Chapter 496: Spirit Technique Repels the Enemy

If it were a human cultivator at the third level of Core Formation, Wang Changsheng would have dared to stay and fight. However, against a half-demon at the third level of Core Formation, he wouldn't dare to engage.

Incidentally, if not for Huang Fugui, he wouldn't have been pursued by half-demons. He had no idea what Huang Fugui had done to attract the pursuit of two half-demons.

Wang Changsheng's spiritual power was somewhat deeper than that of a cultivator at the second level of Core Formation. However, the half-demon pursuing him was at the third level.

The distance between them was steadily closing; it was only a matter of time before the half-demon caught up with Wang Changsheng.

A short while later, Wang Changsheng appeared above a winding mountain range. This area was filled with numerous silver trees, their leaves a pale silver hue.

"Roar!" The sudden roar of a canine beast of cultivation echoed, shaking the very heavens.

Upon hearing it, Wang Changsheng felt as though his head had been sharply struck, and his speed immediately decelerated.

The green-robed man flicked a finger, and a streak of verdant light shot out, hurtling directly towards Wang Changsheng. A piercing hiss accompanied its passage.

Wang Changsheng’s expression drastically changed. He dodged to the left, and the green light grazed past him.

He gasped, his face contorted in pain. A two-inch long bloody gash appeared on his left arm, bleeding profusely. Had his physical body not been exceptionally strong, his left arm would likely have been severed.

A flicker of surprise crossed the green-robed man's eyes. His seemingly ordinary strike was, in fact, the "Azure Mastiff Finger," a secret technique of the Azure Mastiff clan. For a human cultivator's arm to withstand such a blow without breaking, it appeared his opponent was a body cultivator. This explained why he dared to enter the Celestial Wolf Secret Realm.

Wang Changsheng turned and cast a cold glance at the green-robed man.

If he didn't put up some resistance, Wang Changsheng wouldn't be able to escape far.

He formed a hand seal, and a loud crack of thunder erupted. Countless blue electric arcs surged across his body, unleashing a large volley of blue lightning spears towards the green-robed man.

He conjured the Frigid Cloud Bottle, which unleashed a vast expanse of white mist. This mist coalesced into five colossal white pythons, each over ten zhang long, that coiled and lunged at the green-robed man from all directions.

Unfazed, the green-robed man produced a green ox horn, roughly a foot in length, its surface covered in intricate, mysterious runes.

A low horn blast sounded, and an invisible sound wave swept outwards. The blue electric arcs struck the sound wave, flickered, and then vanished. The sound wave swiftly passed through the five white pythons, causing them to dissolve into a large expanse of white mist before disappearing.

A loud "whoosh" filled the air as countless yellow flying needles shot forth, immediately followed by a white ice dragon over thirty zhang long.

As the barrage of yellow flying needles descended, the green-robed man calmly produced a palm-sized green plantain fan. With a flick of his wrist, the fan flew from his grasp, instantly expanded, and settled back into his hand.

Gripping the green plantain fan with both hands, he channeled immense spiritual power into it, causing intricate runes to appear across its surface.

With a gentle wave, a powerful gale erupted, and a green hurricane swept forth, rapidly hurtling towards his opponent.

"Boom!" A deafening explosion ripped through the air as the countless yellow flying needles utterly pulverized the green hurricane.

The green-robed man's expression remained unchanged. He continuously fanned the plantain fan, unleashing successive gusts of green hurricanes that formed an impenetrable shield around him.

The continuous rumbling filled the air, as rings of turbulent energy rippled outwards.

"Roar!" The green-robed man let out a strange howl. A green light flared around his body, and his face blurred, transforming into a colossal canine head with a green visage and prominent fangs.

The green light on his body intensified, and he transformed into a streaking green arc, lunging at Wang Changsheng.

He was supremely confident in his physical body; if he could get close, even if Wang Changsheng was a body cultivator, he would undoubtedly die.

Wang Changsheng's brow furrowed slightly. He formed a hand seal, and the Nine-Twist Divine Sand spun rapidly, transforming into thousands of yellow flying needles that rained down upon the green arc.

As soon as the yellow flying needles approached within ten zhang of the green arc, they were repelled. Evidently, the green-robed man had activated a defensive ability and was not arrogant enough to directly withstand Wang Changsheng's attack with his bare body.

At this moment, the green arc was less than a hundred zhang from Wang Changsheng. A sharp glint flashed in Wang Changsheng's eyes. He raised a hand, and a streak of red light shot out, soaring to meet the green arc.

The red light and the green arc exploded when they were twenty zhang apart, transforming into a gigantic crimson sun. Within a hundred-zhang radius, scorching heat waves rolled, and the temperature was terrifyingly high. This was the Nine Flames Talisman that Guangdong Ren had given to Wang Changsheng.

Ripples shimmered above the crimson sea of fire, and a blue vortex, several zhang in diameter, appeared out of thin air. From its center, a massive hand, covered in numerous blue electric arcs, reached out and rapidly slammed down.

Boom! A man's piercing shriek ripped through the air.

Wang Changsheng did not believe he could kill a half-demon at the third level of Core Formation. He quickly stowed his magical treasures, transformed into a streaking blue arc, and vanished into the sky.

Two breaths later, the crimson sea of fire dissipated, revealing the green-robed man.

His clothes were tattered, and his hands were bleeding profusely, leaving him looking quite disheveled.

"A Spirit Art!"

He gazed at Wang Changsheng's retreating figure, his eyes filled with apprehension.

Core Formation cultivators who mastered Spirit Arts were exceedingly rare. Although this Spirit Art attack didn't claim his life, it certainly wounded him.

Since Wang Changsheng had mastered a Spirit Art, he might possess other hidden trump cards; even a cornered rabbit will bite. The Celestial Wolf Secret Realm's opening time was limited, and he wanted to gather as many cultivation resources as possible. Engaging in a life-or-death battle with Wang Changsheng before confirming he held immense wealth would not be wise.

The green-robed man turned and went after his companion.

In a dense bamboo forest, the ground suddenly became uneven. A yellow-robed man with a pockmarked face emerged from beneath the earth; it was Huang Fugui.

"Finally, I shook off that woman! It was just a 500-year-old Water Elemental Flower, wasn't it? She chased me for tens of thousands of miles! If I hadn't been fast, I'd be dead. I wonder which unlucky soul helped me draw away one of the half-demons."

Huang Fugui muttered to himself, a look of triumph on his face.

To escape from a half-demon at the fifth level of Core Formation with only a third-level Core Formation cultivation, perhaps only Huang Fugui could accomplish such a feat.

A tremendous rumbling sound erupted, as if a battle were underway.

Huang Fugui's eyes darted around. A brilliant yellow light enveloped his body, and he burrowed into the ground, slowly moving towards the source of the rumbling.

In a clearing, Fang Mu stood with his hands clasped, a black coffin resting on the ground. Several large craters dotted the earth around him.

A small zombie, clad in black armor, lay prone on the back of a red rhinoceros, about a zhang tall. Its head rested against the rhino's neck, held securely by countless thin black threads that bound it firmly to the beast.

The red rhinoceros charged wildly, attempting to dislodge the small zombie from its back, but to no avail.

Behind a distant patch of waist-high bushes, a small mound suddenly rose. Huang Fugui's head emerged from the earth, his small eyes darting around.

Soon after, the red rhinoceros was drained into a withered husk. The small zombie released its grip on the rhino, turning to face Huang Fugui directly.

Black energy swirled around the small zombie's body, exuding a chilling aura.

"A Black Zombie!"

Huang Fugui's pupils contracted, and a flicker of terror appeared in his eyes.

A Black Zombie was equivalent to a Core Formation cultivator. The hierarchy of zombies, from lowest to highest, included: Hopping Corpse, Wandering Corpse, Purple Zombie, Black Zombie, Hairy Zombie, and Flying Zombie, which corresponded to ordinary mortals, Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation stages, respectively.

The small zombie's mouth was stained with fresh blood. It seemed to have caught the scent of a living person and hopped directly towards Huang Fugui.

Terrified, Huang Fugui instantly burrowed underground, frantically fleeing for his life.

A yellow light flared around the small zombie, as if it intended to pursue, but Fang Mu stopped it.

"Alright, come back," Fang Mu said. "A fellow at the third level of Core Formation won't be of much help to you. If you're going to drain something, drain a half-demon or a beast of cultivation. It's not easy for a Core Formation cultivator to emerge in the Eastern Barren Lands; let him live to fight against the demon race!"

Fang Mu spoke calmly. The Yin Corpse Sect was one of the seven great sects, and from the day Fang Mu entered the cultivation world, his elders had instilled in him a broader perspective: the demon race was their true formidable enemy.

The small zombie let out a strange howl, flew back into the black coffin, and the lid automatically sealed shut.

Fang Mu collected the beast of cultivation's materials, hoisted the coffin onto his back, and vanished into the bamboo forest.