The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

"Hahaha! So many delicious vengeful spirits!"

The ghost general let out a hoarse laugh.

"Kid, you've finally done something good this time!"

Jiang Chuan said coldly.

"Enough talk, kill them all!"

"Exactly what I want!"

The demon general grinned as he lunged at the wave of corpses, his giant sword sweeping across, instantly slicing more than ten dead men in half at the waist.

Without hesitation, Jiang Chuan charged into the enemy ranks, wielding the Demon Prison Sword.

He circulated his innate pure Yang energy, and golden flames ignited on the sword. With each swing of his sword, several dead people were engulfed by the flames and turned to ashes.

"happy!"

As the demon general slashed and killed, he opened his blood-red maw and sucked in all the resentment that had dissipated from the dead.

His figure solidified at a visible speed, and the cracks in his armor were slowly repaired.

"The battle at Thousand Caves City almost cost me my life."

The ghost general greedily devoured the black mist.

"So many vengeful spirits are enough for me to recover seventy percent of my strength!"

Jiang Chuan ignored the ghost general's mutterings, his sword flashing like a rainbow, carving a bloody path through the wave of corpses.

The pure yang energy combined with the yin energy of the Demon Prison Sword created a strange balance, making each of his sword strikes twice as powerful.

Despite the sheer number of the dead, the combined efforts of the human and the ghost forced them into a series of defeats.

The ground was soon littered with severed limbs and black blood that pooled into streams, emitting a nauseating stench.

"Hahaha! Come again!"

The ghost general grew stronger with each battle, his body shrouded in black mist, having recovered to about 60% of his peak strength.

He greedily devoured every wisp of resentment, and the vengeful spirits let out mournful howls from his mouth, yet could not escape their fate of being devoured.

However, the army of the dead seemed endless. No sooner had one wave been wiped out than even more surged forth from the depths of the tomb passage.

Jiang Chuan had lost count of how many dead he had killed. His sword-wielding hand began to go numb, and he had consumed nearly half of his internal energy.

"This can't go on."

Jiang Chuan frowned, glancing out of the corner of his eye that Pei Guoguo was still unconscious, while the dead outside the barrier had begun to attack the sword formation frantically.

He gritted his teeth, suddenly sheathed his sword and stepped back, taking out an ancient folding fan from his bosom—the very Mountain and River Fan he had obtained from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion!

"We have no choice but to take a gamble."

Jiang Chuan frantically poured the remaining true energy into the fan.

The folding fan emitted a soft white light, and the landscape pattern on the fan surface seemed to come alive, with faint clouds and mist flowing around it.

The moment he opened the space of the magic artifact, he keenly sensed a strange kind of true energy struggling to escape within the fan.

"Want to run?"

Jiang Chuan sneered, suddenly unfolded his folding fan, aimed it at the surging wave of corpses, and roared.

"receive!"

"boom--"

The Mountain and River Fan unleashed a terrifying suction force, forming a huge vortex centered on the fan surface.

Before the dead could react, they were all sucked into the fan.

They struggled and howled, but they could not resist this force. Like fallen leaves caught in a tornado, they disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The ghost general stared in disbelief at the scene, then flew into a rage.

"Hey kid! What are you doing! That's my tonic!"

Jiang Chuan ignored his roar and continued to activate the Mountain and River Fan. In just a few breaths, thousands of dead people had been sucked into the fan.

The fan surface was slightly warm, and many tiny black dots appeared on the landscape pattern; these were the suppressed vengeful spirits.

Jiang Chuan stood in the center of the pile of corpses, the Mountain and River Fan trembling slightly in his hand. The ink painting of mountains and rivers on the fan was now twisting strangely, as if the beautiful mountains and rivers in it had come to life.

"That old bastard isn't quite dead yet?"

Jiang Chuan squinted, staring at the collapsing mountain peak on the fan.

He could sense that the old man who had been suppressed within the Mountain and River Fan was still struggling, but he was soon buried by the corpses that poured down like a torrential rain.

Just then, a bone-chilling cold suddenly shot up from my spine to the back of my neck.

Jiang Chuan suddenly turned his head and met a pair of eyes with an eerie light.

It was a face so rotten it was almost unrecognizable as human, yet it revealed a ferocious smile to him amidst the horde of corpses.

"what!"

Jiang Chuan's heart tightened, and he subconsciously unfolded the Mountain and River Fan in his hand.

The eerie corpse silently moved its lips, and several other corpses around it suddenly accelerated, overtaking the other slow-moving bodies and rushing straight towards Jiang Chuan.

These corpses were clearly different—they were shrouded in visible black mist, their bones made unnatural cracking sounds as they moved, and eerie green flames flickered in their empty eye sockets.

"A corpse?"

Jiang Chuan's pupils contracted sharply, and he immediately activated the Mountain and River Fan. The landscape painting on the fan suddenly expanded, forming a huge vortex that sucked the strange corpses into it.

"cluck"

A chilling laugh rang in Jiang Chuan's ears, not through his ears, but echoed directly in his mind.

The laughter was filled with malice, as if it came from the deepest hell.

Jiang Chuan trembled, and almost dropped the Mountain and River Fan from his hand.

He instinctively stopped channeling his inner energy, and the vortex on the fan immediately disappeared, returning to an ordinary ink painting.

"Damn it!"

Jiang Chuan cursed under his breath. Before he could even figure out the source of the eerie laughter, the horde of corpses surged in again.

He had to calm himself and focus on the battle before him.

"Whale Devouring Realm, open!"

With a low shout, Jiang Chuan's internal energy surged out like a flood bursting its banks.

He felt as if he had become a tireless killing machine, each swing of his sword carrying devastating power.

"Five Elements Sword Qi!"

The sword energy of the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth flowed on the Demon Prison Sword, but strangely, these sword energies, which should have been righteous and awe-inspiring, were all stained with a layer of sinister black energy.

The fire-elemental sword energy turned into eerie green ghost fire, while the wood-elemental sword energy resembled withered tree branches, exuding an aura of decay.

"JX3: Sunset Over the Long River!"

Jiang Chuan used his best sword technique, but this sword technique, which should have been powerful and majestic, became sinister and terrifying at this moment.

The sword energy transformed into a pitch-black river, in which countless distorted human faces floated, emitting silent wails.

Corpses were torn to pieces by the sword energy, and severed limbs fell like raindrops.

Jiang Chuan mechanically repeated the action of swinging his sword, his consciousness gradually becoming blurred, leaving only the instinct to kill.

After an unknown amount of time, when Jiang Chuan's sword sliced ​​through the head of the last corpse, he found himself standing on a small hill made up of corpses.

Rain washed away the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, turning the dark red blood into streams that flowed to every corner of the streets.

Jiang Chuan stood atop the mountain of corpses, sword in hand, the cold rain lashing against his pale face.

His eyes were vacant, and he seemed to have merged with the darkness, leaving only a murderous shell.

"Sword Master."

A hoarse voice sounded from behind. The ghost general floated above the mountain of corpses, his previously illusory figure now much more solid.

It greedily absorbed the black resentment rising from the mountain of corpses, and with each wisp it absorbed, its form became clearer.

Jiang Chuan did not respond. His gaze pierced through the rain, looking at the dissipating aftershocks of the battle in the distant sky.

There, the battle between the Mountain Spirit and Zhu Lu seemed to have ended.

With a loud "boom," a mangled corpse fell from the night sky and crashed heavily onto the pile of corpses at Jiang Chuan's feet.

The corpse was barely recognizable as human; only half of its head was still discernible as Zhu Lu's face.

The ghost immediately floated above the corpse, its eyes filled with greed, but it dared not make a move.

Because a jade-green figure was slowly descending from the sky.

The mountain spirit landed lightly on the mountain of corpses, its emerald eyes coldly sweeping over the ghost general, who immediately shrank back and retreated to the side.

A cool, refreshing aura washed over him, and Jiang Chuan's hazy consciousness finally cleared somewhat.

He turned to look at the mountain spirit and found that the other also had several wounds, but his overall condition was much better than Zhu Lu's.

The mountain spirit remained silent, only giving Jiang Chuan a deep look and a warning glance at the ghost general before transforming into a streak of green light and disappearing into Jiang Chuan's sea of ​​suffering.

With the pressure suddenly relieved, the ghost immediately pounced on Zhu Lu's corpse, but it still cautiously looked back at Jiang Chuan.

"Sword Master?"

Jiang Chuan nodded wearily.

"Eat."

Upon receiving permission, the ghost general immediately opened its mouth wide, and a stream of black energy was drawn from Zhu Lu's corpse, continuously flowing into the ghost general's mouth.

As the devouring continued, the ghost general's figure became more and more solid, and even began to have clear facial features.

Jiang Chuan ignored the ghost general's gluttonous feast, leaped down from the mountain of corpses, and took out a spirit stone from the chess pieces.

The spirit stone emitted a soft light in his palm.

"Spreading beans makes an army!"

With a soft shout, the spirit stone transformed into a humanoid figure made of spiritual light. The spirit soldier knelt on one knee, awaiting Jiang Chuan's command.

"Go, take Senior Sister Pei to a safe place."

Jiang Chuan pointed to Pei Guoguo, who was unconscious not far away.

The spirit soldier immediately carried out the order and gently picked up Pei Guoguo. Just as the spirit soldier turned to leave, Pei Guoguo suddenly opened her eyes.

"Junior Brother"

Her voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

Jiang Chuan immediately stepped forward, forcing a smile.

"here I am."

He gently touched Pei Guoguo's forehead, his voice so tender that he himself didn't even realize it.

"Senior sister, you're injured. Get some sleep, I'll take care of everything."

A forced smile appeared on Pei Guoguo's pale face.

"I'm glad you're okay."

Before she could finish speaking, she fell into a coma again.

Jiang Chuan watched as Ling Bing carried Pei Guoguo and disappeared into the rain before turning his gaze away.

He looked towards the south of the city, where the golden light had completely dissipated, replaced by a chaotic darkness.

"The Ghost General is gone."

Jiang Chuan recalled the ghost general who was devouring the last vengeful spirit.

The ghost licked its lips, still wanting more, but obediently floated to Jiang Chuan's side.

"Sword Master, where are we going?"

"South City."

Jiang Chuan gave a brief reply, while putting the Demon Prison Sword back into the chess piece and instead grasping the black longsword that the Ghost General had transformed into.

The ghost general let out a satisfied sigh, and countless tiny ghost faces appeared on the sword, sometimes visible and sometimes not.

Without delay, Jiang Chuan dashed off towards the south of the city.

The cold rain lashed his face, but he was oblivious. Only one thought occupied his mind.

He must confirm Xie Xuan's condition with his own eyes, otherwise this will be a mental demon he can never get rid of.

Meanwhile, the battle in the southern city had entered a fierce stage.

The ferocious beast Taotie has just broken free from its two-hundred-year-old seal, and its power has not yet been fully restored.

Its massive body was covered with scars left by Buddhist seals, and every movement it made would trigger a painful roar.

"You beast, submit to your fate!"

Kong Chan formed a mudra again, and behind him stood a majestic and sacred golden statue, ten feet tall.

With a single palm strike, the Buddha's image unleashed a torrent of golden Buddhist light, sending the Taotie tumbling hundreds of feet away and crashing into half of the bell tower.

The Taotie struggled to its feet, letting out a resentful roar.

It had never suffered such humiliation, and its violent aura erupted completely. Black mist surged around its body, eventually condensing into a jet-black armor on its surface.

Just as it was about to pounce on Kongchan again, a deep black shadow shot up from the depths of the ruins.

"That's enough, you may leave now."

The shadowy figure's voice was deep and rumbling like thunder, carrying an undeniable authority.

Upon hearing this, Taotie roared unwillingly, but actually stopped its attack and obediently retreated to the side.

Kong Chan's pupils contracted slightly, and alarm bells rang in his mind—who exactly is this person who can make ancient ferocious beasts bow down and submit?
"Amitabha."

Kong Chan dared not be negligent. He immediately chanted the Buddha's name, and the golden light of the Dharma image behind him shone brightly. He then struck the dark figure with a palm.

The giant golden hand blotted out the sky and sun, causing the clouds to recede wherever it passed, as if even space itself was being compressed and distorted.

The shadowy figure neither dodged nor avoided, but simply raised its right hand and met the attack with a palm strike.

"boom--!"

The moment their palms collided, the entire southern city trembled.

Kong Chan felt an incomparable force coming from him, and his golden body shattered inch by inch.

Amidst the bursts of golden light, he was struck in the chest as if by lightning, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and his body fell like a kite with a broken string.

"Brother Kongchan!"

Yu Youwei exclaimed in surprise, her Autumn Water Sword humming incessantly.

She knew better than anyone how terrifying this shadowy figure was—back at Hulao Pass, this man had dislocated one of Li Tianxing's arms with a single blow, and later single-handedly overpowered Xie Xuan and Tao Hongjing, two legends of the Northern Territory.

If Xie Xuan hadn't burned his life essence to forcibly re-enter the Saint Realm, probably no one would have been able to leave alive that day.

The empty Zen was smashed heavily into the ruins, and smoke and dust rose everywhere.

He struggled to get up, only to find that his internal energy was in complete disarray. Even more terrifying, a hideous crack had appeared on the foundation of his Dao.

This is the most taboo injury for those who cultivate the Tao. At best, it will ruin their cultivation; at worst, it will lead to death and the dissipation of their Tao.

On the battlefield in the south, eight hundred constables witnessed this scene, and their morale collapsed instantly.

"Run! Even Master Kongchan has been defeated!"

"The devil. This is the devil."

"It's over, it's all over."

Amid cries and screams, the officers abandoned their armor and fled in all directions.

Puppet master Zhou Ze roared, and with a flash of silk threads in his hand, he cut the leading constable in half at the waist.

"He who deserts the battlefield shall die!"

Zhou Ze's eyes were bloodshot, but he immediately smiled bitterly—the situation was hopeless, what use would it be to kill all these deserters?

He looked at the approaching legion of the dead and summoned hundreds of puppets from his storage ring.

"In that case, let Zhou Ze guard this southern city alone!"

The threads formed from true energy spread out like a spider web, and hundreds of puppets simultaneously opened their empty eyes.

Zhou Ze's fingers flew, and the puppets charged towards the legion of the dead like marionettes. (End of Chapter)