Chương 108: The Rising Ash

"You're surprised?" A flash of mockery crossed the black-robed man's face.

"Haven't the Demonic Cultivators been wiped out already?" Zhang Huaijin said, genuinely startled.

"It's barely been a few decades, and you're already crawling back."

"You have no idea what's really going on," the black robed man replied, his voice suddenly turning soft and sinister.

"But for now, you're going to do me a favor." Zhang Huaijin's expression didn't change. In his palm, the Blood Dragon Sword slashed backward. Pfft! A black, ghostly shadow was instantly cleaved in two, vanishing with a piercing wail that echoed through the void.

"Such rich blood essence... and a Body Cultivator on top of that? Not bad." Intense greed flickered in the black-robed man's eyes. Zhang Huaijin said calmly, "we have no quarell. Why must we fight to the death?" His opponent was at the Perfection stage of Foundation Establishment Realm, and beside him stood an Ash blood hound, also at the perfection stage. With that kind of power, even among Demonic Cultivators, this man was no nobody.

"Originally, there was no grievance between us, that's true," the black-robed man admitted.

"But you've become quite the rising star in the Qingtai Prefecture. And now, you've wounded my spirit beast. I need your head to complete my mission. So tell me... do we still have quarell?" His figure vanished as he finished speaking. His aura exploded outward. Black robes billowed, fingers formed seals, and a terrifying power condensed in the void. Crack, crack. Visible to the naked eye, demonic energy rose and coalesced into three towering, three meter tall ghostly apparitions.

Each one radiated the aura of a perfection stage.

"Three Ghost Division Art!" His low chant sounded like the damned demanding a life from hell. A chilling, sinister wind rose, clawing at Zhang Huaijin's mind. Zhang Huaijin gave a cold snort.

"Hundred Demon Roar!" A mighty shout erupted, the power of sonic waves rippling through the air. It sounded like a hundred demonic beasts roaring in unison, ferocious and unstoppable. The two attacks collided with a thunderous crash. The surrounding space rippled with astonishing intensity. Roar! Meanwhile, the Ash blood hound, having stabilized its injuries, charged again. One man, one beast, both at the perfected stage.

Even for Zhang Huaijin, with his combat prowess, fighting both at once made him extremely cautious. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. One perfected Foundation Establishment Realm opponent, he could handle. But two? Unless he used his Soul Techniques, he would be at a disadvantage. Yet even with that, a kill wasn't guaranteed. And if news of his soul techniques leaked... would those Purple Mansion Realm forces simply stand by?

Zhang Huaijin didn't dare take the risk.

"Spirit Ruin Burial Extinction!" He chanted lowly. A storm of sword energy swept forth, and a phantom coffin made of sword energy materialized, wreathed in terrifying flames, shooting straight toward the black-robed man.

"Not a bad move." The black-robed man sneered. Ghostly shadows howled, gnawing relentlessly at the sword energy within. Clang! The coffin lid flipped open. A ferocious beam of sword light flashed out, flying straight for the black-robed man's brow.

"Skeletal Ghost Claw!" A sinister, skeletal claw, upper grade spirit artifact, suddenly appeared in the man's hand. Boom! The two forces collided with an ear-splitting explosion. The resulting shockwave rippled outward like waves across a pond. Huaijin's expression unchanged, he summoned the Heavenly Net Handkerchief. In an instant, countless black threads filled the void, weaving together into a massive hundred meter net that descended upon the black-robed man and the Ash blood hound.

"You possess a Tier 2, upper grade spirit artifact as well?" Surprise flickered in the black-robed man's eyes, quickly replaced by boundless delight. Once he killed Zhang Huaijin, everything he owned would be his.

"Is that so strange?" For now, the two were evenly matched. Zhang Huaijin was waiting for the right moment to land a fatal blow. His opponent was thinking the same thing.

"Heh." The black-robed man smiled coldly.

"No wonder you're the rising star of Qingtai Prefecture. I acknowledge your talent. But you're only at the fifth level, while I am at perfection. Your combat prowess may be strong, but how long can your spiritual energy really last?" Smug certainty settled across his face. He admitted Zhang Huaijin was incredibly strong for his level. But the gap between their cultivation realms was simply too vast. The Ash blood hound's power was diminished, but it still relentlessly harried Zhang Huaijin from the side.

The battle between this man and his beast had already drawn the attention of powerful spirit beasts deep within the Purple Dusk Mountain Range. They smelled opportunity, a chance to scavenge the remains. Even the Tier 3 beasts were watching, waiting to reap the rewards of the loser. Huaijin didn't answer. He had established a Supreme Dao Foundation, his reserves were unfathomably deep. If they thought they could drain his spiritual energy dry, they could dream on.

After fifteen minutes, the black-robed man's expression shifted.

"I, Lou Guying, admit it," he said, finally giving his name.

"I underestimated you." Zhang Huaijin shook his head. The name meant nothing to him.

"How did you track me?" Zhang Huaijin asked, continuing to unleash attacks as he spoke.

"Though our Soul Sorrow Ridge has declined," Lou Guying replied, contempt flashing in his eyes, "it is still far beyond the comprehension of a mere Foundation Establishment family like yours."

'Soul Sorrow Ridge…' A jolt of shock ran through Zhang Huaijin's mind. If his memory served, Soul Sorrow Ridge was the largest demonic sect in the Tang Kingdom. The Demon Extermination Campaign back then had taken Soul Sorrow Ridge as its primary target. At that time, Soul Sorrow Ridge had possessed a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, a True Lord of the demonic path. In that climactic battle, the Guheng Sect's own Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator had slain him. Over ten Golden Core Realm Cultivators had died.

Soul Sorrow Ridge was crippled, and the Demonic Cultivators across the Tang Kingdom were mostly hunted down and exterminated. But it had been less than a hundred years. And already, Soul Sorrow Ridge's Demonic Cultivators were rising from the ashes. The Guheng Sect was the only Nascent Soul Sect in all of the Tang Kingdom. It bore the nation's destiny and was the sole reason the Tang Kingdom could exist as a state in the Eastern Region Great Wilderness, holding back the endless hordes of demons and spirit beasts.

If the Guheng Sect fell, and no new Nascent Soul Realm cultivator emerged in the Tang Kingdom, the nation would be overrun by demons and devoured by neighboring countries. And Soul Sorrow Ridge was the single greatest destabilizing factor within the Tang Kingdom's own borders. Besides Soul Sorrow Ridge, there were other smaller demonic sects and forbidden lands scattered across the kingdom. But most had been destroyed decades ago. Zhang Huaijin's heart tightened. The Demonic Cultivators were returning.

The Tang Kingdom was about to descend into chaos. He shot Lou Guying with a deep look. The conditions weren't right to kill this man now. Without a moment's hesitation, Zhang Huaijin tore through the ghostly apparitions surrounding him. A dragon's roar echoed from the Blood Dragon Sword in his palm. A sky filling storm of sword energy erupted, blasting Lou Guying backward. Then, he turned and fled.