Arrival of Nangong Wan

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The middle-aged man from the Yan family coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes rolling back as he collapsed unconscious.

"Useless trash," Wang Chan sneered.

His voice echoed through the battlefield. "Everyone, listen! Yanling Fort has colluded with the demons to harm us righteous cultivators. Their formation has been broken by me—leave this place immediately!"

The chilling voice of a woman spread through the crowd, reaching the ears of every monk present.

Qi Yuan didn't hesitate. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a mid-grade magic weapon, sending it hurtling toward Gao Lou. Without pausing to see the result, he grabbed Dong Xuan'er's hand, leaped onto the Dragon Spirit Shuttle, and sped away.

A young Jindan cultivator beside Wang Chan frowned. "Something's not right—that magic weapon is a trap!"

He spat out a ball of green Yin fire, engulfing the weapon. A muffled explosion followed—

Tianleizi!

Wang Chan's expression darkened. If not for the vigilance of his Li brothers, those muffled detonations could have seriously injured him.

Still, he wasn't concerned about his life. As the son of the Ghost Spirit Sect's leader, a Nascent Soul-stage cultivator, he had numerous life-saving measures prepared. A simple Tianleizi posed no real threat.

Qi Yuan, though fleeing, kept his spiritual sense locked on the battlefield. When he saw that his ploy had been detected, his heart sank slightly. But he didn't dwell on it—against a Jindan cultivator, such tricks were merely distractions. The priority was escaping Yanling Castle.

His thoughts drifted momentarily to Nangong Wan. If the enemy had truly sent two Jindan cultivators, how would she fare? He sighed inwardly. When he saw her again, he wouldn't know what to say.

"The colorful fairy from Yanyue Sect and the stinking Taoist from Qingxu Sect—you two think you can cause trouble here? Keep dreaming."

The voice was laced with malice.

Nichang gazed at the four hovering Jindan-stage demonic cultivators. Two of them were the Li brothers, now closing in. Though her heart sank, her expression remained calm, her lips curling into an almost teasing smile.

"How much trouble we stir up depends on how well you demons can handle it."

With that, she plucked a pearl hairpin from her hair and flicked it forward. A gentle green glow intensified into a blinding streak of light, shooting toward one of the Jindan cultivators.

"Madam, be careful! Her Qingluan Hairpin is a powerful magic weapon!" Hei Wuchang warned.

Beside him, Bai Wuchang's expression grew solemn. Despite the thick makeup on her face, a bit of powder flaked off as she scowled. A black skull emerged from her chest, rapidly expanding in the wind into a massive, gaping maw. With an eerie laugh, it swallowed the Qingluan Hairpin whole.

Nichang's expression didn't change. She formed a series of hand seals, her lips moving in a quiet incantation before she shouted, "Transform!"

A sharp crack split the air as the black skull fractured, shattering into pieces with a deafening bang. From the dissipating dark mist, a dazzling blue phoenix burst forth, circling above Nichang's head.

Bai Wuchang spat out blood. Gritting her teeth, she condensed a black mist into a tiny puppet, pressing it against her chest. Color returned to her face, but fury burned in her eyes.

One exchange—and she had suffered a serious setback. If word of this got out, her reputation would be ruined.

Fu Yunzi, standing nearby, felt a surge of fighting spirit. His whisk flashed with white light as he turned his focus toward Hei Wuchang. If Nichang had already bested one Jindan cultivator, he couldn't afford to lag behind.

Hei Wuchang, enraged by his wife's injury, roared at Fu Yunzi. "You stinking Taoist—do you want to die?"

With one hand, he pulled out a white skull from his chest. A bitter wind howled through the battlefield as the skull's hollow eyes flickered with a cold, white light. Faint cries of tormented ghosts echoed in the night.

Fu Yunzi's eyes narrowed. This white skull was even more sinister than the black one. He immediately advanced, hoping to suppress its power before it could fully unleash its might.

But Nichang, more knowledgeable in demonic arts, sensed something unusual. Her voice turned sharp. "Daoist Fu Yunzi, be careful!"

Hei Wuchang grinned wickedly, pressing a hand against the skull's back. Two yellow beams shot from its eye sockets, striking toward Fu Yunzi at close range.

Fu Yunzi had dismissed Nichang's warning at first, but when he saw the ominous yellow light, his heart clenched with regret. He quickly channeled his spiritual power, splitting his whisk into two white dragons to intercept the attack.

Hei Wuchang sneered in disdain. With another command, the white skull exhaled a chilling gray wind from its gaping maw.

A deadly energy swept toward Fu Yunzi. He knew at once—if he couldn't block this, he would die.

The Tai Chi Bagua diagram on his Daoist robe shimmered, forming a protective illusion around him.

Sizzle—

The cold wind clashed against the barrier, producing a strange, grating sound.

Gritting his teeth, Fu Yunzi poured more spiritual power into the shield, struggling to hold his ground.

Hei Wuchang hesitated only briefly before biting his fingertip, letting a single drop of blood fall onto the skull. The chilling wind intensified instantly.

Nichang wouldn't stand idly by.

She moved, ready to assist—

But the Li brothers and Bai Wuchang sprang into action, unleashing their own magic weapons to pin her down.

From a distance, the Yan family's ancestor watched, unmoving.

Fu Yunzi, realizing Nichang was trapped, made a split-second decision. He ripped off his Daoist robe and spat out a mouthful of blood onto it. "Evil cultivator, taste my Daoist magic!"

The blood-soaked robe shone with golden light, transforming into a massive Tai Chi Bagua diagram. A divine presence filled the battlefield, and thunder rumbled ominously above.

"Fall!"

A bowl-sized bolt of purple lightning crashed down.

Hei Wuchang's face twisted. He knew he couldn't take this attack head-on. A ghost-faced cloak unfurled behind him, enveloping his body as he curled up beneath it.

The purple lightning struck the cloak, and a muffled groan came from within.

Fu Yunzi frowned. He had limited time—breaking the cloak's defense would take too long. Instead, he shifted his focus, redirecting the lightning toward the demon cultivators encircling Nichang.

"Fairy Nichang, run!"

Nichang's expression shifted. If she fled, Fu Yunzi would die for certain.

Before she could decide—

A red streak of light shot through the battlefield at terrifying speed.

Bai Wuchang instinctively raised her black skull to block it—

But she was too slow.

With a sickening sound, Bai Wuchang's body was cleaved in two. Her soul didn't even have time to escape before it was annihilated.

One of the Li brothers broke into a cold sweat as the red light rushed toward him. Gritting his teeth, he mustered every ounce of defense he had.

The attack finally halted.

As the light faded, Nichang's eyes widened in recognition.

"Junior Sister Nangong…!"

Three figures stood before her.

At the center, Nangong Wan's cold gaze swept across the battlefield. Her voice rang out, sharp and merciless.

"Kill."

(End Of Chapter)