After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

"not good!"

Master Xuanji, who had been squinting as he observed the battle, suddenly changed his expression and exclaimed in surprise for the first time.

His voice was filled with unprecedented solemnity, "This kid actually has a wisp of an Emperor's Soul sealed within him!"

Master Xuanji was no longer as relaxed as before; his speech was rapid and rapid-fire.

"The Emperor's Soul inherently contains immense dragon energy and overwhelming resentment from its deathbed, fused with its own divine consciousness and cultivation. Once it loses the restraint of its host's divine consciousness, it will erupt completely, unleashing the death aura and curse of a century-old emperor that it contains, sweeping across an area of ​​several miles!"

"Then the vegetation will wither, all life will perish, and this place will become a barren wasteland! Stop him!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng instinctively looked at Master Xuanji, "Master, what should we do?"

Xuanji Zhenren's gaze swept rapidly over Shi Qinglian, whose aura was steadily rising, and then quickly glanced at Jiang Dusheng and Xie Jinchen:

"No time for details! You and that brat, immediately transfer your Yin and Yang energies to me! One Yin and one Yang will form a perfect counteracting force that will annihilate you! Hurry! If you're too slow, it'll all be over!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng did not hesitate at all, immediately forming hand seals and circulating his inner energy.

A surge of extremely Yin energy, accompanied by a pale golden light, rushed towards the Mingmen acupoint on Xuanji Zhenren's back.

Xie Jinchen immediately composed himself and carefully guided the malevolent energy he had been forcibly suppressing out of his body, transforming it into a dark red stream of malevolent energy that flowed towards Xuanji Zhenren.

Master Xuanji stood in front of the two, his hands forming a circle as if embracing Tai Chi.

His body was operating the Taoist mystical arts wildly, forcibly mixing the surging Yin energy with the dark red Yang energy.

A blinding light emanated from between Xuanji Zhenren's hands.

At first, it was only a yin-yang symbol, about the size of a bowl, but then it rapidly rotated and expanded, quickly taking shape.

The black and white colors are distinct, the yin-yang fish eyes slowly rotate, and the eight trigrams of Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen and Dui light up one by one, exuding a powerful Taoist charm.

The chaotic spiritual energy throughout the valley was stirred up and converged on the illusory image of the Bagua.

Master Xuanji's white hair stood on end, and his Taoist robe bulged, clearly indicating that he was under immense pressure.

His voice was like thunder from the heavens, each word resonating with the spiritual energy of the universe.

"Heaven and earth are positioned, mountains and lakes communicate, thunder and wind interact, water and fire do not clash!"

"Yin and Yang in harmony, the Eight Trigrams forming an array, sealing the heavens and locking the earth!"

"town!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly pushed his arms forward, as if he were moving the entire world.

The enormous yin-yang symbol spun around, with black and white energies flowing around it like two giant dragons linked head to tail, enveloping Shi Qinglian, whose aura was becoming increasingly violent and whose imperial soul illusory image was becoming more and more solid.

Wherever the illusory image of the Eight Trigrams passed, the chaotic spiritual energy was forcibly calmed, and the dissipated death energy of the Emperor's Soul was temporarily forced back.

The edge of the illusory image touched the rocks and vegetation, which lay low but did not wither, as if protected by a gentle yet powerful force.

The Bagua formation barely touched the black death energy domain three feet away from Shi Qinglian's body.

If we move just three feet closer, we can suppress him, body and soul, together into this Yin-Yang cage created by heaven and earth.

however--

Just as the edge of the Bagua formation came into contact with the death energy, the illusory image of the Emperor Soul within Shi Qinglian's body seemed to sense a fatal threat and let out a sharp shriek.

Shi Qinglian suddenly opened her tightly closed eyes, which were now completely black, with no whites visible.

"Too late." He spoke softly, his voice inhuman, carrying a double echo, one of his own, the other aged and dignified, yet filled with resentment.

"With my soul, I offer sacrifice to the Emperor's grievances!"

"The road to the underworld is long, you... shall be buried with me!"

After saying this, Shi Qinglian stopped trying to control herself and instead opened up all her divine senses, frantically absorbing the death energy of the Emperor's Soul.

His own vitality, cultivation, and even soul were like splashed bright oil thrown into the dark flames, igniting with a roar.

"Snap!"

A crisp sound, like glass shattering.

The seemingly solid Yin-Yang Bagua formation was instantly covered with cracks under the impact of the imperial dragon energy and death energy contained within it.

It contains the combined impact of a century-old emperor's resentment before his death and Shi Qinglian's lifelong cultivation and mad obsession, and its power far exceeds Xuanji Zhenren's prediction.

The surface of the Bagua formation was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, the black and white energies vibrated violently, the rotation of the yin-yang fish eyes came to an abrupt halt, and the yin-yang Bagua emitted a mournful cry of unbearable strain.

"Wow!"

Xuanji Zhenren was struck as if by lightning. His face turned ashen, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He staggered backward, and the spiritual light that was maintaining the formation between his hands instantly dissipated.

The illusory image of Yin and Yang Bagua let out a mournful cry, unable to maintain itself any longer, shattering inch by inch into countless specks of light that dissipated into the increasingly dense black mist of death.

The spiritual energy in the valley, which had been briefly calmed, surged again, becoming even more chaotic.

The formation has failed.

"Master!"

Jiang Dusheng cried out in surprise. Ignoring his own exhaustion from channeling spiritual energy, he rushed over and barely managed to support the swaying Xuanji Zhenren.

Xie Jinchen also quickly calmed his chaotic inner energy caused by the backlash of the formation, took a step forward with his sword, and stood firmly in front of the two of them, his eyes warily fixed on the increasingly terrifying black shadow in the air.

The longsword in his hand hummed softly, its blade trembling slightly as its murderous aura was involuntarily drawn in by the pervasive deathly aura of the Emperor's Soul.

In mid-air, Shi Qinglian's seven orifices began to ooze purplish-black blood, her face contorted, yet she wore a relieved and joyful smile.

The illusory image of the Emperor's soul was solidifying at a visible speed, its outline becoming increasingly clear. One could even see the patterns on the illusory dragon robe, which exuded a soul-freezing pressure and boundless resentment.

A terrifying aura of death surged outwards from him, instantly withering, scorching, and turning the lush vegetation into dust wherever it passed.

Xuanji Zhenren endured the excruciating pain and, with Jiang Dusheng's help, managed to stand up, wiping away the blood that kept spilling from the corner of his mouth.

He looked at the Emperor Soul about to erupt completely in the air, and for the first time, a sense of powerlessness appeared in his eyes:

"No... This Emperor Soul's death aura is too intense, far exceeding expectations. Moreover, it is about to completely merge with him, becoming one with him."

"Ordinary methods of suppression are simply no match for this destructive power that combines the resentment of the emperor's fall with his lifelong hatred..."

Master Xuanji was panting, speaking rapidly with anxiety:

"It's like a poisonous swamp with a lit fuse, choked with filth and curses. Once it explodes completely, the deathly pollution will seep deep into the earth's veins, and this place will never recover for a hundred years!"

The shadow of death, along with the ever-spreading purplish-black aura of death, heavily enveloped everyone's hearts.

The vegetation withered, the mountains crumbled, and even the air seemed to solidify, filled with a nauseating smell of decay.