Chapter 360: Great Battle with the Demon Mother

The ghost infant moved with unbelievable speed, like a dark purple shadow. A bloody scent assailed him. Li Wei felt an intensely cold and sinister power on his skin, his hairs standing on end. Almost instinctively, he channeled the Golden Crow Flame aura from the spirit world.

“Whoosh!”

He swung his arm as if to block. A large expanse of fiery golden light erupted on the back of his hand, like a wall of flames, batting the pouncing ghost infant away.

The ghost infant crashed heavily onto a vendor’s stall a dozen yards away, scattering goods everywhere. Although its body was tiny, its physical strength was abnormal. Li Wei's previous swing could have shattered a magical artifact, yet the infant merely struggled for a few moments before getting up again and lunging at pedestrians in the street.

Its aura of malice and murderous intent was immense, its laughter ceaseless, and in an instant, it had killed three people. On the five-yard-wide street, screams, shouts, and footsteps created utter chaos, with everyone scrambling to escape. Even top-tier Five Seas Realm experts intervened, but all who did were killed.

The ghost infant tackled a vendor who hadn't managed to hide within a shop's protective array, its small claws poised to plunge into the vendor's heart. With a whoosh, a fiery golden spiritual rope shot from Li Wei's brow a dozen yards away, coiling around the infant's neck. He pulled with all his might.

The ghost infant shrieked and cried, smashing onto the ground at his feet. The spiritual rope burned its neck with a sizzling sound. Li Wei took a closer look, holding his breath.

How could this be a human infant? It was terrifyingly grotesque, with saw-like fangs, greenish-black skin, and hair like fleshy knots. A large bulge in its belly was the heart it had swallowed whole moments before.

If this creature was truly born from drinking at the Mother-Child Spring, one could only imagine the feelings of the women who had drunk from the Mother-Child Spring in the past two years, and their families. Such a demonic creature deserved to be exterminated by everyone.

“Bang!”

Li Wei waved his hand, unleashing a massive palm print that instantly killed it. The street cracked open, revealing a hand-shaped crater over a meter long. The pit was filled with dark purple blood and twitching bits of flesh.

Li Wei's scalp tingled. He unleashed Golden Crow Flames, incinerating all the scattered flesh.

“Ah…”

A piercing, grief-stricken cry echoed from afar. The sound waves transformed into a hurricane. The Ghost Mother, perched atop a stone pillar archway, was in immense pain. Her cries were full of hatred, and with claws poised and malevolent energy surging, she flew towards Li Wei.

Her long hair was disheveled, green flames flickered in her eyes, and her movements were elusive as she darted across the rooftops lining the street. As she moved, layers of frost on the ground rapidly spread to Li Wei's feet.

“Whoosh! Whoosh…”

Six white-armored Seed Realm experts from the imperial court, riding strange beasts, flew into the shimmering array that enclosed the district and charged towards the Ghost Mother. They jointly deployed a net-shaped magical artifact. The scriptures emanating from it covered the entire mile-wide market district, suppressing the Ghost Mother and continuously ensnaring her.

The Ghost Mother was powerful, but the six individuals who came to capture her were far from ordinary. The street was empty; some pedestrians had fled, while others had hidden within the shops' protective arrays. The seven individuals shone like seven stars, the powerful energy erupting from their bodies constantly absorbed by the formations in the sky and underground. The Boundary Suppressing Stele in Danyue District, several miles away, also glowed brightly.

A large-scale battle at the Seed Realm level only managed to destroy one or two buildings. The surrounding market district was dotted with numerous ten-story-high vermilion towers and cloud pagodas, with intricate encircling galleries, magnificent architecture, and expansive views. Countless young cultivators gathered at the railings, gazing into the distance and discussing.

Li Wei felt some eyes on him. Not wishing to attract attention, he quickly left, descending the stone steps in front of the shop.

“Bang!”

A white-armored imperial expert was thrown horizontally like a cannonball, spitting blood as he landed several yards from Li Wei, unable to stand. He had been severely injured by a palm strike from the Ghost Mother, even through the large net artifact.

Dozens of yards away, the Ghost Mother, still ensnared in the net, stared fixedly at Li Wei, who was trying to escape, and let out a piercing shriek. The imperial experts, each holding a corner of the net artifact, felt their eardrums shatter and their skulls feel as if they would burst from her roar.

“Rip!”

From the Ghost Mother's ancestral field, a 1.5-meter-long green-gold Horse-Chopping Saber flew out, its hilt over a foot long. The dark purple ghost mist and the large net artifact were ripped apart by the green blade energy she unleashed. The saber energy was like a green wall of light, extending from dozens of yards away to behind Li Wei, overwhelmingly powerful.

In the center of the street, dozens of yards long, a deep groove appeared, as if ploughed. All five imperial experts were flung outwards, crashing haphazardly against the shimmering array.

“She can use a saber?” Li Wei was speechless. He had heard earlier that she hailed from the West Sea Royal Palace and was even a disciple of the Third Palace Master, essentially having two extraordinary backgrounds. Her strength and lineage were clearly formidable. He dashed forward at top speed, but the shimmering array blocked his escape.

In an instant, the Ghost Mother had covered dozens of yards, appearing behind Li Wei with her saber raised. Her porcelain-white skin was covered in dense, dark purple vascular patterns, making her face utterly hideous.

“Whoosh!”

She held the saber with both hands, raised it above her head, and channeled all the strength in her muscles and bones to perform the "Aerial Horse Cleave." Countless saber energies swirled around her. Over 800 scriptures appeared on the blade of the green-gold long saber. It was actually an Eighth-Grade Hundred-Character artifact; its overwhelming power was evident.

“Forward!”

Spiritual flame light flashed brightly on Li Wei's body. His figure shifted horizontally a dozen yards, appearing on top of a three-story building to his right.

The Ghost Mother's saber strike missed. The blade energy landed on the shimmering array nearby, causing the array to ripple like a tumultuous wave. Her movements were swift, and she seemed to walk on air, catching up to Li Wei once more, her hatred truly boundless.

“Whoosh! Whoosh…”

Li Wei continuously employed the "Forward Character Art," teleporting and dodging, trying to lure her towards the five imperial experts. Unexpectedly, the five imperial experts, having never encountered such a formidable Ghost Mother, scattered and fled. They only needed to keep her trapped here; stronger imperial experts would soon arrive to suppress her. The crucial problem was that Li Wei had killed her child, so she was only pursuing him.

There was no escape. Li Wei abruptly stopped, standing proudly on the rooftop, and released a corner of his spiritual consciousness. He swung his arm, and a several-yard-long branch from the Fusang Divine Tree appeared, its leaves fiery gold, stirring up terrifying energy fluctuations as it collided with the Ghost Mother's cleaving saber.

A head-on clash sent her staggering back. Briefly separating, then instantly clashing again.

“Boom! Bang!”

One held a spiritual light branch, the other a saber. They advanced and retreated, their power incredibly pure, exchanging blows and changing tactics. Even without using the Staff-Spear of All Things, the combat power unleashed by Li Wei's psychic energy was no less than hers. The only thing to watch out for was the Eighth-Grade Hundred-Character Horse-Chopping Saber in her hand. Let alone cleaving a horse, with her cultivation level, she could cleave a city wall with one strike if there were no array formations.

Two miles away, on a towering cylindrical cloud tower in the Immortal Forest, countless noble youths of Lingxiao City, all with pure immortal bodies, gathered, gazing at the ghost mist-shrouded street in the distance. Saber light and fire shadows clashed, the sounds deafening, their moves intricate.

“This young Mind Master is very powerful! With spiritual light empowering his body, his reactions are swift. He can fight Song Qingli in close combat.”

“His psychic energy is quite unique and very strong. To be able to fight Song Qingli to a standstill, he's certainly no ordinary person. Do you know his background?”

“I've never seen this person! Logically, with such psychic mastery, he should have become famous long ago and been recorded in the 'Jiazi Register'.”

“Song Qingli is the top expert among the Song family's descendants under forty years old in the West Sea Royal Palace. Even including those middle-aged figures in their forties and fifties, she could still rank among the top five.”

“The West Sea Royal Palace is teeming with talent this Jiazi cycle; it's no less than a prominent million-household lineage.”

On the cloud tower, among the noble youths, there were many middle-aged experts. But they did not rush over, not wanting to get involved in trouble. Song Qingli's identity was special; significant vested interests and the reputations of many people were involved. If they won and suppressed her, there would be no benefit. Injuring her, however, could lead to disaster. If they lost and died by her hand… it would certainly be in vain.

Taishi Yu, the foremost psychic within Lingxiao City's Jiazi age group, held a high position among this crowd, surrounded by others like stars around the moon. Martial arts masters, high-ranking officials' sons, and beautiful immortal officers gathered around him.

“This Zuo Ning, hmph, I didn't expect him to be so meddlesome.” Taishi Yu's psychic senses had long noticed what was happening. He realized Li Wei had missed his chance to escape that district because he was trying to save people, and had brought trouble upon himself by killing the ghost infant in anger. This behavior significantly dispelled his suspicions. He had initially been quite concerned that this person might be a powerful expert from a cult or demon race, planted beside Taishi Bai. Taishi Yu instructed a retainer beside him: “Go investigate why Song Qingli appeared in Danyue District.”

Nearby, gasps of astonishment erupted: “Green Clouds Obscure the Moon, Flowing Wind and Returning Snow. It's the West Sea Royal Palace's grand saber art, the Art of Returning to Truth.”

On the street two miles away, Li Wei had initially thought that since the Ghost Mother was mentally unstable and her fighting style chaotic, he held the advantage and just needed to stall until the top imperial experts arrived. But suddenly, the arcane energy within the Ghost Mother explosively released, turning into an even denser greenish-black ominous cloud. The wind was fierce, and snowflakes were like blades. She unleashed a saber strike, performing "Formless Cleave," the second level of the Art of Returning to Truth saber technique. Thousands of saber shadows flew out in unison, forming a river of blades. The Ghost Mother danced above the river of blades, her figure splitting into three, then three splitting into nine. In all nine directions, there were figures and long sabers.

“Whoosh!”

Li Wei quickly retreated, activating his Heavenly Insight Eye to discern truth from illusion, and also summoned the Staff-Spear of All Things hidden in his Wind Mansion, propelling it with psychic energy.

“Boom!”

He swung the spear like a staff, striking the green-gold long saber. Spiritual light and saber energy surged outwards in all directions, filling the entire street with their power. He swept the long saber away. The next instant, Li Wei's form blurred, like a wisp of green smoke, as he teleported in front of the Ghost Mother, striking her brow with a finger, uttering softly: “Zhe!” A circle of sonic spiritual light spread out from Li Wei, sending her flying back like a falling leaf.

Strangely, the Ghost Mother, who moments ago had been fiercely aggressive, softened and collapsed to the ground after being calmed and subdued by the "Zhe" character, her long saber clattering as it fell beside her. The dark purple vascular patterns on her face rapidly faded.

“Whoosh!”

The shimmering array opened, and a hundred-strong imperial cavalry unit along with experts from the West Sea Royal Palace arrived, surrounding the Ghost Mother. An elder from the West Sea Royal Palace arrived, took off his outer robe, and crouched down, preparing to cover the Ghost Mother's face and carry her away. Just then, the Ghost Mother slightly opened her eyes and called out, “Grandpa Fu…” The elder was slightly stunned, not expecting Qingli to still be conscious after the ghost infant incident.