Chapter 772: Beggar Strikes Back

The old beggar usually didn’t use this Qian Yuan Transformation technique, not because it was a hidden trump card, but because he hadn’t wanted to use it since leaving the Qian Yuan Sect. Using it now was not only convenient but also served to reveal his identity to the immortal light ahead.

This level of demonic cloud was a powerful demonic art in itself, capable of helping evil entities invoke divine power to enhance their magic. It also exerted immense pressure. The old beggar’s move was intended to shatter the foundation of this demonic cloud and force the malevolent spirits within back into reality.

As the ocean waves surged, they began to crystallize from their peaks. The white-glowing tornadoes in the sky transformed into chains. In an instant, the winds and clouds shifted dramatically, and with the rumbling thunder infused with the old beggar’s demon-shaking power, they pressed together towards the dark clouds behind the retreating immortal lights.

Lightning repeatedly struck the rising sea crystals below, shattering some of the crystal pillars. However, a vast number of crystal pillars continued to ascend, forming a pincer movement with the sky-chains, trapping the dark clouds in an instant.

“Rumble… Rumble… Crack… Rumble…”

All the sharp ice crystals formed by the waves became imbued with the thunder from the clouds, emitting bursts of light. But the old beggar’s spell had already formed two closing sets of thorns, determined to shred the massive dark cloud.

“Roar…” “Ah—”

Mad roars and piercing screams emanated from the dark cloud. Streaks of black smoke dispersed from it, increasing in number and frequency.

“Ah…” “So much pain…”

“Hahahahaha…” “Wuwu…”

Cries, howls, maniacal laughter, and despairing sobs – various bizarre sounds rose from the black smoke, intertwining into an extremely chaotic and jarring cacophony.

Skilled spellcasters have a profound connection to the mystic arts they wield, sometimes feeling like an extension of their own limbs. The old beggar experienced this now.

The combined power from sky and earth felt like his own two hands. However, the sensation of tearing into the dark cloud made his eyebrows twitch; it was incredibly sluggish and gave him a sense of revulsion.

“Shatter!”

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Magic light flared, illuminating the entire dark cloud, then ice crystals exploded within it, instantly shredding the cloud. Innumerable vengeful spirits seemed to pour out with the explosion. The essence of the dark cloud was not merely a demonic cloud; more than half of its composition was actually resentful spirits.

These resentful spirits numbered in the tens of thousands. Enveloped in black aura, they were much larger than ordinary ghosts, each trailing at least three zhang of black light as they flew, making the surrounding sky appear entirely filled with wraiths when they dispersed. Unlike common ghosts, these wraiths possessed little to no reason, only memories of pain and jealousy towards the living.

The moment the dark cloud was shattered, several demonic lights also escaped with the vengeful spirits, hovering amidst the sky-filled wraiths. Seeing that an area of several dozen li was completely enveloped, the white cloud carrying the old beggar and his two companions suddenly darkened on all sides.

The old beggar’s face showed alarm. So many vengeful spirits meant that countless beings had suffered violent deaths and had their souls forcibly collected. His two disciples were also horrified. Lu Xiaoyou, naturally, was aghast. Even Yang Zong, who had wielded life-and-death power over millions of commoners during his years as emperor, had only given orders from his golden throne. Even during wartime, he had never witnessed so many beings who died filled with resentment.

The several immortal lights in the distance now approached the old beggar and his companions. The old beggar did not cast spells to stop them, allowing them to draw near. The escaping lights stopped a few zhang away, revealing three figures: one woman and two men, all disciples dressed in Qian Yuan Sect attire.

“Qian Yuan Sect disciples pay respects to our esteemed senior!”

“Thank you for your assistance, senior. May we ask which generation of our sect’s masters you belong to?”

The three saw a disheveled beggar and two poorly dressed individuals standing on the cloud, but they held no trace of disrespect in their hearts, bowing with utmost reverence.

The old beggar nodded, his gaze fixed on the sky filled with vengeful spirits.

“Those demonic entities used the malevolent aura as cover to escape into the spirits. They must be eliminated. But how did so many vengeful spirits gather here?”

The old beggar sidestepped their inquiry about his Qian Yuan Sect identity, shifting the focus to the current situation. The three Qian Yuan Sect disciples naturally dared not press further.

Hearing the old beggar’s words, the female disciple in the middle couldn’t help but say bitterly.

“These are all transformed beings from Tianyu Continent. If it weren’t for the vengeful spirits’ concentrated malice and corrupting power, which disturbed our primordial spirits at close range, how could we have been chased like this? We set out from Yuanyuan Mountain with eight fellow disciples, and now only three of us remain. If not for your intervention, Senior, I fear we wouldn’t have escaped either!”

Her words were half anger, half lingering fear. Immortals were not without emotions, but their desires and fears differed from ordinary people, and their feelings were often more subdued.

“Where are you headed?”

The old beggar asked casually, wasting no time. He had already begun forming hand seals to cast a spell. The vengeful spirits neither dispersed nor attacked, indicating that the demonic entities themselves were hesitant, unable to gauge the newcomer’s power, and unwilling to retreat. This suited the old beggar perfectly.

The old beggar had no intention of letting so many vengeful spirits escape, nor did he want the hidden demonic entities to slip away.

A clean-shaven, slightly plump cultivator nearby replied.

“To answer you, Senior, we were ordered to go to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. We should have already reached the Southern Wild Continent, but these evil creatures anticipated our movements and ambushed us midway, disrupting our journey…”

Going to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion? The old beggar instantly understood something and grew even more concerned about the situation. Given the Sect Master’s cultivation, did he actually need to rely on the Heavenly Secret Pavilion’s divinatory powers?

“Then why are you still standing there? Go quickly!”

The old beggar’s sudden loud exclamation startled the three cultivators. They exchanged glances, then bowed to the old beggar once more.

“You are absolutely right, Senior. We shall depart immediately!”

“Wait!”

The old beggar’s mind shifted. He called out to the three again, pausing his spell. He held the magical light at his left fingertip, concealed but ready. This effortless control alone was astonishing; how could an ordinary person pause a spell midway?

At this moment, the old beggar’s right hand reached into his beggar’s robe, which exposed part of his chest. He scratched as if scratching old dirt, then pulled out a small, exquisite mutton-fat jade talisman. Its back was covered in spiritual patterns, and its front was inscribed with the characters “Tai Xu” (Great Void).

“Here, take this. It’s for temporary use. Return it to me when you get back to the Qian Yuan Sect. With this, your journey to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion will be safe.”

After all, having been ambushed once, a second ambush might truly prevent them from reaching the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

“This is…”

The female cultivator in the middle carefully took the jade talisman, examining it up and down but unable to discern anything special about it.

“Heh, this is a good item. It’s the Tai Xu Jade Talisman from Jade Embrace Mountain. Its concealment effect is rare in the world, very uncommon. A friend from Jade Embrace Mountain gifted it to me. However, when you use it, you can’t use too much magic power aside from maintaining the Great Void state, so you’ll fly a bit slower. Use it wisely and flexibly. Go!”

“Yes, junior bids farewell!” “Junior bids farewell!”

The three bowed again, wasted no more words, and flew off with their escaping lights.

At this moment, many vengeful spirits reacted, swirling into black whirlwinds, attempting to pursue. However, after flying a certain distance, they seemed to hit a barrier and were bounced back, while the immortal lights escaped unhindered.

“If you want to keep them, first ask if this old beggar agrees!”

It turned out that the previous Qian Yuan Transformation, after shattering the evil cloud, had not completely dissipated. The old beggar was now using his mind for two purposes: half of his spiritual sense was dedicated to maintaining a not-very-strong barrier that enveloped the vengeful spirits within a radius of several dozen li.

If the demonic entities behind them forcefully broke through, this barrier wouldn’t be enough. However, individual or even small groups of vengeful spirits couldn’t breach it. It was effective and served as a deterrent, as the enemy didn’t know its true strength and dared not rashly reveal their whereabouts.

Seeing that it was indeed as the old beggar had expected, he resumed the paused spell. The hand seals in his grasp instantly transformed into various shapes, and a subtle sensation of heat emanated from his palm.

“Master, there are too many vengeful spirits to pacify.”

Lu Xiaoyou said this, and Yang Zong, already knowing what the old beggar intended, added.

“In urgent times, urgent measures are needed. Nothing can be perfect. Sending them back to the heavens and earth is better than letting them harm others. Those demonic entities will be buried with them.”

The sky-filled vengeful spirits had initially flown chaotically, but upon realizing the barrier, many began to surge towards the white cloud where the old beggar and his disciples stood. Their cries, laden with various negative emotions, were like distorted loudspeakers, extremely jarring to the ears.

Lu Xiaoyou and Yang Zong quickly took action, one in front and one behind, casting spells to erect a barrier and withstand the onslaught of the countless vengeful spirits.

The old beggar was not in a hurry at all. He naturally wasn’t concerned by the spirits’ assault, but he saw an opportunity to train his two disciples.

“I’ll leave these around us to the two of you.”

With these words, the old beggar’s figure gradually faded and then disappeared before his two disciples. For a moment, it seemed as if he had vanished, but Lu Xiaoyou and Yang Zong showed no panic. They simply focused on dealing with the vengeful spirits before them, relying solely on their bare hands, magic, and divine abilities, without using any artifacts.

Meanwhile, at the densest center of the vengeful spirits, a tiny flame abruptly appeared. A vengeful spirit passing by had its malevolent aura come into contact with the flame, and in an instant, it was ignited, transforming the spirit into a moving fireball.

“Ah…”

“Whoosh…” “Whoosh…” “Whoosh…” “Whoosh…”

One ignited ten, ten ignited a hundred. More and more vengeful spirits were set ablaze by the tiny sparks. The flames spread outwards at an astonishing speed, turning an area of several dozen li into a sea of fire almost instantly. Innumerable vengeful spirits wailed within, but their malevolent aura was so dense that it could not be completely burned away immediately.

Moreover, this fire seemed effective only against vengeful spirits. As more and more spirits were ignited and flew chaotically, the several demonic and evil auras hidden behind them finally became discernible.

One of the monsters was unlike anything the old beggar had ever seen; it resembled a black, putrid puddle, surrounded by several other demons. At this moment, the sludge-like monster was spewing out endless streams of black water, like foul swamp sewage, carrying a strong stench. Wherever the water touched, the flames on the vengeful spirits extinguished, but the spirits’ own wails became even more exaggerated.

The next moment, the monster inhaled again. Under the sweep of a violent wind, countless vengeful spirits rapidly converged towards it, all pouring into its mouth, causing its body to expand. The malevolent and murderous auras upon it multiplied exponentially, reaching a point where even the old beggar had to face it seriously.

“What the hell is that?”

The old beggar muttered, startled by the sight. The sensation of his own spiritual energy being locked onto also prevented him from being distracted.

The other demons seemed to communicate something through telepathy. The sludge-like monster then spat out a stream of black water to one side, instantly breaching the old beggar’s not-so-tight barrier. Several demonic lights immediately fled, leaving only the sludge monster to maintain its original lock on the old beggar’s spiritual energy.

Just as the old beggar was about to stop the fleeing demonic lights, the sludge monster, carrying more and more vengeful spirits and an infinite stench, charged towards him. Though seemingly bloated and immense, it moved with astonishing speed and covered a vast area.

“Boom…”

In an instant, the foulness engulfed the old beggar, completely submerging him.

“Master—”

Lu Xiaoyou cried out in alarm. Yang Zong, beside him, immediately took control of the white cloud and fled high into the distance.

“Junior Brother, are you mad? Get back here!”

“Master’s powers are immense; how could anything happen to him? Our presence here would only make him hesitant to act decisively! Senior Brother, calm down and feel…”

Lu Xiaoyou calmed his emotions. After achieving inner peace, he suddenly froze. Indeed, his master’s aura was no longer discernible amidst the distant, sky-filling corruption. Yet, he felt a different sensation in his heart—the same feeling he and Yang Zong experienced whenever they made a mistake and faced their master. Of course, this time it wasn’t directed at them.

“Insignificant creatures, how dare you be so arrogant—”

As the old beggar’s furious and majestic voice resonated, a burst of white light suddenly flared at the center of the corruption. Beams of light pierced through the foulness, as if a small sun was contained within.

“Bang… Boom…”

The pervasive foulness instantly evaporated in the flames and white light, leaving only endless white vapor rising towards the sky. At the center, the old beggar was entirely enveloped in boundless white light, his eyes flashing with white lightning, resembling an enraged deity.

At the same moment the vengeful spirits were dispelled, streaks of white light, seemingly sentient, shot out into the distance, pursuing the demonic lights that had fled earlier.

“This old beggar doesn’t show his might, and you think I’m a sick cat! Xiaoyou, Xiaozong, let’s go!”

“Yes!”

After unleashing the white streaks, the old beggar no longer paid attention to the fleeing demonic auras. He called out to his disciples, and Lu Xiaoyou and Yang Zong immediately returned on their cloud. As they neared the old beggar enveloped in white light, they were instantly surrounded by his aura, transforming into a streak of light that sped across Tianyu Continent even faster than before.