Chapter 198: Chapter 197: Flying Thunder Curse Annihilates the Cyan Robed Ghost

As the voice faded, a figure appeared before them.

He wore a cyan scholar’s robe and white socks. He was tall and thin, his pale face tinged with an unnatural flush. His most striking features were his upturned, almond-shaped eyes and thin eyebrows that slanted sharply toward his temples, adding a sinister charm to his already handsome face.

But their attention wasn’t on him; it was on the small box in his hand.

The suction that had nearly pulled Yuan Wenrui in just moments ago had come from this very box.

Seeing his sneak attack had failed, the cyan-robed man closed the box. His gaze swept over the group before landing on Zhuo Qingyan. He smiled leisurely. "And what do you think, Miss?"

Zhuo Qingyan stared coldly at the man and spat out a single, indifferent word. "Scram."

"Hehehe!" The cyan-robed man chuckled, shaking his head. "I only want the soul of the Mage in your hands. You should feel fortunate, Miss. Why be so unwelcoming?"

Upon hearing this, everyone’s expression hardened.

Zhuo Qingyan instinctively looked to Gu Zhao, who nodded. "He’s brimming with Evil Qi. He’s no good."

Bai Ke’s eyes lit up, eager for a fight. "So, shall we?"

She wasn’t being reckless. She had clearly seen him fly in from a distance, not descend from the heavens.

Meanwhile, while Zhuo Qingyan had revealed a sliver of her power when she brandished the Ten Thousand Ghosts Banner, Gu Zhao had retracted his aura, appearing to be nothing more than an ordinary person standing aside.

’This is a sure-win. My favorite kind of fight.’

Seeing Bai Ke’s eagerness, a glint appeared in the cyan-robed man’s almond-shaped eyes, and his smile widened. "I see you carry yourselves well and even have Protective Magical Artifacts. I thought you might have some sense, but it seems you’re just a bunch of ignoramuses.

You don’t announce your names upon meeting, nor do you inquire about your opponent’s background. The moment there’s a disagreement, all you know is to fight and kill. How are you any different from those foolish peasants in the countryside?"

Bai Ke wrinkled her nose and snorted. "You pompous fool, all you do is criticize others. You attacked the second you arrived without announcing your name or asking where we’re from, and then you have the gall to say it’s our good fortune.

I’d say *you’re* the uncultured peasant. All those years you’ve lived have clearly gone to waste on a beast. You’d be better off just ending it all now than standing here making a complete fool of yourself for everyone to laugh at!"

The smile vanished from the cyan-robed man’s face, and a menacing glint appeared in his almond-shaped eyes.

"Such a sharp tongue," the cyan-robed man said coolly. "If you want me to announce my name, you’ll have to prove you’re worthy of hearing it."

The moment he finished speaking, his figure blurred, and he appeared before Bai Ke, his hand lashing out toward her face.

But just as he raised his hand, a deafening clap of thunder echoed in his ears. Purple light flashed before his eyes as an immense pressure bore down from above. A paralyzing numbness washed over him, making his hair stand on end and filling him with a sense of impending disaster.

The cyan-robed man roared, enveloping his body in Magical Power. A purple Thunderbolt then slammed into him. Although his Protective True Qi blocked most of the strike, a wisp of electricity still pierced through, rampaging inside his body.

The cyan-robed man grunted and shot backward. His eyes narrowed as he stared at Gu Zhao and demanded, "Who are you?"

"I preferred your arrogant and untamable demeanor from a moment ago. Why don’t you go back to that?"

Gu Zhao rolled his wrists, a pleasant smile on his face. "You don’t ask me, and I won’t ask you. No need for introductions. The winner stays standing, the loser hits the ground. Isn’t that much more refreshing?"

The next moment, the cyan-robed man saw Gu Zhao form a seal with his left hand and a technique with his right. Above the valley, a moderately sized cluster of Five-Colored Thunderclouds suddenly condensed.

"Thunderbolt?" The cyan-robed man was startled. He hastily tapped the spot between his eyebrows as he rapidly retreated. "I am a disciple of Yongzhou Jishen Mountain! Who are you?"

His answer was a Thunderbolt that shot forth from the Five-Colored Thunderclouds.

Celestial Thunder, Earthly Thunder, Dragon Thunder, Water Thunder, and Altar Thunder—bolts of cyan, red, white, black, and yellow—the Five-Colored Thunderbolt descended from the sky in a rumbling torrent, smashing straight toward his face.

At the same time, a cloud of gray Qi surged from between the cyan-robed man’s eyebrows.

This gray Qi carried a deathly Yin Qi, like something from the Netherworld. It instantly enveloped his entire body. When the Five-Colored Thunderbolt struck the Yin Qi, it created ripples across the surface but was ultimately held at bay.

Seeing the gray Qi rapidly depleting, the cyan-robed man was alarmed, furious, and pained all at once. Still, he didn’t dare stop. He could only continue casting his technique, enduring the thunderbolts as he flew backward.

"Oh?" Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow. ’Purely Yin Qi, a cut above ordinary Ghost Qi. It can actually withstand the Five Elements Thunder.’ "In that case, please continue to enjoy this next move of mine: the Flying Thunder Curse."

As he spoke, Gu Zhao’s Seal Technique changed once more. He chanted, "Spirit from the Water Gate born, thunder to the four corners sworn. Slay the evil, smite the ghost, let heaven and earth be purged and cleansed."

The Five-Colored Thunderclouds in the sky suddenly shrank and condensed, transforming into a bolt of purple-gold lightning as thick as a thigh that shot downward.

Seeing the Five-Colored Thunderclouds condense, the cyan-robed man had already taken out his small box once more. He flipped open the lid, and fourteen Fierce Ghost Souls surged out, propping up a black mist to shield him.

In life, these Fierce Ghost Souls had all been Mages with high Cultivation. He had killed them, used Soul Refining to turn them into enslaved ghosts under his command, and infused them with a trace of his silent, destructive Yin Qi. Whether for offense or defense, they were wonderfully versatile.

BOOM!

The Thunderbolt crashed into the black mist.

CRACKLE!

The black mist dissipated in an instant.

"AHH!"

The cyan-robed man shrieked. Nine of his fourteen Fierce Ghost Souls had been blasted apart by the strike. Worse, the Thunderbolt had pierced through the black mist and his protective Yin Qi, wounding his physical body directly.

The deathly Qi within the cyan-robed man’s body worked furiously to extinguish the invading Thunderbolt, but he didn’t dare linger for another second. His form contracted, transforming into a cloud of gray smoke that rapidly fled.

Gu Zhao smiled faintly and took a single, gentle step forward. As if teleporting, he instantly appeared in the direct path of the fleeing gray smoke.

"What!?"

The gray smoke was just about to collide with Gu Zhao when it saw him once again form a seal and a technique. Above his head, the Five-Colored Thunderclouds rapidly took shape.

"Wait!"

The gray mist dispersed to reveal the cyan-robed man. He had his five remaining Fierce Ghost Souls circling his body and layers of destructive Yin Qi protecting his head. "It was all a misunderstanding!" he said frantically. "My friend, please, stay your hand!"

"No misunderstanding," Gu Zhao replied coolly. His left hand formed the Water Thunder Seal, his right hand performed the Flying Thunder Technique, and he guided the power downward.

BOOM!

The cyan-robed man was already a spent force. His Fierce Ghost Souls and destructive Yin Qi were shattered by the flying thunder. The Thunderbolt entered him, his Ghost Body disintegrated, and even his Divine Soul was turned to smoke by the Flying Thunder Curse.

However...

Gu Zhao’s eyes narrowed. His Divine Thought instantly spread out, blanketing an area hundreds of yards in every direction. Layers of True Qi permeated the air as he scanned the surroundings intently.

A few moments later, Gu Zhao strolled over to where the cyan-robed man had been struck down. He looked at a gray pebble on the ground, no bigger than the tip of his little finger, and said with admiration, "Impressive. So well hidden. You almost fooled me."