Chapter 136: Leaving

Meanwhile, several streaks of spiritual light appeared on the horizon, heading towards Li Yang and his companions. Feeling the astonishing spiritual pressure emanating from the red light, the Bone Dragon dared not be careless. With a flick of its claws, it launched a white bone blade and a green flying dagger in quick succession. With two muffled thuds, the red light severed both the white bone blade and the green flying dagger. In a flash, the red light then struck the Bone Dragon's head with great force, leaving a long crack on its skull. The red light was, in fact, a massive red sword, more than ten zhang long. It was translucent, and its blade was enveloped in a layer of crimson flames.

At that moment, a chorus of Sanskrit chanting resonated from high above. Suddenly, a golden light flared above the Bone Dragon's head, and a palm-sized golden pagoda materialized. The miniature pagoda spun, radiating brilliant light as it rapidly grew to dozens of zhang in height. Its body was adorned with profound spiritual patterns, and its surface was carved with several Buddha statues. As the Sanskrit chanting swelled, the golden pagoda emitted a sheet of golden light, enveloping a portion of the Bone Dragon's massive body. Where the golden light enveloped the Bone Dragon, wisps of green smoke immediately began to rise.

The Buddha statues on the pagoda's surface seemed to come alive, and the golden light intensified, completely engulfing the Bone Dragon's body. The Bone Dragon rapidly shrank in size and was swept into the massive pagoda by the golden light. Muffled thuds echoed from within the colossal pagoda, as if the Bone Dragon was thrashing against its golden walls inside. The Buddha statues glowed even brighter, and the Sanskrit chanting intensified abruptly. Ripples spread through the void near the golden pagoda, and a beam of golden light materialized, revealing a kind-faced monk in golden robes.

“Amitabha,” the monk uttered, “it seems this humble monk has arrived just in time.”

The golden-robed monk nodded. With a hand seal, the golden pagoda’s light intensified dramatically, and a piercing shriek emanated from within it. Although no spiritual power fluctuations emanated from the golden-robed monk himself, the astonishing spiritual energy radiating from the golden pagoda indicated that he was clearly not merely a Core Formation cultivator.

At that moment, four more streaks of escape light—one red, one blue, and two green—also arrived. The red streak belonged to a tall Daoist in red robes, whose sleeve bore a small sword emblem. Concurrently, Li Yang and his four Core Formation cultivators also flew closer. Upon seeing the golden-robed monk, they exchanged bewildered glances, a hint of confusion in their eyes.

“Daoist Li,” the red-robed Daoist began, “allow me to introduce you to Master Guangji. Master is a Nascent Soul cultivator. Upon learning of the Ghost Abyss, he voluntarily entered to eradicate the ghosts. This junior deeply admires his righteous deed.” As he finished speaking, the red-robed Daoist bowed respectfully to the golden-robed monk.

“A Nascent Soul cultivator!” Li Yang and his group instantly understood. No wonder the Ghost King had been vanquished so effortlessly; it was due to a Nascent Soul cultivator with profound Buddhist cultivation.

“Thank you, Master, for your timely intervention. We were truly in a predicament.”

The golden-robed monk waved his hand dismissively. “Subduing demons and eradicating evil is this humble monk’s duty, as well as everyone’s. Though the Ghost King has been defeated, you must still send people in regularly to patrol, lest any Ghost Infant-stage entities appear. I will not tarry here any longer. Please continue as you wish.” With a modest gesture, the golden-robed monk put away his magic treasure and transformed into a streak of golden light, soaring into the sky. He vanished from sight moments later.

The red-robed man frowned, turning to the red-robed Daoist. “Daoist Zhao? You invited Master Guangji? You should have told us sooner! It would have saved us from dispatching so many people to search for these spirits.”

“Master Guangji was not invited by us,” the red-robed Daoist clarified. “He was merely passing through on his travels. Had he not learned of the ghostly disturbances, we would never have known a Nascent Soul cultivator was in the vicinity. But speaking of which, Daoist Li, it’s quite frankly unacceptable that you couldn’t even defeat a single Ghost King.”

“Exactly,” another voice chimed in. “We agreed to cooperate, but you clearly didn’t pull your weight, which is a serious breach of our agreement.”

The red-robed man shook his head. “You misunderstand. It wasn’t just one Ghost King; there were two. They possessed a fusion technique, which drastically boosted their strength, and they also wielded two magic treasures. That’s how they managed to break through the Tier 4 formation talismans.”

“A fusion technique!” the red-robed Daoist exclaimed. “Never mind. Since the Ghost Kings have been eliminated, let’s lead our people out first. We can then seal the entrance. The Ghost Abyss is rich in various Yin-attribute materials; we should discuss how to divide them fairly.”

“Agreed,” Li Yang replied. “We’ll discuss it once we’re outside.”

Li Yang flew back inside the golden light barrier and announced loudly, “Everyone, listen up! Pack your belongings and prepare to depart the Ghost Abyss. We will convene at the original departure point to discuss merits and rewards.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan exchanged glances, each seeing the joy reflected in the other’s eyes. Wang Changsheng pointed to the Yin Pearls and Spirit Bones scattered on the ground. “Fairy Wang,” he asked, “how should we divide these items?”

The sheer quantity of Yin Pearls and Spirit Bones strewn across the ground was immense. Without a clear agreement on distribution, the two families were highly likely to quarrel over them. The situation had changed significantly. Moments ago, they had united for survival, but now, with treasure division at stake, their unity was precarious. No sooner had Wang Changsheng spoken than Wang Mingzhan and his five companions hastily replaced the spirit stones in their puppet beasts. The cultivators from the Wang family, their faces etched with vigilance, clutched spirit talismans in their hands.

Wang Ruyan pondered for a moment, then suggested, “You take the east side, and I’ll take the west. How does that sound?”

“No problem,” Wang Changsheng readily agreed. “Sixth Uncle, I’ll leave it to you all.” Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan stood facing each other, each wary of the other, while ten Qi Refining cultivators hastily collected the Yin Pearls and Spirit Bones from the ground.

Fifteen minutes later, Wang Mingzhan handed a bulging storage pouch to Wang Changsheng. Wang Changsheng scanned it with his spiritual sense, a hint of delight appearing in his eyes.

“Daoist Wang,” Wang Ruyan said, “this humble sister will depart first. Should the opportunity arise in the future, let us cooperate again.” Wang Ruyan then summoned a green flying shuttle and departed with the Wang family cultivators. Wang Changsheng did not linger. He replaced the spirit stones in his crow puppet and left, carrying Wang Mingzhan and his five companions.

Less than half an hour later, over seventy cultivators had gathered in front of the black stone building. Originally, there had been over four hundred cultivators. However, when the Ghost Kings attacked the formation, a massive number of ghosts and skeletal corpses had relentlessly assaulted them, resulting in heavy casualties.

Wang Changsheng’s gaze quickly scanned the crowd, but to his disappointment, he saw no sign of Zhao Yutang or Zhao Ningxuan. Lin Junting, however, was alive and well, chatting and laughing with two disciples from the Purple Cloud Sect.

Li Yang had his subordinates register everyone present and collect the Yin Pearls and Spirit Bones from them. These were to be converted into contribution points, with the accounting and exchange done immediately to ensure fairness. This approach received unanimous approval from all the cultivators present. Lin Junting, who was with a team of Purple Cloud Sect disciples, had survived, but hadn't acquired many items. Most other cultivation families also had few Yin Pearls and Spirit Bones to show. However, a few families had managed to collect a considerable amount.

The Sun family from Qingzhou, the Yu family from Yizhou, the Yuan family from Yongzhou, and the Tang family from Shuzhou—these four cultivation families presented a significant quantity of Yin Pearls and Spirit Bones. Naturally, Wang Ruyan contributed the most, as the Wang family was the foremost cultivation family in the State of Song, which surprised no one. Wang Changsheng, too, presented a large quantity of Yin Pearls and Spirit Bones. Since the Wang family was a relatively obscure minor family, this caused a stir, and Lin Junting’s expression turned sour. Given that Wang Changsheng was part of Wang Ruyan’s team, Li Yang wasn't particularly surprised by his haul. While Wang Changsheng did present a significant number of Yin Pearls and Spirit Bones, his total still couldn't compare to the larger contributions made by the Wang, Sun, Yu, Yuan, and Tang families.

Over an hour later, the counting was complete, and representatives from each family stepped forward in succession to exchange their points for items. Wang Changsheng successfully exchanged his points for a Foundation Establishment Pill and two bottles of Tier 2 mid-grade Spirit Nourishing Pills. However, he did not receive an Immortal Ascension Token. Several disciples from major cultivation sects, who had presented more Yin Pearls and Spirit Bones, not only acquired Foundation Establishment Pills but some also obtained an Immortal Ascension Token. For some unknown reason, the Wang family failed to secure an Immortal Ascension Token. Naturally, the exchange details were communicated via sound transmission, so others only saw Wang Changsheng receiving three porcelain bottles, unaware of their contents. Given the large quantity of Yin Pearls and Spirit Bones Wang Changsheng had presented, acquiring a Foundation Establishment Pill was undoubtedly possible, a fact Lin Junting was well aware of.

Once the exchanges were complete, Li Yang summoned a green flying boat, and the cultivators boarded it one by one. “Let’s go,” Li Yang commanded. Li Yang cast an incantation onto the green flying boat, which instantly glowed brightly and ascended into the sky, carrying everyone aboard.