Chapter 64: Sword at the Brow

But the strange thing was – their cultivation realms were rising madly!

Golden Core Sixth Layer!

Golden Core Seventh Layer!

Golden Core Eighth Layer!

Golden Core Ninth Layer Peak!

In just a dozen or so breaths, the two had skyrocketed from Golden Core Sixth Layer all the way to Golden Core Ninth Layer Peak, a single step away from Nascent Soul.

Yet neither of their faces showed the slightest joy.

Only boundless terror.

Because they could feel it clearly – their own life force was draining away madly as their realms climbed.

At this rate, half a stick of incense at most, and they would be nothing but desiccated corpses.

*

“S-save… save us…”

The two struggled desperately, but it was useless.

The black yin chill energy, like the greediest of vampires, was devouring everything they had.

*

In the shadows.

Lin Xiaoyu covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound.

Through the Eye of Heavenly Punishment, she could see everything clearly.

The life force inside those two was draining at a terrifying speed.

And the black mist flooding into their bodies was, in some twisted way, converting that life force into cultivation.

This was no opportunity.

This was a trap.

A massive trap that used Yin Nether Fruit as bait to devour cultivators’ life force.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm. Then, quietly, she began backing away, preparing to leave this eerie place. But just as she took a single step back—

A faint sound of footsteps came from behind her.

Lin Xiaoyu went rigid.

Slowly, she turned her head.

In the darkness, a pair of faint blue eyes were fixed on her.

Lin Xiaoyu wanted to retreat.

But it was too late.

All around her in the darkness, countless pairs of faint blue light flared to life at the same moment.

The eyes of Yin Soldiers.

One. Two. Ten. A hundred…

Dense ranks of Yin Soldiers surged out of the darkness, completely surrounding Lin Xiaoyu.

Their auras varied wildly – Qi Refining Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage – layer upon layer, too many to count.

Lin Xiaoyu gripped the Qingfeng Sword, her heart pounding.

But she did not panic.

Her master had said that the more dangerous the situation, the calmer one must be.

“Heavenly Dao Divine Art…” she murmured softly, the violet-gold Heavenly Dao Primordial Power surging madly within her.

*

At that moment—

Those faint blue eyes suddenly moved.

But they did not look at Lin Xiaoyu.

Instead, they headed straight for the two men.

The two cultivators who had been devoured by the Yin Nether Fruit were now barely clinging to life.

Most of their life force had been drained away. Their hair had gone grey, their skin shriveled and sunken, like two wind-dried corpses.

The faint blue eyes drifted before them.

There was no body.

Just a cluster of Remnant Soul.

The Remnant Soul floated above the short man’s head, then suddenly transformed into a wisp of ghostly light and burrowed into him!

The short man’s body shuddered violently!

Then his eyes flew open.

Those eyes were no longer human eyes. They were faint blue, eerie, emotionless – the eyes of the Remnant Soul.

Slowly, he rose to his feet.

He looked down at his hands, twisted his neck, tested his limbs.

Crack-crack. The sound of bones popping echoed harshly through the silent underground space.

Then he turned his head toward the tall man, who was barely breathing beside him.

He raised a hand.

Five fingers curled lightly.

The tall man didn’t even have time to scream. The last remnants of life force inside him were ripped out in an instant. He became a dried husk and collapsed to the ground, limp.

The Remnant Soul – no, he should be called the possessed short man now – took a deep breath. That stolen life force turned into wisps of pale grey mist, flowing into his body.

He closed his eyes, a look of pleasure spreading across his face.

After a moment, he opened them.

“A decent enough body.”

His voice was hoarse and grating, like scraping metal.

*

Lin Xiaoyu fought on as she watched it all unfold.

Through the Eye of Heavenly Punishment, she finally understood.

The Yin Soldiers.

The Yin Nether Fruit.

This entire canyon—

It was nothing more than one enormous trap.

The death qi within the Yin Soldiers and the Yin Nether Fruit served only one purpose: to alter the bodies of those who entered.

To gradually make their constitutions compatible with yin chill energy, to make them suitable vessels for the Remnant Soul to possess.

And those two fools had been prey from the very start.

They had fought their way in, absorbing the death qi of countless Yin Soldiers, then touched the Yin Nether Fruit – their bodies had long since been thoroughly altered.

In the end, the Remnant Soul simply had to possess one with ease, gaining a brand-new body for himself.

And the life force he devoured became nourishment to restore his power.

*

What a scheme.

A chill ran through Lin Xiaoyu’s heart.

*

After acclimating to the body for a moment, the Remnant Soul finally turned his head toward Lin Xiaoyu.

Then he froze.

A look of surprise crossed his pale face.

What was he seeing?

A little Qi Refining Stage girl, surrounded by hundreds of Yin Soldiers—

And slaughtering them.

One sword, one kill.

The Foundation Establishment Stage Yin Soldiers were like paper before her, unable to withstand even a single strike.

The Golden Core Stage Yin Soldiers only managed to last a couple of moves longer.

The ground was already littered with the broken remains of over a hundred Yin Soldiers.

And the death qi couldn’t even touch her body – a layer of violet-gold radiance enveloped her, repelling all corruption.

“This…”

The Remnant Soul’s eyes went wide.

There were Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Realm Yin Soldiers among them, and they still hadn’t brought down a single Qi Refining Stage girl?

He stared at Lin Xiaoyu, the faint blue light in his eyes flickering.

Then he smiled.

A grin of eerie, ravenous greed.

“It seems I misjudged.”

“That body of yours… it’s far more perfect.”

*

The words barely left his lips before he exploded into motion!

The aura of peak Golden Core erupted without restraint!

He lashed out with a palm strike. A howling yin gale condensed into a massive ghostly claw, hurtling down toward Lin Xiaoyu’s head!

*

Lin Xiaoyu swung her sword and shattered the last few Yin Soldiers.

Then she raised her head and looked at the claw descending upon her.

A flash of golden lightning flickered in her eyes.

Eye of Heavenly Punishment – Open!

Boom!

Two bolts of golden lightning shot from her eyes, instantly shattering the ghostly claw!

The Remnant Soul’s expression shifted.

“This…”

Before he could react, Lin Xiaoyu was already moving.

Heavenly Dao Evasion Art – Her form vanished, and in the next instant, she appeared right in front of the Remnant Soul.

The Qingfeng Sword slashed down!

The Remnant Soul hastily raised his arms to block!

Clang!

Sparks flew in all directions.

The force sent the Remnant Soul flying backwards, slamming him hard into the stone wall and leaving a deep crater.

He struggled to claw his way out of the crater, his face etched with disbelief.

“You… You’re at the Qi Refining Stage?!”

He felt his new body’s arm nearly shatter from the impact of that strike.

A peak Golden Core cultivator, sent flying by a little girl in the Qi Refining Stage with a single sword strike?

What kind of monster was she?

*

Lin Xiaoyu didn’t give him a moment to breathe.

Her sword light flared once more!

The Remnant Soul’s face twisted in horror.

At last, true panic set in.

“Yin Soldiers! Attack!”

He summoned frantically, and more Yin Soldiers surged from the darkness, lunging at Lin Xiaoyu.

But Lin Xiaoyu didn’t even spare them a glance.

The Heavenly Dao Divine Art circulated, and a sweep of purple-gold sword light scoured the battlefield – One strike, and dozens of Yin Soldiers dissolved into ash.

A second strike, and over a hundred more scattered like smoke.

Three strikes…

The Remnant Soul’s eyes bulged.

His entire army of Yin Soldiers… wiped out, just like that?

*

Lin Xiaoyu walked towards him step by step, the ground crunching beneath her feet with the ashes of his fallen soldiers.

With every step she took, the Remnant Soul felt his heart sink deeper.

“You… you can’t kill me…”

His voice trembled as he scrambled backwards.

“I’m a deacon of the Hanling Heavenly Palace! I know the secrets of this place! I can tell you where the treasure is!”

Lin Xiaoyu said nothing.

She simply walked up to him and raised her foot.

Then – she brought it down.

Thud!

The Remnant Soul was pinned to the ground, completely immobilized.

His pale face was pressed against the dirt, filled with terror and bitter resentment.

“You… who the hell are you?”

he rasped.

Lin Xiaoyu looked down at him.

The golden lightning still flickered and danced within her eyes.

“Me?”

she said softly.

“I am my master’s disciple.”

*

As her words faded…

The Qingfeng Sword was resting right between the Remnant Soul’s eyes.