160. The Impermanence Ghost Clan (Part Two)

"What manner of monstrosity dares trespass into our clan's forbidden ground? State your crime!" Shortly after, a vast aura surged from ahead, followed by a sinister voice echoing from the distance.

"Damned human cultivators! After all these years, are you still unwilling to let us go? Today, we shall cast you down into the eighteenth level of hell so that you may never rise again." Immediately afterward, another aura of equal magnitude locked onto their position.

"The ones approaching are likely a pair of Black and White Guards. Much like Ox-Head and Horse-Face, they always appear in pairs. They must be partners," Chen Fengyun said to Ma Dangdang.

"Then let's split them up," Ma Dangdang said, eager to try her hand, making Chen Fengyun feel she was quite the violent young lady.

Chen Fengyun nodded. He figured the Black and White Guards might not yield any absorbable energy either. At his current level, the cultivation system had grown somewhat picky, preferring far more powerful energy entities.

"Soul-detaining!" At that moment, a pitch-black monster appeared before the two. It wore a tall hat on its head, and a long, blood-red tongue curled out like a snake toward them. In its hand, it held an iron chain—a magical artifact specifically designed to target souls.

"Guard your mind and heart; watch out for its artifact!" Ma Dangdang had already lunged forward to engage the Black Guard. Protected by the divine dragon, the Black Guard's attacks were disrupted every time they drew near her.

"Soul-capturing!" Just then, the White Guard appeared by Chen Fengyun's side as well, sporting the same attire and the same means of attack, differing only in the color of its body.

"Om mani padme hum..."

Chen Fengyun smiled faintly, immediately chanting the Sutra of Deliverance. Furthermore, his body had already reached the Yellow-tier peak of the Diamond Indestructible Body; even when the White Guard's soul-capturing chain landed upon him, it failed to seize his spirit.

"Lin, bing, dou, zhe, jie, zhen, lie, zai, qian..."

On the other side, Ma Dangdang began reciting her family's Nine-Word Mantra. She had also practiced the Sutra of Deliverance; though her realm was not yet high, blending it with the Nine-Word Mantra created a compounding effect, multiplying the mantra's might severalfold.

"Soul-detaining!"

The Black Guard roared again, its blood-red tongue flashing with crimson light, while nearby, the White Guard similarly shouted "Soul-capturing!", its red tongue undergoing the same transformation.

"Be careful, this might be their ultimate technique," Chen Fengyun reminded Ma Dangdang, then layered an additional shield of spiritual Qi around himself for protection, having no desire to capsize in the gutter and fall victim to a trick.

"Boom..."

Suddenly, the Black and White Guards simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood, which transformed into numerous blood serpents that swarmed around the two, gnawing at their surrounding spiritual Qi shields and divine dragon protective energy.

"Let's kill them first and talk later." Chen Fengyun was unafraid of those small blood serpents; a sweep of his spiritual sense like a storm crushed and obliterated them, but Ma Dangdang seemed to have no defense against them.

"Boom..."

Hearing Chen Fengyun's words, she immediately ignored the blood serpents, instead driving the two divine dragons to pounce on the Black Guard. One dragon coiled tightly around its body, while the other began frantically devouring its energy.

"Ah..."

As for the White Guard, it was struck repeatedly by Chen Fengyun's Six-Word Mantra incantation seals. Its bodily energy descended into chaos, its aura plummeting by more than half in an instant, before Chen Fengyun easily captured it.

"If you dare to kill us, King Yama will certainly not spare you!" the Black Guard screamed frantically.

"You trespass into the netherworld's restricted zone and have awakened King Yama; you are destined to die. If you release us and let us leave, we can still persuade the King to spare your lives," the White Guard also struggled and roared.

"Humph, that King Yama you speak of is nothing more than an old ghost. This deity has come specifically looking for him; why would I need to avoid him?" Chen Fengyun replied with an aged, cold chuckle, leaving the Black and White Guards unable to fathom his true depth.

"Soul-detaining!"

"Soul-capturing!"

Seeing that threats were useless and struggle was futile, the Black and White Guards suddenly exchanged an eerie glance. Then, their bodies vanished from the spot, reappearing together and merging into one. They formed a monstrosity with their bodies fused, featuring two faces facing opposite directions, two long tongues, and four arms.

Not only that, the iron chains in their hands also fused together, forming a chain shimmering with golden light that radiated an aura reaching the tier of an Innate Martial Saint.

"Oh? I wouldn't have thought the Black and White Guards possessed a fusion technique, and this chain artifact is certainly no ordinary item," Chen Fengyun said with surprise, yet he felt no fear.

"Let me try first," Ma Dangdang said, showing no dread as she charged forward to deal with the fused Wuchang ghost clan.

"Roar..."

The two divine dragons also merged into a single dragon glowing with golden light, erupting with an aura that likewise reached the Innate Martial Saint tier as it coiled toward the Wuchang ghost clan.

"Lin, bing, dou, zhe, jie, zhen, lie, zai, qian..."

Simultaneously, Ma Dangdang formed hand seals, executing the Sutra of Deliverance and the Nine-Word Mantra to reinforce the dragon's capabilities while assaulting the Wuchang ghost clan, causing it intense agony.

"Clang..."

Suddenly, the Wuchang ghost clan's eyes flashed, and the faint golden-lit chain artifact materialized instantly beside Ma Dangdang, launching a surprise attack against her, only to be blocked by Chen Fengyun's flying sword as he stood at her side.

"Damn it, you actually dare ambush this lady!" Ma Dangdang flared up in anger, abruptly unhooking a small bell from her waist and shaking it. Instantly, the Wuchang ghost clan's movements froze for a moment.

"This is an artifact specifically designed to awe and shock spirit bodies; it can suppress the ghost clan," Chen Fengyun's eyes lit up as he recognized the origin of Ma Dangdang's artifact.

However, he also saw that the artifact was merely at the early Yellow tier; aside from being somewhat useful against spirit bodies, its utility elsewhere was limited, so he felt no covetousness toward it.

Ma Dangdang fought the Wuchang ghost clan to a standstill. Although her combat experience was lacking, both the divine dragon and the bell could suppress ghosts, and coupled with the Sutra of Deliverance and the Nine-Word Mantra, she gradually began to gain the upper hand.

Chen Fengyun stood guard nearby with total vigilance, watching out for any bizarre techniques the Wuchang ghost clan might possess as well as the potential appearance of other ghost clan powerhouses. Yet, after a few minutes of combat, no other ghosts had appeared.

"Ghost Python Incarnation!"

Finally, feeling she was faltering, the Wuchang ghost clan unleashed its ultimate technique. It was the same golden-lit chain, which suddenly transformed into a ghastly, ghost-qi-shrouded giant python that roared as it charged toward Ma Dangdang.

"Ice Seal!"

This time, Chen Fengyun did not hold back. He directly instructed Ma Dangdang via voice transmission to handle the Wuchang ghost clan while he used the Dark Yin Mirror to freeze the ghost python solid, stepping forward to seize it.

Just as he anticipated, the ghost python formed from the golden-lit chain possessed special energy that the cultivation system could absorb. Without hesitation, Chen Fengyun absorbed it directly, ultimately gaining 15 attribute points.

Meanwhile, Ma Dangdang thoroughly suppressed the Wuchang ghost clan's body, and the divine dragon began frantically devouring the ghost clan's energy. The Wuchang ghost clan struggled violently, but its aura grew increasingly feeble.