Chapter 123: Thunder Descends from the Heavens

Cao Bianjiao gripped his heavy spear tightly, bracing himself to withstand the lethal strike.

"What the—"

A wild, furious roar cut through the air, accompanied by the sound of something tearing through the wind. A blood-red aura surged into the sky, dyeing half the heavens a crimson hue. Hearing that voice, Cao Bianjiao felt his tension vanish, and he let out a long breath—his father had arrived at his side.

His father reached out his right arm, and a projection of his fist flew forth, striking the leader of the men in black square on the forehead. The man’s head exploded instantly, splattering Cao Bianjiao with red and white gore.

"Father, why are you here?" Cao Bianjiao shouted in surprise.

"How many times have I told you? When you are on duty, use my title!"

Seeing that his son was unharmed, Cao Hubao’s heart finally settled, and he resumed his usual stern demeanor. The cultivation of a half-step Spirit Pearl Realm expert erupted, causing the remaining men in black to buckle at the knees. With their leader dead, they lost all will to fight. They immediately scattered like birds and beasts, only to be chased down and dispatched one by one by Cao Hubao.

"Pass the word down: everyone below the fifth level of the Pulse Opening Realm is to retreat to the Jing'an Bureau and hold the fort," Cao Hubao ordered his flag-bearer, wielding an eight-sided bronze rod as thick as a goose egg. "Take this lad back with you, too. I am going to see how the Tieshan Martial Arts Hall is faring."

In the distance, the sounds of battle continued. Huge shockwaves from the clash of Qi Sea Realm experts echoed, collapsing buildings and shattering the streets.

"Yan Heng, why must you muddy these waters? Do you think my He family would have moved against Cao Hubao without being certain of victory?"

The lead man in black was locked in a fierce exchange with Yan Heng; the force of their fists stirred up a gale. Yan Heng, a sturdy, bald man at the sixth level of the Qi Sea Realm, was holding his own against an opponent one level higher. However, pinned down by his adversary, he could only watch helplessly as the disciples of his martial arts hall were slaughtered, silently praying for the Jing'an Bureau to arrive soon.

"Hidden rats, not even daring to show your faces! Die!"

Perhaps Yan Heng's plea was heard by some unknown force. A thunderous roar from Cao Hubao preceded his arrival, his bronze rod wreathed in blood-red malevolent energy. To his surprise, however, his strike—full of killing intent—was blocked by a curtain of light emitted from a talisman.

"Hahahaha! Cao Hubao, if we hadn't made preparations, how would we dare to pull the whiskers of a tiger?"

The man in black retreated violently, pulling his minions back several hundred feet with him.

"Honored Incense Masters of the Holy Sect, if you do not appear now, when will you?"

As the man in black shouted, Cao Hubao’s heart tightened. That old dog He Zhixian had actually dared to invite the Ghost Sect to deal with him. Dozens of figures shrouded in black robes appeared in the arena. The leading Ghost Sect Incense Masters all radiated the energy fluctuations of the late Qi Sea Realm, forming a formation that faintly surrounded him.

"Hehehehe! Once we butcher you, our Holy Sect shall dominate the Ying and He provinces. Even with your half-step Spirit Pearl Realm cultivation, we do not fear you. If you want to blame someone, blame your own bad luck!"

Cao Hubao and Yan Heng’s expressions shifted. The latter signaled his disciples to retreat; they were no longer able to intervene in this level of combat. The Ghost Sect arrivals immediately ignited several "Five Ghosts Transporting" talismans. Yin energy spread, shrouding several streets as a mysterious, grand formation slowly took shape.

Cao Hubao furrowed his brow, his blood-red aura erupting instantly. He would not be intimidated by a few empty words. If they wanted to fight, he would show them the truth of his blade.

"Old Yan, we cannot let them complete the formation! I will take the vanguard; you cover my flanks. Reinforcements are already on the way; as long as we hold, we can turn the tide!"

His voice carried the iron-blooded resolve of a soldier. Yan Heng, realizing he could not withdraw, had no choice but to fight for his life alongside him. Cao Hubao gripped his bronze rod and leaped into the throng of ghosts, with Yan Heng close behind.

"Yin Spirit Formation, rise!"

At the Incense Master's command, the Yin energy exploded. Dark, howling mists coalesced as dozens of ghouls and specters darted about, coordinating with the ghost slaves. Cao Hubao felt an ominous premonition—a warrior’s instinct—but he had no choice but to press the attack.

His bronze rod, carrying a force of a thousand jun and rolling malevolent energy, smashed the skull of a ghoul. As green blood splattered, he charged toward the next. Yan Heng followed closely; without his sixth-level Qi Sea cultivation, he would not have survived long in this environment. Cao Hubao occasionally had to divert his attention to rescue Yan Heng, but he did not regret bringing him. Even a scrap of paper has its use, let alone a hall master of the mid-Qi Sea Realm.

As expected, Yan Heng began to share the burden of the ghosts, though the muffled cries of pain that escaped him from time to time made Cao Hubao’s heart tighten. With a numerical advantage of several dozen to one, the Ghost Sect began to suppress Cao Hubao, the sky-filling Yin energy forming a cage that trapped them tightly.

Fury rose in Cao Hubao’s chest. If he hadn't been suppressing his cultivation to solidify his martial foundation, refusing to break through to the Spirit Pearl Realm, these scoundrels would never have dared to be so rampant. He activated his last few Third-Grade Fire Talismans. A burst of yellow light bloomed, and roaring flames erupted like a ring of fire, dissolving the Yin energy around him.

"If there is no other way, I will have to force a breakthrough to resolve this deadlock." He harbored a deep hatred for the damned He family and the Ghost Sect.

"BOOM!"

Just then, thunder rumbled across the sky. Dark, ominous clouds covered half the city in an instant. Purple-gold lightning writhed within, merging into pythons as thick as water barrels, poised to strike.

Cao Hubao felt a surge of joy. Within hundreds of miles, the only one capable of wielding lightning to this degree was that lad from He County named Ling Chi. And if Ling Chi had arrived, his master, Zhao Qing, must be here as well. Both were far from ordinary late-stage Qi Sea martial artists. His spirits soared; their arrival gave him hope, as if a third of his strength had been restored out of thin air.

"Old Yan, reinforcements are here! Hold on!"

Cao Hubao roared and surged forward, his bronze rod crushing the neck of a ghost slave.

"Hehehehe! No one can save you now!" the Ghost Sect Incense Master laughed arrogantly from within his robe, unaware of the phenomenon happening above the Yin energy.

Yan Heng could no longer speak. A dozen ghouls were crawling all over him, leaving him covered in wounds. Through the red light in the ghouls' eyes, he hallucinated, seeing his great-grandmother, who had been dead for years, standing before him.

"Great-grandmother, I..."

Suddenly, a series of thunderclaps shattered his illusion. Before he could even feel fear, a cold, sharp voice echoed through the sky, accompanied by the roar of thunder.

"Facing the majesty of heaven, you bunch of scum!"

Ling Chi and Zhao Qing had encountered the flag-bearer sent by Cao Hubao on the road. Using the Lightning Flash technique, Ling Chi had arrived at the provincial capital ahead of Zhao Qing, just in time to catch the Ghost Sect wreaking havoc.

He channeled his breathing technique and leaped into the air, his eyes surging with lightning, like a god of thunder incarnate. Dozens of lightning pythons roared as they dove from the dark clouds, plunging into the Yin energy and weaving through it. Half the Yin energy was annihilated, leaving behind a field of dazed ghost slaves and five ghosts.

The situation reversed instantly. The Ghost Sect Incense Master had never expected that the very moment he finished his arrogant threats, his face would be torn off and trampled into the mud.

Ling Chi reached out and tapped the "Evil-Slayer" blade at his waist. He plunged from the sky directly into the enemy ranks, driving the tip of his blade into the ground. In an instant, endless thunder exploded, rolling outward in waves in every direction.