Chapter 239: Surrounded Again

Chapter 239: Chapter 239: Surrounded Again

The air grew heavy amidst the shimmering golden light, becoming almost suffocating.

Young Master Ghost’s pupils constricted. His body reacted instinctively to the extreme stress, mobilizing all his power in an attempt to counter the sudden, terrifying assault.

But now, the golden flash aimed at his vital point was already upon him. The aura of death was about to consume him completely.

In the end, with a PFFT, the golden light cut through Young Master Ghost’s body. He transformed into a plume of green smoke in midair and vanished without a trace.

After the golden flash dissipated, Zong Ziqi’s figure appeared.

He was surrounded by the lingering aftershocks of Sword Qi that had yet to fully recede. The longsword, brimming with the Power of Thunder, was currently plunged into the ground, vibrating incessantly as if rejoicing in its successful revenge.

A trace of fatigue showed on Zong Ziqi’s face. Sweat trickled down from his temples, soaking his inner clothes. His chest heaved violently, each breath a struggle to calm the churning qi and blood within him.

"Twice. It took two tries, but I finally killed that bastard!"

Zong Ziqi’s tone was filled with the satisfaction of revenge.

Young Master Ghost had nearly killed him before, causing his hatred for the man to reach its peak. If you had to ask who he hated most among the three, it was definitely Young Master Ghost.

"Zong Ziqi, watch out!"

A startled cry reached Zong Ziqi’s ears. He looked up in astonishment, only to discover that the Soul-Calling Banner, which had lost its master and should have fallen to the ground, was still floating in mid-air.

"How can this be..."

Zong Ziqi muttered to himself, but then he heard a familiar voice coming from the Soul-Calling Banner in the air:

"I knew you wouldn’t die so easily. It was worth using the precious Substitute Death Talisman I received from Lord Ghost King. Now, it’s your turn to die!"

The owner of the voice was none other than the "dead" Young Master Ghost!

A face appeared on the Soul-Calling Banner—it was Young Master Ghost, the very person they had just presumed dead!

His face was twisted and ferocious, and his sinister smile was like an icy dagger stabbing into one’s heart, sending a chill down the spine.

Immediately after, Evil Ghosts and Spirits of all shapes and ferocious appearances poured out endlessly from the eerie Soul-Calling Banner.

They were draped in tattered burial shrouds, their faces twisted and terrifying as if scorched by fire. Deep blue flames burned in their eye sockets, making their visages all the more horrifying.

These Evil Ghosts and Spirits shrieked as they struggled out of the Soul-Calling Banner, dragging their broken bodies behind them.

Some wielded rust-spotted weapons, others extended bone claws sharp as knives, and still others spewed gusts of bone-chilling black mist. The entire battlefield was instantly shrouded in a thick, sinister aura.

As more and more Evil Ghosts and Spirits emerged, the once-quiet night became as terrifying as Purgatory. Every inch of air was filled with an oppressive and desperate aura.

But just then, another flash of golden light erupted from Zong Ziqi!

On this battlefield, the golden light was like a rising sun. It formed a thin but extremely sturdy protective shield around Zong Ziqi, enveloping him completely.

The Evil Ghosts and Spirits frantically attacked this Golden Light Shield, but no matter how they assaulted it, they couldn’t damage the golden light in the slightest.

The rust-spotted weapons in their hands shattered on impact. Their knife-sharp bone claws were burned to ash upon touching the golden light. The bone-chilling black mist they spewed also instantly dissipated upon contact with the light.

Not only that, but every one of the Evil Ghosts and Spirits that tried to approach and attack Zong Ziqi was struck by the backlash from the Golden Light Spell’s power. The brilliant light possessed the ability to purify souls, causing the evil spirits to feel intense pain and terror.

In severe cases, they were outright obliterated by the golden light, their souls scattered and vanishing from the Purgatory-like battlefield.

This scene left Young Master Ghost, still inside the Soul-Calling Banner, utterly stunned. He simply couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

To him, the Ghost King was a god-like existence, and the Soul-Calling Banner was a Divine Artifact.

But now, the Divine Artifact had been so easily countered by Zong Ziqi. He found it absolutely unbelievable.

"Young Master Ghost, I’m impressed by your wisdom. I really didn’t expect the Thunder Knight to survive and even turn the tables to kill us. If you had died, I suppose I would have been next, right?"

Inside the Soul-Calling Banner, another voice spoke up.

Zong Ziqi was even more shocked when he heard it.

It was actually Wuji Fairy.

’How is she in the Soul-Calling Banner too?’

"It’s damn stuffy in here! Everyone’s here now, so hurry up and let us out!"

Another booming, muffled voice rang out from the Soul-Calling Banner, speaking the Great Qi language with a thick, out-of-place accent.

"Wu Tuo, don’t be so impatient. Don’t let them think we of the Barbarian Race are uncultured."

A third voice spoke up, this one belonging to an old man. His speech was slow and serious, and he sounded as if he were admonishing the second speaker.

"Understood, Sacrificial Priest U Damo."

Immediately after, three figures emerged from the Soul-Calling Banner.

One was Wuji Fairy of the Yin Yang Annihilation Sect, who had participated in the siege against Zong Ziqi earlier. Zong Ziqi was very familiar with her; after all, she was the third person he planned to kill.

As for the other two, Zong Ziqi was not familiar with them.

From their appearance, these two were not people of Great Qi, with whom Zong Ziqi was familiar.

The first to catch the eye was a burly man. His frame was like a moving mountain, and when he stood before you, he naturally exuded an unshakeable, oppressive aura.

He stood over ten feet tall, his heavy build and tough, muscular physique making him seem like a giant compared to an ordinary person. He was draped in a coarse, primitive garment made from the hide of some unknown ferocious beast. His upper body was bare, revealing a solid chest and arms covered in bulging veins. A vivid Demon Beast totem was tattooed across his skin, every line of which radiated a soul-shaking ferocity and brutality.

In stark contrast to the burly man was the wiry little old man beside him. Though small in stature, he exuded a presence that was impossible to ignore.

All sorts of strange implements and Talismans hung from his body. Although he leaned on a walking stick carved with complex totems for support, it didn’t mean he was weak. On the contrary, his small, shrewd and cunning eyes glinted with the light of wisdom, daring anyone to underestimate him.

With such distinctive appearances, Zong Ziqi naturally knew their origins.

"The Barbarian Race?" Zong Ziqi was shocked. "What are you doing here? Hiss—don’t tell me you’re the last two of the Ten Great Villains?!"

"You’ve got a good eye," the burly Barbarian, Wu Tuo, said with a simple-minded laugh.

"I have no quarrel with you. Why are you getting involved in this?" Zong Ziqi asked, confused.

’I’m just here for revenge against Wuji Fairy and Young Master Ghost. I don’t usually kill members of the Barbarian Race, so why are these two sticking their noses in my business?’