From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 491 The Challenge of Dark Forces

When the deafening roar of the breaking roof beam assaulted my eardrums, I instinctively gripped Wen Chen's sleeve tightly.

Pebbles rained down on me, but he spun around to shield me behind him. With a flick of his sleeves, he shook off all the sharp-edged pieces of stone. A small pebble grazed his earlobe, immediately drawing blood—but he seemed oblivious, his fingertips still pressing against my back as he channeled spiritual energy into me. The heat seeped through my clothes, making my eyes sting.

"Alliance Leader Xiao!" Zhao Xianzi's Qingfeng sword suddenly cleaved through half a zhang of black mist, and the tip of the sword flicked over with a piece of black scale on it.

I caught the thing; it felt sticky and slippery like rotten flesh, and the edges of its scales shimmered with a purplish-black light. It was the "vengeful bone scale" commonly used by the evil cultivators of the Dark Moon Cult.

The night before last, when Wen Chen was flipping through ancient books, I glimpsed a record: If the "heart image" nurtured in the mist of the Netherworld were to solidify into a physical form, it must have been refined by the caster using the vengeful souls of a thousand people, and the one who could drive such an evil object must at least be a figure of the level of the Grand Elder of the Dark Moon Cult.

The earthquake intensified, and the blue brick floor of the council hall cracked with spiderweb-like patterns.

The Wind Demon King's short blade pierced the crevice with a "clang," and he tilted his head back to finish the last gulp of strong liquor, the liquid dripping down his beard: "Damn it, this thing in the fog is getting more and more energetic the more we fight it!"

"Little girl, why isn't your Key of Destiny lit up yet?" Before he finished speaking, the black mist suddenly contracted towards the center as if it had been drained, revealing a hunched figure—the person had long, blood-red hair, a black cloth covering his left eye, and his right eye swirling with the same light as the previous eerie green eyes.

“Blood Fiend!” I blurted out.

The moment his spiritual sense touched him, memories suddenly surged—the name at the top of the bounty list in the immortal realm three hundred years ago was originally the youngest true disciple of the Shangqing Sect. He was expelled for secretly practicing the "Blood Soul Guide" and later slaughtered three mortal towns to extract their souls for cultivation.

When Wen Chen was organizing the alliance's information, he mentioned that the Dark Moon Sect had been gaining momentum in recent years, probably because it was backed by a veteran evil cultivator. He never expected it to be him.

Blood Fiend tilted his head and smiled at me. Dark red liquid seeped from under the black cloth, dripping down his chin onto the bluestone slab, sizzling and corroding a small pit: "Xiao Yao, do you think this broken alliance can protect anyone?" He raised his hand and waved it. Suddenly, more than a dozen blood lines shot out from the black mist. I recognized them as "Soul-Locking Silk," which specifically binds the spiritual veins of cultivators, draining their spiritual power and then crushing their souls.

Suddenly, the amber tassel on Zhao Xianzi's sword burst forth with golden light. She spun around and stood in front of me and Wen Chen. The amber on the tassel was a "soul-protecting jade" given to her by her master before his death. At this moment, it was emitting a "buzzing" mournful sound—clearly, the evil magic of Blood Fiend had reached the limit of the jade.

"Step back behind me." Wen Chen's flute music suddenly rose, and the melody of "Qingling Jue" was mixed into the variation of "Zhenmo Qu".

I then noticed that his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his fingertips were bluish-white where he pressed the flute—it turned out that he had been suppressing the Netherworld Mist and maintaining the protective shield at the same time since the black mist appeared. The spiritual power he transferred to me just now was probably the limit he could muster.

I gripped the Key of Destiny tightly, its dark patterns creeping up my arm and onto the back of my hand, so hot I could barely hold it. But then I heard Wen Chen chuckle softly in my ear: "Don't worry, this key recognizes you. The hotter it is, the more your spirit resonates with it."

The Blood Fiend's Soul-Locking Silk grazed Zhao Xianzi's shoulder, tearing a bloody gash in her moon-white dress.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Wind Demon King rushed forward, his short blade, emanating the smell of alcohol, slashing towards Blood Fiend's back, but Blood Fiend grabbed his wrist with his other hand.

I saw the Wind Demon King's skin visibly wither away, and he roared, his eyes wide, "That son of a bitch is sucking my spiritual energy!" Envoy Li finally emerged from behind the pillar, the messenger pigeon on his fingertip fluttering into the sky. He wiped the sweat from his brow and shouted to me, "I've already sent a message to the nearest Cangwu Immortal Sect; they'll arrive within half a day!"

"It's too late." Blood Fiend's voice suddenly turned like the friction of metal. He released Wind Demon King, and the strong man collapsed to the ground, with only his chest still rising and falling slightly.

The black mist surged up again, this time with countless human faces inside, men and women, old and young, all with their mouths open, emitting shrieks—the vengeful spirits he had refined.

I felt the heat of the Key of Destiny almost burning my palm. Suddenly, the "Exorcism Technique" that Wen Chen taught me flashed through my mind. I gritted my teeth and made a hand seal. A white light suddenly burst out from the tip of the key. The moment the faces touched the light, they let out a shrill scream. The black mist was torn open.

"Good!" Taking advantage of the opportunity, Fairy Zhao thrust out her sword. The golden light on the Qingfeng sword, wrapped in white light, went straight for Blood Fiend's throat.

He neither dodged nor evaded; the eerie green in his right eye suddenly turned scarlet, and he raised his hand to grab the sword. With a "crack," the Qingfeng sword snapped in two like a piece of paper.

Zhao Xianzi's eyes widened, and she staggered back two steps. I saw that her tiger's mouth was split open, and the blood dripped onto the broken sword, which was absorbed by the sword. Black smoke rose from the broken end—the evil magic of the Blood Fiend could even corrode righteous magic weapons.

Wen Chen's flute playing suddenly went silent.

I turned to look at him and found that his face was as white as paper, and there was a fine crack on the flute—he must have exhausted his last bit of spiritual power to help me exorcise the evil.

Bloodthirsty gaze swept over us, a grin spreading to his ears: "Is that all you've got?" He raised his hand, and suddenly all the vengeful spirits in the black mist surged towards us. I could even hear their cries: "Save me! Take me away!"...

The dark patterns of the Key of Destiny crept up my neck, burning my skin until it turned red.

I gritted my teeth and raised the key. The white light was even brighter than before, but I saw a hint of mockery flash in Blood Fiend's right eye—he hadn't used his full strength at all.

Wen Chen suddenly grabbed my hand, transferring his last bit of spiritual energy into it, and whispered, "I'll protect you. Use the key to draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth." I looked at his bluish lips and suddenly remembered what he had said the night before while flipping through ancient books: "When the Netherworld Mist is at its most ferocious, if the caster harbors murderous intent, their mental image will manifest as their true form." And at this moment, Blood Fiend clearly still had a backup plan.

The wails of the vengeful spirits made my eardrums ache. The white light of the Key of Destiny barely protected us, but I could feel its light weakening.

As the Blood Fiend drew closer, the dark red liquid dripped even faster from under the black cloth, pooling into a small pool of blood on the ground.

Envoy Li suddenly lunged forward, shoving the "Soul-Stabilizing Pearl" from his arms into my hands: "This pearl can suppress evil spirits for three breaths, use it quickly!" Fairy Zhao picked up the broken sword beside her, pointing the broken edge at the Blood Fiend, her voice trembling with tears: "Alliance Leader Xiao, we'll hold on, you must think of something!"

I gripped the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl tightly, watching the Blood Fiend's figure draw ever closer, and suddenly understood what Wen Chen meant by "this is just the beginning."

The Dark Moon Cult's willingness to make a move at the Alliance Conference suggests that Blood Fiend is not the only deadly weapon they have. Perhaps the earthquake that caused the roof beams to break, or the roar that has not yet fully risen from the ground, are all reminders that the real crisis has only just begun.

Blood Fiend's hand was already outstretched in front of me, the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl burning hot in his palm.

I took a deep breath and was about to crush it when I heard an even deeper roar from underground, as if some enormous creature was breaking free of its restraints.

Blood Fiend paused, a flicker of panic crossing his right eye—he had heard it too.

The roar, carrying an aura even colder than the black mist, slowly rose to the ground.

The roar from underground was like a poisoned needle, piercing my trembling nerves.

The hand that Blood Fiend had extended in front of me froze in mid-air. The crimson in his right eye faded a bit, and the blood droplets seeping from under the black cloth hit the bluestone slab, making a "crackling" sound that sounded like panic.

My fingers tightened unconsciously around the Soul-Stabilizing Bead, my nails almost digging into my palm—this was the first time I had ever seen fear on the face of a heretical cultivator.

“That is…” Wen Chen suddenly coughed twice, and the blood-stained handkerchief fell to his feet, “the true form of the Netherworld Mist.” His voice was as soft as a drifting catkin, but I heard it clearly.

The fragments tucked inside an ancient book from three hundred years ago suddenly surged into my mind: the mist of the Netherworld nurtured for a thousand years, when the heart's essence solidified, it was always accompanied by the "roar of the earth," which was the myriad souls being refined and tearing at the seal.

It turns out that all that Blood Fiend's fuss was just paving the way for his main body to break free from its seal.

"Damn it!" The Wind Demon King suddenly stood up, supporting himself with his short blade. His skin was still sickly gray, but his eyes burned with fire. "Little girl, thirty percent of my spiritual energy has been drained, but these old bones can still hold on!" He shook the wine stains off his hair, and the short blade twirled in his palm, actually cleaving away half of the surging black mist.

Zhao Xianzi clutched her tiger's mouth, black smoke still billowing from the broken sword, yet she pointed the broken edge at the Blood Fiend, her voice hoarse like sandpaper: "My master said that before the Soul-Protecting Jade shatters, it can block one more barrier." Suddenly, the amber around her neck burst into golden dust, weaving a thin net above our heads—the last barrier she had created with her life force.

Blood Fiend suddenly turned his head, and the eerie green in his right eye surged again.

He raised his hand and grabbed, and seven soul-locking threads suddenly shot out from the black mist, thicker and darker than before, directly wrapping around the Wind Demon King's ankle, Zhao Fairy's wrist, and Special Envoy Li's waist.

Envoy Li groaned, staggered as he was pulled by the Soul-Locking Silk, but in the stumble he pulled out the bronze bell at his waist and shook it hard—the clear "ding" sound mixed with the hissing of the Soul-Locking Silk actually made the black silk pause for a moment.

He shouted at me, "Alliance Leader Xiao!"

Combined attack formation!

The Immortal Realm Alliance's "Seven Stars Gathering Spirit Array"!

I suddenly remembered the battle formation diagram that was tucked into the alliance charter the day before.

Wen Chen had said at the time, "If we encounter a powerful enemy, the representatives of the seven regions will each hold a star position and be able to draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for their own use." But now there are only five people left in the arena. The Wind Demon King is from the Northern Region, Fairy Zhao is from the Eastern Region, Envoy Li is from the Central Region, and Wen Chen... I turned to look at him. He was leaning against a pillar, and pale golden blood beads seeped from the cracks in his flute, but he nodded slightly at me—he is from the Southern Region, so the remaining star position in the Western Region can only be filled by me.

"Senior Feng, guard the Heavenly Pivot!"

Fairy Zhao Zhen Tianxuan!

Special Envoy Li, Steadfast Tianji! "I shouted at the top of my lungs, the Soul-Locking Silk grazing my ear and leaving charred marks on the wall, "Wen Chen..." He suddenly raised his hand, blood droplets splattering from his fingertips onto the ground, drawing a dark red star trail, "Tianquan position, I'll hold on." I bit my tongue, the metallic taste filling my throat—the pain would keep me conscious.

Stepping on the star trails drawn by the blood droplets, I lunged to the last position, the Heavenly Shake. The Key of Destiny was burning hot, almost scorching my palm, and dark patterns crawled up my arm to my collarbone. "Form the array!"

Seven rays of starlight rose from beneath our feet.

The Wind Demon King's short blade gleamed with a golden light tinged with the scent of wine, while Zhao Xianzi's broken sword, though emitting black smoke, was re-encased in gold dust. Envoy Li's bronze bell vibrated and hummed, each sound like the shattering of the Soul-Locking Silk.

The blood droplets seeping from the cracks in Wen Chen's flute suddenly condensed into chains of light, wrapped around my wrist, and transferred his remaining spiritual power into it.

I raised the Key of Destiny, and the white light at the tip of the key suddenly surged, as if a sharp blade had cleaved through the black mist—a sign that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had been activated by the array diagram.

The Blood Fiend's Soul-Locking Silk snapped with a "crack".

He staggered back two steps, and the eerie green in his right eye finally faded into a murky gray.

The black mist began to dissipate, revealing the vengeful spirits that had been sacrificed—their faces were no longer distorted, but instead carried a sense of liberation as they slowly floated into the air.

I heard Wen Chen say in my ear, "This is what they deserve... for their passing."

"Impossible..." Blood Fiend's voice was like a broken bellows. He reached out to grab the drifting vengeful spirits, but only grasped at air.

The bleeding under the black cloth suddenly stopped. He ripped off the cloth—his left eye was empty, just a bloody, mangled hole. "I've nurtured a soul for three hundred years..." He stared at his increasingly transparent palm and suddenly let out a piercing laugh. "So be it!"

With his true form revealed, what use are these remnant souls? His figure began to dissipate, his last words echoing from the depths of the earth: "Xiao Yao, on the day the Netherworld Beast breaks free..."

"boom--"

The floor of the council chamber cracked open completely, and a dark shadow darted out from underground.

It was a colossal beast covered in black scales, with a wolf-like head and a chain-like tail, and every scale was oozing purplish-black blood.

It opened its mouth, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, and I could even see the Netherworld Mist churning inside its throat—this was the "Netherworld Beast" recorded in ancient texts, the true form of the Blood Fiend refined using the souls of ten thousand people.

"Alliance Leader Xiao!" Envoy Li's communication talisman suddenly ignited in his palm. He glanced at the talisman and his expression changed drastically. "The support from the Cangwu Immortal Sect has arrived!"

But…” He swallowed hard. “The guardian of the place where the divine artifact was sealed sent a message saying that cracks had appeared in the sealing array, and black mist was seeping out.”

As I gazed at the Netherworld Beast emerging from the ground and listened to Envoy Li's words, I suddenly recalled the page Wen Chen had turned to the night before: "The day the Netherworld Beast appears in the world will surely be the day when a seal somewhere in the world loosens." The Key of Destiny burned painfully in my palm, and dark black patterns had already crawled up my neck, like a snake reminding me of something.

Wen Chen suddenly grabbed my hand; his fingers were shockingly cold, yet they reassured me more than any words: "I'm here."

The roar of the Netherworld Beast shook the roof beams, causing dust to fall.

Fairy Zhao picked up the broken sword from the ground, the Wind Demon King drank his last mouthful of strong liquor, and Special Envoy Li rang the bronze bell again.

Looking at their blood-stained clothes and pale faces, I suddenly realized that the so-called "alliance" was never just a written agreement, but rather a bond between people willing to take a knife for each other.

"Form the formation." I gripped the Key of Destiny tightly, and white light condensed at the sword tip into an even brighter blade. "This time, we'll cut it down together."

The ashes of Envoy Li's message talisman fell at my feet, the four characters "Sealed Land" still faintly glowing on them.

I stared at that remaining trace, and suddenly heard a voice in my heart saying: The Netherworld Beast is just the prelude; the real trouble is waiting in the sealed land.