Chapter 9: The Terrifying Mountain Village
“How do you plan to stop me?”
Without warning, he stamped his foot, and a terrifying pressure erupted across the heavens and earth. The grass, flowers, and trees below were instantly incinerated.
“Is the Nascent Soul stage so impressive?” Huang Xiantang sneered, then paused, and the formidable might of his own Divine Transformation realm burst forth as well.
“What?”
Yin Shihang’s expression changed dramatically.
Wasn’t Huang Xiantang supposed to be at the Nascent Soul level? When did he become a Divine Transformation cultivator? Judging by his aura, he was quickly approaching Yin Shihang’s own strength.
No, when Zhuge Qi returned to the sect with his report, Huang Xiantang was indeed only at the Nascent Soul realm…
For such a change to occur… Could it be because of that village below?
For a moment, unease crept into his heart. Pretending to remain calm, he said, “Even if you have reached Divine Transformation, I can still suppress you.”
“Oh? And what if you add me into the mix?”
At that moment, Yu Qiushui’s eyes flashed coldly as he stepped forward to stand beside Huang Xiantang.
Simultaneously, the overwhelming might of the peak Divine Transformation stage swept out, suppressing Yin Shihang’s power completely.
Yin Shihang was now thoroughly panicked. That aura… peak Divine Transformation?
How was this possible?
Wasn’t that old man supposed to be on the verge of death, his life force exhausted? Yet now, vitality surged within him, and his cultivation had reached the peak of Divine Transformation.
Even Yin Shihang himself felt a mortal crisis looming.
Clearly, he was not their equal.
“How can this be… Weren’t you both mere Nascent Souls?” Yin Shihang cried out in disbelief.
Two who had been at the Nascent Soul stage just half a day ago had both broken through to Divine Transformation, one at the seventh tier, the other at its zenith.
How could anyone fight against this?
Was there some great secret hidden in that unremarkable mountain village below?
Yin Shihang’s gaze fell upon the inconspicuous hamlet, and suddenly his eyes narrowed in realization.
Could it be that the ancestor of the Fire Moon Sect had not perished, and his cultivation had reached unfathomable heights?
Or perhaps, there was indeed an extraordinary opportunity hidden within the village?
“Yin Shihang, take this!”
Yu Qiushui and Huang Xiantang exchanged a look, then struck out in unison.
Unless Yin Shihang was destroyed, the Fire Moon Sect would remain in peril.
In that instant, Yin Shihang’s face turned ashen. Facing two late-stage Divine Transformation powerhouses alone, he stood no chance.
Yet he did not retreat. In a deep voice he declared, “Hmph! I’d like to see what secret lies within the mountain village that allowed your realms to break through so terrifyingly.”
With a wave of his sleeve, four great banners flew forth.
Their poles were fashioned from crimson-white bone, the banners themselves of blood-stained human skin. Suspended in the sky, they radiated a chilling, sinister power.
Suddenly, darkness covered the world, malignant energies seeping out as if vengeful wraiths howled through the air.
“What is this?” Huang Xiantang’s eyes narrowed.
“So it’s the power of fiends!” Yu Qiushui’s gaze grew icy. In an instant, his spiritual power surged forth like a war god, aiming to shatter the banners.
But the four banners whistled and summoned forth black chains from the void, which immediately obliterated Yu Qiushui’s attack.
The two men’s expressions grew grave. They unleashed surges of spiritual force, seeking to break the chains.
Yet in the next moment, their faces changed drastically.
The chains ignored their efforts, lashing out with terrifying force and striking them viciously.
“Ah!”
A muffled cry escaped them as blood splattered, and they were sent hurtling to the ground.
“Did you truly believe that merely breaking through was enough to match me?”
Yin Shihang sneered with contempt. In case the Fire Moon Sect’s old ancestor was still alive, he had prepared thoroughly for this journey. The great formation woven from the four banners could slay even those of the Void Fusion stage on the spot!
“Master! Former Sect Leader!”
Leng Qianxue’s beautiful eyes filled with panic. With a wave of her jade hand, a massive surge of spiritual power caught Yu Qiushui and Huang Xiantang.
The two men’s auras were chaotic, their faces pale as death.
“Those four banners are no ordinary items—they’re likely treasures belonging to a great Mahayana cultivator!” Yu Qiushui said with difficulty.
“What should we do?” Huang Xiantang’s heart was filled with bitterness.
In the distance, after forcing Yu Qiushui and Huang Xiantang to retreat, Yin Shihang’s gaze shifted to the mountain village.
“What secret is hidden here?”
His eyes flickered uncertainly. Then, with a wave of his hand, the four banners descended to the cardinal points around the village.
“No matter what secret is concealed, I will refine every living being in this village!”
He acted with utmost caution, intending to use the formation flags to refine the lives within.
“Stop!” Leng Qianxue cried, her expression changing drastically.
“Hmph! And who are you to order me around? There must be a great opportunity hidden here. Perhaps, after I refine it, I’ll break through to the Void Fusion stage!”
With that, the four banners, brimming with dreadful power, plunged toward the heart of the village.
Suddenly!
Just as the banners touched the boundary of the village, they exploded into dust, vanishing in an instant.
At the same time, high above, Yin Shihang’s face contorted in horror as he spat out a mouthful of blood. His aura grew wildly unstable as a terrifying backlash rampaged inside him, slamming him violently down to the earth.
Yu Qiushui and his companions were all stunned.
“Could it be that Senior Zhu intervened?” Huang Xiantang wondered uncertainly.
“No… it was not the senior’s doing, but a passive defense of the village itself. This place, due to the senior’s residence, has likely become a forbidden ground,” Yu Qiushui replied, equally shaken.
The power sealed in those four banners was likely that of a Mahayana-grade treasure. Yet, before Senior Zhu even acted, the formation flags had only barely approached his dwelling and were instantly obliterated.
Could Senior Zhu’s power already be nearing that of an immortal?
“Truly, when a great cultivator is angered, destruction rains down!” Huang Xiantang murmured.
“How can this be?”
Yin Shihang, with his breath in chaos and body grievously wounded, struggled to rise from the dirt. His gaze fixed on the unremarkable mountain village, his spirit shattered.
What had just happened?
How could such horror exist?
His formation flags, capable of killing even Void Fusion experts, had been destroyed so easily? Not only that—his meridians were now shattered, and his cultivation crippled.
And all because of that inconspicuous village.
Just what unimaginable terror was hidden within?
No matter what, this was not a place he could afford to covet.
He must report this at once.
Without further hesitation, he drew out a pure white array disk, burned his own blood essence, and activated the teleportation array.
Yin Shihang vanished instantly.
They were safe!
Yu Qiushui and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
“Master, former Sect Leader, how are your injuries?” Leng Qianxue asked with deep concern.
The two men tried to channel spiritual power to heal, but their expressions changed—inside their bodies, the wounds left by those black chains could not be dispelled.