A Deadly Confrontation: Life and Death Face Off

The rotund Ghost Dao was engulfed in a whirlwind of rage and fear, his entire visage disfigured by the explosion, trembling uncontrollably. It was uncertain whether his convulsions stemmed from the backlash of poison or the apex of his fury. As a cultivator of the Foundation Establishment stage, positioned at the pinnacle above low-tier practitioners, he found himself repeatedly outmaneuvered by this brash young apprentice of the Qi Refinement stage, suffering such immense losses that even his years of dedication to the "Profound Yin Demon Seed Technique" had come to naught.

**Whoosh!**

At that moment, a crimson streak of sword light, crackling with the roar of thunder, shot towards him in an instant, unleashing the full force of lightning and flame. The rotund Ghost Dao had no time to summon his magical artifacts or command his zombies. With a grimace, he gathered a gray light in his hands to meet the oncoming sword that was infused with the powers of thunder and fire.

A loud *bang* resonated as brilliant flames and raging lightning erupted, enveloping the rotund Ghost Dao within. This time, he managed to defend himself; his spiritual energy manifested into a solid shield, allowing him to stumble back a few steps before regaining his footing. Hu Fei's charged strike had failed to penetrate his defenses! However, in that hasty moment, the rotund Ghost Dao sustained some superficial injuries.

Once he regained his senses, he directed his will, and the Foundation Establishment zombie surged forward, infused with a potent aura of death, charging at Hu Fei.

**Clang! Clang!**

Despite Hu Fei's spiritual weapon being imbued with the might of lightning and fire, it merely left scorch marks on the zombie's body. This enraged the undead creature, propelling it forward with blinding speed—far beyond what any practitioner at the Spirit Focusing stage could achieve.

**Boom!**

Hu Fei could barely evade, his spiritual weapon raised in defense, but he was sent flying like a ball, crashing violently against the stone wall, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"Humph... brat! Where do you think you're running?" 

The rotund Ghost Dao's eyes locked onto Yang Fan, who was desperately retreating toward the grand hall. His animosity toward Yang Fan had reached a boiling point; he could not allow this boy to escape.

Yang Fan's retreat into the hall was a desperate move, for when the rotund Ghost Dao unleashed his true strength as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, all of Yang Fan's clever strategies seemed trivial.

Fortunately, the rotund Ghost Dao had to allocate a portion of his mana to suppress the toxins and injuries within him. Upon entering the grand hall, the abilities and senses of ordinary practitioners were severely hindered, and even the rotund Ghost Dao was no exception. However, in his omniscient mode, Yang Fan could perceive everything happening within the hall.

This was a terrain immensely favorable to him; how could he not take advantage of it? Furthermore, within this grand hall, Yang Fan possessed a trump card he would not deploy unless absolutely necessary. As he sensed the rotund Ghost Dao on the verge of entering the hall, Yang Fan's nerves tightened to their breaking point. The outcome of this confrontation hung delicately in the balance!

His eyes glinted with intensity as he summoned the three second-tier talismans from his storage pouch.

**Whoosh, Whoosh, Whoosh!**

The talismans transformed into three massive serpents of flame, carrying a wave of scorching heat that engulfed the entrance of the grand hall. The powerful fire serpents intertwined, creating a formidable presence as they surged towards the rotund Ghost Dao. In an instant, the atmosphere was charged with spiritual energy.

Second-tier talismans possessed power comparable to the spells of a Spirit Focusing stage cultivator. When the three second-tier talismans erupted together, even the rotund Ghost Dao could not afford to underestimate them, especially since he could only muster four layers of mana.

The rotund Ghost Dao stepped back, his pupils narrowing, as he summoned forth a black flag about a foot in length, effortlessly waving it with a flick of his wrist.

A fierce black wind erupted from the flag, striking the three serpents of flame. As they collided, they produced a series of hissing sounds, the spiritual energy fluctuating violently. The black wind quickly gained the upper hand, swiftly extinguishing the three flames.

Seizing this moment, Yang Fan swiftly set up a formation and retreated deeper into the dark hall. Effortlessly dispelling the three fire serpents, the rotund Ghost Dao sneered and advanced into the hall, closing in step by step. He was curious to see what other tricks Yang Fan had up his sleeve.

Given the enormous disparity in their power and ranks, he did not believe the boy could turn the tables. 

Just as the rotund Ghost Dao reached the entrance, he suddenly sensed an anomaly. A surge of spiritual energy enveloped him from above, and a radiant azure light erupted, an indescribable pressure crashing down upon him, making him gasp for breath and halting him in his tracks, as if his very soul was under siege.

"Not good!" 

The rotund Ghost Dao's expression shifted drastically. In a split second, he lifted the black flag in his hand, channeling dense mana to counter the looming threat from above.

**Boom!**

A massive azure brick, stretching ten feet long, appeared out of thin air, radiating an ancient and weighty aura, descending like a thunderbolt. The entire spatial region quaked as the colossal weight bore down.

The black flag collided with the enormous brick, and the cataclysmic force and pressure sent the rotund Ghost Dao's blood surging within him, nearly knocking him unconscious. The black flag was merely a spiritual artifact geared towards spellcasting; it lacked any combat capabilities to withstand the might of the massive azure brick. Furthermore, the azure brick was on par with his spiritual artifact in terms of grade; were it not for the depths of his mana, that strike alone could have turned the flag into pulp.

"Y-you..." 

The rotund Ghost Dao's face flushed crimson, disbelief etched upon his features as he glared at Yang Fan. At that moment, he grasped a startling truth: this boy was not merely a Qi Refinement novice but an elite practitioner at the pinnacle of the Qi Refinement stage.

"How... how is this possible?" 

The rotund Ghost Dao was incredulous, observing Yang Fan with a mix of skepticism and terror.

"Is he truly capable of wielding a spiritual artifact?" 

The rotund Ghost Dao remained baffled, as commanding a spiritual artifact required at least the cultivation of the Spirit Focusing stage.

In the next instant, a formidable wave of mental pressure surged from Yang Fan, elevating his aura further still.

"This pressure..." 

The rotund Ghost Dao's heart sank, and his complexion turned ashen as realization dawned upon him. No wonder this boy could refine and control a spiritual artifact; it turned out his soul had reached the pinnacle of the Spirit Focusing stage.

Throughout this encounter, the rotund Ghost Dao had always regarded Yang Fan as a mere Qi Refinement novice, and a medicinal practitioner at that. This was the consequence of underestimating his opponent!

The enormous azure brick glimmered with a brilliant azure light, heavy and potent, firmly pressing down on both the individual and the artifact below.

The rotund Ghost Dao's face turned beet red, gritting his teeth, struggling to move, unable to shift even an inch as he exerted every ounce of mana into the artifact. The moment he faltered, the weight of the azure brick could crush him into a mere pancake.

His sole hope now lay in waiting for Yang Fan's mana to run dry. Commanding such a heavy, divine artifact would undoubtedly deplete vast reserves of mana. With the mana of a pinnacle Qi Refinement cultivator, he certainly could not sustain it for more than four or five breaths.

Once that moment arrived, the rotund Ghost Dao could retaliate at will; whether recalling his Foundation Establishment zombie or unleashing other magical artifacts or spells, dispatching this boy would be a simple matter.

Yang Fan's visage bore a twisted grin, yet his eyes revealed an unsettling calmness. For the time being, there were no signs of his mana depleting.

One of his hands slightly raised, he continued to channel energy into the azure brick with a series of complex hand seals, the brick pulsating with an emerald glow. His other hand, concealed behind his back, appeared to be gripping something, obscured in the dark hall.

"This step has finally succeeded; I won't need to resort to the final trump card hidden within the hall..." he exhaled a sigh of relief, a sense of steadiness returning to him.

In retrospect, the previous arrangements had been somewhat precarious and fortuitous. It turned out that Yang Fan had taken advantage of the moment when the three fire serpents clashed with the rotund Ghost Dao, creating a surge of potent spiritual energy to stealthily conceal the azure brick within the hall's entrance, laying a trap.

While the azure brick presented itself as a mid-grade spiritual artifact, it was, in fact, a fragment of the Jin Hong Sect's mountain-preserving treasure—both offensive and defensive, and exceedingly powerful. More notably, this artifact could hide within the void, revealing its presence only at the moment of attack.

Naturally, Yang Fan's success in setting this trap without the rotund Ghost Dao noticing was closely linked to the geographical advantage within the hall, which obstructed the spiritual senses and awareness of the practitioners.

**Bang, bang, bang...** 

While the two engaged in a

 stalemate, the rotund Ghost Dao's face distorted with a range of emotions—panic, rage, shock, and unease. 

"Isn't this just a temporary stalemate? As soon as my mana depletes, I'll certainly seize my opportunity to crush you." 

The rotund Ghost Dao attempted to gather his shattered composure, fiercely countering Yang Fan's threat. 

**Boom!**

Suddenly, the azure brick dropped abruptly, crashing down, the immense pressure cascading forth, leaving the rotund Ghost Dao breathless, blood spilling from his mouth, but he defiantly upheld the black flag, countering with all his might.

"Don't get cocky! You'll exhaust your mana soon; then I'll teach you the price of your arrogance!" 

With the rotund Ghost Dao and his black flag, he stood his ground against Yang Fan's relentless assault, unwilling to yield.