Top-tier Unruly Master

The scene unfolding before their eyes was utterly bizarre. Inside the arena, there suddenly appeared two Chen Qiangs.

At this moment, the middle-aged man from the Five Ghosts of the North Sea, who was sitting paralyzed in the corner and the only one left, looked on with utter confusion. He simply couldn't understand what was happening—why had two Chen Qiangs suddenly appeared within the arena?

The Chen Qiang holding Qin Manshu quickly broke through the encircling Ghost Soldiers Formation.

The Ghost Soldiers Formation that had surrounded Qin Manshu and the others quickly crumbled, evidently confused as well; they couldn't discern which one was the real Chen Qiang.

Chen Qiang was stunned. He could distinctly feel the Ghost Soldiers Formation slipping out of his control, which was unheard of for him—an esteemed Ghost Cultivation Grandmaster, for whom commanding ghost soldiers was a signature skill. It was the first time he faced a situation where he couldn't control the ghost soldiers.

Meanwhile, the towering Asura standing upon the sea was also motionless, clearly trying to determine which of the two was the real Chen Qiang.

Whoosh... A blue light slashed across directly.

The blue light was incredibly swift, instantly arriving in front of Chen Qiang.

Before Chen Qiang could recover from the shock of the Ghost Soldiers Formation being broken, he suddenly sensed the blue light. By the time he thought to evade, it was already very difficult.

However, Chen Qiang was, after all, a character of Grandmaster Rank, and in a moment when there was no escape or avoidance, a burst of white light jumped straight out of Chen Qiang's body.

Ding Fan naturally knew that the white light was Chen Qiang's soul body.

With Chen Qiang's cultivation, as long as he preserved his soul body, he would, sooner or later, rise again.

How could Ding Fan give Chen Qiang such an opportunity? In an instant, Ding Fan relentlessly threw out several Fire Blades.

Through several encounters with Chen Qiang and the Myriad Ghosts Holy Monarch, Ding Fan had learned that the most efficient way to deal with soul bodies was to use Fire Blades.

Yet, just as Ding Fan's Fire Blade was thrown out, a gust of wind carrying a soul body shot towards him; his Fire Blade directly incinerated the soul body completely.

Wails and howls of ghosts echoed all around.

"Ding Fan, remember this—you won't be so lucky next time. I will make sure you die! Definitely!"

Such a sentence came from the void.

At that moment, the Asura as tall as several dozen stories let out a miserable cry and then collapsed, turning into countless wronged souls. Among these thousands of soul bodies, it was now impossible to find Chen Qiang's main soul.

Ding Fan then threw out several more Fire Blades, finally completely dispersing the soul bodies with his Fire Blades.

Truthfully, these soul bodies were also victims, forcibly detained by Chen Qiang and then refined into ghost soldiers, so Ding Fan did not consider burning all the soul bodies to death.

Watching as all the soul bodies dispersed, Ding Fan's body softened, and he collapsed onto the ground.

This battle! That was close.

As Ding Fan slumped to the ground, his appearance also changed – from what had been Chen Qiang's face, it now reverted back to Ding Fan's usual appearance.

Afterward, Duorou was already standing on Ding Fan's shoulder.

Seeing this scene, Qin Manshu standing beside Ding Fan was completely dumbfounded.

Qin Manshu had been brought up with a secular education since she was young, always believing that science could explain everything.

But after witnessing the battle between Ding Fan and Chen Qiang tonight, her worldview had been utterly overturned...

Duorou climbed down from atop Ding Fan's head and adorably settled on his shoulder, gasping for air heavily; it looked quite endearing.

Ding Fan, filled with gratitude, gently stroked Duorou's small body.

Ding Fan had been trapped in the Ghost Soldiers Formation, and at that moment he truly had run out of options.

Chen Qiang was a Ghost Cultivation Grandmaster, and the Ghost Soldiers Formation he had set up was many times more formidable than that of the Myriad Ghosts Holy Monarch.

Moreover, Ding Fan's Fire Blade and Flying Sword had been figured out by the enemy, and he had no means of breaking through the Ghost Soldiers Formation.

Later on, when Duorou realized its master was in trouble, it actively connected with his Divine Sense. Then it transformed Ding Fan's appearance into that of Chen Qiang.

With Duorou's current high level of cultivation, the Chen Qiang it transformed into was identical to the real one, not just in appearance but even in temperament.

It was precisely because of this that the surrounding soul bodies and the Asura standing above the sea couldn't distinguish who was the real Chen Qiang. With both the true and false Chen Qiangs emitting similar auras, and considering how Chen Qiang usually treated the ghost soldiers strictly, they had a deep-seated fear of him. Therefore, without being able to identify the real Chen Qiang, the ghost soldiers chose to observe from the sidelines.

It was also because of this that Ding Fan saw an opening and made a direct killing escape.

One could say that without Duorou's divine mimicry and illusion deceiving the surrounding ghost soldiers, a few more attacks from the Myriad Souls Arrow would have undoubtedly spelled certain death for Ding Fan.

"Ding Fan, how are you..." Qin Manshu saw Ding Fan sitting collapsed on the ground, looking haggard and exhausted, and quickly rushed over.

Ding Fan shook his head weakly.

For Ding Fan right now, even speaking another word seemed to take more energy than he had left.

Just at that moment, a strong gust of wind suddenly arose.

Ding Fan's Divine Sense swept over, and quickly, he understood what the gust was all about.

It was a sneak attack directed at him by the middle-aged man among the Five Ghosts of the North Sea. Ding Fan frowned slightly.

It was obvious that they had seen him wounded, so they sought to launch a surprise attack on him.

The Five Ghosts of the North Sea were extremely despicable. Initially, when Ding Fan was flying over the sea with Qin Manshu using Sword Control, it was these five ghosts who intercepted them, trying to rob the Flying Sword Treasure.

Now they were still looking to profit from the fisherman's struggle. Because of this, Ding Fan certainly couldn't forgive them.

Despite his current grave injuries, it was still a simple task for him to deal with a puny Earth Level Second Grade Martial Artist.

"Brat, die!"

The middle-aged man leaped high, his longsword slashing straight towards Ding Fan's face.

Qin Manshu was taken aback by the scene, but in her view, Ding Fan's back was facing the man, and she filled with alarm, convinced that Ding Fan would be unable to avoid it.

However, just when Qin Manshu thought Ding Fan would fall prey to the man's deadly attack, a Wind Blade slid through the air with a piercing shriek, bisecting the middle-aged man into two.

Throughout the entire event, Ding Fan didn't even turn his head, executing the kill with ease and delight, without the slightest hesitation.

"Brother Fan... Brother Fan... how are you..." Qin Manshu, having recovered from her shock, hurried over and held Ding Fan, laying him in her arms.

At this moment, Ding Fan slowly closed his eyes, for he had already reached the threshold of breaking through to the Ninth Level of Qi Cultivation.

During his battle with Chen Qiang, although Ding Fan had sustained serious injuries, he had a moment of enlightenment, and this fierce battle unexpectedly brought him to the verge of breaking through to the Ninth Level of Qi Cultivation.

Qin Manshu saw that Ding Fan was breathing evenly, but his eyes were closed.

Even though Qin Manshu didn't understand what Ding Fan was doing, she still held him gently.

Ding Fan stimulated the True Qi in his body, wave after wave, crashing against the barrier. No one knows how long it had been when the barrier finally started to sway.

With a determined effort, a surge of True Qi broke through, and the barrier was shattered.

Ding Fan opened his eyes, and without realizing it, it was already bright daylight. He felt unobstructed throughout his body and couldn't help but let out a long howl.

"Brother Fan... how do you feel now?"

At this, Qin Manshu, who had fallen asleep beside him, startled awake at the sound of Ding Fan's howl.

Qin Manshu displayed clear signs of fatigue, showing that she had been vigilantly guarding him as he attempted to break through the barrier.

"Manshu, I feel much better..." Ding Fan tenderly touched Qin Manshu's cheek with a hint of concern.

Seeing that Ding Fan's complexion had greatly improved, Qin Manshu finally took a sigh of relief.

The previous night, after Ding Fan had killed the middle-aged man with a Wind Blade and remained silent with his eyes closed, Qin Manshu was not at ease until she saw that Ding Fan's expression had significantly improved.

During the fierce battle with Chen Qiang, although Ding Fan had suffered a serious internal injury, it wasn't much to worry about for Ding Fan; as long as the core meridians were not damaged, a few days of rest along with some Pills would be sufficient for recovery.

Ding Fan then burned all the bodies of the Five Ghosts of the North Sea found on the deserted island, along with Chen Qiang's corpse.

After taking care of this, recalling that it had been a while since they had eaten, and even though Ding Fan's food requirements were not high now, Qin Manshu still needed to eat. So, Ding Fan went to the sea to catch some fish.

For someone of Ding Fan's cultivation, catching some fish was not much trouble.

Ding Fan quickly brought back some sea fish, and in addition, he caught a large lobster weighing more than two pounds.

Although they didn't have much in the way of seasonings, that didn't stop Ding Fan from making the most out of the situation. Using some herbs to flavor the fish, he roasted them over charcoal fire.

As for the two-pound lobster, Ding Fan made a stone pot, and he steamed the lobster to eat.

Being near the sea, they were not worried about the lack of salt. After getting busy, Ding Fan joined Qin Manshu to eat together.

Qin Manshu had grown up in a wealthy household and had tasted many delicacies, yet after taking a few bites of the fish prepared by Ding Fan, she couldn't resist indulging until she couldn't fit any more in her stomach.

Ding Fan now had simple tastes when it came to food. After having a bite, he accompanied Qin Manshu for a walk along the seaside.

Neither of them was in a hurry to return. It was rare for them to have such time alone together, and they both cherished these moments.

On the island, there were some coconut trees. Ding Fan picked some coconuts, and eating the lobster and fish along with drinking the coconut juice, made for a very pleasant life indeed...