Chapter 151: Surge in Magical Power

Thirty breaths of time. Under normal circumstances, this would be an extremely brief span, gone in the blink of an eye. Yet within this Underworld Eight-Trigram Formation, before the avatar of the Ghost Emperor Tubo, everyone felt their hearts leap into their throats. Lu Xin could even hear the sound of his own heartbeat, feeling as though time itself had frozen, making the moments stretch out endlessly.

Boom, boom, boom!

Countless fists battered the Profound Light Sword Formation. The shockwaves of power still shook the barrier violently. The faces of Huang Yuyi and the others turned increasingly pale, and their respective flying swords showed distinct signs of fracturing. This Ghost Emperor avatar possessed at least the cultivation level of the advanced Micro-Returning realm.

Time ticked away second by second, and the Profound Light Sword Formation was crushed lower and lower. As one of the flying swords shattered, the entire sword array finally collapsed. Huang Yuyi was forced to recall his flying sword, a copious amount of blood spilling from the corners of his mouth.

Upon shattering the sword array, the Ghost Emperor avatar did not hesitate, continuing to swing its fists against the barrier. Combined with the dense hordes of monsters charging endlessly from all directions, the outer wall of the barrier thinned rapidly. The faces of Wang Qi and the others were similarly pale and drained, clearly due to an excessive consumption of spiritual power. Seeing that the barrier was on the verge of shattering, Wang Qi suddenly let out a furious roar, the pupils of his eyes blazing with a deep blue mysterious light. The next second, a towering demonic statue more than ten zhang high manifested above his head. Three skull heads burned with blue flames, and the statue's body was concealed beneath a purple-black Daoist robe that fluttered without wind. The moment this demonic statue appeared, it grasped a massive battle saber and slashed toward the Ghost Emperor avatar. The void emitted a thunderous roar, causing the entire grand formation to violently sway.

Wang Qi's strike caused blood to stream from his seven facial orifices, but it finally forced the Ghost Emperor avatar to take a step back. Seeing this, Huang Yuyi gritted his teeth and suddenly used a sword to slice open a gash in his palm. Blood instantly flooded the entire blade, and Huang Yuyi soared into the air in an instant, seizing a terrifying surge of power. Before this overwhelming force, Lu Xin was even forced to take several steps back before steadying his stance.

"Gods and demons shed tears, the sword fiend forsakes the heavens, drink!"

Huang Yuyi stamped on the empty air, the crimson light and sword malevolence intertwining around his body as he exhaled a shout. Following this explosive roar, the crimson flying sword suddenly expanded tenfold, slashing seven consecutive times at the Ghost Emperor avatar outside the barrier. Boundless crimson light blotted out the sun and sky, overshadowing all other sights in the world for a moment.

"Forsaken Heaven Sword Dao! This person actually obtained the true teachings of Yanfu. Does the supreme genius disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect truly possess such profound comprehension?"

Seeing Huang Yuyi erupt with a power far exceeding his own cultivation, Wang Qi's expression shifted drastically. Joy mingled with a trace of wariness, forming a complex sentiment. In his eyes, Huang Yuyi's sword, descending in seven continuous strikes like rolling, towering waves, instantly drove the Ghost Emperor avatar back several miles. This was already the power belonging to the Micro-Returning realm; if this move were used against him, he doubted he could withstand it.

"Such terrifying sword qi! This strength of magical power must already be at the Micro-Returning realm level. Huang Yuyi truly harbors boundless potential. Exactly what kind of person could have driven such a genius to such agonizing depths?"

Although sword techniques differed from the art of flying swords, a profound commonality still existed between the two. Lu Xin could perceive that an Onmyoji capable of executing such sword techniques was himself a master of the sword. Otherwise, it would be impossible to merge oneself with the flying sword and erupt with a seamless, perfect power. Huang Yuyi's current state, where his flying sword and bloodline power fused completely, had reached the highest realm of the unity of person and sword.

Yet, after retreating several miles, the Ghost Emperor avatar slammed its foot deep into the earth and halted its momentum. This time, it seemed to have lost its patience. It threw back its head and drew in a deep breath, then spewed a massive black beam of light directly toward the barrier. Lu Xin could not discern what kind of power that was; he only knew that Huang Yuyi's flying sword was sent hurtling backward in an instant, vanishing beyond the edge of vision. Immediately afterward, one of the barrier's outer walls was pierced straight through by the beam of light, evaporating as cleanly as a lake under the scorching sun.

A breach appeared in the barrier, and monsters from all around immediately poured in en masse. At the same time, the Ghost Emperor avatar once again strode forward toward the group. Despair surfaced on the faces of both Huang Yuyi and the others; the previous battle had drained their spiritual power completely, leaving them utterly exhausted. As for the remaining disciples of the two sects, their auras were equally feeble. Although they could still fend off the monsters swarming into the barrier, they would definitely be unable to withstand the next wave of attacks from the Ghost Emperor avatar.

"Kid, did that demon fox run off by herself? You still haven't retrieved the item—aren't you afraid of dying here?"

"Little brother, if he delays a moment longer, you and I truly will have no way out."

"Rest assured, she will never abandon me and act the coward clinging to life!"

Faced with the doubts of Huang Yuyi and Wang Qi, Lu Xin sneered repeatedly, holding his sword in his right hand as he stood alone before the breach. At this moment, his spiritual power and physical stamina were still relatively abundant. He was the only one left who could hold the line.

Thump, thump, thump!

The massive figure of the Ghost Emperor avatar drew closer and closer; Lu Xin could even sense its breathing echoing in resonance with the entire grand formation. Standing alone against the full presence of the Ghost Emperor avatar, he felt as though he were single-handedly fighting the entire array. It was an indescribable oppressive force striking straight at his heart, terrifying to the extreme.

A few miles was virtually nothing for a body dozens of zhang tall. As the Ghost Emperor avatar closed in, it suddenly lowered its head, its crimson eyes staring fixedly at the youth standing at the breach. Lu Xin was instantly pinned down by an invisible force, unable to straighten his back. His legs trembled, and his knees buckled into a half-kneeling posture.

A massive amount of black miasma began to billow from his body. With just a single breath, the skin on his face started to blacken and harden, as if undergoing oxidation. Lu Xin felt his entire body grow burning hot, his consciousness slowly blurring as his memories retreated like the receding tide.

"No, this is the corpse qi of the demon race! It must never be inhaled into the body. Little brother, quickly find a way to expel the corpse qi!"

Wang Qi roared angrily, hurriedly signaling the others to cover their noses and mouths. But Lu Xin could no longer hear any words, clutching his head in excruciating pain.

"What is this feeling? Am I going to die? No, I cannot die. I still have things to do, I still want to go home!"

His blurred consciousness was like a faint candle flame flickering in the wind and rain, on the verge of being extinguished at any moment. The pressure Lu Xin currently bore was unprecedented. It was an oppressive force pressing from the outside in, capable of shattering a person's sanity. Yet this time, no one could help him.

"Xiao Xin, stand up! Do not kneel, stand up!"

Just as Lu Xin was about to close his eyes, a blurred figure appeared deep within his mind. Lu Xin could not clearly see the person's appearance, yet he remembered that familiar voice.

"Grandpa Tu, Grandpa Tu, is that you? I miss you so much. Brother Tingfang has changed; he has changed so much I no longer recognize him..."

"Child, all things in the world are unpredictable, and everyone must eventually die. But you must understand—spilled water cannot be gathered up, and once you give up, it is nearly impossible to turn back. Stand up, and let no person, no matter what, and no thing ever defeat you!"

The shadow deep within his mind flashed and vanished, yet it restored all of Lu Xin's memories. The next second, the vortex of spiritual power within his dantian spun at high speed, and a streak of moon-white radiance flew out from the cloth pouch at Lu Xin's waist, plunging straight into his crown chakra. The youth's aura grew explosively. Almost in an instant, he possessed the formidable spiritual power of the sixth stage of the Void-Viewing realm.

This sight caused Huang Yuyi to widen his eyes in disbelief, while Wang Qi let out an exclamation of utter shock.

"He broke through! He actually broke through at a time like this! This aura is... the sixth stage of the Void-Viewing realm? How is that possible!"

Amidst Wang Qi's exclamation, the youth abruptly stood up, and the Traveling Immortal Sword on the ground transformed into a dazzling burst of golden light, shooting straight toward the Ghost Emperor avatar.

Boom!

The Traveling Immortal Sword collided with the palm of the Ghost Emperor avatar, erupting with intensely violent magical ripples. The surrounding monsters scattered in all directions, and the air filled with a suffocating stench. At this moment, Lu Xin was unprecedentedly powerful. Yet compared to the Ghost Emperor avatar, his power was still far too weak. The radiance of the Yin-Yang Traveling Immortal Sword rapidly faded entirely, its blade gripped tightly within the palm of the Ghost Emperor avatar, unable to budge an inch.

However, what baffled Lu Xin was that after capturing the Traveling Immortal Sword, the Ghost Emperor avatar did not immediately counterattack. Instead, it lowered its head to look at its own palm, its burning red eyes gradually dimming.

"I recognize it... Guo Pu is not dead? Guo Pu is actually not dead?"

An immensely muffled voice, resembling metal striking against rock, suddenly resounded across the heavens and earth. Lu Xin froze—the Ghost Emperor avatar was actually speaking in human words. The rest of the group was likewise struck with profound shock. Wang Qi stared fixedly at the Traveling Immortal Sword held within the palm of the Ghost Emperor avatar, unable to stop himself from swallowing hard.

"Guo Pu... the supreme master of the two Jin dynasties. Could that sword be the legendary divine weapon, the Yin-Yang Traveling Immortal Sword?"

Wang Qi drew in a sharp breath of cold air. Yet before he could finish his shock, the Ghost Emperor avatar lowered its head once again, gazing at the youth standing at the breach in the barrier.

"Who are you?"

Three simple words, yet they rolled like thunder descending from the nine heavens, deafening the ears. Lu Xin instinctively went to cover his ears, but it was utterly useless. Those three words—"Who are you"—echoed continuously in his mind like a nightmare, driving him to the verge of madness.

"And who are you? Who on earth is speaking? Are you the Ghost Emperor Tubo, or merely this clay-molded statue?"

Lu Xin roared in agony, unable to open his eyes any longer. Hearing this, the Ghost Emperor avatar abruptly straightened its towering body.

"You are not him! You dared to deceive me—you deserve to die!"

The Ghost Emperor avatar flew into a towering rage. As the voice faded, a massive palm pressed down. This time was clearly different from before. As the colossal palm descended, boundless miasma coalesced in the void, rolling and churning. Above the barrier, it even morphed into a pitch-black vortex. Under this terrifying pressure, Lu Xin found himself completely unable to move. The rest of the group was similarly paralyzed; even someone as powerful as Huang Yuyi could only watch helplessly as the mountain-like giant palm descended upon their heads.

"Is it ending now? Grandpa Tu, it seems I cannot go back."

In that razor-thin moment between life and death, Lu Xin felt no fear. Only a deep attachment to the many people and things he could not let go of remained in his heart. At this moment, everyone closed their eyes. Yet after a long while, the palm never fell. Lifting their gazes, they saw that the Ghost Emperor avatar had vanished without a trace, leaving only a cluster of azure light flickering within the hazy sky.