Ning Xian's figure dashed rapidly through the forest.
The fleeing baleful energy was moving at an extreme speed.
Though seemingly formless and weightless, it moved like a phantom, specifically picking dark corners and dense thickets to weave through.
Within a few breaths, Ning Xian had cornered it deep within the bamboo forest of the back mountain.
The mass of dark baleful energy had been wounded by her sword intent and had shrunk considerably, yet its malice remained undiminished.
She pressed her fingers together like a blade, a point of cold light condensing at the tip.
"Perish."
The mass of baleful energy dissipated completely into the air, leaving only a faint, lingering chill.
Ning Xian stood still as she retracted her hand, her expression suddenly shifting.
It was only a split remnant soul...
A lure to draw the tiger away from the mountain...
She had been a bit too careless.
Although her junior brother's strength was not weak... he seemed somewhat afraid of these foul and evil things, and his experience was lacking.
......
The entrance to the valley.
The once clear and tranquil valley was now completely enveloped by a shroud of blood-red baleful energy.
The baleful energy surged, blotting out the sky.
The moonlight was entirely cut off, forming a massive, dark red barrier.
Fang Xuan stood in the center of the formation.
He circulated his cultivation method, releasing his vast spiritual power to block the baleful energy that constantly tumbled and crashed around him.
Fortunately, he was steady and had his little brother with him.
However, for an evil spirit of this level...
This was supposed to be his Senior Sister's opportunity, but this felt like it was intended to be fatal.
He sensed that the evil entity presiding over this barrier had a strength at least in the Void Core Realm, perhaps even higher.
Furthermore, its intelligence was not low; it knew how to utilize tactics and the environment.
An evil spirit condensed from pure resentment shrieked as it lunged, its sharp claws aiming directly for Fang Xuan's face.
"Slash."
The vast spiritual power within his body poured into his little brother, and without any flashy moves, he delivered a simple horizontal slash.
"Boom!!"
The majestic spiritual power mixed with the black sword's own fierce sword momentum, transforming into a black crescent-shaped sword qi that swept outward.
Wherever the sword qi passed, the blood-red baleful energy was rapidly annihilated.
The lunging evil spirit bore the brunt of the attack, ground into powder by the sword qi.
The aftershock didn't stop there, clearing a large area of the dense baleful energy in the half-yard before Fang Xuan, revealing the messy ground beneath.
The power of this single strike had clearly wounded the master of the barrier.
"Roar!!!"
An angry roar echoed from deep within the barrier.
The entire crimson barrier shook violently, and more evil spirits emerged from all directions, surging toward Fang Xuan like a tide.
Fang Xuan exhaled a breath of cold air and instead took the initiative to meet them.
He pushed his cultivation method to its limit, the spiritual power in his body racing like a torrential river.
The black sword in his hand turned into a series of heavy dark shadows, each diagonal slash carrying immense weight.
The mournful wails of the evil spirits were constant.
Fang Xuan discovered that these evil spirits seemed to have a high resistance to his spiritual power attacks.
However, they were exceptionally terrified of the black sword itself.
Usually, a single strike was enough to make an evil spirit dissipate completely, whereas pure spiritual pressure produced poor results.
It seemed his little brother was indeed brave and invincible.
Within dozens of breaths, he had already cut down no fewer than twenty evil spirits of various forms, and the aura surrounding him became increasingly sharp.
Perhaps intimidated by Fang Xuan, the evil spirits' offensive suddenly slowed down.
Immediately after, the ground split open abruptly.
A ghost hand condensed from baleful energy, nearly half the size of the courtyard, burst out of the ground beneath Fang Xuan's feet.
Its fingers were like hooks, clawing at him with savage force.
The coverage area of this attack was massive, nearly sealing off all of Fang Xuan's space to dodge.
Fang Xuan's eyes narrowed, and he no longer held back his spiritual energy, pouring all of it into the black sword.
The blade emitted a low hum as it slashed through the massive ghost hand.
"Psh!"
The black sword cut through the palm of the ghost hand without resistance, proceeding with unstoppable momentum to split it in two.
Following that, Fang Xuan's wrist flicked, and a surge of spiritual power exploded along the blade.
"Boom!!"
The massive ghost hand split open from the inside, turning into countless fragments and scattered baleful energy.
But at the very moment the baleful energy from the shattered hand obscured his vision, Fang Xuan felt that the chilling aura hidden deep within the barrier had suddenly vanished.
Fang Xuan stood with his sword, warily scanning the rolling blood mist around him.
The battle seemed to have paused momentarily, but the barrier still existed, and the unsettling sense of pressure had not diminished.
He frowned, attempting to probe with his spiritual power first...
......
Ning Xian had already returned to the bamboo courtyard.
Even standing outside the barrier, she could feel the overwhelming resentment and ferocity contained within it.
It wasn't just at the level that had erupted in the room earlier; this power far exceeded her estimations.
Sword qi condensed in her hand once more as she attempted to force an opening.
"Sizzle!"
The sword qi collided with the blood-red baleful energy, causing the barrier to fluctuate violently, but it did not break.
She couldn't wait any longer; she had to force her way in.
Most of the baleful energy was shredded by her sword intent, but two or three stray wisps still managed to graze her arm and shoulder.
The fabric was instantly torn, and several bloody gashes quickly formed across her skin.
Ning Xian let out a muffled groan, but her movements didn't stop for a second.
She could only use a high-consumption secret technique to force her way into the barrier.
However, the consequences would be equally severe.
......
Inside the barrier.
The scene was entirely different from what was visible from the outside.
It was filled with churning dark red mist, severely obstructing vision to only a few feet around her.
She could faintly hear countless piercing wails, hateful curses, and... the sound of spiritual energy clashing.
Ning Xian's heart tightened, and she immediately looked toward the direction of the sounds.
But the mist severely interfered with her perception, allowing her only to barely distinguish the direction.
She had to find her junior brother as quickly as possible.
Facing an organized and intelligent assault of evil spirits of this caliber, even if Fang Xuan was strong enough...
With his lack of experience and his fear of ghosts, he likely wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
"Swish!"
The blood mist in front of her suddenly surged violently, and a pitch-black ghost claw tore through the mist, lunging toward the vital area of Ning Xian's back.
By the time Ning Xian sensed it, the ghost claw was already inches away.
A sharp, chilling wind stung her back.
She forcibly twisted her body, her hand's sword seal instinctively meeting the ghost claw.
The sword intent condensed in haste collided violently with the ghost claw.
Ning Xian felt a massive force coupled with bone-chilling baleful energy travel up her arm, causing her blood and qi to churn.
Ultimately, she was a split second too slow and failed to completely dodge.
The sharp tips of the ghost claw brushed against her left shoulder, leaving a gruesome bloody trail.
Ning Xian stumbled back a few steps, barely steadying herself.
The corrosion of the baleful energy from the wound on her left shoulder made her face pale, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
She looked up, her icy gaze piercing through the blood-red mist to lock onto the direction from which the ghost claw had come.
The mist there parted slightly, revealing the faint shadow of something even deeper and darker.
The true body of the evil spirit... or at least one of its powerful avatars, was right here.
And the sounds of battle seemed to be coming from that direction as well, becoming much clearer.
Ning Xian clenched her fingers; she had to resolve the immediate threat before breaking through to the other side...
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