"Wu Yu, you have caused our deaths. Despicable!" Upon hearing Jiang Junlin's explanation, Yi Qingfeng burst into tears while jabbing an accusing finger at Wu Yu, cursing and swearing.
"He's right! All of us are doomed because of you!" Faced with such a dire predicament, even the usually stoic Zhao Changtian was reduced to a frightened, baby chick, trembling uncontrollably and sticking to Elder Shentu's side like glue.
"Shut your mouth!" As soon as the two of them spoke, the rest of the disciples were quick to admonish their cowardice. Lan Shuiyue was no exception. After all, they knew that this situation was out of Wu Yu's control.
Among the commotion, Wu Yu was dealing with extremely conflicting emotions within him. A part of him felt guilty for leading them to this situation, while another part of him was filled with spiteful rage against Jiang Junlin. This man had been a thorn in Wu Yu's side since Capital Wu, and even with the previous two defeats, he had still not given up on revenge!
He could see Jiang Ding, the Thunder Seabird, and both of the Scarlet Sea Ghosts advance menacingly, emanating an ominous air.
Suddenly, Jiang Junlin spoke, "Dear Seniors, I have been defeated twice consecutively by Wu Yu and have a bone to pick with him. I beseech thee to stand down on my account. He must be destroyed by my own hands; how else will I be able to rid the demons plaguing my heart on the path of the Immortal Dao?"
His tone had changed to a considerably more docile and sincere one.
This matter had been discussed with Jiang Ding before, and he had no qualms about it. After all, there was nowhere for the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples to escape to, and they were substantially outmatched. Although Elder Shentu was formidable, he could not take them all on by himself.
Shen Erjun and Qi Yunji had no complaints either, and they smirked at each other as Qi Yunji remarked, "Since this is so, we will leave the burden of avenging the Spectral Concubine to you."
Qi Yunji's tone seemed to hint at something sinister.
"Seniors Shen Erjun and Qi Yunji, leave it to me." Jiang Junlin chuckled as he made his way towards Wu Yu before raising his finger and pointing straight at Wu Yu's nose. He proclaimed arrogantly, "Wu Yu, I will give you a clean, fair chance. Take your shot!"
Wu Yu couldn't believe his ears.
Jiang Junlin had been beaten soundly during the previous two engagements, to the extent that the spiritual source at his Chest Meridian was handicapped.
To date, Wu Yu had rushed to reach the fourth tier of the Qi Condensation Realm, and his Inner Vajra Buddha was almost at the second tier. His fighting prowess was comparable to someone at the sixth tier of the Qi Condensation Realm, yet Jiang Junlin was foolish enough to challenge him to a duel?
"He must have gotten his grubby paws on a dirty method to kill me." Wu Yu was absolutely convinced that there were no free meals to be had on earth, and he knew that Jiang Junlin would never do something so irrational.
"Wu Yu."
Elder Shentu cautioned him quietly.
Wu Yu understood.
Perhaps this was their only way out.
Elder Shentu's idea was to overpower Jiang Junlin and hold him hostage. This way, they would have a bargaining chip.
Ultimately, the rest of the enemies would have no reason to hold back after the conclusion of the duel. The nine from the Heavenly Sword Sect would truly have no hope then.
"Alright!"
No matter what underhanded tricks Jiang Junlin had in store, the only way was forward! Wu Yu naturally chose to fight.
Whether or not Su Yanli blamed him for the Sumeru Pouch incident, Wu Yu still harbored some guilt.
"Everyone, I am truly remorseful for the events today…." Wu Yu glanced back at Su Yanli, Mo Shishu and Lan Shuiyue….
Faced with a life or death situation, both Su Yanli and Lan Shuiyue stared at Wu Yu with tears in their eyes. To them, Wu Yu was faultless. But given Wu Yu's character, he would never cower in times of desperation.
"All of us must live through this!" Su Yanli declared as her tear-stained eyes looked on.
"Death is not an option." Wu Yu gritted his teeth.
The bond that had been forged between the disciples caused him to well up with emotions. Although it was still a relatively fresh bond, the waters ran deep.
"Junior Brother..." The routinely mischievous Mo Shishu's voice wavered as he stared at Wu Yu, unable to express the many sentiments swelling within his chest.
Whoosh!
Wu Yu turned swiftly, his gaze a raging inferno, taking step by resolute step towards Jiang Junlin!
The four spiritual sources within him blazed with spiritual power as he drew upon the yin yang vortex.
Pa, pa!
Immortal Ape Transformation!
His body contorted and enlarged into the shape of a great, golden Immortal Ape, feral and savage. The Inner Vajra Buddha materialized around his body as his yellow fur hardened into bristly needles.
Bang!
The Demon Subduing Staff met the floor with a resounding thud, causing tremors in the ground.
What was once Wu Yu was now a fearsome beast. This caused Jiang Ding, the two Scarlet Sea Ghosts, and the Thunder Seabird to turn their attention to Wu Yu. The Thunder Seabird seemed particularly entranced by this change as his eyes flashed in several mysterious ways.
"Ah!"
Jiang Junlin paled in comparison to the golden warrior standing across him. Although Jiang Junlin had already laid down immortal roots and possessed five spiritual sources, he was nowhere near as imposing as Wu Yu.
"You must defeat and capture him!" This was the only way and the hope that Elder Shentu had pinned on Wu Yu's shoulders. He knew that their lives depended on the outcome of this fight!
However, while the Immortal Ape Transformation greatly enhanced his strength, it also made him very temperamental. The acrimonious rage within him burned with a frenzied intensity!
"Stop dragging your feet, bring it on." Jiang Junlin chortled gaily as he assumed a relaxed stance as if there was no need to prepare.
Bang!
Wu Yu erupted forth like a ray of dazzling light.
Everybody on Elder Shentu's side had their hearts in their throats!
"Wu, this is where you fall, haha!" As Wu Yu raised his Demon Subduing Staff in preparation to execute the Nine Dragons Ascension Column, Jiang Junlin did not draw his immortal treasure nor activate his immortal root.
He probably knew that he was no match for Wu Yu in a frontal confrontation.
Therefore, he grasped an inky scroll in his hand.
On the scroll was an image of a human skull scrawled in fresh blood!
As Jiang Junlin poured his spiritual power into the scroll, two maleficent eyes appeared and the skull came to life. Wu Yu only caught a glimpse before he felt like he was plunged into pitch darkness. Within the darkness, he was surrounded by hundreds of floating specters, every single one of them malicious. They were terrifying things, with pale, expressionless faces and ferocious fangs. Their limbs moved frenetically as they circled closer to Wu Yu, wailing in torment.
"Hundred Ghost Devouring Talisman!" Wu Yu could faintly hear Elder Shentu's exclamation from beyond the shadows.
This sounded quite shocking.
From the mixture of surprise, anger and fear that could be heard from Elder Shentu's voice, it could be inferred just how fearsome the Hundred Ghost Devouring Talisman was. From Wu Yu's perspective, this was not just a fatal technique but one that came from a ghostly cultivator, unequivocally meant to cause unspeakable pain and torment before death claimed him!
Perhaps he would be immobilized but not killed instantly, instead being forced to watch as the vengeful spirits slowly rended the flesh from his bones until there was nothing left!
This was indeed a fate worse than death.
The talisman was so cruel that it would induce goosebumps on whoever heard what it could do.
Shen Erjun and Qi Yunji guffawed victoriously. The Scarlet Sea's Seven Ghosts had only a single disciple, and they had placed all their hopes on the Spectral Concubine. Now that Jiang Junlin was exacting revenge using their Hundred Ghost Devouring Talisman, it was akin to them avenging the Spectral Concubine's death. It was no wonder that they had agreed to let Wu Yu face Jiang Junlin without interfering.
All of them had absolute faith in the efficacy of the Hundred Ghost Devouring Talisman. Even Night Wishes for Snow would have met an untimely end if he had faced Jiang Junlin.
"Wu Yu, I will let you experience the most horrible suffering. You couldn't die even if you wanted to! Haha!" Jiang Junlin cackled wildly as he manipulated the scroll.
Wu Yu only had a moment to react.
He was treading the thin line between life and death!
In a split second, he made his decision.
At any rate, he deeply understood how terrifying the talisman was.
Heaving the Demon Subduing Staff with his left hand, his right hand slipped into his sumeru pouch and retrieved the Onyx & Pearl Dao Sword.
"Fixed Body Art!"
Whether he lived or died rested solely on the success of the Fixed Body Art.
If it failed, there would be no option but for Wu Yu to meet a grisly end from a hundred ghostly bites.
However, his spiritual power was now only one tier shy from Jiang Junlin's, so the chance that the Fixed Body Art would succeed was rather large!
Luckily, at this crucial point, it did not fail him!
Fixed Body Art, success!
The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal had once again changed Wu Yu's destiny.
Time slowed to a stop as Jiang Junlin was caught mid-laugh. Unfortunately, the duration of the Fixed Body Art would not last long enough for Wu Yu to capture him.
Nascent Yin Yang Single Sword Strike!
The skill was executed nearly synchronously with the Fixed Body Art.
A formless yin yang sword qi surged behind the Fixed Body Art, culminating in the tip of the Onyx & Pearl Dao Sword as it sliced through the air. The moment Jiang Junlin froze, the blade greeted his skull and sent it careening from his neck, sailing through the air silently before shattering into fragments.
Pa!
Jiang Junlin's decapitated corpse collapsed to the dirt along with the Hundred Ghost Devouring Talisman, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
Time seemed to stand still.
All present were stupefied by this development. Within a few short breaths, Jiang Junlin had deployed the inky scroll, trapped Wu Yu, and almost reached the crescendo only to be slain in a single stroke.
He was as dead as a headless man could be.
Not only was Jiang Ding's faction stunned, even Elder Shentu's side was at a loss for words. One moment, Elder Shentu was recoiling from terror at the Hundred Ghost Devouring Talisman, the next, his view was that of Jiang Junlin's cranium flying unfettered.
At this moment, only Wu Yu knew that there was not a second to lose. He had to move quickly!
The Art of Sword Control and the Flying Sword Art were Instrument Governing Arts, and the Hundred Ghost Devouring Talisman was, in essence, also an instrument. With a deft hand seal, the unclaimed Hundred Ghost Devouring Talisman flew towards Wu Yu, landing straight onto his palm.
"You!"
Jiang Ding's position was the closest to Wu Yu. Upon witnessing Jiang Junlin's death, he raised his long spear and charged at Wu Yu.