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墨書 Inktalez
The Starry Sky above vanished completely, and Summit was shrouded in darkness, with only the sound of numerous faint Strange breaths and the flapping of wings echoing in the air. A terrible stench spread, as if countless decaying corpses were piled beneath their noses.
Cold! Everyone felt an extremely chilling sensation penetrating their bones, as if they had suddenly fallen into an ice cellar.
Summit had turned into a hellish place, the gloom penetrating deep into everyone's hearts, causing those with weaker nerves to tremble.
A hint of Iridescence floated up gently.
With a thunderous roar, a brilliant fire erupted from Summit, engulfing everyone from the Nine Li Sect. The bright red flames danced above their heads.
Li Hong's voice came from above the flames: "I have activated the ‘Fire Shield’. Stay inside and do not move for now; let me drive away these Evil Spirits!"
Li Hong reacted swiftly, summoning not only Lingyi in the blink of an eye but also pulling out a Mid-Level Spirit Talisman, ‘Fire Shield’, from his “Cosmic Bag” to protect everyone within.
Lingyi swiftly carried Li Hongfei into the sky. With his right hand at his waist, he unleashed the Dragon Tail Whip, sending forth a shower of golden light. The sound of shrill cries filled the air as black clouds scattered, and severed limbs and flesh rained down like a storm. The Fire Shield emitted a bright red glow, filling the air with a nauseating burnt Blood Scent, making people want to retch.
The sky was dark with ominous birds, while Li Hong's white figure darted back and forth. Golden ripples radiated outward from him, dispersing the black clouds wherever he went, revealing a sliver of twinkling stars above.
As Li Hongyu fought bravely, the hearts of those below gradually calmed. Chuxiong chuckled and said, "With Sixth Senior Brother here, I’m not worried at all!"
However, Li Hong, hidden behind the Fire Shield, silently lamented.
These strange birds were quite Strange, about the size of small coffee tables, completely bare without feathers, flapping their meaty wings. They had long pointed beaks filled with sharp fangs. At first glance, they resembled large bats. Just being near them sent a chilling sensation straight to the lungs, freezing one's blood.
Ordinary bats wouldn’t possess such abilities; these should be considered low-level spirit beasts. However, upon closer inspection, it seemed that these Strange Bats lacked intelligence and only knew how to charge forward fearlessly. The entire area of several acres around Summit was enveloped by layers upon layers of Strange Bats, with a long line of them flying toward this place like a dense black cloud that could not be eradicated. This left Li Hong feeling quite troubled.
The sounds of crackling echoed from the Fire Shield, blood raining down as flames flickered unpredictably. Yet, being a secret treasure of the Nine Li Sect, this Mid-Level Spirit Talisman proved to be extraordinarily effective; no matter how many bat corpses fell onto the Fire Shield, they would vanish in an instant, releasing waves of heat and foul odor that rose from it. This left those inside both terrified and relieved.
Suddenly, Chu Huai thought of something; the hint of joy that had just appeared on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by a stunned expression that seemed somewhat disappointed. Initially invigorated, some in the crowd began to notice this change and someone exclaimed: "Wait! Junior Brother Chu Hong is using the Mid-Level Spirit Talisman, ‘Fire Shield’—he actually has attained Refining Heart Stage!"
"Yes! Our sect’s ‘Fire Shield’ can only achieve such effects with someone at least at the initial stage of Refining the Heart! When did Chu Hong advance?!"
“Fire Shield” is a secret technique of the Nine Li Sect, which can only be comfortably used by those with at least early-stage Refining the Heart cultivation. Although someone at the late stage of Prudent Practice can barely activate it, doing so would drain all their spiritual energy, making it impossible to continue fighting against a horde of monsters like Li Hong does effortlessly.
This means that Li Hong's true cultivation level is at least early-stage Refining the Heart! Everyone present, being members of the Nine Li Sect, understands this.
Chuxuan seemed to ponder and subtly moved two steps closer to Chu Huai, looking up at the sky with his hands behind his back, as if casually saying, “My Sixth Senior Brother has always been full of surprises. He could wield a sword at the Qi Refinement Stage, and now at the Mid Stage of Cautionary Practice, he can activate a Mid-Level Spirit Talisman. With such cultivation, he might even surpass you, Brother Chu Huai!”
Chu Huai's expression darkened further. He recalled how his master had mentioned Li Hong several times when he first entered, hinting at wanting to take him under his wing. However, due to issues with Spirit Stone, nothing came of it. He never expected that in just two years, Li Hong would surpass him. This Li Hong is definitely someone who could threaten his position.
The position of Sect Leader! Chu Huai's breathing became increasingly rapid.
Chuxuan continued to whisper in his ear, “My second senior brother Chu Qiu was almost expelled from the sect because of Chu Hong. He was nearly cast out! It was almost like being expelled from the sect; now he’s somewhere unknown, tidying up odds and ends! Now, Chu Hong is my master's most cherished disciple, and even the Sect Leader Uncle has always favored him. Hehe, Brother Chu Huai, you should get along well with my Sixth Senior Brother.” After saying this, he gave Chu Huai a deep look and walked away.
These words were very serious and left no room for rebuttal, but they struck right at Chu Huai's core. He felt both anger and frustration as his face gradually turned pale.
Grinding his teeth, he suddenly summoned “Flowing Spring” to fly up. He knew some techniques and directly formed a seal to separate the “Fire Shield” and soared into the sky, shouting, “I’m here to help you!” A long spear suddenly appeared in his hand; it was the high-quality magical artifact “Flying Swan Spear” that Ling Xuzi had specially given him before he left.
Chu Huai brandished the “Flying Swan Spear”, stepping on “Flowing Spring”, and charged into the Bat Swarm.
The Strange Bat kept appearing in droves, and Li Hong was overwhelmed. Seeing Chu Huai come to help was just what he wanted; he laughed heartily and said, “Good! You take east while I take west; let’s see who takes down more!” He pivoted on his toes, leaving his back exposed to Chu Huai as he dealt with the bats on the west side.
Chu Huai felt indignant—why was it always him giving me orders? Just as he was about to retort, he saw the Bat Swarm charging at him with their fierce jaws lined with sharp fangs. In a panic, he had no choice but to follow Li Hong’s instructions and flew toward the west.
With half of the battlefield taken over by Chu Huai, Li Hong found it much easier and fought with great enthusiasm as chunks of flesh rained down from above. The golden light sparkled everywhere as those caught among the Strange Bat were instantly reduced to minced meat. The long Dragon Tail Whip was already smeared with blood and bits of flesh.
On the eastern side, Chu Huai wielded a long spear that extended over three yards. Holding it in the center, he danced through the air swiftly; it was almost impossible to see the spear itself—only a blur resembling silver could be seen. His fighting style differed from that of Li Hong. While Li Hong struck broadly across a large area, Chu Huai focused on quick thrusts with both spear tips. Each thrust found its mark on a large Strange Bat, which fell silently to the ground.
The corpses dropped onto the “Fire Shield”, igniting into blazing flames that quickly turned them to ashes.
The spectators below were left breathless at the sight.
Someone exclaimed, "Indeed, it's the Disciple of the Sect Leader! Brother Chu Huai is truly extraordinary in bravery and skill!"
Chu Xi pouted, revealing a hint of mockery.
Chuxiong, however, couldn't contain himself and retorted loudly, "Is my Sixth Senior Brother really that bad? Hmph!"
The person speaking suddenly felt embarrassed.
Amidst the noise, Chuxuan remained silent, his face increasingly handsome and stern under the firelight, resembling the dignified demeanor of his ancestors.
At that moment, the roaring flames on the Fire Shield began to diminish—this type of protective Spirit Talisman has a limited duration, and once the time is up, it becomes ineffective. The crowd below quickly noticed, and someone shouted, "Not good! The Fire Shield's time is up!"
"Brother Chu Hong! Quickly use another Fire Shield!" Chu Hai shouted loudly from below, his voice trembling.
Li Hong, however, was not in a hurry. The long black strip in the distance had already disappeared, indicating that the Strange Bat reinforcements would not be coming. There were indeed many Mid-Level Spirit Talismans left in the Cosmic Bag, but these Mid-Level Spirit Talismans had been painstakingly drawn using Spirit Stones and were secretly given to him before leaving; using one meant losing one, so he couldn't afford to waste them.
He chuckled and said, "Don't panic, just watch me!" He suddenly withdrew his whip and jumped down the peak.
Chu Huai was taken aback and turned pale with urgency. "Where are you going? Come back!"
A beam of Iridescence rushed into the Bat Swarm from below like a whirlwind in heavy rain. Lingyi's Iridescence burst forth, expanding to over ten feet wide, stirring through the swarm of bats like a massive Blade Wheel, causing a cacophony of screeches.
In an instant, the Bat Swarm was decimated by more than half; the remaining bats lost their will to fight and scattered in all directions with frantic squeaks. The dark clouds dispersed, revealing a starry sky and a clear night.
Just then, as the Fire Shield's flames soared one last time, it completely vanished without a trace.
Li Hong laughed heartily; with a flash of golden light, he used the Dragon Tail Whip to flip back to the Summit. He first retracted Lingyi and vigorously shook the whip's tip to ignite a flame that burned away all traces of blood and flesh above before wrapping it back around his waist.
He looked up and smiled. "That was quite satisfying! Brother, come down quickly."
Chu Huai, covered in bright red, stood on "Flowing Spring," stunned with anger. Ahead, Li Hong had not given any warning, and he was caught off guard, splattered with the stench of bat blood and flesh, his face smeared with gore. Seeing Li Hong's clean and carefree appearance made his eyes nearly blaze with fury. Just as he was about to explode, he noticed Li Hong suddenly exclaiming and walking to the edge of Summit, pointing at the eastern sky and saying, "Look over there!"
About thirty to fifty miles away on One Peak, dozens of bright sword lights were swirling continuously. In the sky over there, dark ominous clouds loomed, and at a higher altitude, two enormous shadows were circling within the clouds. The figures appeared to be hovering with wings spread wide, their outlines clearly visible, indicating that these two creatures were absurdly large.
Everyone gasped in shock. It seemed that some disciples from an unknown sect had encountered the Strange Bat, with two Bat Kings stationed in the sky above. In contrast, everyone on their side felt a sense of relief.
Chu Liang quietly urged Chu Huai to come down and change clothes, even offering him a bag of Clear Water to wash his face. Chu Huai hesitated for a long time with flickering eyes but eventually slowly descended.
Li Hong was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice Chu Huai's feelings. He pondered many doubts. The Ancient Celestial Field was perilous and was said to change its terrain from time to time. He remembered that disciples from the Eight Major Sects and Five Elements Sect had been scattered across the mountains; now they were suddenly so far apart. The dozens of sword lights resembled those from Emei or Kongtong; how could they move so quickly? Moreover, he had yet to see any other sect's disciples—could it be due to changes in the terrain? This was something to keep an eye on in the days to come.
The sword lights darted back and forth; even from a distance, one could feel the intensity of the battle.
At that moment, Li Hong suddenly sensed something was wrong and looked down, instantly shocked.
A shadow was quietly standing halfway up One Peak, looking up at him. It was evident that the shadow was humanoid! How long had this person been there? How had he not noticed?! Cold sweat trickled down Li Hong's forehead; he had never felt such heart-pounding fear even when facing the Bat Swarm.
The first night in the Ancient Celestial Field turned out to be full of unexpected twists. Li Hong increasingly felt that things were not as simple as he had imagined. He glanced back and saw that no one else had noticed; with a push of his feet, Lingyi was already beneath him as he flew toward that person.
He had to find out whether this being was human or ghost.
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