The cold black pool of water surged with waves. A battered ancient war chariot, scarred by countless blades and spears as if baptized in blood and fire, rolled across the black water, breaking through the waves with force.
"This is seriously messed up! It's been over ten thousand years, and the Demon Emperor's Yin Tomb still has guardians? Unreal. Absolutely nuts!" The unscrupulous Daoist frowned deeply.
"Whoosh!"
Just as he was dazed, a black arrow whizzed toward him. The arrowhead burned with ghostly flames, and thick black mist billowed from its tail.
"Clang!"
The unscrupulous Daoist raised a shield like a piece of red agate, blocking the arrow, but it exploded on impact. Ghostfire burst in all directions, black mist surged. The ghostfire scorched the ground and melted rocks, but then the black mist swept in, freezing everything into powder.
This deadly energy nearly hit Ye Fan and the Daoist. The arrow's combination of ice and fire was lethal, ordinary cultivators could be killed instantly if caught off guard.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The air was filled with piercing sounds as wave after wave of black arrows cut through the mist like a rainstorm of death.
Clang clang clang!
The red-agate shield was struck hundreds of times. Ghostfire surrounded them, and the black mist surged endlessly.
Chi chi chi!
The shield emitted crimson light, rippling outward like waves. It dispersed the ghostfire and scattered the black mist, finally blocking the wave of attacks.
But then came a thunderous rumble. The ruined war chariots, carrying ghostly soldiers, had landed and were rolling toward them.
"I have to see what the hell you things are!" the unscrupulous Daoist growled, biting down hard. He spat out a beam of green light, a one-inch-long dagger, glowing with a bright emerald hue. As it met the air, it rapidly extended to over half a foot long, crystal clear like a pool of jade water, exuding a bone-chilling aura.
Ye Fan clenched his jaw when he saw it, it was the dagger he had once obtained, now stolen by the unscrupulous Daoist and being used to fight.
Chi!
The green dagger turned into a ribbon of light, firing off radiant god-light and halting one of the ruined war chariots.
Next, the Daoist's Bitter Sea glowed, and a blood-red bead shot out. Scarlet rays radiated from it, releasing powerful divine waves that surged forward, pinning three of the chariots in place.
At the same time, a thumb ring on the Daoist's hand glowed with purple light, casting an iridescent gleam. Purple mist billowed from it.
"Slash!"
He shouted lightly, raising a finger. The ring emitted countless sharp purple blades of light.
Puff puff puff!
The purple blades sliced apart two of the ancient chariots, stopping a wave of ghost soldiers.
Ye Fan cursed inwardly. All three of these sentient weapons were treasures he had found, now being used by the Daoist against their enemies.
Chi chi chi!
Just then, the green dagger pierced five ghost soldiers and shattered a war chariot. The red bead succeeded in completely immobilizing three more.
"These are great tools!" the Daoist exclaimed.
In the end, all the ruined war chariots were destroyed. Most of the ghost soldiers were skewered. The Daoist rushed forward, tearing open their black iron armor to see what lay beneath.
To his shock, the first few ghost soldiers spilled out fine sand instead of flesh, no sign of life at all. Eventually, he found a few that weren't sand, but frozen animal corpses.
"What the hell…" The Daoist was stunned. "Could it be Dao Runes keeping them intact?" He quickly swept away the sand, and sure enough, found small wooden plaques at their cores, inscribed with intricate Dao Runes.
"Just as I thought, summoning soldiers from sand, generals from corpses. What a technique." The Daoist grew excited. "These are ten-thousand-year-old Dao Runes. Who knows what terrifying things I can learn from them."
He swept up all the sand, broke open the corpses, and collected every wooden plaque, forming a large pile on the ground.
Boom!
Suddenly, from the cold black pool, another sound erupted. A wolf-headed demon general clad in black-gold armor slowly rose, radiating thick deathly aura, far more powerful than the previous ghost soldiers.
"This guy died in battle ages ago, now reanimated. But this isn't Dao Rune magic," the Daoist said thoughtfully.
The demon general advanced, shaking the earth as black mist rolled around him.
"This one's no joke." The Daoist's Bitter Sea erupted with dazzling cyan flames, a sea of green fire surging forward to engulf the wolf-headed general.
Boom!
But the general was extraordinary. His death aura forced back the green flames.
"He's gone through corpse transformation. He has vague consciousness now. His demonic body is immortal, and he's powered by intense death resentment." The Daoist was alarmed. He told Ye Fan to retreat and unleashed all the sentient weapons, amplifying them with the cyan fire.
"There's something off here." Suddenly, a cold voice came from the mountaintop. A young man in his twenties appeared and said, "Good. You can leave now..." His gaze locked onto the Dao-inscribed plaques and then the demon general.
The Daoist's eyes narrowed as he noticed an emblem embroidered on the man's sleeve, it was from the Radiant Light Sacred Ground.
"I am a disciple of Radiant Light. By the order of my elders, you are to leave immediately," the young man said arrogantly, clearly full of self-importance. He glanced at Ye Fan, noticed no divine fluctuations, and scoffed, "If you want to live, leave now!"
Boom!
At that moment, the demon general broke free from the Daoist's restraints and dove back into the black pool, vanishing instantly.
The Daoist turned back, his voice cold. "You clueless poser. Trying to scare me by faking a Sacred Ground badge? Even if you were real, I'd still slap you to death!"
"Swish!"
Exposed, the young man attacked immediately. Hundreds of golden beams shot out like a rainstorm of light.
"Chi chi chi!"
The Daoist waved his sleeve, releasing a burst of cyan light, absorbing every golden beam, they were all golden needles.
"Boom!"
The Daoist lunged forward, grabbed the young man by the neck, and dragged him to the edge of the cold pool. "Trying to trick me, huh? Now, which sect are you really from? If you don't speak, I'm tossing you in."
"I really am from Radiant Light!" the young man stammered, terrified.
"No need to waste time, just throw him in and let the demon general eat him," Ye Fan called out from a distance, deliberately trying to scare him.
"Good point. No need for chatter." The Daoist gave a slight push, and the young man vanished into the pool.
Ye Fan stood dumbstruck. He hadn't expected the Daoist to actually do it. In that moment, this shady Daoist became a dangerous figure in his mind, someone completely unrestrained.
"Splash!"
The pool boiled, and more than a dozen demon generals emerged. All wore black-gold armor, their heads exposed, each with a monstrous animal face, wolves, tigers, dogs, clearly non-human. All radiated overwhelming death aura. They tore the young man apart, blood spraying everywhere.
"Rumble..."
The cold pool churned like it was boiling. The black water turned blood red, eerily vibrant.
"This is bad! Really bad! The Demon Emperor's Yin Tomb has been stained with blood and has activated a Slaughter Domain!" The Daoist's face turned grim.
"Boom!"
At that moment, the world shook. Blood light burst out of the cold pool, dyeing the entire ancient ruin red, startling every cultivator in the area.
"Are we... going to die here?" Ye Fan muttered, alarmed.