Chapter 80: Lunar Golden Eyes, Thunderstruck Foes

"What an arrogant little brat! A mere body cultivator, just having drawn blood into your veins—do you think that's enough to stand against me?" Li Mingyou laughed, his voice sharp and piercing. He had expected to see Lu Qian panic, but the young man remained insolently bold even before a Daoist adept in nurturing the spirit.

"Die!"

A sinister ghostly mist enveloped the land for miles around. Shadows flickered within the fog, and the scene transformed utterly. Charred earth, ghostly flames clinging to trees and flowers, a stench of poisonous vapor, and pale, menacing spirits all appeared. Lu Qian and those behind him seemed to have entered a haunted domain. The chill wind crept under their clothes, making them shiver and their bodies stiffen with cold.

The culprit behind it all was the dark banner hanging in the sky. It was called the Banner of Yin Mirage Shaping. Spirits could inhabit it; no matter what danger befell them—even if they were scattered to nothing—they would regenerate within the banner in the next moment. Moreover, the Shaping Banner could unfurl a haunted realm, subjecting those within to constant interference from sinister energies. Countless illusions distorted their senses, blurring the boundary between false and real. Ghostly flames descended, burning with heat, and the sky was tinted an eerie green. Though the spectacle was grand, those below could not perceive its full extent.

Lu Qian turned, golden eyes regarding his companions. "Take care of yourselves," he said.

A shadow flashed, vanishing from its place.

"Yes, Master!" Yue Yue lingered on the memory of Lu Qian's nine-foot tall, well-proportioned form, the emerald scales, and his aggressive gaze. For some reason, her body felt feverish.

Elsewhere, Lu Qian's figure appeared suddenly in a clearing. Within his golden pupils, a crescent-shaped black iris could faintly be seen. He called these the Lunar Gold Eyes. Through these eyes, every reality around him was laid bare. He could perceive above and below, near and far, front and back, real and unreal—the flow of earth's vital energy.

Apart from what was real, the illusory mountains and rivers were composed of black smoky lines. Most of the ghosts were mere constructs of these lines, not true entities.

A guttural roar echoed.

Suddenly, two sinister ghosts materialized behind him. Without turning, Lu Qian stabbed backward with his blade.

A hiss—the demonic blade struck the ghost, and a surge of filthy scarlet power erupted. Bloodlight streamed, and the ghost wailed in agony, dissolving into a puddle of pus. At the same time, a scorching sensation touched his head and back—ghostly flames falling from the sky. The air twisted, the temperature rising with oppressive heat.

The surrounding vegetation ignited without flame. Lu Qian exhaled a cloud of dark vapor. Storm clouds gathered overhead. Black raindrops fell like arrows. The True Water of Yin and the Infernal Crow's ghostly fire met, instantly producing black smoke as they canceled each other out.

After transforming his blood and awakening the dragon, Lu Qian wielded the Cloud-Shaping Rain technique with ease, not even needing to recite the incantation.

"True Water of Yin!" Li Mingyou exclaimed in astonishment.

The storm clouds dispersed, and all the ghosts and true fire vanished. With a thought, Lu Qian sent the Blood-Dissolving Demon Blade soaring through the sky, slicing through the clouds like lightning. The blade was wrapped in a filthy, scarlet glow.

"What a fierce magical weapon!" Li Mingyou was astonished again. His spirit felt the power most acutely—the bloodlight seemed to contain the vilest force in the world. Even from afar, his brow throbbed with pain.

In a flash, Li Mingyou dodged the blade’s deadly arc; the sound reached him only after the blade had passed, revealing how fast it moved. His spirit burned with fear—he dared not imagine the consequences if he were struck, for his soul would be instantly corrupted, unable to possess a host.

As a cultivator at the early stage of Spirit Nurturing, he had not yet condensed killing energy or refined his essence. Once exposed to the air, gentle breezes, rain, or moonlight—harmless to flesh—could inflict immense damage on a spirit.

The Blood-Dissolving Demon Blade circled, scattering the ghosts again; this time, they reformed much more slowly. Now only Lu Qian and the crow possessed by Li Mingyou remained.

Seeing the blade’s power, greed and wariness filled Li Mingyou’s heart. And then there was that living armor on Lu Qian, impervious even to ghostly fire—certainly a magical artifact, with at least ten layers of restriction. His own Shaping Banner had only twelve layers. On solid ground, Lu Qian’s magical weapons might make him invulnerable.

Thinking thus, Li Mingyou demanded, "I’ll ask you once again—did you kill Li Lin?"

"Of course," Lu Qian replied, caressing the demon blade. "But rest assured, he died peacefully. I finished him with a single stroke."

"Prepare to die, you little beast!" Li Mingyou was enraged. Massive ghostly heads screeched as they plummeted. The infernal crow soared twenty miles high, surrounded by fierce winds that could not penetrate its iron feathers and ghostly fire. Since Lu Qian’s defense was like a tortoise shell, Li Mingyou decided to exhaust him, keeping his distance.

Below, flames raged. Lu Qian used the True Water to carve out a path and fled deeper into the forest.

The remaining ghostly fire struck him, but the Dragon Muscle Armor absorbed it, not letting even a trace of heat through. The two pursued each other. Although Lu Qian had drawn blood into his veins, he was ultimately a Qi cultivator; soon, his speed began to slow.

A chain of ghostly fire formed out of nowhere, rapidly stretching to encircle Lu Qian and the forest for a thousand feet around. Though made of ghostly fire, the chain was incredibly tough; even the demon blade only produced sparks when striking it.

"Let’s see where you can run now. Kneel and beg for mercy, and I might grant you a swift end," Li Mingyou taunted. After this move, his ghostly fire grew faint, clearly depleted—it was a costly technique.

The ghostly fire hung overhead like a blazing sun. The black banner fluttered, trailing dark mist. With a single thought, Li Mingyou could erase Lu Qian.

The giant crow descended within two hundred feet.

Lu Qian said nothing, instead surveying his surroundings. Ancient trees towered, the thinnest requiring two people to encircle.

"Finally lured you in," he whispered.

As the ghostly fire fell, Lu Qian looked up and smiled. His expression shed its former arrogance and malice, returning to calm; his golden eyes reflected the immense crow overhead.

Suddenly, the Lunar Gold Eyes shone brilliantly, illuminating hundreds of feet around. Wisps of blue vapor rose from soil, trees, flowers, birds, and beasts. Instantly, all vegetation withered, the blue vapor streaming into his eyes.

Lu Qian formed a mudra, chanting softly, "Before the Supreme Polarity, the root of heaven and earth; the essence of heaven and earth, the spirit of the wood; let my secret command pass, thunder and lightning take the lead. By decree!"

Boom!

Lightning erupted in the void—a bolt as thick as a bowl crashed down. Swift as thought, it struck Li Mingyou before the ghostly fire could descend.

"Is this lightning? No—!"

What does a spirit fear most? The thunder born of yin and yang united.

Li Mingyou’s scream was shrill; his spirit was torn apart by the fierce destructive lightning. The infernal crow was reduced to ashes, and his spirit did not escape. The Shaping Banner fell to the ground.

Lu Qian had never intended to fight head-on. He had just broken through, not yet at his peak; only this move was his trump card. His arrogant words had been merely bait, luring the foe into his trap.