The Blood Moon in the sky climbed to its zenith. A change occurred; the moonlight turned an intense crimson, showering down on everyone.
Zhuang Li and the others were very familiar with this phenomenon, as they had faced the same situation at the end of the last Ghost City incident.
Blood Moon at its peak, moonlight cascading down, Vitality stimulated—the Night Parade of Hundred Demons!
This was the most dangerous moment within the Ghost City.
However, the Night Parade of Hundred Demons usually occurred during the final phase of an incident. They had only just entered the Ghost City; logically, there should have been a quiet period of nearly two hours.
Under the Blood Moon's glow, a layer of pure Qi was instantly stimulated on the surface of their bodies, impossible to restrain or conceal.
This was the aura of the living!
HISSS!
ROAR!
A cacophony of hisses and strange cries from Evil Spirits erupted. The entire city seemed to boil over in an instant as all the Evil Spirits entered a frenzied state, madly swarming toward the scent of the living.
'It really is the Night Parade of Hundred Demons!'
Zhuang Li and the others exchanged glances, their faces grim.
'What in the world is going on? Why did we run into the Night Parade of Hundred Demons the moment we entered the Ghost City?'
'Have the perverse rules of the Ghost City undergone some unknown change?'
'How long will this Night Parade of Hundred Demons last? Will it be like the last time? Or... will it last for two whole hours, for as long as the Ghost City exists?!'
If that were the case, even with the assembled prodigies from the various sects of Heqing Dao, they would likely all be wiped out.
There was no way around it. The number of Evil Spirits in the Ghost City was simply too great. Moreover, being inside this Realm, the Primordial Qi they consumed would be impossible to replenish in a short time. Forget two hours—if this continued for more than half an hour, they would be worn down and killed by this tide of Evil Spirits.
The unexpected turn of events in the Ghost City was completely beyond their plans.
"Stop overthinking it," Zhao Xuanqi said in a low voice, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, cutting through their wild thoughts. "No matter what, we face the enemy first. If worst comes to worst, we'll just sweep this entire Ghost City clean!"
HISSS!
Just then, a group of Evil Spirits, Sensing the aura of the living, rapidly approached their position.
Everyone's gaze hardened as they felt a powerful impact of Yin Qi. The dozen or so assorted Evil Spirits rushing toward them were almost all covered in blood-red patterns. For more than half of them, these patterns covered over half their bodies. Three of them were covered entirely in the patterns, just one step away from completing their transformation and advancing to the next stage.
These particular Evil Spirits were already touching the threshold of C Class.
Of these three, one was a Formless Yin Spirit with disheveled long hair. Three long, whip-like tongues extended from between its thick locks, swaying menacingly. Its entire body was covered in strange blood-red patterns, making it look as if it were wearing a flowery, blood-colored dress.
The other two were both Demon Ghosts. One was a Cyan-faced Ghost covered in blood-red patterns, and the other was a Four-armed Yaksha that had grown two extra arms beneath its own web of patterns.
Facing such Evil Spirits, the group didn't dare to be careless. They reacted quickly, drawing up their Techniques to prepare for battle.
GURGLE!! GURGLE!!
But just as they were preparing, they suddenly heard a strange rumbling sound. It was like the churning of a stomach, but there was more to it.
The sound seemed to possess the steadiness of a thousand-year-old tortoise, yet also the agility of a spirit serpent.
SMACK!!
A soft sound was heard as Zhao Xuanqi spat a mouthful of blood onto his palms and then slammed them together.
It wasn't just his palms; the backs of his hands rippled like waves, like lotus leaves. Propelled by his Force, the blood gathered in a controlled pattern, forming complex Technique markings that enveloped both of his hands.
At the peak of Cross-Training, Zhao Xuanqi could only form the markings instantly on his palms. But now that he had reached the realm of Internal Organs Resonating, by using Black Tortoise Gangsha in concert with the Vibration of his internal organs to generate the Power of Strength and Softness, he could perform this miraculous feat even on the less fleshy backs of his hands!
In an instant, the first part of the complex Technique for the Golden Fire Heavenly Ding Skill was complete upon his hands.
'How... how in the world did he do that?!'
It wasn't just the others; even Zhuang Li, who had witnessed this feat once before, now wore a look of utter shock.
'Using control over one's palms to instantly gather Qi and Blood to draw a Technique, that I can understand. But to do it on the backs of his hands?!'
This maneuver made Zhao Xuanqi a full one to two breaths faster than the others. They knew all too well what a master could accomplish in that amount of time.
GURGLE!! GURGLE!!
The rumbling of his internal organs, the explosion of his Force, the whistling of the wind—at this moment, Zhao Xuanqi was like an unparalleled, deadly weapon coming to life. His figure suddenly vanished.
BOOM!!
In mid-air, Blood Qi was released and condensed from the Technique, and in an instant, golden flames engulfed Zhao Xuanqi's hands.
'Without using that terrifying state from before, he can still instantly condense Golden Fire?!'
He Xijun's pupils contracted as she watched this scene. She had previously guessed that Zhao Xuanqi's ability to condense Golden Fire was related to that terrifying state where his body seemed to transform into a Fierce Beast. But now, he had condensed Golden Fire without even entering that state.
'Under these circumstances, if he were to enter that state again... just how strong would he be?'
SWOOSH!!
Zhao Xuanqi spread his arms, which trembled slightly. His body was as light as a soaring bird. As his internal organs resonated, the Power of Strength and Softness erupted. By harnessing the might of the Golden Fire, he could now manipulate air currents slightly without even needing to use the Dragon Gate Secret Technique or Profound Water Yin Sha.
With a sweep of his arms, the air flowed like threads, and the Golden Fire spread along them as if he were holding two golden filaments in his hands.