Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 1073 One word uttered, all hope vanished.

An Wusheng looked up at the battlefield opposite him, his sinister eyes flashing with icy coldness.

"Lord, shall we go back?" Yu Yuan asked.

"No, what's the point of going back? By the time we get back, the Wanhua Demon Court will probably have already retreated! There's no point in going back now!" An Wusheng said coldly.

The Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Ghosts is important, but not that important.

It's important because the Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Ghosts in the Cloud Mist Array is not only used to refine Yin Soldiers, but also to nurture them. To put it simply, the Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Ghosts is the manufacturing and maintenance factory for Yin Soldiers.

If the Yin soldiers are injured, placing them in the Pool of Ten Thousand Ghosts' Blood will allow the rich Yin and Blood Qi to heal their wounds in just a few days.

Meanwhile, the dark clouds on the battlefield also originate from the Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Ghosts. The Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Ghosts uses the Yin Sha Blood Array to condense Yin Sha energy, which also has a healing effect on the injuries of the Yin soldiers.

However, the Yin Sha Dark Clouds are limited, while the Ten Thousand Ghosts Blood Pool can continuously extract Yin Sha Qi from the underground Yin Veins.

Therefore, the Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Ghosts can be considered a supply station for the army of ghost soldiers. Losing the Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Ghosts is equivalent to the army of ghost soldiers losing their ability to heal quickly.

The reason why the Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Ghosts is not important is because it is just a supply station. Given enough time and resources, An Wusheng can build two, three, or even more Blood Pools of Ten Thousand Ghosts.

This is why he didn't leave any defensive forces at the Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Ghosts, because he didn't care at all if the Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Ghosts was destroyed.

Or rather, the destruction of the Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Ghosts would only cause him some trouble, but would not affect his overall plan.

"Since the Tianyun Sword Sect has become a pawn, let's eliminate this pawn first, so they won't cause us trouble later!" An Wusheng decided to destroy the Tianyun Sword Sect first.

Although there was no decisive battle with the Wanhua Demon Court this time, if he could destroy the Tianyun Sword Sect, it wouldn't be a loss for him.

The existence of the Tianyun Sword Sect has always been a threat to them. After destroying the Tianyun Sword Sect, they can concentrate their efforts on the Qingyuan Fox Clan.

Just then, a burst of thunder suddenly erupted on the battlefield.

Yang Zhengshan held the Azure Wood Purple Lightning Sword, his whole body wrapped in azure arcs of electricity. Above him, dark clouds gathered, and below, thunder roared. Strands of azure-white lightning lashed out at the Violent Bear Demon King like whips.

Boom~~
Thunder rumbled, and in the blink of an eye, the Violent Bear Demon King was reduced to a pile of charred remains.

Not only that, after killing the Violent Bear Demon King, Yang Zhengshan swallowed a top-grade Demon Essence Pill. His internal magic power surged, and the Azure Thunder Pearl seemed to riot, constantly expanding and vibrating.

A large amount of divine lightning burst forth from his body, his eyes, mouth, nostrils, ears, and even every inch of his skin emitted shimmering lightning.

The robes billowed in the electric arcs, the strands of hair flew in the electric arcs, and the Azure Purple Lightning Sword burst forth with dazzling light.

The dark clouds in the sky expanded rapidly, and countless arcs of electricity swirled around them.

"Nine Heavens Wood Divine Thunder!"

"Ah~~~"

The surging magical power and the violent lightning power intertwined, causing tiny cracks to appear on Yang Zhengshan's body.

The immense and terrifying magical power and lightning made Yang Zhengshan feel like he was losing control.

At this moment, Yang Zhengshan was like an expanding bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

His sudden outburst drew everyone's attention to him on the battlefield.

Jian Changhe and Yunxiao, who were closest to him, were taken aback at first, and then their expressions became serious.

Both Baiyun Zhenjun and Que Lingyu, who were far from the battlefield, changed their expressions and their magical power surged suddenly.

No one is a fool; they all understand that with the Wan Hua Demon Court's support yet to arrive, the Tianyun Sword Sect has become a pawn to be abandoned.

The Nine Heavens Wood Divine Thunder, condensing the Qi of the Nine Heavens Wood Element, transforms into a blue thunder pillar, specifically designed to destroy evil spirits and filth.

This is the divine power of the Qinghua Thunder Technique.

Unfortunately, Yang Zhengshan did not master the divine power of the Qinghua Thunder Technique; he merely used his powerful magic to generate the vast Yi Wood Divine Thunder.

Divine thunder descended upon the world, and countless bolts of lightning transformed into azure pillars of thunder that crashed down.

A series of booming and explosion sounds rose and fell. The three demon kings and their soldiers were instantly smashed down from the sky, the dark clouds of yin energy shattered, and thousands of soldiers fell from the sky like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

The thunderous sound reverberated for three thousand miles, and in an instant, the world fell into silence.

The next moment, the lightning dimmed, and Yang Zhengshan was breathing heavily.

Just then, two sharp sword intents suddenly erupted, heading straight for Leng Xuan opposite him.

"retreat!"

Yang Zhengshan shouted angrily.

The Tianyun Sword Sect was abandoned, and the Yang family followed suit.

Their situation was extremely precarious; a single misstep could lead to utter ruin.

His outburst just now was to buy time for the army below to retreat.

This was also to free them up to deal with the upcoming battle.

The demon king's ghost soldiers are nothing; they can only entangle them. The real enemy is An Wusheng and his men on the other side.

To prevent the demon king's soldiers from slaughtering the army below when they deal with An Wusheng and the others, Yang Zhengshan had to deal with these demon king's soldiers before An Wusheng and the others could make a move.

His Nine Heavens Wood Divine Thunder not only severely injured the four demon king Yin soldiers, but also dispersed a large area of ​​Yin Sha dark clouds, annihilating tens of thousands of Yin soldier blood puppets.

"retreat!"

On the Vermilion Bird Cloud Boat, Xuanzhen heard Yang Zhengshan's order and, without saying a word, immediately ordered his men to steer the flying boat away from the battlefield.

The window of opportunity created by Yang Zhengshan was the best time for them to retreat. If they missed this opportunity, it would be difficult for them to retreat again once the ghost army surrounded them once more.

The army's advantage was once again evident. While others were still wondering, the airship fleet had already quickly withdrawn from the battlefield.

Military orders are absolute; the soldiers of Yujing Guard will carry them out without hesitation upon hearing them.

In contrast, the family members and sect disciples were still wondering why they had to retreat and how they should retreat.

"Want to leave? Humph, it's too late now!"

An Wusheng snorted coldly and appeared near Baiyun Zhenjun in a flash.

Meanwhile, Yu Yuan chased after Que Lingyu, while Ji Wusi headed straight for Yang Zhengshan.

"Gaga~~ Sword cultivator!" Granny Ghost arrived in front of Sword River with a hoarse laugh.

The demon king's ghostly soldiers, severely damaged below, staggered out of the charred giant pit.

The Yi Wood Divine Thunder only severely injured them, not completely annihilated them. However, due to the severe damage from the Yi Wood Divine Thunder, these demon king Yin soldiers, unable to replenish their Yin energy, had their combat power reduced by more than half, and they posed no threat to Yang Zhengshan and the others in the short term.

The real threat comes from An Wusheng and his associates.

An Wusheng, Yu Yuan, Ji Wusi, Granny Gui, and Leng Xuan, exactly five people.

And Baiyun Zhenjun, Que Lingyu, Jian Changhe, Yunxiao, and Yang Zhengshan also made up the five of them.

The numbers are equal, seemingly indicating a close contest.

In reality, however, there is a huge gap between the two sides.

An Wusheng, with his peak Golden Core cultivation, may not be as powerful as those ancient monsters with extraordinary cultivation, but among Golden Core cultivators, he is already a top-tier existence.

Yu Yuan and Ji Wusi are both in the late stage of the Golden Core realm, and their strength should not be underestimated.

The old woman, mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Leng Xuan is the weakest, at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

Compared to them, Yang Zhengshan and others have an insurmountable disadvantage.

Yang Zhengshan looked at Ji Wusi, who was standing nearby. His eyes flickered, turning into a bluish-gray hue, and the Tai Chi diagram of withering and flourishing unfolded behind him. Lifespan is 1,800 years, and the consumption ratio is seven to one.

You don't even need to look to know that he can't kill Ji Wusi!

As his thoughts raced, Yang Zhengshan ignored Ji Wusi.

The body becomes invisible!

In a few flashes, he suddenly appeared beside the old woman.

Pick the softest persimmons first.

For Yang Zhengshan, the firmness or softness of a persimmon does not depend on its strength, but on its lifespan.

Of the three people before her, the old woman's lifespan seemed to be the shortest.

As Yang Zhengshan had predicted, the old woman's lifespan was indeed the shortest.

Lifespan is 435 years, with a consumption ratio of 5 to 1.

The old woman, baring her missing teeth, was laughing wildly at Jian Changhe, her hoarse laughter extremely unpleasant.

"Hehe~~ You're quite good, I've taken a liking to you."

She stared at Jian Changhe with unrestrained gaze, making him feel a chill run down his spine.

As she laughed, thick black energy surged from her hunched body, transforming into a gigantic monster that lunged at Jian Changhe.

"Come, become my ghost servant!" The old woman's eyes gleamed with greed.

As her name suggests, Granny Ghost is most skilled in the art of raising ghosts. Her supernatural ability to control souls allows her to extract the souls of cultivators and cultivate them into ghost slaves.

The most troublesome old thing is that he can control ghost cultivators who are more powerful than himself.

Ghosts descended, a chilling wind blew, and the entire world dimmed due to the eerie atmosphere.

Just then, Yang Zhengshan suddenly appeared nearby.

The old woman, who had been laughing wildly, suddenly froze. She had a very bad feeling, as if she were being targeted by a man-eating monster.

The key issue wasn't the man-eating monsters; to her, monsters were just playthings, utterly insignificant.

The key is that feeling of danger.

It felt like I could lose my life at any moment.

"die!"

With a single word, all hope vanished.

The old woman's body deflated rapidly like a balloon, and in the blink of an eye, she became a flickering candle in the wind.

The hoarse laughter turned into coughing, and his hunched body slumped even further, the deep wrinkles piling up in his face.

She turned her head stiffly, looking at Yang Zhengshan not far away in disbelief.

The enormous ghost vanished, leaving only a lifeless, emaciated body suspended in the air, its life force about to completely dissipate.

At the same time, Yang Zhengshan's temples were tinged with white hair, and a few more wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.

Lifespan is 435 years, with a consumption ratio of 5 to 1.

Yang Zhengshan used his own lifespan of over two thousand years to erase the old woman's lifespan of four hundred and thirty-five years.

This sudden turn of events startled everyone.

The old hag is dead!
No life left at all.

His breath had completely dissipated.

It fell from the sky like a withered clump.

Jian Changhe stared at Yang Zhengshan in shock. He knew Yang Zhengshan was powerful, but he never imagined that Yang Zhengshan's supernatural abilities would be so terrifying.

He killed a Golden Core cultivator with a single word, and that cultivator was at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

This level of terror is even more shocking than a Golden Core expert instantly killing a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.

Yunxiao was also stunned; this was the first time he had truly witnessed Yang Zhengshan's power of decay and prosperity.

Ji Wusi retreated more than ten miles, looking at Yang Zhengshan with suspicion and uncertainty.

Damn, what kind of monster is this!

How did the old hag die?
He was unaware of Yang Zhengshan's withering and flourishing supernatural power. He originally thought he could easily defeat Yang Zhengshan, but Yang Zhengshan's sudden attack startled him.

Leng Xuan, whose mind wasn't working well, was also stunned. He slowly backed away, as if he had seen some terrifying monster.

The tense battlefield suddenly turned strange, and everyone stared at Yang Zhengshan with a look of utter horror.

Everyone else was stunned, but Yang Zhengshan was not.

He took out a jade bottle, opened it, and poured the verdant spring of life inside into his mouth.

At the same time, the Divine Wood Cauldron slowly rotated above his head, sprinkling out strands of emerald green silk.

A surge of vitality instantly filled his body, replenishing his depleted lifespan.

With each breath, the white hair at his temples turned black again, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were smoothed out.

Unfortunately, the Fountain of Life was insufficient, only enough to replenish his lifespan by 1,800 years, not enough to fully extend it.

There's nothing we can do about it. Although refining the Fountain of Life is simple, it requires a lot of time, manpower, and resources. It also requires a large number of alchemists to extract the life force from a large number of spiritual fruits and plants.

The Fountain of Life, which had taken hundreds of low-level alchemists in the Land of Spiritual Origin two or three decades to refine, was swallowed by Yang Zhengshan in one gulp, only replenishing his lifespan by eighteen hundred years.

This wasn't the end. Yang Zhengshan took out another top-grade Demon Essence Pill and swallowed it, then took out another Rejuvenation Pill and swallowed it as well.

Such an extravagant act made Jian Changhe's lips twitch slightly.

Those are all third-tier pills; even Golden Core cultivators don't consume them like that.

Having fully recovered, Yang Zhengshan sheathed the Azure Wood Purple Lightning Sword, gripped the Thunderfire Spear in one hand, and turned to look at Ji Wusi in the distance.

"Guys, I'll take care of him, the rest are yours!"

Yang Zhengshan thrust his spear forward, aiming it directly at Ji Wusi.

Baiyun Zhenjun has already fled, but he lured An Wusheng away; he did not desert his post.

Que Lingyu also disappeared, along with Yu Yuan.

The most troublesome enemy right now is that Ji Wu is dead.

Having dealt with the old hag, their pressure has lessened considerably, but they are still under immense pressure.

Yang Zhengshan planned to hold off Ji Wusi himself, but that didn't mean the pressure on Jian Changhe and Yunxiao would ease.

They were not only facing Leng Xuan, but also those demon kings and their ghostly soldiers.

Even if those demon kings and their ghostly soldiers are severely damaged, their numbers could still potentially overwhelm Jian Changhe and Yunxiao.

Right now, all five of them are in a very dangerous situation, facing a life-or-death crisis.

Yang Zhengshan has done his best to produce the best possible result for everyone.

Whether they can escape unscathed depends on their own fate.

(End of this chapter)