The childlike cloaked figure spoke calmly, a chilling edge to their voice.
"Something isn’t right. If this continues, I fear we won’t achieve our objective. Can you still control the Evil Spirit statues to make some adjustments?"
The tall cloaked figure asked.
"I can, but the price will be much greater than before. Besides, this anomaly has already drawn significant attention. Countless eyes are on us. If I were to act again now, our presence would undoubtedly be exposed, and not even Gui Cang could conceal our Celestial Secret."
The childlike cloaked figure said.
"That complicates things."
The tall cloaked figure said.
"It doesn’t matter. I built a buffer into this plan, so it can handle a few unexpected variables. Originally, I estimated that at least half of them would be eliminated after this Night Parade of Hundred Demons—they might even have been completely annihilated. Even if any survived, they would have been in terrible shape. The third Night Parade would have been their end. The fourth was actually just a contingency, a final resort. Now is the perfect time to use it."
"They may have gained the upper hand for now, but it’s only temporary. Their injuries and Primordial Qi can’t recover quickly, and they can’t maintain their peak condition. The Evil Spirits in the Ghost City, however, are a different story. The first wave of the Night Parade of Hundred Demons already harvested enough Blood Food Power. That’s more than enough to either heal the guardian Evil Spirits or create even more of the common ones. They won’t survive the fourth Night Parade of Hundred Demons."
The childlike cloaked figure said calmly.
"The group as a whole might not survive, but a few could slip through the cracks. And those few are all key figures."
The tall cloaked figure said.
"If that’s what happens, then so be it. We’ll just have to add them to ’the list.’ When the next phase of the plan begins, they will become priority targets for elimination."
The childlike cloaked figure said in a low voice.
「An hour quickly passed.」
Inside the Ghost City, the Blood Moon once again climbed slowly to its zenith. The moonlight instantly turned a deep scarlet, blanketing the entire city.
The living auras of the disciples converged, forming a column of pure energy that shot toward the heavens. Every Evil Spirit in the city could sense it.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
HISS! HISS! HISS!
Maddened shrieks and roars echoed as the Evil Spirits across the city, as if having found their target, furiously charged the disciples’ position.
The third Night Parade of Hundred Demons had arrived.
The disciples from every sect wore grim, serious expressions. Their bodies were coiled tight as they watched the oncoming tide of Evil Spirits.
As the tide of Evil Spirits crashed toward them, a light drizzle once again began to fall from the sky. The raindrops brought a bone-chilling cold that seemed capable of freezing even Primordial Qi.
Amid the raindrops, cold glints of light occasionally flashed, lashing out at the disciples.
In the distance, atop a tall building beyond the tide of Evil Spirits, the group saw a strange woman holding an umbrella. She seemed to be watching them from afar.
’Those intelligent Evil Spirits are back again?’
Everyone’s hearts sank at the sight, but they soon realized that apart from the Umbrella Maiden and the bizarre cold light, the other two intelligent Evil Spirits were nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, the Umbrella Maiden was a great distance away, so the rain’s effect wasn’t as intense as before.
As expected, the two primary Evil Spirits were injured and did not appear. The remaining intelligent Evil Spirit didn’t dare get any closer, merely harassing and wearing them down from a distance.
Everyone breathed a small sigh of relief. The situation was still developing according to their plan.
"Everyone, stick to the plan! Hold your positions and meet the enemy!"
Xu Jingtian commanded in a deep voice. Instantly, a bright yellow light flared around him, manifesting his Sword Qi as he charged headfirst into the enemy ranks. He didn’t engage the powerful Evil Spirits, instead picking off the weaker ones he could kill instantly in order to accumulate "Virtue."
With every Evil Spirit he slew, the Sword Qi in his palm grew brighter and expanded.
The Incense and Candle Dao’s Power of Virtue allowed its user to accumulate Virtue in a short time and convert it into Primordial Qi, making them grow stronger the more they fought.
The intensity of this Night Parade of Hundred Demons was noticeably weaker than the last. Three "special" Evil Spirits appeared, but they seemed to be under some kind of orders. Though they didn’t display the same level of intelligence as the previous ones, they also refrained from charging in blindly, instead using their abilities to wear down the disciples from a distance.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
While the others fought, a figure shot forward. Golden Fire wreathed his palms, condensing into silken threads that coiled and danced with the movement of his arms.
The figure was light and elegant, his movements fluid and unpredictable. He could strike with terrifying power from the most unorthodox angles, felling Evil Spirits with minimal effort.
"Zhao?!"
Xu Jingtian was astonished. ’In the last battle, the Overbearing Fury of Zhao Xuanqi’s techniques left a deep impression on everyone. I never expected him to possess such a nimble and dexterous fighting style as well.’
’Overbearing Fury and finesse, fused into one and switching between them seamlessly... Does such a person really exist in this world?’
’Never mind Heqing Dao—in all the lands of Great Wei, how many at the Blood Strengthening realm could possibly reach his level?’
"Zhao! We can still handle this! You don’t need to fight! Just focus on recovering your Physical Ability and Primordial Qi!"
Xu Jingtian shouted to Zhao Xuanqi.
"Don’t worry, I know my limits," came Zhao Xuanqi’s voice. "If I take out some of these Evil Spirits, it’ll ease the pressure on the rest of you."
The truth was, he didn’t want to pass up this chance to obtain Merit. Besides, thanks to the Primordial Qi accumulated by the Rebirth Jade, his injuries and Physical Ability had almost completely recovered over the last hour.
Hearing his words and seeing him join the battle, the disciples from the various sects felt their resolve harden.
This Senior Brother Zhao from the Red Heart Sect was not only incredibly powerful, but his righteous and chivalrous spirit inspired even greater admiration.
「Soon, another Quarter Hour had passed.」
The Blood Moon tilted in the sky, its sanguine light growing dim. The column of living energy that had been rising toward the heavens vanished, and the surrounding swarms of Evil Spirits noticeably slowed, their numbers dwindling.
They had successfully weathered the third Night Parade of Hundred Demons. A headcount revealed that while three people were too grievously injured to continue fighting, there had been no deaths—a significant improvement over the last wave.
However, the disciples had accumulated even more injuries this time. An unspeakable exhaustion was plain to see in their eyes; some were still trembling as they disengaged from the fight.
"There are more and more Evil Spirits gathering around us," Pu Xiangrong reported, having just returned from scouting the area. "And I’ve noticed some of the special ones seem to be under orders. They’re just lingering nearby, not attacking. It’s highly likely those intelligent Evil Spirits are scheming something. They intend to use the final Night Parade of Hundred Demons to completely encircle and annihilate us. When that happens, not even counting the intelligent ones, we’ll be facing at least five of the special Evil Spirits."
"Looks like it’s time for us to make our move," Zhao Xuanqi said softly.
Zhuang Li, Ren Fei, and the others nodded, gathering together.
"There’s no time to lose. Let’s head out now," Zhuang Li said in a low voice.
"All of you, take care!"
"Take care!"
"..."
Just then, the disciples from the various sects gathered around. In unison, they clasped their fists in salute and bowed slightly to Zhao Xuanqi and the other four.
Each of these disciples was injured, their clothes tattered. They were a far cry from their former, brilliant selves, and the rims of their eyes were slightly red.
They already knew of the plan Zhao Xuanqi’s group had made, and they understood the risks it entailed.
It was entirely possible that they would survive, but only because Zhao Xuanqi and his companions would be left behind in the Ghost City forever.
Not just anyone had the courage to make such a decision at a time like this.
"All of you," Xu Jingtian said, stepping forward. "There’s not much more to say. You have to survive."
"You too."
Zhao Xuanqi and his companions returned the salute.
Then, Pu Xiangrong’s hands formed a series of seals, activating his Escape Technique. A layer of ethereal light instantly enveloped the five of them. With a flash, they vanished.
The others watched until the ethereal light had completely faded, their faces a mixture of complex emotions.
’Can this plan really succeed?’
「Somewhere in Heqing Dao」
"The real terror is about to begin. I’m eager to see how you’ll handle it."
The childlike cloaked figure sneered.