Zhang Daoyuan could feel the concentration of Yin energy in the construction site increase several times in an instant, causing a drop in temperature that even made his movements sluggish.
"These evil spirits have awakened. Their power will greatly increase in this desolate place. We might not be their match. Let's go!"
Zhang Daoyuan said gravely, feeling the situation had become serious, and wanted to pull Ye Ling away from here.
But before Zhang Daoyuan could make a move, he found that the tin walls and iron gate surrounding the construction site had disappeared. The outside had turned into a desolate graveyard, and the road was no longer visible.
"What is this?"
Cold sweat broke out on Zhang Daoyuan's forehead. He looked around and found that apart from their construction site, the surroundings were all graveyards!
Was this an illusion array?
He clenched his fists. The three evil spirits that had been slumbering in the construction site crawled out of the ground. Their powerful auras made each of them feel incredibly troublesome to him!
However, Zhang Daoyuan was experienced after all. After the initial panic, he quickly calmed down and whispered to Ye Ling, "This place has been buried with an illusion array. Once the sun sets, everyone in this construction site will be pulled into this space and killed by those three evil spirits. No wonder those few people fled in a hurry."
"I encountered this kind of evil array in Miao territory. To break it, one must find the array's core, or kill those three evil spirits. Otherwise, we can only be trapped and die here!"
Although Zhang Daoyuan knew how to break the array, his mood was exceptionally solemn.
The three evil spirits originally only had third-grade strength, but due to the amplification of this illusion array, their strength had greatly increased.
With Zhang Daoyuan's strength, dealing with even one of them was somewhat difficult. Facing two would result in instant defeat!
If they couldn't find the core of the illusion array before the three evil spirits discovered them, they would surely die!
Ye Ling glanced indifferently at the three evil spirits crawling out of the ground, his expression unchanged.
The level of the array that trapped them, in Ye Ling's opinion, was so poor it hadn't even entered the threshold, with flaws everywhere.
Although Ye Ling was not a top-tier array master, he had once discussed the Dao with the number one array master of the Eastern Xuan Continent for three months, thus possessing considerable attainments in the art of arrays.
For illusion arrays like this, Ye Ling didn't even need to rely on spiritual energy; he could see the world outside the illusion with his naked eyes.
"Don't waste time here. Our target is not these little ghosts," Ye Ling said calmly and walked out from behind the cover.
"Little friend, don't be rash!"
Seeing Ye Ling walk out so directly, Zhang Daoyuan panicked and tried to stop him.
But it was too late.
Ye Ling swaggered in front of the three evil spirits, attracting their attention.
Seeing this, Zhang Daoyuan had no choice but to brace himself and leap out.
Ye Ling's strength was greater than his. Perhaps with their combined efforts, they would have a slim chance of survival.
Zhang Daoyuan said seriously, "Little friend, these three evil spirits are powerful. I can hold off one, and the remaining two can be yours."
"No need."
Ye Ling said indifferently, ignoring the three evil spirits, and walked to the place where Lu Shaofeng had previously performed the sacrifice. He directly broke the restriction above the pit and lifted the iron plate.
"Roar!!!"
Seeing this, the other three evil spirits seemed to be enraged, becoming frenzied and pouncing towards Ye Ling.
The Yin wind howled. Zhang Daoyuan quickly took out a talisman and activated his spiritual energy.
"Thunder God's Command · Demon Subjugation!"
Zhang Daoyuan chanted quickly, rapid lightning entwined the talisman, and thunder roared.
But before Zhang Daoyuan could throw the talisman, the three evil spirits pouncing towards Ye Ling were torn apart by the demonic energy surging from Ye Ling's body!
It's over?
Zhang Daoyuan froze, holding the talisman, his entire being in disarray.
"This..."
These three evil spirits, after being strengthened by the illusion array, had at least fifth-grade strength. In the entire Chinese spiritual practitioners' world, they were already considered top-tier experts, capable of being founding ancestors in many small sects!
Such powerful and fierce spirits, gone just like that?
Zhang Daoyuan was speechless. The talisman in his hand gradually extinguished, and he watched as Ye Ling pulled the evil spirit under the restriction out of the coffin.
His heart was filled with extreme complexity.
The evil spirit, which had been feeding on corpses and was now resting in the coffin, was also a bit bewildered, not understanding why it was being pulled out.
"This evil spirit still has some intelligence. It seems the Jiang family is very ambitious..."
Seeing the look in the evil spirit's eyes in his hand was different from the previous three, Ye Ling's smile deepened. Dark demonic energy surged from his hand, entwining the evil spirit.
In the Eastern Xuan Continent, evil spirits that were born with intelligence already possessed a certain combat power. If it were allowed to evolve further, its strength would expand even more, and it could even cultivate like a cultivator.
For ghost cultivators, having an evil spirit with intelligence was the most basic requirement to achieve something.
"Let, let me go!"
Entwined by Ye Ling's demonic energy, the evil spirit instinctively felt danger, began to struggle, and even spoke.
"An evil spirit that can speak?"
Hearing the evil spirit's voice, Zhang Daoyuan's pupils contracted, and a storm of shock surged in his heart.
Clearly, Zhang Daoyuan also knew how precious a speaking evil spirit was!
Even though he had traveled the world for decades, he had encountered no more than five speaking evil spirits.
Such evil spirits, the weakest could evolve to sixth-grade or even higher!
Once, when their Zheng Yi Sect suffered a great disaster, it was attacked by an eighth-grade evil spirit, resulting in heavy casualties. If not for the power left in the world by their ancestor, their Zheng Yi Sect would have been wiped out by that eighth-grade evil spirit a hundred years ago.
The one in Ye Ling's hand now, though only second-grade in strength, already possessed intelligence and infinite potential.
If it were allowed to grow, the consequences would be unimaginable!
However, Ye Ling did not consider this evil spirit too special.
This evil spirit might be considered top-grade on Earth, but if placed in the Eastern Xuan Continent, its quality would only be considered ordinary, suitable as an introductory evil spirit for some ghost cultivator disciples.
Common goods.
Without hesitation, Ye Ling directly compressed it into a small ball with his demonic energy and placed it into his spatial ring.
As this evil spirit was subdued by Ye Ling in a few moves, the illusion array in the construction site also broke. The moonlight shone in, illuminating the road outside the construction site.
The illusion array shattered.
Zhang Daoyuan watched, dumbfounded, his mind unable to catch up for a moment.
Everything had happened too fast!
"It's over... just like that?"
Seeing the tin walls and the road outside reappear, Zhang Daoyuan was stunned for a long time, thinking he was dreaming.
The series of events that had just transpired had completely broadened his horizons.
After resolving everything, Ye Ling looked at the stunned Zhang Daoyuan and called out, "Old Daoist, it's time for us to go."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Zhang Daoyuan jolted, snapping back to reality. He then saw Ye Ling ascend into the sky, and was once again utterly shocked, his mouth agape.
"Seventh, seventh-grade spiritual practitioner?"
The universally recognized ranks of spiritual practitioners in China were divided into nine grades. Below sixth-grade were mortals, while above seventh-grade were extraordinary, no longer mortals.
Above seventh-grade, one could fly and burrow, becoming an unparalleled grandmaster.
In this era, a sixth-grade martial force was enough to shake the nation and be a national treasure!
And unparalleled grandmasters above seventh-grade were basically the patriarchs of major top sects, rarely seen moving in the world.
Zhang Daoyuan, with his fifth-grade strength, already had considerable fame in the Chinese spiritual practitioner circles, enough to roam the martial world!
The current sect leader of the major sect, Zheng Yi Sect, was only sixth-grade...
A seventh-grade spiritual practitioner...
Zhang Daoyuan had never seen one.
"What are you still standing there for?" Ye Ling stood in the void, looking at Zhang Daoyuan frozen in place. He frowned and reached out to grab the void.
Zhang Daoyuan, who was still shocked by Ye Ling's strength, suddenly felt a massive suction force.
Then, he was shocked to discover...
He was flying!
"My God!!!"