258 - Elasia Saga

On the spirit vessel. After Fu Yan left without returning for a considerable time, Shui Liuqing wasn't too concerned, knowing well that with Fu Yan's skills, there was nothing to worry about. The group continued on their journey towards Youxin Lake. They were uncertain of how much time had passed when suddenly, they heard the sound of flapping wings coming from outside. Startled, they were brought back to reality by the sound of the disciples' surprised voices behind them. "Look quickly, what are those dark shadows on the right?" "There are so many, and there are some on the left too!" "Not good, it seems they're flying straight for our spirit vessel!" ... In no time, the group on another puppet ship was thrown into a state of chaos. Fortunately, there were two Void Transformation elders on board. With their experience, they remained calm and were quick to activate the defensive formations they had been taught by Shui Liuqing when she crafted the puppet ship. Hearing the commotion from inside Fu Yan’s spirit vessel, Shui Liuqing and a few others hurriedly rushed outside. Suddenly, a sky full of dark shadows loomed into view. Even for seasoned travelers like them, the sight was surprising. In the dim moonlight, a horde of black shadows darted swiftly towards them. Only when Shui Liuqing focused did she recognize the true nature of those shadows: flantous. Flantous are a type of gregarious beast, leaving destruction akin to a locust swarm in their wake, feeding on flesh and blood. Despite their individual lack of combat prowess, even Void Transformation masters avoid them due to their locust-like persistence. "It's strange for so many flantous to appear suddenly, and..." Yi Tu immediately recognized the identities of these shadows and his expression turned serious. "It seems they’re targeting us directly." The flantous attacking from both sides was clearly no coincidence. In such situations, their two ships would have difficulty escaping the flantous. "Stay calm, activate the defensive formations on the spirit ship first," Ji Xian, the calmest among them with his Great Ascension-stage composure, said steadily after glancing over the horizon. As soon as he spoke, Shui Liuqing nodded in agreement, quickly producing a large quantity of high-grade spirit stones to fuel the defensive formations. "Whoosh—" In almost an instant, a resplendent shield enveloped both ships, its glow suggesting an unyielding barrier. Just then, the swarm of flantous arrived. Simultaneously, flantous descended upon them, fiercely clawing at the defensive barrier, attempting to breach it. One after another, they attacked relentlessly, as if possessed. "Something's not right." Yi Tu stared at the dense mass above, incredulous. "I remember flantous shouldn't act so frenzied. Why are they bent on attacking us?" While talking, the five disciples on the puppet ship began launching attacks under the elders' direction. Swish! Swish! Under the hazy night sky, swords flashed, splitting the dark shadows with white sword lights. Shui Liuqing and her companions made no attempt to stop the disciples, understanding that they couldn't sit idly by and simply had to retaliate. "We must protect the spirit vessel, no matter what," Ji Xian stepped forward again, "If the flantous break through the formation, while we might survive, the ships would be destroyed." With that, Ji Xian was the first to attack. The others snapped back to action and quickly joined in. For a moment, the night sky was filled with pandemonium. "Hold on!" In a matter of moments, Liu Bei, stationed at the bow, seemed to notice something remarkable. He widened his eyes, fixedly watching the flantous above, and suddenly exclaimed, "Look carefully, those flantous seem to have something growing on them, it’s..." "It's corpse spots," Shui Liuqing responded promptly. As soon as Liu Bei spoke, Shui Liuqing noticed the patches of blackened, decayed-like marks on the flantous, instantly recognizing them as corpse spots. "Corpse spots?" Yi Tu, still perplexed, continued, "Does that mean these flantous are undead?" Shui Liuqing and Liu Bei shook their heads in unison. While the flantous retained some vitality, saving them from reeking of decay, they were otherwise practically indistinguishable from the dead. Clearly, their encounter with the flantous' assault was no coincidence. ... When Fu Yan and the demon spirit returned, they saw the ship already engulfed by a swarm of flantous, swords flashing inside beyond what the naked eye could discern. Fu Yan couldn't use her spiritual power to scan. Still, she wasn't overly worried, knowing that the ship's defensive formation hadn't been breached. Shui Liuqing and the disciples remained safe for now. "Gnaw!" The demon spirit looked up, making a face as if about to retch, and grumbled, "The stench of death here is overwhelming!" It was hardly surprising, surrounded as they were by corpse-spotted flantous. Fu Yan, unfazed, had long temporarily shut off her sense of smell. Seeing the demon spirit's discomfort, she mercifully reached out with her mind. In an instant, a radiant calmness veiled the demon spirit's senses. Fu Yan did not hurry to reveal herself but instead remained hidden, holding the demon spirit's head as she quietly observed the ongoing battle. The demon spirit, freed from the stench, refocused and cheered, "Everyone’s struggling, yet here you are, spectating. What, getting cold feet?" Fu Yan: "..." "Want me to help them out? It'd be a simple flick of the wrist," it boasted, clearly emboldened by its regained strength. Fu Yan lowered her gaze, incredulous, "You have hands?" "..." It was an insult she couldn't refute, glaring at Fu Yan in exasperation. After all, its lack of a body was all thanks to her. With a bemused tap on its head, Fu Yan finally returned her gaze to the distant battles. Fu Yan had no intention of intervening, as she had purposefully brought the Frost Palace disciples for their training. Solving everything for them wouldn't constitute true experience. These flantous, daunting as they seemed, were not overly difficult to deal with, especially for them with Shui Liuqing and Yi Tu present. Moreover, the forces of Shiguimen had yet to reveal themselves fully, having only unleashed some frightening corpse-dwellers. There was more to come, she surmised. Fu Yan wasn't in a hurry, uncertain if Ji Xian would expose himself. Meanwhile, realizing the flantous were corpse-spotted left Shui Liuqing and others visibly unsettled. By association, she recollected the last encounter with corpse puppets. The thought of Shiguimen sprang to mind because who else was associated with necromantic energies? Gradually, as everyone coordinated their attacks, the number of overhead flantous thinned significantly. Still, it wasn't enough, as they continued to claw stubbornly at the barriers. Fu Yan's spirit vessel held up well enough, but the puppet ship’s formation began to falter under pressure, nearing its breaking point. As the looming shadows threatened, Shui Liuqing's mind raced. Abruptly, she halted her attacks and drew a firebomb from her robes, tossing it without hesitation. "Boom!" Suddenly, a violent explosion echoed through the sky, engulfing the flantous in raging flames, turning the surrounding area ablaze. "Of course, fire counters necromantic energy!" Yi Tu realized, promptly grabbing a fire talisman from his storage ring, igniting it before hurling it outward. Seeing this, the disciples on the puppet ship had an epiphany. They all retrieved their fire treasures, casting them into the mass of shadows. In no time, the surroundings transformed into an expansive sea of flames, with the sound of crackling fire filling the sky as blazing embers rained down. In mere moments, the area was devoid of flantou shadows, as they had all been consumed by the firestorm. The night sky returned to a temporary stillness. Relieved, the disciples collectively breathed a sigh of relief. “I was terrified we wouldn't make it out tonight!” “Calm down, both Peaks Masters of Shuanghua Palace are here, there’s no way anything could go wrong.” ... Fu Yan watched them dismantle the swarm of flantous together without much expression, her eyes resting on Ji Xian. Though all the flantous had been incinerated, Ji Xian remained calm and indifferent. Fu Yan smiled slightly, knowing there must be a fallback plan. The Tenebrous Gate was currently a hot topic across the continent; Fu Yan didn’t expect them to make significant moves. Given the upheaval at Youxin Lake, Fu Yan believed they weren’t the only ones under attack—many other sects likely faced similar assaults. That's why Fu Yan felt secure enough to take the disciples out for training. Despite the Tenebrous Gate’s rapid rise, its necromancer-like members were under close watch by the Immortal realm, preventing them from recklessly revealing themselves; they certainly wouldn’t appear here on such an occasion. Besides, even if a formidable presence from Tenebrous Gate arrived, Shuanghua Palace had Lu Xiaowen backing them up. As Fu Yan suspected, Tenebrous Gate seemed more intent on unsettling everyone. Their plan to attack various sects would incur no losses if unsuccessful—and much benefit if it was. However, how many Great Ascension cultivators would surface tonight? With this in mind, Fu Yan kept a close watch on the shadows. Suddenly, she detected a subtle disturbance in the night air. Fu Yan paused, eyes widening abruptly. Simultaneously, as Shui Liuqing barely had a moment to catch her breath, she caught a whiff of something ominous, immediately shouting to everyone: "Hold your breath and don’t move!" The people on the puppet ship hesitated briefly, but instinctively complied, albeit tardily. “Cough, cough… ugh…” Seconds later, a disciple fell to the ground, clutching his chest in agony. Upon seeing this, the few who had held their breath were aghast, but dared not move without the elders’ signal. “What happened?” Yi Tu, alarmed, quickly turned to Shui Liuqing, sending a message via their mental link. Observing the afflicted disciple, Shui Liuqing’s expression darkened, but she swiftly communicated to everyone: “The air is laced with corpse poison.” Her sensitivity to corpse poison stemmed from an encounter years ago, during Tenebrous Gate’s rise, when she fell victim in a ghoul-infested village. At that time, she had a confrontation with Ji Qingjue while hallucinating... The disciple groaned in pain again, prompting Shui Liuqing to fly over, deftly tapping acupoints on his body and feeding him a pill. Once done, she exhaled in relief and advised through voice transmission, “I’ve suppressed the corpse poison. Don’t channel your true essence for two days.” She then solicited an elder’s help to completely purify the disciple’s system. Realizing the air was tainted with corpse poison, the others understood they couldn’t breathe but were otherwise unrestricted in movement. The remaining disciples hurried to check on their poisoned comrade, offering support. Without drawing attention, Ji Xian’s gaze had been fixed on Shui Liuqing ever since she flew over to dispel the poison. He thoughtfully tightened his grip on a short flute, mind racing as he pondered his next move, seeing only one disciple affected. Should this operation continue tonight? He had no time to consider further; a putrid stench rapidly engulfed the area. Sensing the corpse poison, Fu Yan wasn’t surprised, knowing it’s a Tenebrous Gate tactic. However, she was taken aback by Shui Liuqing’s swift response. Returning focus, Fu Yan tossed the demon spirit into the fray, casually instructing, “You can absorb these corpse toxins to regain your strength.” The demon spirit: “…” Fu Yan was right. The demon spirit could indeed absorb the corpse Qi—though digestible, it resembled a spoiled delicacy. The demon spirit avoided this unless necessary. Beside itself with distaste, the demon spirit hesitated, looking back at Fu Yan and the toxic air with visible reluctance. “No—” “Hurry up,” Fu Yan urged, adding reassuringly, “Weren’t you fearless? Plus, it won’t leave you smelling like death, and your power will be restored.” The demon spirit’s aura was stronger than the last demon Fu Yan had encountered. Such a small amount of corpse poison posed no threat. “Buzz—” Resigned, the demon spirit reluctantly complied, drawing in all ambient corpse toxin. It felt contaminated! ... In an instant, several figures surrounded the spirit vessel. They struck in unison, shattering the puppet ship’s defenses before advancing towards the disciples. Shui Liuqing immediately summoned her life-bonded puppet, standing firm with the two elders before the puppet ship. Within moments, the skies erupted into a chaotic melee. On the other side, Yi Tu and others were similarly engaged, caught off-guard by new arrivals. Upon closer inspection, they realized these figures weren’t human but mid-level Void Transformation corpse kings, powerful and relentless. Neither side could gain the upper hand for some time. Watching, Ji Xian lightly chuckled gripping his flute. Power swirled around him as he focused on Liu Bei’s back. Unquestionably, Ji Xian could mortally wound Liu Bei with a single sneak attack. A Void Transformation powerhouse could not withstand a full-force strike from a Great Ascension cultivator unprepared. Yet, just then, Ji Xian felt a faint vibration in the air, faint yet discernible. Startled, his move redirected, shattering a nearby corpse king. As he pulled back, Ji Xian discreetly surveyed the area. Moments earlier, the corpse toxin in the air had inexplicably vanished. Impossible! While not incurable, corpse toxin was not easily neutralized. Yet, in the blink of an eye, it vanished completely. Cautious, Ji Xian quickly shifted targets, abandoning his plan to conspire with the corpse kings to eliminate everyone. Clearly, someone else was watching. Who could it be? Could the Shuanghua Palace master possess such capability? Regardless, without absolute assurance, he could not risk exposure. Abandoning his plan, Ji Xian resumed playing his flute, a harmonious yet deadly tune aiding against the airborne corpse kings—unbeknownst to them, he signaled Tenebrous Gate allies. Fu Yan had observed Ji Xian's every move. Smiling faintly, she acknowledged his caution—sacrificing a perfect opportunity upon sensing anything amiss. Now was the time to flush out the puppet master. The demon spirit still reeled in disbelief at having consumed corpse poison, head hanging dejected. But Fu Yan allowed no time for sulking. She grabbed it and darted forward. Under the dim moonlight, Fu Yan darted with a bloodthirsty grin, murmuring, “Found you!” Zheng— Instantly, a sword rang through the sky. In a heartbeat, a blade shot directly towards a precise location. “Riiip,” the sound as if tearing through space. Fu Yan’s strike unveiled the hidden enemy, an unexpected figure surfacing not far off. Caught off guard, black eyes widened in shock. Rapidly recovering, they deflected Fu Yan’s sword with a hurried sweep. The opponent was clearly a Great Ascension stage expert, and though Fu Yan's strike wasn't intended to truly harm him, her aim was simply to force him into the open. Admittedly, the man's disguise had been exceptionally skillful. If it hadn't been for Ji Xian attempting to relay messages for a swift retreat, Fu Yan might not have spotted him so quickly. Swish! With another fluid movement, Fu Yan swiftly grabbed her sword's hilt once more, giving the adversary no opportunity to recover. Her foot lightly tapped the ether, and she darted at him with precision. Startled at first, the man was on the verge of retreat. However, upon realizing that Fu Yan seemed to have only initial-phase Void Transformation strength, he laughed derisively. Thus, abandoning flight, he advanced boldly, mistakenly believing he could easily strike Fu Yan down. Suddenly, the air currents around them surged dramatically as their silhouettes clashed in the night sky. In that instant, the man felt himself inexplicably immobilized, and to his horror, sensed his power being swiftly drained by Fu Yan, like a tide being drawn out to sea. Shock and terror overwhelmed him as he struggled desperately to break free, only to find his efforts futile. The next moment, Fu Yan's blade slashed across his throat. “…” Meanwhile, on the spirit vessel, Shui Liuqing's team had already subdued the corpse kings. They only noticed Fu Yan's return upon hearing the sword's resonating call. Despite the chaotic urgency, everything transpired in the blink of an eye. As everyone regained their composure, they saw Fu Yan already standing on the spirit vessel, holding a lifeless head. For a moment, everyone seemed frozen in place. Unperturbed, Fu Yan casually tossed the bloody head to Yi Tu and remarked nonchalantly, "This must be one of the Bā Jiàng of the Tenebrous Gate. Hold this carefully; it ought to fetch a decent price.”