The lightning aura surrounding Guardian Zhao began to surge.
Silver-white arcs of electricity crawled across his robes, following the contours of his body before converging around the wound on his back, the lightning Astral Qi carrying the pure Yang might of thunder as it relentlessly burned away the ghostly Yin Qi that had entered his body.
Ghostly Yin Qi was difficult to deal with for ordinary cultivators, especially when it entered the body through a direct attack, where it could seep into the meridians and slowly erode the vitality of the victim. However, Yang-attributed forces such as lightning and fire were natural enemies of such power, and Guardian Zhao's Astral Qi happened to possess one of the strongest Yang attributes among martial cultivators.
The ghostly energy hissed beneath the lightning.
Wisps of black mist escaped from his wound before disappearing completely.
Guardian Zhao took a slow breath, stabilising his circulation as he raised his head and looked towards the demonic cultivator floating in the distance.
Then his expression became solemn.
He had finally sensed the opponent's cultivation clearly.
Purple Palace, Mid-stage.
Guardian Zhao's heart sank.
He had only recently broken through to Astral Gang.
Normally, martial artists were renowned throughout the cultivation world for possessing terrifying combat power, especially those who had cultivated powerful martial techniques and condensed Astral Gang, but even martial artists had limits.
There was a difference between fighting someone slightly stronger and fighting someone who had crossed an entire major realm.
The opponent before him was a mid-stage Purple Palace cultivator, while he had only just entered Astral Gang.
Even if his lightning Astral Gang possessed an excellent ability to restrain ghostly Yin Qi, the difference in cultivation could not simply be erased.
Guardian Zhao clenched his fists.
He was nervous.
He would be lying if he said otherwise.
Yet he did not retreat.
If he fled now, the consequences would be disastrous.
The Cloud Mist Ridge Market contained thousands of cultivators, and although many of them were capable of fighting Yao beasts, none could withstand a mid-stage Purple Palace demonic cultivator wielding a Thousand Ghost Banner.
Once Guardian Zhao left, the demonic cultivator would be free to slaughter the market.
Worse, the Thousand Ghost Banner could devour the souls of those it killed.
The more souls it consumed, the stronger the ghosts within it would become, and the demonic cultivator could use the market itself as a source of nourishment.
Guardian Zhao could not allow that to happen.
He quietly reached into his robe.
His fingers touched a small piece of jade.
Without changing his expression, he crushed it.
Crack.
The talisman jade shattered silently between his fingers, its spiritual energy disappearing into his body without attracting the attention of the demonic cultivator.
Only then did Guardian Zhao take a stance.
His left foot moved forward, his right foot settled behind him, his waist lowered slightly while his shoulders relaxed, his hands hanging naturally at his sides as lightning began to gather around his body.
His eyes became sharp.
A powerful will suddenly erupted from him.
Lightning Martial Will.
The instant it appeared, the entire battlefield changed.
The bright sky darkened.
Clouds rapidly gathered above the mountains, rolling over one another as though summoned by an invisible hand, while silver lightning flashed within their depths and thunder rumbled across the heavens.
The cultivators below stared upward in astonishment.
Guardian Zhao's Lightning Martial Will had completely merged with the surrounding heavens and earth.
This was something extremely difficult for ordinary Astral Gang martial artists.
Most martial artists would only begin cultivating their Martial Will after reaching Astral Gang, but Guardian Zhao was different.
He had been taught personally by an Astral Gang master, and that master had never allowed him to take shortcuts.
Before Guardian Zhao was permitted to break through, he had already been forced to comprehend Martial Will.
It was precisely because of this foundation that he had managed to enter Astral Gang at such a young age.
The demonic cultivator looked at the phenomenon above Guardian Zhao, his dark pupils narrowing slightly.
"Martial Will?"
He finally understood why Guardian Zhao had been able to kill the Thunder Eagle so easily.
However, there was still no fear in his eyes.
He raised one hand.
The Thousand Ghost Banner behind him suddenly shook.
"Wooooo!"
A terrifying howl spread across the battlefield.
The banner opened, and a Rank 3 Ghost Specter emerged from within, its body enormous and translucent, its twisted face filled with hatred as it floated behind the demonic cultivator.
At the same time, several Rank 2 Ghost Specters rushed out.
They spread across the battlefield, moving unpredictably through the air, their bodies dissolving into Yin Qi before reappearing from different directions.
The demonic cultivator clearly had no intention of fighting Guardian Zhao head-on.
He was using the ghosts to distract him, forcing Guardian Zhao to divide his attention while searching for an opportunity to strike.
Guardian Zhao understood this immediately.
His gaze moved between the ghosts.
Then he raised one finger.
The lightning above the clouds suddenly gathered.
Guardian Zhao pointed towards the sky.
Then he brought his finger down.
It was a simple movement.
Yet the heavens responded.
BOOM!
A blinding white light erupted.
For a single instant, the entire battlefield became brighter than the sun.
Cultivators who looked directly at it without sufficient cultivation immediately shut their eyes, tears streaming down their faces as their vision was completely overwhelmed.
Lightning descended.
The thunder came a heartbeat later.
RUMBLE!
The battlefield disappeared beneath a sea of lightning.
The Rank 2 Ghost Specters were the first to vanish, their bodies twisting violently as pure Yang lightning pierced through their Yin bodies, burning holes through them before reducing them to wisps of black smoke.
The Rank 3 Ghost Specter let out a shriek that shook the soul.
It tried to retreat into the Thousand Ghost Banner.
But lightning filled the heavens.
There was nowhere to hide.
The demonic cultivator's expression finally changed.
He swung the banner forward, attempting to summon countless ghosts to shield himself, but the lightning tore through them one after another, destroying the ghostly creatures before they could even reach Guardian Zhao.
The collision between the two powers lasted only moments.
Then the light disappeared.
The cultivators slowly opened their eyes.
What they saw left them speechless.
The battlefield had been completely transformed.
Crater after crater covered the earth, some shallow, others several metres deep, while broken rocks and scorched soil stretched as far as the eye could see.
The demonic cultivator stood in the middle of the devastation.
His mask had been shattered across the lower half, revealing blood flowing freely from the corner of his mouth.
The Thousand Ghost Banner behind him was damaged as well, nearly half of its surface torn apart, while the terrifying ghostly aura that had filled the battlefield moments ago had completely disappeared.
The screams were gone.
Every ghost he had released had been destroyed.
On the opposite side, Guardian Zhao was kneeling.
His head hung low, one hand supporting his body against the ground, his breathing extremely faint.
He appeared almost unconscious.
The demonic cultivator stared at him for several breaths.
Then his dark pupils narrowed.
"A secret art, hm?"
His voice was deep, carrying a trace of ridicule.
"You martial experts are quite suicidal."
He wiped the blood from his mouth with one finger.
"Risking your life just for a drop of blood."
His gaze became cold.
"How pathetic."
Guardian Zhao did not respond.
His silence caused the hearts of the cultivators within the market to sink.
A moment earlier, they had believed that Guardian Zhao had managed to injure the terrifying demonic cultivator.
Now they realised that their protector had also paid an enormous price.
The demonic cultivator slowly raised his hand.
Demonic Qi began surging around his body.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was drawn towards him, forming violent currents that swept through the battlefield, causing his long dark hair and robes to whip wildly in the wind.
His fingers formed a strange seal.
Then he began chanting.
The sound was low at first, almost inaudible, but with every word, the demonic aura around him became heavier.
The clouds above began to turn black.
The surviving cultivators looked at one another.
No one spoke.
They could all sense it.
The battle was far from over.
And this time, the demonic cultivator was no longer testing Guardian Zhao.
He was preparing to kill him.