Night of Despair

Chapter 327 - 327 325 nights One

?Chapter 327: 325 nights One Chapter 327: 325 nights One Five Star Town.

The jeep passed through several temporary checkpoints and entered the outer layers of the town shrouded in grey mist.

The dilapidated streets, the raging fires, the run-down shop buildings.

The street scenes passed by the jeep all showcased how fierce the previous battle had been.

Yu Hong rolled down the window and observed the ruined scenery outside, his brows slightly furrowing.

“This place just experienced a major battle, the residual spiritual power from the techniques is very strong.”

After the collapse of a technique, some traces might remain depending on the situation.

These residual traces mainly depend on the external force originally triggered by the technique.

In this world, the magicians use two main types of techniques.

One type is built on spiritual power where the technique is directly used, like the Daoist Skills Guanwu Skill, which summons Fear Shadows, essentially pure and strong condensations of spiritual power.

The second type involves using external forces combined in Inheritance Dao Artifacts like those of the Mud Doll Sect, and various secret techniques used by Wild Mages which involve all sorts of external chaotic materials to create bizarre abilities.

Chang’e, Copper Soldiers and Iron Soldiers, Feixia Sword, Chi Xiao Sword, Yuan Ming’s white cloth are all such examples.

But what made Yu Hong frown was that the traces left here were mainly pure spiritual power.

“Spiritual power residues are quite special; this is the first time I’ve felt such a strong essence of residue. Normally, spiritual power should dissipate quickly after losing its host,” Yu Hong said.

“That’s not necessarily so, strong spiritual techniques leave behind spiritual power because the psychic field permeates into the environmental materials, which is why it can’t dissipate for a long time,” Zheng Xia explained. “I have seen similar situations in many Daoist Scriptures. Normally, such permeation takes a long time to form, like when people enter a Taoist Temple’s main hall and feel solemn and dignified; this is due to our years of chanting and worshipping, which leaves spiritual power that permeates the surrounding environment, forming a special fixed psychic field.”

“I see… So, that means Sister Meng Chengshuang must have encountered a formidable enemy, causing her to burst out with an exaggerated amount of spiritual power, leading to so many residues here,” Yu Hong understood.

This was his first time sensing such residual power.

The sensation felt like standing in front of an open fridge, feeling a chill on the skin and goosebumps naturally rising on the body.

But in reality, the temperature hasn’t changed at all; it was just an internal reaction triggered by his own mind.

Thinking this, Yu Hong quickly took out the enhanced detector he had just modified, a palm-sized black box detector that looked like a jewelry box.

It was a simple radiation detector that he had enhanced to measure spiritual power.

Originally, he had planned to enhance Black Mark into a pair of glasses for better disguise.

But the reality is that it would take too long, at least two months, and he couldn’t accept spending so much time just to enhance a multifunctional detector, so he chose this one that only took a few hours.

He pressed the switch.

Beep Beep Beep…

Instantly, the LCD screen lit up green, displaying fluctuating numbers.

The number shown was similar to Red Value, representing the strength of the environmental spiritual power.

1 represents the brainwave activity when a person sits quietly alone, without pondering any issues.

The number currently displayed was 14, indicating that the surrounding environment was filled with spiritual power nearly fourteen times the intensity of an adult.

Yu Hong’s expression became serious; he then placed the device against his temple, stimulated his Daoist Skills, and pressed the detection button again.

After three beeps.

The number displayed was: 67.

“It’s manageable.” He put down the device, leaving it in the vehicle to prevent damage.

At this time, the jeep had already driven into the inner part of the town. As the vehicle moved forward, numerous soldiers holding guns sat motionlessly on the ground on both sides of the road, their eyes vacant as if they had lost control.

Noticing the anomaly, Zheng Xia and Cheng Shu quickly grew serious, pulling out their mobile phones trying to contact the outside world, but their phones had no signal.

“There’s a jammer!” Zheng Xia instinctively looked towards Yu Hong to see what he would do next.

“Get out, you two check the condition of the people around and be careful. I’ll have a look further inside,” Yu Hong said sternly.

“Okay!” “Yes!”

Both responded in unison.

The car pulled to the side slowly, the doors opened. Dressed in Daoist robes with bulletproof vests underneath, the three quickly disembarked from the car and split up.

Yu Hong then, sensing the direction where the spiritual aura was strongest, quickened his steps and hurried towards that direction.

*
*
*
Center of Five Star Town.

A strange figure in black robes, wearing a grey-white child’s mask, continuously summoned creepy mud dolls.

These mud dolls, amidst the yellow and red mist-filled streets, frantically chased after the Feixia Sword Meng Chengshuang.

Each mud doll was only 1.2 meters tall, with the appearance of a child, cute faces, and a spot of cinnabar on their foreheads.

Only, their bodies and faces had minor cracks. These were like porcelain that had cracked.

The dolls, one after the other, clashed and counteracted with the red lines slashed by the Feixia Sword.

The two sides were caught in a stalemate.

Not far from where the two were fighting, two people also stood.

One, with a pale face and blood at the corners of his mouth, was Yuan Ruhai, the Vice Sect Hierarch of the Mud Doll Sect. He had acted in haste and was almost instantly killed by Meng Chengshuang.

Although he was eventually saved, he still suffered severe injuries.

Regarding the other person, he was clad in a black robe with silver edges, his arms adorned with dark golden ornate armguards, his face covered with a silver phoenix-patterned mask.

“You Mud Doll Sect seem unable to suppress the Feixia Sword. The Inheritance Dao Artifact of Zihe Palace indeed lives up to its reputation; it is at least an Earth Level Dao Artifact,” the man in the phoenix mask spoke in a deep voice.

“Senior Qing Huang, could you lend a hand to the Sect Hierarch to speed up the battle? If the fight drags on, I’m afraid unforeseen changes might occur,” Yuan Ruhai gritted his teeth and said with a bow.

With the signal jammed here, he was unclear about the situation at Seagull Beach, but somehow, he had an ominous premonition that something bad might be happening there.

For someone at the Temple Master level like him, possessing powerful spiritual power that transcended the Absolute Boundary came with a partial warning ability.

And at this moment, this ability was being triggered.

Qing Huang, a genuine expert sent by the Seven Evil Alliance to support the battle situation, had a mysterious identity. After arriving in Taizhou, he had several probing skirmishes with the Sect Hierarch and resolved matters lightly each time.

According to Yuan Ruhai’s estimation, Qing Huang might be even stronger than the Sect Hierarch.

It should be understood that even among those above Absolute Boundary, the disparity on this level itself is immense.

The total amount of spiritual power, the intensity level, the explosive power when techniques and Daoist Skills overlap, and most crucially, the strength of the Inheritance Dao Artifact.

These are all factors that significantly influence strength when combined.

Especially the latter, as the physique difference among people is not large—everyone is the same species with similar structures. Even if there is a variation in spiritual power, the discrepancy is minimal.

At this level, none of the practitioners skilled in Daoist Skills are weak.

There are some differences in techniques, although some are not adept at slaughtering, but the ones used in response wouldn’t be weak either, so the gap remains minimal.

What truly creates a difference is the Inheritance Dao Artifact!

A strong Inheritance Dao Artifact can raise the level of Daoist Skills by a significant boundary, and even enhance the power of techniques by more than twice.

Moreover, the level difference between Inheritance Dao Artifacts is calculated by hundreds.

Every level differentiation is a disparity of hundreds of times.

With multiple layers adding up, the gap could reach a despairing extent.

It could be like an adult against a chick, kicking one with each step.

“Being both controllers of Earth Level Dao Artifacts, it seems Sect Leader Ning is slightly outmatched,” Qing Huang commented, seemingly inattentive to Yuan Ruhai’s request, and focused on observing the battle situation.

Despite a fog serving as a barrier, he could still discern the battle’s leaning from the entanglement of spiritual fluctuations.

“Senior Qing Huang! You…” Yuan Ruhai sensed the shift too.

“Don’t be hasty…” Qing Huang replied, lifting his head as his gaze under the mask made its way through the fog towards a certain direction. “Maintaining a large-scale Neurological Technique isn’t easy for me either.”

“I was too impatient,” Yuan Ruhai took a deep breath and lowered his head.

“Moreover.” Qing Huang gently moved his hands. “An interesting young man has also arrived.”

“Interesting?” Yuan Ruhai was puzzled.

What young man in Taizhou could catch the eye of Senior Qing Huang?

“It’s rare to encounter a young man who lets me exercise my muscles,” Qing Huang stepped forward toward the right side of the battlefield and walked at a relaxed pace.

Right in front of him, a vague, towering figure about two meters tall emerged from the mist
— it was Yu Hong!

Separated by hundreds of meters, their gazes met instantly.

A speck of blue light quietly illuminated from the tips of Qing Huang’s fingers.

Just then.

Boom!

Suddenly, a massive explosion sounded from the distance.

The powerful shock caused the ground of Five Star Town to tremble slightly.

The signal jam engulfing the airspace here dissolved in the blink of an eye. Simultaneously, the widespread Neurological Technique also silently disappeared.

“The foundation of the formation has been destroyed…” Qing Huang lamented, looking back at Yu Hong while slightly shaking his head.

“I intended to greet you, lucky young man…”

His voice faded, and his figure abruptly turned into blue light, disappearing on the spot.

At the same time, the very spot he had stood was engulfed by a fierce explosion.

Boom!

Orange flames instantly swept across the ground, blasting a deep crater several meters in diameter.

Not only that, but the place where the Sect Hierarch and Vice Sect Hierarch of Mud Doll Sect were located also experienced intense bombardment.

Within the short seconds of the disruption of the Neurological Technique, the army’s magicians and artillery reacted, instantly aiming and firing.

Deafening explosions continued for three to four minutes.

A row of buildings collapsed in flames, and streets and squares were engulfed in fire and rolling smoke.

Until half of Five Star Town had been reduced to ruins.

Dust and flames soared into the sky, the air filled with the stench of various things being scorched.

Finally, the bombardment ceased.

Yu Hong stood still, sensing the spiritual presence within the town, feeling three substantially strong spiritual entities, two of which quickly weakened.

The third, however, remained intact as before.

“The Sect Hierarch and Vice Sect Hierarch of Mud Doll Sect have been severely injured by the bombardment,”
Swoosh, Feixia Sword Meng Chengshuang leapt out, landing lightly next to Yu Hong, half-kneeling and saying in a deep voice.

“Military magicians coordinated with artillery, striking the two precisely. Without the influence of Neurological Technique, their strengths were completely suppressed by the bombardment, they could only retreat,” she quickly said.

“How are you?” Yu Hong looked at the large bloodstain on her chest, slightly worried.