Hong Chaoyang and a group of disciples were enveloped in despair. However, as Xue Ling's chanting grew louder, the negative emotions in their hearts were gradually dispelled.
Hong Chaoyang's tears gradually stopped. Relying on the momentary clarity in their minds, the surrounding disciples quickly began to recite the Mind - Calming Mantra.
After a moment, with the combination of the chanting and the Mind - Calming Mantra, the disciples all regained their senses, and the despair vanished instantly.
True Lord Honghua was the first to recover. His face was grim, and he deeply felt the horror of the Soul - Locking Banner.
Tens of thousands of冤魂were imprisoned in the Soul - Locking Banner, and the resentment within was beyond what a human body could bear. Even if the Black and White Impermanence from the Palace of Hades came, they might not be able to suppress this soaring resentment.
"What a powerful magical artifact. It truly lives up to being the treasure passed down by the Demon Lords of all generations," True Lord Honghua murmured involuntarily. The other elders had just regained consciousness and were still in a state of lingering fear.
"We were only a bit closer, and we were affected by the冤魂in the Soul - Locking Banner. What a tragic life these冤魂must have had before their deaths," an elder shook his head and sighed, thinking of the heavy sins in the Soul - Locking Banner.
True Lord Honghua directed the disciples behind him to form a formation, determined not to let Ji Chongming escape again.
Xue Ling still had his eyes closed. Once those almost demonic eyes were shut, he looked serene and holy.
Even though the movement of his mouth was not large, his voice still covered everyone in the back mountain. To prevent them from being bewitched by the Soul - Locking Banner, Xue Ling had used a large amount of spiritual power in an instant.
Therefore, he needed some time to recover, but the chanting from his mouth never stopped.
It was not until the white smoke rising from the black mist turned scarlet that Ji Chongming slowly realized that the Buddhist beads and the alms bowl of that monk were so powerful that they could purify the resentment of these ghostly spirits.
He had long assumed that they had been killed by the cultivators of the Qingyun Sword Sect since they hadn't returned for so long.
Now that he was fighting alone, it would be very disadvantageous for him if the battle dragged on.
Ji Chongming's face darkened. He must not fall here.
So he thought carefully, flipped his wrist, and immediately a pitch - black pill appeared in his palm.
The pill emitted a pungent smell. Ji Chongming only glanced at it twice before closing his eyes and swallowing it.
After a moment, his fingernails grew at an extremely fast speed, sharp and terrifying.
The resentment and negative emotions within a hundred - mile radius gathered around him, turning into demonic energy, which he absorbed into his body.
People have seven emotions and six desires. As long as one is a human, it is impossible to have only positive thoughts in one's heart. Once there are negative thoughts, they can be transformed into demonic energy and absorbed by demon cultivators.
This pill of Ji Chongming could allow him to improve his cultivation level in a short time and greatly increase his demonic energy.
He only needed to hold on for an hour to let Lin Yibai's soul recover. Then he could escape with the Blood Shield without any problems.
He had considered sending a message to the Main Shrine to ask for help.
But then he remembered Han Ze's warning that he should not leave the Demon Realm easily. If he caused trouble, Han Ze would definitely not clean up his mess.
Moreover, Ji Chongming knew Han Ze's temper. If Han Ze found out that he had defied him, even as the Demon Lord, he would not end well.
So he had to handle this matter by himself.
As his demonic energy soared, the black mist, which had been rampaging, returned to normal. No matter how much Xue Ling chanted, he could no longer purify those ghostly spirits.
Xue Ling suddenly opened his eyes. His clasped hands slowly separated, but the Buddhist beads slowly contracted with a strong sense of oppression as he moved, suppressing the black mist.
Sweat had oozed from his shiny bald head, and there was even a trace of blood in his eyes.
The space of the black mist gradually shrank. Some ghostly spirits that couldn't dodge in time would instantly turn into a wisp of white smoke and disappear into the air when they touched the Buddhist beads. So the black mist kept squeezing towards the center point.
And the center point of the black mist was Ji Chongming.
"Those stupid disciples who are still in a daze, don't just stand there! Hurry up and come and help!" Xue Ling shouted. Only then did the disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect wake up from their dreams and rushed forward with their swords drawn.
"When the evil spirits show themselves later, don't wave your swords like fools. Your swords can't hurt them at all. Use spells or sword energy!"
"Do you understand?"
Although the disciples were scolded, they knew the situation was urgent and couldn't care about it, so they all replied loudly.
True Lord Honghua and several elders saw that Xue Ling was more suitable to lead this battle than them, so they stood with their hands behind their backs and watched the battle from afar.
They were old.
The world would belong to these young people in the future. It was time to let them have some practical experience.
If these young people couldn't hold on, they old fellows would step in.
The disciples without practical experience swallowed hard, while those with experience automatically stood at the front of the team.
Their eyes were firmly fixed on the black mist that seemed to be about to strike, and they focused their attention to the maximum.
After a quarter of an hour, Xue Ling's outstretched palms could hardly move. He frowned tightly, knowing that the time had come. Facing the surrounding disciples, he shouted, "All of you, concentrate! Here they come!"
The disciples all lowered their bodies and took a horse - riding stance.
There was a trace of nervousness in Hong Chaoyang's eyes, but no fear at all.
She knew that it was time for her to grow. She secretly vowed that if she was lucky enough not to fall in this battle, she would work harder and more seriously than before.
The black mist was compressed to the extreme, and then a powerful demonic energy burst out from it.
The black mist was scattered and turned into individual冤魂, flying around and attacking the disciples.
Ji Chongming flew out of the black mist and floated in the air. His eyes immediately locked onto Xue Ling, who had been chanting before.
At this moment, Ji Chongming had changed greatly. He was originally unruly, and now, affected by the black energy, his eyes were dark and there was a thick black area around his eye sockets.
His originally neatly combed hair was all in disarray, looking wild and ferocious, just like a demon beast in human form.
"It's you! Bald monk! How dare you ruin my good deed!"
This Buddhist cultivator had a high cultivation level. If it weren't for him, those ghostly spirits would not have been purified, and Xiaobai in the Soul - Locking Banner would not have been affected.
He had been very confident. If it were only those disciples, he could easily deal with them with just the Soul - Locking Banner. But now, with this Buddhist cultivator, the battle had become much more difficult.
When Xue Ling saw Ji Chongming, a complex look flashed in his eyes.
After a moment, he hesitated for a while and then said, "Are you some kind of crow spirit? Why do you look like this? It really hurts my eyes."
"But my master said that being ugly is not your fault, so I won't judge you by your appearance and attack you because of your ugliness."
"Dear crow spirit, please give up resistance and surrender. The Buddha said, 'Put down your weapons and immediately become a Buddha.' Although you can't become a Buddha immediately, you won't be beaten to the point of ascending to heaven by me."
"Amitabha."