106: Chapter 106 Sunset City

As Song Xinghe's cry for help fell upon his ears, Bai Yunzhou's brows instantly furrowed into a tight knot. The ashes of the communication talisman at his fingertips drifted away with the wind, and a trace of icy sharpness flashed through his eyes.

Luoxia City and Qingfeng City were separated by no more than a hundred miles. Reincarnation Hall had actually incited the remnants of the demonic sects to besiege both cities simultaneously; it was clearly a premeditated scheme to capture these two critical strongholds in the central Northern Region with thunderous momentum.

"Elder Liu, the defense of Qingfeng City is entrusted to you. The Disciples I leave behind will fully assist you in reinforcing the city's defenses and eradicating residual hazards." Bai Yunzhou turned to look at Liu Yan beside him, his tone deep and resolute without a shred of hesitation.

Liu Yan immediately bowed to receive the order, her eyes filled with determination: "Rest assured, Guardian Bai. With the help of the Danxia Sect Disciples and Taixuan Fellow Daoists, Qingfeng City will surely be as solid as a fortress of bronze, and we will never give the demonic sect remnants any opportunity to exploit."

Bai Yunzhou nodded slightly, turning his gaze toward Zhou Zhiting, who was comforting the commoners not far away, and Ling Shuang, who was repairing the Formation. He called out loudly: "Zhiting, Ling Shuang, hurry to the city wall and rendezvous! Luoxia City is in danger, we will reinforce them immediately!"

His voice, carrying the Power of Chaos, pierced through the streets and alleys of Qingfeng City, clearly reaching the ears of both women.

Zhou Zhiting raised her hand to hand the last Medicinal Pill for healing to an injured commoner, then turned into a pink stream of light and sped toward the city wall. The leihuang gauntlets were already grasped in her hands, and the aura of the Battle Blood Sacred Body quietly surged.

Ling Shuang also withdrew her Ice Soul Sword Intent, sheathing the hanshuang sword. After giving a few instructions to the five Taixuan Disciples beside her, she stepped upon an ice-blue sword light and leaped onto the city wall, her posture upright and her Battle Intent fierce in her eyes.

The moment the two landed, Bai Yunzhou had already stepped forward, saying in a deep voice: "Luoxia City is being besieged by the remnants of Reincarnation Hall and Youquan Valley, and its defensive Formation has been breached. The situation is even more critical than Qingfeng City; we are setting out immediately without any delay!"

"Understood!" Zhou Zhiting and Ling Shuang answered in unison without the slightest hesitation.

Bai Yunzhou waved his hand, gathering all twenty Taixuan Disciples remaining in Qingfeng City, and said in a deep voice: "Ten of you stay behind to assist Elder Liu in guarding Qingfeng City, and the remaining ten will follow me to Luoxia City to reinforce Senior Brother Song!"

Ten Disciples stepped out in response, bowing to Bai Yunzhou with resolute gazes. The remaining ten clasped their fists toward everyone and turned to throw themselves into the reinforcement work of Qingfeng City.

Having made the arrangements, Bai Yunzhou didn't stay any longer. The cyan light on his zhuiyun boots surged violently, and his figure turned into a cyan-gray stream of light, speeding toward Luoxia City at an even greater velocity than when he arrived.

Zhou Zhiting and Ling Shuang followed closely behind, a pink and a white figure piercing through the firmament. The ten Taixuan Disciples formed a tight aerial flight Formation, their auras merging into one as they closely tailed behind the three, transforming into a stream of light in pursuit.

A journey of a hundred miles took merely a few breaths to traverse. The outline of Luoxia City had already appeared in their field of vision; compared to the wretched state of Qingfeng City, Luoxia City was in an even more precarious position.

The entire city was shrouded in an interweaving of dense black ghostly Qi and gray-white Reincarnation power. The city walls had completely collapsed, and several giant cracks spread from the top of the wall all the way to its base. The defensive Formation within the city flickered with dim light, already at the end of its tether and on the verge of shattering completely at any moment.

Below the city walls, countless ghost Cultivators from Youquan Valley and demonized Cultivators controlled by Reincarnation Hall poured in frantically. Sounds of weeping ghosts and howling wolves rose one after another. Black ghost claws and blood-colored Demonic Weapons intertwined, frantically slashing and hacking toward the garrison troops and commoners within the city.

The Taixuan Disciples and Luoxia City garrison in the city had been forced near the City Lord's Mansion, forming a final defensive circle. Song Xinghe wielded a long sword, his entire body drenched in blood, desperately fending off the siege of several Nascent Soul Stage ghost Cultivators. His body was already covered in wounds, yet he still firmly defended the frontline, refusing to retreat even half a step.

The City Lord of Luoxia City was covered in injuries, leaning against the stone pillar of the mansion gates with the blade of his long saber already chipped and rolled. Watching the Disciples and commoners continuously falling, his eyes were filled with despair and sorrow.

What caused Bai Yunzhou's heart to sink even further was that at the center of Luoxia City, a bizarre black pillar of light soared straight into the sky. Dense gray-white runes hovered around the pillar of light, and the living souls of countless commoners were pulled by the pillar, continuously converging into it—it was precisely the Living Soul Formation of Reincarnation Hall!

These living souls were refined by the Formation; a portion would become nourishment for the cultivation of Reincarnation Hall, while the other portion would be used to amplify the strength of the demonic sect Cultivators. Their methods were extremely vicious and heinous, making one's hair stand on end.

"Outrageous!" Bai Yunzhou let out an angry shout, and the Power of Chaos around his entire body instantly surged. A cyan-gray halo spread out like a tidal wave, and his Chaos Domain fully expanded, directly shrouding more than half of Luoxia City.

The Law suppression trait activated instantly. The ghostly Qi and Reincarnation power in the city withered away like snow meeting a blazing fire. Those demonic sect Cultivators and ghost Cultivators who were attacking frantically suddenly felt their entire bodies grow heavy; their spiritual power and ghostly Qi circulated sluggishly, their offensives instantly slowing down as their eyes filled with terror and incomprehension.

The several Nascent Soul Stage ghost Cultivators who were besieging Song Xinghe were also suppressed by the Chaos Domain, their auras dropping by thirty percent. Seizing the opportunity, Song Xinghe's long sword erupted with dazzling cyan light, piercing through the chest of one ghost Cultivator with a single strike. Spinning gracefully, he swept his blade horizontally, completely blocking the attacks of the remaining few and finally managing to catch a breath.

"Senior Brother Bai!" Seeing the cyan-gray stream of light in the firmament, hope instantly ignited in Song Xinghe's eyes, a trace of excitement carrying within his hoarse voice.

Bai Yunzhou did not respond. With a flicker of his figure, he had already swooped down. Wielding the liefeng sword in his hand, the Power of Chaos intertwined with the lightning Laws, condensing a five-colored sword qi that thrust straight toward the black pillar of light of the Living Soul Formation.

"Where did this brat come from, daring to ruin the grand affairs of our Reincarnation Hall!" A sinister, angry shout rang out from beside the Living Soul Formation. A Reincarnation Hall Cultivator dressed in gray-white Daoist robes slowly walked out. This person was a middle-ranking deacon of Reincarnation Hall, at the Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivation. Rich Reincarnation power lingered around his entire body, and he held a black soul banner in his hand—this was precisely the core eye of the Living Soul Formation.

At the same time, a Youquan Valley Elder dressed in black robes also stepped out from the crowd of ghost Cultivators. He was at the Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivation, with ghostly Qi surging around his body and a ghost-headed staff held in his hand, his eyes filled with gloom: "A mere Cultivator of the Taixuan Holy Land dares to meddle in the affairs of Youquan Valley; today we will definitely ensure you never return!"

The two exchanged a glance, a flash of tacit understanding passing through their eyes, and lunged toward Bai Yunzhou simultaneously. Reincarnation power and ghostly Qi intertwined, transforming into a massive black-and-white vortex that carried the momentum to swallow everything as it smashed toward Bai Yunzhou.

"Zhiting, help Senior Brother Song stabilize the defense line and slaughter the peripheral demonic and ghost Cultivators!" Bai Yunzhou's voice exploded across the battlefield, yet his figure did not pause in the slightest as the liefeng sword slashed horizontally: "Chaos Swordsmanship: Lightning Shaking the Nine Heavens!"

Within the cyan-gray Chaos sword qi, purple-blue lightning radiance surged violently. Countless lightning dragons rushed out from the sword qi, lunging toward the black-and-white vortex. Wherever the lightning dragons passed, tiny cracks rippled through space, and the sizzle of the lightning completely purified the surrounding ghostly Qi.

Hearing this, Zhou Zhiting immediately transformed into a pink stream of light and landed beside Song Xinghe. The leihuang gauntlets flashed with lightning, and with a single punch thrown, she shocked and repelled a lunging Nascent Soul Stage ghost Cultivator by several steps, shouting aloud: "Senior Brother Song, I have come to assist you!"

Seeing Zhou Zhiting arrive, Song Xinghe felt a sense of relief wash over him. He raised his long sword once more, standing shoulder to shoulder with Zhou Zhiting. Joining forces, the two instantly suppressed the besieging ghost Cultivators. At the same time, the ten Taixuan Disciples swooped down, plunging into the group of demonic and ghost Cultivators like tigers entering a flock of sheep, beginning to clear out the peripheral grunts.

Meanwhile, Ling Shuang's figure flickered as she landed on one side of the Living Soul Formation. The hanshuang sword was unsheathed, and the ice-blue Ice Soul Sword Intent surged violently as she gave a light cry: "Ice Soul Sword Array, rise!"

Ten streams of ice-blue sword light surged from around her, interweaving around the Living Soul Formation into an ice-blue barrier of light that protected the commoners' living souls being pulled away. The biting chill of the Ice Soul Sword Intent caused the pulling force of the Living Soul Formation to instantly weaken, allowing quite a few living souls to break free and drift toward the commoners within the city.

"Seeking death!" Seeing that Ling Shuang dared to obstruct the Living Soul Formation, a fierce glint flashed in the Reincarnation Hall deacon's eyes. With a wave of his hand, several gray-white Reincarnation chains coiled and wound toward Ling Shuang, the chains lingering with power that corroded the Divine Soul.

The Youquan Valley Elder also struck at the same time, pointing his ghost-headed staff as several black ghost fires lunged toward Ling Shuang. Wherever the ghost fires passed, the air was corroded, emitting sizzling sounds.

Ling Shuang's gaze was icy cold. The hanshuang sword danced into an ice-blue sword flower, and the light curtain of the Ice Soul Sword Array instantly surged, completely blocking the Reincarnation chains and ghost fires. The ice-blue sword light counterattacked, thrusting toward the two.

Seeing this, a trace of approval flashed in Bai Yunzhou's eyes. The liefeng sword in his hand exerted force once more; the lightning dragons collided with the black-and-white vortex, erupting with an earth-shattering loud noise. The black-and-white vortex was instantly torn apart by the lightning dragons, scattering Reincarnation power and ghostly Qi in all directions.

"Impossible! How can your lightning power be so formidable!" The Reincarnation Hall deacon's eyes were filled with disbelief. He could clearly sense that Bai Yunzhou's lightning power contained the power to purify evil spirits, holding a natural suppression over his Reincarnation power.

Bai Yunzhou did not waste words. With a flicker of his figure, he instantly appeared before the two. The liefeng sword slashed repeatedly, and streaks of Chaos sword qi enveloped toward the pair. The sword qi not only contained lightning Laws, but also integrated the biting cold of the ice Laws, making its power even greater.

The Reincarnation Hall deacon and Youquan Valley Elder did not dare to be careless, simultaneously operating their full strength. The Reincarnation soul banner and the ghost-headed staff were waved together, intertwining Reincarnation power and ghostly Qi into a sturdy defensive barrier that blocked the attack of the Chaos sword qi.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The sword qi collided with the barrier, producing a piercing metallic screech. The barrier instantly filled with cracks, and the two were shaken backward repeatedly, black blood overflowing from their mouths as their auras instantly withered.

"Even when joining forces, you are nothing much." Bai Yunzhou's voice was icy cold as his figure closed in once more. The suppression power of the Chaos Domain strengthened again, causing the auras of the two to drop by another ten percent, making even raising their hands difficult.

A trace of terror flashed in the Reincarnation Hall deacon's eyes, and he turned around wanting to urge the power of the Living Soul Formation, intending to pay the price of the living souls refined within the array to erupt with a final strike and perish together with Bai Yunzhou.

He chanted incantations rapidly, wildly waving the Reincarnation soul banner in his hand. The black pillar of light of the Living Soul Formation instantly surged, and countless living souls were forcibly refined, transforming into a gigantic black soul blade that slashed toward Bai Yunzhou.

The Youquan Valley Elder also exerted his power at the same time, chanting ghost incantations as the ghost Qi around his body completely surged into the ghost-head staff.

The ghost-head staff erupted with a strange black light, transforming into a huge ghost king phantom that lunged toward Bai Yunzhou.

One man and one ghost, one soul blade and one phantom, the joint attack actually possessed the might of approaching the Soul Transformation Early Stage, causing the surrounding space to be shaken into distortion.

A trace of solemnity flashed through Bai Yunzhou's eyes, yet he showed not the slightest fear.

The chaos green lotus mark between his brows instantly lit up, and the cyan-gray Origin Power of Chaos crazily surged out from within his body, while the liefeng sword in his hand also shimmered with a faint green lotus halo.

"Chaos Sword Dao: Myriad Techniques Return to One: Soul Breaking!"

With a soft shout from Bai Yunzhou, the liefeng sword slashed out a massive cyan-gray sword Qi.

In the center of the sword Qi, a chaos green lotus slowly rotated.

Wherever the green lotus passed, all evil and uncanny forces were purified.

Carrying the might to shatter all Divine Soul attacks, the sword Qi blasted toward the black soul blade and the ghost king phantom.

This strike was specially created by Bai Yunzhou targeting Divine Soul-type attacks after fusing the Chaos Origin and the four-element Laws, possessing extreme restraint against the Reincarnation power and ghost Qi.

Boom!

The cyan-gray sword Qi collided with the black soul blade and the ghost king phantom.

There was no earth-shattering loud noise, only a faint cyan-gray light diffusing outward.

Under the purification of the green lotus, the black soul blade instantly transformed into wisps of blue smoke, and the ghost king phantom also let out a shrill scream, gradually dissipating within the sword Qi without leaving even a trace behind.

Under the impact of the cyan-gray light, the black pillar of light of the Living Soul Array instantly dimmed, and the surrounding gray-white runes shattered one after another.

The Reincarnation soul banner at the array eye was even directly blasted flying, dropping to the ground with a crisp sound, completely losing its luster.

"No—!" The Reincarnation Hall deacon let out a shrill scream.

The Living Soul Array had been broken, and his natal spiritual power had also suffered heavy damage.

His aura instantly plummeted to the Nascent Soul Early Stage, and his eyes were filled with despair.

The Youquan Valley Elder was also shaken to the point of suffering Divine Soul damage, his ghost-head staff dropping to the ground.

The ghost Qi around his body almost completely dissipated, and he collapsed to the ground, lacking even the strength to move.

Bai Yunzhou slowly stepped forward, the liefeng sword pressing against the centers of their brows without a shred of ripples in his eyes: "Controlling living souls and slaughtering commoners, today will be your time of death."

"You dare kill me! I am a middle-tier deacon of the Reincarnation Hall, the Hall Master will definitely not spare you!"

The Reincarnation Hall deacon roared with a fierce expression but a weak spirit, his eyes filled with fear.

The Youquan Valley Elder also tremblingly begged for mercy: "Immortal Lord, spare my life! I am willing to surrender to the Taixuan Holy Land and will never dare to commit crimes again. I beg the Immortal Lord to spare my life!"

Bai Yunzhou let out a cold snort, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes: "Knowing this today, why act as you did in the beginning? Can the commoners' blood stained on your hands be offset by a simple word of surrender?"

As his words fell, the liefeng sword exerted a slight force, and two streams of cyan-gray Power of Chaos instantly surged into the centers of their brows, strangling their Divine Souls.

Before the two could even let out a scream, they completely lost their breath, their bodies slowly falling to the ground and turning into two cold corpses.

Having resolved the two, Bai Yunzhou immediately turned around to look at the Living Soul Array, raising his hand to wave.

A massive amount of Power of Chaos surged out, transforming into a cyan-gray light curtain that completely protected the remaining living souls within the Living Soul Array.

The nourishing power of the Power of Chaos slowly radiated, and those living souls that had been refined to extreme weakness gradually recovered their vitality.

He raised his hand in a suction motion, drawing the fallen Reincarnation soul banner into his hand.

The Power of Chaos surged at his fingertips, completely purifying the evil and uncanny forces within the soul banner, and then he stored the soul banner into his storage ring.

Although this soul banner was a Demonic Weapon, after purification, it could be used to nourish living souls, making it quite a useful treasure after all.

Seeing that the Living Soul Array had been broken, Ling Shuang also retracted the Ice Soul Sword Array and hurried to Bai Yunzhou's side.

Looking at those gradually recovering living souls, a trace of gentleness flashed through her eyes: "It is fortunate that we arrived in time, otherwise the living souls of these commoners would probably have been completely refined."

Bai Yunzhou nodded and waved his hand, dispersing the chaotic light curtain protecting the living souls.

Those living souls transformed into dots of spiritual light, drifting toward the commoners in the city and re-integrating into their bodies.

Many unconscious commoners instantly awakened, and the confusion in their eyes gradually dissipated.

At this moment, the battle in the city was also drawing to a close.

Zhou Zhiting and Song Xinghe joined forces to slay all the ghost Cultivators and demonic Cultivators of the Nascent Soul Stage, and ten Taixuan Disciples also thoroughly mopped up the outer skirmishers.

Under the purification of the Chaos Domain, the ghost Qi and demonic Qi of Luoxia City gradually dissipated.

Leaning on his longsword, Song Xinghe walked to Bai Yunzhou's side.

Covered in blood and with a wilted aura, he still bowed to Bai Yunzhou and saluted: "Many thanks to Senior Brother Bai for rushing to our aid in time, otherwise Luoxia City would have completely fallen today."

Bai Yunzhou waved his hand, channeling a gentle stream of the Power of Chaos into Song Xinghe's body to ease his injuries, and said in a deep voice: "Senior Brother Song has worked hard. Guarding the final defense line means guarding the hope of Luoxia City."

The Luoxia City Lord also walked over dragging his injured body, making a deep bow toward Bai Yunzhou, his eyes filled with gratitude: "Many thanks to Immortal Lord Bai for saving my life, and many thanks to all the Fellow Daoists of the Taixuan Holy Land. Such great kindness and virtue, the commoners of Luoxia City will never forget!"

The surviving commoners and garrison soldiers in the city also successively bowed and saluted toward Bai Yunzhou and the others, shouting aloud: "Many thanks to the Immortal Lords! Many thanks to the Taixuan Holy Land!"

The voices rose and fell, filled with gratitude and awe, echoing for a long time above Luoxia City.

Bai Yunzhou raised his hand to signal everyone to rise, saying in a deep voice: "Everyone, there is no need for such formalities. Mopping up the remnant forces of the Demonic Sect and protecting the commoners of the Northern Territory is the duty of righteous Cultivators like us."

He turned his head to look at Zhou Zhiting, Ling Shuang, and Song Xinghe by his side, saying in a deep voice: "Luoxia City has experienced a great battle, its city defenses are completely destroyed, and the commoners have suffered heavy casualties. The most urgent task is to resettle the commoners, treat injuries and heal wounds, repair the city defenses, and clear away the residual ghost Qi and demonic Qi."

"Ling Shuang, you lead five Disciples to be responsible for repairing Luoxia City's defensive Formation and reinforcing the city walls, while simultaneously purifying the residual ghost Qi in the city with the Ice Soul Sword Intent."

"Zhiting, you lead five Disciples to tally the casualties in the city, distribute healing Medicinal Pills, pacify the commoners, and at the same time nourish those commoners affected by the Living Soul Array using the power of battle blood."

"Senior Brother Song, you first regulate your breathing and heal your injuries. Once your injuries slightly ease, lead the Luoxia City garrison to clear the battlefield, collecting and incinerating the corpses of the demonic Cultivators and ghost Cultivators to prevent demonic Qi and ghost Qi from breeding."

"I will remain in the city to thoroughly purify the residual power of the Living Soul Array with the Power of Chaos, and at the same time set up a Chaos Protective Array to protect Luoxia City and prevent the remnant forces of the Demonic Sect from staging a comeback."

"Understood!" Zhou Zhiting, Ling Shuang, and Song Xinghe acknowledged in unison, immediately acting separately.

Ling Shuang brought five Disciples to the side of the city wall.

The hanshuang sword was unsheathed, and ice-blue Ice Soul Sword Intent surged out, beginning to repair the foundation stones of the defensive Formation.

The ice-blue sword light intertwined with the cyan-gray Power of Chaos, and the cracks on the city wall healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Zhou Zhiting, taking five Disciples with her, fetched a large amount of healing Medicinal Pills from her storage ring and distributed them to the injured commoners and garrison soldiers.

At the same time, she circulated the power of battle blood to cooperate with the Power of Chaos in nourishing those commoners affected by the Living Soul Array.

The complexions of many commoners gradually rudded, and the fear in their eyes also slowly dissipated.

Song Xinghe sat cross-legged, operating his spiritual power to regulate his breathing and heal, while the Luoxia City Lord led the garrison to begin clearing the battlefield, dragging the corpses of the demonic Cultivators and ghost Cultivators outside the city to incinerate them with fierce flames, turning them into ashes.

Bai Yunzhou walked to the central position of the Living Soul Array, raising his hand to wave.

A massive amount of Power of Chaos surged out, the cyan-gray halo spreading like a tide to completely envelop the residual power of the Living Soul Array.

The purifying characteristic of the Power of Chaos was brought into full play, and those eerie runes and residual Reincarnation power gradually dissipated within the cyan-gray light, without leaving even a trace behind.

Subsequently, he raised his hand to form hand seals, chanting Chaos incantations in his mouth.

Countless cyan-gray runes surged from his fingertips, intertwining into a massive Chaos Protective Array above Luoxia City.

The array vanished into the clouds, emitting a faint cyan-gray halo to guard the entire Luoxia City within it, so that any evil and uncanny force approaching would be automatically purified by the array.

As the setting sun went down, the golden afterglow sprinkled across the sky of Luoxia City, dispelling the final trace of gloom.

The ghost Qi and demonic Qi in the city had already been thoroughly mopped up, the broken walls and ruined ramparts on the streets were slowly cleaned up, the injured commoners received medical treatment, and the eyes of the surviving people reignited with the hope of life.

Standing atop the ramparts of Luoxia City, Bai Yunzhou looked at the busy figures below, a trace of gentleness flashing through his eyes, yet it also carried a hint of solemnity.

Although the crises of Qingfeng City and Luoxia City were resolved, the conspiracy of the Reincarnation Hall had already begun to show initial signs.

They not only manipulated the remnant forces of the Demonic Sect to besiege the major towns of the Northern Territory but also secretly set up the Living Soul Array to collect commoners' living souls, and their objective was definitely not simple.

The sky of the Northern Territory remained covered in heavy clouds, with the phantom figures of the Reincarnation Hall lurking in the dark, and greater crises still awaited them ahead.

Bai Yunzhou clenched the liefeng sword in his hand, the chaos green lotus mark between his brows faintly flickering, and a trace of firmness flashed through his eyes.

He was determined to ferret out all the conspiracies of the Reincarnation Hall, mop up all the remnant forces of the Demonic Sect, and guard every inch of land in the Northern Territory so that the commoners of the Northern Territory would never again have to endure the suffering of war, allowing the sky of the Northern Territory to return to clarity.

Right at this moment, a cyan communication talisman flew over from the horizon, landing straight into Bai Yunzhou's hand.

The communication talisman emanated the spiritual power aura of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Taixuan Holy Land.

Bai Yunzhou raised his hand and crushed the communication talisman, and a hurried voice resounded beside his ear: "Guardian Bai, intelligence has come from the western Northern Territory that the remnants of the Blood God Cult have established a demonic cave in Heifeng Ridge, secretly transporting living souls for the Reincarnation Hall in massive quantities. True Monarch Tianxing orders you to immediately proceed to investigate and mop them up!"