Volume Two: Travels in the State of Qi Chapter 85: Stalemate

It's over. What should I do now? System, help me!

Seeing the dark shadow rush toward him, Zhang Heng managed to keep calm, but truthfully had no idea what to do. Worse yet, the system was unresponsive at this critical moment. Damn it. Zhang Heng had no choice but to activate the Lesser Polar Aurora Phantom technique and flee in every direction.

Although the movement technique was quite marvelous, Zhang Heng's strength was ultimately limited, and so was his speed. The Ghost Saint Daoist, after all, had been a cultivator at the Tribulation Crossing stage in life; he moved incredibly fast and soon caught up with Zhang Heng.

The shadow surged forward, about to pierce Zhang Heng's chest. Yet, just as it was about to touch him, it abruptly halted.

Zhang Heng thought he was doomed, but realized instead that the shadow had not harmed him. Perplexed, he wondered if the Ghost Saint Daoist had suddenly turned over a new leaf.

After a brief pause, the Ghost Saint Daoist retreated, then charged at Zhang Heng again.

It was gathering strength.

Zhang Heng was not one to sit and wait for death. He summoned all his spiritual power and retreated at full speed.

The shadow arrived in an instant. But, once more, it stopped just before reaching Zhang Heng. This happened repeatedly. Zhang Heng watched the phenomenon, finding it oddly amusing. What was the Ghost Saint Daoist up to?

At this moment, the system's voice finally sounded.

Beep. The Heart-Guarding Sword has two functions: attack and defense. The Ghost Saint Daoist's consciousness lacks a physical form, so the sword's attack is useless against him. However, the Heart-Guarding Sword is Du Gu Bai's life-bound artifact; its defensive power is beyond imagination. The Ghost Saint Daoist's consciousness has been exploited for thousands of years and is now extremely weak. Naturally, he cannot break through the sword's defense.

So, I can't harm him, and he can't harm me? Zhang Heng asked.

Beep. Correct.

"Boy! What exactly are you carrying?" The Ghost Saint Daoist's sinister voice echoed, full of bitter resentment.

Zhang Heng's vitality was extremely strong—if the Ghost Saint Daoist could feed on it, he could quickly recover. But to his surprise, this boy was so strange; he could not break Zhang Heng's defenses.

"Hahaha," Zhang Heng now laughed.

"Come and hit me, you old bastard!" After being chased by something dead for a thousand years, Zhang Heng was naturally annoyed. Now, with neither side able to do anything to the other, he would feel he'd wronged himself if he didn't curse.

Seeing that he couldn't do anything to Zhang Heng, the Ghost Saint Daoist turned his attention to Mu Wanqing, who lay on the ground.

Watching the shadow rush toward her, Mu Wanqing's jade-like face showed panic, but her injuries were so severe she couldn't move. Helpless, she could only await the judgment of fate.

She gave up struggling and closed her eyes in despair.

Yet the expected attack did not come. Instead, a warm and powerful embrace enveloped her.

Her beautiful eyes opened to see the frantically darting shadow nearby, and a face both delicate and determined.

Having seen the Ghost Saint Daoist change targets, Zhang Heng had rushed over in a panic. Fortunately, he was closer to Mu Wanqing than the Ghost Saint Daoist and managed to arrive in time, averting disaster.

"It's... it's alright now, Miss Mu," Zhang Heng gasped, out of breath. In his anxious rush, he had expended all his spiritual power and seemed to gain a deeper understanding of the Lesser Polar Aurora Phantom's basic technique.

Seeing that the Ghost Saint Daoist truly could not break through, Zhang Heng did not let go of Mu Wanqing, uncertain of the Heart-Guarding Sword's defensive mechanism.

If he released her, would the defense no longer apply to her? With this in mind, he held the woman in his arms even tighter.

"Let me go," Mu Wanqing said coldly. Though she was very weak, Zhang Heng could sense the murderous intent in her voice.

She was grateful to the man for saving her, but his boldness was obviously taking advantage of her—how could she not be angry?

Zhang Heng replied solemnly, "Miss Mu, I apologize. But if I let you go, the defense may no longer protect you. With life and death at stake, this is the only solution I have. I hope you understand."

Zhang Heng genuinely did not know, so he was not deceiving her.

Mu Wanqing kept her beautiful eyes fixed on him. Although she didn't fully believe his words, Zhang Heng did not appear to be lying.

Thus, she refrained from arguing and allowed him to hold her, lowering her head to continue taking the spiritual liquid Zhang Heng had given her to heal her wounds.

Now, Zhang Heng had to master the formation technique provided by the system. He must destroy the Ghost Saint Daoist's consciousness.

Countless cultivators had entered this ancient tomb. Zhang Heng couldn't possibly embrace all of them.

If they were young women, it would matter little; but if it were an old man like Wu Hong, the thought alone made Zhang Heng shudder.

So, he could only hurry his cultivation.

"Miss Mu, I'm searching for a way to destroy him. Please help keep him occupied, so he doesn't harm others," Zhang Heng said gravely, then closed his eyes to practice the formation technique.

"Keep him occupied?" Mu Wanqing was taken aback. She rarely conversed with people; expressing herself was never her strong suit. Now, to make small talk with something that's been dead for a thousand years? That was far too much to ask.

"Um... Senior," Mu Wanqing reluctantly spoke. She understood the gravity of the situation—if this old thing wasn't detained, others would surely suffer.

The Ghost Saint Daoist drifted around them, paying Mu Wanqing no mind.

"Senior, look at the man beside me—he's fair-skinned, plump, and clean. Don't you want to take a bite?" After saying this, Mu Wanqing's cheeks reddened. She couldn't believe she had uttered such words herself.

She had noticed earlier that the shadow seemed quite interested in Zhang Heng, so she could only use him as bait.

Even while meditating, Zhang Heng could sense what was happening. Hearing Mu Wanqing's words, he nearly lost his concentration.

This girl was unexpectedly witty.

The Ghost Saint Daoist was unwilling to leave and kept wandering, searching for a way to deal with Zhang Heng. Yet, after several attempts, he found the man's defense was absurdly formidable.

No matter the angle or the approach, he could not break through.

It was an awkward situation—neither side could do anything to the other.

Just as the two people and the ghost were at an impasse, another person burst into their tomb chamber. It was the Void Return cultivator who had been watching Zhang Heng and Mu Wanqing at the entrance.

This was bad. Zhang Heng and Mu Wanqing became anxious. This person had appeared just to be sacrificed—if the shadow absorbed his spiritual power, it would surely recover considerably.

If they couldn't find a way to deal with it soon, chaos would engulf the world.

Sure enough, the Ghost Saint Daoist, seeing the Void Return cultivator fly in, laughed wildly inside. Even heaven was aiding him; he could not help but recover now.

The poor Void Return cultivator hadn't even realized what was happening before a mass of black energy invaded, draining his life in an instant. He didn't even have time to struggle, dying peacefully.

Then, the shadow emerged from the dead man's chest, its aura stronger than before, its mass larger than previously.

"Hahahaha, excellent, excellent. Delicious!" The Ghost Saint Daoist laughed wickedly.

Having recovered a bit of strength, the Ghost Saint Daoist launched another attack on Zhang Heng.