Chapter 102: Chapter 101: The True [Gathering Form and Scattering Qi]

"Why are you looking at me? We’re on the same side!"

Feeling everyone’s gaze on him, the Zombie Alliance disciple’s expression changed, and he hurriedly shouted.

But when everyone turned to look at Qi Yun again, the spot where he had been was empty.

In his place, the White Bone Skeletons were rampaging once more!

Eighty-one White Bone Skeleton heads, burning with blood-black Evil Qi flames, cackled strangely. They moved as if they had minds of their own, splitting up and coordinating their attacks.

One moment, they formed a constantly spinning, charging wall of bone, forcefully shattering the hastily organized volley of Magic from the Three Sects’ disciples.

The next, they scattered like phantoms, specifically harassing and tangling with the Cultivators who were trying to cast powerful Magic or summon their Magical Artifacts.

The Corpse Poisoning Yin Fire they spat was viscous and bone-corroding, making it impossible to guard against.

These White Bone Skeletons were far from the fragile version they started as.

The dark green Corpse Poisoning Yin Fire burning around them was incredibly toxic. A single touch would corrode a large patch of flesh and bone.

The skulls themselves were also incomparably hard. After withstanding three direct hits, they only showed a few cracks.

Thanks to their self-healing effect, they would be as good as new after a single spin in the air.

They had become incredibly difficult to deal with!

Meanwhile, the Abyssal Iron Sand unleashed pure physical destruction. A casual charge from the incredibly heavy Abyssal Iron Sand delivered a terrifying impact force of over ten thousand pounds.

On top of that, it was fast and unpredictable.

Like a black tide, it would suddenly erupt from the ground, forming countless sharp spikes or heavy chains to impale, bind, and crush enemies who couldn’t dodge in time.

A flash of movement!

The sand descends!

The skeletons lunge!

Often, in just a single exchange, these Three Sects disciples were subdued and dragged away before they could even scream. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Then, in an extremely short time, their Cultivation and Blood Essence were completely drained, and they were turned into withered husks, casually discarded.

The essence they had painstakingly cultivated their entire lives was continuously fed back into Qi Yun’s body through the White Bone Skeletons’ Devouring Essence ability.

At the same time, the Crimson Cicada Embryo Storage clutched tightly in Qi Yun’s hand was also emitting a faint, bloody light.

The eight trigrams pattern on the cicada’s back slowly swirled like a bottomless pit, continuously absorbing the chaotic Essence Qi scattered across the battlefield and converting it into Jade Marrow that could improve one’s aptitude.

The longer the battle raged, the more terrifying Qi Yun’s aura and imposing presence became.

He seemed tireless, growing stronger with every kill.

The Evil Qi swirling around him had almost solidified.

Wherever his icy gaze swept, no one dared to meet his eyes!

"All those below the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, fall back! These White Bone Skeletons can draw on the life essence of the living to replenish themselves."

Watching Qi Yun tear through their ranks like a tiger among sheep, the experts among the Three Sects disciples realized what was happening. They shouted orders, telling the disciples who had become nothing more than "blood bags" to retreat.

The next instant!

The besieging disciples pulled back like a tide, leaving a large open area.

Six Three Sect Cultivators with solid auras—all clearly at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer realm—charged brazenly toward Qi Yun, surrounding him and trapping him in the center.

Six against one!

These six were the core strength of the Three Sects’ contingent that had entered the Peach Garden this time.

Two Yellow Springs Netherworld disciples, their faces deathly pale, were wreathed in Yin Qi.

Three Zombie Alliance Cultivators had gleaming black fingernails and fangs peeking from their mouths, their bodies exuding a stench that was both rotten and resilient.

And there was one female cultivator from Hehuan Palace. Her alluring charm seemed natural as her eyes shifted, but it concealed a deadly intent.

Staring at Qi Yun, the six said nothing, but a perfect understanding passed between them with a single exchange of glances.

At almost the same moment, they brazenly unleashed their killing moves!

One Yellow Springs Netherworld disciple formed a sword with his fingers, and a silent, grayish-black stream of Soul-Eroding Sword Qi stabbed toward Qi Yun’s back.

The other Yellow Springs disciple shook a Small Banner, summoning several roaring Yin Soul Chains that coiled toward Qi Yun’s legs.

The three Zombie Alliance Cultivators roared in unison. Verdigris-like patterns appeared on their skin as their bodies’ hardness instantly skyrocketed. Their black claws slashed toward Qi Yun’s torso, leaving a piercing shriek in the air.

The Zombie Alliance has two paths: Corpse Control and Corpse Transformation.

Corpse Control focuses on manipulating various types of zombies, while Corpse Transformation involves turning one’s own body into a zombie-like state. It’s similar to the path of Martial Arts, concentrating on physical combat.

The Hehuan Palace cultivator parted her red lips, breathing out a wisp of pink Peach Blossom Evil Qi.

The Evil Qi didn’t attack directly but spread out, doing its utmost to interfere with Qi Yun and slow his movements.

Facing the coordinated attack of six Cultivators of the same level, Qi Yun’s eyes narrowed. In a flash of thought...

The eighty-one White Bone Skeleton heads let out an even more rapid and piercing cackle.

They began to spin madly at extreme speed, forming a ghastly white vortex of death.

It brazenly smashed into the Yin Soul Chains and the three Zombie Alliance Cultivators charging from the front!

The Corpse Poisoning Yin Fire spat from the skulls and the Yin Soul Chains corroded each other, creating a harsh TSSSSSS sound.

The incomparably hard skulls clashed against the bronze-like claws of the Zombie Alliance Cultivators, sending a shower of sparks flying.

A massive amount of Abyssal Iron Sand rapidly gathered around him, forming a thick, black giant shield that precisely blocked the Soul-Eroding Sword Qi.

CLANG!

The Soul-Eroding Sword Qi slammed into the Iron Sand Giant Shield, creating a deep, resonant boom.

The sinister Sword Qi and the heavy Iron Sand canceled each other out, annihilating one another.

Just as Qi Yun was dividing his attention to fend off the attacks of the six Three Sect Cultivators...

An extremely faint, grayish-black stream of Sword Qi silently drew near as if it were alive, then suddenly accelerated.

It viciously carved a long, diagonal gash across Qi Yun’s back.

The wound was so deep, bone was nearly visible!

The extremely sinister Yin Qi contained within the Sword Qi instantly invaded his body, frantically destroying his meridians and flesh, bringing a bone-chilling cold and excruciating pain.

"Hahaha, how do you like the taste of my Profound Yin Sword Qi?" a humanoid black shadow squawked, squirming up from the ground with a sharp, triumphant cackle.

It turned out that there weren’t six people attacking Qi Yun, but seven.

This Yellow Springs Netherworld disciple had taken advantage of Qi Yun’s divided attention to launch a brazen sneak attack.

He was the seventh man.

"The Yellow Spring Ghost Technique... truly lives up to its reputation."

Feeling the bone-chilling pain from his back, Qi Yun actually nodded and smiled.

But in the next second, the face of the Yellow Springs Netherworld disciple who had just revealed himself suddenly stiffened.

Countless needles of Abyssal Iron Sand, glinting with a cold metallic light, were already waiting like a long-anticipated swarm of bees.

They were as fine as ox hair yet harder than refined steel, completely sealing off every path of retreat!

"To lure you out, I took that sword strike for real."

"Now, it’s your turn."

PFFT PFFT PFFT PFFT PFFT—!

Before his words had even faded, a sound like a torrential downpour of piercing objects erupted!

The Yellow Springs Netherworld disciple’s eyes widened in terror. In the face of such a dense and sharp barrage of Iron Sand needles, his Protective True Qi was like paper, instantly pierced through.

He didn’t even have time to let out a full scream.

His entire body was completely run through by innumerable Iron Sand needles, turning him into a grotesque black hedgehog. He fell backward, stiff as a board, and slammed onto the ground with a loud THUD, his aura instantly extinguished.

Seven against one, and one of them was killed in a counter-attack.

This turn of events left the onlookers horrified, their scalps tingling as a chill rose from the bottom of their hearts.

’Who is this guy? Weren’t we told that everyone who entered the Peach Garden this time were Outer Mansion Disciples of the Holy Sect?’

"He’s been hit by my Yellow Springs Netherworld’s Profound Yin Sword Qi! The sinister yin energy has seeped into his marrow. His flesh and blood will soon necrotize and disintegrate!"

"Don’t give him a chance to circulate his energy and force out the Sword Qi."

"All together now! Take him down quickly!"

Witnessing his fellow disciple being turned into a hedgehog by Qi Yun, the other Yellow Springs Netherworld cultivator gritted his teeth and urged the others to attack again.

"Right!"

Having already experienced the vicious power of this Holy Sect Disciple firsthand, the other four nodded in agreement. They stirred their True Qi, preparing to strike once more.

But Qi Yun, who was cornered in the center, suddenly flickered. With a POOF, he vanished from before their very eyes without a trace.

"The Illusionary Body Concealment Technique?! A petty trick!"

Seeing Qi Yun disappear, the Yellow Springs Netherworld cultivator holding the Small Banner sneered.

The Illusionary Body Concealment Technique was, after all, a signature skill of their Yellow Springs Netherworld.

He flipped his hand over, producing three Copper Mirrors. As he chanted an incantation, ghastly white, creepy eyeballs appeared on the once-dull and mottled surfaces of the mirrors, constantly swiveling and scanning!

*Three Yin Image Displaying True Skill.*

Tossing the three Copper Mirrors into the air, the Yellow Springs Netherworld cultivator shot out a stream of True Qi. The eyeballs on the mirrors immediately projected hazy beams of light, like searchlights, and quickly locked onto the trajectory of an ethereal wisp of Pure Qi, faint as smoke!

"Found him!"

Everyone looked toward the hazy beams of light, and just as they were about to form hand seals and attack, their expressions suddenly froze.

They saw Qi Yun, now transformed into Pure Qi, looking as ethereal as an immortal. The massive, bloody gash on his back, carved by the Profound Yin Sword Qi, was rapidly mending and healing in this gaseous state.

In the blink of an eye, aside from the rip in his clothes, there wasn’t a single trace of the wound left on his body.

"What kind of Demon Skill is this?!"

Even though the Three Sects were all titans of the Demon Dao and their disciples were worldly and knowledgeable, they looked as if they had seen a ghost upon witnessing Qi Yun repair his own body.

Transforming one’s physical body into qi was not unheard of, and Spirit Medicine and Secret Techniques for physical regeneration were not just legends.

But neither of those things should be possible for a mere Qi Refining Disciple.

If the Qi Yun before them were a Foundation Establishment Master, they would have just praised his Profound Skill Techniques even if he had blown himself to bits and regenerated from a single drop of blood.

But this Qi Yun was only a Qi Refining Cultivator!

Feeling his physical body return to its peak condition, completely free of any hidden injuries, Qi Yun’s lips curled into a slight smile as a look of understanding dawned on his face.

’Gathering form creates an illusion body; scattering qi constructs substance from the void.’

’This... is the true Gathering Form and Scattering Qi!’

...