"Attack!" The middle-aged man's low voice was solemn as he formed a hand seal. The ghost head before him let out a piercing wail, its fanged maw gaping wide, and it lunged viciously toward Ancestor Ji Yin.
At the same instant,
Elder Zhao and the others surrounding Ancestor Ji Yin certainly wouldn't stand idly by. They likewise released their own tools, each emitting lights of various colors to meet the incoming assault.
For a moment, magical tools and treasures intertwined in a chaotic dance.
Ancestor Ji Yin cast a faint glance at the scene, then looked at the ghost head hurtling toward him. A few cold sneers touched his lips as two black fireballs slipped from his hands. The fireballs contorted in midair, transforming into two ink-black serpents as thick as thumbs. With a sharp *whoosh*, they shot like arrows into the ghost head's gaping mouth.
The middle-aged man's expression changed instantly, a silent cry of *bad* echoing in his mind.
The ghost head indeed halted, its cranium swelling rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it burst with a resounding *bang*, spewing countless shards of black demonic flame.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man's face paled, but he immediately drew a deep, resolute breath. He slapped his hand hard against the back of his head. A bead, roughly the size of a thumb, slowly squeezed itself out from between his brows—small, exquisite, pure white, and crystalline, radiating wisps of chilling mist.
"Brother Chi, this old devil's Heaven's Corpse Fire can only be somewhat countered by a treasure of supreme yin and extreme cold. I will use this 'Hanli Pearl' to draw his attention first. Then you seize the opportunity to use the Black Water Devil Art to trap the old devil. Only then will we have a sliver of a chance." The moment the bead emerged, the middle-aged man's expression grew grim as he secretly transmitted his voice to Old Monster Red Fire hovering in the dark clouds above.
A muffled "Hmm" drifted down from the clouds, bolstering the middle-aged man's spirits.
Without hesitation, he opened his mouth wide, spraying a mist of blood that enveloped the bead. Instantly, the bead spun rapidly, swallowing every drop of the blood mist clean. Then, after a brief contraction and expansion, the white qi around it transformed into a massive silver sphere, roughly a *zhang* in diameter. It blazed with a dazzling, almost blinding light.
"Old devil, witness the power of the Hanli Pearl, forged from Deep Sea Mysterious Crystals!" The middle-aged man snarled through gritted teeth, his face twisted into a ferocious mask as he faced Ancestor Ji Yin.
He then pointed at the Hanli Pearl and spat out the incantation word "Swift!"
The silver sphere wobbled several times, emitting a clear, humming resonance. In an instant, it morphed into a white serpent as thick as a bowl's rim, which then lunged viciously toward Ancestor Ji Yin.
"Oh?" Ancestor Ji Yin's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise.
But his expression quickly returned to its usual contemptuous sneer. He shrugged his shoulders lightly, and from behind him, seven or eight plumes of black qi, each as thick as a bowl, shot forth. These dark streams were incredibly agile; after tumbling once in midair, they likewise transformed into several demonic wolves of varying shapes and sizes. Fangs bared and claws extended, they darted toward the white serpent.
The middle-aged man's brows shot upward in a fierce scowl. With a great shout, his fingers danced ceaselessly, weaving hand seals of different colors that landed one after another on the white serpent.
Instantly, a green light flashed in the serpent's eyes. It coiled its body and sprayed a vast expanse of thick, white frigid mist. The mist surged forward, instantly sweeping the demonic wolves into oblivion without a sound. It didn't stop there; instead, it continued roaring toward Ancestor Ji Yin.
Only then did a trace of genuine surprise cross Ancestor Ji Yin's face. But he remained calm, simply waving a single hand lightly before him. With a soft *whoosh*, a towering wall of thick black light rose from the ground, blocking the white frigid mist outside.
"Now! Brother Chi, strike!" Seeing that the white mist had fully captured Ancestor Ji Yin's attention for the moment, the middle-aged man urgently transmitted his voice to Old Monster Red Fire in the sky.
"Very well!" Old Monster Red Fire replied from within the dark clouds without a shred of hesitation.
Immediately after, a thunderous roar erupted above the middle-aged man's head. The dark clouds swelled violently and began to churn and dance wildly. Then, with lightning speed, they plummeted downward.
"Old Monster Red Fire, you—" A horrified cry of disbelief escaped the middle-aged man's lips before he was completely enveloped by the hundred-*zhang* expanse of endless black clouds.
At that moment, Ancestor Ji Yin let out a series of eerie cackles. A massive black hand shot out from within the billowing white mist. In the span of a blink, it reached the white serpent, seized it in a crushing grip, and squeezed hard. The serpent's form dissolved into mist, reverting to its original state as the Hanli Pearl.
The pearl, however, continued to flicker desperately within the giant hand, radiating frigid qi as if refusing to submit.
Amidst the roaring of thunder and fire, the middle-aged man's enraged and horrified shouts rang out.
"Old devil! Red Fire! You two are colluding—you're in this together!" His voice seethed with an ineffable blend of regret and venomous hatred.
"Hmph! You were simply too foolish. First, go play nicely with Old Monster Red Fire. I'll deal with these others first, then return to reminisce about our master-disciple bond!" As these cold, indifferent words fell, the light within the massive black hand contracted, revealing Ancestor Ji Yin's figure.
He cast a chilling glance at the dark clouds, then a second look at the Hanli Pearl in his hand. Without a moment's hesitation, he opened his mouth and spat. A wisp of faint black qi enveloped the pearl.
The pearl's luster was immediately tainted, dimming dramatically.