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Chapter 665: Chapter 671: Scheming
"These third-tier ghost spirits, all in their mid-stage, is it by chance, or is there another reason?" Li Chengsheng looked at the arrogant spirits and a strange thought arose in his heart.
Despite the aid of the Formation, the cultivators in the city were struggling to defend. If he didn’t take action, surely some ghost spirits would break through.
And what awaited the mortals within the walls would be a bloody massacre!
Boom—
Li Chengsheng casually struck, eliminating a group of low-tier ghost spirits that approached the city walls. The blaze roared fiercely, the scorching heat causing nearby low-tier ghost spirits to retreat in haste.
His actions also caught the attention of those third-tier ghost spirits.
"Roar! Golden Core cultivator! You are courting death!"
The third-tier ghost spirits roared in unison, charging at Li Chengsheng with their Yin Qi condensed Magical Treasures, carrying the momentum to shatter the air as they smashed towards him.
Li Chengsheng’s expression turned solemn. If he allowed their attacks to land, the Formation set up on the city walls would likely break, and the already outmatched cultivators would then be unable to stop the onslaught of ghost spirits.
Even if Qing Fan and Qing Rong took action at that point, the city would still be overrun with carnage, and masses of people would die.
"Sigh!"
To avoid such a tragedy, Li Chengsheng had no choice but to withstand their assault with his spells. He quickly cast a series of incantations, Mana pouring out, Spirit Light circulating, and tiny sparks of fire appeared at his fingertips. Drifting away, they grew upon meeting the wind, transforming into large Fire Lotuses, blocking the Yin Qi Magical Treasures.
Hiss!
The extremely Yang Sun Spirit Flame collided with the intensely Yin thick Yin Qi, negating each other, and a dense cloud of smoke dispersed in all directions.
When the smoke cleared, a bizarre scene unfolded not far in front of the city walls, with an area of fire on one side and snow on the other.
"This man is incredibly powerful! To be able to resist several third-tier ghost spirits all by himself." Qing Rong, who witnessed everything using a water mirror, couldn’t help but click her tongue in amazement.
Although there was a disparity in strength between the two sides, the ghost spirits had the advantage in numbers, and with the boost from the Yin Tide of Zhiyue, these two advantages nearly compensated for the gap.
"It seems he really is a direct disciple of some major power, his strength far surpasses ours, and we cannot make an enemy of him, only forge a friendly relationship." A trace of regret flickered in Qing Fan’s eyes.
After all, how can befriending him compare to gaining all his possessions? But when you know your own strength is far inferior, what’s the difference between coveting his wealth and seeking death?
However, if he were to get injured...
At this thought, a gleam of sharp light flickered in Qing Fan’s eyes, and the idea that had begun to dissipate gathered together once more.
"Elder Brother, now is a good opportunity, isn’t it? He’s at a deadlock with the ghost spirits. Our involvement could help him break this stalemate."
But Qing Fan shook his head and said, "Acting now to help is unlikely to earn his favor."
After all, they hadn’t helped when the situation was unfavorable, so what was the point of intervening now?
And as for the excuse of being engrossed in cultivation and not noticing the situation outside, does he really consider them fools? As if they would believe such a story.
"Rather, let’s give him a hand," Qing Fan said, a hint of darkness flitting across his eyes. His tone was light, but every word penetrated Qing Rong’s heart.
"But if we do this, Sanhe County might not hold." Qing Rong felt tempted as well but remained indecisive.
Because according to Qing Fan’s plan, at the most critical moment, they were to shut down the Formation. Without the protection of the Formation, Li Chengsheng would need to divide his attention to cast defensive spells, unable to attack with full strength.
If one could be injured by a ghost, that would be all too good.
But as a result, I’m afraid all the mortals in the entire county town would become blood food for the ghosts!
If they were a bit more ruthless, to ensure that no news would leak, by then, even if some people miraculously survived, they would still die at their hands!
However, by doing so, their mission to stay here and protect the mortals would also be deemed a failure and they would be punished by the Sect.
"And the Sect’s punishment is not light,"
This was the most crucial point; those mortals could die for all Qing Rong cared.
But for a power, the mortals are their foundation, the basis of their continuation and expansion. If a county’s tens of thousands, the entire region’s hundreds of thousands of mortals, were to all die at the hands of ghosts, the number of disciples they recruit each year might well decrease by several hundred!
"If you and I, as brothers, could break through to the Nascent Soul stage, how could the Sect punish us? They wouldn’t have enough time to reward us."
Qing Fan tempted, "After the breakthrough, one could not only become an Elder with a revered status and no longer be sent to such places with thin Spiritual Energy but, more importantly, one’s lifespan would greatly increase!"
"Brother, you and I have only a hundred or two hundred years of life left. If we fail to break through during this time, we can only wait for death. Yet an opportunity like the one we have now is rare indeed!"
Qing Rong was tempted! A faint red light appeared in his eyes as he said creepily, "Brother is absolutely right! But that method is not reliable."
"Oh? Does the younger brother have any better ideas?" 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓅𝓊𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
With a cruel smile at the corner of his mouth, Qing Rong said, "Since we’ve decided to make a move, we naturally cannot hold back. Brother’s power is even greater. When we find the right moment, I will shut down the Formation, and brother will attack with all his strength, coupled with the ghosts’ attack, he is bound to be unable to escape death!"
"Good, good!" Qing Fan praised repeatedly before changing the subject, "However, it would be more reliable if both of us took action together."
Did he really think he couldn’t see through his little scheme? He just wanted to make him the scapegoat. If anything went wrong, he would be the first to suffer!
"Still, brother is more astute," praised Qing Rong with a smile, not the least bit embarrassed at having his intentions seen through.
Li Chengsheng, however, had no idea that the two brothers were plotting against him.
At the moment, he was concentrating on dealing with ghosts.
Using the flames tinged with Yang Qi in the sea of fire to cast spells, he reduced his own consumption of Mana. And this time, Li Chengsheng’s target was not those third-level ghosts, but the most numerous low-level ghosts!
No sooner had he thought it than countless streams of Spirit Light flew out of the sea of fire. Under the enhancement of Mana, they turned into balls of fire the size of a fight, crashing into the ghost tide.
His purpose in doing so was to weaken the ghosts’ power, alleviate the pressure on the Cultivators in the city, and more importantly, to allow him to focus on those third-level ghosts afterward!
After all, Li Chengsheng also needed the Formation’s help in defense. With the Formation in place, he could launch attacks without having to be distracted by defense.
And maintaining the Formation required people. With neither Qing Fan nor Qing Rong taking action, these Cultivators were the best candidates.
However, speaking of which, did those two really have no intention of acting?
Li Chengsheng found it a bit strange in his heart; he knew that the Cultivators defending the city were also burdened with a duty!
If the city were to fall, they would face punishment from their affiliated forces!
But now, in the midst of a fierce battle, he could not afford to be distracted by such thoughts.
