Chapter 492: Corpse-Slaying Array
At this moment, Yang Haoran had never seen the Golden Magic Sword Ma Ling took out. Back then, in Old Master Wu's villa, he hadn't seen Ma Ling use this golden sword either. Perhaps it was a magical artifact Ma Ling acquired later.
The Golden Magic Sword glittered with golden light, its blade long and slender, much like Ma Ling's own pair of long legs, appearing remarkably beautiful.
After taking out the Golden Magic Sword, Ma Ling did not control it to attack the Corpse Ghoul. Instead, she tossed the golden sword into the air, where it hung suspended, emitting a faint golden light.
Subsequently, Ma Ling closed her eyes, her hands rapidly forming seals, her lips murmuring. It appeared she was preparing to set up some powerful formation.
Why Ma Ling didn't directly control the Golden Magic Sword to attack the Corpse Ghoul, Yang Haoran surmised it was perhaps because she wasn't confident that a regular attack could slay the Corpse Ghoul, hence her decision to deploy a formation.
And the Golden Magic Sword, suspended in mid-air at this moment, was very likely a component of the formation she was deploying.
The most profound memory Ma Ling had left Yang Haoran back then was the Nine Syllable Mantra Great Array she had set up in Old Master Wu's villa. Though several years had passed, Yang Haoran could still vividly recall that scene.
At that time, Ma Ling's strength was still too weak, so she was utterly unable to fully unleash the power of the Nine Syllable Mantra Great Array. Yet, even by manifesting merely the tip of its iceberg-like might, she had nearly slain an Evil Spirit outright.
Ma Ling's strength at the time was vastly inferior to that of the Evil Spirit, yet she nearly slew one using the Nine Syllable Mantra Great Array. This clearly demonstrated the immense power of that formation.
Now, Ma Ling's strength had improved considerably compared to those years ago. If she were to unleash the Nine Syllable Mantra Great Array again, its power would undoubtedly be astonishing. Just how astonishing, Yang Haoran didn't know, but he was incredibly eager to witness it.
Therefore, he didn't immediately launch a decisive strike against the Corpse Ghoul, contenting himself with merely restraining it using two chains.
With Yang Haoran's intervention, the two Spirit Police officers who had been engaging the Corpse Ghoul breathed a sigh of relief. Without even time to wipe the blood from the corners of their mouths, they quickly cast grateful glances toward Yang Haoran and Ma Ling.
However, just at that moment, the two seemed to discover something, and frantically shouted at Yang Haoran and Ma Ling, "Get out of the way, quickly!"
Ma Ling, hearing this, furrowed her brow slightly. Her hands, mid-seal, paused, as if she wished to open her eyes. But after a brief hesitation, she not only refrained from opening them but continued her intricate handiwork.
Yang Haoran, unlike Ma Ling, showed no change in his expression whatsoever, but he was actually well aware of why the two Spirit Police officers were warning him and Ma Ling.
No sooner had the two Spirit Police officers' warning cries faded than a cry of alarm erupted from behind them, from another Spirit Police officer.
"Old Eight, what are you doing?"
"Stop, quickly!"
As the cries of alarm rang out, Yang Haoran sensed a strong gust of wind from behind him; someone had suddenly attacked him and Ma Ling.
Behind him were three Spirit Police officers in total, all of whom he had rescued on the way here. The Spirit Police officer who had suddenly attacked him now was one of those three.
The other two Spirit Police officers wanted to intervene and stop the assailant, but their spirit was willing, though their flesh was weak. Firstly, they were already severely wounded, making even movement arduous, with no strength left to spare for intervention. Secondly, the attacker's move was far too sudden; they simply had no time to react.
However, Yang Haoran seemed to have been prepared. When the opponent's attack descended, a surge of Yin Qi suddenly rose around his body, enveloping not only himself but also Ma Ling beside him.
Boom!
A loud boom reverberated from behind them. The sudden incoming attack not only failed to harm Yang Haoran and Ma Ling, but the assailant was instead flung backward by a powerful recoil force.
His body flung backward, the Spirit Police officer crashed heavily to the ground. He let out an inhuman roar, then scrambled back to his feet, preparing to attack Yang Haoran and Ma Ling once more.
Yang Haoran had saved this Spirit Police officer, yet the officer had suddenly attacked him. This wasn't due to ingratitude, but because he was currently affected by Corpse Toxin.
To be precise, his body had already begun to mutate. If the Corpse Toxin within him wasn't purged in time, it wouldn't be long before he transformed into a Corpse Puppet, controlled by the Corpse Ghoul.
Yang Haoran turned around, just in time to see the Spirit Police officer lunging at him once more. His expression remained unchanged, and without any visible movement, an arm-thick black chain appeared out of thin air, binding the officer securely.
"Kill me! Quickly, kill me!"
The Spirit Police officer's face was distorted, a low, hoarse voice rasping from his mouth. He hadn't fully transformed into a Corpse Puppet yet, so he still retained some semblance of reason, but his body was proving incredibly difficult to control. It felt as though his own flesh no longer belonged to him.
To prevent himself from harming his companions further, and to escape prolonged torment, he spoke these words while still retaining his sanity, hoping his comrades would end his life immediately.
The other two Spirit Police officers behind Yang Haoran immediately ran toward the one bound by chains. Simultaneously, Yang Haoran turned, looking at the two Spirit Police officers who had previously battled the Corpse Ghoul.
"Leave the Corpse Ghoul to me and Ma Ling," Yang Haoran said with a smile. "You two figure out a way to deal with the Corpse Toxin on the other Spirit Police officers."
Among the Spirit Police officers present, it wasn't just one person who had been infected with Corpse Toxin; logically speaking, several of them had been heavily afflicted, albeit to varying degrees. If not dealt with in time, as the minutes ticked by, all of them would become Corpse Puppets under the Corpse Ghoul's command.
As for dealing with the Corpse Toxin, Yang Haoran still believed it was best for them to handle it themselves. This way, if by some twist of fate one of them were to suffer an unexpected mishap during the process, it wouldn't have anything to do with him.
The two Spirit Police officers heard this and exchanged a glance, a mutual understanding passing between their eyes. Then, both turned their gazes back to Yang Haoran and nodded heavily in assent.
"Then we'll trouble you, brother,"
One of them offered his thanks. Immediately after, the two picked up the unconscious Spirit Police officer and retreated from the Corpse Ghoul's area to the rear.
The Corpse Ghoul watched the two retreat with the injured man, as if prey it had already grasped had suddenly taken flight. In an instant, it became even more frenzied than before.
Bursts of roars emanated from its mouth, a maw filled with sharp teeth and disgusting slime. It grasped the chains on its body with both hands, intending to violently tear them apart, but its strength was simply insufficient for the task. It could only continuously rip at the chains, ceaselessly emitting furious roars.
After the two Spirit Police officers retreated to the back with the unconscious one, the group immediately began to devise ways to purge the Corpse Toxin from their own bodies and those of their comrades. Yang Haoran didn't inquire about the specific methods. His attention at this moment wasn't on these Spirit Police officers, nor was it on the Corpse Ghoul, but rather on Ma Ling beside him.
Ma Ling's power fluctuations at this moment were no longer as steady as before, suddenly becoming intensely violent. This change, in Yang Haoran's view, indicated that Ma Ling's hand seals must be nearing completion.
As expected, no sooner had this thought formed in his mind than Ma Ling's hands, deep in their sealing motions, suddenly froze. The instant her hands stilled, her eyes snapped open, a golden light flashing across them.
"Corpse-Slaying Array, condense!"
A low cry suddenly escaped Ma Ling's lips. As her voice resonated, the Golden Magic Sword hovering above her head dispersed into a mass of golden mist. Simultaneously, a patch of golden mist appeared directly above the Corpse Ghoul's head.
After this golden mist appeared, it did not re-condense into the shape of the Golden Magic Sword. Instead, it transformed into several golden threads, rapidly sketching themselves in the air. In just the blink of an eye, a complex and profound golden formation solidified above the Corpse Ghoul!
Gazing at this intricate golden formation, a hint of surprise flashed in Yang Haoran's eyes. He had initially thought Ma Ling might unleash the Nine Syllable Mantra Great Array this time, and he would have had the perfect opportunity to witness the power the current Ma Ling could wield with it. But to his astonishment, the formation Ma Ling had conjured was not the Nine Syllable Mantra Great Array at all, but the Corpse-Slaying Array, a formation entirely unknown to him!
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