Chapter 974: Chapter 963: Shikigami
Ning Fan’s decisive strike finally ignited the fury of this group of Dongying Onmyoji. Enraged over the deaths of their comrades, they charged forward, attempting to use their so-called Yin Yang Techniques against him.
“A bunch of small fry—so you’re all here to waste my time, huh?”
Ning Fan glanced at the crazed Dongying practitioners with a look of disdain.
“Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll personally grant your wish!”
They had brought this upon themselves. Ning Fan’s eyes sharpened, and a terrifying killing intent emanated from his gaze. His entire presence transformed as if he had been possessed by the God of Slaughter.
The air seemed to grow thick and heavy. Wielding his longsword, Ning Fan gave his opponents no chance whatsoever. Like an avatar of death, he made this group of clamorous Dongying fools experience the definition of Hell on Earth.
“Yin Yang Techniques, is it? And your sacred incantations? Let’s see if you truly have what it takes to take me down!”
As though venting all his pent-up rage, Ning Fan unleashed every ounce of his fury upon this cocky group of Onmyoji who had no understanding of their own limits.
The flashes of his sword filled the air, and streaks of Sword Qi tore through the battlefield. The fragile bodies of the Dongying practitioners were utterly incapable of withstanding the edge of Ning Fan’s blade; they were sliced apart, their heads severed from their bodies.
Before they could even finish reciting their pathetic spells—spells whose effectiveness was still in question—Ning Fan’s blade had already reached their throats, leaving them with only death.
“A ghost! Don’t kill me!”
“No, no, save me, please!”
“Run! This man is a demon!”
In the wake of Ning Fan’s slaughter, these pathetic Dongying practitioners finally realized the dreadfulness of the monster they had provoked.
To them, Ning Fan no longer resembled a human but an incarnation of a demon, far more terrifying than any so-called great demon.
The entire courtyard plunged into chaos. Fear spread like a plague, seizing the hearts of everyone present.
Panic-stricken screams pierced the air as people fled in all directions in a desperate bid to escape.
“You damned Huaxia monkey, stop right there!”
As Ning Fan was reveling in his slaughter, an ear-piercing voice rang out from a short distance away.
It was filled with unbridled rage, likely from witnessing the merciless massacre of so many Onmyoji.
Ning Fan turned his head, his expression showing irritation as he looked at the speaker. The man was also clad in Onmyoji robes, holding a string of talisman papers. His appearance was eerie—donned in pure white robes, his face deathly pale, giving off an unsettling aura.
“And who the hell are you? Here to throw your life away too?”
Ning Fan curled his lips into a chilling sneer.
“It’s Lord Qingyang! Thank goodness! If it’s him, he’ll definitely defeat this demon!”
“We’re saved! Finally, we’re saved!”
“Kill him, Lord Qingyang!”
The surviving Onmyoji grew ecstatic at the appearance of the young man, as if they had found hope amidst despair. One by one, they called out in excitement.
Tian Tuyuan Qingyang, this young man hailed as the genius Onmyoji of the Tian Tuyuan family, had demonstrated unparalleled talent in practicing Yin Yang Techniques at a young age.
“How dare you slaughter so many of my clansmen?! Who gave you the audacity, you inferior monkey from Huaxia?!”
Upon seeing the corpses of numerous comrades strewn across the ground, this so-called prodigy of the Yin Yang Family flushed with rage. His face turned an intense shade of red, clearly due to his overwhelming fury.
Tian Tuyuan Qingyang’s bloodshot eyes bore into Ning Fan, his hatred so great that he looked as though he wanted to grind Ning Fan’s bones to dust.
“Spare me your worthless babbling. Now tell me—where is Situ Qingfeng? I *might* consider giving you a quicker death.”
Ning Fan plunged his sword into the ground and casually picked at his ear, his nonchalance radiating contempt in the eyes of others.
At the same time, a glint of frost flickered in Ning Fan’s gaze. These damned bastards kept calling him a “Huaxia monkey”—did they really think his patience was infinite?
Ning Fan had only come here initially to find Situ Qingfeng, but because of their relentless insults, he now felt an overwhelming urge to turn this place into a blood-soaked slaughterhouse and wipe them all out.
“You damned Huaxia monkey! You’ll pay for your arrogance!”
With a furious roar, Tian Tuyuan Qingyang flung the talisman papers from his hand. Those talismans floated in the air instead of dropping to the ground, presenting a strange sight that made Ning Fan narrow his eyes in curiosity.
“Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Zai, Qian!”
Tian Tuyuan clasped his hands together and chanted the Nine-character True Words. The talisman papers shone brightly, and a blue pentagram arose from the ground beneath them.
Seeing something finally piquing his interest, Ning Fan widened his eyes slightly, a spark of excitement flashing within them. He watched with amusement, refraining from interrupting this so-called genius to see what trick he was planning.
As the pentagram expanded, skeletons began clawing their way out from beneath scattered cherry blossom trees. Clad in crimson armor from Dongying’s Warring States Period, wielding katanas nearly rusted through, their empty eye sockets emitted eerie blue ghost fire, and they emerged with bone-chilling wails.
“Are these Shikigami?” Ning Fan scratched his head curiously, then suddenly changed his tone to dismiss them. “No, it’s just a lame little party trick using the dead.”
“Hmph, you’re scared now, aren’t you? Suffer in despair and regret as you die!”
Tian Tuyuan Qingyang smirked smugly, his expression that of someone convinced of victory.
But Ning Fan only let out a cold laugh. “So, the techniques of Huaxia’s ancestors finally made their way here, only for you to ruin them like this? Truly, you’re just a pack of ungrateful dogs incapable of learning anything of value!”
The so-called Yin Yang Techniques had originated from the Yin Yang Family, a school of thought during Huaxia’s Warring States Period. Its founder, Zou Yan, was none other than an ancient visionary from Huaxia.
As everyone well knew, most of Dongying’s culture stemmed from Huaxia, including Yin Yang Techniques. And yet, here they were, these ungrateful bastards, proving once again their inability to preserve or properly honor their inheritance.
“Keep running your mouth, you Huaxia monkey! Let me show you the true power of Yin Yang Techniques!”
Tian Tuyuan Qingyang barked in disdain, hurling several ghost fires toward Ning Fan. The skeletal warriors seemed to receive their orders and, with ghastly shrieks, charged toward Ning Fan in unison.
At this sight, the remaining Dongying practitioners cheered in excitement as though they had already foreseen Ning Fan’s brutal demise.
“Ah, such a shame our ancestors’ legacy has been reduced to this.”
Ning Fan shook his head with exaggerated sorrow, his tone still as light as ever. He remained entirely relaxed, unconcerned about the encroaching forces.
Or rather, to him, these skeleton warriors posed no more threat than mere twigs.
Swish—
A streak of white light flashed, and the dozen or so skeleton warriors collapsed instantly, their bones scattering lifelessly to the ground.
“Dongying’s Yin Yang Techniques amount to nothing. You’ve barely scratched the surface!”
The disdainful words hovered in the air, echoing faintly with scorn.