Chapter 131: The Three Immortals of the Western Regions and the Hidden Waters of the Ghouls

Ye Hua, a newcomer to these parts, had never heard of the Jingji Mountain Manor. Seeing the aggressive stance of the group, he thought to himself, "I have inadvertently trespassed into someone's restricted grounds; that was wrong of me." He smiled and said, "I am a traveler passing through, and I triggered your formation by accident. I hope you will forgive me."

The young man in the brocade robe sneered, "Accident? Do you think I would believe that? Hmph! Whether you intended it or not, since you have triggered the formation, there is no leaving here today!"

As soon as he spoke, the five people behind him moved in unison. A flash of spiritual light erupted from their hands as they unleashed various magical treasures, striking toward Ye Hua.

Standing several yards away, Ye Hua was slightly annoyed by their unreasonableness. Before the multicolored lights could reach him, he flicked his hands forward, tilted his figure, and swept to the left.

A cloud of golden mist enveloped the incoming rays. The magical treasures crashed into the golden haze, which surged like a mire, causing them to spin aimlessly in place.

From afar, Ye Hua said calmly, "Fellow Daoists, there is no need for such hostility!"

Seeing the golden light restraining the treasures, the young man in the brocade robe changed his expression and shouted, "Buddhist techniques! Are you a bald donkey from the Haiguang Temple?!"

He then formed a seal with his hands, and a blue ray within the golden haze flickered and vanished. Suddenly, the air a dozen yards away rippled, and a crystalline blue thread shot out, targeting Ye Hua.

Ye Hua let out a soft huff, leaned back sharply to dodge the frigid thread, and seized the chance to retreat several yards. Glancing around, he saw the six opponents closing in rapidly, surrounding him.

Ye Hua frowned. "These people are truly annoying! If I don't use some force, this matter will not end well. I should finish this quickly and leave."

Having made up his mind, a white light flashed in his right hand, revealing a long sword. He laughed aloud, "Heh, is this the Water Essence Thread? It actually has the effect of traversing the void! A pity, though..."

The young man in the brocade robe snapped, "A pity what!" He pressed his hands together, and suddenly, four additional arms sprouted from his shoulders. Each hand formed a seal, and as they reached toward the sky, balls of aqua-blue mist rose from his palms. "Hmph, you know nothing of the true power of my Water Essence Thread!"

Ye Hua smiled faintly. With his sword in his right hand, he struck horizontally, parrying the flying swords of the two women before him. He pivoted and retreated ten feet, then slapped his left hand outward. A gust of wind dispersed the hundreds of fireballs launched by the two men behind him. He stopped and said to the young man with a look of pity, "It is a pity that your Water Essence Thread is merely a showy facade, incapable of true use!"

The young man was furious. "Fine! Very well!" He raised all six hands, and several blue lights shot into the sky, slowly condensing into a crystalline emerald sword. "Longtian Yibi!" he roared. The emerald sword flashed like lightning, and as the green radiance flared, it struck forward with a sharp, hissing sound.

Ye Hua forced the crowd back with a few more moves. In just a few exchanges, he realized these people were only at the fifth or sixth level, posing no real threat. Only the young man in the brocade robe possessed a decent technique—likely at the peak of the Seventh Treasure realm—so he had remained on guard.

As the sword struck like a lightning bolt with immense power, Ye Hua chose not to meet it head-on. He moved like wisps of smoke, splitting into several afterimages. Each image flickered its fingers, and dozens of fire snakes erupted from their tips.

The young man in the brocade robe sneered, his six arms dancing as he formed seals. The emerald sword in the air shimmered, multiplying from one to two, four, eight, and eventually into countless sword shadows, meeting the fire snakes.

The emerald sword possessed a strange quality. As the fire snakes were brushed by the hundreds of sword shadows, they froze in mid-air. Their crimson color faded, turning into a murky, oily green.

A moment later, with a "pop," the green flames shattered like broken green crystal, dissipating into countless light spots. The hundred green rays continued unabated, slashing toward Ye Hua with terrifying speed.

Ye Hua’s expression remained unchanged, though he was secretly shocked. His "Origin Gold Fire" was derived from the Six-Origin Wondrous Heaven Wish-Fulfilling Technique, and its power was unique; he had not expected it to be unable to withstand the green radiance. This sword was truly strange.

With a thought, he dashed away, heading into the distance. Seeing that the young man could not catch up, Ye Hua laughed, "Fellow Daoists, until we meet again!" He vanished, reappearing to the southeast.

In the distance, the young man sneered, drawing a circle with his hands and retracting his extra arms. He shouted into the distance, "Ba'er Meng—!"

As Ye Hua fled, he heard the shout and felt a sudden chill in his heart. A frigid sword aura struck at his head. By the time he sensed it, it was only a foot away. Terrified, he thought, "An ambush! How could I have been so careless?"

In his panic, he had no time to summon his sword. He roared, threw his body backward, and struck out with his fists, using the force to shift his body three feet away. He felt a cold sensation on his shoulder as the sword aura grazed him.

Before he could breathe, the green sword, having missed by three feet, suddenly turned and slashed upward, transforming into a green streak that chased after him.

As he tumbled, Ye Hua saw ripples in the air a yard ahead. A brawny arm emerged from the void, wielding a green sword, slashing down like lightning.

Before the sword touched him, the chill pierced his body. Ye Hua rolled away again. Amidst the chaos, he saw dozens of gray butterflies flying in the air. He realized, too late, that they were pieces of his own sleeve, shredded by the sword aura.

Ye Hua was incensed. "These attacks are truly sinister! Very well, let me test your true mettle!" He took a deep breath, his palms glowing with golden light, and reached out. With a series of sharp clashing sounds, he caught the incoming green blade, though his palms stung.

He retreated several yards and stabilized his position. A purple chain swirled around him, shielding him completely. Looking down, he saw the green light trembling in his grip, icy and biting, before it finally dissipated.

He looked up and saw a tall man standing in the air a dozen yards away. With a high nose, deep-set eyes, and reddish-brown hair, he was clearly from the Western Regions. The man was staring at him in astonishment.

Ye Hua’s heart was still pounding. Had he not been quick to dodge, he would have been struck down. Surviving was pure luck.

A moment later, his hands began to throb. He looked down to see two thin red lines on his palms, slowly seeping blood.

The man from the Western Regions stared at Ye Hua’s hands and said slowly, "What... what technique do you practice? To be able to evade my Three-Origin Ghoul Water Stealth!"

Ye Hua looked at him, his eyes flashing with intensity. He sighed, "You are from the Western Regions? It is no small feat to travel so far to the Central Plains. So this is the Three-Origin Ghoul Water Stealth!?" As soon as he finished, he vanished.

The Western Region cultivator was prepared. He brandished his sword, radiating green light, and retreated dozens of yards. He looked forward, but the void remained empty. Just as he was about to investigate, a voice shouted from afar, "Ba'er Meng, watch your back!"

The cultivator was startled. Without turning, he slashed his sword backward, only to hear a light laugh beside his ear. "You were doing just fine in the Western Regions; why come to the Divine Land? Heh, the Divine Land’s Soul Prison probably cannot contain the three souls and seven spirits of a foreigner like you..."

The cultivator’s sword stalled midway. No matter how much internal energy he channeled, he could not move. Terrified, he felt a palm press silently against his back.

In absolute horror, just as he was about to scream, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. A crimson fire chain erupted from his front. He looked down, unable to believe his eyes: the chain had pierced through his chest, and a shocking stream of bright red blood began to flow...