment the orange-red radiance appeared, it condensed into a thousand-meter thin line, streaking across the sky like a beam of light, once again severing Yuan Hongyuan's corpse, now possessed by the Underworld Emissary, into two halves. However, the latter's pale face smirked. With a wave of his hand, he brushed away the lingering Primal Yang Sword Aura from the wound, then reunited the two halves, restoring himself to his original state. Chen Mobai immediately opened his mouth and spat out an azure sword pill. Faced with the Azure Flame Sword Aura, the Underworld Emissary dared not feign indifference anymore. He activated Yuan Hongyuan's Five Mist Cloud Net Formation, causing layers of mist and smoke to cover the sky, while his entire body constantly shifted and changed positions within the formation. Although the Azure Flame Sword Aura evaporated large sections of the mist and smoke with each strike, the Underworld Emissary evaded it like an eel, always managing to dodge in advance. Chen Mobai's brow furrowed slightly. He noted that even when facing Ji Dingjin, a body cultivator at Foundation Establishment Completion, he had never felt such difficulty. This Underworld Emissary seemed to be beyond just the Foundation Establishment realm.

"He probably hasn't noticed that point yet. It's almost time." Chen Mobai plotted his plan to kill the opponent with a single blow. Meanwhile, the Underworld Emissary was also calculating how much longer his parasitic body could last. Although he had refined it in advance using the Yellow Springs Sacred Fruit, Yuan Hongyuan's cultivation was ultimately too low, only allowing him to exert the strength of a Foundation Establishment Completion cultivator. Moreover, the intense consumption of pure Yang fire from the Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror had drastically reduced the time he had initially estimated it would last. Crucially, time was not on his side. If reinforcements from the Divine Wood Sect arrived, even if he truly had an immortal body, he would likely be trapped and perish. "A quick decisive battle. This brat lacks combat experience after all." Having made up his mind, the Underworld Emissary unleashed the full power of Yuan Hongyuan's Five Mist Cloud Net Formation in a single burst. The sky-filling mist and cold currents spread out in mid-air, forming a vast, misty illusion. At the same time, the Underworld Emissary's body lunged towards Chen Mobai in the blink of an eye. *Bang!* Chen Mobai's entire body flickered with streaks of fire, as if he had teleported a great distance backward in the air. This was the Earth-Leaving Flame Light Escape, a technique he had mastered but never used before! This escape art possessed extremely powerful short-range burst mobility, almost like instantaneous movement, causing the Underworld Emissary to miss his target. Simultaneously, Chen Mobai opened his mouth and spat out a second Azure Flame Sword Aura. Using himself as bait, he finally managed to hit his opponent with the scorching, high-temperature sword aura. In the burning azure flames, Yuan Hongyuan's corpse, like the Ox-Head before him, struggled and then dissolved into a sky full of ashes.

"No, something's wrong!" But just then, Chen Mobai noticed a discrepancy. He spun around sharply and saw a peculiar mass of mist, which was the Underworld Emissary, having already detached from Yuan Hongyuan's corpse. It grinned sinisterly, resembling a black snake as it lunged violently along his neck towards his glabella. "Heh heh, I don't know how you cultivate, kid; your thunder spells, sword auras, and artifacts are all third-tier in power. But your spiritual sense realm must be a weakness." "Before I transformed into a ghost cultivator, I was a Golden Core True Monarch." "Assaulting your Purple Mansion and shattering your soul will turn you into my parasitic body, which should compensate for the loss of these four long-prepared pawns..." "Huh... How is your Purple Mansion sea of consciousness so robust... Argh..." The Underworld Emissary, who had just tried to drill into Chen Mobai's Purple Mansion, found himself slamming into a soft yet resilient barrier. He vaguely saw a green and white flower petal repel him. Chen Mobai did not let this opportunity slip. Without any hesitation, the Yi Wood Divine Thunder Art in his palm instantly became as clear as flowing water, carrying the most terrifying life force for ghost cultivators. He slammed it heavily onto the black mist that had been repelled by the Great Camphor Flower. Accompanied by a shriek from the Underworld Emissary, his inherently tough mist began to contract violently, and in the blink of an eye, half of it was dispelled by the Yi Wood Divine Thunder. *Crack!* As the Underworld Emissary was heavily wounded, the Hundred Ghosts Soul Refining Banner, which had barely managed to hold its ground against the Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror, finally gave way. Its staff broke, and the Grand Hundred Ghosts Array completely collapsed. Chen Mobai extended his hand, and the pure Yang fire also flew over. This was the ultimate Yang and most potent flame, highly effective against ghost cultivators. Under the combined assault of divine thunder and Yang fire, the Underworld Emissary couldn't even scream anymore. Finally, he dissipated into a wisp of green smoke in mid-air. Fearing that this opponent might revive by possessing another body, Chen Mobai once again opened his mouth and spat out two more Azure Flame Sword Auras, turning the corpses of Hong Xu and Tang Xiaomei entirely into ash. He then incinerated the initial parasitic body of the Underworld Emissary, whose head he had burst with Yi Wood Divine Thunder, into ash using the pure Yang fire. Only then did he truly feel at ease.