Within the Four Thunder Array, lightning crackled.
But we all understood that activating such a powerful formation required immense energy. The demonic cores and ghost crystals before us wouldn't last long.
"Senior, how long can the formation sustain itself?" I asked.
Senior Bai Daozi's face was grave. "It's hard to say. If these fiends don't attack the array, we can likely last for over three hours. But if they attack, that time will shorten. It depends on the consumption, and it's difficult to estimate right now. Rest quickly and replenish your spiritual power."
He then took out a small bottle and handed it to me. "This is a Spirit Replenishing Pill. Take a few more."
Without a word, I took the bottle and swallowed five pills. I then offered it to Wu Kehang and Xia Qiu Xi, but they had already taken some, so they didn't need more. These weren't candies; taking more didn't necessarily speed up spiritual power replenishment. There was a limit. Five pills was the maximum. Taking more would damage the meridians, agitate the blood, and cause a backlash.
Huang Jie was still unconscious. Wu Kehang's leg had just stopped bleeding. Old Mo was panting. Xia Qiu Xi sat down to rest. All six demonic souls also sat cross-legged, breathing in and out to recuperate.
I didn't dare waste a moment and immediately sat down, beginning to circulate my energy and breathe. Since I had been previously beaten to the point of spitting blood, circulating my energy now caused a stinging pain in my chest. Each circulation felt like a knife cutting me. It was clear my meridians were injured. But none of that mattered. As long as it increased my spiritual power and allowed me to survive this demon-slaying war, I could endure this pain.
Shortly after I closed my eyes to circulate energy, I heard the sound of "boom boom" from the lightning. I immediately opened my eyes and saw that outside the Four Thunder Array, the corpse monsters and malevolent ghosts had begun to attack the array desperately. Regardless of the immense electrical arcs from the array, they charged forward headlong. Under the crackling arcs, they were scorched black and fell dead outside the formation. The entire array flickered, and the consumption rate of the central crystal core suddenly accelerated. The four positions of the Four Thunder Array showed signs of loosening, posing a danger of the formation being broken.
Seeing this, I prepared to defend the array. But Senior Bai Daozi suddenly stopped me. "Don't move. Recover your spiritual power. This humble Taoist can hold on for a while longer."
As soon as he finished speaking, the remaining six demonic souls stood up. "Young Master Qin, rest assured, we brothers can still help."
There was no need for politeness. I nodded without further words and continued to close my eyes, breathing in and rapidly absorbing the spiritual power from the pills. The roars and crackling of electricity constantly filled the air. The inner part of the cave was illuminated by the lightning. The corpse monsters and demonic souls charged forward in a swarm, as if their lives were worthless. In a short while, a large number of them were dead and wounded outside the Four Thunder Array. Countless malevolent ghosts had their souls scattered. It could be said that the fiends paid an extremely heavy price.
However, it was precisely this price that caused the power of the Four Thunder Array to weaken rapidly. Under normal circumstances, the formation could last for over three hours. But now, with this high-intensity consumption, it could only last for about twenty minutes. Twenty minutes. Not a single second could be wasted.
Feeling the medicinal effect of the Spirit Replenishing Pills being absorbed by my body during my breaths and converted into pure spiritual energy, stored in my dantian. "Faster, faster, I need more spiritual power, more..." I constantly urged myself. The spiritual energy reserves in my dantian, which had been nearly depleted, began to grow. Five percent, eight percent, ten percent...
Just as my spiritual energy reserves reached about twenty percent, I suddenly heard a thunderous blast. It was very loud. Then came a scream. "Ah!" Hearing the sound, I abruptly opened my eyes. I saw Senior Bai Daozi fall not far in front of me, coughing up blood. The Four Thunder Array flickered erratically, on the verge of disappearing. Outside the array, piles of corpses rose like mountains, and malevolent ghosts and corpse monsters filled the cave. Five crimson-clad vengeful spirits and three King-level corpse monsters stood on both sides. In the center stood a dark demonic Taoist. It was the Black Demon Right Envoy, Luo Sen. He looked at us and let out a cold snort. "A bunch of tough nuts. Let's see how long you can hold on. Continue charging for me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding corpse monsters and malevolent ghosts roared again, "Aowoo," sacrificing their lives to consume the Four Thunder Array. The Four Thunder Array was on the verge of collapse, an irreversible process.
I glared at him and rushed towards Senior Bai Daozi. "Senior!" I called out and reached out to help him. Bai Daozi tried to speak, but then "poof," another mouthful of blood spurted out. "Damn it, the formation is about to disappear," Senior Bai Daozi said with unwillingness. I supported him and said, "Senior, it's alright. For us who have entered the Tao, life and death are predestined."
As I spoke, Wu Kehang, Old Mo, Xia Qiu Xi, Huang Jie, and the six demonic souls all moved forward, standing behind me. A group of the old, weak, sick, and disabled. Everyone's face was grim. Among the six demonic souls, only Chen Long and Si She were relatively stable. Chou Niu, Yin Hu, Wu Ma, and Shen Hou were already extremely weak in their spiritual bodies, flickering in and out of existence, appearing almost on the verge of soul dissipation. This showed the severity of their injuries. Although Huang Jie had woken up, he was as pale as a sheet of white paper from severe blood loss. Wu Kehang's leg had swollen to the size of an elephant's leg, with one foot planted on the ground. Old Mo's legs were trembling and sweating even as he stood, but he still held his peach wood axe, his eyes filled with killing intent. Xia Qiu Xi also stood by with a resolute gaze.
Everyone was practically prepared to face death. "Old Qin is right. Life and death are predestined. Our destinies have made their choices. But it won't be easy to kill me, Mo, the Son of Light, the Arbiter of Destiny, the Urban Demon Slayer." Even though Old Mo struggled to stand, his words were firm. This time, no one found him childish; they only felt the spirit of righteousness emanating from him. "As the chief disciple of Qingcheng, what is there to fear in death?" Wu Kehang's eyes blazed with determination. "My Huang family is a thousand-year-old lineage of Taoism. It cannot lose face to our ancestors in my generation." After speaking, Huang Jie actually took out the red blood pill from before and swallowed it in one gulp. He was risking his life, fighting to the end regardless of the cost. After Huang Jie finished speaking, Xia Qiu Xi also echoed, "In this battle, to exterminate demons and protect the Tao alongside everyone, even if we go to the underworld together, we can die with no regrets."
As Xia Qiu Xi finished speaking, the other six demonic souls flew out from within the Purple Bone Vine. Each demonic soul was extremely weak, flickering in and out of visibility, seeming on the verge of soul scattering. However, after they appeared, they cupped their fists towards me, along with the six demonic souls in front of us. Simultaneously, they said, "We swear to follow Young Master Qin to the death!" "We swear to follow Young Master Qin to the death!" "..." After speaking, they all knelt down in unison. Just as Qing Dai had handed the twelve demonic souls to me, they were willing, even if it meant their liver and brains would be spilled...