Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Chapter 93: Cooperation

The weapons belonging to the wandering spirits had dulled as the spirits departed, yet the rusted sword, with the souls of Lingshuang and Lingkong joining, now emitted a faint, shimmering light.

Even though Mei Yinghan did not understand exactly what the two wandering spirit uncles had done to the sword, he instinctively knew they had chosen, at the final moment, to turn back and assist him.

And he was not the only one with this recognition.

Seeing the other surrounding wandering spirits first freeze, then gradually scowl, Mei Yinghan flickered in a flash, heading straight toward the rusted sword that had been knocked down.

No—now it could no longer be called the “rusted sword.” In the shimmering light, the heavy, mottled rust on the blade flaked off little by little, revealing its originally sharp and gleaming edge.

The moment he almost held it in his hands, Mei Yinghan realized: “The Patriarch…”

No matter its origin, this sword must be connected to Changyangzi!

Normally, no matter how skilled a martial wanderer is, encountering a new weapon always takes a little time to get used to.

Although Tianshan disciples learn a bit of everything and can do a little of everything, for them, “difficulty in wielding” seemed nonexistent. Yet Mei Yinghan knew that a weapon that felt natural in hand was vastly different from one that did not.

Now, this restored sealing sword, repressing and controlling, felt extremely handy to him.

From hilt to blade, it closely resembled Zhenxing. The moment he touched it, Mei Yinghan even had a vague intuition: “When the Patriarch obtained Zhenxing, he must have already had some reputation. Before that, what weapon did he use? What martial skill? …Could it be that the weapon that gained him renown across the world was this very sword?”

Just thinking of this stirred a surge of heroic ambition in Mei Yinghan’s heart.

Martial wanderers always value “heritage,” which is why most Tianshan disciples wield Changyangzi’s old weapons.

Though this was common and unsurprising to the Tianshan disciples, there was no denying that each person who obtained a Patriarch’s weapon felt a genuine surge of joy the moment it touched their hands.

And now, besides Zhenxing, he had seen another sword belonging to the Patriarch.

For a moment, Mei Yinghan felt even his injuries hurt less.

—Hmm? Injuries?

His gaze flickered, suddenly noticing a detail he hadn’t seen before.

Unconsciously, streaks of flickering light appeared in the air. These streaks interacted and shimmered with the flowing light along the sealing sword’s blade, so much so that Mei Yinghan had been so focused on the sword’s glow that he hadn’t noticed the arrival of these lights.

Until now.

Within these tiny points of light, his injuries began to heal once more. Tracking the source of the light, Mei Yinghan now saw a scratch on the ground left by a blade.Along the edge of the blade scratch, the translucent luster of the jade wall faintly appeared. In an instant, three big characters flashed through Mei Yinghan’s mind:

“Yang Chun-yue!”

The female general who had asked them to hold out for a moment had finally returned!

She had drawn out the spiritual energy buried deep under the corrupted yin energy to assist both Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan!

With a new handy weapon and his injuries visibly healing, Mei Yinghan’s spirit soared. Looking over at Bai Zhengliu, knowing the swordsman’s struggle with the bone chains had never ceased, and seeing his current state likely stable, he felt completely unburdened. Raising his sword, he charged at the surrounding wandering spirits!

Tianshan swordsmanship emphasizes agility, elegance, and the force piercing through the blade!

Now, moving among so many wandering spirits, although the situation was extremely dangerous, Mei Yinghan felt a sense of exhilarating freedom…

Not far from him, beside the battle:

Within the bone chain encirclement, Bai Zhengliu also felt the approaching streaks of light. This calmed him somewhat, but nine-tenths of his focus remained on Mei Yinghan, who hadn’t moved for a cup of tea’s time.

The bone chains and wandering spirits blocked Bai Zhengliu’s view, leaving him unable to see Mei Yinghan. The swordsman’s heart overflowed with worry for the swordsman, until now, when he again heard the clear clash of blades.

If a bronze mirror were placed before Bai Zhengliu, and he had the spare attention to look during this critical moment, he would have been both surprised and naturally reassured to see that, upon hearing this sound and confirming Mei Yinghan was unharmed, his expression instantly brightened!

Brother Mei is safe!

General Yang is assisting us!

At this moment, the battle was most advantageous for their side. Even the Twenty-Eight Generals, originally corroded and covered in rust, now shed their rust and restored their blades.

Without hesitation, Bai Zhengliu turned, raising his long sword. A few crisp, powerful chops cleared a large space in front of him.

The other bone chains hadn’t yet arrived to fill the gap.

Seizing the opportunity, Bai Zhengliu leapt forward, even stepping on the bone chains that had originally aimed for his back!

He used the momentum to advance, his expression resolute. The blade rolled along the streaks of light, brilliant and radiant, shining into Mei Yinghan’s eyes some distance away, like a golden wheel of light finally rising amidst the darkness. Even the wandering spirits beside him, witnessing this, held their breath, their faces showing tension.

Unlike Mei Yinghan, who worried for the swordsman, their concern was for their master. Accustomed to serving a tyrant, even though the wandering spirits remembered that their lives had been taken by the old ghost, they had never dared resent him directly due to the overwhelming power difference. Instead, they vented their anger at the living humans captured behind them, in a torment similar to what they experienced while alive.

Now, with the old ghost—the culprit who killed them—potentially in danger, the wandering spirits did not feel vengeance fulfilled. Instead, an uncontrollable anxiety rose in their hearts, thinking: “If our master is gone, what will we—”

A few wandering spirits didn’t get to finish that thought.Before Bai Zhengliu’s blade could reach the Tianshan old ghost, Mei Yinghan’s sword had already pierced into the hearts of the wandering spirits.

As the radiance burst forth, several wandering spirits dissipated into the darkness before they could even make a sound.

Among them were a few that Mei Yinghan recognized quite well—the head ghosts who had escaped earlier, and several wandering spirits who had attacked him and Bai Zhengliu alongside “Wang Lao’er”… Of course, he was not seeking revenge; it was just that they happened to be nearby.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the clash between the swordsman and the Tianshan old ghost had also reached an initial outcome.

Bai Zhengliu landed relatively steadily, feeling a hint of regret: “Still couldn’t kill him outright.”

He was already very close to the old ghost, but for every inch the blade advanced, at least ten inches of bone chains surged forward, forming a thick wall in front of the Tianshan old ghost, blocking all of Bai Zhengliu’s attacks.

Some outer bone chains disintegrated into powder when touched by the blade’s radiance, but many remained intact. Bai Zhengliu sneered repeatedly: “All that caution before, and now I see—you’re just a coward hiding behind your weapons, afraid to make a single move!”

He deliberately spoke this to provoke the Tianshan old ghost. Any reaction might create an opening—an opportunity for Bai Zhengliu.

But unfortunately, there was none.

Only the clattering of bone chains resounded all around, and the old ghost’s gloomy voice came from behind: “Coward, ha… I’ll see if you still speak so arrogantly when I tear your heart and guts out!”

As he spoke, several bone chains shot toward Bai Zhengliu’s back.

Bai Zhengliu was already familiar with this move. Annoying as it was, he remained vigilant.

Still, with one side attacking and the other defending, the scene had a sense of stalemate.

Bai Zhengliu took a deep breath, repeatedly reminding himself: “Calm! This old ghost, in the end, has already been terrified by Mei brother and me. He dares not face us head-on… I mustn’t be provoked. If I lose my composure, that would be a disadvantage.”

With this thought, his previously restless mind gradually steadied. Especially when Bai Zhengliu noticed that more and more streaks of light were flickering in the air, surrounding the bone chains—so that even without him acting, the chains would gradually crumble to powder.

Time! Any extra time was an opportunity for him and Mei brother!

Bai Zhengliu’s spirit surged, and he no longer felt anxious. With a calm, almost leisurely mindset, he continued to engage the old ghost.

Whenever an opportunity to approach arose, he would immediately try. Failure didn’t matter; after all, it wasn’t him who had created the piles of broken bone chains, now steadily decreasing in number.

But then, why did Mei brother’s situation seem weaker again? — Amid the battle, Bai Zhengliu drew his attention to Mei Yinghan’s previous position. This glance made his pupils constrict in disbelief.

He didn’t see a swordsman struggling under severe injuries. On the contrary, he saw no swordsman at all! Not only the swordsman, but the wandering spirits who had surrounded him were gone too.

Bai Zhengliu’s mind was full of confusion, and in that confusion, his heart skipped a beat as a bold, almost unbelievable, yet perfectly logical thought formed:

Mei brother. He silently repeated these two characters in his heart. Their roles had reversed—this time, it would be him attracting the old ghost’s attention, and the swordsman, naturally, would be—In the darkness, he circled behind the old ghost.

Since the spiritual light floating in the air could affect the bone chains, it could naturally affect the wandering spirits even more.

In such a favorable situation, Mei Yinghan would naturally not let it slip by. While Bai Zhengliu was entangled with the old ghost, the wandering spirits that had originally surrounded Mei Yinghan had already perished under his sword. The few who remained barely alive had long since retreated from the battlefield, too afraid to move forward, lest they vanish into nothingness.

Cowardly toward the strong and aggressive toward the weak—this was the perfect description of these wandering spirits.

They wanted to flee, and Mei Yinghan was too lazy to chase them. Seeing that the old ghost was entirely focused on guarding against Bai Zhengliu, an idea immediately formed in his mind.

Now was the moment to act.

Tianshan lightness skill, at this moment, was used by Mei Yinghan at full power.

He circled behind the old ghost, who remained completely unaware. Only when Mei Yinghan raised his long sword did he pierce through the old ghost’s soul.

The sliding of the bone chains stopped at this moment.

Author’s note:

The battle will end soon =v="