Chapter 43

Jiang Ruoming’s sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for Xue Ming. Her face showed a hint of frustration, and she could not believe she had been so careless as to let the Hundred Ghosts Flag be taken. She recalled how Xue Ming had seemed useless before, timid and afraid, who would have thought she’d dare snatch the banner now and disappear with such agility? Fortunately, the flag was loyal and would return to her with a simple summon.

The Yin Gathering Array activated, causing the ground to quake and crack, widening until half the palace began to sink. Jiang Ruoming moved among the falling debris, seeking Xue Ming. Meanwhile, the fierce battle between the Hundred Crow and Yan Yuhe’s group raged, shattering the stone walls and filling the air with dust and chaos.

Beneath the palace lay the final Yin Gathering Array. As the cracks widened, the palace sank deeper, the ground opening like a giant maw. Beastly roars accompanied the massive chasms, forming as if the earth were being split. Corpses emerged, countless bodies forming a ghastly sight. The underground revealed a stepped structure lined with corpses, making the sight terrifying. The array buried untold numbers.

Xue Ming appeared, led by You Yin, standing high atop the broken wall. Once the surrounding terrain stabilized and the remaining half of the palace no longer sank, she could finally see the whole picture below. The corpses resembled a gigantic anthill, with worker ants in such overwhelming numbers that it was appalling, arranged in a way that formed a mass grave. Layer upon layer spread downward, extending to the limits of her vision, with no end in sight; deep within, there was only a faint shadow that could not be seen clearly.

An unprecedented blow struck Xue Ming’s heart. Instinctively, she covered her mouth, her wide eyes darting around, and everywhere she looked, there were corpses!

It was hard to imagine just how many people Jiang Ruoming had killed; the bodies visible in this Yin Gathering Array were far more than the few seen earlier combined. This was clearly a trump card left by Jiang Ruoming. It seemed that the destruction of the earlier ones didn’t matter because as long as this gathering array was present, her yin energy would be sufficient. Despite having long known that Jiang Ruoming was devoid of humanity, killing as easily as one would cut grass, Xue Ming was once again shocked by her brutality.

Jiang Ruoming had already locked her gaze on Xue Ming. Upon seeing the Hundred Ghosts Flag in her hand, she immediately began to chant a spell, intending to summon the flag back. However, to her surprise, the Hundred Ghosts Flag remained firmly grasped in Xue Ming’s hand even after completing the incantation. She was momentarily puzzled, but then her expression changed drastically as she suddenly thought of something crucial. Her body also carried the bloodline of the Ghost Emperor, and she was the master of the Hundred Ghosts Banner!

“Hundred Crow!” Jiang Ruoming had no choice but to shout, “The Hundred Ghosts Flag has been taken! Hurry and get it back!”

Several people besieged Hundred Crow, and he was already seriously injured. The black crows around him were crying out in chaos. Upon hearing Jiang Ruoming’s shout, he deflected Yan Yuhe’s sword and retreated several feet, his blood-red eyes locking onto Xue Ming, who stood high above. The next moment, he shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, charging straight at Xue Ming.

Seeing this, Yan Yuhe and the others rushed in from all directions to block him. Hundred Crow controlled the terrain, casually raising the ground to summon several towering spikes. Mountains erupted from the earth with a thunderous roar, plunging the surroundings into chaos.

Xue Ming swayed her body, and before she could steady herself, she saw Hundred Crow flying towards her, a pair of ghostly claws already poised to tear her apart. She hurriedly shouted, “You Yin!” She was instantly pulled into the ground, moving swiftly with You Yin through the earth.

Hundred Crow pursued his tracks, controlling the changes in the terrain. After a series of continuous “bang bang” sounds and explosions on the ground, You Yin and Xue Ming were thrown into the air.

Hundred Crow laughed heartily, raising its ghostly claws and rushing forward, closing in on Xue Ming in the blink of an eye. When Xue Ming screamed in fear, a long sword flew through the air, its blade flashing with golden light, piercing through Hundred Crow’s hand.

Yan Yuhe’s sword arrived first, followed by his own, catching Xue Ming, who was thrown into the air, and with a gentle sway of his robe, a spiritual crane’s long cry echoed as Jiang Xing descended from the sky. It spread its wings lightly, and with a gentle flap, a fierce wind suddenly arose. It lifted the scattered debris and ruins into the air, revealing a clear full moon in the sky.

Xue Ming felt herself being embraced warmly. When she opened her eyes, she saw Yan Yuhe’s handsome face. He was sitting cross-legged on Jiang Xing’s back, looking down at Xue Ming. His warm fingertips, with a bit of force, moved over her arms and legs, “Are you hurt?”

Xue Ming shook her head and instinctively hugged him. At this moment, she realized she was still tightly holding the Hundred Ghosts Flag. She hurriedly said, “I snatched this from Jiang Ruoming. I don’t know what it can be used for.”

Yan Yuhe didn’t say anything, but his fingers brushed past her ear, seemingly helping to tidy her slightly messy hair. Xue Ming noticed an injury on his arm. When she rolled up his sleeve, she saw several long claw marks covering most of his arm, with blood oozing out and emitting black smoke. Although she knew getting injured in a fight with a ghost king like Hundred Crow was inevitable, seeing such a hideous wound on Yan Yuhe’s fair arm made Xue Ming heartbroken. She gently touched the wound with her fingertips, remaining silent, her lowered eyelids faintly hiding her distress.

Yan Yuhe didn’t care about his injury. Seeing Xue Ming’s low spirits, he assumed she was frightened. In his memory, Xue Ming had always been timid. The fact that she managed to snatch the Hundred Ghosts Flag from Jiang Ruoming at such a time was truly commendable. He lowered his head slightly and kissed her on the side of her face, near her ear, whispering, “Everything will be over before dawn.”

Xue Ming looked up at him, meeting his dark, calm eyes. A surge of security welled inside her, giving her the confidence to stand on the righteous side.

After saying a few words to her, Yan Yuhe jumped off Jiang Xing’s back, his long hair flying as he landed steadily on the ground. The sword flew back into his hand. Jiang Xing flew very low, almost skimming the ground, stirring up fog-like dust that obscured Xue Ming’s vision.

Xue Ming saw Jiang Ruoming chasing after them. Perhaps because she was a spirit, her speed was breakneck, and she was about to grab Jiang Xing’s tail in the blink of an eye.

Xue Ming hurriedly patted Jiang Xing’s back, “Jiang Xing, run quickly! That villain is chasing you!”

Unexpectedly, Jiang Xing, following its master’s nature, was not one to flee. Upon hearing this, it immediately turned around, letting out a clear and melodious crane cry, and charged straight at Jiang Ruoming.

Jiang Ruoming was startled but quickly responded. Seeing Jiang Xing flying towards her, she did not dodge. Instead, she leaped and landed directly on Jiang Xing’s back.

“Haha,” Jiang Ruoming laughed triumphantly, cursing without hesitation, “Stupid crane.”

Xue Ming was terrified and screamed, “Jiang Xing, Jiang Xing! She climbed up. Throw her off!!”

“Give me back my things!” Jiang Ruoming shouted, lunging at Xue Ming to snatch the Hundred Ghosts Flag from her hands.

Xue Ming naturally refused, falling backward and instinctively kicking her legs up while hiding the flag behind her back. When she was about to fight with Jiang Ruoming physically, she suddenly heard a crane cry and saw a flash of fire.

A wave of heat rushed towards her. When Xue Ming looked up, she saw that Jiang Xing’s feathers had ignited with blazing flames, quickly spreading across its massive body. Jiang Ruoming let out a piercing scream as the red flames engulfed Jiang Xing.

Initially paralyzed with fear, Xue Ming soon realized that the flames did not affect her. She watched as Jiang Ruoming rolled in the fire a few times before turning into a wisp of green smoke and fleeing. The flames on Jiang Xing’s back quickly diminished, leaving only a few embers at the base of its wings. Xue Ming felt an immense sense of relief, climbing up to Jiang Xing’s neck, holding onto its soft feathers, and standing up. Feeling the rushing wind, she raised the Hundred Ghosts Flag and cheered. The moonlight was as clear and cold as water, shining on the black-and-white Hundred Ghosts flag, with the silver-threaded patterns faintly glowing.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from deep within the earth, followed by visible tremors. Within seconds, a grand and magnificent giant gate rose from the ground, appearing on the desolate and chaotic surface. This gate was at least a hundred times larger than a standard door. It was made of an unknown material, with intricate and bizarre patterns carved on its two panels. It stood imposingly before them, incredibly majestic.

Jiang Xing, seeing the gate suddenly appear ahead, changed direction. A bell rang from somewhere, seemingly striking the soul, deafening. Then, a heavy buzzing sound arose. Xue Ming saw the gate slowly open, thick white mist pouring out from the crack. Before she could see what was behind the gate, dozens of people squeezed out from the crack, looking like starving ghosts fighting for food after eight hundred years of hunger.

As the crack widened, more and more people surged out, the chaotic noise flooding out like a tidal wave, engulfing everything around. On the night of the Ghost Festival, the ghost gate opens at midnight, and a hundred ghosts roam the world.

Xue Ming felt the Hundred Ghosts Flag in her hand vibrating. Looking down, she saw the patterns on the flag come to life, with demons dancing wildly, surrounded by inky black mist, ready to be unleashed. At the same time, thousands of corpses in the giant chasm broke the blood threads sewn on their mouths, letting out a collective howl. Dense crows flew in the sky, and the wind swept the debris on the ground into the air, creating chaos.