The Thunder-Expelling Curse was a group attack.
Its advantages were numerous strikes over a wide area, allowing it to hit multiple targets at once.
The downside was that each strike was relatively weak. Furthermore, with Gu Zhao's current level of Cultivation and control, it was difficult to target enemies with perfect accuracy, leading to some wasted power.
However, with the enhancement from the Shangqing Divine Transformation Talisman, these shortcomings were largely compensated for.
Gu Zhao had only ever tested it once by himself in the small woods behind the mountain. Having seen its effects, how could he resist using it now in a real battle?
Ask any practitioner of Martial Arts Training—who doesn't dream of righting wrongs and upholding Righteousness and Heroism?
Ask any soldier—who doesn't dream of fighting for their country, of plowing the fields of war with cannon fire?
Anyway, the people who needed protection were inside the house below, so Gu Zhao didn't need to worry about friendly fire. The other villagers were fast asleep far away, and the only things within the attack's range were the three Ghosts who needed some special attention.
'In that case…'
'If not now, then when?'
As Gu Zhao formed hand seals and began Chanting, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi gathered water vapor, coalescing into a small cloud above the courtyard.
The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within the cloud connected to Gu Zhao's aura, rhythmically drawing his Magical Power into it according to the Spell. Then, flashes of purple light flickered within the cloud, generating bolts of lightning.
The electricity propagated through the air, causing the three Ghosts within the courtyard to feel an uncontrollable numbing sensation, their Ghost Bodies trembling.
Sensing the sudden, apocalyptic feeling of imminent doom from above, the three Ghosts dared not linger. They shrieked strangely, protecting themselves with their Magical Artifacts as they turned into black smoke and tried to flee.
But as Gu Zhao finished the final line of the Spell, he aimed his right palm at the cloud in the sky and barked an order, "Strike!"
The next moment, thunder rumbled and purple light filled the air.
Dozens of lightning bolts suddenly shot down from the cloud, racing toward the three Ghosts. They instantly enveloped the Ghosts' position, each bolt homing in on their Ghost Qi and striking down.
BOOM!
"AHHH!"
After a series of wretched screams, glows of gold and silver light shattered and flew apart. The giant black snake turned to ash amidst the lightning. A streak of Red Gauze rose outside the courtyard, but it only provided a moment's cover before being blasted apart by the Celestial Thunder.
But it had at least blocked the attack for an instant. Now, the Thunderbolt had struck, the thundercloud was dispersing, and the lightning had dimmed. After sacrificing their Magical Treasures, the three Ghosts were only injured, not killed outright.
However, they were scared out of their wits. Their gazes toward Gu Zhao were filled with endless terror. Although they suspected he might have only had the strength for that one attack, they didn't dare to gamble on it.
"Quick, run!"
"Report back to the Divine King!"
"Let Boss Ren deal with him!"
Three fleeting shadows tried to escape.
But just as they turned, they heard a voice from behind that sounded like death's summons, "Celestial Thunder, earthly thunder, shake the eight..."
The thundercloud reconvened, and lightning flashed once more.
"No!"
BOOM!
After another round of screams, everything gradually fell silent.
After the second lightning strike, the newly formed cloud began to dissipate from its edges. In just a few breaths, it dissolved into wisps of smoke and vanished into the world.
The lightning that had filled the area also stopped flashing, leaving only the occasional CRACKLE of static in the air.
As for the black smoke and Ghost Qi that had just shrouded the courtyard, it had been completely obliterated by the lightning barrage, vanishing without a trace. Not a hint of the deathly chill remained.
It was as if nothing had ever... well, okay, there were some differences. At least there were now several shallow craters inside and outside the courtyard. A few stray lightning bolts had been drawn aside, snapping a small tree and destroying a low table.
The Thunder-Expelling Curse certainly consumed a lot of Magical Power, especially since he had used it twice in a row.
Gu Zhao let out a breath, slowly recovering the large portion of Magical Power he had just spent. He didn't form a third hand seal; the massive amount of Evil Qi absorbed by the Five Thunders Order in his mind told him he didn't even need to check if the three Ghosts were truly dead.
"Is that it?" Gu Zhao couldn't help but rub his hands together, clicking his tongue. He then shook his head with an air of mock seriousness. "I feel like I was a bit too hasty. I still had several kinds of Talismanic Magic I haven't used yet. I should have saved the Thunder-Expelling Curse for last."
'No, I should have left one alive.' Realizing this, Gu Zhao understood that he actually still had some questions.
For example, how did they find this place? Why did they think the White Fox had killed that Ghost? Would the people behind them follow the lingering aura of their deaths to this mountain village?
If more people came after them, this village would no longer be safe. It was just that after hearing their last words, Gu Zhao had been in a hurry to silence them and had acted a bit rashly.
'Well, a win is a win.' Thinking this, Gu Zhao jumped down from the roof and walked over to where the three Ghosts had been struck by lightning to start collecting the loot.
The child was the bravest, having retreated the least. Now, on the ground, aside from a few scattered scraps of white cloth, only a pair of gold bracelets and a pair of silver bracelets were stuck in the dirt, completely intact.
Gu Zhao pulled the four bracelets out. He then went to the courtyard wall and found that the old man's staff had been split in two. It was charred and dried out, clearly useless.
Hopping over the wall into the area outside, he saw that the woman in red had also vanished into thin air. A few broken pieces of Red Gauze still faintly exuded Yin Qi, but it was rapidly dissipating.
"The quality of this stuff is pretty bad!" Gu Zhao sighed and shook his head.
But he didn't feel it was too much of a pity. He could sense the dense Yin Qi contained within these items. They were clearly class-bound equipment. If he used them to assist his spellcasting, they would only weaken the power of his Thunder Technique.
"That Old Ghost Qi was useless. Everyone else had a Magical Artifact, but you had nothing. What a pauper," Gu Zhao lamented, then returned to the courtyard.
...
In the main house of the courtyard, Bai Ke tucked her tail in during the process of Harmony with the Silk Embroideress and muttered, "It seems I really can't catch up to him."
Bai Ke couldn't figure it out. 'He's just a Human Mage, not very old, and his Magical Power isn't that deep. He didn't borrow any Divine Power, nor did he enter Harmony with a demon... or a Spirit Monarch. How can he be so powerful?'
'Ugh—my head hurts. I can't think about it anymore. The Harmony is almost complete.' Bai Ke shook her head and focused on her Harmony with the Silk Embroideress. The human and the fox entered a deep exchange of their Divine Souls.
...
Gu Zhao tidied up the battlefield, covering up the traces of the fight so that, at the very least, the villagers wouldn't notice anything amiss when they woke up tomorrow.
A moment later, while Elder He was still sound asleep, the Silk Embroideress came jogging out, holding the White Fox—no, Bai Ke—in her arms.
"Young Master!"
The Silk Embroideress's gaze toward Gu Zhao was shining. Her entire being now carried an aura distinct from both Magical Power and Demon Power.
Gu Zhao looked at the Silk Embroideress as well, only to realize that his previous estimation seemed to have been a bit off.
"You have Magical Power? You can cultivate now?" Gu Zhao was stunned. 'Is this White Fox some kind of cheat code? How could it allow an ordinary person like the Silk Embroideress to step onto the path of Cultivation overnight?'
"This is Harmony!" The one who spoke was Bai Ke, her voice crisp and clear like that of a sixteen-year-old girl.
"You can talk now?" Gu Zhao turned to Bai Ke, asking in surprise.
"Of course I can talk now that I've entered Harmony with the Silk Embroideress. How do you not even know something so basic?" Bai Ke said sharply. "What kind of primitive man crawled out of some backwater hole? You don't seem to know anything. Have you wasted the last ten-plus years of your life?"
Gu Zhao formed a Celestial Thunder Seal with his left hand, and an aura of immense power instantly filled the air.
"But, being so powerful at your age means you must have spent all your time on Cultivation, so it's understandable that you don't know some common sense," Bai Ke explained, her foxy face turning serious. "The Silk Embroideress and I have exceptionally compatible Divine Souls, so our Cultivation speed will be very fast now that we've entered Harmony."
"I'll be able to achieve Transformation soon!" Bai Ke said happily.
Gu Zhao nodded, only half-understanding. 'Divine Souls in harmony can form a Harmony to cultivate together? The people here are so lazy they don't even try to come up with creative names.'
Bai Ke said indignantly, "When I achieve my human Transformation and master my divine arts, I'm going to wipe out that Golden Wind Sect!"
"What's your beef with the Golden Wind Sect?" Gu Zhao couldn't help but ask.
"That Dharma Guardian Ghost God from the Golden Wind Sect is a psycho!"
Bai Ke complained, "I was just passing through Xiuyue County and dropped by the Golden Wind Sect's Divine Altar to absorb some stray Incense to replenish my Divine Soul. But then he framed me, saying I killed their Golden Wind Divine Maiden and stole their Incense and Candle Divine Statue, and he's been chasing me trying to kill me ever since!"
Gu Zhao was speechless.