***
No matter how the outward appearance changed, the core could not be altered; the demonic practitioners of the present day truly possessed creativity, for a demonic array had actually produced the auspicious signs of a dragon and phoenix.
By his side, Zhang Yunlu’s face turned somewhat pale.
Within her heart, she was unwilling to believe it, yet she also felt that the person before her eyes was not deceiving her.
The Soul-Aweing Array was one of the most notorious grand arrays of the demonic path; even those who understood the ancient cultivation world the least had heard of it.
This was a grand array that had been included in the textbooks, and the power that the Soul-Aweing Array could exert was linked to the cultivation realm of the array’s creator.
Once the grand array was activated, if there was no special protection, any cultivators within the array who were two realms lower than the array’s creator would have their souls directly pulled away, and the creator themselves would also obtain an extremely exaggerated enhancement.
Now, the Void Returning Stage great cultivator Perfected One Xiao Ning had already arrived in Xuanjian City.
Since the person behind the scenes still dared to set up the array, it meant that the person who created the array was at the very least at the Void Returning Stage!
Practitioners below the Divine Transformation stage would have their souls forcibly pulled away at the very instant the grand array was fully activated.
Not to mention a minor Qi Refining practitioner like herself.
"However, there is no need to worry; just wait patiently, as that Perfected One Xiao Ning should have also discovered that something is wrong."
Zhang Yunlu looked at the sky, her eyes filled with worry.
Regardless of whether it was true or false, what could she, who was only at the Qi Refining stage, possibly do?
Meanwhile, those around them who were also looking at the sky all believed that the dragon and phoenix phantoms were 'special effects' that came naturally with the appearance of a Void Returning Stage great cultivator.
Many people took out their mobile phones to snap photographs, and some even stepped onto their flying swords to fly into the air in search of a suitable angle, but they were quickly chased down by the security guards of the Golden Core stage.
Among them were several young hoodlums with dyed yellow hair who looked quite indolent; the materials and craftsmanship of the flying swords they commanded were quite ordinary, yet they produced sounds that resembled claps of thunder and were accompanied by various dazzling light effects.
"What is going on with those people's flying swords?"
Zhang Yunlu felt some panic in her heart, but upon hearing the question, she still answered subconsciously: "That is a flying sword coating, the 'Sword Qi Thunderclap Simulation Board'; it has no actual use."
Xu Xing instantly understood in his heart; he realized that it was the practitioner's version of a 'ghost fire' scooter.
"It is said that some master flying sword coating artists can even rub the sword intent of top-tier sword cultivators; for flying swords that have undergone their coating, even if the user is a novice who has never practiced the path of the sword, they can still unleash true Sword Qi Thunderclap or even more powerful realms."
However, that price was not something that an ordinary person could endure.
"Speaking of which, are you not a cultivator of the Sword Sect? How could you have not heard of these things?"
"I often enter secluded cultivation, so I have not paid much attention to the outside world during these years."
Zhang Yunlu did not doubt him, merely assuming that he was the type of bitter cultivator who did not listen to matters outside his window.
Dong— Dong— Dong—
Following three consecutive long and ancient chimes of a bell, Zhang Yunlu’s pupils constricted as she saw the dragon and phoenix phantoms in the sky approach each other, clear light shining brilliantly, and a small, silver-white banner emerged from within them.
Within Xuanjian City, regardless of whether their cultivation was high or low, everyone was drawn to it.
Shimmering light flowed over the entire body of the small banner, and where the clear light shone, countless majestic gods manifested, sitting atop the clouds and looking down upon the entire city.
Every practitioner who met the gaze of a 'god' only felt that the divine light within the 'god's' eyes was the principle of the Great Dao, and they felt great liberation and great ease from the deepest depths of their divine souls.
Because they were unprepared, in just a single instant, seventy percent of the practitioners within Xuanjian City became infatuated with it, and their souls were about to leave their physical shells.
Zhang Yunlu kept her head lowered, feeling only the bursts of Sanskrit sounds in her ears, yet she still used her own will to deathly suppress that urge to raise her head.
Xu Xing stared at her for a few seconds and nodded; even with his own assistance, she was able to persist for so long.
This little girl, who shared quite a bit of fate with him, possessed a heart and character that were quite decent.
Subsequently, he raised his head to look to the side, toward the location of the municipal building.
He wondered if that Void Returning Stage Perfected One Xiao Ning had truly not noticed yet; he wondered if the immortal sect disciples of this generation were all this poor.
Inside the Mayor’s office, Perfected One Xiao Ning stood by the window, his expression solemn; he had felt that something was wrong as early as when the strange phenomena appeared in the sky.
He became even more certain after that small banner emerged.
The Ten Thousand Soul Banner!
He was surprised that there were still people who dared to refine such a magical artifact that annihilated human nature in this day and age.
The Mayor, who was at the Divine Transformation stage, and the disciples of the Taishang Dao Sect who had come along, stood quietly behind him without saying a word.
Suddenly, a Divine Transformation stage cultivator of the Taishang Dao Sect took a step forward.
"Martial Uncle, I have already reported the situation within Xuanjian City to the sect, but a demonic great power has sealed off the vicinity; reinforcements will take three minutes to arrive."
Hmm?
Since everything had been sealed off, how did you manage to notify the sect?
Perfected One Xiao Ning turned his head, only to see that the martial nephew who had just spoken suddenly collapsed onto the ground, transforming into a bean the size of a thumb.
Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers!
Damn it!
As expected, it was not the original body!
Because the demonic great power had sealed off the void, his control over the avatar had also been disconnected.
Poof! Poof!
Several more sounds followed in succession; among the remaining cultivators, some transformed into paper men, some transformed into puppets, and some even dissipated directly.
In the end, only three Divine Transformation practitioners remained; not a single one of the Nascent Soul practitioners was missing, as their avatar techniques were unable to hide from Perfected One Xiao Ning of the Void Returning Stage.
The Mayor by his side was completely bewildered, not knowing what kind of tricks this group of Taishang Dao Sect cultivators were playing.
The corner of Perfected One Xiao Ning's eye twitched.
It was over; this time, he had lost a great deal of face.
Since matters had reached this point, he could only resolve the immediate situation first.
"The City-Guarding Grand Array has already been reversed into the Soul-Aweing Array; I will go to stall the person refining the artifact and wait for the sect's reinforcements."
After saying that, without giving the Mayor a chance to ask questions, his entire being transformed into a streak of flowing light and charged out, heading straight for the Ten Thousand Soul Banner in the sky.
With a wisp of pure white Primordial Xiantian Qi as the foundation, he gathered infinite magical power to transform into a giant hand that covered the sky, reaching toward that silver-white small banner in the heavens.
The Great Divine Ability—Xiantian Yi Qi Great Capture!
The residents within Xuanjian City were currently in the sect stations or the school; he could absolutely take action without any hesitation!
Beneath the hand of Primordial Qi, the banner surface shook, looking like a small boat about to capsize in a stormy sea.
"I have been waiting for you for a long time, Perfected One Xiao Ning."
A voice as clear as jade drifted over, and the group of 'gods' sitting atop the clouds all pushed forward with their palms in unison, sending a rolling river of clear light crashing into that giant hand.
Rumble!
A shockwave visible to the naked eye expanded outward; directly beneath the collision of the two, towering buildings were shredded, and as if a falling star had struck the earth, the ground caved inward, being pressed into a massive pit dozens of meters deep.
As the two of them exchanged blows, those practitioners who had been drawn in by the Ten Thousand Soul Banner also suddenly jerked awake.
As the impact arrived, many people were flipped to the ground; except for a small number of people, the others did not know what had happened.
The Sanskrit sounds in her ears vanished, and Zhang Yunlu felt a sense of relief in her heart, collapsing directly as her strength left her.
She forced herself to raise her head and look upward; because of that strike just now, the clouds and mist in the sky had already dissipated and vanished.
The 'gods' with majestic countenances sat high in the sky, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner danced lightly, and a sunny and easy-going young man transformed from illusory to solid, reaching out his hand to grab the banner pole.
"Greetings to Perfected One Xiao Ning," the young man said with a light smile.
"Vile demon of the unorthodox path! Do you dare to report your name!"
Perfected One Xiao Ning looked at him with cold eyes, secretly activating a great divine ability.
"I do not dare, I do not dare; the divine abilities of the Taishang Dao Sect are mysterious and profound, and I do not wish to be pursued to the death by the Perfected One's masters and elders."
"You wish to kill me?"
Perfected One Xiao Ning's eyelid, jumped.
"No, I am merely borrowing the Perfected One's divine soul for a use."
The two faced each other from a distance; the young man was waiting for the power of the Soul-Aweing Array to reach its absolute limit.
Meanwhile, Perfected One Xiao Ning was pondering whether he should persist until reinforcements arrived, or... directly use the Taixu Evil-Breaking Sword Qi within his sea of consciousness to hack this fellow to death!
To be honest, he was reluctant to part with it.
"Divine soul? I thought you were some kind of formidable demonic head, but it turns out you are just a dead poor ghost who cannot afford a simulated divine soul!"
The young man's expression stiffened, and he could no longer smile.
I have updated the internal glossary with the new characters, skills, and the insult used at the end. Please let me know when you are ready for the next segment.