Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

Lin Hao quickly examined Yu Changsheng's injuries, his expression instantly turning extremely grim: "Elder Huang! Senior Yu... his injuries are too severe! His meridians and internal organs are shattered in many places, his source of life is severely depleted, and his soul light is dim! He's only holding on by a stubborn will... Also, the dark mark on his back is absorbing the surrounding death energy and resentful spirits, seemingly passively maintaining a sliver of life for him..." He was referring to the power of the Eternal Night Evil Beast spontaneously protecting its master.

Looking at Yu Changsheng's tragic appearance and Chen Xueqing's strange state, and then at the Eternal Night Evil Beast that had exhausted itself to protect its master and released the Dark Domain on instinct, as well as the Colorful Star Deer that had sacrificed its source and was on the verge of dissipation, Huang Xiren felt a surge of rage and endless sorrow.

"That old dog Feng Yin!!!" Huang Xiren spat out the name through gritted teeth, his voice filled with deep-seated hatred. He looked around; the terrifying power of Monslan's self-destruction had leveled everything nearby, leaving no trace of the Purple Crystal and the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword! "That old thief stole the Purple Crystal and Yu's sword in the chaos! He planned this all along! That damned traitor!"

He abruptly looked up towards Luoxia Pass. The sounds of battle there were still deafening. Tuoba Xin and He Yong were leading the remnants of Yongzhou, in a brutal "performance" against the remnants of the Yuan Clan, with the "cooperation" of the Qingzhou garrison. Every moment, Yongzhou cultivators fell!

"We cannot stay here any longer!" Huang Xiren suppressed his anger and made a decision. "Although the Qingzhou Shadow Guards have retreated, Huangfu Hongxuan's schemes will not stop! Although Mengsilan is dead, the remnants of the Yuan Clan are still here, and the Qingzhou garrison may 'mistakenly' let more Yuan Clan members over at any time! We must leave immediately with Changsheng and Xueqing!"

"Let's go!" Lin Hao immediately understood and carefully carried Yu Changsheng on his back. Another cultivator gently lifted the unconscious Chen Xueqing, who was surrounded by a faint light. Huang Xiren, with red eyes, carefully wrapped the Caixing Deer, which had almost turned into a jade statue and only retained a faint spiritual light, in a robe that nourished the spirit, and held it in his arms. The Eternal Night Evil Beast also transformed into a dim black light and merged into Yu Changsheng's body.

Led by Huang Xiren, this tattered team, taking advantage of the smoke and chaos left by the explosion, quickly disappeared into the shadows of the Iron Wall Fortress ruins like a wounded lone wolf, fleeing into the unknown wilderness far from the Qingzhou Imperial City and the Luoxia Pass battlefield.

Behind them, the fortress symbolizing the iron wall of Qingzhou was in ruins, with only remnants of fire, the roars of the Yuan Clan, and the desperate cries of the Yongzhou cultivators remaining. A massive net, meticulously woven by Huangpu Hongxuan to wipe out the Yuan Clan, the remnants of the Anti-Yuan Alliance, and Yu Changsheng and his ilk, was torn open with a bloody rift by Meng Silan's out-of-control self-destruction and the unexpected transformation of the broken antlers of the Colorful Star Deer.

Holding the cold, stone body of Caixinglu, Huang Xiren felt as if the weight in his arms was pressing down on a collapsing mountain. Each rapid breath excruciatingly pulled at his internal organs, his cloudy old eyes fixed on the bloodied figure Lin Hao was carrying ahead—Yu Changsheng's limp arms swayed weakly with the swaying, each shake feeling like a knife to Huang Xiren's heart. Behind him, Chen Xueqing was carefully held by another cultivator, the faint yet stubborn emerald light on her chest the only unusual color on this desperate escape route, flickering weakly in the impenetrable darkness.

"Faster! Head into the miasma-filled forest!" Huang Xiren roared hoarsely, his voice like sandpaper scraping. Behind them, the roars of the Abyss Clan and the booming of clashing spiritual energy coming from the direction of Ironwall Fortress not only showed no signs of abating, but instead seemed to be intensifying. The Qingzhou garrison, like ruthless sheepdogs, was "perfectly" driving more and more bloodthirsty remnants of the Abyss Clan towards the main battlefield at Luoxia Pass, where Tuoba Xin and his men were located. That was a blood-soaked millstone paved with the corpses of Yongzhou cultivators!
The ground beneath their feet transformed from parched and hard to muddy and slippery. A grayish-white miasma, like the breath of a lurking beast, seeped from the depths of the decaying forest, its wisps coiling around their ankles, carrying a pungent, sweet-smelling stench and a bone-chilling cold. Visibility was compressed to within a few meters; probing with their divine sense felt like plunging into a viscous swamp, heavy and sluggish. This swamp of despair, once a forbidden zone that cultivators avoided at all costs, had now become their only path to survival.

"Elder Huang, Senior Yu... his aura is even weaker!" Lin Hao's voice trembled as he carried Yu Changsheng on his back. He could clearly feel the heat on his back rapidly dissipating, and the coldness seeped through his blood-soaked robes. Only the faintly pulsating dark mark left by the Eternal Night Evil Beast on his back stubbornly emitted a weak suction force, greedily drawing in the deathly aura and lingering resentment of the swamp, barely maintaining that wisp of life.

Huang Xiren's heart sank to the bottom. He dared not look, and could only hold the cold, stone body of the Rainbow Star Deer in his arms even tighter. It had once been a lively and vibrant life, but now it was cold and hard to the touch, with only a faint trace of Chen Xueqing's life force remaining at the broken horn. "Hold on... hold on, everyone!" he said, as if giving a command, or as if praying in despair.

suddenly!

"hiss--!"

Several sharp whooshing sounds tore through the thick miasma! Several short crossbow bolts, wreathed in eerie blue runes, shot out like venomous snakes from the mist behind them, their angles cunning and ruthless, aimed straight for the backs of the two carrying Yu Changsheng and Chen Xueqing! It was the Qingzhou Shadow Guards! Like leeches, they had actually pursued them into this perilous place!
"Defend!" Huang Xiren roared, his eyes bloodshot. A cracked, earth-yellow spirit shield instantly materialized behind him—the last remaining trace of spiritual energy from his natal magic weapon, the "Thick Earth Spirit Turtle Shield," which he had nurtured for many years! *Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!* The azure crossbow bolts slammed into the phantom of the spirit shield, exploding into large plumes of corrosive blue smoke. The spirit shield trembled violently, its light instantly dimming like a candle flickering in the wind!
Almost at the same moment the spirit shield appeared, several blurry black shadows, like phantoms blending into the miasma, silently surrounded them from the left and right! Their target was crystal clear—Chen Xueqing, who was being held and whose heart was radiating emerald light! The fingertips of the lead shadow guard flashed with a cold, eerie blue light, carrying a sinister venom that could freeze the soul!
"Get out of my way!" Huang Xiren's hair and beard bristled, he was completely insane! He held the stone body of Caixing Deer tightly with his left hand, while his free right hand, with fingers like knives, burned his life essence blood recklessly! A blinding blood light burst from his fingertips, and a blood-red blade aura, condensed from his life's cultivation and capable of destroying everything, slashed fiercely at the shadow guard at the front with a chilling shriek!

"Blood Slaughter!"

As the crimson blade flashed, the miasma was forcibly dispersed, revealing the shadow guard's astonished face. The blade's energy was too fast! Too ruthless! The shadow guard only had time to hold the dark blue dagger horizontally in front of him.

“Dang—Crack!”

A piercing sound of metal shattering rang out! The azure dagger snapped in two! The remaining force of the crimson blade energy slammed into the shadow guard's protective aura! The shadow guard was struck as if by a heavy hammer, spitting out blood, and was sent flying like a broken sack, crashing through several rotten trees, his fate unknown.

However, Huang Xiren paid a price. Forcibly activating the secret technique, his face instantly drained of all color, his body swayed violently, and he uncontrollably spat a mouthful of black blood onto the stone body of the Rainbow Star Deer in his arms. The originally cold stone surface was scalded with several fine white marks by the scalding black blood. He felt his vision blur, his meridians felt as if they were being pierced by countless steel needles, and his cultivation level plummeted instantly.

The other shadow guards' attacks had already begun! Several sinister black ropes, like venomous pythons, coiled towards the cultivator holding Chen Xueqing! Another shadow guard, like a ghost, circled around to Lin Hao's side, and a claw covered in jet-black scales, carrying a foul stench, reached for Lin Hao's waist and abdomen!

A close call!
"Om-!"

Yu Changsheng, who had been carried on Lin Hao's back, suddenly shuddered! It wasn't that he was waking up, but rather that the dark mark of the Eternal Night Evil Beast on his back suddenly erupted with a strong suction force! The dense, impenetrable swamp death energy that permeated the surrounding area, along with the fragments of the Abyss Clan's remnant souls torn apart by Monslan's self-destruction, seemed to have found an outlet, surging wildly towards the mark!

A thick, ink-like, twisted, and writhing dark barrier instantly appeared behind the cultivator holding Chen Xueqing! The black ropes wrapped with the power of Yin spirits crashed into the dark barrier, but were like mud oxen entering the sea, only causing ripples before being twisted and swallowed up! Several vengeful faces of vengeful spirits even appeared on the barrier, howling in pain!

"Ugh!" Before the shadow guard's hand could even touch Lin Hao's body, it was suddenly gripped tightly by a ghostly claw made entirely of shadow that emerged from the shadows behind Yu Changsheng! The shadow guard felt a chilling, bone-chilling death intent and boundless resentment surge into his arm through the ghostly claw, and his entire arm instantly turned black and numb!
"Go! Go quickly!" Lin Hao seized the opportunity to unleash his last bit of strength, carrying Yu Changsheng on his back and charging forward! The cultivator carrying Chen Xueqing also followed, still shaken. Huang Xiren, barely able to stand, took one last look at the shadow guard, entangled by the dark ghost claws and struggling in terror, and at the direction where more twisted shadows seemed to be writhing and approaching in the darkness. A chill ran down his spine. He dared not linger, carrying Cai Xinglu, he staggered to catch up with the group, disappearing once more into the deeper miasma.

This encounter injured one Shadow Guard, severely wounded another, and temporarily repelled the pursuers, but it also completely exposed their whereabouts and drained Huang Xiren of his last bit of strength for a counterattack. After the Eternal Night Evil Beast was forced to protect its master, the light on its mark dimmed considerably, seemingly indicating a huge drain on its energy. Despair, like the endless miasma, weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away.

An underground river roared and surged through the cave, its turbid waters crashing against the jagged stalactites, creating a deafening echo. The air was thick with the pungent smell of water and the cool, metallic scent of minerals.

Feng Yin sat cross-legged on a huge, bluish-black rock protruding from the water. He was soaked to the bone, his robes clinging to his thin body. He looked disheveled, but his eyes could not hide the burning greed and ecstasy in them.

Two things were suspended in mid-air in front of him.

On the left was the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword. Its blade still flowed with a noble purple-gold luster, but its brilliance was noticeably dimmed. The tip trembled slightly, emitting a low, defiant hum, like a wounded spirit beast imprisoned. Faintly, a blurry, angry phantom of a young man seemed to flash across the sword, silently roaring at Feng Yin.

To the right was the fist-sized fragment of the Mons Blue core amethyst, covered in spiderweb-like cracks. It emitted an eerie, unstable purple light in the dark cave, as if violent energy was surging and colliding within it. Each flicker of light stirred up the spiritual energy in the cave, causing it to hiss and whistle through the air.

"Hehehe... What a treasure! This is truly a stroke of luck!" Feng Yin licked his dry, cracked lips and let out a strange laugh like that of a night owl. He stretched out his withered, claw-like hands, his fingertips swirling with a thick, dark green poisonous mist.

"Let me first completely refine and obliterate this troublesome sword spirit of yours! Then I'll fuse with the primordial amethyst of this triangular beast... tsk tsk, by comprehending the fragments of laws contained within, my barrier of being stuck in the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm for a hundred years will surely be broken! I might even glimpse the path to the Void Refinement realm! Hahaha!"

He first turned his greedy gaze to the resisting Purple Spirit Emperor Sword, and his hands suddenly surged with poisonous mist, transforming into two solid, dark green venomous pythons that viciously coiled around the sword! The pythons hissed, and the highly toxic mist frantically corroded the purple-gold spiritual light on the sword, attempting to penetrate deep into the sword's body.

Om-! ! !
The Purple Spirit Emperor Sword erupted with an unprecedentedly intense tremor! The purple light on the sword's body desperately resisted the erosion of the poisonous mist, and a clearer sword spirit phantom struggled to appear, its face blurred but filled with an indomitable will, letting out a silent roar at Feng Yin, the longsword spontaneously trying to break free from the venomous python's restraints!
"Hmph! At your last gasp! Suppress it for me!" Feng Yin sneered, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence that merged into the poisonous mist. The venomous python instantly swelled, its color deepening to almost black, and its corrosive power greatly increased! The purple-gold spiritual light was suppressed and dissolved at a visible speed, and the sword spirit's phantom distorted in pain, becoming increasingly faint.

It seemed that the sword spirit was about to be completely annihilated and refined.

at this time!

"Boom--!!"

The Mons Blue Amethyst fragment floating before him seemed to be completely agitated by the intense resistance of the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword and the aura of Feng Yin's essence blood! The already violent and chaotic energy within it instantly went out of control! A purplish-black energy beam, ten times thicker than before, erupted without warning!

The beams of light were not an attack, but rather swept wildly and uncontrollably across the cave!

Boom! Crack!
The cave ceiling was easily torn apart by the beam of light, and large chunks of stalactites and rock walls were cut and collapsed like tofu! A violent surge of energy swept through, and the underground river was stirred up into towering, turbulent waves!
Feng Yin was caught off guard!

He was fully focused on refining the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword when he never expected that this seemingly stable trophy would suddenly undergo such a terrifying transformation! The protective aura around him shattered after only a moment!

puff!

A stream of purplish-black energy with an aura of destruction at its edge, like the sharpest blade, grazed Feng Yin's left shoulder!
"what--!"

A bloodcurdling scream, so intense it was almost inhuman, echoed throughout the cave! Feng Yin was violently thrown back by the immense impact, crashing into the cave wall several dozen feet away, blood gushing out!

He struggled to look down, only to see his left shoulder and entire left arm completely vanished from his shoulder blade! The severed area was charred black, and the remaining purplish-black energy, like a living thing, frantically eroded his flesh and bones, emitting a terrifying sizzling sound, and continuously spreading towards his torso! The excruciating pain almost made him faint, and even more terrifying, he felt that the source of his painstakingly cultivated poison technique was being violently shaken by this raging amethyst energy, showing signs of collapse and backlash! (End of Chapter)