Translator: CinderTL
Gui Ni was drifting down the river when he suddenly sensed an abnormal fluctuation in Spiritual Qi ten miles ahead, deep beneath the water's surface.
Alarmed, Gui Ni immediately unleashed his Spirit Sense in all directions without reservation.
His heart sank.
Abnormal Spiritual Qi fluctuations were now erupting in every direction—ahead, behind, left, and right.
Without a moment's hesitation, Gui Ni shot skyward, intending to escape the river.
"Gui Ni, where do you think you're going!" Song Wen's roar echoed through the air.
The next instant, a short spear crackling with Thunderlight pierced the water's surface and hurtled toward him.
Gui Ni's face froze.
He hastily summoned his Yin Soul Banner.
Instantly, a thick, inky Ghost Qi surged from the banner.
Like a Flood Dragon breaking through the water, the Ghost Qi clawed and writhed toward the incoming spear.
Gui Ni knew the Ghost Qi he summoned couldn't stop Song Wen's spear—at most, it might delay it for a moment or two.
He summoned a gust of Yin Wind and dove toward the deepest part of the riverbed.
The bottom of this river was riddled with hidden underwater caves.
Especially in the section of the river where he was currently located, the riverbed was riddled with hidden caves.
Some of these caves were only a few dozen or a few hundred feet deep, while others were incredibly deep and mysterious.
Moreover, these caves interconnected, forming a complex network.
Gui Ni planned to use these caves to escape.
He unleashed his Spirit Sense, quickly selecting a deep, unknown cave among the many.
As he approached the cave entrance, a transparent barrier suddenly lit up, blocking his path.
Gui Ni hastily activated his Yin Soul Banner, and a pillar of green fire erupted from the banner's flag. The green fire, carrying an intense aura of icy coldness, shot toward the barrier.
On the barrier, a massive, ten-yard-long flaming greatsword materialized, clashing head-on with the green fire pillar.
The flaming greatsword was condensed from Primal Luminary True Fire, a type of extremely yang fire.
The greatsword and the green fire pillar collided.
The icy coldness and scorching heat clashed violently, unleashing a terrifying energy shockwave.
Gui Ni used his Yin Soul Banner to shield himself from the impact.
At that moment, he realized he had been trapped within a Formation.
The formation surrounding Gui Ni was none other than Mo Yexue's Evil Extermination Sword Formation, which was particularly effective against Ghost Dao cultivators like him.
"Gui Ni, you're trapped like a rat in a jar with nowhere to run! You might as well kill yourself now. At least it'll be a quick death."
Song Wen and his two companions appeared outside the barrier. The speaker was Mo Yexue, her tone dripping with mockery.
"How did you track me here?" Gui Ni glared at the three, his voice tinged with resentment.
Song Wen replied, "Back then, when you, Xue Mei, and Yang Yu were hunting me down, Xue Mei used a technique to track me by my aura. As it happens, I know that technique too."
Gui Ni fell silent for a moment, then pleaded, his voice almost desperate.
"I don't want to die! I'll let you cast the Soul Lock Curse on me. I'll serve you for the rest of my life."
Song Wen shook his head. "A dead enemy is the best enemy. As long as you live, we three won't have peace of mind. Besides, I know Xue Mei has a Secret Art called the Tranquility Incantation that can seal the Sea of Consciousness, rendering the Soul Lock Curse useless. You and Xue Mei have been in cahoots for years. There's no guarantee you haven't cultivated this technique yourself."
Whether Gui Ni had been exposed by Song Wen's scheme or had lost all hope of survival, his face was deathly pale, his eyes fixed on Song Wen with a sinister glare.
Song Wen ignored Gui Ni and turned to Mo Yexue.
"Fellow Daoist Mo, it's time to act. Remember, leave him alive."
Mo Yexue nodded slightly and began to activate the eighteen flying swords arranged in the formation. They transformed into streaks of sword light infused with Primal Luminary True Fire, slashing towards Gui Ni.
Naturally, Gui Ni refused to surrender without a fight. He poured all his energy into the Yin Soul Banner, summoning endless Ghost Qi and green flames to attack the sword formation.
However, the Evil Extermination Sword Formation was not so easily broken. Moreover, his Ghost Dao techniques were inherently countered by the formation.
Before long, Gui Ni's Spiritual Power began to wane. He was severely wounded by the sword lights that struck him from all directions within the formation, collapsing to the ground.
"Fellow Daoist Mo, you can stop now," Song Wen said. "Please control the sword formation and open a path. I have a personal score to settle with Gui Ni myself."
The Mount Tai Ring hovered above Song Wen's head, splitting into a Phantom Shadow that stood poised to strike.
Mo Yexue, hearing this, immediately changed the Sword Incantation in her hand.
A ten-foot-long crack suddenly split open at the top of the sword formation barrier.
Song Wen's heart stirred. The Phantom Shadow of the Mount Tai Ring followed the crack, entering the formation and encircling Gui Ni's chest, completely sealing off his Spiritual Power.
"Fellow Daoist Mo, thank you. I trouble you now to dispel the sword formation," Song Wen said.
Mo Yexue complied, retracting the eighteen flying swords hidden beneath the river.
The sword formation barrier vanished!
"Gui Ni, you've finally fallen into my hands," Song Wen said as he flew before Gui Ni, his voice slow and deliberate.
"Ji Yin, in victory or defeat, I have nothing more to say. Kill me if you must!" Perhaps knowing his chances of survival were nonexistent, Gui Ni appeared surprisingly defiant.
"Dying is easy. I'll grant your wish."
A cold smile curled Song Wen's lips as a gleaming short blade appeared in his hand. He slowly advanced toward Gui Ni's forehead.
As the Soul Cleaving Blade drew closer, a flicker of terror flashed in Gui Ni's eyes.
Wrapped around the blade was a terrifying aura that struck deep into the soul, causing Gui Ni to experience unprecedented fear. It was like a beast in the forest suddenly encountering its natural enemy—a primal dread etched into his very blood.
The Soul Cleaving Blade pierced only half an inch into Gui Ni's forehead, stopping short of taking his life. Yet a searing pain, as if his soul were being torn apart, wracked his body, leaving him writhing in agony.
Immediately afterward, a crimson expanse filled his vision.
A blood-colored tentacle coiled around him, enveloping his entire body.
The tentacle relentlessly contracted, squeezing and crushing every inch of his flesh and every bone.
Amidst the boundless agony, Gui Ni suddenly felt a lightness throughout his body. A suction force pulled his soul into Ji Yin's Sea of Consciousness.
Gazing at the endless, all-consuming Black Hole looming above the Sea of Consciousness, Gui Ni was seized by an indescribable terror.
"Gui Ni, as I expected, you too couldn't escape Ji Yin's grasp," Xue Mei's voice suddenly broke through the silence, drawing Gui Ni's attention away from the Black Hole.
Only then did Gui Ni notice that he wasn't the only foreign soul in this Sea of Consciousness. Xue Mei was here too, and...
"Are you Xu Geng, the Vice Sect Leader of the Divine Blood Hall?"
Gui Ni had often heard Xue Mei and Yang Yu mention Xu Geng. His Soul Body, a Divine Transformation Realm Primordial Spirit, made the identification easy.
"He is indeed Xu Geng," Xue Mei answered, clarifying for Gui Ni.
Gui Ni's eyes widened in disbelief.
Xu Geng, who had seized Mi Hai's body, had also died at the hands of Ji Yin!
His soul was still trapped here!
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (RDC) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c1150. [+2]
🔑Early Access at $5.
💥Translated (6) Series, (4.6K+) Chapters, (6.7M+) Words.