Chapter 148: Chapter 148: The First Trial of Sword Radiance
The north wind howled, and the land was vast and desolate.

Under the dark sky, Wang Chen was skimming close to the ground on the Willow Leaf Flying Boat.

He was now in the Outer Domain and alone, so he dared not fly too high.

Otherwise, once targeted by Monster Animals, Evil Cultivators, or even Evil Wraiths,

he would easily become a moving target.

This was clearly stated in the “Cloud Sun Disciple’s Outer Region Exploration Handbook”!

Wang Chen had ventured out this time with the aim of earning sect contributions.

His target was one thousand Merit Points.

As long as he achieved this goal, he could linger for a year in the Inner Sect!

Previously, Wang Chen had chosen two missions at the Sect Affairs Hall.

One was to arrest the Grey Eye Thieves!

Although the bounty for the Grey Eye Thieves had already been revoked, Cloud Sun Sect’s pursuit of its enemies had not ceased, it simply became an internal, long-term mission.

A Qi Cultivating Evil Cultivator’s head was worth one hundred Merit Points, and a Purple Mansion Evil Cultivator’s head was worth five thousand Merit Points.

There was no time limit!

The other was also a long-term task, which was to collect Yin Qi Pearls.

Yin Qi Pearls were very precious materials, useful both for cultivation and Artifact Refining.

Because the probability of obtaining them from defeating Evil Wraiths was extremely low,

even the most ordinary Yin Qi Pearl could sell for several hundred Spirit Stones at the Four Seas Commerce Association.

Wang Chen had previously obtained five Yin Qi Pearls, undoubtedly far luckier than the average person in this regard.

Only, he had no idea that Yin Qi Pearls were also mission items.

So, when he saw the related missions at the Sect Affairs Hall, he took them without hesitation.

One Yin Qi Pearl, depending on its quality, could be exchanged for hundreds to several thousand Merit Points!

Compared to the mysterious and dangerous Grey Eye Thieves, this mission clearly suited Wang Chen better, especially with his Demon-Slaying Net.

To complete this task, he set his sights on a Ruined City a hundred miles from the Outer Mountain Gate.

The Ruined City was large, and Wang Chen had explored it before, finding lots of Evil Wraiths lurking about.

However, the Ruined City had felt too dangerous, so he had instead gone to the Chaotic Burial Mound.

But the current Wang Chen had grown much stronger!

He decided to explore the Ruined City once more.

If he was lucky enough to hunt and obtain a few Yin Qi Pearls on the outskirts, he could comfortably go back home and “hibernate” for the winter.

Thinking this, Wang Chen fueled the flying boat with more Mana, speeding toward his destination.

As the sky gradually darkened, he arrived near the Ruined City.

Most low-level Evil Wraiths were active only at night and could not be found during the daytime.

Wang Chen tucked away his flying boat at the edge of the Ruined City.

He found a concealed spot and began to wait patiently.

It was said that thousands of years ago, numerous cities, built and ruled by Cultivators, surrounded the Heaven Cloud Mountain range.

Each city was like a nation.

Controlled and managed by the most powerful Cultivator families.

A large city of Cultivators housed tens or even hundreds of thousands of Cultivators.

Now, the majority of these Cultivator cities had vanished in the long river of time, leaving only desolation and ruins behind.

The Ruined City Wang Chen was targeting was mostly covered with grass and vines now, with only some broken walls and remnants standing exposed, silently recounting its past splendor.

As night fell, the once empty and desolate Ruined City suddenly lit up with faint ghostly fires.

The night wind carried sounds from the depths of the ruins to Wang Chen’s ears.

Wavering between distance and proximity, it sounded like someone softly weeping or quietly chuckling with a strange charm and mystery that tempted the mind!

Yet, such sounds were unable to shake Wang Chen’s Divine Soul and will.

Unmoved, he continued to watch the scenes within the Ruined City, looking for the right opportunity.

Evil Wraiths were notoriously unpredictable.

If Wang Chen hadn’t acquired the Heaven-Ensnaring Punisher Net, he would not have set his sights on this Ruined City nor considered the fearsome Evil Wraiths as hunting targets.

But he was even less likely to be arrogant and reckless. Without enough confidence, he would never act rashly.

After all, the dangers of the Ruined City were even greater than those of the Chaotic Burial Mound!

And so, Wang Chen ended up waiting for two hours.

By the time it was late at night, the darkest hours, several red lanterns rose up within the Ruined City.

They floated silently through the air, their light illuminating large areas of the ruins.

Pavilions and terraces with carved beams and painted rafters, streets lined with shops, all began to appear!

Busy figures bustled on the paths, with shop assistants vigorously hawking at store entrances, luring customers in.

An atmosphere of hustle and bustle, as if a scene bustling with horses and carriages came alive.

And all of these scenes were something Wang Chen had never witnessed before!

He immediately bestowed upon himself a Grandmaster-ranked Spiritual Perception Technique.

In his spiritual vision, the scenery of the Ruined City changed once again.

Clumps of grey, white, black, rust, and blood-colored fog tumbled and entangled each other, exuding a foreboding and exceedingly bizarre aura of evil!

Wang Chen thought for a moment but couldn’t retrieve any relevant memories.

The types of Evil Wraiths were as numerous as the hairs of an ox, and the “Treatise on Evil Wraith” recorded only a tiny fraction of them.

Moreover, Evil Wraiths would devour each other and evolve, and what they could eventually become, no one could clearly say!

Wang Chen quietly retreated.

Due to the distance being somewhat far, he could not accurately determine the level of the Evil Wraiths in the Ruined City.

But intuition told Wang Chen,

This was not a suitable target!

Since it was not feasible, there was no need to continue wasting time.

“Di li da la~”

Just as Wang Chen had retreated a mile out, suddenly a suona’s sound caught his attention.

Following the sound, he saw a wedding procession appearing on the wilderness!

From afar, a whole troop of fiery red figures became increasingly clear, like red candles just lit in the darkness, their glow spreading outwards in all directions, both real and illusory.

Leading the procession were six musicians.

They carried suonas, mouth organs, drums, gongs, and cymbals, bobbing their heads and playing extravagantly.

Following right behind was a tall man on a sturdy white steed adorned with red flowers.

This groom was cloaked in a red robe, his head crowned with a red brocade cap, his face powdered and lips red, exuding a sinister elegance.

Behind the groom followed a large, eight-bearer palanquin, the palanquin bearers, each with a tall hat, were fierce and imposing!

There were also ten maids carrying big red lanterns on both sides of the palanquin, their figures graceful and delicate.

The direction in which this wedding procession was moving was towards the Ruined City!

Wang Chen’s eyes immediately lit up.

Ghost Bridegrooms, Black Traveler-ranked Evil Wraiths!

Such wraiths were extremely rare, and whenever one appeared, it must have a wedding procession in tow.

The larger the procession, the stronger its power!

It is said that Ghost Bridegrooms often appear in the mortal realm to choose mortal women as their brides.

They wed at night, and the “brides” they take away would also turn into Evil Wraiths!

Wang Chen hadn’t expected to encounter a Ghost Bridegroom.

And such a level of Evil Wraith was undoubtedly a very suitable hunting target for him!

Wang Chen made a swift decision and immediately unfolded the Shadowless Divine Traverse, rushing towards the wedding procession with utmost speed.

Clang!

As the distance between them shrank to less than a hundred steps, the Fire Crow Sword fixed to Wang Chen’s back suddenly unsheathed and, like an arrow off the bowstring, streaked towards the Ghost Bridegroom riding the white horse.

Capture the king to capture the thieves!

Having selected his target, Wang Chen went all out the moment he took action.

Sword out!

The Fire Crow Sword, upon leaving the sheath, emitted a bright silver light that immediately turned a deep red, and suddenly burst into roaring flames.

Carrying the rising blaze, it soared like a flaming crow spreading its wings, drawing a long trail of fire in the sky, dispelling darkness and malevolence, and descended upon its target with the swiftness of thunder.

Sword strike!

“Whoa!”

The Ghost Bridegroom atop the horse let out a strange cry, his previously fair and handsome face instantly twisted into a grotesque expression, and from his open mouth, a mass of black qi spewed towards the approaching Fire Crow Sword.

This inner evil breath was extremely sinister, capable of eroding Spiritual Light and tarnishing Magic Artifacts—it was this wraith’s trump card!

Yet, the vehemently approaching Fire Crow Sword nimbly dodged the black qi, skimming past on the left side of the steed, then spiraling up around the Ghost Bridegroom.

Sword circle!

The raging flames instantly enveloped the Evil Wraith, and the relentless Sword Qi mercilessly slashed at its body!

“Ah~”

The Ghost Bridegroom let out an unbearably shrill scream as its body melted rapidly like a heated candle, and deep gashes appeared across its frame.

Now fully revealed in its true form, it was hideously ugly, with claws bared and fangs flashing, black mist billowing from its wounds, fiercely resisting the scorching flames.

However, the next moment, the Fire Crow Sword, now soaring in the sky, swooped down, piercing through the Ghost Bridegroom’s rapidly shrinking body, splitting both it and the steed beneath it neatly in two!

Sword fall!

The split body of the Ghost Bridegroom twisted violently for a few moments and then scattered into tiny black ashes.

[Human Virtue +95]

————

The first update delivered.

PS: I couldn’t focus on writing at all today, not until my daughter’s middle school exam results came out at five in the afternoon.

My little fish scored 724, surpassing her first choice by 12 points, her three years of hard work were not in vain, and she was admitted into the high school she most desired!