The small courtyard was not large, enclosed by rammed-earth walls that stood no more than eight feet high.
Peering over the top of the wall, Zhou Wuji could see the blue roof tiles of a standard three-section courtyard compound.
To afford blue tiles and keep an orderly yard meant the residents would be considered a comfortable middle-class household within the county seat.
Observing through his Six Yang Dharma Eyes, he could see potent auras of vitality in both the main house and the wing rooms on either side, yet none that belonged to ordinary mortals.
Instead, chilling, sinister ghostly qi pervaded the entire compound without spilling beyond the walls.
Zhou Wuji sighed inwardly. By his estimation, everyone in this household had almost certainly been murdered.
They had likely been refined into yin spirits, which accounted for the heavy ghostly qi filling the grounds.
Earlier, Senior Brother Wuzheng had guessed that the two demonic cultivators might belong to the Heavenly Ghost Sect.
The Heavenly Ghost Sect specialized in refining ghost spirits and was notorious even among demonic sects for its cruelty and malice.
The Five Dragons Gang controlled the water transport up and down the river, boasting wide connections and close ties with all sorts of factions.
Enlisting demonic cultivators from the Heavenly Ghost Sect to assist them was entirely reasonable.
Zhou Wuji did not care which demonic sect they hailed from. Since they dared to slaughter innocent civilians, he had no reason to hold back.
The only reason he had not yet struck was that he was waiting for Wuzheng to set up the banners.
With the Seven Stars banners arrayed into the Big Dipper Seven Stars Array, even though its effect fell far short of a proper altar, it would still multiply the power of their spells.
Bolstered by the protection of Yang Shuling and his grandson, it would be enough to pin down the two seventh-rank demonic cultivators from the front.
Zhou Wuji retrieved a Purple Qi Pill and swallowed it. Knowing neither the exact origins of these demonic cultivators nor what techniques they specialized in, he intended to activate the Heavenly Puppet to protect himself as soon as battle began, shielding himself against all external qi.
Whether it was gu insects, poisons, stupefying incense, or blinding lime, everything would only hit the heavenly garment into which the Heavenly Puppet transformed.
The true qi converted from the Purple Qi Pill would help sustain his use of the Heavenly Puppet for as long as possible.
Driving the Heavenly Puppet was simply too draining on his true qi. Once he advanced to the seventh rank and completed his transmission and ordination, he would be able to learn the Arctic Heavenly Tiangang Divine Incantation.
Mastering this divine incantation would guard the body and spirit within while warding off water, fire, wind, and lightning without—truly a supreme method of self-protection.
And once he mastered the Big Dipper Tianshu Yin Thunder, he would no longer have to grip a sword and brawl in close combat.
Zhou Wuji silently counted to a hundred before hearing a bird call from the front of the courtyard. It was their prearranged signal, indicating that everything was in place.
Circulating his true qi, he drifted down as light as a feather onto the protruding ridge beam of a wing room. Solid and sturdy, the beam ensured he landed without a whisper of sound.
From this vantage point, he could overlook the entire courtyard.
Neither the main house nor the wings held any lit lamps. Firewood and other sundries were stacked neatly in the yard, evidence that the former occupants had been thrifty and orderly folk.
Zhou Wuji had initially intended to slip inside quietly and eliminate the two leading demonic cultivators first.
Yet looking down from above, he immediately sensed something amiss. Though the yard was empty of people, chilling streams of ghostly qi coiled within.
He had noticed ghostly qi from outside earlier and assumed it was merely the leaked aura of demonic cultivators, but now he saw that was not the case.
Through his Six Yang Dharma Eyes, he could clearly discern that the sinister ghostly qi was crisscrossing in an orderly pattern. White banners were planted at the four corners of the courtyard—unmistakably an array.
For these demonic cultivators to set up an array in the yard, either they were exceptionally vigilant like him, or they had planned ahead, laying down an array here to cover Azure Dragon Emissary Chen Hui's retreat.
Except Chen Hui had been captured in a single move, never getting the chance to flee here.
Zhou Wuji found the situation somewhat tricky; he knew next to nothing about arrays.
The array in the courtyard likely encompassed the rooms as well; breaching a wall to enter would still place him within its range.
As far as he could tell, this array was probably similar to the methods of the sixth-rank demonic cultivator from Yin-Yang Dao—using ghostly qi to shroud the space, confound senses, and bewilder minds.
As for the array possessing overwhelming lethal power, that was impossible.
After all, the two demonic cultivators' cultivation was only at the seventh rank, so however strong the array might be, its potency had limits.
Still, Zhou Wuji had no wish to take unnecessary risks.
He flicked a pebble from his fingers straight at the front gate. The pebble shattered against the wooden door, leaving a deep dent in the timber.
The sharp crack echoed harshly in the quiet night.
From the main house came a woman's rough, low bark: "Who's there?"
Before her voice had even faded, black qi churned in the courtyard, swiftly coalescing into a tall, black ghost soldier.
Standing eight feet tall, the ghost soldier gripped a black saber. Its dark body looked cast from black iron, exceptionally solid and hardened, patterned like armor across its torso, with a pair of eyes glowing fiery crimson.
"A ghost soldier!"
Zhou Wuji was slightly surprised. For seventh-rank demonic cultivators to command a sixth-rank ghost soldier, these two women certainly had some skill.
The ghost soldier did not notice Zhou Wuji. Striding to the gate, it took a glance, then dissolved into black mist and passed straight through the closed doors.
A dozen paces beyond the gate, Wuzheng had already planted the Seven Stars banners all around.
Hearing the stone strike the door earlier, he knew Zhou Wuji was intentionally alerting the enemy and signaling him to get ready.
This was part of the battle plan they had arranged beforehand.
Watching a mass of black mist drift through the gate and reshape into an armored black ghost soldier, Wuzheng's expression darkened. The demonic cultivators inside were far stronger than he had anticipated.
Still, the Heavenly Ghost Sect specialized in controlling ghosts, so it was not unheard of for seventh-rank cultivators to field a sixth-rank ghost soldier!
Raising his Seven Stars Sword, Wuzheng pointed it at the black ghost soldier and rapidly chanted an incantation: "Tianpeng, Tianpeng, command the thunder—swiftly, by the decree of the Northern Emperor!"
Many of the Arctic Sect's spells specifically countered spirits and evils, but the Yin Thunder art was by far the most destructive.
During his few months at Canglong Temple, Wuzheng had weathered multiple fierce battles, which had brought tremendous progress to his mastery of thunder arts.
Prepared well in advance for this fight, he did not even need the Tianpeng ruler. Channeling the true qi of the Big Dipper Seven Stars through his Seven Stars Sword and invoking the reinforcement of the summoned spirit troops of the Eight Divisions, he unleashed Yin Thunder directly.
A watery stream of thunderlight shot forward along the blade's tip, landing squarely upon the newly coalesced ghost soldier.
The Yin Thunder detonated without a sound, blasting the ghost soldier's iron-hard upper torso into swirling wisps of black qi.
The art of Yin Thunder inherently countered ghosts and spirits, and having absorbed the full force of a strike launched with deliberate preparation, even a sixth-rank ghost soldier could not withstand it.
Inside the main house, the two seventh-rank demonic cultivators, Xue Feihua and Xue Feixia, simultaneously sensed something amiss. Together, they shook the Soul-Calling Banners in their hands.
The roiling, scattering black qi swept backward into the main room, gathering once more around the Soul-Calling Banners held by the two women.
A look of shock crossed Xue Feihua's hideous face. "The enemy is using thunder magic, yet it made no sound and shattered a ghost soldier in a single blow! That must be the Arctic Sect's Yin Thunder!"
Daoist thunder arts were numerous, but Yin Thunder was a signature divine art unique to the Arctic Sect, making it easy to identify.
Xue Feixia asked in alarm and doubt, "How did they get here so fast? And how could they raise an altar and cast spells on such short notice?"
The two of them had been searching for ruins deep in the Siming Mountains with nothing to show for it. Just then, Chen Hui had arrived carrying a Five Dragons Token to seek their help, so they had come along.
They cared little about the Five Dragons Gang's vendetta. What mattered to them was that Zhang Xinhu of Siming County was dead, and the other seventh-rank martial artists in the county were incompetent.
If they could seize this chance to forge ties with local prominent clans, they could establish a foothold in Siming County.
Then they would be able to mobilize the manpower and resources of Siming County at their leisure to conduct a wide-scale search for those ruins.
According to the remnant diary of that cult master, the ruins were the lair of their esoteric cult.
This cult master went by the title Tianji Shenjun, claiming to have roamed the realm invincible.
Such boasts in a diary naturally could not be taken at face value—bragging in personal journals was common enough.
What truly mattered was that alongside the diary was a Dark Yin Moon Po Gourd. Capable of drawing in moonlight to nourish yin spirits, it was immensely useful to them.
Because the Dark Yin Moon Po Gourd was so precious, they had spared no effort combing through the deep Siming Mountains.
Yet despite having a fragmented map, they had found nothing after dozens of days of searching.
The Siming Mountains were simply too vast!
It was only because they hoped to secure a foothold in Siming County that they had aided Chen Hui so enthusiastically.
Yet before they could make their move, the enemy had already struck at their door, making the sisters realize their situation was dire.
At this point, they could no longer dwell on gaining a foothold in Siming County; their priority was to flee this perilous place as quickly as possible.
Even if they did not fear the cultivator outside, they were reluctant to fight him to the death.
Xue Feihua and Xue Feixia were flesh-and-blood sisters who had cultivated together for decades, sharing profound tacit understanding.
A single exchange of glances was enough for them to grasp each other's thoughts.
Xue Feihua shouted sternly, "All disciples, form ranks and meet the enemy!"
The two sisters commanded a dozen disciples, all burly young men with cultivation of at least ninth-rank martial artists.
Branded with Soul-Anchoring Locks, their lives were firmly in the sisters' grasp; whatever martial strength they had served only at their masters' beck and call.
The male disciples in the wing rooms had already been jolted awake. Upon hearing the command, they filed out holding sabers, swords, and bows.
Possessing a smattering of magic alongside martial skills, the dozen-odd men formed a formation with formidable presence.
From his perch on the beam, Zhou Wuji had a clear view. As the burly men merged with the sinister ghostly qi in the courtyard, each looked as though draped in a sheer, icy garment.
Such baleful sorcery normally froze a person's vital blood and caused severe harm.
These men were clearly ninth-rank martial artists, whose vitality far exceeded that of ordinary people, yet they managed to harmonize with the chilling ghostly qi, causing their vitality to surge even stronger.
Zhou Wuji could not identify the technique, surmising it was a secret art crafted by the Heavenly Ghost Sect specifically for its own martial artists.
The men assumed various positions, their placement apparently following a deliberate pattern.
With their participation, the array's ghostly qi grew increasingly dense.
In the main house, Xue Feihua and Xue Feixia did not flee immediately. They had laid down the Hundred Ghosts Soul-Locking Array, which even a sixth-rank Daoist might fail to break.
They decided to test the enemy's capabilities first; if outmatched, it would not be too late to run.
Outside the gate, Wuzheng did not advance. He had to guard the Seven Stars banners to cast thunder arts.
Yang Shuling was even less inclined to act rashly. Skilled as he was in martial arts, he had no desire to risk his life brawling with demonic cultivators.
Young Yang Tieying, by contrast, had gleaming eyes and looked eager to join the fray.
Yang Shuling shot his grandson an impassive glance and whispered, "With Daoist Priest Zhou and Abbot Wuzheng here, it's not your place to show off. Just stand guard right here and don't let anyone break through!"
Chastised until his face turned red, Yang Tieying did not dare talk back to his grandfather, merely lowering his head and mumbling his assent.
Paying no attention to the grandfather and grandson, Wuzheng sensed the surge of ghostly qi inside the yard through his true qi and felt a pang of apprehension.
The enemy had both a sixth-rank ghost soldier and an array, projecting formidable momentum. He was genuinely unsure if he could defeat them, though fortunately Junior Brother Wuji was there.
Unable to see inside the courtyard, Wuzheng knew from qi sensing alone that a massive amount of ghostly qi was gathering.
To aid Zhou Wuji, he once again unleashed the Big Dipper Tianshu Yin Thunder.
With a forward thrust of the Seven Stars Sword, a bolt of watery thunderlight stretched more than a hundred feet and crashed directly into the center of the yard.
The watery thunderlight instantly illuminated the courtyard, illuminating the pale faces of the male disciples and the twisted streams of chilling ghostly qi.
The thunderlight fractured into hundreds of arcs. Under its glare, the ghostly qi dissolved silently, while the male cultivators convulsed violently, their skin scorched black...
Yin Thunder was specifically suited to countering demonic cultivators and ghost spirits. Though this single strike failed to shatter the array entirely, it ripped a massive breach through its center.
Peering through the breach with his Six Yang Dharma Eyes, Zhou Wuji saw right through the array's inner workings.
Although the Six Yang Dharma Eyes was a low-rank spell, cultivating it to the perfection realm granted extraordinary utility.
Even the domain of that sixth-rank demonic cultivator from Yin-Yang Dao had been seen through by his Six Yang Dharma Eyes.
This nameless, sinister ghostly array was actually more intricate than a temporary domain erected by a sixth-rank cultivator.
From the outside, he had been unable to decipher it clearly, but with the Yin Thunder tearing into it, its shifting mechanisms became instantly apparent to him.
Ultimately, the array did little more than distort the senses and bewilder the mind, posing no substantive threat to him.
Having grasped the array's patterns, Zhou Wuji drifted down into the center of the courtyard. Seeing him land, several male cultivators who had escaped the blast rushed forward, brandishing sabers and thrusting swords directly at him.
A slight twitch of Zhou Wuji's left sleeve sent three White Brow Needles shooting forth like flashes of lightning.
Before the three foremost cultivators could register more than a glint of cold light, the needles sank deep into their foreheads between their brows.
Even with the array's dark yin true qi shielding them and baleful ghosts possessing their bodies, they could not stop the hair-fine White Brow Needles.
Having dispatched the three men with ease, Zhou Wuji gripped his sword and headed straight for the main house.
He had considered breaking through the roof, but felt no need to wreck the building.
Since the array covered the entire compound, dropping from above would not bypass it anyway; advancing on the ground was steadier and more reliable.
To his surprise, the three slain men did not collapse. Instead, their eyes rolled back, turning into twin balls of crimson ghost fire, while the vital blood and flesh throughout their bodies ignited with blazing ghost flames, transforming them into ghost spirits.
Such a bizarre mutation gave Zhou Wuji pause. He cursed inwardly, *What vicious methods!*
The sisters had clearly planted restrictions inside these men long ago so that the moment they died, their souls would immediately turn into fierce ghosts, while their vital blood and flesh transformed into ghost fire to augment their strength.
Such spell restrictions must have required extensive preparation to convert a corpse into a ghost spirit in the blink of an eye.
Of course, this merely burned the victims' vitality in a mad frenzy, skipping the natural process of ghost transformation. Though these ferocious ghosts reached the eighth rank, they could not maintain stability and would soon dissipate into nothing.
Inside the main house, the sisters Xue Feihua and Xue Feixia were utterly baffled. Their disciples had been painstakingly cultivated with Soul-Anchoring Locks planted early on, using this secret art to alienate their living souls step by step and convert them into yin spirits.
Once life was extinguished, the lock would ignite the soul, vital blood, and flesh, transforming the dead directly into seventh-rank baleful ghosts.
Why had all three turned into mere eighth-rank ferocious ghosts? Had the spiritual light of their souls been so thoroughly extinguished upon death that the transformation lost most of its power?
Though the two seventh-rank demonic cultivators were adept at ghost-raising arts, in the heat of the moment, they could not fathom the true reason.
Zhou Wuji gave the two cultivators no time to ponder. With a twist of the Seven Stars Sword in his hand, radiant sword light flashed, reducing the three newly transformed fierce ghosts to wisps of smoke...
The Seven Stars Sword was a dharma sword inscribed with Seven Stars Demon-Slaying runes. Driven by Tianshu true qi, it specifically countered all yin spirits and evil entities.
Though the other male cultivators were savage and bold, seeing their fellow disciples die horribly, turn into ghosts, and then be slashed into ash without even remaining as ghosts turned their faces pale with horror.
Even those spared by the Yin Thunder dared not step forward to intercept him.
Zhou Wuji had no interest in slaughtering them either. Just as he raised his sword to breach the main house, a crisp chiming of bells rang out from within.
The swaying chime pierced straight into the depths of Zhou Wuji's mind, causing his consciousness to sway along with it. Even the divine aperture at his brow and the seven apertures governing his true qi circulation seemed to vibrate in resonance with the sound.
The external oscillation disrupted his true qi circulation significantly.
Yet his divine consciousness was formidable, and having grasped both sword intent and fist intent, he reined in his true qi with sword intent in a single thought, utterly suppressing the bell chime that had invaded his sea of consciousness.
The chime continued, but could no longer shake or disrupt his sword intent.
Under the chime's spur, however, the male cultivators inside the array charged frantically. Their eyes burned crimson and their vital blood boiled, rapidly fusing with the array's ghostly qi.
The injuries left by the Yin Thunder seemed to have lost all effect on them.
Zhou Wuji had not intended to bother with these low-level cultivators, but seeing their state, he realized they had long been mutated by spell restrictions; living or dead made no difference to them now.
Realizing this, Zhou Wuji showed no more mercy. His Seven Stars Sword transformed into radiant sword light, cutting down every low-level male cultivator who lunged forward.
His swordsmanship was profoundly exquisite and his physique cultivated to extraordinary strength; even a seventh-rank martial artist might fail to withstand his swift sword, let alone these low-level men.
In less than three breaths, Zhou Wuji was the only living person remaining in the courtyard.
Not only were the Heavenly Ghost Sect's low-level disciples dead, but the ghosts they became were reduced to ashes...
The array arranged across the courtyard was also largely destroyed by his fierce, sharp sword qi.
Even the banner implements planted at the four corners were shattered in passing by his sword.
Without the array, the yin qi dissipated completely, and a gust of night wind blew in, bringing a touch of cool freshness.
Inside the main house, the chime fell silent. Shock painted the ugly faces of the sisters Xue Feixia and Xue Feihua. They had intended to test their opponent's depth before deciding whether to press forward or withdraw.
Yet before they could test anything, all their male disciples had been slaughtered, the ghosts they became were annihilated, and the array was shattered.
Fleeing now was already too late, for both sensed his divine intent locking onto them.
As demonic cultivators, their martial prowess was ordinary, but their divine consciousness was exceptionally strong. The swordsman outside was locked in such tight divine resonance with them that they had no immediate means to sever the connection.
If they wanted to escape, their only option was to kill him first!
Xue Feixia and Xue Feihua exchanged a glance, each seeing terror in the other's eyes. Xue Feihua forced herself to stay calm and said, "This man must be Zhou Wuji!"
Superb swordsmanship combined with Daoist arts—in all of Siming County, only Zhou Wuji fit the description!
With the Hundred Ghosts Soul-Locking Array destroyed, they now had only a single sixth-rank ghost soldier left to fight!
Though Zhou Wuji's swordsmanship was powerful, it would be of little use against a ghost soldier. Moreover, he was only an eighth-rank cultivator; forcibly breaching the array should have exhausted his true qi, leaving him with little strength remaining...
The problem was that the enemy clearly had companions, likely the seventh-rank Wuzheng!
Both Xue Feihua and Xue Feixia hesitated. Whether to stake everything on killing both men or turn and flee for their lives—that was the question!
Chapter 81