Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

Within the black mist, the great battle erupted completely.

Countless dark and eerie phantoms flew and darted about, some of them relentlessly entangled with the Ink Gold Puppet, while the rest surrounded and attacked Xiao Yunshang and Lei Huangwu.

The battle was fierce and dangerous, with no end in sight.

Even ordinary members of the Ghost Clan, whose cultivation was far inferior to Xiao Yunshang's, experienced a significant increase in resistance and recovery under the blessing of the black mist. They withstood several attacks of thunder and true fire, making them difficult to kill instantly.

Fighting on the Black Mist's home turf results in immense losses for human cultivators, often requiring several times their strength to kill a single ordinary member of the Ghost Clan.

Once entangled by a large number of monsters, and trapped in a protracted war of attrition, one will eventually exhaust one's spiritual power and die from exhaustion, being slowly worn down and killed by the monsters.

As the battle dragged on, Su Mu could clearly see that the silver true fire around Xiao Yunshang was growing dimmer, her spiritual energy was being consumed at a great cost, and the aura of her mighty Thunder Phoenix Martial Form was also weakening.

Fortunately, during this time, Xiao Yunshang also killed and annihilated a large number of the Gui Clan, achieving considerable success.

The black mist covering the eastern gate of the imperial city has a limited range, and the number of the ghost race can ultimately be controlled, preventing them from multiplying endlessly.

Xiao Yunshang had already devised a sound strategy. There was no need to rush. She would enter the fray when she was in full strength and immediately withdraw to rest when she was exhausted. She would repeat this cycle step by step until she finally wiped out the strange race in the black mist.

Just as Xiao Yunshang's spiritual power was depleted by more than half and her martial prowess was weakening, and she was preparing to withdraw from the black mist and return to the imperial city to recuperate, an unexpected event occurred!

Deep within the black mist, within a wrecked, pitch-black warship, a terrifying and overwhelming pressure suddenly erupted.

A top-tier expert from the Ghost Clan stepped out, exuding overwhelming power.

This ghostly being was completely different from the ordinary phantom ghostly beings. It possessed a solid and heavy physical body, with a huge and imposing physique, resembling an upright giant crocodile, and its entire body was as black as ink.

His body was enveloped in raging, pitch-black flames, the light of which was domineering and fierce, its power no less than that of the Xuanhuo of a mid-stage Martial Emperor of the human race.

The fierce attack, wreathed in black flames, crashed down, heading straight for Xiao Yunshang!

A terrifying force of invasion swept over them instantly, nearly annihilating the last remaining silver true fire around Xiao Yunshang. Crisis descended in an instant!

"There's actually a powerful member of the Ghost Clan at the mid-stage of the Martial Emperor realm?!"

Xiao Yunshang was shocked and horrified. Without thinking, she turned around and tried to break through the black mist to retreat.

But the crocodile-shaped monster was even faster, relentlessly pursuing her. Not only was it incredibly fast, but it could also control the entire black mist, layer upon layer of dark fog crashing against Xiao Yunshang, while simultaneously mobilizing all the monsters within the black mist to form an encirclement, desperately blocking her retreat.

If Xiao Yunshang had not cultivated the Innate Profound Thunder Body, possessing a strong physical foundation and protected by the Thunder Phoenix Martial Aspect, her movement techniques would have far surpassed those of others of the same level. Under such layers of obstruction, she would have been unable to move an inch, let alone break through the black mist.

The last remaining high-grade Earth-rank Ink Gold Puppet was still fighting desperately, trying to hold back the massive number of monsters and buy Xiao Yunshang room to move. However, its combat power was limited, and it could only barely entangle ordinary monsters, completely powerless against the giant crocodile monster.

Once it tries to get close to the giant crocodile, it will be instantly swept away by a wave of dark fire, flying far away, its body trembling and its spiritual light dimming.

Xiao Yunshang's situation became increasingly difficult.

She was clearly moving closer and closer to the edge of the black mist, but the giant crocodile monsters' attacks were relentless and precisely targeted. Every violent bombardment that landed was met with the power of the black mist, which would forcefully push her back, widening the distance she had painstakingly closed.

With such exhaustion, she simply couldn't hold on for long.

Deep within the black mist, divine sense was completely isolated and sealed off, so Su Mu, who was outside, could not see the internal battle situation at all.

The thick, dark fog obscured everything, even Xiao Yunshang's enormous and dazzling Thunder Phoenix Martial Image was completely hidden and impossible to see. The ink-gold puppet that had previously been used to transmit vision and connect thoughts was completely severed the moment the giant crocodile monster appeared, losing all connection.

Only the continuous roars and ear-piercing collisions emanating from the depths of the black mist indicated the perilous battle within.

"Why haven't they come out yet?"

Su Mu frowned, his expression serious.

He had already made an agreement with Xiao Yunshang that, regardless of whether the battle went smoothly or not, she would only stay in the black mist for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea the first time she entered it.

The deadline has long passed, but the black mist continues to churn, and Xiao Yunshang has yet to emerge.

Su Mu knew in his heart that she must be in a desperate situation and fighting a bitter battle, with no way to escape.

At this moment, Xiao Yunshang had been driven to the brink of despair.

Surrounded and relentlessly attacked by countless demonic creatures, she was unable to use her many trump cards. The escape techniques and talismans she carried were of insufficient quality and completely ineffective in the strangely regulated black mist, making it impossible for her to break through.

She was extremely hesitant.

The black mist can block divine sense, but it cannot block sound. As long as she cries for help, Su Mu outside will surely hear her and will definitely rush into the black mist to save her.

But she didn't dare to gamble.

She had no idea whether Su Mu was capable of fighting against this terrifying mid-stage Martial Emperor of the Ghost Clan. If Su Mu was powerless to fight after entering the fray, he would not only fail to save her but would also needlessly perish himself.

Su Mu had been incredibly kind to her, and she absolutely could not let him down, she absolutely could not!

Time passed slowly, and Su Mu waited patiently for another twenty breaths.

Without the slightest hesitation, he absorbed the energy, and a blazing purple-gold flame rose around him. Holding a black spear, he flashed and resolutely rushed into the pitch-black mist.

He had invested a vast amount of resources and countless elixirs in Xiao Yunshang, and he would never allow this investment to go to waste.

The newly evolved purple-gold Xuan Fire has a strong restraint and resistance to the evil black mist. In addition, the layers of lightning arcs surrounding his body make the black mist's bewitching, corrosive, and suppressive power almost ineffective against him.

Ignoring the obstruction of the black fog, he instantly penetrated deep into the heart of the territory and soon arrived near Xiao Yunshang's battlefield.

The top-grade Earth-rank black gold puppet lay silently on the ground, its body incomplete and its spiritual light extinguished, completely ruined.

Su Mu was not surprised at all.

The Giant Crocodile Clan was far too powerful. The superior-grade puppets were already insufficient in combat strength. Under the continuous depletion of the black mist and the relentless attacks of the Crocodile Clan, defeat and destruction were inevitable.

What truly surprised him was that a mid-stage Martial Emperor realm expert from the Ghost Clan was lurking within the black mist that was approaching the imperial city.

He instantly sensed the danger involved.

At the same cultivation level, human powerhouses are fearless against the Ghost Race in the outside world, but once they are in the Black Mist's home territory, the situation is completely reversed. With the Black Mist's blessing, a mid-stage Ghost Race expert is enough to contend with a late-stage Human Martial Emperor!

He finally understood that Xiao Yunshang was not unwilling to retreat on time, but was trapped in a dead end with no way to retreat and no way to escape.

At the center of the black mist, the giant crocodile monster stood high in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by dozens of elite monsters, trapping Xiao Yunshang and completely locking down all her escape space with their relentless attacks.

Xiao Yunshang's spiritual power was exhausted and her martial aura was dim. She could only struggle to hold on and was exhausted from dealing with the situation. The situation was extremely critical.

"The Martial Prime Minister is about to burst, yet he doesn't cry for help? Do you want to die here?!"

Su Mu gave a cold, deep shout, and with a flick of his finger, swallowed a sixth-grade Dragon Essence Pill.

The immense medicinal power instantly washed over his limbs and bones, his true spiritual power surged, and the power of the purple-gold mystic fire rose again, instantly breaking through to its peak in combat strength!

The next second, he wielded a black spear, crackling with lightning and mysterious fire, and charged fiercely into the midst of the demon race's enemies!

As the spear swept across, lightning and fire surged, and the bodies of the countless monsters that had been attacking from all directions shrank and withered, retreating and disintegrating like a tide.

"You immediately leave the black mist to recuperate; leave this to me!"

Su Mu raised his hand and summoned a brand-new Earth-rank top-grade Ink Gold Puppet, giving instructions in a deep voice.

Upon suddenly seeing Su Mu rushing to her aid and hearing his steady and powerful voice, Xiao Yunshang, who was on the verge of despair, felt her eyes well up with tears.

She forcibly suppressed the turbulent emotions within her, knowing that she was already at her limit and that staying here would only be a burden to Su Mu. She gave Su Mu a deep look, then without further hesitation, turned and broke through the encirclement with all her might.

Upon seeing this, the giant crocodile monster immediately abandoned its remaining enemies and attempted to step forward to stop them.