161 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 151: Ghost King Dark clouds stretched across several miles of the sky, forming a vortex above the Canyon of Resentful Souls. The catastrophe of the thunder tribulation, associated with the breakthrough to the Grand Ascension stage, descended mercilessly, lightning flashing, followed closely by the rumbling thunder. Trapped within, the seemingly impenetrable barrier of spiritual energy was effortlessly torn to shreds by the thunder tribulation, creating a void. Lian Zhuo's face turned pale as he quickly withdrew his spiritual power, and the light blue barrier dissolved like thin ice from top to bottom. Yet, none of the ghostly entities, which had been howling and crashing against the barrier around the Canyon of Resentful Souls, dared to take this opportunity to escape. The green glow hooking them had not yet dissipated, and the sky thunder, which was most disadvantageous to sinister beings, instilled such fear that the ghosts suffered merely from the sound, unable to bear approaching the dreadful lightning. Centuries of imprisonment had driven them mad. Otherwise, they would have realized this was the best chance to escape. However, terrified by the thunderclouds sprawling for miles, they instead retreated back into the depths of the canyon, fearful of being caught in the storm. Xiang Shiyan took the first strike of the thunder tribulation directly with her body. The seven-layered formation of her spiritual clothing shattered five layers with that single blow. The intense pain as the lightning coursed through her body momentarily left her in a daze. Having ascended to the Grand Ascension stage, such tribulations should have been familiar, yet Xiang Shiyan had waited too long for this trial. She had almost resigned herself to never breaking through. The shock from the lightning made her cough up blood, and she staggered, turning to give a weak smile to Yu Ziming, who was leaning against a tree, struggling for breath. With a wave of her hand, her life-bound spiritual sword, dislodged from grasp by Yu Ziming's sudden attack, quivered and rose from the soil and decaying leaves, returning to Xiang Shiyan's hand. The second thunderbolt struck in an instant. It seemed thinner than the first but carried an even more terrifying power. Xiang Shiyan leaped to meet it, sword in hand. Seeing Yu Qi seize the opportunity to hurl a shadow into the thunderbolt, Xiang Shiyan took advantage of the ghost general's paralysis under the thunder's grip and with a sword forged by the tribulation-hardened meteoric iron, pierced through her chest. The shadowy armor on the ghost general's body, like a layer of filth, was finally stripped away by the cleansing lightning, while the last two formations on Xiang Shiyan's spiritual clothing shattered. She formed protective energy around herself as she coldly withdrew the sword from the chest of the woman whose face felt eerily familiar. Xiang Shiyan had seen this woman twice before. The most recent was while she was bound by Yu Ziming, catching a glimpse in a half-dream state of a woman approaching her, only to be saved by her master later. She found it odd that Senior Yu Ji's lover appeared so subtly feminine, and only now did it dawn on her that this person was also a woman. Xiang Shiyan recalled that when she was even younger, she had met this person when she was alive. Her master's friends were numerous across the world, yet only a few were close enough to visit her, and the woman in front of her, with her fierce and sinister expression, was vastly different from the gentle female cultivator who once imparted intricate mechanical wonders to her and her sisters. Casting the ghostly figure aside, a near-black, deep purple mist resembling blood gushed from the chest wound, and the ghostly figure plummeted from the sky. Xiang Shiyan ascended to greater heights to face the tribulation. "Lian Zhuo, set up the barrier. Don’t let that ghost cultivator escape!" Xiang Shiyan ascended, hurriedly sending a transmission to Lian Zhuo, who awaited the right moment. Below, the pale spiritual energy wall formed anew, while Xiang Shiyan sat cross-legged in midair, her essence reassembled. A layer of ice-blue patterns vibrated from her body, weaving around her in a protective layer, matching her breathing. She had waited for this moment for too long. Xiang Shiyan's arms fell limp at her sides as she raised her head towards the brewing thunderclouds, slowly reaching her palm upwards. The protective ice pattern enveloping Xiang Shiyan contracted inward temporarily before blooming outward like a tightly held flower bud. A glimmer of milky spiritual light escaped from the bud’s tip, and the surrounding petals unfurled into four directions, the large ice pattern white lotus pulsing with spiritual energy akin to dew rolling off its petals. The ice lotus raised its head towards the thunderclouds, and the golden thunder within the clouds paused momentarily, seemingly admiring this rootless blossom. In the next instant, the third thunderbolt manifested, and the pure gold thunder pillar, maddened, relentlessly bombarded the ice lotus. Lightning scattered, cutting pieces from the blossom, causing the spilled spiritual energy to scatter like flower juice. The sudden onset of the thunder tribulation tipped the scales of victory towards Xiang Shiyan. Yu Qi didn’t dare hesitate and immediately pursued the ghost cultivator who was the mastermind. Once the master was slain, the ghosts controlled by Yu Ziming would either perish or suffer catastrophic harm. The woman stood firm, unwavering, her eyes fixated on the ice lotus in the sky losing a petal to the tribulation. Her gaze grew cold. For centuries she had hidden away, never pushed to such an extent. Yet, she did not regret involving herself in Xiao Luan's plan; after all, her master's condition could not be delayed any longer. At least, so far, things remained within a controllable range. Unexpectedly, Xiang Shiyan managed to break through at this crucial moment. Her master's residual soul was already weak, uncertain if the thunderbolt affected her... Yu Ziming instinctively bit her nail, her bare foot stepping impatiently in the soft soil as she walked towards the Canyon of Resentful Souls. She didn’t spare Yu Qi, her equal in cultivation, a second thought. The Elder of the Three from Tianji Sect had never been underestimated to this extent. Suspecting the woman had more tricks up her sleeve, he immediately unleashed a magical attack, fiery flames mixed with thunder rushed towards the ghost cultivator like a rainstorm. Why hasn't it ended yet... wasn't it supposed to be over in an hour? The woman walked on, a wall of pure black unfolded by her side, deflecting Yu Qi's attack entirely. The flames ceased, and Yu Qi was shocked to see the "wall" had only lost a slight surface layer of nearly substantive viscous ghostly aura. Seeing it twist fluidly into a human shape, Yu Qi turned back, only to find the ghostly figure Xiang Shiyan had previously struck down nowhere in sight. Predictably, it had reformed before Yu Ziming, transformed from the mighty ghost she had battled fiercely. To be unharmed by the Grand Ascension stage thunder tribulation? The thousand-year resentful ghosts in the canyon trembled at the mere sight and sound of thunder, yet Yu Ziming dared to face it alone, hinting at her extraordinary capability. This creature... was nothing simple. The woman muttered to herself, her eyes showing a hint of worry as she considered the pale blue barrier blocking escape from the chasm. Could it also restrict their movement? That gentleman’s reliability was in question. She glanced at the unyielding green glow in the canyon. This situation was turning unfavorable; it would be wise to eliminate the Tianji Sect pair while Xiang Shiyan was occupied with the calamity, breaking the barrier before they could respond. Her thoughts racing, she raised her hand and pierced the faithful ghost servant standing before her. With a cold expression, the woman reached into the insubstantial, liquid-like cavity of the ghost servant, who bore her master’s appearance. Perhaps due to anxiety or frustration, Yu Ziming lost her earlier elegance, gritting her teeth as she crude roughened her actions due to her inability to find what she sought. When Yu Ziming thrust her entire forearm into the servant's body, the ghost servant shuddered, as if feeling pain, and as the master’s actions grew rougher, he turned and seized the woman's slender arm. The ghostly being had no corporeal form, yet the sense of touch came from the overly dense gel-like aura materializing. Still, watching her arm slicing through her chest cavity disturbed Yu Ziming. Lacking a physical body, the ghost servant couldn’t gauge his strength, seemingly intent on breaking her arm. Bearing the pain, Yu Ziming grimaced and tried to push him away, whispering through clenched teeth, “Let go of me... you’re just a fake, how dare you...” Loyal to the core, the servant grasped his master’s trembling shoulder. The frail woman, weakened from constantly mistreating her own body, seemed fragile enough to be blown away by the wind, feeling as if he held a frightened bird in his grasp. Yu Ziming finally regained a sliver of composure, aware that Yu Qi sensed her reluctance to continue the fight and had already rushed to protect Lian Zhuo at his sister’s side. To tackle two simultaneously was an unnecessary hassle, though not impossible. She glanced up at the silent servant; without consciousness, his actions were purely instinctive, driven by hunger or maternal attachment. With a little guidance, she could steer him to act as she desired. Yet mastering this increasingly greedy servant was too challenging, exceeding Yu Ziming’s capabilities. Grasping something inside the shadow form of the female ghost, she yanked it forth—a translucent, bright chain immediately burst apart as it met air, scattering into glowing points before vanishing. The Ghost Servant's body suddenly inflated like a balloon, as if unable to control the power surging within him. His face twisted grotesquely, emitting a bizarre howl as he struggled to maintain his form, slowly compressing back to his original state. There still remained remnants of ghostly cultivation practices in the world, and this person had even bred a Ghost General capable of holding its own against a Grand Ascension cultivator. Such a spectacle was enough to inspire both awe and fear, yet the concept of a Ghost King remained beyond the comprehension of those living today. The sky thunder had been kept at bay by Xiang Shiyan and Lian Zhuo's magical treasures. Meanwhile, the ghosts within the canyon continued to burrow deeper, trapped between natural disaster and monstrous entity. It was nothing short of a monstrous flood to them. Watching the shackle dissipate in her hand, the woman's earlier indifference faded into tender affection as she cradled the confused, kneeling ghost woman. "Master, let's leave this place." Yu Qi's instincts were often spot-on, and even after the initial shock of discovering the Ghost General was unharmed, her steadiness could not dispel the unsettling feeling. Her heart raced, fearing Yu Ziming might realize they were only delaying and would then turn her attention to her younger martial sister. Quickly, she ordered Lian Zhuo to reinforce the barrier. Her focus only briefly shifted from those two, yet the absence of their presence left Yu Qi feeling increasingly anxious, her heartbeat so intense that it seemed ready to leap from her throat. Were they seeking Xiang Shiyan? Clutching her chest in an attempt to quell the inexplicable sense of crisis, she couldn’t help but glance skyward at the spiritual energy formation, beautiful yet on the verge of wilting under the heavenly tribulation. Elder Xiang was at a critical juncture of her breakthrough, where even the slightest misstep could lead to ruin under the tribulation. Hence, Yu Qi and Lian Zhuo had resolved to hold back Yu Ziming themselves, granting Xiang Shiyan the time she needed. Taking another glance at her younger martial sister, beads of cold sweat streaking down her brow, Yu Qi realized she wouldn’t hold out for much longer. The magical treasure they depended on was the most powerful among those bestowed upon them during their initiation by Tianji Sect. Lian Zhuo, having only joined three hundred years ago, was a peer to Xiang Shiyan and could not fully harness its true potential. Despite her injuries, she had remarkably expanded the barrier's reach and held it for over an hour, earning unspoken admiration from Yu Qi. Just as she noticed her elder martial sister's gaze upon her, Lian Zhuo instinctively looked up to reprimand her, urging focus. Before she could clearly see her sister's face, a tremendous force struck her away. A silver spear cleaved through the air, breaching the spiritual strength barrier that warded off countless spirits with a single thrust. A crack spread like a spiderweb across the semicircular transparent dome. The spear, called back by some distant force, pulled apart the barrier as though made of sugar or glass, shattering it completely. The suspended treasure fell weightlessly to the ground, its blue glow dissipating, only to be picked up by the ghost cultivator. Yu Ziming looked down from above at the two elders of Tianji Sect sprawled in the mud, toying with the treasure in her hand. "Quick reaction." The eight silver spears, condensed from the Ghost King's solidified ghostly aura, were thrown one after another, ostensibly sealing off all routes of retreat for the pair. Apparently, the so-called diviners had sharp instincts indeed. She watched as Yu Qi unhesitatingly pushed her younger martial sister off her floating spiritual sword, their rapid descent narrowly missing several attacks. Even Yu Ziming couldn’t evade such an attack; the speed of the thrown spear outpaced even lightning, like black lightning streaking through the sky. Yu Qi was pierced by only one, much to her surprise. Lian Zhuo crashed to the ground, barely managing to stand before she was overcome by the backlash from the shattered spiritual barrier and spat blood. She dazedly sat up, seeing her martial sister impaled and pinned to the earth in the distance. Yu Qi, gripping the spear's shaft, struggled to maintain her grip as blood coated her hands. Her body continued to slide down along the spear, finally collapsing helplessly into a seated position on the ground. "Run... run..." Her lung punctured, the woman could only emit a hoarse gasp, urging her still-mobile junior sister with each pained breath, even as the ghost cultivator and that eerie monstrosity approached. Had Yu Qi not flung Lian Zhuo aside as they landed, both of them would now be skewered, a testament to the ghost’s cultivation level far surpassing the peak Nascent Soul stage. The Ghost King reached out, extracting the silver spear from Yu Qi, and blood gushed immediately from the wound. Despite hastily sealing it with spiritual energy, the creeping dark purple markings on her skin struck terror into both onlookers and herself. For a cultivator of Yu Qi's caliber to be incapacitated by a penetrating wound seemed unlikely, but the injury lay perilously close to her heart. The chilling ghostly aura invaded swiftly and relentlessly, a phenomenon Yu Qi had never encountered in her life. Protecting her heart meridian was arduous enough, leaving her paralyzed. In mere moments, the purple-black ghostly aura enveloped her body. Yu Qi's face had turned ashen with defeat. Lian Zhuo stood, summoning her spiritual sword, clearly unwilling to abandon her martial sister to escape alone. Yu Ziming cast a glance at the barrier, noting Lian Zhuo’s bloodless determination, an expression of exhaustion. This ghostly creature was indeed rare, and as Lian Zhuo was hoisted by the throat, legs kicking futilely, she finally realized it was this being who had injured her whenever they approached the heavenly rift together. So close... just a little more... Staring into those soul-stealing eyes, Lian Zhuo felt her consciousness was being drawn from her body, her vision slowly engulfed by darkness— "Boom!" Dust shot up suddenly, causing Yu Ziming to frown. She leapt backward several meters without hesitation, with a sword's edge trailing her every move. Xiang Shiyan didn’t spare the formidable Ghost King a glance. She knew in her freshly attained, unstable Grand Ascension form she couldn't defeat such an entity. Capturing Yu Ziming, the controller of these ghosts, was the true priority. Yu Ziming, already in poor condition and caught off guard, narrowly escaped being stabbed multiple times by Xiang Shiyan. Yet, as the sword tip finally neared the woman's neck, an intrusive silver spear deflected it again. The spiritual sword, forged from tribulation-hardened meteoric iron refined by Heavenly Transformation stage thunder, effectively countered sinister entities. It managed to cut almost halfway into the ghostly silver spear, though it soon repaired, leaving the Ghost King apprehensive. Escaping death narrowly, Lian Zhuo's near-death experience didn’t deter her. Her throat nearly crushed, she hoarsely advised, "Elder Xiang, beware the ghostly aura!" She maintained her elder sister's heartbeat, dragging her to safety. One attack, she could parry only one. Xiang Shiyan faced off against the Ghost King, whose eyes seemed to burn with purplish-black flames, each tremor of the air acutely perceived. Not sure if it was Yu Ziming or Xiang Shiyan who paused to breathe for another second, the purple-black figure charged with thunderous speed, too fast for anyone to react. Their movements unfolded in seemingly endless slow motion. Xiang Shiyan felt every flaw in her defense exposed, unable to discern any rhythm in the opponent's moves. During the seemingly eternal span of a breath, Xiang Shiyan patiently waited— Right above! She twisted her sword's edge, deflecting the silver spear before the Ghost King. The shining blade embedded into the side of her neck. The spear's tip deflected, claws came swiftly to follow. Xiang Shiyan resigned herself to being cleaved open, but then saw a droplet suspended between their locked gazes. A droplet reflecting all the surrounding sights, as though encapsulating a tiny world, shimmered as it appeared to absorb everything around it. Within the reflection, Xiang Shiyan glimpsed the ghostly King's purplish-black eyes, and for a fleeting moment, saw the visage of a once-known living face. The droplet hovered between them before piercing into the ghostly monster’s brow. Sharp nails touched Xiang Shiyan's abdomen yet did not press further. Author's Note: Guess who it is. Many thanks to the little angels who cast their votes or nourished with nutrient fluids between 2022-09-08 00:14:15~2022-09-09 21:47:12. Thanks to the little angel for nourishing me with 10 bottles of nutrient fluids: 38033515; I am very grateful for everyone's support. I will continue to work hard! This site has no pop-up ads, permanent domain name (xbanxia.com).