Chapter Nineteen: The Power of Spirits and Gods

According to Lu Qingzong, the spirit mist is the essential vessel for the descent of ghosts and gods during the Heavenly Net Formation, and it can also enhance the power of Daoist arts to a certain degree, such as the Five Great Divine Talismans practiced by him and Lu Changcheng.

However, Lu Qingzong did not specify what exactly this degree of enhancement entailed, blurring the boundaries deliberately.

Now, Liu Chen could clearly determine that the considerable increase in the strength of Lu Changcheng’s warriors did not originate from the spirit mist, but rather from the altar—or more precisely, from the black banner upon the altar.

Thus, it was that black banner which held the key!

Upon realizing this, Liu Chen felt that half of his purpose for coming here—to sabotage the Heavenly Net Formation—could be considered accomplished. As for the other half, to ascertain whether Lu Qingcai was currently in Xin City and pinpoint his exact location, that would be a matter easily resolved once the black banner was destroyed.

Lu Changcheng remained seated atop the high platform, paying no mind to Liu Chen, as if confident of victory. Liu Chen’s eyes flickered open, revealing two ghostly flames of the Underworld within, which he directed toward the black banner. Instantly, black fire sprang up, ignited by the aura dispersing from the banner.

Liu Chen had come to understand much about the nature of these ghostly flames in his eyes. When Lu Qingcai had called them “the flames of breaking spells,” he was absolutely correct. These two flames were the concentrated resentment of scores of people who had died unnatural deaths, anchored to Liu Chen’s zombie body, born from terror and rage between life and death, and commanding all things of the Underworld. If the altar were merely constructed of wood, his flames would have been useless, for they lacked the ability to burn ordinary material.

But the altar was shrouded in a power that flowed from the black banner, which Liu Chen’s flames could thoroughly suppress.

Still, the black banner was a Daoist artifact forged through rituals, apparently connected to the ghosts and gods of the Lu family’s fundamental art, the Thirty-two Heavens of the Sacred Fast. It would not burn as easily as the resentment at the Fu family’s house the other day, when fire met oil.

Before any Daoist could intervene, the black banner reacted on its own: its aura surged up like a tide, rolling without wind. Though it lacked the power to extinguish Liu Chen’s flames outright, it managed to halt their rapid spread.

“How! How does a warrior from the army possess such supernatural arts?”

By now, as sparks flew in all directions, Lu Changcheng finally realized what was happening. Yet he was helpless, for all his skills lay in Daoist arts, and his Five Great Talismans were being suppressed by the ghostly flame. Not only was he unable to act, he could barely escape.

Liu Chen felt no obligation to answer his question. Seeing the black banner subdued, its aura contracted and no longer spilled outward, Liu Chen leaped onto the high platform once again.

This time, Lu Changcheng dared not command his warrior to confront Liu Chen. Seeing Liu Chen approach, he gritted his teeth and dodged aside.

Liu Chen ignored him, reaching out to strike the black banner. In his mind, as long as he destroyed this banner, the remaining Daoists would pose no threat. Based on his experience earlier that day, those so-called warriors, once stripped of their blessings, would not stand a chance against him.

Yet, just as he was about to sever the black banner atop the altar with a single blow, the situation abruptly changed.

The black banner suddenly shuddered, and a substantial wave of black energy surged out, instantly enveloping the entire altar in darkness. From afar, the shape of the black energy resembled a tightly clenched fist, with the altar and Liu Chen trapped in its palm.

Liu Chen, caught within, could not discern the shape of the black aura, but he could certainly feel the pressure emanating from it.

“What is this? Didn’t they say that only when the Heavenly Net Formation is completed can the ghosts and gods descend?”

Feeling as though his whole body was mired in quicksand, Liu Chen realized this power could only originate from one of the Thirty-two Heavens’ ghosts and gods. Yet he couldn’t understand why, after repeatedly interrogating Lu Qingzong and using his ability to sense emotions at the most minute level, confirming again and again that these ghosts and gods could only project their power into the mortal world once the formation was complete, he now found himself facing this situation.

“Lu Qingzong, that scoundrel—never a word of truth!”

Turning it over in his mind, Liu Chen could only conclude that once again he had been misled by Lu Qingzong’s information, and he cursed him bitterly.

This time, however, Liu Chen was wrong. In this matter, Lu Qingzong had not withheld anything. The Heavenly Net Formation was too renowned, and Liu Chen seemed to have some knowledge of Daoist texts. For the sake of his own life, Lu Qingzong had only concealed minor details; he had not lied about such a major issue.

The reason for this unexpected turn was Lu Changcheng’s caution. Upon discovering Liu Chen’s presence, he had immediately dispatched his warrior to send word back to Xin City. Given the gravity of the situation, Daoist Master Lu Changming in Xin City had specially opened an altar to communicate with the ghost associated with the black banner, just in case, to prevent his plans from being ruined.

Thus, Liu Chen could be said to have engaged in a distant duel with a true Daoist master.

But Liu Chen knew nothing of this, believing he had simply suffered from Lu Qingzong’s misleading words, boiling with resentment.

Yet no matter how bitter he felt, Liu Chen could not instantly escape Hejia Fort to trouble the unconscious Lu Qingzong outside; he had to face the immediate predicament.

Fortunately, though the power of the ghost was beyond what ordinary mortals could withstand, its essence was still of the Underworld, and thus suppressed by Liu Chen’s ghostly flames. Though Liu Chen was restricted, as his anger grew, the flames swelled ever stronger, and it seemed he would soon free himself.

Noticing this, Lu Changcheng, who had just avoided Liu Chen’s leap onto the altar, suddenly stomped his foot and, steeling himself, drove his warrior to attack Liu Chen once more. The warrior, now behind the trapped Liu Chen, raised his eight-sided hammer and brought it down with a fierce blow.

In response, the mysterious ghost was generous in its support, sending waves of tangible black energy into the warrior’s body. The already imposing figure, eight feet tall and clad in golden armor, swelled even larger, his armor deepening to a dark golden hue under the influence of the black energy.

But such a surge in power came at a price. As the ghost’s strength poured in, the divine talisman anchoring the warrior could not withstand it and began to burn on its own. It was clear that after this blow, the warrior would be utterly destroyed.

“Strike!”

Witnessing this, Lu Changcheng was wracked with pain, his face twisted with unprecedented ferocity as he roared the command at his warrior.