True Master Tiancang, however, had no intention of letting Moon True Master simply take the spiritual artifact away.
He raised his hand and slapped it down, summoning the Myriad Souls Banner. The banner swirled as dark energy howled through the air, and in an instant, the sky turned chaotic with the presence of hundreds of ferocious spirits.
At the forefront was an ominous and sinister Ghost King, followed by countless Ghost Commanders and Generals. The endless sea of ghosts swarmed forward, quickly overwhelming White Bone True Master.
The White Dragon Seize, now drenched in the foul green liquid, began to lose its luster, its once brilliant aura fading rapidly.
True Master Tiancang waved his hand again, and an immense pulling force erupted from his sleeve, snatching the White Dragon Seize away from White Bone True Master's control.
The crowd of onlookers gasped in shock.
White Bone True Master, in a matter of moments, had fallen into a disadvantageous position! This unknown Deity Transformation cultivator seemed incredibly formidable!
Chu Xuan, watching from the sidelines, narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Ghost King at the forefront. The figure was menacing and ferocious, but for some reason, something about it seemed oddly familiar.
He sifted through his vast memories and finally recalled someone—someone he had nearly forgotten. He was none other than He Ze.
Back when Chu Xuan was posing as alchemist He Liang, he had stayed at the extraterritorial battlefield for a period. At that time, He Ze was just a Golden Core cultivator. Chu Xuan had needed someone to help run his shop, and He Ze had eagerly volunteered for the task.
Later, when the outer battlefield showed signs of collapse, Chu Xuan had sensed the danger and left early, losing contact with He Ze. But now, to his astonishment, He Ze had been pulled from his soul and transformed into a Ghost King?
Chu Xuan's mind flashed back to a conversation with Ximen Changqing back in the Heavenly Metal Battlefield.
"Zhao Tiancang has been searching for the whereabouts of alchemist He Liang. He Ze worked for me. Naturally, Zhao Tiancang would have found him. Could it be..."
Chu Xuan's gaze shifted toward the Deity Transformation cultivator cloaked in a dark robe, his face suddenly freezing into an expression of cold fury.
This man was none other than Zhao Tiancang, the infamous True Master Tiancang!
It was highly likely that Zhao Tiancang had found He Ze, used a soul-searching technique on him, and perhaps sensing something special about He Ze's soul, had turned him into a ghost. And now, this very soul had slowly evolved into a Ghost King.
Chu Xuan inhaled sharply, his mind roiling with rage.
"I did not kill He Ze... but He Ze has died because of me."
The weight of this revelation, combined with the malevolent actions of Zhao Tiancang, ignited an overwhelming surge of murderous intent deep within Chu Xuan's heart. But now, clearly, was not the right time to strike.
A lion with its claws bared under the bright sun is hardly capable of taking a life. It is the serpent, hidden in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, that is truly deadly.
At this moment, the battle between the two Deity Transformation cultivators, White Bone True Master and True Master Tiancang, had already stirred up a great commotion.
The surrounding Spiritual Qi of Desolate Island was in chaos, sending ripples throughout the island. Even Moon True Master and Yellow Spring True Master, sensing something was amiss, immediately made their way toward Desolate Island.
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True Master Tiancang, still intent on furthering his dominance and taking White Bone True Master down, was suddenly interrupted. Two figures, like flashes of light, appeared at his sides, one to the left and one to the right.
"A mere ghost, unable to escape the moonlight's judgment!" Moon True Master sneered coldly as he waved his hand.
The cool, ethereal moonlight surged forth, sweeping across the battlefield.
A vast number of Ghost Generals and Ghost Soldiers screamed in agony as they were dissolved into wisps of green smoke. Even the Ghost Commanders howled and scattered, too terrified to approach the moonlight. Only the Ghost King, at the very front, continued to madly assault White Bone True Master.
Seeing his reinforcements arrive, White Bone True Master let out a triumphant cry and immediately summoned another white bone spiritual artifact, forcing the Ghost King back.
The three True Masters, now all wielding their spiritual treasures, advanced together, attacking True Master Tiancang.
True Master Tiancang, with some reluctance, withdrew his spirits and began retreating rapidly. Facing three opponents, he knew better than to engage directly.
Chu Xuan watched as they disappeared into the distance. Using the Gilded Lotus Seal to conceal his presence, he followed closely behind.
Revenge waits for no one. Today, death would come!
From behind, a voice called out, "Master Liu, don't go! I want to buy talismans!"
Chu Xuan tossed over his shoulder, "Don't rush, I'm just going to gather some materials."
The cultivators exchanged confused glances.
"Gather materials?" they thought, suddenly shivering.
They realized what kind of materials Master Liu might be referring to, and hurriedly distanced themselves from the shop, fearing they might end up as the materials themselves.
On the other side, on a nameless deserted island.
True Master Tiancang had concealed his presence, hiding on this island. His chest bore a deep, crushing imprint, a dent where White Bone True Master's Ten Thousand Bones Tower had struck. His entire right calf had vanished, severed by the Yellow Spring True Master's Yellow Spring Sword. Half of his neck had been severed, a wound left by Moon True Master's Black Moon Sword.
Of course, Moon True Master and the others were not unscathed either. Each of them bore varying degrees of injury.
The battle had raged from Desolate Island, and the fight had eventually brought them to the edge of this nameless island. A Black Magic Whale, roaming the sea, sensed the clash between the Deity Transformation cultivators, particularly Moon True Master's aura, and decided to get involved. The four cultivators, wary of each other, were forced to retreat.
Only then did True Master Tiancang find a moment to catch his breath. He let out a bitter laugh.
This time, he had gained only a low-grade spiritual artifact, the White Dragon's Claw, yet he had lost over ten thousand souls, and even his carefully cultivated Ghost King, He Ze, had been severely injured. The wounds on his body would take a long time to heal. For the foreseeable future, he would be unable to act. He needed to find a place rich in Spiritual Qi to recuperate.
Of course, the fastest way to recover was to consume a few Nascent Soul cultivators.
Though he had served as a Deity Transformation elder in the Reincarnation Sect, his knowledge of demonic arts and evil techniques was extensive, though rarely shown on the surface. He had long since become accustomed to using the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, soul, and flesh of cultivators for his own gain.
True Master Tiancang expanded his spiritual sense and quickly discovered that someone had stepped onto the island. A faint smile curled on his lips.
Most cultivators in the Starshatter Sea were greedy and brave. It was normal for Nascent Soul cultivators to covet Deity Transformation ones. But these Nascent Soul cultivators likely didn't realize that he wasn't a spent force. He still retained at least thirty percent of his strength. With such cultivation, it wasn't something a few late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators could pick up on.
Nevertheless, True Master Tiancang still acted as though he were on the brink of death, hiding motionless in the cave, intentionally releasing the scent of blood to attract the foolish cultivators.
The presence of a living being approached, growing nearer and nearer. Though this Nascent Soul cultivator was extremely cautious, even enveloping his feet with Spiritual Qi to muffle his footsteps, the suppression from a Deity Transformation cultivator over a Nascent Soul cultivator was immense.
When the person approached within a hundred zhang, then fifty, then twenty, and finally just ten zhang, True Master Tiancang suddenly struck. In an instant, he seized the cultivator and pulled him into the cave. Before the latter had a chance to react, his vitality was snuffed out in an instant.
Just as True Master Tiancang was about to begin refining the Nascent Soul with his demonic arts, he sensed the presence of several more individuals stepping onto the island.
"Four in total, one of them a body cultivator."
Body cultivators were particularly suited for healing. A mocking smile appeared on True Master Tiancang's lips. It seemed that what he needed had indeed arrived.