Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 169 - 169 168 Soul Ghosts Storm 2

169: Chapter 168 Soul Ghosts Storm 2 169: Chapter 168 Soul Ghosts Storm 2 The gathering of Soul Ghosts suddenly turned frantic—without any warning, they began rising from the ground, covered by the fog, blanketing the mountainsides.

There was no process, no probing, no omen!

It was as if the sword signal was the very sign to launch an attack!

Within the throngs of Soul Ghosts appeared a great number of Wandering Souls and fierce ghosts, the ones from which Soul Beads could be obtained; the situation was starkly different from the day before, a complete turnaround; this was certainly not by chance, but an inevitability, a strategy to lure enemies deep into their clutches.

The three Upper Cultivators realized that things were beginning to spiral beyond their expectations—had they been outwitted by the Soul Ghosts’ scheme?

It was an embarrassment to even speak of.

The source of the Soul Ghosts was not just the two peaks used for trials but from over a dozen surrounding peaks.

Wherever the ghost fog spread, legion upon legion of Soul Ghosts emerged!

Even worse, the fog itself was expanding continuously, threatening to envelop all of West Mang Mountain.

Could this be a surge of ghosts, a tide of spirits?

Such a situation was beyond the capacity for the low-level cultivators below; they could not hold out for long.

Their so-called formations were, after all, mere semblances of arrays, a far cry from the true arrays capable of harnessing the power of heaven and earth.

At their level of cultivation, they were well aware that the sword signal was not orchestrating all this.

Clearly, a higher existence among the Soul Ghosts had noticed the outward sending of the sword signal, deciding to launch an all-out attack; without the sword signal prompting them, the Soul Ghosts’ preparations would have been even more elaborate.

It was a trap targeted at them, the patroller had guessed correctly!

Uncle Master Zheng knew hesitation was not an option and made a snap decision, “The trial is ceased, the two Daoist friends, use your magic artifacts to take the disciples away!

I will immediately contact Jin City for support; such a surge can’t be without higher-order Soul Ghosts orchestrating it behind the scenes!”

This statement reflected his broad strategic perspective as an envoy of the Mu Shuai mansion, choosing not to directly confront the enemy but to decisively seek help.

Fairy Lu and Daoist Yan were no less resolute.

Despite their earlier bickering, none were simple ones to lead a team out; just as the two were about to act, Uncle Master Zheng had barely sent out the Wild Geese Letter when a tangible ghostly wail swept through the space they occupied, destroying the Wild Geese Letter and halting their movements.

“It’s a Painted Skin Ghost!”

The three of them could no longer concern themselves with anything else.

Uncle Master Zheng rode his Sword Plate, seizing an advantageous position to attack; Fairy Lu held her Magic Banner aloft, stirring up ripples; Daoist Yan let out a low shout as a phoenix soared from her sleeve, wings unfolding—each of them readying for a fierce battle.

The Painted Skin Ghost was a classification of the ghostly anomalies by humans.

In this system, the most common were Yin Spirits and minor ghosts; ascending were Wandering Souls and fierce ghosts that provided Soul Beads,

comparable to human Tongxuan Realm existence were the ethereal spirits and phantoms capable of solid illusions; beyond them were those who could disguise themselves as humans through painted skins.

These did not necessarily match with the human Golden Core Realm, but were definitely much stronger than ethereal spirits and phantoms.

At this level, the Soul Ghosts diverged onto a different path, no longer entirely discernible by the human classification of realms.

Being capable of taking on a human guise indicated at least a basic level of human intelligence; organizing such an ambush thus followed naturally.

Daoist Yan, watching the rising black smoke rolling towards them, did not panic as she called out clearly:

“Cut it down!

Otherwise, not just those disciples, but all human strongholds near West Mang Mountain will suffer!”

This was the only choice, now was not the time for indecision.

They couldn’t send out a message, they couldn’t save the disciples, and the only thing that could break through all these obstacles was this Hua Pi Ghost, and there was no other way.

They had considered the possibility that Tongxuan Level spirits and ghosts would appear during the Soul Surge Ghost Tide, but they had not expected a Hua Pi Ghost to show up.

It was essentially the biggest ghost on West Mang Mountain, right?

Why had it appeared so quickly?

With no time for further thought, they had to join forces to fight the enemy.

In terms of personal strength, their Tongxuan Realm was still one level below that of the Hua Pi Ghost, but considering the difference in abilities between human cultivators and other races, the three of them together still had a chance.

As for those disciples, although it was very regrettable, in such circumstances, they could only hope for the best—that was the cruelty of the Cultivation World.

There were always choices to be made, always something to give up!

…Suddenly, a lot of Wandering Souls and fierce ghosts appeared among the Soul Ghosts.

These Soul Ghosts were far stronger than ordinary ones, and with their sudden strike, the Anhe Daoist Great Array hadn’t had time to adjust and was breached by a few Wandering Souls and fierce ghosts into the inner circle.

The inner circle was a blind spot for the Qing Xu Daoist light, so the Kun cultivators had to face them head-on.

If they did so, the power of the entire Array would decrease, creating vulnerabilities!

This was a series of connected traps, one leading to another, breaking one could lead to the collapse of the whole Formation.

Lan Re shouted, “Third Sister, Fifth Sister, Ninth Sister, you clean up, the rest keep defending the perimeter!”

She was the core of the Formation, responsible for coordination—this was her responsibility.

Although she was a bit slow to react, the countermeasures she took weren’t bad!

But it was still too late; as those Soul Ghosts breached the inner circle, a figure flickered, sword light flashed!

Although swordsmanship was not the best for group attacks, it was exceptionally sharp for single-target strikes, and the person making the move was none other than the old Hou Niao.

He had taken advantage of Soul Ghosts here for more than two months and knew their weaknesses as if they were his own, clear as daylight.

The invading Soul Ghosts were killed one after another so quickly that the appointed Kun cultivators didn’t even have time to react,

“The inner circle is mine, the outside is yours!”

Lan Re took a deep breath, she now finally understood why Chen Shi insisted on recruiting this Quanzhen Sword Cultivator.

It wasn’t just because he was from Anhe, more importantly, his extraordinary swordsmanship was astonishing.

She was well aware that at such a close distance, if it were them, the Daoist disciples facing such swordsmanship, they would probably not even have a chance to struggle.

“Thank you, Brother!

We will strengthen the illumination of the Qing Xu Daoist light to cover every blind spot, and leave the ghosts that come in to the Brother.”

She did as she said, and the Daoist light from the Great Array suddenly intensified; it would be difficult even for Wandering Souls and fierce ghosts to find an opportunity to penetrate again.

For these Daoist disciples, having a powerful Sword Cultivator responsible for internal cleansing would certainly boost their confidence immensely, and the use of their techniques would be much smoother—this was the key to holding on!

But Hou Niao did not believe they were out of danger yet.

He was the most sober-minded cultivator present, as the situation they now faced was partly due to his actions a year ago; he was one of the main culprits.

Things were clear—it emerged that a powerful being had appeared on West Mang Mountain, who single-handedly held back three Upper Cultivators.

Now, they had lost their reinforcements, but the Soul Ghosts still had reserves!

With the appearance of the Wandering Souls and fierce ghosts, and the Golden Core Level Hua Pi Ghost, how could those spirits and ghosts not appear?

He wouldn’t place all his hope on others, whether it be the three Masters, the Jin City reinforcements, or his own patrol brothers.

From the start of the battle, one could only consider the worst-case scenario!

“Lan Re, is it possible to move this Array?”