Chapter Forty-Three: Skeleton Demon Soldiers

Jiang Feng charged toward the strange wind, and it surged toward him as well. In no time at all, Jiang Feng and Yingying dashed into the heart of the whirlwind. Inside its swirling circle, sand and dust filled the air, nearly blinding Jiang Feng. The wind seemed to possess a fixed suction force. Jiang Feng used his necromantic arts to anchor his own body, but at that moment, Wang Yingying had already been swept up by the wind. Desperately, Jiang Feng grabbed her hand, signaling not to let go, yet her grip was slipping away bit by bit. Seeing that Yingying would surely be pulled away by the wind, Jiang Feng let go of his own anchoring spell and floated up into the air alongside her. But throughout, the two held tightly to each other's hands, united in their resolve.

Just like that, the wind carried them off...

"Damn it, it hurts... Where am I?" Jiang Feng forced his eyes open as he struggled up from the ground. He sat for a moment, gathering his wits, and recalled everything that had just happened: he and Yingying had been swept into the wind together. Now, with Yingying's whereabouts unknown, anxiety gnawed at him.

He looked around, searching, and finally spotted Yingying's silhouette not far ahead, along with the divine beast lying on the ground, reverted to its original form. Jiang Feng helped them both up, shaking and calling out to Yingying.

"Yingying, Yingying, wake up, are you alright?"

Wang Yingying awoke after being shaken for a while and, realizing she was alive, grew instantly jubilant. "Jiang Feng, we're alright, we're actually alive!"

Only then did Jiang Feng take in his surroundings. It was nothing like the desert they'd been in before, but rather seemed a patch of greenery. The style here resembled an arena. Jiang Feng looked up at the spectator stands above and the place where he now stood, and suddenly remembered something.

"Yingying, don't you think that strange wind is like a kind of teleportation link? It can send people to all sorts of different places, and now we've just been sent somewhere else. That wind doesn't really harm anyone, but who knows when we'll find a way out."

Wang Yingying was disappointed. This place was like a vast labyrinth, seemingly without any exit, and Jiang Feng felt they were drifting farther and farther from the Blood Fiend Fruit.

He helped Yingying to her feet, but she cried out in pain as if she'd twisted her ankle. Jiang Feng examined her foot and found the bone broken. Using his necromantic arts, he sealed the fracture, then with a sharp crack, set the bone back in place. Yingying was so shocked she fainted.

It was a long while before Wang Yingying came to again. Her foot had stopped hurting, though walking was still awkward. Jiang Feng sensed danger lurking in the arena and wanted to get her out quickly and find a safe spot. Yet, they had barely moved when the large iron gates around the arena suddenly swung open.

Four identical skeletal demon soldiers marched out from within. Each one wielded a weapon, their bodies thin and soulless, like manipulated humans. Jiang Feng cursed inwardly and had the divine beast escort Yingying to one side, preparing to risk everything in a fight.

He had faced four opponents at once before, but these skeletal soldiers were soulless. Legends said they possessed immortal bodies and could only be slain by finding their weakness.

Before Jiang Feng could think further, the soldiers advanced in perfect step toward him. He knew this fight was inevitable. These monsters were at least mid-tier; Wang Yingying's flute was useless now, as even magical music could not affect such undead creatures.

Yingying watched anxiously from the side, beads of sweat rolling down her face, her tension plain to see.

Jiang Feng readied his necromantic arts. He knew he had to use his true skills, or he and Yingying might be destroyed by these unkillable beings.

He began with the twenty-fifth stance of Shadow Dance Soul Shattering Steps, a sequence he now commanded with ease. One by one, he struck at the skeletal monsters, and they all collapsed to the ground under his blows. Yingying's face lit up with joy as she saw them fall.

Jiang Feng, however, was not convinced. These demon soldiers would not be defeated so easily. Indeed, as he expected, the skeletons stood up again within minutes, as if his attacks had achieved nothing. Jiang Feng had anticipated their revival, so he was not caught off guard.

He recalled his Eight Dragon Sonic Slaughter technique, uncertain whether it would work, but then an excellent idea struck him. If the eight true dragons could carry the bodies of the four skeletons to different locations, perhaps they would not be able to revive, giving Jiang Feng ample time to escape with Yingying.

With this brilliant solution in mind,

Jiang Feng summoned all his soul energy, merging it with his necromantic power. He bent his body slightly, spread his arms wide, like a raging dragon bursting from the sea, radiating countless wondrous energies. The world itself seemed to tremble. There was no time to observe these changes; turning, spinning, all his resentment poured forth from his body. At his feet, he traced a circle, from which eight wild dragons were about to burst forth.

A surge of green light shot skyward, and eight true dragons appeared behind Jiang Feng. The skeletal demon soldiers, unaware of the dragons' might, continued their direct assault on Jiang Feng.

He commanded the dragons to circle overhead, and seeing the skeletons attack with no defense, he directed the dragons to spiral through their bodies. After the skeletons collapsed again, Jiang Feng did not stop there. He sent four dragons off in four directions, scattering the remains of the skeletons along the way to prevent them from reassembling.

Yingying cheered from her corner, marveling at Jiang Feng's increasing authority. His tactics against monsters were as clever as the classics. Once he confirmed the skeletons did not revive, he walked over to Yingying, for after winning this battle, what he needed most was her care.

He hurried toward her, but before he'd taken more than a few steps, Yingying shouted, "Jiang Feng, watch out behind you! The skeletons are back!"

Jiang Feng thought she was joking, about to say something, when suddenly dust whirled up all around. Turning, he saw the four skeletons had fused into a single monstrous form. This evolved skeletal demon was far larger, and green light was shining from its eyes.