Ninety-two: Strange signs appeared at the city gate.

When Luo Yu heard this, he nodded and said that the fellow’s cultivation might not be high, yet he could command so many vengeful spirits, so he must have some special method. All those spirits were still dazed; if they could be refined, it would be a pity to waste them. Why not make preparations, cut the man down, and then slowly refine the spirits?

Qin Yue said that she had the same idea.

After some discussion, the two set aside their work and flew back to Fengdu City together.

As soon as they entered the city gates, they were greeted by rows of ghost soldiers on both sides of the road. Lin Zecheng brought over more than a dozen ghost cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment and introduced them to the pair: these were the chief officers of Fengdu’s various military commands, even the supreme commander of the general garrison had come; there was also the prefect in charge of security within and without the inner city.

After the introductions, the prefect stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “We are deeply grateful to the two Immortals for your great kindness in saving the people of Fengdu from calamity. To express our thanks, we have prepared a humble banquet at the Prefect’s Residence and hope the two Immortals will honor us with your presence. It is but a meager offering; we beg your forbearance.”

The moment Luo Yu heard there would be good food, his eyes immediately lit up. He looked at Qin Yue.

Receiving this signal from the glutton, Qin Yue nodded and said, “Then we shall intrude upon your hospitality. However, before that, I have another important matter I wish to ask you all.”

The prefect said, “Please ask whatever you wish. We shall speak without reservation.”

Qin Yue nodded and said, “We suspect that this siege is related to the Great Emperor of Thousand Arts, the Confusing Heavens. Do you know his cultivation level or what divine powers he possesses?”

At this, the ghosts exchanged glances and spoke over one another.

“We have served in the city for at most only eighteen hundred years. When that Great Emperor of Thousand Arts was causing trouble in the underworld, some of us had not yet been born in the mortal world. As for his cultivation and divine powers, we know very little.”

“I have only heard rumors that he is a Golden Core ghost demon, and that his powers are not especially formidable. What he is like now, we truly do not know.”

“If this siege was indeed planned by that demon, then he will certainly come to Fengdu!”

Qin Yue nodded again and asked, “That demon appeared at Mount Luofu. If he is coming here, from which direction would he approach?”

Lin Zecheng said, “Mount Luofu lies south of Fengdu. He will certainly come through the South Gate.”

Luo Yu said, “Good! Then let us go to the South Gate first and set some formations, waiting for the hare in its burrow!”

The group arrived in high spirits at the South Gate, and Luo Yu took out two formations and set them up one by one. One was an upgraded version of the Goddess’s Descent Formation; the other was the Five-Color Light Sword Strangling Formation, now reinforced with another plume from the Radiant Phoenix’s tail, along with the Demon Subduer’s trapping array. Finally, he brought out the illusion formation he had obtained from Green Dust Residence and wrapped it around the two formations as both cover and killing stroke.

After Luo Yu activated and concealed the formations, the prefect reprimanded the ghost soldiers at the gate to keep watch, and then the whole group escorted the two of them to the Prefect’s Residence.

Seeing the great mansion with the plaque reading “Fengdu Military Prefecture,” Luo Yu strode in at the front, thinking smugly to himself: So this is dining and drinking on the public purse? Hahaha, who would have thought that this mere shut-in could actually get a chance to revel outrageously in official circles!

At the banquet, Luo Yu was utterly unrestrained and ate until grease shone all around his mouth. Seeing that their heroes were pleased, the ghost officials were delighted as well. Before long, cups were passed around and wine flowed freely; host and guests were all in good spirits.

After more than an hour of feasting, the banquet was nearing its end. At that very moment, a ghost captain suddenly came in from outside and bent down to report to the prefect. After hearing him, the prefect waved him away, looking a little embarrassed as he said, “Immortal Qin, Immortal Luo, a subordinate has just reported that, quite unfortunately, that monster seems to have arrived. Official duties are pressing, and I must go with the South Gate commander to investigate. I hope the two Immortals will pardon us.”

Luo Yu thought: So the main act has arrived. Then we have to go see it.

He pulled the meat leg from his mouth and nodded. “We’ll go with you and take a look!”

The prefect was overjoyed. “That would be excellent. Many thanks to you both. Please!”

There was no time to delay, so the group mounted their magical artifacts and flew straight over.

Upon reaching the South Gate watchtower, Luo Yu saw several ghost soldiers gathered together, one of them holding a magical artifact like a telescope and peering into the distance.

Following the direction of that “telescope,” Luo Yu looked out and saw, far away, a multicolored figure riding some red object across the plain, weaving left and right as if inspecting the vengeful spirits on the ground. The figure moved and paused all the way, circling every place he passed over.

As he drew nearer, the true appearance finally became clear: slender build, flat chest, and an androgynous face with painted eyes and lips. The air of gender ambiguity was even stronger than Radiant Phoenix’s; he wore a seven-colored gauze robe, and beneath his feet was a flying treasure shaped like a camellia blossom, very beautiful indeed. Yet the man atop that flower had a cruel face and venomous eyes. Every time he passed over a cluster of vengeful spirits, he would wave his hand, and a thin strand of multicolored phosphorescence would gather and fly into his palm.

Closer still, one could see that those glimmers were all coming out of the vengeful spirits themselves. Each spirit had a tiny point of light like pollen upon its body, and when they flew together, they converged into a luminous strand.

Luo Yu thought excitedly: So these light points are the thing he uses to control the vengeful spirits. So powerful! Later, once he walks right into the trap, I’ll confiscate it and study it.

With his little scheme in mind, Luo Yu used a Heaven’s Eye spell to inspect the other’s cultivation. The man did not conceal his strength in the least; he was actually a Nascent Soul cultivator.

That gave Luo Yu a headache. Another higher-level boss fight! The psychological shadow left by Guo was still lingering! How had this fellow leveled up so fast? Still, since they did not need to face him head-on this time, it would be best if he rushed straight into the trap in one breath!

The ghost demon approached the city walls step by step. Luo Yu watched him without blinking, silently urging him on: a little farther, a little farther.

Unexpectedly, the demon stopped just as he reached the edge of the formation. Luo Yu looked on eagerly, hoping he would take two more steps, but instead the demon raised his head and glared fiercely at the people on the wall.

The moment Luo Yu met his eyes, he felt a flash of rainbow light glittering within them. He could not help blinking, then looked more carefully again, but this time there was nothing at all. Luo Yu was puzzled: his eyesight was so good, how could he have seen it wrong?

The demon swept a glance over those above and let out a cold laugh before speaking. “Who is so cunning as to scheme against me and ruin my great work? Come out at once and die, and I may yet grant you a quick end!”

Luo Yu swaggered to the battlement and shouted back, “It’s your granddaddy! If you have the skill, come up and catch me!”

He had intended to bait the demon a few more steps forward, but instead heard the demon say in a sinister voice, “Such petty tricks, and you dare show off before me? Merely three formations, and you think to use them to trap me?”

Luo Yu was instantly shocked upon hearing this. He saw through it? How was that possible? These formations were extremely advanced and very realistic. When they had been displayed in the Bamboo Residence, even Patriarch Ning and Guo had been unable to see through them.

Seeing Luo Yu’s dumbstruck face, the demon could not help but say smugly, “I am the Great Emperor of Thousand Arts, the Confusing Heavens, of Yin-Dawn Mountain. My divine abilities are vast, my power boundless! Such petty methods are nothing more than making a show of skill before the master! To offend me so, I shall make you wish for death and be unable to die, wish for life and be unable to live! Come out and face death!”

Luo Yu was dazed. From the sound of it, was this a master of formations? No, he should be a master of illusions. Otherwise, why be called the Great Emperor of Thousand Arts, the Confusing Heavens? If he could even fool this nameless illusion formation, then his own illusion arts were certainly not to be underestimated. Maybe those vengeful spirits had already fallen under his spell; with their low intelligence, that would not be difficult. In a fight, if one could simply charge straight in and get it over with, that was still fine, at least there would be a chance to run. But if he were to fall under an illusion, then things would be disastrous. Better to stay honestly within the formation.

Qin Yue’s thoughts were much the same as Luo Yu’s. Although the two of them could keep their minds clear against illusions, there was still a Nascent Soul cultivator guarding nearby. If they were carelessly ensnared and the other seized the chance to strike with a blade, there would be nothing left to talk about.

Qin Yue walked to Luo Yu’s side, reached out to hold him in her arms, and said with a blank expression, “He belongs to this seat. How can he obey your command? If you want to come in, then come in yourself.”

Qin Yue had made up her mind to stall shamelessly. In any case, they would just drag it out. When it could be delayed no longer, they could always pat their backsides and leave. With instant movement at their disposal, so long as the other’s divine sense and speed were not as monstrous as Guo’s, they could always shake him off.

At this, the demon could not help grinding his teeth in hatred. He had used a scheme to shake off the Northern Yin Great Emperor and the others and hastened here. His original plan was to let the vengeful spirits break through Fengdu, lay an ambush for a sudden strike, and then use the lives of the city’s people as leverage to force the Northern Yin Great Emperor to death, after which he himself could seize kingship. He had spent countless efforts to gather so many vengeful spirits, only for them to have no effect at all. How could one not hate this? Yet the fellows atop the walls were shrinking back and refusing to come out. Once the Northern Yin Great Emperor noticed that something was wrong, he would certainly rush back at once, and by then the demon would have to flee again. How could he be reconciled to that?

Luo Yu was made oddly fluttery by Qin Yue’s words, “belongs to this seat,” and his little face flushed red again. He lowered his head and squirmed shyly in Qin Yue’s embrace, while Qin Yue simply refused to let go. Seeing that the two of them were utterly ignoring his threat, the demon was so furious that smoke seemed to pour from his seven apertures. He spat loudly, “What a shameless pair of dog men. Today I shall make the two of you a pair of mandarin ducks sharing the same fate!”

With that, he opened his mouth and spat out a black, weighty ruler. The moment it flew into the air, it grew to enormous size, like a towering building, bearing down with oppressive force. The ruler spun once in the air, then smashed down toward the great formation. With a single blow, it battered the formation’s barrier until it warped and trembled like a soap bubble, while the runes upon the array flashed in wild disorder.

Luo Yu and Qin Yue exchanged a look, both secretly alarmed. This formation was far stronger than many mountain-protecting arrays in the cultivation world, no less than the one at the Nine Heavens Palace. It had clearly been set down by masters of the formation arts from the age of Heaven. Its defensive power was extraordinary. To forcibly break it in one stroke would require at least the strength of the Void-Forming stage. This was the conclusion they had reached after clearing away all the vengeful spirits and examining the formation. Even after tens of thousands of Golden Core vengeful spirits attacked together for a long time, they had only made the great formation tremble slightly, with not the slightest damage. How could a Nascent Soul cultivator possibly possess such power? It had to be a treasure!

Qin Yue narrowed her eyes at the treasure in the sky. Its movements were a little sluggish, likely because it was too heavy, making it difficult for the demon to use with ease. Though a magical treasure was like the body of its master, a fat man with too much flesh would still run slowly. This demon himself was far too slender. Something like this should suit her instead.

Qin Yue became rather interested in the treasure, and seeing that the formation seemed about to give way, she thought that if it were truly broken, then what was the point of cowering inside? At once she no longer hesitated and flew out of the great formation.

Seeing that at last someone had come out, the demon’s movements slowed. “Good! I’ll begin with you!” No sooner had he spoken than the ruler smashed down toward Qin Yue. That impact was likely equivalent to a strike from a Void-Forming cultivator, two full realms above Qin Yue. Knowing how fearsome it was, she dared not take it head-on and swiftly flashed aside; sure enough, the ruler was too slow and missed.

The demon gave a surprised exclamation and drove the ruler after her. But how could Qin Yue’s speed be compared to its own? She slipped away with ease.

Flashing to one side, Qin Yue immediately summoned Red Abyss, condensed a great blood-colored slash, and pursued it. She leaped onto the ruler and slashed with all her strength, yet she failed to damage it in the slightest, not even leaving a scorch mark.

Seeing Qin Yue do this, the demon laughed uproariously. “My ‘Heaven-Subduing Ruler’ is forged from the Black-Sinking Iron Essence of Yin-Dawn Mountain and the Transforming Earth Rare Gold from the depths of the Netherworld’s Dark Sea. It weighs over a million jin and bears the divine power of Mountain-Breaking Weight. It can cleave mountains and overturn seas, and water and fire alike cannot invade it. How could a mere magical implement wound it? Hahahaha...”

The end.