The Purgatory Calamity

After killing Zhang Heng and his brother, Zhang Zhu, Pang Jian's confidence surged as he realized that beginner cultivators were not invincible.

At this moment, he didn't rush to break out; instead, he continued to assess the situation before him, as well as the state of several other battlefields.

Zhou Qingchen, with his exceptionally formidable individual combat strength, had broken out from Pang Jian's far left and had long since disappeared.

Vaguely, he could hear the sound of a dark ghost leader named Hong Tai riding a python, speeding across the ground.

Directly in front of him, the area originally occupied by Hong Tai was chosen by Han Duping as his breakout route.

Transformed into a bright silver ball, Han Duping had only enjoyed some early success before being intercepted.

Several dark ghosts wielding massive black iron shields blocked Han Duping's transformation into a rolling sphere.

With each collision against the black iron shields, the dark ghosts behind them joined forces to resist, preventing Han Duping from advancing.

The appearance of those black iron shields left Han Duping, who had hoped to escape amid the chaos, at a loss for what to do.

Shangguan Qin, who had wanted to use Han Duping's escape as a chance to ascend to Heaven, was also intercepted by three dark ghost attackers, who surrounded and attacked her while taunting her with their words.

Shangguan Qin, holding a red jade cane, was the weakest Meridians Channeling Cultivator among them, but one of her adversaries was a fellow Meridians Channeling Cultivator who was stronger than her, causing her great internal distress.

If it wasn't for Hong Tai's earlier remark that he needed both her and Ning Yao alive, she might have already been severely wounded and unable to continue.

The other servants loyal to the Zhou Family, emboldened by Zhou Qingchen, were also getting beaten by dark ghosts in various areas.

Outnumbered by dark ghosts, and with comparable cultivation levels, each servant had to deal with two or three opponents, and they quickly fell into defeat.

Bravery and courage were of little use in a fight where there was a significant disparity in strength.

Elsewhere,

Ning Yao and Ning Yuanshan's breakout efforts had made no progress after Zhang Heng's departure—on the contrary, their situation had grown even worse.

Ning Yuanshan was pinned to the trunk of a big tree by a golden short spear, gazing unwillingly toward Ning Yao's direction.

Surrounded by tiny starlight, Ning Yao was being attacked by a Meridians Channeling Cultivator teamed up with four of his Qi Refining Realm subordinates, aiming to exhaust Ning Yao's spiritual power and capture her alive.

"Meridians Channeling Realm,"

After observing for a moment, Pang Jian quickly discerned which among them had reached the Meridians Channeling Realm.

Meridians Channeling Cultivators either emitted a hazy light of spiritual power from their bodies or dispersed it through the implements they held.

By contrast, Qi Refining Cultivators mostly relied on their physical brute strength and did not have streams of spiritual power light on their bodies.

Who was in the Qi Refining Realm and who was in the Meridians Channeling Realm was clear at a glance during combat.

"The Zhang brothers are dead."

The Meridians Channeling Realm leader who had ordered his subordinates to attack Ning Yao, upon noticing Pang Jian sizing him up, also suddenly became aware of Pang Jian and gestured, summoning, "Send two people to kill him, be careful though, that kid is a bit tricky."

"Alright!"

Two voices answered in unison, and immediately they rushed toward Pang Jian.

Pang Jian no longer had time to observe the situation, his spirit immediately heightened as he readied himself for the next fight.

He bent his bow to shoot an arrow, but the two dark ghosts were not foolish warhorses; they were able to move nimbly and dodge, rendering his shot ineffective.

Soon, the two were in front of Pang Jian and without further ado, they chose to attack from both sides.

After the death of the Zhang brothers, they became extremely cautious, not daring to act rashly.

One short figure with a dagger aimed directly for Pang Jian's heart while another with a long whip aimed to entangle Pang Jian's legs, disrupting his stability.

Working together seamlessly, it was clear that this was not their first time coordinating attacks, but as Pang Jian was about to lift his Dragon Pattern Spear in resistance, his right ankle was entwined by the whip, and a powerful tug caused him to stagger.

"He didn't fall?"

The assailant tugging hard on the whip was incredulous as Pang Jian, after stumbling, managed to stand upright once more.

The shorter figure with the dagger took advantage of the proximity, and as Pang Jian couldn't effectively use his Dragon Pattern Spear so close, he could only block with his left arm.

"Pfft!"

His raised left arm was instantly pierced by the dagger, blood spraying forth.

However, the bones beneath his skin didn't show any signs of breaking under the dagger's stab, resiliently blocking the attack like iron or steel.

"It didn't break?"

The short figure wielding the dagger, disbelieving, struck two quick slashes at the wound in a flash of light.

"Clang clang!"

Sounds akin to metal clashing rang from Pang Jian's arm bones.

Amidst the excruciating pain, Pang Jian suddenly reacted, not waiting for the other to strike again, he grabbed the attacker close to his face and viciously headbutted him.

After a thunderous "bang," the attacker's nasal bones broke, and his face was covered in blood.

Pang Jian's hand, like an iron hook, grabbed the attacker's arm and violently yanked it, dislocating the assailant's bones, causing his arms to dangle limply.

Ignoring the bleeding from his own arm, Pang Jian pressed down on the attacker's shoulder with one hand while furiously pummeling his chest with the other.

"Crack."

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The attacker's sternum exploded, and he sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood, all of which landed on Pang Jian's face and neck.

After confirming the man was dead, Pang Jian, covered in blood, instantly crouched down, grabbed the whip entwined around his ankle and pulled the second attacker back.

The second Dark Ghost, witnessing the death of his comrade, was being dragged by the terrifying strength of Pang Jian, stumbling toward him.

Pang Jian, much taller and sturdier than his peers, was an imposing figure with a bloodstained face, and his ferocious eyes instilled fear in the Dark Ghost attacker.

Just when he was about to reach Pang Jian, he suddenly realized the danger and, dropping the whip, promptly turned and fled.

Unfettered, Pang Jian, without a word, quickly gave chase and caught up at an even faster pace, delivering a punch directly into the man's back.

"Boom!"

The second Dark Ghost assailant fell to the ground, dead, suffering the same fate as the Zhang siblings.

"Two useless things."

At the site where Han Duping was breaking out, someone sat on a densely-leaved tree, swinging his legs and chuckling coldly.

This was a well-dressed young man, his face concealed by leaves and not immediately visible.

Before he spoke, neither the people engrossed in battle nor Pang Jian, who had a moment to survey the situation, noticed his presence.

"Meridians Channeling Realm."

With one glance, Pang Jian determined that this person was different from the four who attacked him, definitely not a Qi Refining Realm cultivator.

Because the man's legs hanging in mid-air were drawing circles, rippling with obvious spiritual power like a burgeoning blossom.

Both of his feet dissipating spiritual power indicated he had been immersed in the Meridians Channeling Realm for a long time, his cultivation undoubtedly profound.

Pang Jian had never faced an opponent from the Meridians Channeling Realm. Although his brute strength had surged recently and his chest and arm bones had been tempered, he had no confidence to face an opponent of this caliber.

He watched the man in the tree, maintaining caution, looking for an opportunity to exploit.

"There's something strange about you."

The man drifted down from the tree and, light as a feather upon landing, directly approached Pang Jian.

"Not a single meridian in your body is circulating spiritual power, so you're not a Meridians Channeling Cultivator. Yet, your bones are as sturdy as those of a Great Cultivator in the Marrow Cleansing Realm. This is quite surprising to me."

After he landed, the Ghost Cultivators attacking Shangguan Qin scattered in fear.

As if he were some fierce beast.

Neither Han Duping, intercepted along the way, nor the disheveled but beautiful Shangguan Qin caught his attention; he only walked toward Pang Jian.

"Jin Yang, don't take risks,"

Behind the massive iron shield, a hoarse and heavy voice sounded: "You are of noble status, let me probe this boy's depth. If he's a Great Cultivator in Marrow Cleaning who's pretending to be in Qi Refinement, I won't be able to explain to the leader!"

A man stepped out from behind the shield, dressed in a golden robe, wearing a matching golden mask on his face.

The mask's mouth curled with ferocious fangs, making him appear as fearsome and terrifying as a demon from hell.

"Your voice sounds familiar!"

Encased inside a hedgehog-like sphere of shiny silver, Han Duping, recognizing this powerful figure who had always been hidden behind the shield, finally stepping out, changed his expression and said, "Perhaps, we have met before!"

The mask-wearer, with only his eyes showing, revealed a hint of peculiarity but admitted nothing and denied nothing either.

"If the Marrow Cleaning Realm fellows are all so young, they're not from the Lower Realm," Jin Yang laughed, indifferent, and waved his hand at the man, "Don't worry, he's not one of those heaven-blessed talents."

Seeing his resolute attitude, the man stopped persuading.

Listening to their conversation, Pang Jian felt a surge of unease, realizing that this Dark Ghost named Jin Yang might not have the profound realm of the serpent-riding Hong Tai.

Yet, he seemed to hold a higher status than Hong Tai, his identity even more esteemed.

Jin Yang was not the initiator of this operation; he seemed to be just an observer, it shouldn't have been his turn to take action.

Having such a person now focused on him, sparked by his own curiosity, was far from entertaining.

Pang Jian's gaze flickered, trying to find a way to break out, but he soon realized that every exiting direction seemed to have Dark Ghosts lurking.

He also began to feel a sense of inevitability about Jin Yang pursuing him no matter where he fled.

"Black Water Pool, Phoenix Bone, Forbidden Land!"

At this moment of peril, several terms flashed through Pang Jian's mind like lightning.

While everyone else was still trying to break free from Black Water Pool, Pang Jian suddenly turned and desperately headed toward the pond where a Phoenix Bone stood erect.

"Interesting, instead of seeking the last shred of life, you retreat into a dead end," Jin Yang remarked with a laugh while gliding effortlessly above the weeds toward Pang Jian.

He even joked, "There's no magic in this Phoenix Bone; I checked it earlier. And we had Zhang Heng lead you here precisely because of the Black Water Pool."

They had discovered the bone earlier and explored it thoroughly.

It was because they knew of the bone and the terrain was easy to encircle that they had arranged for Zhang Heng to bring people like the Zhou family here under the pretense of its presence.

He truly didn't believe Pang Jian could make any significant waves next to Black Water Pool and the Phoenix Bone.

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