Chapter Forty-Two: The Formation of Enmity (Part Two)

As I gazed at the jet-black little umbrella in Master Wu Wang’s hand, a thought stirred within me.

“Master, this is a magical artifact. Though somewhat damaged, if you let me devour it, my soul would recover a little!”

Looking at the fiery red fox mark on my hand, I suddenly realized that I was in great need of magical treasures. This one, though worn, could still be put to use. If my guardian spirit consumed it, she could regain some strength.

“I don’t believe this is the only artifact you’re carrying, is it?”

Seeing how readily Master Wu Wang produced the Umbrella of Gathering Yin, I suspected he had more treasures on him, so I asked the question casually.

“Young man, one shouldn’t be too greedy. As the saying goes, ‘A greedy snake tries to swallow an elephant!’”

Hearing his words, I was certain that he indeed had other treasures, and of even greater quality than the Umbrella of Gathering Yin.

Observing his suddenly darkened expression, I spoke softly, “Master Wu Wang, why not part with something else and let me refine my Twin Yin-Yang Corpses? Rest assured, once I succeed, I promise they will not come after you. You’ve contributed, after all. Consider it a favor I owe you.”

Naturally, while I was speaking with Master Wu Wang, Tu was communicating with me through his divine sense.

Tu told me that if we fought, we had a seventy percent chance of winning, and we could seize his Yin spirit. Presently, the Sword of All Beings lacked even a single Yin spirit; these two extreme Yin souls would serve as a temporary core for its formation. The Sword was currently grievously damaged, its inner formations shattered and shrouded in darkness, lifeless due to the absence of Yin spirits.

“Yang Dong, what exactly do you want?” Master Wu Wang stood before me, and although I sensed waves of ghostly energy probing at me, they were devoured by the aura of blood from Tu, nourishing me instead.

Master Wu Wang must have noticed the powerful artifact I possessed, for his demeanor weakened.

“I want two treasures from you. If you’ll trade, fine. If not, I’ll leave.” I turned as I spoke.

The moment I turned, Master Wu Wang’s figure flashed and blocked my way.

“Yang Dong, is there really no room for negotiation?”

I shook my head.

“Very well, then today I have no choice but to offend you!”

With that, Master Wu Wang stepped forward and struck at me with a palm. In the midst of his attack, a small black sword appeared—the very Soul Severing Sword from before.

I stepped back and drew a Soul Vanquishing Talisman in the air, biting my finger to mark it with blood.

“Vanish!”

With a fierce shout, the entire space trembled violently. In a blink, the space shuddered. The blood talisman I created unleashed a force even stronger than Chen Chuyi’s.

Master Wu Wang staggered back, spitting a mouthful of blood.

“You—!”

“Banner of Ten Thousand Souls!”

He glared coldly at me, and with a wave of his sleeve, a small, exquisite black flag flew out, exuding a chilling aura.

“Master, this is a marvelous item. The Banner of Ten Thousand Souls contains over ten thousand Yin spirits. Though it’s damaged and many souls have escaped, if you seize it, you can use it to refine the Sword of All Beings.”

I nodded and stepped back.

I couldn’t handle such treasures myself, but Tu could. He extended his hand, and instantly a black longsword appeared in mine—the transformed Diagram of the Blood Massacre. As Tu had told me, many unstable elements still existed within the diagram, so I couldn’t yet fully control it. When I could, it would shift according to my will.

It had taken me several hours of practice to condense this sword.

Wielding the blade, I thrust straight at the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

“Foolish boy, you overestimate yourself! Let me tell you, this banner is the product of years of refinement. Unexpected that today I’ll add the soul of a Yin-Yang master to command the grand formation within!” Master Wu Wang laughed menacingly.

As he laughed, my sword pierced straight through the banner’s shield. Tu, seated within the sword, immediately began devouring the Yin spirits flooding into the blade.

“How can this be!”

Sensing his banner breaking, Master Wu Wang spat blood directly onto it.

He bit his finger and swiftly inscribed the command symbol upon the banner. Yet just as the symbol was completed, the entire space shuddered.

Tu sneered and shot from the black sword, snatching Master Wu Wang’s cloth pouch.

Seeing this, Master Wu Wang shrieked in terror and stumbled backward.

“Are you man or ghost?”

I seized the black sword and pointed it at his throat.

But at that moment, his body trembled, and billows of black mist surged out. Suddenly, my vision darkened, and I saw him standing beside the corpse—Li Hongbo’s body, a Yang corpse!

“Master, act quickly! Kill him now. Just now, Master Wu Wang activated a forbidden technique. It fuses man and corpse. Within an hour, he will transform into a powerful corpse-ghost!”

A chill ran through me. I had heard tales of corpse-ghosts—a most vicious method among Yin-Yang masters. But should one succeed, their strength would double, becoming a fusion of zombie and specter.

Without hesitation, I lunged forward, the black sword unleashing crimson chains that bound Master Wu Wang tightly.

“Yang Dong, I’ll remember you! Once I transform, you’ll be the first I kill!”

His icy voice pierced my ears.

“Courting death!” I spat coldly. I could delay no longer—I drove my sword straight for his brow, aiming to shatter the gateway to his transformation.

But just as I struck, an unexpected change occurred!