“So, as expected-there’s a conspiracy.”
Lu Zheng paused, then turned to look at Night King, “The key point is, this one doesn’t seem to be that powerful?”
The mist on Night King’s face trembled, wisps dispersing, only for more mist to form from thin air.
“Is that so?”
“Buzz!”
Lu Zheng felt his vision blur, instantly overwhelmed by illusions.
The sky darkened ominously, with towering mountains and jagged rocks like blades or a prison.
In the forested mountains, malevolent spirits roamed, some with red eyes and hawk-like beaks, others with withered bodies and sharp claws.
“Illusion technique!”
Lu Zheng reacted swiftly, brandishing his peachwood sword, condensing an exorcism spell that burst forth with azure light.
At the same time, he channelled true qi into his eyes, using his own illusion techniques as a reference, “Break!”
“Buzz!”
With a flash of his eyes, Lu Zheng found himself back in Peach Blossom Manor.
Two zhang ahead, peach blossoms fluttered, Shen Ying using Peach Blossom Sha to block Night King.
A flurry of pink peach blossom shadows clashed with a streak of dark ghostly smoke.
Lu Zheng snorted coldly, charging forward with his sword, the peachwood blade slashing freely, sending waves of white cloud sword qi piercing towards Night King.
“Hm?”
Lu Zheng breaking free from the illusion so quickly clearly exceeded Night King’s expectations, and Shen Ying’s injuries appeared lighter than anticipated.
So…
Peach blossoms swirled, sword qi danced, and for a moment, Night King failed to gain the upper hand.
Shen Ying’s eyes flickered, noting that while Night King’s strength was formidable, it didn’t seem to overwhelm her and Lu Zheng.
Something was off. A year ago, when Night King entered the mortal realm, she had witnessed his battle with Xin Zhanting, and he was far stronger then.
Unless…
As Lu Zheng suggested, to avoid detection by Xin Zhanting, Night King had paid some price?
Night King’s form was like mist, elusive and shifting, while Lu Zheng moved ceaselessly around the courtyard, never staying still.
As he fought, Lu Zheng mentally gauged Night King’s strength against his own.
When he and Duan Chang of the Demon Suppression Division besieged the scorpion demon, his cultivation was roughly thirty years.
Through relentless training, plus Shen Ying’s two hundred points of fortune light and incense qi, his cultivation soared over months of calm, enabling him to defeat Night King’s three ghostly subordinates in one-on-one combat.
Of course, it was mostly due to ambushes, Taoist arts, and weapons, but in pure cultivation, the gap had narrowed, likely reaching eighty to ninety years.
Now, a month later, having consumed dozens more points of fortune light, Lu Zheng calculated his cultivation should solidly hit a hundred years.
Good heavens, who would have thought? He was now a master with a century of cultivation, thanks to the jade seal!
Shen Ying was even more formidable, once on par with Duan Chang, now boosted by the Peach Blossom Shrine, her cultivation surging by over fifty percent, allowing her to overpower three century-old ghosts.
By this measure, Night King, holding his own but only slightly ahead against the two of them, likely had just over two hundred years of cultivation.
A grand ghost king with only this level of strength?
Given another year, Lu Zheng reckoned he could defeat him in seconds.
Even Shen Ying’s growth rate suggested that if Night King returned next year, he might not leave Peach Blossom Manor alive.
At that moment, Lu Zheng glanced up, locking eyes with Night King.
Beyond the hazy mist, he seemed to glimpse a pair of eyes dark as the abyss.
I’m so thrilled!
I’m so delighted!
What a wonderful world!
Huh, what’s that?
Lu Zheng snapped alert, his true qi surging, hands forming a spell to instantly clear his mind.
This time, Night King saw clearly, frowning as he asked, “Where did White Cloud Temple get such illusion techniques?”
Damn it, a hundred-year cultivation gap was crushing. If not for Lu Zheng’s superior illusion techniques, he might not have broken free from Night King’s spell.
Lu Zheng avoided looking at Night King’s face, channelling true qi to circle and strike, his exorcism spells relentlessly weaving through gaps in the Peach Blossom Sha.
…
After more fighting, Night King, limited to black smoke and illusions, seemed unable to overpower them.
But was that really the case?
Night King suddenly snorted coldly, his form spinning, then fading, instantly passing through a wave of Peach Blossom Sha to appear before Lu Zheng.
Black mist coalesced into a sword, glinting with eerie black light, thrusting straight at Lu Zheng’s chest.
“Lu Lang!” Shen Ying cried in alarm, the Peach Blossom Sha swirling around Lu Zheng converging to shield him.
Lu Zheng’s eyes sharpened, one hand casting an exorcism spell, the other following with his peachwood sword.
Then, the scene seemed to slow down.
Night King’s strike was clearly premeditated, long prepared. The black sword shattered countless Peach Blossom Sha, deflected the exorcism spell, dodged the peachwood sword, and pierced through a golden light spell.
In a blink, the sword tip was an inch from Lu Zheng’s chest.
Lu Zheng could even see a sinister grin on Night King’s ghostly face beneath the mist.
“Die!”
“Lu Lang!” Shen Ying’s face paled, rushing forward.
At this moment, most would surely be doomed.
Lu Zheng, however, was not most. With a single thought, he could return to the modern world, leaving Night King to strike air. He even had a name for the technique: Great Void Flicker or Supreme Mysterious Escape.
Of course, as his life-saving secret, it was best not used if possible.
So…
Lu Zheng had another technique, honed for months, finally reaching the point where fortune light could enhance it. Days ago, he consumed fifty strands to master it.
“Supreme Primordial, Three Pure Ones’ Decree, Freeze!”
“Ga?”
Night King’s form froze mid-air.
“Binding Spell!” Night King was both shocked and furious, the mist before him trembling violently.
Lu Zheng’s cultivation was limited, the binding spell’s range short. Had Night King kept his distance, it wouldn’t have worked, but since he closed in without protection, Lu Zheng showed no mercy.
The next moment, a surge of Peach Blossom Sha engulfed Night King.
“Ah!”
Night King roared, bursting from the endless sea of peach blossoms, his surrounding black mist noticeably dimmer.
“Binding Spell!” Night King’s voice lost its clarity, now gritted with rage.
“Just learned it recently. You’re my first guest, so please forgive any shortcomings,” Lu Zheng said with a smile.
Shen Ying, tears turning to laughter, floated to Lu Zheng’s side.
“Lu Lang~”
She had been terrified moments ago, now wanting only to stand by him.
Lu Zheng took Shen Ying’s hand, and together they advanced. Shen Ying waved her sleeve, sending countless peach blossom shadows, while Lu Zheng unleashed seven sword flowers, white cloud sword qi piercing forth.
…
“Hmph!”
Night King snorted, unwilling to prolong the fight. Raising his right hand, the ground in Peach Blossom Manor’s front courtyard began to churn, as if something was about to emerge.
Shen Ying exclaimed, “Nether Heart!”
Night King coldly eyed them, “Consider yourselves lucky this time. I spare your lives, but if you dare defy Night Mountain’s divine might again, I will come in my true form and scatter your souls.”
The next moment, a semi-real heart broke through the soil, entwined with peach tree roots of varying thickness.
The roots pierced the heart, vying with Night King for control of the Nether Heart.
Night King beckoned, but failed to retrieve it immediately.
“Hm?”
Shen Ying said coldly, “So it’s a soul-splitting avatar technique, with only half your strength, no wonder.
If your true form were here, I might not stand a chance, but a mere avatar? You’re too careless.
Coming and going as you please, plotting against me, you think you can leave so easily, let alone take the Nether Heart?”
“Peach Blossom Array, activate!”
Instantly, countless roots burst from the soil, rapidly growing into peach trees.
In a breath, peach trees formed, blossoms bloomed, peach blossom miasma filled the manor, and Peach Blossom Sha danced in pink shadows.
Shen Ying had stored unabsorbed incense qi in the old peach tree, now unleashing its full might, terrifyingly potent.
Night King’s black mist trembled, his form flashing towards the Nether Heart.
Shen Ying waved her sleeve, and nearly a hundred peach trees in the manor swayed, sending waves of peach blossom miasma and Sha filling the void.
Lu Zheng stepped in a celestial pattern, his peachwood sword steady as a divine anchor, striking with precision. White cloud qi, sharper than Peach Blossom Sha, guarded the Nether Heart’s flank, blocking Night King’s approach.
Having been hit by the binding spell, Night King grew wary of Lu Zheng, hesitant to get too close, only casting spells to contest the Nether Heart while clashing with them.
Failing to ambush Shen Ying, kill Lu Zheng, or achieve his initial goal, Night King finally erupted in rage.
His black mist thickened, his aura surging.
“What’s happening?”
“He’s linking his soul to the Nether, summoning the other half of his true form’s power,” Shen Ying said, frowning. “Even if his true form were here, he couldn’t defeat us, but the Nether Heart might be lost.”
“Hm?” Shen Ying suddenly paused, her expression shifting with uncertainty.
“What’s wrong?”
As Lu Zheng asked, he saw Night King, mid-aura surge, halt and attempt to flee.
“What’s going on?”
Shen Ying’s spirits lifted, the peach trees trembling, countless Peach Blossom Sha converging to block Night King’s escape.
At the same time, a brilliant blade light flashed from outside the manor, transforming into a grey-white tiger shadow, pouncing on Night King.
Night King turned to mist, dispersing the tiger’s blade light, but his pause allowed the Peach Blossom Sha to surround him.
“Night King, since you’re in the mortal realm, don’t rush off. It’s been a while, let’s catch up!”
“Brother Xin!”
“Ha, pity, too hasty, he sensed me,” came a sigh as Xin Zhanting’s figure appeared on the northern wall.
