Zhang Yan pondered for a moment, then spread his hands, gripping the two golden hammers firmly. He shifted his steps and charged in the direction opposite to the green-clothed youth.
Yan Yuqin noticed that the two seemed to be searching for her, but she remained unhurried. Raising her jade-like hand, she activated the array that had been laid out in advance.
This array was not a particularly formidable one. If unperturbed, either the green-clothed youth or Zhang Yan could easily break through it with a full-force assault.
However, Yan Yuqin was unfazed. With the Yin Corpses holding them back, the two would never be able to exert their full power.
The green-clothed youth searched within the mist for a long time but found no exit. His thoughts shifted, and he immediately realized that he was trapped in an array. A cold laugh escaped his lips as he sneered, "Little one, do you think this array can truly stop me?"
With a flick of his sleeve, the Green Cloud above his head trembled. A curtain seemingly composed of green pearls descended before him. The Yin Corpses approaching from behind were shattered into disarray upon colliding with the curtain, scattering in all directions.
Seizing this brief opening, he began to calculate the doorway of the array using his fingers to form seals.
Yan Yuqin’s heart tensed as she saw this, and with a flip of her hand, she retrieved the Energy Transformation Mirror, shining its light downward.
The green-clothed youth instantly sensed the danger. A bloom of Green Cloud fell from above, shielding him below. A streak of snow-white light pierced through the Green Flower shield and grazed over his shoulder, stripping away a large patch of flesh and bone.
The green-clothed youth let out a muffled grunt, clutching his wounded shoulder as he swiftly retreated to the side.
Although this body was not his true form, the pain still assailed him. If the vessel sustained too much damage, he would no longer be able to inhabit it. Thus, he abandoned any further attempts to break the array, pointed a finger, and sharp rays of Green Light resembling countless arrows shot out from within the Green Cloud, surging toward the mirror light.
In this scenario, where the enemy was in the open while she hid in the shadows, Yan Yuqin felt no fear. She effortlessly dodged sideways, slipping away with ease.
Watching the green-clothed youth retreat deeper into the array and out of the mirror light’s range, she halted her steps and refrained from pursuing him. All she needed to do was prevent the two from breaking the array. The Yin Corpses were impervious to the erosion of Xuan Guang and the scorching heat of the Fierce Sun. Even if broken apart, they could reassemble themselves. No matter how skilled her opponents were, under such endless assaults, they would eventually reveal a flaw and fall into her Banner’s grasp.
Even if the two guarded the array’s doorway tightly, holding fast against wind and rain, exhaustion would eventually take its toll on them.
Thus, the longer time dragged on, the more advantageous the situation became for her.
At that moment, she suddenly felt the Banner in her hand tremble. In a moment of startled realization, her heart leapt with joy. She quickly waved the Banner, and a figure stepped out of the shadowy clouds, standing before her.
Upon closer inspection, it was Shi Yifan. However, he no longer bore the dazed expression from earlier. His eyes now brimmed with a sinister sharpness, and a faint trace of Evil Qi lingered between his brows, as though he had regained spiritual wisdom.
Yan Yuqin had not expected that within such a short span of time, the main corpse under her Banner had already been refined. This was nothing short of divine assistance.
With the main corpse leading, she could now command the Yin Corpses without needing to intervene personally. As this thought crossed her mind, she sent out a Divine Thought from her heart. Shi Yifan immediately understood her intent, bowed, and said, "I humbly accept the Dharma Decree."
When Yan Yuqin saw the main corpse speak, exhibiting greater awareness than she had anticipated, she was both shocked and delighted, silently rejoicing that she had chosen the right Dharma technique.
With Shi Yifan commanding the Yin Corpses, they now moved with an intelligence resembling spiritual wisdom. No longer were they as rigid and mindless as before, single-mindedly attacking. Instead, they coordinated seamlessly, advancing and retreating with purpose, executing formations with a surprising degree of order.
Yan Yuqin’s spirits lifted at the sight, and she mused to herself, "It’s no wonder the scrolls claim that the main corpse acts as the Yin General while the other corpses serve as Yin Soldiers. Without a head, a snake cannot move; without wings, a bird cannot fly. So this is the truth—only with a main corpse can the full potential of these three hundred and sixty-some Yin Corpses be unleashed."
At this point, the green-clothed youth found himself in far less control than earlier. Now, even a bloom of Green Flower falling down could only scatter a few Yin Corpses at best. At times, they even evaded completely, while most lurked within the black mist, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Though his cultivation was profound, he dared not let these sinister Yin entities approach him. His situation was further complicated by the fact that this mortal vessel had been struck by Zhang Yan earlier and was now heavily wounded. The toll of both injuries grew increasingly evident, leaving him weaker by the moment. If he did not circulate his cultivation technique to restore himself soon, he would not be able to last much longer.
He let out a cold grunt, dropped the Green Cloud above his head to form a protective barrier, and retrieved a One Qi Ganoderma from his Sleeve Bag. Consuming it, he began circulating his cultivation technique to refine and absorb its power.
Yan Yuqin glanced over a few times, noting that the green-clothed youth had hidden himself within the Green Cloud. Direct confrontation with him was not an option for now, and she did not wish to take unnecessary risks. She shifted her gaze toward Zhang Yan instead. Observing how his dual hammers swung steadily, holding the surroundings firmly in check without the slightest sign of panic, she thought silently to herself, "This Li Yuanba is precisely the man I wish to capture under my Banner. Why not focus on him first?"
With that, her figure moved in a swift arc to the other side of the Great Array. Raising the Treasure Mirror, she unleashed a streak of brilliance as dazzling as a white rainbow toward Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan at this moment also realized he was caught within some array formation. However, he had no intention of expending effort to deduce the array’s access points. Even if the array was simple, unraveling it would consume significant amounts of Primordial Qi.
Surrounded by dense mist and waves of Yin Corpses that surged endlessly—dispersed one moment only to regroup the next—he quickly formed a plan. He thought, "Since cultivating that Dharma technique, I have avoided using it, even within the Qingyu Sect, to avoid drawing others’ attention. Why not give it a try now?"
While he was calculating his next move, he suddenly sensed a fiery aura completely at odds with the surrounding Yin Qi surging toward him.
A hearty laugh burst from his lips as he roared. Shaking his body fiercely, he resembled a dam breaking and sending a mountain flood roaring forth. A muffled thunderous boom resounded in midair, and a pristine water-like radiance ascended from behind him. The light was pure and untainted, like an overwhelming deluge crashing across a vast expanse, clearing away everything in its wake. Within the blink of an eye, all the ghastly shadows, mournful winds, Yin Corpses, and mist were utterly swept away, leaving nothing but clarity in heaven and earth!

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