Ye Kaishan gripped his sword with both hands as the sky above twisted into a chaotic sea of black soul energy. Though it was broad daylight, the ominous energy veiled part of the sun, casting a suffocating shadow over the battlefield. It felt as if night had fallen—swallowed by the ghostly tide.
His bluish-green eyes shimmered coldly."Time Manipulation! Time Flow—Release!"
Time laws erupted from within him, warping the air with ancient, oppressive power. Vegetation within five meters of his feet instantly withered, the life sucked from the earth. The sudden decay forced everyone nearby to retreat in alarm.
Ye Kaishan didn't flinch. Channeling the time laws into his blade, the energy cloaked both him and his sword in a translucent, pulsating aura."Hashhh... still not perfect," he muttered, his tone calm despite the pressure. Then, lifting his gaze toward the oncoming storm of arrows and ghosts, he narrowed his eyes. Pure killing intent surged in his heart.
He slashed.
Time itself ruptured. In the path of the slash, the very air stopped moving—dust and sand froze mid-flight. The bluish-green arc cut forward, engulfing not only the attacks of Lee Xiao and Lee Mo but also the swarm of ghost cultivators.
"Not good!" Lee Xiao's eyes widened. She seized Lee Mo and soared upward just in time. The time-infused slash expanded, forming a glowing sphere that trapped thousands of spectral arrows and over twenty ghost cultivators within its temporal domain.
Everything inside—arrows, spirits, people—froze in place, locked in an eternal moment.
Ye Kaishan raised his sword again. This time, dark blue energy spiraled from the blade."Void Slash!"
The slash tore through the time sphere, rending space itself. The ghosts and cultivators inside were severed in half, their bodies falling like broken dolls. The time zone collapsed.
Blood rained like a waterfall. The remains of the twenty ghost cultivators littered the battlefield in forty mangled pieces. The spectral army vanished like mist at dawn.
Ye Kaishan lowered his sword, exhaling slowly. "Hah... didn't think they'd dodge that."
"Even if they hadn't, that alone wouldn't have killed them," Song Yan said, stepping up beside him. "You alright?"
"I've burned through all my source laws. I'm a little exhausted."
"That's fine. At least we've lightened our burden." Song Yan's gaze turned cold, eyes locking on Lee Xiao. "But we're not done yet."
Across the field, Lee Xiao and Lee Mo stared at the carnage in shock."Our twenty disciples... dead... just like that?" Lee Mo whispered, frozen.
"What was that?" Lee Xiao muttered. "His source law is space. That wasn't something space alone could do. He shouldn't be beyond the Forging Realm. How...?"
"Don't be stupid," Lee Mo snapped. "His laws are strong, but not enough to threaten Soul Creation cultivators. In this Ghost Territory, we can't use our full realm power. His strength must be within Forging Realm—but he won't be able to do that again anytime soon."
"By the look on his face, he's nearing his limit," Lee Xiao added. "We must kill them now—before they become a future threat." She summoned her sword once more, gathering swirling waves of sinister energy.
"Not good!" Li Xu's expression darkened. "Evil Ghost Sword Slash!"
The dark blade carved through the air, hurtling toward Li Xu. She flew up to block it, yin energy gathering along her blade. The collision sent shockwaves through her body—she spat blood as the force hurled her back to the ground. Her sword was chipped and trembling in her grasp.
Seeing this, Wang Li rushed to her side."You alright?""I'm fine." Li Xu wiped the blood from her lips and stood shakily.
Song Yan and Ye Kaishan appeared beside Wang Li."Is she okay?" Song Yan asked.
"She'll manage," Wang Li said. "But we can't win like this."
Yang Mon's voice trembled. "She's in the Creation Realm. We can't beat her, even if we all attack."
Song Yan turned to Ye Kaishan."Can you teleport us out of the Ghost Territory?"
Ye Kaishan thought for a moment, then nodded."Yes... but I'll need five minutes to gather enough space laws."
"Then five minutes is all we need," Song Yan said. "We'll hold them off. You focus."
Ye Kaishan crossed his legs and entered meditation. A shimmering blue aura rose around him as he began channeling space laws.
Wang Li engaged Lee Mo, who rained down arrow after arrow. She summoned the Chaos Fortune Bell, the ancient artifact humming with power. Though difficult to control, it shielded her from the worst of the assault.
Above, red and black sword auras clashed violently. Li Xu dueled Lee Xiao, but she was clearly struggling—already injured and now falling behind with each exchange.
"Hahahaha!" Lee Xiao sneered. "Back in that cave, you wounded me with a cheap trick. Now... taste your own medicine!"
Her sword surged forward in a flurry of strikes, pressing Li Xu back. Then her eyes locked onto Ye Kaishan meditating.
"I won't give you any more chances!" She slashed toward him with deadly intent.
"It's heading this way!" Yang Bing cried. "We can't stop that—what do we do?"
"We defend Brother Ye," Yang Mon replied. "It's the only way home!"
Lee Xiao scoffed. "You? Protect him? Pathetic."
Suddenly, a burst of spatial energy cleaved her attack in half."Void Slash!" Song Yan shouted, appearing between her and Ye Kaishan.
Lee Xiao frowned. "Hmph. I forgot about you."
Li Xu caught her breath, watching Song Yan step forward."You defend Ye Kaishan. I'll hold her off."
"No. You're already injured. If you fall, we lose. We'll fight together."
A black aura gathered."Evil Ghost Slash!"
"Watch out!" Song Yan shoved Li Xu aside, absorbing the blow herself. Blood streaked her cheek. Lee Xiao glared, murder in her eyes."You just won't die, will you? Stubborn insect."
"From the likes of you?" Song Yan scoffed. "You're not even worthy."
"You little—! I'll make you my ghost servant!" Lee Xiao shrieked.
Song Yan turned to Li Xu. "You good?"
"Yes."
"We need to buy time. I have a plan to escape."
"What plan?"
"Not yet. Just hold her off for five minutes."
"But my soul energy's almost gone—"
"Don't worry. We'll attack together. You confuse her, I'll land the blow."
They soared into the sky.
"Hmph. Even together, you're nothing," Lee Xiao growled. Black, red, and blue auras exploded as their swords clashed mid-air.
"Void Slash!"
"Not enough!" Lee Xiao sneered. "Ghost Sword Slash!"
"Don't ignore me!" Li Xu cried, her sword glowing with frost."Frost Sword Technique: Fourth Form!"
Lee Xiao parried, her attacks faster than ever, launching one ghost strike after another.
Below, Yang Bing watched nervously."Even with Sister Song, they're struggling…"
"I don't know what they're planning," Yang Mon said. "But we have to protect Brother Ye."
On Wang Li's side, she still fought defensively under a barrage of arrows. The Chaos Fortune Bell glowed dimly, protecting her.
"Ding...!"Lee Mo launched five element-infused arrows."Try this!"
Ding! Dong! Ding! The bell held—but Wang Li coughed blood.
"My soul energy... nearly gone... I can't hold it much longer."
Ye Kaishan remained deep in meditation. In his consciousness, his skill tree brimmed with spatial laws."It's almost complete," he thought. "Just a little more, and I'll teleport everyone to the clan gathering grounds."
Meanwhile, Wang Li fell to her knees. Cuts marked her arms and legs, but her sword didn't lower. She glared at Lee Mo with determination.
Li Xu, distracted by Wang Li's fall, missed an opening—Lee Xiao slashed her arm.
"Ahhh!"
"You alright?" Song Yan shielded her.
"I'm fine," Li Xu gritted, retaliating with her blade.
Then—"Five Element Arrows!" Lee Mo reappeared. The arrows struck Song Yan and Li Xu. Li Xu held firm, but Song Yan staggered, clearly wounded.
They both fell back, soul energy nearly spent.
Lee Mo joined Lee Xiao, bow and sword ready.
"You've been a thorn in our side long enough," Lee Xiao said coldly.
"Yes..."A deep voice cut through the air.
"It's time to end this."Ye Kaishan opened his eyes.