Chapter 35: The Black Banner
"Same… same sect?"
Ji Yuan actually showed a trace of surprise… He had only wanted the Bone-Corrupting Flower to upgrade the [Pigsty], so how did he suddenly end up with a fellow sect member?
Same sect—didn’t that mean he had joined a sect and gained senior and junior brothers?
And from this person’s words, it seemed that the Bone-Corrupting Flower hid some kind of secret.
"Exactly. In the entire Yunyu Marshlands, only our sect knows the true use of this Bone-Corrupting Flower. In fact, even its name is known only to us."
The man in the black robe let out a long sigh.
"I’ve waited here for over a decade, and you are the first person to search for the Bone-Corrupting Flower in this Yunyu Marshlands."
Ji Yuan fell silent. He had no idea what was going on, but that didn’t stop him from first "acknowledging" this fellow sect member.
Whether true or false, it wouldn’t hurt to play along for now.
After a moment of thought, he showed a radiant smile.
"So that’s how it is. I’ve been looking for this Bone-Corrupting Flower for a long time myself, but could never find a clue."
"Of course. In this whole Yunyu Marshlands, this is the only place it grows," the man in the black robe said, patting his chest with pride.
Ji Yuan put away the two stacks of talismans in his hands, revealing his empty hands as he cupped his fists and said hoarsely, "I am a few years older, so why don’t I shamelessly claim the position of senior brother? What do you say?"
The black-robed man showed a fleeting trace of awkwardness and displeasure, but it passed in an instant.
"Our sect now only has the two of us left. Whether senior or junior, it’s all the same."
"Junior brother speaks wisely."
Ji Yuan replied naturally, then glanced at Wei Caishan, who stood beside the man in black.
Noticing Ji Yuan’s gaze, the black-robed man smiled and said, "Actually, I had prepared three paths for you, senior brother."
"Oh? What three paths?" Ji Yuan asked curiously.
The black-robed man sat cross-legged on the magical boat, folding his hands into his sleeves as he smiled and explained, "If you had really chosen to leave earlier, I would have followed you… to reveal myself and recognize you as my senior brother. That was the first path."
"The second path is the one we are on now. You chose to follow Wei Caishan, and so I have appeared."
"And the third path?"
"The third path would have been if you had chosen to make a deal with Wei Caishan. When you reached Black Mist Island…"
"You would appear again, as the Ghost Island Lord."
Ji Yuan exposed the true identity of the black-robed man in a single sentence.
The Ghost Island Lord showed a hint of surprise. "Senior brother truly lives up to the title. In that case, why don’t you come visit my Black Mist Island? After all, it is also one of our sect’s former grounds."
Should he go?
Ji Yuan smiled coldly… Go to hell!
Did this man really think a few words would be enough to lure him onto the island to be slaughtered?
Ji Yuan had no doubt that the Ghost Island Lord harbored ill intentions toward him. As for the so-called sect secrets, he didn’t believe them one bit.
Even if, by some stretch, they were true, the man’s goal was surely to trick him onto Black Mist Island for some ulterior motive.
While thinking, Ji Yuan’s gaze fell on the black magical boat beneath the Ghost Island Lord’s feet.
Just based on its aura, this seemed to be a mid-grade magical boat.
A mid-grade magical boat could enter the water and travel freely underwater.
That likely explained how the Ghost Island Lord had silently followed him earlier—using the boat’s water-traversing ability.
Perfect. His own boat was still a low-grade magical boat.
Ji Yuan looked up again, smiling warmly as he spoke.
"I also have some secret manuals left by our sect. Why don’t you come visit me instead, junior brother?"
"Really?!"
The Ghost Island Lord reflexively asked.
But the moment he spoke, he caught himself and gave Ji Yuan a mocking once-over. "Senior brother, it seems you don’t trust me."
"Do you trust me, junior brother?" Ji Yuan shot back.
"I do."
The Ghost Island Lord bit the words out firmly.
"Then give me three Bone-Corrupting Flowers first, so I can verify them. How about that?"
"Senior brother, that’s not very sincere." As the Ghost Island Lord spoke, thin black mist began to rise from the surrounding lake surface. "Why don’t you take out the sect manuals first and let me have a look?"
They were about to fight!
Ji Yuan realized it instantly. Better to strike first than suffer later!
The two stacks of Water Arrow Talismans he had put away appeared once again in his hands.
With a flick of both hands, dozens of water arrows shot forth like a wall of water, filling the air as they rained down upon the enemy.
Leading with the talismans, might as well burn some resources first.
"You bastard!"
The Ghost Island Lord couldn’t help but curse out loud.
The two of them weren’t far apart to begin with, and talismans activated the moment they were triggered.
But seriously, who the hell starts a fight by throwing this many talismans? Did Ji Yuan think talismans grew on trees?
Dodging was impossible now.
The Ghost Island Lord raised his hand, and a skull-shaped token flew from his waist, growing in size until it enveloped him like a human-sized barrier.
However, Wei Caishan, who had been standing beside him, wasn’t so lucky.
The water arrows reached her in an instant.
Even though she used four or five Water Shield Talismans and slapped several other talismans on herself…
She still couldn’t withstand the barrage of over a dozen water arrows.
After a brief moment of resistance, she was blasted into the Yunyu Marshlands, staining the water surface red.
Though the skull token shielded the Ghost Island Lord, the force pushed him back over ten meters.
As the water arrows subsided and he prepared to speak again, he suddenly noticed a White Water Flying Sword speeding toward his face.
At a glance, his heart sank in shock.
A flying sword!
A mid-grade flying sword!
Ding—
The skull token blocked the flying sword, but it didn’t stop there.
Sparks flew as the sword curved like a streak of light, circling around to strike at him again.
"Damned dog!"
The Ghost Island Lord cursed, finally regaining his footing.
With a wave of his hand, a black banner shrouded in dark energy appeared in his grasp.
The moment the banner appeared, two shadowy figures leapt out from it, biting down on the white flying sword from both sides.
Without hesitation, Ji Yuan recalled the flying sword with a thought, then activated his magical boat, speeding away in a straight line.
"Offending me and thinking you can run?"
The Ghost Island Lord grinned as his boat accelerated, catching up with Ji Yuan in just three breaths.
"Damn it!"
Ji Yuan cursed as he saw the two shadowy skull figures lunging at his back.
He abruptly stopped, summoning the Dragon Armor Shield, which began spinning rapidly around him.
Boom—
The shadowy skulls bit down viciously. Even with the Dragon Armor Shield’s protection, Ji Yuan was sent flying.
He crashed into the water and vanished from sight.
The Ghost Island Lord, holding the black banner, hurried to the spot.
The two ghostly skulls returned to the banner, and he scanned the gradually calming lake surface.
"Hmph, think you can escape?"
He pressed down with his magical boat, preparing to submerge.
Just then, the White Water Flying Sword burst out of the water, aiming straight for his forehead.
He twisted his body sharply, but the sword still grazed his face, leaving a clear blood mark.
"Good! Very good!"
The Ghost Island Lord touched his face, staring at the blood on his fingers. His expression turned ruthless as he gripped the black banner and stabbed it into the lake surface.
"Like hiding underwater, do you? Then you’d better never come out again!"
In an instant, a dense black mist spread across a one-mile radius of the lake.
Even Ji Yuan, who was hiding underwater, was enveloped by the black mist.
The black mist felt alive.
Even though Ji Yuan had used a Water Repelling Talisman, the mist slithered toward his nose like a living serpent.
Ji Yuan quickly formed two water arrows with his hands and shot them downward.
Using the recoil, he propelled himself upward, bursting out of the water’s surface in an instant.