Han Jinwei's initial move was so grand that Wu Tao was secretly astonished. He had indeed encountered demonic cultivators from the Ghost Control lineage before. Whether it was the insignificant figures he had killed without remembering their names, or a renowned prodigy of the Qi Refining stage like Zhang Wan'er, none had displayed such immense power and overwhelming aura when performing soul control techniques as Han Jinwei.
After cultivators reached the Foundation Establishment stage, it truly was a different realm. Now that he thought about it, with Zhang Wan'er's talent, she must have reached Foundation Establishment by now. He wondered how she would fare against the person before him.
...
He casually tossed out a large number of talismans, which transformed into various low-level elemental spells. For a moment, Wu Tao easily withstood the relentless onslaught of yin souls and ferocious ghosts.
"You fool, did you really think you could defeat me?" Wu Tao, holding the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Blade, pointed it at Han Jinwei, taunting him as he strode forward. At this instant, the power dynamic seemed to have reversed.
"Just you? Today, your grandpa will show you, a lowly Qi Refining ant, what a true Foundation Establishment cultivator is capable of." Han Jinwei seemed genuinely provoked and began to fight seriously. He formed hand seals and suddenly let out several piercing shrieks. Accompanying these sky-splitting cries, the surrounding black clouds surged, rapidly covering the sky, threatening to blot out the sun. As he moved, the sea of black yin souls and ferocious ghosts parted, attacking from all directions, forming a formation like an earthly army, completely surrounding Wu Tao. Judging by Han Jinwei's ghost control technique alone, it was worthy of his Foundation Establishment realm. However, Wu Tao was no pushover. He continued to throw out a multitude of talismans, displaying a lavish wealth that seemed indifferent to spirit stones, instantly infuriating Han Jinwei.
...
After they had fought for a while, Han Jinwei decided to employ other means. He wasn't sure if he could outlast this young man from the Taiyi Immortal Sect, who was so wealthy. The main reason was that they were quite close to the Taiyi Immortal Sect's stronghold, and if the fight dragged on too long, unforeseen circumstances could arise. Han Jinwei was decisive. Once his mind was made up, dozens of talismans of various spells flew out from his storage bag, all hurled towards Wu Tao. This bombardment left Wu Tao struggling to cope and in a rather sorry state. He threw out another few dozen talismans and deployed a top-tier defensive magical artifact, which barely allowed him to withstand Han Jinwei's onslaught.
...
After another period of clashing swords and blades, the initiative returned to Wu Tao. He held the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Blade reversed in his left hand, its cold, shimmering edge sparking countless sparks as it grazed the ground. Then, Wu Tao took a large stride and leaped forward, a peerlessly sharp blade light flashing in mid-air. Instantly, as the cold glint of the blade neared his forehead, Han Jinwei's face grew solemn. He clenched his fist and punched his own abdomen. The next moment, he spat out a mouthful of bright red blood, which flew up to meet the blade light in the air.
Seeing Han Jinwei's action, Wu Tao's expression changed. He quickly took out the Yin-Yang Wuji Lightning Pearl from his storage bag and channeled a continuous stream of spiritual energy into it. He saw clearly that after Han Jinwei spat out that mouthful of blood, which was then absorbed by the black clouds, the vast expanse of black clouds suddenly condensed into one blood-red chain after another. These blood-red chains quickly bound the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Blade layer by layer, and then extended up to Wu Tao's left arm. It seemed as if Wu Tao himself was about to be completely immobilized.
Seeing this, Wu Tao formed a hand seal with his right hand. The Yin-Yang Wuji Lightning Pearl suddenly erupted with lightning, extending several tens of feet long. With a few swift slashes, it shattered the blood-red chains surrounding him, rendering them unable to reform.
"Not bad! Not bad! You are indeed not simple, to possess such a rare and powerful lightning-attribute top-tier magical artifact. It seems this trip was truly worth it!" Han Jinwei's voice echoed, seemingly from nowhere outside the black clouds. Wu Tao, holding the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Blade in his left hand and the Yin-Yang Wuji Lightning Pearl in his right, cautiously surveyed his surroundings. He was now completely enveloped by the black clouds that blotted out the sun, with no escape. The air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood.
A sun of lightning suddenly rose. With the lightning suspended overhead, its radiance of over ten feet caused the dense black clouds, the yin souls, and the ferocious ghosts to begin evaporating into mist from dozens of feet away. Even those that charged the closest did not get within three feet. Seeing this, Han Jinwei roared in anger, his voice growing increasingly high and loud. The surrounding malevolent energy also began to churn violently, as if something terrifying was brewing. With a tearing sound.
Han Yin Gui's entire outfit began to rip apart, his body swelling as if being inflated. From his arms to his thighs, from his limbs to his internal organs, he instantly expanded to over ten times his normal size. His skin became as thin as a cicada's wing, and one could clearly see the blood vessels and veins beneath. Dark red blood clots then surfaced, with small protrusions moving within them. All this happened in an instant. In just moments, Han Yin Gui's facial expression became increasingly inhuman, and he developed bumps like those of a beetle. From his forehead to his chin, and indeed his entire body, he transformed into a monster. The words "ferocious ghost" and "evil spirit" were no longer sufficient to describe his terror. Han Jinwei was like a combination of Ox-Head and Horse-Face from the underworld, his form and appearance completely demonic. He was now thirty meters tall, with fangs bared, two dark curved horns on his head, and a long, scaled iron tail. Most alarming were the black and red demonic patterns covering his entire body, emitting a dim glow. The monster straightened its massive form, exuding an overbearing and unrestrained aura that soared into the sky, vast waves of powerful ghostly energy engulfing the surroundings. From the monster's face, one could faintly discern Han Jinwei's original features. But now, his eyes gleamed with emerald ferocity, his entire being filled with a bloodthirsty, murderous aura, devoid of any humanity.
He cast a cold glance at Wu Tao. His colossal body suddenly lowered, and in the next moment, he charged towards Wu Tao like a mammoth. Seeing this, Wu Tao remained unfazed. He had encountered countless such secret demonic arts that temporarily boosted strength by turning a person into something neither human nor ghost. After retracting the Yin-Yang Wuji Lightning Pearl into his storage bag, Wu Tao produced dozens more elemental talismans in his right hand. With a gentle flick, all the low-level elemental spells were activated. These dozens of elemental spells struck the ghost-transformed Han Jinwei with lightning speed, knocking him to the ground unprepared. Before Wu Tao could celebrate, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face combined monster stood up again, seemingly unharmed, as if nothing had happened. Wu Tao frowned deeply and leaped up, striking out. The Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Blade slashed straight through the air, its brilliant blade light, over ten feet long, possessing an invincible power capable of sweeping away the world. The Ox-Head and Horse-Face combined monster, showing no signs of weakness, moved its massive body and unleashed a simple, thick claw strike, imbued with powerful ghostly energy, towards Wu Tao.
*Boom.* The iron claw struck like thunder. The rushing wind stirred the air, and a series of explosions followed. The ten-foot-long blade light was actually shattered by this single claw. "Good." Though his attack was blocked, Wu Tao showed no signs of defeat. He did not fear a direct, head-on confrontation. Sharp, fierce brilliance shot from his eyes.
*Boom.* *Crackling...* Attacking again, Wu Tao moved his body, stomping his feet forcefully. With a startled cry, Wu Tao's body instantly turned into an afterimage, vanishing from his original position. Wu Tao disappeared entirely, only to reappear before the thirty-meter-sized Ox-Head and Horse-Face combined monster. As if deliberately, Wu Tao chuckled and gripped the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Blade with both hands, then unleashed a full-power strike. This strike was completely different from the previous one. Wu Tao's strike seemed to carry no force at all, light and airy, and incredibly slow after being unleashed. However, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face combined monster felt a sense of unease at this moment. Before it could confirm this feeling, a blood-red demonic blade suddenly appeared before it.
*Boom.* Almost the instant the blade was drawn, its tip reached the Ox-Head and Horse-Face combined monster. With his early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, Han Jinwei didn't even have time to react and dodge. The immensely powerful force of the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blade was unleashed like mercury pouring onto the ground the moment it landed on the Ox-Head and Horse-Face combined monster.