At the pollution source in the West Mountain, Yin Zhongxiu slowly retreated from the great formation, a trace of blood on the corner of his mouth.
Fifty meters in front of him stood a group of red-robed ability users, who were indeed his subordinates left behind to deal with the strange ghosts.
"Junior Brother Tuoba, what are you doing here?"
Yin Zhongxiu asked with a look of confusion, trying to appear calm.
He had already sensed that something was wrong, as their robes were too neat, and they did not look like they had been through a bloody battle.
Even the cultivator with wind-attribute abilities among them had no trace of dust on his neck.
Had these people subdued that stage-three strange ghost so easily?
"One is missing."
Sensing something, Yan Yu, holding his sword, narrowed his eyes. He perceived an incredibly evil aura in the high sky nearby.
So he silently used his ability, sharing his senses.
Yin Zhongxiu's eyes then flashed with a hint of gravity.
At such a time and place, falling behind meant death, which was common knowledge.
But strangely, Elder Tuoba and his group showed no sign of sadness or anger. It was as if it were natural, and they looked calm, as if nothing had happened.
And most importantly, through Yan Yu's ability, he also sensed the extremely evil energy in the space.
A slight touch of the soul felt like freshly dried Xuan paper stained with ink, annoyingly sticky. Even though he withdrew quickly, he couldn't completely wash it off.
Furthermore, was that energy trying to invade his sea of consciousness?
Yan Yu fell silent, then stood in place expressionlessly.
Unlike Yan Yu, Yin Zhongxiu was not a sensory ability user with a keen soul; his weapon was a halberd.
As an ability user who had touched the threshold of stage four, he was very sensitive to the fluctuations of abilities of the same stage.
"As expected, I knew the West Mountain wouldn't have a pollution source for no reason. Someone must have set this up behind the scenes."
"The incident at Xiaokang Village was also arranged by you, wasn't it? In fact, I've been watching you for a long time."
Yin Zhongxiu spoke to himself, looking at the trees a hundred meters away. He knew the mastermind behind this incident was there.
He had never believed that the pollution source in the West Mountain was naturally occurring.
The incident at Xiaokang Village had also made it clear to him that there must be someone plotting behind the scenes, but he couldn't figure out who it was.
That was why he had taken a risky gamble, withdrawing from Fengqing Village's protection and letting the mysterious swordsman deal with it on his own.
And bringing Yan Yu here to break the formation, leaving the other nine to deal with the rock strange ghost, was also his plan.
The purpose was to lure out the person behind the scenes.
βHe was best at risking lives, whether others' or his own.
In his estimation, that person would either guard the formation or monitor it nearby, so he couldn't reveal any flaws.
Therefore, he hadn't mentioned this plan to Yan Yu at all, only subtly hinting through his actions that he intended to hold back.
Yan Yu naturally understood his intentions and had pretended to be focused on breaking the formation, all to lure him here.
And now Vilitaan had arrived.
So Yin Zhongxiu took out his spear.
Swish!
The silver-white spearhead cut through the night sky, its brilliance like a crescent moon hanging high in the sky, forever unextinguished.
The purple ink hidden in the darkness was kept outside the spearhead. Yin Zhongxiu, holding his halberd, suddenly charged towards the nine people standing side by side.
In the darkness, Vilitaan's figure was forced to reveal himself. He wielded his scepter and clashed head-on with the silver spear.
Boom!
With a loud crash, both figures retreated simultaneously. Vilitaan's face looked grim. He never expected that even though he had controlled those eight people and was far away, the opponent could accurately locate him with a single strike.
But wasn't that sensory ability user dead?
After the collision, Yin Zhongxiu's halberd vibrated continuously, as if cheering.
He had not seen the sun for a long time and yearned for a battle. Now, his wish had been granted.
Vilitaan immediately recognized that Yin Zhongxiu's weapon was no ordinary item but a superb weapon with an opened spirit. Thus, already fearful of close combat, he dared not confront Yin Zhongxiu directly and quickly descended to the ground.
"As expected of an ability user who has one foot in stage four, you found me with a single strike."
"But no matter how strong you are, can you bear to strike down your own comrades?"
Vilitaan hid behind the nine stage-two ability users of the Demon Extermination Division. With a thought, everyone's eyes were instantly covered in purple, and then, a sky-shattering barrage of abilities rained down on Yin Zhongxiu.
Whoosh!
Boom!
Wind, fire, lightning, thunder, mental perception, summoning strange beasts, and some even entered a berserk state, like a humanoid robot. Various abilities were countless. The eight controlled Demon Extermination Division ability users simultaneously attacked Yin Zhongxiu.
But the latter showed no panic, only a flicker of hesitation and pain in his eyes.
Facing these comrades, he truly couldn't bring himself to strike, so he could only block.
Rumble...
The white crescent moon appeared repeatedly in space. Yin Zhongxiu held his spear with one hand, his Hua Cai realm strength being perfectly showcased at this moment.
In fact, close combat was not necessary. At his level, wherever the spearhead pointed, Hua Cai energy would bloom, and that trace of the crescent moon would appear, like exquisitely carved flowers blooming in the night.
Thus, all attacks, no matter what they were, were blocked by the man in an instant. The space was filled with continuous, earth-shattering collisions.
Clang clang clang clang clang...
Suddenly, a strong wind blew, gathering dark clouds. Thunder and lightning unleashed their primal ferocity... The first wave of ability attacks was blocked, but under Vilitaan's control, the others began to unleash their abilities without regard for the consequences.
With the addition of wind elements, an ability user wielding dual axes had quietly moved beneath Yin Zhongxiu and was about to chop off his legs!
"Damn it!"
Yin Zhongxiu retreated while fighting, his expression grim.
These subordinates of his were all elites among stage two ability users, and their abilities were naturally extraordinary. Even as their governor, it was not easy to block such a relentless barrage without regard for consequences.
Even a slight carelessness could lead to injury.
"New Moon!"
Just as he broke free from the storm, a two-meter-tall man with dual axes swung towards his lower body. Yin Zhongxiu gritted his teeth, infusing his spear with immense power. Instantly, his speed more than doubled, and his entire body shone with a brilliant and holy light.
Thump!
The lightning from the sky struck simultaneously. Yin Zhongxiu swept his spear horizontally, sending the burly man's full-power attack flying. The lightning strike from the sky was also deflected.
Similarly, Yin Zhongxiu's figure was repelled, crashing heavily onto the ground. His feet landed on the earth, causing the land to split and ravines to crisscross.
"If you don't dare to use your full strength, then you will die."
Vilitaan stepped forward. With a wave of his scepter, all the stage-two ability users of the Demon Extermination Division, except for Yan Yu, forcibly filled their abilities to the extreme and then simultaneously unleashed their most powerful abilities.
"Let's see how you dodge this!"
In the pit in the ground, Yin Zhongxiu expressionlessly wiped the blood from his lips.
Did he have no choice but to kill them?
...