Chapter 708: Golden Censer Pillar
Amidst the setting sun and the mountains, along the path of migration.
Lolan Hill stood atop a pile of flesh and bones, her chest heaving as she breathed, easing the exhaustion in her body. Within her, there still lingered the burning sensation left by the intense use of magic. Her wrists and fingertips were covered in thick, black-red blood.
Even though her natural talent was extraordinary, using the powers of the Necromancer Sequence 4 to slay so many monsters and ghosts was no easy task for her, especially considering that some of them were of Sequence 5-6.
After a brief rest and slight recovery, she turned around and noticed that the black-robed Ghost Slayers were standing quietly aside, waiting patiently.
Seeing their lowered heads, the young lady felt slightly puzzled, but when she saw the heavy blood stains on her sword and coat, she immediately understood.
Were they frightened by her? If she were in their position, such behavior would surely astonish her too.
Forget it; this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Strong power indeed was a quick way to gain prestige, making it easier to command and unify everyone.
She leaped lightly from the top of the pile of corpses, landing on the rare dry ground below, then turned and extended her hand.
A ghostly blue flame appeared in the palm of her hand and slowly expanded, flying into the remains of the corpses. With a loud explosion, it scattered into fragments, igniting the remains and causing them to burn slowly.
A strange smell emanated from the corpses, followed by wisps of necromantic magic, like fine sand, converging into a stream and gathering in the air before finally falling into the girl’s palm, condensing into a transparent, colorless gemstone.
Thus, the flames grew fiercer, until eventually, the scorching heat and air currents lifted her coat slightly, revealing the white sleeves and hem inside, with her silver hair fluttering in the air.
Forced by the intense heat, the black-robed Ghost Slayers stepped back one by one, finally positioning themselves behind Lolan Hill in three lines, silently watching the scene.
Nearly 20 minutes later, the towering blue fire had burned out, the originally muddy blood on the ground dried up, turning into blackened soil particles that scattered in the wind.
As the flames and heat gradually subsided, Lolan Hill’s hair and coat fell back down. Finally, a huge necromantic magic gem appeared in her palm, almost too large for her slender fingers to hold.
She tossed it into the air, and several cold glints flashed at her fingertips, slicing it into roughly twenty equal pieces. These small pieces of necromantic magic gems flew like meteors, breaking through the night sky and landing in front of each Ghost Slayer.
“Each of you take one. This gem can accelerate cultivation and can also be used to cast powerful skills in critical moments.”
“Yes, Sir/Madam,” they answered in unison, then tightly grasped the gem in front of them.
The more dangerous and difficult the place, the more the living beings within yearned for power, as it represented hope for survival.
Ignoring the complex gazes of gratitude, admiration, and reverence behind her, Lolan Hill shook off the black ashes from her wooden sword, once again tucking it behind her.
“Let’s go.”
With that, she pulled up the hood of her black coat, her figure like a nimble black bird, darting away into the distance, while those behind her…
The black-clothed demon-slaying messenger followed closely, like a flock of black night owls, in tight formation.
—
In the wilderness, a group of beast demons and specters were besieging a group of swordsmen dressed in white.
One after another, cold, white arcs of blades flashed, temporarily repelling these demon hordes, but facing their massive numbers and various bizarre attack methods, this patrol team was clearly struggling.
Compared to the thin patrol team, these demon hordes outnumbered them by more than five times, with about fifty to sixty of them. Among them were not lacking Three-Faced Ghost Apes, Heart-Rending Ghouls, and Blue-Bellied Debtors—entities of the Necromancer Sequence 5.
Swinging his longsword, he fiercely slashed at the enemy, cutting off the reaching hands, but when the momentum of his strike waned, a thick, dark red hand reached out, grasping the head of the swordsman and crushing it. Then, this giant ghost ape with three faces directly began gnawing on the corpse.
“No!” A companion behind him saw this, his eyes bulging in anger as he thrust his sword directly into the heart of the ghost ape.
Although this action caused immense pain to the Three-Faced Ghost Ape, it did not immediately kill it. The contracted muscles and bones trapped the longsword, and then lowering its head, another face on the side bit into the shoulder of this person, tearing away large chunks of flesh and revealing the pale shoulder bone underneath.
Seeing this, the small squad that had been surrounded had to urgently reposition themselves, protecting their comrade behind them and swinging their blades to ward off the pursuing ghost ape.
But such a stalemate could not last long. Soon, the giant Blue-Bellied Debtor opened its enormous mouth, swallowing one of the people whole and beginning to chew and digest. This small squad, having suffered casualties, was now reduced to just five people, their situation becoming increasingly dire.
“Are you going to help?”
On a hillside in the distance, two people who had just arrived happened to witness this scene. The man in white prepared to ride down the hill on horseback.
“Of course.” Li Yincheng, although not a great benefactor, could not ignore the slaughter of his own kind.
“Tsk,” the woman behind him seemed somewhat displeased with Li Yincheng’s impulsive action, but she didn’t want to voice her disapproval, so she followed along as well.
After all, she still needed this guide to lead the way. If they died, it would be troublesome to find their way back.
As the sound of hooves approached, those surrounded also saw the approaching man in white. His familiar attire immediately told them that he was like them—a half-human, half-demon patrolman. Recognizing his face, some even called out his name.
“Li Yincheng?” The voice carried confusion and joy. Regardless, having an ally at this moment was truly a blessing.
On the galloping horse, Li Yincheng held the reins with one hand and reached for the knife handle at his waist with the other.
Seeing that his horse was getting closer to the demons, he no longer waited. He suddenly exerted force, causing the horse to pause momentarily, then spun in mid-air, his longsword slicing through the air with a narrow and mournful light, cleaving one of the snake-headed human demons in two.
Landing on the ground, Li Yincheng’s boots traced long furrows in the earth before he stabilized himself.
This dramatic entrance immediately drew the attention of the surrounding demons, and the pressure on those trapped eased considerably.
But it wasn’t over yet. The Three-Faced Ghost Ape charged forward, spewing cold, black smoke from its mouth.
, then a blood-red arm lunged directly at Li Yincheng, its sharp and hard fingertips leaving red streaks in the air.
Dang—
The long saber was gripped with both hands, desperately blocking the sudden blood-red palm. The metallic friction produced sparks and sounds, and threads of blood seeped from the blade, dripping onto the soil below, forming uneven black-red spots.
The woman in green clothing behind also arrived in time. She unfastened the wooden box at her waist and retrieved an eight-sided lantern column, which resembled a sword hilt but had no blade above; instead, there was a golden flower lamp base.
Holding this golden flower lantern, the woman dismounted her horse and took several steps forward, pouring magic power into the lantern as she walked. Complex golden patterns lit up on the lantern, then spread upward, gradually extending to the bottom of the lamp base.
Finally, a small flame rose from the lamp base, its center showing a faint gold, transparent in the middle, and red at the edges.
Once this flame ignited, waves of intense heat spread from the center of the lantern to the surroundings. These heat waves emitted a light red glow, dispelling the cold of the surrounding netherworld aura, bringing a crimson warmth.
As the woman approached the crowd, this heat wave formed a circular shield that met those frenzied demons.
When the heat waves touched these demons, a series of terrified screams erupted from their mouths. They fled in fear from the crimson heat waves. Meanwhile, parts of their bodies touched by the heat began to emit black smoke, followed by patches of red ashes rising and dispersing in the air.
The heat waves contained intense dragonic magic power, driving away the necromancer sequence demons around them. Those demons caught in the heat waves were like they had fallen into a cauldron of oil, their entire bodies turning red. Weaker ones were instantly annihilated, while stronger ones suffered greatly, fleeing and avoiding the heat.
The woman holding the lantern gazed intently, as if flames of gold burned within her eyes. Upon closer inspection, one could see a golden flower lamp faintly visible between her eyebrows.
When she reached the vicinity of these few people, she finally stopped and began reciting a spell, fully unleashing her power.
The crimson heat wave shield became even more scorching, even those not targeted by it felt as though they were enveloped in flames, experiencing burning pain with each breath.
“Golden flower hanging thread, blooming lotus when it lands, this is the mighty power of brilliance, the constitution of the golden dragon and heavenly phoenix.”
After reciting the spell, the woman raised the lantern high, and a tiny, dazzling golden flame bloomed from the lamp base, then exploded and rapidly expanded. Semi-transparent golden flames spread in all directions, engulfing any demons or spirits encountered, turning them into red ashes.
Finally, an eight-hundred-meter-wide crimson dome slowly formed on the ground and gradually dissipated.
After the flames receded, the demons that had attacked were completely gone, leaving only a dark red giant spot on the desolate, gray land. The fragments of rocks and soil remained with lingering red heat, cooling slowly over time.
In the empty wilderness, the few white-clothed figures were all stunned by the scene. Li Yincheng turned around, looking at the woman holding the golden lantern in disbelief.
Could this be the ‘dragon weapon’ bestowed by the dynasty? So terrifying, even with only fifth rank, she could easily wipe out so many demons.
And given that she could obtain such a precious treasure, her background must be far more complicated than he had imagined.
(End of Chapter)
