Zhuang Li reminded them softly.
"This happened because of me. Let me take care of it."
Pu Xiangrong said, quickly carving a Technique into his palm. He then formed a hand seal, and the Blood Qi within him surged.
WOOOM!!
A ring of dark light abruptly radiated from his body, blanketing a ten-meter radius. Almost everyone was enveloped in this dark glow. Their auras seemed to be masked, blending them into their surroundings to a degree, and their very presence diminished.
Earth Escape Technique: One with the Dust.
At this, the frosty look on Zhao Xuanqi’s face finally eased a bit.
Soon, the group left the residence and found another hiding spot, where they resumed their discussion.
"Pu Xiangrong, why are you here?"
Zhuang Li asked, looking at Pu Xiangrong.
"After I was drawn into the Ghost City, I ended up in the district next to yours. I drew away a large number of Evil Spirits to create an escape opportunity for the survivors there, then left."
"I didn’t know the Night Parade of Hundred Demons would stop, so I was prepared for it to last until the Ghost City event was over. It would’ve been unrealistic to travel to the rendezvous point during the Parade, so I planned to use my Escape Technique to move through the city and contact the other groups. It seems that won’t be necessary now," Pu Xiangrong explained softly.
"Is that so? You’re right. Now that the Night Parade of Hundred Demons has paused, we must regroup with the others before deciding our next move."
Zhuang Li said with a nod.
"Yes, the planned rendezvous point for all the sects is somewhere in the center of Guming County Town. From here, it will take us about thirty minutes to get there, conservatively," He Xijun said gravely.
"That’s too long. Judging by the speed the Blood Moon is rising, the second Night Parade of Hundred Demons will likely begin in an hour," Zhao Xuanqi said with a frown.
"It can’t be helped. If the groups can’t rendezvous, we can’t coordinate our actions, and the situation would only become worse," Pu Xiangrong said.
"To be honest, at this point, our chances of successfully destroying the Ghost City are slim. The real question is how many of us can even survive multiple Night Parades," Zhuang Li said softly, shaking his head.
Everyone fell silent at his words, knowing Zhuang Li was right.
The last Night Parade of Hundred Demons had already cost them dearly. The survivors had expended massive amounts of Primordial Qi and stamina. In the next hour, they had to travel and act, with no time to rest and recover. It would be hard enough to endure under such strain, let alone destroy the source of the Ghost City.
Although the sects had plans for external stimuli to help them recover their Primordial Qi, none of them had taken effect by this point. The support from the outside world must have failed; they couldn’t rely on it.
"It’s not that dire yet. No matter what, let’s get to the rendezvous point and meet up with the others first. Once we’ve assessed the situation, we can decide whether to go on the offensive or stay on the defensive," Zhao Xuanqi said after a moment of thought.
’My strength has improved again. I’ve truly reached the peak of the Blood Strengthening realm, making me much stronger than before. To be honest, when I first entered the Ghost City, I considered sneaking into Anyuan Street alone to assassinate the source of the city. With my current power, if I used all my trump cards, success wouldn’t have been impossible.’
’But once I learned that the source Evil Cultivation likely has the Ghost Gate ability and can summon an endless stream of Evil Spirits from within the city, I abandoned that idea.’
’That ability makes infiltration and assassination pointless.’
’Even if I could recover my stamina, I can’t possibly clear out most of the city’s Evil Spirits alone. I need the help of others.’
’However, if I have support and we can eliminate most of the guardian Evil Spirits between the second and third Night Parades, my strength gives me a fighting chance against the source.’
"There’s no time to lose. Let’s go now," Pu Xiangrong said with a nod.
...
...
「Guming County, Bright Moon Garden.」
In the dim light, after confirming the courtyard was clear, seven figures flickered into the garden.
The one in the lead wore an Orange-Striped Xiezhi Robe, his piercing eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Xu Jingtian, you’re too slow."
Just then, a voice rang out as fifteen or sixteen figures emerged from behind nearby rockeries, pavilions, and other cover, landing before Xu Jingtian.
Of the two leading them, one was a man in white with an expression as cold as ice, while the other was a tall figure cloaked in a black robe.
"Ren Fei of the Rebirth Palace and Chi Li of the Yin Mountain Sect. You two certainly got here quickly," Xu Jingtian remarked coolly, his gaze sweeping over the people behind them. He couldn’t help but frown.
"Are these all that are left?" he asked in a low voice.
"Yes. The situation in the Ghost City is drastically different from what our intelligence suggested. After the sudden onslaught from the tide of Evil Spirits, it was a struggle to gather even this many people," Chi Li said, shaking his head slightly.
"The situation looks grim. With just these numbers, our original plan will be difficult to execute. What’s your condition? How much Primordial Qi have you used?" Xu Jingtian asked.
"Thirty percent. We were mainly targeted by a special Evil Spirit in our district. That thing was a real handful—it could probably be rated C Class, mid-tier or higher. But we should be able to recover some Primordial Qi with a short rest," Chi Li said. Xu Jingtian nodded and turned to Ren Fei.
"Why are you looking at me? I’ve mastered ’Infinite.’ As long as I still have ’Destiny,’ my Primordial Qi will never run dry," Ren Fei said coolly.
Xu Jingtian fell silent. ’Anyone from the Rebirth Palace who can cultivate Infinite is a madman. But still... with him here, at least things aren’t completely hopeless.’
"It seems none of you are in good shape either."
Just then, a voice seemed to appear from nowhere. It was not spread through the air, but was instead transmitted directly to each of them as a focused line of Sound Waves.
Then, six figures leaped into the courtyard. It was Deng Mingsheng, Li Zhilin, and others from Miaoyin Hall.
"The two of you only managed to save four others?" Xu Jingtian asked grimly.
"There were over a dozen of us at first. But the guardian Evil Spirit in our district was a coffin shop. It erupted during the Night Parade of Hundred Demons, unleashing waves of paper effigies. They were incredibly difficult to destroy and just wore us down with sheer numbers. In the end, five old corpses emerged from the shop. They were immensely powerful and had a corrupting ability. Many of our people died at their hands."
As he spoke, Deng Mingsheng’s handsome face turned particularly grim.
SWOOSH!!
As they were talking, another figure flashed into their midst.
This figure was tall and burly, with a rugged face and eyes as wide as bronze bells, exuding an aura of fierce power. It was Lu Dong of the Red Heart Sect.
He looked to be in a sorry state. His clothes were torn, and a long, black gash ran across his muscular chest—a wound seemingly inflicted by a powerful blast of Yin Qi.
"Lu Dong, you’re all alone?!"
The expressions on the faces of the others shifted as they stared at him.
"I landed in the district next to Anyuan Street. After the Night Parade of Hundred Demons, a flood of Sword Soldier Ghosts poured out of Anyuan Street and swept through the area. Crucially, it wasn’t just them; there were also special Evil Spirits from Anyuan Street. I was cornered by two of them. One, a Three-headed Demon Child wielding a Black Wood Sword, managed to split my Crimson Fire Armor with a single strike. It was incredibly powerful. No one else in the entire district survived but me."
"What’s more, I watched them carefully afterward. Even though the Night Parade ended, those Sword Soldier Ghosts and special Evil Spirits showed no signs of returning to Anyuan Street. They’re roaming deeper into the city. The next Night Parade is going to be even more dangerous than the last one."
Lu Dong spoke with a grave expression, and his words weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts.
So many people from the various sects had entered the city, but only this handful had managed to regroup?
A short while later, five more people arrived. They were survivors from the district Pu Xiangrong had been in. Even though he had lured away a large number of Evil Spirits for them, including a special one, not many had ultimately made it out alive.
SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH!!
Just then, everyone started, their faces registering shock.
Figures began landing in the courtyard, one after another. A quick count revealed nearly twenty people—making up almost two-thirds of everyone currently gathered.
And leading them was a man they had never seen before.
He had a young, impassive face, his eyes like deep pools, and his gaze naturally exuded a sense of pressure.
Even renowned experts like Zhuang Li, He Xijun, and Pu Xiangrong stood a step behind him.
’Who is this man?!’