The Carefree Little Immortal [Complete] - 3

Episode 2: Springtime on an Isolated Island (Chapter 1) Each Displaying Their Unique Skills

The sudden appearance of the blue Kunlun slave was too conspicuous. Three skeleton cavalry charged forward like a whirlwind, their twelve-foot-long black iron spears aimed at different parts of the giant's body.

"Gulepupu!" Feiluo cried out. The seemingly dazed Kunlun slave suddenly moved, sidestepping and extending his arm with lightning speed, forcing one skeleton cavalryman off his horse and slamming him heavily into the ground. Then, with a large spin, his massive elbow slammed another skeleton cavalryman who had charged beside him, sending both rider and horse flying off the ground.

The third skeleton cavalryman seized the opportunity to rush in, his iron spear striking the Kunlun slave squarely in the ribs. However, the impact of the two sudden bursts of force caused the long spear shaft to bend.

The Kunlun slave tightened his grip, violently pulling the stubborn skeleton cavalryman off his horse. He stomped on the cavalryman, crushing the helmeted skull, then grabbed the black-armored skeleton horse, lifting it overhead and tearing it to shreds in a few swift movements. As if he hadn't felt such exhilaration in a long time, he roared wildly.

The red-armored general on the skeleton chariot suddenly turned. A cold glint flashed before Cui Xiaoxuan's eyes, a chilling sensation cutting into his chest. Startled, he swiftly flicked his wrist, and the Eight-Clawed Fiery Dragon Whip whirled back like a fire dragon. With a loud clang, the man and the demon were separated.

The red-armored general crouched down, seemingly transferring the force to the chariot below. The three tall skeleton horses veered to one side, only regaining their balance after galloping several dozen feet.

Xiao Xuan was sent flying like a kite, landing with a thud that sent him staggering back several steps. He felt his blood churning, and looking down, he saw a long gash in his chest, though thankfully his skin was unharmed. He felt a cold sweat trickle down his back.

The red-armored general's dark eyes flashed with a fierce light as he locked his gaze on Xiao Xuan. He steadied his trembling sword with his other hand, then powered through his chariot to the three skeleton horses, urging them to turn and charge towards their target with imposing ferocity. This was

the first time Xiao Xuan had encountered such a formidable opponent, and a fighting spirit surged within him. He whipped his horse to meet the attack.

Suddenly, two skeleton cavalrymen charged out from the side, swiftly advancing like lightning.

Xiao Xuan spun in mid-air, his Fiery Dragon Whip flying out again. Its length of over two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) gave it an advantage. Before the spear could strike, it yanked a skeleton cavalryman off his horse, dodging another spear, and lashed out at a second skeleton.

The skeleton raised its shield to block, staggering with its horse, but

surprisingly didn't fall. Xiao Xuan landed, lowered his body, and furiously lashed out with his whip, striking three times before finally knocking the skeleton cavalryman down. A chill ran through him as the Crimson Armor General charged forward, his chariot, pulled by three armored skeleton horses, crashing into him with thunderous force.

The situation left no room for direct confrontation. Xiao Xuan darted forward, weaving to the side, a large, mottled blade radiating a terrifying aura slashing towards him. He swiftly channeled his inner fire energy, spinning like a dragon in mid-air, maneuvering and shifting several times, yet still unable to shake off the pursuit. His mind raced, and he lashed out with his whip. A series of teeth-grinding sounds rang out as the Fiery Dragon Whip entangled the large blade, its tip spinning wildly, biting towards the Crimson Armor General along the hilt.

The Crimson Armor General hastily swung his longsword, but Xiao Xuan swung it with ease, unable to break free. The whip, wreathed in crimson flames

, instantly reached the hilt, tearing away a piece of the handguard, then sprang towards his face, revealing a grotesque, malevolent skull.

Seeing no way to dodge, the Crimson Armor General parried, covering his unarmored face.

Xiao Xuan subtly flicked his wrist, the Fiery Dragon Whip disengaging from the blade. Taking advantage of the enemy's obstructed vision, the whip tip plunged into his heart with a loud "bang," exploding into a burst of flames.

The Crimson-Armored General's body trembled violently, only swaying slightly.

Xiao Xuan paused for a moment, then landed on the chariot. He noticed that the breastplate on the Crimson-Armored General's chest had only a few cracks, so he quickly whipped the chariot, sending sparks flying as they struck the enemy.

The Crimson-Armored General swayed left and right, then suddenly braced himself with the handle of his sword, stopping abruptly. With a sinister laugh, he swung his sword in a counterattack, slashing horizontally at the waist.

Xiao Xuan was caught off guard and almost fell off the chariot.

"The armor on these things must have been enhanced by evil magic, don't fight them head-on!" Fei Luo's voice came from afar. In that short time, she had driven the Kunlun slaves to kill seven or eight skeleton cavalrymen, but more than half of the fifty-odd tiger-headed swordsmen had already been slaughtered. The remaining twenty-odd men finally managed to gather together, clinging to each other and struggling to hold on. As for the heroes in the ancient army camp, even their screams had become sparse.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan immediately changed the whip's technique, transforming the lashing and thrusting into a dragging, slicing, and entangling motion. This proved highly effective; the fiery dragon scales on the whip hooked and scraped, causing the red-armored general to stagger and lose his footing. With a sudden crack, a large section of his red armor was torn from his left rib, revealing the blood-red bone beneath.

Xiao Xuan seized the opportunity, his whip flashing like a fiery dragon across the wound, causing a trail of crimson flames to erupt from the blood and bone.

The red-armored general roared wildly, leaning forward and thrusting his shoulder with unstoppable force.

The two were extremely close; Xiao Xuan couldn't dodge in time and could only pull back his arm to protect himself. The violent impact sent a sweet taste to his throat, and he was thrown from the carriage, flying a considerable distance.

A skeleton cavalryman galloped up, his gleaming black spear darting like a venomous snake into his chest.

Xiao Xuan was about to counterattack when he suddenly felt a rush of breath, his movements slowing slightly. Still in mid-air, he couldn't change his stance. Startled, he hastily gathered his inner fire energy to protect his chest. A familiar arc of emerald light flashed past his eye, disappearing into the skeleton cavalryman's face, sending him flying from his horse.

"Water Blossom Slash!" Xiao Xuan exclaimed with joy. Landing, he saw Cheng Shui Ruo wielding her Azure Wave Blade, leaping past him and charging into the skeleton horde. He breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sticky residue from his mouth with the back of his hand, realizing he had just vomited blood. He tried to heal himself, but suddenly felt all his nausea vanish, replaced by a refreshing feeling. Turning his head, he saw Li Meng Tang standing gracefully behind him, remotely using the Wood Blossom Technique to heal his wounds.

Cui Caiting led her disciples to the scene, their astonishment and shock at the horrific sight. Fang Shaolin, who always treated his soldiers like his own children, was enraged to see half of his swordsmen dead. He brandished his staff and charged into the battle.

"Why are these skeletons all wearing armor... and they can even... ride horses?" Xia Xiaowan exclaimed in horror.

Xue Han's pretty face hardened, and she said in a deep voice, "They are all demonized blood skeletons, and they are well-trained. Everyone be careful." She gathered her right sleeve, took out a small, golden, round shield from her magic pouch, and hung it on her arm. She made a hand seal, and suddenly, a flash of golden light appeared, and she vanished instantly.

Several skeleton cavalrymen suddenly saw a golden light fall in the middle, and without saying a word, they all thrust their spears forward. Suddenly, a burst of golden light appeared, conjuring a huge, almost tangible light shield that deflected all the spears. A slender figure appeared behind the shield.

Xue Han twirled her arm with the small golden shield, and the huge light shield, which was more than ten feet in diameter, immediately changed, from vertical to horizontal, and with a slanted cut at the edge, two skulls flew off.

The remaining three oblivious skeleton cavalrymen sheathed their spears and thrust again, but the angle of the light shield shifted once more, instantly slicing them and their horses cleanly apart with a grating sound of bone being cut.

In the blink of an eye, the five fully armored blood skeletons were thrown back and forth, their bodies scattered and falling into the dust.

Xiao Xuan watched, his heart pounding, and exclaimed in amazement, "That's incredible! No wonder Senior Sister has such a resounding reputation!"

The Crimson Armor General spotted an even more formidable enemy and spurred his chariot toward Xue Han.

Cui Caiting said, "I'll handle this one. You all go deal with the other evil spirits." Before she finished speaking, she floated up, seemingly slowly, but instantly appeared above the skeleton chariot.

The red-armored general felt a sudden sense of alarm. Looking up, he saw a white-haired beauty floating gracefully above him. He had already reached a high level of demonic transformation, possessing emotions and desires that ordinary skeletons lacked. A nameless fear, unlike anything he had ever felt before, suddenly arose in his heart. With a furious howl, he swung his multicolored greatsword at the sky.

Cui Caiting flicked her sleeve and guided the movement through the air, unleashing the Water-based ultimate technique, "Dance of the Tide," from the Five Elements of Ruyi. However, its power was nearly twice that of "Water Ruo." She immediately deflected the greatsword and slipped through the gap.

The red-armored general's vision blurred, and he knew something was wrong. He pushed off with his feet, and the chariot spun like a whirlwind, but his right shoulder still shuddered violently. The multicolored broadsword in his hand almost slipped from his grasp. Glancing around, he saw a hole in his shoulder armor, and golden light flowed and spread across the red armor like water and lightning, strangely dazzling.

Just before landing, Cui Caiting gracefully flipped, soaring through the air like a hawk to catch up, her fingers forming a sword, the tip of which carried a faint golden light.
The red-armored general swung his sword wildly, the cold light protecting his entire body, but in the instant Cui Caiting passed by, the sword light dissipated, and his tall body swayed precariously, almost falling off the chariot.

From afar, Xiao Xuan saw a small hole piercing through his abdominal armor. The crimson armor around the hole was actually golden, spreading from dark to light over a distance nearly the size of a bowl. He exclaimed in astonishment, "Is this the Golden Touch Technique, the top-tier skill of the Metal Escape System? It truly is indestructible!"

Li Mengtang nodded and said, "Yes, but it is also extremely difficult to cultivate. Senior Sister still cannot break through to the third stage."

Her healing skills were extraordinary. In a short while, Xiao Xuan had fully recovered. He swung his Flaming Dragon Whip and laughed, "Second Senior Sister, I'm healed. As long as you're here, I'm not afraid of any serious injury!"

Li Mengtang finished her work and smiled, "There are so many evil spirits. Let's hurry up. Xiao Wan and Xiao Xuan, you two flank from the left. Zhai Xia, come with me to the right."

The remaining three responded. Xiao Xuan took the lead and rushed towards Shui Ruo.

Li Mengtang took out a jade-green longbow almost as tall as herself from her magic pouch and, with Zhai Xia holding a whisk, sped off to the other side.

Xia Xiaowan, carrying a short hammer, followed Xiao Xuan to the horde of skeletons. Hesitating for a moment, she stopped, put the hammer into her magic pouch, and took out a gleaming black flute. After testing the notes a few times, she began to play a mournful tune.

Fang Shaolin repeatedly charged, but could not break through the surrounded swordsmen. Instead, he was entangled and attacked by several blood skeletons, sweating profusely. Several times he struck the armored skeleton cavalry, but could not seriously injure them. The more he fought, the more alarmed he became. He wanted to cast a spell, but had no chance at all. Just

as he was growing increasingly anxious, the ground beside him suddenly bulged, and eight incredibly burly monsters crawled out of the overturned earth, swaying as they stood up. Each was over ten feet tall, a third taller than the blood skeletons riding skeletal horses.

Fang Shaolin was taken aback, inwardly lamenting, "My God! These blood skeletons are already overwhelming, how come a few more big guys have appeared?" Suddenly, a monster rammed into a nearby blood skeleton, throwing it off its horse.

Several black spears flew from the surrounding area, piercing deeply into the monster's body. The monster struggled, mud and sand flying from its body, some parts torn off large chunks of earth, yet it stubbornly refused to fall, continuously throwing punches to counterattack. The other seven monsters also moved, attacking the skeleton cavalrymen beside them.

"Is there some infighting?" Fang Shaolin was dumbfounded. Taking a moment to spare, he seized the opportunity to smash down a blood skeleton fiercely battling a monster. Suddenly, he saw Xiao Wan standing about ten paces away, playing her flute. He was greatly surprised: "How can she have time to play the flute at a time like this?"

The monsters were all incredibly strong and resilient. Under the onslaught of over twenty skeleton cavalry, two finally fell, scattering into clumps of earth. However, the skeletons paid a heavy price, with over ten riders falling to the ground—a disproportionate number.

A faint wisp of white mist appeared above Xiao Wan's head, a sign of her spiritual energy depletion.

Fang Shaolin, seeing this, suddenly realized something and rushed to her side, asking, "Did you summon these monsters?"

Xiao Wan continued playing, nodding sweetly.

"They're earth spirits, aren't they?" Fang Shaolin exclaimed in surprise, "My god! You can summon eight earth spirits at once?"

Xiao Wan nodded again.

Fang Shaolin stared intently, finding the girl increasingly charming and lovely. He diligently stood guard beside her, no longer rushing away, and loudly proclaimed, "I'll protect you!"

Xiao Wan smiled at him, continued playing her flute, and summoned two more earth spirits from the ground, bringing the total number back to eight.

Although each earth spirit was far less powerful than Fei Luo's Kunlun slaves, they were more than enough to deal with the skeleton cavalry. Moreover, their numbers made them even more effective in group battles, and the situation had become one-sided.

Xiao Xuan rushed to Shui Ruo's side, smiling broadly, "Thank you for saving me, Third Senior Sister." He unleashed his power, instantly whipping down two blood skeletons that were wildly thrusting their spears.

Shui Ruo's pressure lessened, and she coldly said, "Who saved you? I just like fighting monsters!"

"I like fighting monsters too! Let's fight together!" Xiao Xuan seized the opportunity to pester her.

Shui Ruo said, "Go fight somewhere else, don't try to take it from me." Her swordsmanship was graceful and fierce, but her strength was slightly lacking. Often, several strikes were not enough to cut down those heavily armored skeleton cavalrymen. She had no choice but to expend her true energy to frequently unleash the deadly Water Flower Slash.

"Wouldn't we be even more powerful if we combined our swords?" With the Eight-Clawed Flaming Dragon Whip, Xiao Xuan's attack power had greatly increased, clearly surpassing Shui Ruo's.

He charged left and right with all his might, protecting the jade beauty. "Who's combining our swords with yours... who needs your help? You think you're so great!" Seeing that he was indeed gaining the upper hand in fighting monsters, Shui Ruo's pretty face seemed annoyed. In the midst of the fierce battle, she suddenly put the Azure Wave Blade into her magic pouch. A Blood Skeleton took advantage of the situation and attacked, its spear piercing her chest.

Xiao Xuan was shocked and quickly leaped forward, blocking Shui Ruo's path. With a powerful "Raging Dragon Stirring the Sea" move, he turned the charging blood skeleton, rider and whip, into a ball of fire. His internal energy was depleted from the rapid exertion, and he gasped, "What happened?"

Shui Ruo didn't answer. She reached into her robes, pulled something out, and clasped her hands together, forming a hand seal in front of her chest. Xiao Xuan was forced to defend her, his movements restricted

and his strength greatly diminished. Meanwhile, the skeleton cavalry's attacks became more unrestrained, charging in wave after wave with increasing power.

Shui Ruo closed her eyes, her cherry lips seemingly chanting something. Suddenly, wisps of pale blue energy appeared before her, swirling and gathering, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, causing the surrounding temperature to drop sharply.

Beside her, Xiao Xuan shivered from the cold. Glancing at her casting a spell, he was greatly surprised: "Is she using an Ice Vortex spell? But the hand seals don't seem right… Could she have learned some new magic recently?"

The pale blue aura gathered more and more, and at its center, the face of a monster faintly appeared, scaly and with closed eyes.

Xiao Xuan was stunned, almost getting struck by a black spear.

"Quick!" Shui Ruo shouted, her arms and sleeves fluttering like a butterfly spreading its wings. The gathered pale blue aura suddenly dispersed, revealing a monster the size of an ox, with horns on its head and scales covering its body, standing before her.

Upon closer inspection, Xiao Xuan saw it was a completely transparent pale blue Qilin, as if sculpted from ice, seemingly fast asleep.

"Wake up, baby!" Shui Ruo called out sweetly, patting his head lightly, and scolded, "Go!"

The Qilin suddenly opened its eyes, its expression ferocious. It leaped up like a thunderbolt, instantly knocking a blood-red skeleton seven or eight steps away from its horse. With a few swipes, it sent red bones flying everywhere.

The skeleton cavalrymen beside it drew their spears and thrust them forward, but a blue shadow flashed, and the Qilin had already grabbed the blood-red skeleton. With a "crack," it bit off the helmeted skull. The skeleton horse beneath it could not bear the weight and suddenly knelt down. The sound of breaking bones rose and fell, and countless bones shattered.

Xiao Xuan stared in disbelief, asking, "What...what kind of monster is this?"

"What monster!" Shui Ruo glared at him, then replied smugly, "It's an Ice Qilin!"

Seeing her delight, Xiao Xuan quickly followed up, "Is it a real beast or a phantom beast?"

Shui Ruo's hands remained in a hand seal as she channeled her spiritual energy, saying, "It used to be a real beast, but now it's just a phantom beast."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan immediately understood that the Ice Qilin was forged from a dead spirit beast. As he spoke, he saw it pounce on two more skeleton cavalrymen, and swallowed hard, saying, "It's really amazing! Where did you get it...can you find me one too?"

"Dream on! Master said this treasure is one of a kind. Where would you find it?" Shui Ruo glared at him again and snorted, "Even if you found it, I wouldn't help you find it!"

Xiao Xuan then realized that this was a treasure bestowed upon her by her master. He suddenly noticed a pendant tied with an ink rope on her chest, the very same ice-blue jade unicorn he had seen on her last night. He broke out in a cold sweat: "So she was wearing this treasure last night! Luckily, I sealed her Niwan Palace, otherwise, if that little wicked woman had summoned that big guy in a fit of rage, she would have swallowed me whole..."

Suddenly, a skeleton cavalryman charged out of the darkness. Shui Ruo was circulating her spiritual energy and talking to Xiao Xuan, so she was completely unprepared.

Xiao Xuan was startled and hurriedly tried to stop him, but before he could unleash his whip, he couldn't withstand the thunderous impact.

The sand and gravel kicked up by the horse's hooves scraped across their skin like knives. Shui Ruo suddenly awoke, her fingers flashing, urgently summoning the ice unicorn that was fighting a dozen steps away to come to their aid.

Seeing the danger, Xiao Xuan refused to dodge, instead gathering his True Qi of Departing Fire to protect his entire body.

The Ice Qilin rushed over at lightning speed, but its whip was too short, leaving only three or four steps between them.

Two thrashing skeletal hooves broke through Xiao Xuan's defenses, carrying immense force as they kicked towards his chest.

Shui Ruo caught a glimpse of this out of the corner of her eye, and suddenly cried out, uttering the word "Lin." The Ice Qilin's mouth opened wide, its entire body suddenly gleaming, and a burst of blue, crystalline light sprayed out. In an instant, the hooves that were about to step on Xiao Xuan's chest stopped abruptly, and the entire skeletal horse and the blood skeleton on it were frozen into an ice sculpture.

"It's Ice Flame! This thing can actually release Ice Flame... It's truly a top-tier magical beast!" Xiao Xuan was both surprised and delighted. He lashed out with his whip, instantly shattering the blood skeleton and the skeletal horse like ice, scattering crystal-clear ice crystals mixed with some unfrozen bones all over the ground.

This technique seemed to consume a great deal of spiritual energy. Wisps of white vapor rose from Shui Ruo's head, and her delicate face turned pale. Suddenly, she clasped her hands together, clutching the pendant at her chest, and muttered incantations. The

ice unicorn slowly crouched down, its icy body transforming into wisps of pale blue energy that flowed towards Shui Ruo's tightly clasped hands and vanished in an instant.

Shui Ruo, panting, tucked the unicorn pendant into her bosom, her body swaying slightly.

Xiao Xuan quickly steadied her.

Shui Ruo immediately shrank back, her eyebrows furrowing, and said, "Don't touch me!"

Xiao Xuan, at a loss, could only say, "Quickly sit down and rest."

Shui Ruo didn't want to listen, but she had repeatedly used the Water Flower Slash and then summoned the ice unicorn, consuming a great deal of true energy and spiritual power. She was truly struggling to maintain her strength and finally sat down cross-legged, circulating her energy to replenish her reserves.

Xiao Xuan, whip in hand, closely protected the beautiful woman. Although there were no more skeleton cavalry nearby, he dared not leave her side even for a moment.

He seized the opportunity to survey his surroundings, seeing the beauties displaying their various magical abilities, the skeleton cavalry dwindling in number, their annihilation imminent. The leading red-armored general, separated from Cui Caiting, his thick red armor tattered, his left shoulder guard missing, and his breastplate hanging from his chest, looking utterly disheveled.

Cui Caiting shouted, "Submit!" She floated into the air, clasping her hands in a mudra, the four fingers gleaming with white light, surrounded by faintly shimmering golden runes—the Demon-Subduing Technique from the Alchemy Manual—the Demon-Forging Seal.

The red-armored general brandished his sword to meet her attack, but suddenly seemed to lose all courage, abruptly spurring his chariot to turn and flee.

Cui Caiting descended like a celestial being, her white light flashing, blasting half of the chariot, encased in demonic armor, deep into the earth, wisps of golden runes still occasionally flickering in the air.

The red-armored general clung tightly to the chariot's handle, his legs dangling, as he lurched and sped about.

Suddenly, a golden light flashed on the right, as Xue Han slashed out diagonally, a massive light shield, identical in shape to the small shield on her arm, swirling and slicing towards him.

The Crimson Armor General hurriedly dodged, letting out a sharp howl. His right shoulder armor shattered, the massive light shield already embedded in his bone. A few breaths later, crimson bone fragments scattered like powder, a truly terrifying sight.

Xue Han appeared in the blink of an eye, her slender arm, adorned with the Golden Shield, trembled, and the massive light shield, over ten feet long, reappeared. The Crimson Armor General's heart trembled with fear, he hissed wildly ahead, then crouched down, clinging tightly to the vehicle.

In the darkness, faint, flickering lights appeared, followed by a soft "thud." The lights suddenly stretched into long lines, instantly transforming into hundreds of azure meteors that streaked towards the speeding Xue Han.

"Hellfire!" Xiao Xuan exclaimed in alarm, whipping his horse forward.

Episode 2: Springtime on a Lonely Island, Chapter 2: The Abyss of Hell.
Xue Han's heart tightened, but she calmly reversed the light shield, completely protecting herself.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Crimson-Armored General escaped, dragging his mangled arm and driving the chariot, now only the front half remaining, into the darkness.

Hundreds of azure meteors streaked towards them, but were all blocked and deflected by the massive light shield, revealing their true forms: bone arrows with azure flames burning at their tips.

Xiao Xuan finally relaxed, chuckling to himself, "Senior Sister is so powerful, why should I be so nervous?" He continued on his way, chasing after her into the darkness.

Xue Han used her golden light to leap forward, instantly overtaking Xiao Xuan. Two rows of blood skeletons wielding longbows appeared ahead of her, unleashing a barrage of hellfire arrows. She raised her shield to parry, carving a path through the rain of arrows, and charged forward, sweeping through the air, cutting down twenty or thirty skeleton archers like mowing grass.

Xiao Xuan watched intently as the red-armored general relentlessly pursued him, but the skeletal chariot's astonishing speed prevented him from closing the gap. Just as Xiao Xuan was growing anxious, a streak of emerald light flashed past, brighter and faster than a hellfire arrow. In an instant, it struck the red-armored general's right waist, piercing through his armor and disappearing completely, leaving only the tail of the arrow trembling slightly. The arrow's fletching was made of several green leaves.

The red-armored general roared, nearly falling from the chariot. A lush, verdant green spread from the wound on his waist, eerily enveloping the surrounding red armor.

"It's Second Senior Sister's Wooden Mother Bow!" Xiao Xuan's thoughts raced, but a second streak of emerald light swept in from behind. This time, it wasn't aimed at a person, but rather at one of the armored skeletal horses pulling the chariot. The galloping skeletal horse neighed strangely and immediately collapsed, dragging the chariot and two other skeletal horses off course. The red-armored general was thrown forward, crashing heavily to the ground. But he was incredibly tenacious, immediately scrambling to his feet and fleeing for his life.

A hundred paces away, Li Mengtang drew her emerald longbow, the green arrow tip firmly locking onto the spine of the Crimson Armor General.

"With the Wooden Mother Divine Bow here, how can any demon escape!" Zhaixia beside her exclaimed excitedly, "Sister Tang, shoot quickly! This arrow will finish it off!"

A few paces away, Cui Caiting suddenly said, "Tang'er, don't shoot! Let this demon escape for now; we'll follow it to its lair!"

Li Mengtang responded, putting away the renowned Wooden Mother Bow and the arrow, returning them to her magic pouch.

Cui Caiting then called to Feiluo, "Xuehan and I will track down that demon. You lead the others to clean up the remaining filth and follow us." Before she finished speaking, she had already dashed far away.

Feiluo shouted, "Be careful!" and continued to drive the Kunlun slaves to fight the enemy. Those skeleton cavalrymen clad in demonized heavy armor were like paper and mud in her hands.

Night finally returned to calm, the sparse groans of the wounded and the crackling of burning wood clearly audible.

The ancient military camp was littered with corpses, interspersed with the shattered remains of blood-soaked skeletons and strange skeletal horse skeletons.

Fang Shaolin, his face ashen, directed his dozen or so surviving subordinates to tend to the wounded.

The women, having finished off the surrounding skeleton archers, gathered around.

"How terrifying! These demons were ruthless; almost everyone was killed with a single blow, leaving hardly any wounded..." Xia Xiaowan said, still shaken.

Fang Shaolin gritted his teeth and said, "What kind of demons are blood skeletons? How could they slaughter hundreds of people in such a short time!"

Fei Luo made a grabbing motion in mid-air, and a black helmet flew up from the ground and landed in her hand. She examined it carefully, then said gravely, "Blood skeletons aren't naturally formed demons; they can only be created through specific evil magic. These armors are made of high-quality iron. It seems that not only are people corrupting the skeletons in this area, but they are also arming them into an army on a large scale."

"They have cavalry and archers, and all their weapons have been corrupted by magic, making them incredibly powerful." Li Mengtang held a longbow made of human bones, testing the tension of the bowstring.

Fang Shaolin said angrily, "How cunning! They've been hiding their strength all along!"

Fei Luo pondered, "I'm afraid there's an even larger attack in the future."

Fang Shaolin raised a thick eyebrow, clenched his fist, and roared, "How dare they cause trouble on my territory! I'll gather a large army and wipe them out!"

Fei Luo said, "We can't be careless. There are the remains of 400,000 ancient soldiers in the Great Swamp. These blood skeletons might just be the tip of the iceberg."

The others looked at each other in horror, each taking a deep breath, realizing that the problem was getting bigger and bigger.

"Hey, where's Xiao Xuan?" Mengtang suddenly asked.

"He... seems to have gone with Master and Senior Sister to chase after that skeleton demon." Shui Ruoli said, a hint of worry showing on her face.

Fei Luo said, "We'll go meet them right away." Turning to Fang Shaolin, she said, "Take your men and get the wounded out of here. Leave this ancient military camp quickly, and never again encourage ordinary demon hunters to venture into the Great Swamp."

Fang Shaolin glanced at Xiao Wan and said, "I'm not leaving. I want to go with you to find the lair of these evil spirits so that we can lead a large army to conquer them." Without waiting for Fei Luo's reply, he summoned a Tiger Head Battalion commander and ordered him to lead the others to transport the wounded away.

The commander looked troubled: "But sir, you..."

Fang Shaolin said: "I'm fine. Go to Laotengpo first and convey my order to bring the five hundred swordsmen stationed there to Wangze to serve."

The commander puffed out his chest and said loudly: "If you don't leave, sir, I will never leave!"

Fang Shaolin glared and said: "Then I'll cut off your head right now!"

Xiao Xuan chased after the enemy in the darkness. The red-armored general, Cui Caiting, and Xue Han had all disappeared. Anxious, he could only run in the original direction. After about half an incense stick's time, he suddenly heard the faint sound of the tide. He thought: "Could it be that I have reached the Great Swamp?"

As he got closer, a line of silvery white appeared ahead, then it widened and gradually turned into a deep blue. The sound of the tide also became louder.

After running for a while, Xiao Xuan finally saw a large lake. Suddenly, he found himself on a cliff. A strong wind swept down from below, making his robes billow and flutter like drums.

He slowed his pace towards the cliff edge, looking down to see a vast expanse of rolling waves crashing against the rocks at the foot of the cliff, shattering into fine, misty sprays.

"Ah, this must be the Great Lake! The third largest lake in the Central Plains..." Xiao Xuan looked up and saw a blurry expanse in the distance, where sky and water were indistinguishable. Standing before it, he felt an overwhelming sense of insignificance, like dust in the wind. He exclaimed, "I've heard that the Great Lake is as vast as the sea, and it's certainly true." It

was the first time he had ever seen such a large lake, and he was completely captivated, remaining mesmerized for a while before regaining his senses. He wondered, "Could that demon have jumped off the cliff?" Looking down again, he saw sheer cliffs, over a hundred feet deep, and decided it was unlikely. He turned back and, using the sparse starlight, searched for the demon's trail along the cliff.

The forest was denser here, with towering trees blocking out the sun and thickets tangling his clothes and feet, making the path very difficult. Reaching a sheltered spot, the air was so damp it seemed you could wring water out of it. No one could be seen, no sounds could be heard, except for the occasional cry of a night bird, which sounded particularly clear and melodious against the backdrop of the dampness.

The terrain gradually steepened, and the surroundings grew increasingly dark, almost to the point of complete darkness. Xiao Xuan focused intently on his surroundings, but suddenly his foot slipped, and he plummeted downwards through several layers of dense foliage.

Xiao Xuan frantically grabbed at anything, but found nothing. Several breaths passed, and he was still not at the bottom, his soul nearly leaving his body in terror: "How can it be so deep? If I fall, I'll be smashed to pieces!" His mind raced, and the Eight-Clawed Fiery Dragon Whip flew from his sleeve, swirling and swirling, seemingly reaching the edge, but unable to grasp anything. He quickly channeled his True Qi of Departing Fire, and the Fiery Dragon Whip instantly leaped, spewing forth blazing crimson flames that illuminated the surroundings.

In the firelight, he saw that the four sides were smooth walls made of brick and stone, covered in moss, without any unevenness.

Xiao Xuan, at a loss for where to strike, panicked even more: "Am I, Cui Xiao Xuan, going to die on my very first day out of the mountains? This is too unfair..." Suddenly, he saw a huge black shadow stretch out from below. He hurriedly pulled back his whip, gathered his energy, and lashed out in the blink of an eye, ensnaring the giant object.

His body jolted, his fall abruptly halting, and he dangled in mid-air, only then realizing that his back was soaked with sweat. He chuckled to himself, "Having survived such a calamity, I'm sure to have good fortune in the future!" A foul stench assaulted his nostrils, and looking up, his heart leaped into his throat again. It turned out that what the whip had caught was a giant pillar composed of countless human bones, with various bloody organs and viscera stuck in the gaps, seemingly about to slip off at any moment—an utterly disgusting and terrifying sight.

"What the hell is this?" Xiao Xuan felt a chill run down his spine, wanting nothing more than to immediately release the whip. However, unsure of how deep it was below, he was filled with fear when he heard heavy, orderly footsteps approaching. He quickly withdrew his True Qi

of Departing Fire, and the crimson flames on the Flaming Dragon Whip instantly extinguished, plunging the surroundings back into inky darkness. The footsteps grew louder, even producing the clanging of metal. Suddenly, a light shone from somewhere, revealing a troop of fully armed blood skeletons, carrying torches and wielding long halberds, all clad in armor. The four blood skeletons at the front were particularly ferocious and bizarre, each possessing two heads, broad bodies, and large swords at their waists, dressed in officer's attire, looking incredibly imposing.

"What kind of monsters are these? They look so fierce… Could this be the blood skeletons' lair?" Xiao Xuan roughly counted about thirty of them. Realizing he couldn't handle them alone, and fearing there might be other evil spirits nearby, he decided to remain suspended in place, waiting for them to pass.

He glanced around by the firelight and suddenly saw a huge, blurry skull staring menacingly at him from above. He was immediately startled and almost cried out. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the giant skull, like the pillar wrapped in his whip, was also made of countless bones. He felt a little relieved: "Thank goodness it's not alive..."

Looking down, he broke out in a cold sweat. There was a huge depression in the opposite stone wall, inside which stood a colossal skull nearly ten feet tall, made entirely of human bones. The one he had wrapped in his whip was one of its outstretched arms.

The group of blood skeletons below had finally finished their patrol, and darkness returned to the surroundings. Xiao Xuan felt as if he were in a nightmare. Suddenly, he missed his master and several senior sisters terribly, thinking, "Master and the eldest senior sister were in front of me just now, how come they all disappeared all of a sudden?"

After a while, there was still no movement, so he cracked his whip to emit flames, illuminating the surroundings. He suppressed his nausea and swung onto the giant skeleton, quickly climbing down to the ground. He hurriedly ran away, but his clothes and skin seemed to be stained with an extremely disgusting bloody smell, which followed him like a shadow.

Xiao Xuan quietly searched in the opposite direction from where the group of blood skeletons had gone, occasionally using his Flaming Dragon Whip to emit flames for illumination. He saw that the passageway was extremely wide and long, with a giant skeleton leaning against the recessed wall every ten feet or so. He was increasingly astonished: "These skeletons are as tall as towers. If they are really all made of human bones, how many would that require... Such a huge project, yet it's useless. Who would be so bored?"

He was puzzled. He glanced at the giant skeleton beside him and, for some reason, suddenly had a hallucination, as if the giant skeleton was a living thing, staring down at him menacingly with its dark, hollow eye sockets. Feeling uneasy, he quickly turned his head away.

After walking for a while, a fork in the road suddenly appeared ahead. Xiao Xuan peered out and saw that both paths were pitch black. Just as he was wondering which way to go, he suddenly heard a series of clanging sounds. Curious, he followed the sound and chose one path.

As he drew closer, the knocking grew louder, and a light shone through the darkness ahead. Xiao Xuan tiptoed over and suddenly saw a pair of skeleton soldiers holding halberds standing on either side, guarding a doorway topped with a skull. He tried to turn around, but the passageway was straight and free of any debris, and the skeleton soldiers spotted him immediately. They brandished their halberds and roared as they charged forward.

Xiao Xuan initially wanted to flee, but then thought, "These two have been shouting and yelling all the way here; they'll probably attract even more demons. It would be better to kill them!" Having made up his mind, he charged towards the two skeleton soldiers.

The two skeleton soldiers thrust their halberds forward, but their attacks missed. Suddenly, they felt a searing heat above them. Looking up, they saw crimson flames swirling down like a vortex. They hurriedly raised their halberds to block.

Several sharp cracks followed, and flames shot out in all directions. The two skeleton soldiers collapsed to the ground as if their bodies had been torn apart.

Xiao Xuan landed gracefully, listening intently to the surrounding sounds. He heard the clanging of metal as before, but nothing else. Relieved, he lifted the armor of the two fallen skeleton soldiers, noticing it was much thinner than the previous skeleton cavalry. He thought, "No wonder it was so easy to take them down..." He caught sight of the crimson bones inside and a thought struck him. "I didn't have time to collect the blood skeletons while chasing that demon. I can't miss this opportunity." Driven by

greed, he disregarded the danger he was in and immediately began stripping the two skeleton soldiers of their armor. After a while, he finally retrieved the two sets of blood skeleton bones, chanted an incantation, and stored them in his magic pouch. Satisfied, he clapped his hands and crept towards the light-filled cave entrance.

Upon reaching the door, a wave of heat immediately hit him. Peeking inside, he saw a massive hall filled with blazing flames and sparks. Hundreds of furnaces, molds, and forging tables were set up, and countless unfinished weapons and armor were piled up on the floor and beside the tables. Many blood skeletons, dressed in aprons like human craftsmen, were busy at work, hammering, tempering, or moving things. They were often obscured or even shrouded in billowing smoke, and the deafening sounds of hammering filled the air.

Even more bizarrely, in one corner of the hall, several black-robed skeletons dressed as sorcerers were using dark magic to enhance a batch of finished greatswords.

Xiao Xuan was dumbfounded. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that such a massive armory existed so deep underground, and that it was run by skeletons.

Suddenly, a sharp shout was heard. Turning around, I saw a group of laborers entering through the gate diagonally opposite. They were actually living, breathing people, dressed in tattered clothes that barely covered their bodies. Their wrists and ankles were shackled. They were struggling to carry large baskets of ore to various furnaces to unload. A dozen or so blood-red skeletons wielding leather whips were guarding and driving them around. Any slight hesitation would result in a round of fierce whipping.

Xiao Xuan was both shocked and furious: "These demons are actually enslaving the living! No wonder they attacked the villages around the Great Swamp; they were there to capture people for forced labor! How hateful! Absolutely hateful! I must go out and find my master and the others, and together we'll eradicate this den of evil!"

But the thought of how to get out of there filled him with great anxiety. He thought, "There are so many skeletons here. If they find me and bite me, I, Cui Xiaosheng of Qiancui Mountain, will probably be nothing but skin and flesh. If I'm lucky, I might even become a skeleton myself..." Suddenly, an idea struck him. He turned back and picked up a set of armor he had just stripped from a skeleton, put it on, grabbed his halberd, and laughed, "A true man can bend and stretch. I, Xiaosheng, will become a skeleton for once."

He pulled his helmet down, covering most of his face, and then stepped into the hall.

The skeletons in the hall continued their work as usual, none of them noticing the strange creature who had infiltrated.

Xiao Xuan, head down, walked straight towards the gate diagonally opposite, thinking, "Those people bring in ore through this gate; they'll most likely be able to get out." Just as he reached the gate, another group of laborers, guarded by skeletons, carried in ore, instantly making the area incredibly crowded.

Xiao Xuan glanced around and realized he was the only one going in the opposite direction, making him too conspicuous. He quickly turned around and slipped back into the hall, blending into the crowd. Luckily, no skeletons noticed. He quietly wiped his sweat, stealthily glancing around, and saw a small door not far to the side. He slowly made his way there.

Entering the small door, he found himself in another passageway, but this one was narrower and more winding. Torches were placed at intervals on both sides, and the wall patterns were exquisite yet eerie, depicting a continuous stretch of skull totems.

Xiao Xuan was even more cautious this time, peeking out to observe each turn. Surprisingly, he hadn't encountered a single skeleton along this stretch, which struck him as odd. He probed further until he reached a fork in the road. Suddenly, he heard a loud thud ahead. He quickly ducked close to the wall and hid in the shadows. He saw a troop of skeleton infantry jogging past. Besides the five two-headed skeletons wielding greatswords at the front, the rest were all dressed like him and carrying halberds.

Curious, Xiao Xuan waited until they had all passed, then darted out and followed closely behind.

The skeletons were so focused on running forward that none of them noticed the extra skeleton in his ranks.

After running for a while, they suddenly heard a loud shout ahead, a human voice: "Two-Headed Tiger, what are you doing here?"

Xiao Xuan looked up and saw several rows of skeleton soldiers blocking the way. The one shouting was a strangely shaped skeleton, incredibly tall, its head almost touching the top of the stone wall. It was covered in blue-green scales and carried a huge double-pronged fork, looking extremely ferocious.

The two-headed skeleton at the front was clearly the Two-Headed Tiger it had mentioned, shouting loudly: "Changhai, an enemy has intruded into the abyss! The Ancestor ordered me to come and help you guard it!"

Xiao Xuan was startled, thinking to himself: "Has my whereabouts been exposed... or have my master and the others also arrived here?"

Changhai snarled: "Who has such audacity? How dare they trespass into my Abyss of Hell!"

"Enough nonsense, make way quickly! If anything happens to the Demon Lord, neither of us can bear the responsibility!" The two skulls of the Two-Headed Tiger shouted in unison, a truly eerie sound.

Xiao Xuan stared intently, only then noticing that its two skulls were different from other two-headed skulls; one was a human head, while the other was a skull tiger head.

"Come in!" Chang Hai turned, passed through his subordinates, and entered a cave behind him.

The two-headed tiger led its troops after them, with Xiao Xuan following closely behind, his head bowed.

Entering the cave, they found themselves in a large hall. In the center stood a massive, vermilion furnace, several meters tall. At the base of the furnace was a giant, already formed magic circle. Streams of dark, flame-like magic energy shot into the air according to the runes within the circle, appearing and disappearing as they rose, forming a very eerie protective barrier.

The two-headed tiger gave a command, and the skeleton soldiers he brought immediately spread out, surrounding the cave entrance in layers.

Xiao Xuan quickly took his place in the queue, only to be squeezed into a corner at the back. He thought to himself, "This position is really bad. If they find out, it will be difficult to escape!"

Suddenly, he heard a seductive voice and someone shouted, "General Changhai, what's going on? Why are so many people here all of a sudden!"

Xiao Xuan looked in the direction of the voice and saw several people standing outside the magic circle. Among them was a human woman with a dark veil covering her face and wearing a dark veil robe. Her figure was curvaceous and alluring. He wondered, "This place is full of skeletons, how come there's a woman here? Hmm, birds of a feather flock together, she's probably a demon..." Suddenly, he remembered Qi Ji.

General Changhai bowed deeply, clasped his hands, and said respectfully, "Your Excellency, due to the intrusion of foreign enemies into the abyss, the Ancestor has specially ordered them to strengthen the defenses here."

Xiao Xuan was puzzled: "Your Excellency? Why does this monster call her Your Excellency? Only the emperor's envoy can be called Your Excellency!"

The woman didn't even respond, but turned directly to a gray-robed man beside her and said, "Mi Dingzi, are you ready? Let's begin."

The gray-robed man coughed, seemingly with great reverence, and said, "Your Excellency, whether this succeeds or fails, it will be the last time. Please allow this old man to say a few more words." Only

then did Xiao Xuan notice that the gray-robed man was also a living person, extremely old, with only sparse gray hair on his head, thin as skin and bones, as if he had been exposed to the ravages of fire for many years, his skin was grayish-black, his robes were covered with small holes burned by sparks, and his eyes were dull and lifeless, as if he would fall asleep at any moment.

The woman frowned slightly, a flash of cold light passing through her eyes, and smiled, "Seeking Cauldron, speak."

Seeking Cauldron stared intently at the giant furnace in the magic array, and slowly said, "Thanks to your esteemed sect, this old man has been here for nineteen years. The Demon Lord's Furnace in this furnace has been repaired countless times, and has finally reached its final stage..."

Xiao Xuan pondered, "So this Skull Nest has been around for at least nineteen years, and it's so large, yet I've never heard of it before. It's been hidden very well."

The woman said, "As long as you repair the Demon Lord's Cover, you'll be able to leave soon."

Mi Dingzi sighed softly and said, "This old man no longer hopes to see the light of day again. If I'm fortunate enough to repair the Demon Lord's Cover this time..." He bowed to the woman in black robes and continued, "I only ask that your sect keep its promise and release my entire family."

The woman's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she said gently, "Don't worry, your family is all well and well. As long as you can repair the Demon Lord's Cover, everything is negotiable." She laughed heartily. He urged, "Don't overthink it, old man, let's begin."

Xiao Xuan thought to himself, "What is this Demon Lord's Cover? Judging from their tone, it seems to be something very important... They've been cultivating it for nineteen years! This old man is so pitiful, he was clearly coerced!"

Mi Dingzi helplessly straightened up, turned around and stepped into the protective barrier. His eyes snapped open, and in an instant, all his fatigue vanished, replaced by a radiance and divine light only a grandmaster possessed. He formed a seal with each hand and began to slowly swing the furnace. A whistling sound immediately emanated from within the giant furnace. Within a few breaths, the hall suddenly lit up, and hundreds of golden runes appeared on the vermilion furnace body, dazzlingly bright.

Xiao Xuan stared intently, and found that he didn't recognize most of the runes, and couldn't even determine the type of some. He was astonished, feeling that they were incredibly profound.

Mi Dingzi swung his arms faster and faster, and the whistling sound from the giant furnace grew louder and louder, as if something was overflowing from within, causing the surrounding protective barrier to ripple.

As Xiao Xuan was marveling at this, he suddenly saw Mi Dingzi raise his arms to the sky, and the top of the giant furnace suddenly shone brightly

. Five beams of light shot into the sky, each a different color: gold, red, green, blue, and purple, dazzlingly beautiful. "The Five Elements Furnace!" Xiao Xuan's body trembled, almost crying out.

Episode 2: Springtime on a Lonely Island, Chapter 3: Seven Evils Overwhelm
Cui Xiao Xuan was obsessed with creating monsters. Besides armor-making and mechanical arts, he also loved related forging techniques, and of course, he had heard of the famous forging artifact—the Five Elements Furnace.

Legend has it that this furnace originated a thousand years ago, created by the forging master Ni Mu of Jukuzhou, who traveled the world and gathered the essence of five kinds of strange light. Countless divine artifacts and magical treasures were created from it, the most famous of which was the Tianxiang Sect's treasure—the Tianxiang Wheel.

Until three hundred years ago, Master Ni Mu suddenly disappeared mysteriously, and the Five Elements Furnace also disappeared without a trace. For hundreds of years, the search for it has never stopped, but today it has appeared in the Skull Nest of this Great Swamp.

Xiao Xuan was thrilled and kept swallowing hard.

The five beams of light shot to the edge of the protective barrier, then suddenly bent, dancing like dragons, sometimes like rainbows, sometimes like flames, illuminating the entire room with dazzling brilliance.

Mi Dingzi continuously changed his hand seals, and the five strange lights intertwined and coiled as if they were real objects under his control, incredibly magical.

Suddenly, a dark shadow rose slowly from the top of the furnace, carried into the air by the five beams of light, radiating dazzling circles of light as it was repeatedly immersed and impacted, sometimes golden, sometimes red, sometimes blue, sometimes green... constantly changing.

Xiao Xuan stared intently, and only after a long time could he make out that it was a human face mask. He wondered, "Is this the Demon Lord's Mask? It doesn't look special at all..."

Mi Dingzi stopped changing his hand seals, fixing the mask in the air, white steam rising from his head, clearly indicating that his spiritual power was greatly depleted.

The woman in black robes outside the barrier made a hand gesture, and six black-robed skeletons dressed as sorcerers stepped out from among them. Each chanted incantations and formed hand seals, entering the magic circle and standing two feet behind Mi Dingzi. They began to remotely transmit spiritual energy to him.

The masks trembled incessantly, and the shimmering halo they emitted grew increasingly dazzling, emitting waves of strange buzzing sounds.

Mi Dingzi's body swayed, his face trembled like paper, and sweat poured down his face.

The robes of the six skeleton sorcerers billowed high, clearly indicating they were exerting their utmost effort.

The masks trembled more and more violently, suddenly turning white, radiating a dazzling light several times brighter than before.

Xiao Xuan closed his eyes and was suddenly met with a deafening roar, as if a gale had swept through. He involuntarily took a half-step back, then quickly opened his eyes to find the scene in the hall completely changed. The giant furnace in the center was gone, and countless burning flames tumbled and rolled in the air within the magic array. A thought flashed through his mind: "The Five Elements Furnace has exploded!"

Six skeleton sorcerers, their bodies engulfed in flames, burst out from the shattered protective barrier, rolling wildly on the ground and letting out horrifying screams.

The surrounding skeleton soldiers retreated hastily; they knew no fear, only an instinctive aversion to those strange flames. Chang Hai and the two-headed tiger shouted at them to stop.

Suddenly, the woman in black robes leaped up and plunged into the hellish barrier.

Xiao Xuan was horrified: "Legend has it that the flames of the Five Elements Furnace are formed from the essence of five kinds of wondrous light, capable of melting iron in an instant. Isn't she just going to her death?!" Just as he was wondering, the woman leaped out of the barrier, carrying a person in her hand—it was Mi Dingzi.

The woman's veil and robes were reduced to ashes, but her body was unharmed, revealing her fair, snow-white skin, her jade-like breasts and slender waist...

Xiao Xuan was speechless and hurriedly opened his eyes wide, wanting to get a closer look, but the woman had already grabbed the black robe from the skeleton sorcerer beside her and wrapped it around her exquisite and alluring body.

Xiao Xuan swallowed hard, then turned his gaze to her face. He saw her arched eyebrows, phoenix eyes like knives, and her eyelids and two moist, luscious lips painted with a shimmering purple hue, an unusually alluring and seductive beauty. He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret, secretly praising, "This enchantress is so beautiful!"

The bewitching woman supported the seemingly dying Mi Dingzi, her voice filled with shock and anger, "You failed?"

Mi Dingzi shook his head, slowly raising his arm, clutching the mask in his hand, utterly exhausted, "Please examine it, Your Excellency."

The bewitching woman was overjoyed, taking the mask and examining it closely for a while before tremblingly putting it on.

Xiao Xuan looked at it; the mask was the color of pale ink, only covering the bridge of her nose, with two eye openings, and seven eerie curved horns sprouting from the top. The entire mask was covered in fine lines, as if glued together from many fragments, yet from time to time, bolts of lightning-like blue light snaked across it, giving it an unusually fluid feel.

The alluring woman's body trembled violently, her hands clenching into fists, contorting as if in a spasm. The half of her face visible beneath the mask showed her clenched teeth, as if enduring something.

Xiao Xuan wondered, "Why does she change so much the moment she puts on that Demon Lord's Cloak? Ah, so it's like last time—she ruined the treasure and suffered a backlash!"

The alluring woman's trembling intensified. Suddenly, she raised her arm and extended her fingers, making a grabbing motion in the air. A skeleton sorcerer seven or eight steps away was instantly thrown into the air, hurtling straight towards her.

The alluring woman let out a ferocious roar, and without warning, the skeleton sorcerer's robes ripped apart, his bare bones exploding in all directions.

The remaining three skeleton sorcerers were startled and retreated hastily.

The alluring woman leaped into the air, flying out like a ghost, appearing briefly beside each of the three skeleton sorcerers before they exploded almost simultaneously, without even a scream.

The long-skeletal general guarding the gate cried out in alarm, "Your Excellency, you...you..." Each of these skeleton sorcerers was a rare and powerful magic master, possessing immense spiritual power, yet they had all been wiped out in the blink of an eye.

The bewitching woman stopped, trembling as she laughed wildly, "Finally repaired! The Demon Lord's Cover is finally repaired! The Seven Evils Cover, which terrified countless gods and demons, has finally reappeared!"

Hearing her wild laughter, Xiao Xuan felt a chill run down his spine, suddenly recalling a legend: "The Demon Lord's Cover...the Seven Evils Cover...could this mask be related to the ancient great demon, the Seven Evils Demon Lord?"

Mi Dingzi knelt, his head touching the ground, panting, "Your Excellency, the Demon Lord's Cover has now been repaired. Please, your esteemed sect, keep your promise and spare my entire family."

The alluring woman's body continued to convulse and writhe, seemingly unable to control herself. After a long while, she sneered, "Release...release what? We didn't take your family back at all!"

Mi Dingzi raised his head, his face as white as paper.

The alluring woman laughed arrogantly, "Don't understand? Let me tell you clearly. The person who went to your manor that night was called Blood Lord, who is always most fond of human blood. Unfortunately, he misunderstood the orders that time, hehe, so...sorry, no one in your manor survived that night."

"No!" Mi Dingzi roared in despair, clutching his sparse white hair tightly with both hands.

The bewitching woman seemed to have gone mad, her limbs twitching violently as if electrocuted. She sneered, "The Seven Evils have been repaired, and your mission is over. If you miss your family, you can go see them now!"

Mi Dingzi was filled with grief and indignation, his eyes fixed on a certain spot, muttering curses, "You lied to me... You will regret it... You will definitely regret it..."

The bewitching woman floated past him, her laughter as cold as ice: "General Changhai, I suddenly had an idea. This old man might be good material for refining the Blood Skull. Although he will lose a lot of his forging skills, he will become a skeleton craftsman who will be forever loyal to our sect."

General Changhai sneered, "Your Excellency is wise. The Abyss is short of craftsmen. I will send this old man to the Blood Refining Pool in a moment!"

Mi Dingzi suddenly fell silent. Xiao Xuan saw his lips move slightly, as if he was muttering something.

The alluring woman gasped, reaching to cover her face, but the mask had already been flung away. She whirled around and saw Mi Dingzi silently chanting. Realizing the danger, she lunged at him.

Mi Dingzi lay face up, and the Seven Evils Cover, as if guided by eyes, flew towards him, landing squarely on his face.

The alluring woman roared, her claws flashing like lightning, but she only managed to brush against Mi Dingzi's afterimage.

The masked Mi Dingzi instantly reappeared seven or eight steps away, his appearance unchanged, but he exuded a completely different aura.

The alluring woman roared, "You secretly placed a forbidden spell on the Seven Evils Cover!"

"You will all regret this..." Mi Dingzi darted towards the door with incredible speed.

The alluring woman shouted, "Stop him!"

The tall general yelled, "Block the door!" He raised his double-pointed trident, twirling it with a flourish, and thrust it at the lightning-fast Mi Dingzi.

Unexpectedly, Mi Dingzi leaped into the air like a crane, dodging the giant fork, and then, with incredible agility, soared over the heads of several rows of skeleton soldiers.

Two two-headed skeleton swordsmen sprang from the ground, slashing down with their swords.

Mi Dingzi charged forward, enduring two heavy blows, and used his fists to send the two two-headed skeleton swordsmen flying, a completely different person from before.

Just as he reached the door, the seemingly clumsy two-headed tiger suddenly leaped up, blocking the entrance with its massive body.

Knowing that any hesitation would mean certain death, Mi Dingzi, relying on the power of the Seven Evils, continued to charge forward.

The two-headed tiger roared, "Seeking death!" and swung its swords down with both hands.

Mi Dingzi grunted, taking the thunderous blow head-on with his back. Almost simultaneously, his fist struck the right skull of the two-headed tiger.

The tiger's head tilted, but its body only shifted slightly.

Mi Dingzi threw another punch, striking the two-headed tiger squarely in the chest. The tiger staggered back two steps, its chest protector shattered, yet it still stood as a formidable barrier to the exit.

Xiao Xuan, wanting to help Mi Dingzi and also hoping to escape, quickly channeled his true fire energy, feigning to intercept the tiger. He suddenly crashed into a row of skeleton soldiers at the entrance, tripping over several pursuing skeletons and creating chaos at the entrance.

The alluring woman flew over the skeletons, her claws trailing trails of black energy.

"Soul-Eating Claw!" Mi Dingzi's heart sank. Suddenly, a skeleton soldier crashed into the tiger's belly, knocking him aside and creating a path to the exit. Just then, a sharp pain shot through his back—the alluring woman's claw had struck him. He immediately retaliated with an elbow strike, hitting her right rib.

The alluring woman groaned and stumbled backward.

Mi Dingzi charged forward, leaping through the gap that had opened up. He didn't even have time to catch his breath before scrambling to his feet and running ahead.

The skeleton soldier who had knocked the two-headed tiger aside was Xiao Xuan, who also slipped away in the chaos.

"A spy! That's the spy!" the two-headed tiger roared, clearly having recognized him.

Xiao Xuan ran for his life, but the two-headed tiger, though enormous, was incredibly fast, relentlessly pursuing him.

"I can't shake it off like this..." Xiao Xuan's mind raced. While fleeing, he secretly gathered his spiritual energy. Once his Niwan Palace was full, he suddenly turned and cast a Thousand Mountain Firebird Spell.

Seeing hundreds of crimson flames rushing towards him with astonishing power, the two-headed tiger, being an evil spirit of the undead, was naturally afraid of fire. He hurriedly stopped, but the passage was very narrow, and the several skeleton soldiers chasing behind him couldn't stop and immediately crashed into him, crowding together. The long-bodied general who had caught up was also blocked, and he couldn't help but fuming

. He roared, "Get out of the way! All of you get out of the way!" The two-headed tiger wildly swung his sword, but several flames still pierced through his defenses and flew onto his body, but it was like a tickle. He then realized that the enemy's move was more for show than effective. He was furious and hurriedly chased after him again, but when he reached a fork in the road, he couldn't find Xiao Xuan anywhere. He roared in anger.

Xiao Xuan ran with all his might until he reached a quiet place, where he could finally catch his breath. He felt his armor was heavy and suffocating, so he quickly ripped it off. He heard shouts and running sounds all around him, and inwardly groaned. Suddenly, he heard someone call softly beside him, "Come here."

Xiao Xuan was startled and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw someone beckoning from behind the giant skull statue beside him. He cautiously approached, whip in hand. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was Mi Dingzi and laughed, "Oh, it's you, old man! You startled me!"

Mi Dingzi, panting, asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Cui Xiaoxuan." Seeing blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and the man seemingly about to collapse, Xiaoxuan quickly stepped forward to support him, asking, "Old man, how are you?"

Mi Dingzi didn't answer but asked

again, "Why are we here?" Xiaoxuan said, "Well, that's a long story. Let's figure out how to escape first. Old man, do you know the way in here?"

Mi Dingzi smiled bitterly, "What good would knowing the way do? This place is full of demons and monsters. Where can we escape to? If we could escape, why would I be willing to stay in this dark place for nineteen years!"

Xiaoxuan thought about it and agreed, but being naturally optimistic, he pondered, "There must be a way. We can't just sit here and wait to die..."

Mi Dingzi's eyes stared at him from behind his mask, seemingly lost in thought.

Suddenly, they heard loud footsteps, as if someone was rushing towards them from both the front and back of the passage. Xiaoxuan quickly helped Mi Dingzi hide behind the giant skeleton statue, enduring the stench and crouching low.

The alluring woman, along with General Longhai and the Two-Headed Tiger, led a squad of skeleton soldiers and arrived. They encountered another skeleton demon general, clad in silver chainmail and with bone wings on his back, followed by a squad of skeleton soldiers, all also with bone wings.

The alluring woman shouted, "General Pokong! Any discoveries?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, this subordinate has been flanking the Blood Refining Pool, but has not found any trace of the enemy!" General Pokong replied loudly.

Xiao Xuan was increasingly alarmed: "This den of demons is no ordinary creature; not only are there a great many, but each group is more bizarre than the last!"

The alluring woman, her face full of anger, roared, "Then search again! The Demon Lord's Cover is an item personally selected by the sect leader. If anything goes wrong, you will all be annihilated and never to be reborn!"

"These demons keep mentioning sects; I wonder what kind of evil sect they are?" Xiao Xuan pondered.

The alluring woman continued, "Listen up, all of you! I don't care if those two are dead or alive, I only want that mask! I only want the Demon Lord's downfall!"

The three skeleton generals responded in unison, each quickly leading their subordinates away.

Only after the demons had gone far away did Xiao Xuan dare to speak: "May I ask, old man, what kind of treasure is this mask? Why are they so anxious?"

Mi Dingzi smiled faintly: "This mask is the supreme treasure of the ancient demon king, the Seven Evil Demon Lords. It has the power to absorb the seven evils of heaven and earth. As long as the possessor can escape the punishment of gods and Buddhas, given time, he will become stronger and stronger, until he becomes limitless. How can these demons not be nervous!" "

It really is related to the Seven Evil Demon Lords." Xiao Xuan couldn't help but ask: "Absorb the power of the seven evils of heaven and earth... what are the seven evils?"

"They are anger, resentment, jealousy, lust, greed, cruelty, and pride!" Mi Dingzi said, panting. The half of his face exposed under the mask was constantly emitting wisps of black energy, which grew thicker and thicker.

"So it's this kind of evil thing!" Xiao Xuan noticed his pale complexion and said, "Uncle, how are your injuries? Let me heal you first."

Mi Dingzi smiled sadly, "No need, I was afflicted by the Soul-Eating Claw, my soul is already rotten, even if a Great Luo Golden Immortal came, he couldn't save me now."

"What kind of evil art is the Soul-Eating Claw? It's so poisonous!" Xiao Xuan was shocked and quickly comforted him, "I've learned the Ruyi Five Elements, which contains healing techniques. Although I'm not an expert, I know a little bit about it. Let me try, okay?"

"Ruyi Five Elements... So you're a member of the Xuan Sect..." Mi Dingzi shook his head, as if he had made a decision, and suddenly said, "Cui Xiao Xuan, I will help you escape, but... you must promise me one thing first."

Xiao Xuan said, "Uncle, you're so badly injured, how can I... how can I... what do you need my help with?"

"I want you... I want you to make... make a vow to slay all the evil demons in the world for me!" Mi Dingzi said intermittently.

Xiao Xuan smiled and said, "Exorcising demons and monsters is one of the tenets of my Xuan Sect. I, Cui Xiao Xuan, will swear an oath to never forgive any evil creature. There's no need for you to remind me, old man."

"Listen carefully—as long as they are demons or monsters, as long as it's within your power, I want you to kill them all. Make an oath now!" Mi Dingzi was extremely stubborn.

Xiao Xuan was taken aback: "Kill them all? That's not quite right. Not all demons and monsters are bad people..."

"What's wrong? You refuse?" Mi Dingzi glared at him.

Xiao Xuan said, "Uncle, I can't just agree to that. For example, my sworn brothers and sisters are all demons, but they're not evil people. Do you expect me to kill them every time I see them?"

Mi Dingzi said forcefully, "I don't care about that. Right now, only I can help you escape and make you stand tall between heaven and earth! Will you swear an oath or not?"

Xiao Xuan said, "Uncle, I know you hate this bunch of skeletons. Once I get out, I will definitely find my master and senior sisters to wipe out all these evil creatures."

"If I don't help you, how can you escape!" Mi Dingzi glared at him angrily.

Xiao Xuan said confidently, "There's always a way. Let me think about it carefully."

"You're not going to swear an oath?" Mi Dingzi gasped for breath.

Xiao Xuan shook his head and said gently, "Uncle, don't worry. My master and senior sisters are very powerful. They are all masters of exorcising demons. Once I find them, I will definitely help you smash this skull den to pieces!"

Mi Dingzi knew that he didn't have much time left. He was anxious and annoyed. Suddenly, he seemed to think of something. A sly glint flashed in his eyes. He said weakly, "Alright, if that's the case, I won't force you..."

He forced himself to form a hand seal, his lips moving slightly.

Seeing this, Xiao Xuan hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Your injuries are so severe, you absolutely mustn't use your spiritual power right now! If you need anything, I'll help you."

Mi Dingzi, however, paid no heed until the seven evil spirits on his face flashed, then he released his grip and said breathlessly, "Alright, come here and help me remember a few words."

Xiao Xuan leaned over, and Mi Dingzi whispered a few words, repeating them several times, then said with a sly smile, "Have you remembered them?"

Xiao Xuan felt that those words were incredibly profound and didn't understand them for a moment, scratching his head and saying, "I remember them, they seem to be some kind of cultivation technique's incantation... Why do you want me to remember these words, old man?"

Mi Dingzi murmured, almost inaudibly, "Fortunately, heaven sent you, lad... Only you, lad... Don't blame me... Don't blame me..."

"What did you say, old man?" Xiao Xuan didn't hear clearly.

Mi Dingzi gazed intently at him, a deep, inexplicable sorrow welling in his eyes. Suddenly, he said, "Recite those few lines from earlier to me, and see if you truly remember them."

Xiao Xuan casually recited them, and suddenly the Seven Evils on Mi Dingzi's face flew over, covering his own face. He was startled, and a strange, unprecedented feeling surged within him. He shuddered violently, almost leaping to his feet.

Mi Dingzi, revealing his true face, gave a sinister smile and weakly said, "Slay all the evil spirits under heaven for me..." The black aura around his skin suddenly intensified, becoming as deep as ink, and he suddenly slumped to the side.

Xiao Xuan suppressed the overwhelming sensation and rushed forward to support him, exclaiming, "Old man, what's wrong?"

He saw that Mi Dingzi's skin was rapidly shrinking, and his features were completely distorted.

Xiao Xuan pressed his palm against the old man's back, desperately channeling his true energy. Suddenly, he felt a fierce, eerie energy assaulting him. Instead of diminishing upon encountering his own true energy, the energy seemed to devour him. Unable to resist, he hastily withdrew his palm.

At this moment, Mi Dingzi's entire body shrank to less than half its original size, completely silent.

"How could this be…" he stammered, dumbfounded. After a long while, he suddenly realized that the eerie energy must be the Soul-Eating Claw Force that Mi Dingzi had mentioned. Without the support of the Seven Evils Covering, this was the reason for the old man's sudden death.

"How did this mask suddenly appear on my face? Ah! Could it be that the incantation I just recited was the Imperial Treasure Mantra?" Xiao Xuan was filled with doubt and surprise, but the strange sensations within his body grew stronger and stronger, like excitement, pain, anger, as if something was about to burst forth from his body...

"Why did he make me recite this incantation? It was me who recited it, doesn't that mean... it means I killed him!" Xiao Xuan was dizzy and felt extremely distressed, but the bloody smell emanating from the giant skeleton now tasted strangely sweet to him.

Another squad of skeleton halberdiers rushed past from the front. Suddenly,

Xiao Xuan's blood surged, and a series of tangible thoughts struck his heart: "Exterminate all evil spirits under heaven!" The True Qi of the Blazing Fire within his body erupted, its heat bursting out like a raging fire.

The passageway was dark, and the squad of skeleton halberdiers were immediately startled by the sudden light, turning around and surrounding him.

Xiao Xuan paused, then leaped into the air, his Eight-Clawed Fiery Dragon Whip flashing from his sleeve.

A massive fire dragon rose from the darkness, its claws outstretched, spiraling out from behind the colossal skeletal statue and lunging at the skeletons.

The skeleton soldiers thrust their halberds forward, but the first seven or eight were instantly engulfed in the fire dragon, their halberds and bodies consumed

in flames. Xiao Xuan was stunned, never imagining his power had increased so much. The fire on his whip seemed to have nearly doubled, but he felt exhilarated and had no time to think. With a roar, he lashed out with his whip, turning several more skeleton halberdiers into fireballs.

The remaining skeleton soldiers, unaware of fear, continued to hiss and surge forward.

Xiao Xuan lashed out, wielding his terrifying, pillar-thick fire whip, sweeping away, shattering, and burning skeletons with overwhelming force.

His eyes burned with a throbbing pain. With each skull he shattered, a mysterious electric current seemed to surge through his body, rushing through his blood vessels and reaching his heart, driving him even more frenzied and violent. He became completely absorbed in this unprecedented state, as if addicted, unable to control himself or stop.

In the second episode, "Springtime on a Lonely Island," Chapter 4, the Skeleton Ancestor's
thirty-odd skeleton halberdiers all fell in less than half an incense stick's time.

But Cui Xiaoxuan remained like a madman, his killing intent burning like fire in his nerves. He continued to wildly wield his Fiery Dragon Whip, whipping the scattered skeleton remains into even smaller, more fragmented pieces of fire.

A vague thought, like a curse, relentlessly flashed through his mind, firmly controlling his will and body, draining his energy and stamina.

The entire passageway suddenly trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck.

Xiaoxuan seemed to awaken from a dream, hurriedly grabbing his mask and tearing it off like skin.

The moment he ripped off the mask, the strange sensation within him vanished, and the magic that had driven him mad and granted him immense power abruptly ceased.

Xiaoxuan felt utterly exhausted, almost collapsing, only then realizing he was drenched in sweat, his clothes completely soaked. He stared at the mask in his hand, still shaken: "It must be this mask's doing! Seven Evil Covers, just the name tells you it's no good!"

The Seven Evil Covers, pale as ink, lay quietly in his hand, its two dark eye sockets seemingly not empty, as if watching the person holding it.

Xiao Xuan stared blankly at the mask in his hand, a sudden surge of strong desire to wear it again welling up inside him. He was so frightened that he quickly turned it over, almost wanting to throw it away.

But his nature was very curious, and he couldn't bear to part with it. He thought, "Although this thing is very evil, it is also a treasure. If it hadn't helped me just now, I might not have been able to defeat those dozens of blood skeletons by myself..."

The more he thought about it, the more reluctant he became to part with it, so he made an excuse: "Why don't I take it back and study it carefully, refine it, and maybe I can remove the dross and turn it into something good... If it really doesn't work, I can destroy it then, at least I can get some rare materials back."

Having made up his mind, Xiao Xuan put the Seven Evils Cover into his Ruyi Pouch. Suddenly remembering Mi Dingzi, he went back behind the giant skeleton statue and, facing its corpse, couldn't help but sigh, "This old man must have been an extraordinary master forger in the past, but unfortunately, he suffered such misfortune. Although he tricked me into wearing the Seven Evils Cover, his intentions may not have been good. Alas, since I've run into him, I'll take him outside and let this unfortunate old man rest in peace..."

As he was thinking, the passageway suddenly shook violently again.

Xiao Xuan swayed slightly, realizing he was still in danger, and doubts arose in his mind: "Why was there such a strong tremor? And there are skeletons everywhere here. There was a fierce battle just now, so why didn't it attract skeletons from other places... Could something have happened?" He hurriedly bowed to Mi Dingzi a few times, put his corpse into his magic pouch, looked around, and randomly picked a direction to run off in.

After turning nearly ten corners, Xiao Xuan didn't encounter a single skeleton on the road. He became increasingly puzzled, gradually quickening his pace and running even faster.

After searching for a while, he entered a wide passage and finally made a discovery. In the distance, he saw a small group of skeletons with bone wings on their backs and wearing silver armor flying low through the air. He hurriedly followed them.

As they drew closer, various sounds began to emanate from ahead: some like the roars of skeletons, others like the clash of weapons, some like the flapping of wings of birds, and still others like the surging of waves…

“Could it be that Master and the others have arrived?” Xiao Xuan’s heart grew even more anxious. In a few breaths, he reached the end of the passage. Before him, a vast expanse opened up, and a scene of utter shock, like that of hell, came into view: red, everywhere was red. In the huge cavern, all sorts of reds were everywhere. The largest red areas were a dozen or so blood pools, filled with seemingly boiling blood. Depending on the temperature, the blood varied in color from orange-red, crimson, scarlet, purplish-red, to dark red…

Two of the blood pools had breached, and thick blood mixed with human heads, limbs, and internal organs gushed out from the broken embankments, flooding large areas of open space. On the unaffected ground, thousands of skeletons were densely packed together. Although their shapes and attire varied, their exposed parts revealed that they were all crimson bones.

The strangest thing was a massive, red whirlwind in the center of the cave, clearly formed from blood plasma. It spun rapidly, and wherever it went, the skeletons would retreat in fear.

Xiao Xuan was secretly amazed, but he saw dozens of strangely shaped high-level skeletons still surrounding the whirlwind, occasionally reluctantly throwing out their weapons to test its power.

Among them were the Long-Bodied General and the Two-Headed Tiger he had encountered earlier, as well as the Sky-Piercing General with bone wings on his back. His wings were now fully spread, reaching a width of two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters), and he flew diagonally above the whirlwind, wielding a silver skull-headed flying hammer, waiting for an opportunity to attack.

Behind him, about fifty or sixty silver-armored skeleton soldiers, all with bone wings on their backs, were actually lined up in the air, each holding a gleaming crossbow with a mechanism, aiming at the whirlwind.

Xiao Xuan grew increasingly horrified, thinking, "This den of demons is not only numerous and diverse, but also equipped with sophisticated weaponry. If they were to run rampant outside, it would be an unimaginable catastrophe!"

Just then, another squad of bone-winged skeletons flew in from afar and joined the battle.

General Po Kong began swinging his skull-headed flying hammer. As if infused with something, the previously dull hammers suddenly lit up, flashing silver light. Suddenly, they let out a strange hiss and transformed into bolts of silver lightning, tearing a large gash in the whirlwind. The squad of

bone-winged skeletons behind him, poised to strike, fired their crossbows simultaneously, nearly a hundred bolts of silver lightning converging towards the whirlwind's fissure.

The torn whirlwind finally shattered, but a massive golden shield of light appeared in the center, spinning rapidly and blocking all the silver lightning.

"Senior Sister!" Xiao Xuan exclaimed in delight.

The shattered whirlwind transformed back into thick blood, falling from the sky. Just as it was about to hit the ground, it suddenly began to slowly rotate again

in mid-air, this time converging into a red torrent, seemingly guided by some force, and soaring into the sky. General Breaking the Sky was shocked and hurriedly flapped its wings to avoid it, but the group of bone-winged skeletons behind it were not spared. Several plummeted from mid-air, billowing red smoke, and shattered into pieces upon impact with the ground.

"Dance of the Tides!" Xiao Xuan shouted inwardly, leaping up.

The torrent continued unabated, swirling and coiling like a giant dragon, with two graceful figures occasionally appearing within its midst.

"Master! Senior Sister!" Xiao Xuan, ignoring the skeletons around him, flew towards it, but was immediately intercepted as several broad-bodied, two-headed skeletons drew their swords and slashed at him.

He had nowhere to dodge, and hastily lashed out with his whip. A moment's hesitation, and he was instantly surrounded. All sorts of bizarre and grotesque skeletons appeared like a nightmare around him, and countless deadly weapons rained down upon him like a storm.

The pressure was overwhelming. Xiao Xuan realized that the previous battles were nothing more than child's play. In a short time, he felt utterly exhausted. His whip felt like it was stuck in mud, almost impossible to wield. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his back, and he knew something was wrong. He was already falling forward.

Just as he was about to be turned into mincemeat, Xiao Xuan suddenly felt lightness, and he was lifted high into the air. Below, the skeletons surged like a tide, engulfing his former position.

Cui Caiting, carrying his belt, swept over the demons and flew towards a blood pool not far away.

Xue Han provided cover, using the enormous light shield conjured by A Jin's Shield to block the aerial pursuit of the bone-winged skeletons.

"Master! We've finally found you!" Xiao Xuan, still in shock, flailed wildly in the air. Suddenly, he grabbed the beauty's slender waist and hugged her tightly.

"Why are you the only one here?" Cui Caiting's jade cheeks flushed slightly as she slowly descended into the boiling blood pool.

Xiao Xuan's head was pressed against his master's waist. He felt half of his face go numb, and he smelled a faint fragrance in his nose. His mind was a little hazy. He replied, "I was following behind you, but I lost you."

Cui Caiting descended to within a foot of the pool's surface. She flicked her left sleeve and suddenly stopped in mid-air, calling out, "Hold on tight!" She released Xiao Xuan and crossed her palms, forming a mudra. Suddenly, circles of light rippled out like waves.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan seized the opportunity to hug his beautiful master's waist even tighter, a strange feeling suddenly rising in his heart.

Cui Caiting's Ruyi Five Elements technique had reached a state of perfection, and she could unleash almost every hand seal and incantation instantly, but this particular hand seal was exceptionally enhanced by several breaths.

Xue Han flew and swirled around them, swiftly wielding the Golden Shield to tightly protect the two of them, repelling three waves of skeletons that attempted to approach in a short time.

The light from Cui Caiting's hand seals grew brighter and brighter, and a pale purple, perfectly round sphere of light condensed between her hands...

Xiao Xuan glanced over and saw that the scene around the sphere was distorted, and he was startled: "Could it be one of the three supreme techniques of the Five Elements of Ruyi—the Five Elements Returning to the Origin?" The

purple sphere of light grew larger and darker, and tiny blue-green sparks occasionally snaked across its surface. Cui Caiting let out a delicate shout, and the purple sphere of light flew out of her hands, slowly and steadily towards the edge of the blood pool, quietly disappearing into the embankment made of human bones and internal organs. About a breath later, a deafening roar was heard, as if the entire cave hall trembled. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere, bones flew everywhere, and the blood pool had been blasted open with a gap of more than ten feet, with boiling blood gushing out in a rush.

The nearby skeletons scattered in panic, but a dozen or so were still caught by the flow of blood. They roared wildly, struggled for a moment, then melted into the blood and vanished without a trace.

"Judging by its appearance, this move is almost certainly the Five Elements Return to Origin! Its power is indeed terrifying. The two violent tremors just now must have been caused by Master using this technique!" Although Xiao Xuan was seeing it for the first time, he had heard several of his senior sisters say that Master had used this technique to instantly disintegrate a thousand-year-old phoenix.

"Let's go, there are too many evil spirits in here. Let's get out first and then make plans." Cui Caiting's voice was focused and reached Xue Han's ears.

Xue Han used several golden light leaps to rush towards her, and the three of them met up.

Only then did Cui Caiting free her hands, untied Xiao Xuan's arms from his waist, and carried him away in a certain direction, with Xue Han following closely behind.

Xiao Xuan was dizzy and disoriented, feeling his strength rapidly draining away with the blood from the wound on his back, but knowing the urgency of the situation, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

After running for a while, they suddenly heard Xuehan call out from behind, "Master, Xiao Xuan's wound on his back is huge!"

Cui Caiting immediately stopped upon hearing this, casting a first-aid-type wooden shackle spell to temporarily seal the wound on Xiao Xuan's back, and asked, "Where else?"

Xiao Xuan shook his head, and suddenly caught sight of a narrow, deep blue line above, dotted with a few starlight points. Looking to the side, he saw a giant skull statue leaning against a recessed wall not far away, and he exclaimed with joy, "I just fell from up there! Going up from here will take you to the ground!"

Cui Caiting looked up and also saw a sliver of night sky, and immediately made a decision, saying to Xuehan, "I will use my sword to fly away, you use your true energy to protect Xiao Xuan's wound."

Xuehan agreed, extending a palm to lightly cover the wound on Xiao Xuan's back.

Cui Caiting took out a divine weapon from her magic pouch and entered a dream, drew the sword and threw it into the air, silently chanting incantations. Suddenly, the sword rapidly grew larger and longer, and in the blink of an eye, it was the size of a boat.

Suddenly, a group of skeletons appeared around the corner. Xiao Xuan rubbed his eyes, his face showing disbelief.

The skeletons were entirely blood-red, with skeletal heads and bodies like giant spiders. Not only were their limbs over ten feet long, but each had eight long, hook-like legs, sharp and pointed.

Xiao Xuan stammered, "What...what is this? How can there be skeletons like this!"

"There are many composite skeletons in this demon's lair. This type must be one of them. Judging from their appearance, they are most likely a combination of blood skeletons and giant wolf spiders!" Xue Han replied intently, her left hand still lightly covering his wound, while her other sleeve flicked, revealing the golden shield hanging on her jade arm.

The group of skeletal blood spiders quickly spotted the three of them and immediately rushed towards them with incredible speed.

At the critical moment, Cui Caiting finally completed her spell and called out, "Ascend the sword!" The three of them leaped onto the sword and flew diagonally upwards along the deep ravine.

The swarm of skeletal blood spiders, having missed their target, persisted, leaping onto the stone walls on either side and relentlessly pursuing Xiao Xuan. Their long, sharp legs lashed out repeatedly, nearly striking Xue Han, who was at the rear, several times.

Xue Han channeled her golden inner energy, protecting Xiao Xuan's wound while simultaneously retaliating. With each swing of her jade arm, a massive golden shield of light cleaved a skeletal blood spider in two.

Xiao Xuan felt his blood churning; the massive wound on his back made it nearly impossible for him to withstand such high-speed flight. But hearing the screech of the skeletal blood spiders, he calmed down slightly. Glancing down unintentionally, he was horrified to see that the number of skeletal blood spiders chasing along the stone walls was actually increasing.

Finally, Ru Meng flew out of the deep valley, and all three breathed a sigh of relief. Cui Caiting, fearing that Xiao Xuan couldn't withstand the pressure, quickly slowed down and turned back to ask, "How are you feeling?" Xiao Xuan

smiled weakly, "I'm fine, Senior Sister is protecting me!"

Xue Han suddenly looked surprised and pointed down, saying, "Look! It looks like Martial Aunt and the others..."

Cui Caiting and Xiao Xuan looked down and saw that the Skeleton Blood Spiders, crawling out of the deep valley, covered the entire mountainside. The group had just walked right into their trap.

This group was indeed Fei Luo, Li Mengtang, and Fang Shaolin, who had just arrived. Upon seeing the "spectacular" phenomenon before them, their expressions immediately changed.

The Skeleton Blood Spiders, annoyed at losing their target, bared their fangs and claws and pounced on their new prey.

Fei Luo was the first to react. She swung her sleeve, instantly sweeping away the first giant skeletal blood spider that pounced on her. Her cultivation was unfathomable; she had previously easily defeated a skeleton cavalryman, but this skeletal blood spider only veered slightly before its long, hooked legs snapped at her like lightning.

Fei Luo was startled and dodged back, only to hear a sharp "rip" as half of her sleeve was torn off, revealing her jade-like arm.

At this moment, the others also encountered danger, all scrambling and disorganized, quickly surrounded by the swarm of skeletal blood spiders.

Cui Caiting knew something was wrong and rushed down into her dreamlike state, shouting with her inner energy, "All of you, onto your swords!" She was the first to reach above Xia Xiaowan, catching her on the sword, and then leaped towards the precarious Cheng Shui Ruo.

Shui Ruo had always been terrified of insects and snakes, and now she was so frightened that her limbs went limp. She was in no condition to fight back, let alone summon the Ice Qilin. She could only rely on her Tianchi Playful Steps to dodge and weave, but the swarming skeleton blood spiders were leaving her less and less space, and she was in grave danger.

Xiao Xuan was extremely anxious and wished he could jump down to protect the beauty. Seeing her above him, he quickly reached out to catch her and shouted, "Come up quickly!"

Shui Ruo leaped up, but her skirt was caught by a flying leg of a skeleton blood spider. Her body sank, and she began to fall. A dozen giant scythe-like spider legs came crashing down on her.

Xiao Xuan was terrified. He lunged forward and grabbed Shui Ruo's wrist from above.

Xue Han reacted quickly, grabbing his leg and pulling him tightly. Cui Caiting rushed into the air and flew up. With a "rip," Shui Ruo's skirt tore, and she finally escaped her predicament and was pulled into the air by Xiao Xuan.

Xue Han swung her arm and pulled the two of them onto the sword.

Shui Ruo burst into tears, throwing herself into Xiao Xuan's arms like a startled deer, trembling uncontrollably.

Xiao Xuan quickly hugged her tightly, patting her back to comfort her, "Don't cry, don't cry, it's alright." He himself was still shaken.

Cui Caiting flew on her sword towards Li Mengtang, Zhaixia, and Fang Shaolin, who were supporting each other, and safely caught them one by one onto the sword.

Fei Luo had it much easier. She casually changed her movements a few times and broke free from the heavy encirclement of the skeleton blood spiders, gracefully flying onto Ru Meng.

Cui Caiting propelled Ru Meng into the sky, leaving the terrifying skeleton blood spiders that were swinging their limbs and hissing wildly on the ground.

Shui Ruo cried for a while, then suddenly woke up as if by a start, struggling out of Xiao Xuan's arms, her cheeks flushed.

Xiao Xuan pushed her, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his back, and couldn't help but let out a low groan. It turned out that when he jumped out to save Shui Ruo, the wound on his back had reopened.

Zhai Xia, who was behind Xiao Xuan, exclaimed, "Oh no! He's bleeding! Xiao Xuan, you're bleeding so much..."

Shui Ruo was startled and asked, "Are you injured?" Ignoring her manners, she leaned over to look at him. Seeing that the man's back was soaked with blood, her face turned pale, and she asked in a trembling voice, "You were injured when you saved me?" "

I got hurt at the bottom of the valley earlier," Xiao Xuan said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Shui Ruo glared at him with tears in her eyes, looking both angry and anxious.

"It's nothing serious, just a little flesh wound," Xiao Xuan forced a smile, secretly taking the beautiful woman's hand. Seeing that she didn't pull away, he was overjoyed, and the pain in his back immediately lessened.

Shui Ruo turned and called out, "Second Senior Sister, come quickly! Fifth Junior Brother is injured!"

Li Mengtang, hearing this from the sword's tip, rushed over to check Xiao Xuan's injuries. After a moment, she relaxed and said, "It's alright, no vital organs were injured." She then used her inner energy to form hand seals and cast a healing spell to treat him.

Upon hearing this, Shui Ruo's face finally regained some color.

"Shui Ruo has always called me by my name, but now she calls me Junior Brother..." Xiao Xuan felt anxious and uneasy.

Fang Shaolin, watching the swarm of skeleton blood spiders gradually disappear into the distance, exclaimed in horror, "What are these monsters? They're even more terrifying than those skeleton cavalry from before! I could barely defeat them..." "

There are many more powerful ones at the bottom of that great rift valley," Xue Han said, frowning.

Upon hearing this, Fei Luo suddenly asked, "Have you found the main pool of the demonic array?"

"Yes, it's at the bottom of that great rift valley. There are about ten pools of demonic blood. When we found them, we just happened to see those evil spirits refining blood skeletons from the pools," Cui Caiting said.

"Can't you destroy them?" Fei Luo asked again.

Cui Caiting shook her head: "I only destroyed two of them. There are too many evil spirits down there, and they are all quite capable. It seems difficult for us to succeed alone."

Fei Luo knew her senior sister's cultivation level well. Hearing her say this, she couldn't help but gasp: "When exactly did these monsters become so powerful? No one noticed them before!" "

Judging from the scale of the buildings at the bottom of the valley, it must have been there for quite some time," Cui Caiting said with a solemn expression.

Fang Shaolin said sternly, "If that's the case, I'll report to the court immediately upon my return and order a large army to be sent to the marsh to encircle and annihilate them as soon as possible!"

Li Mengtang's wood-elemental healing technique was indeed miraculous. In just a moment, Xiao Xuan felt much better. Hearing this, he thought to himself, "This kid doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. How powerful are the demons here? How could your soldiers possibly deal with them!" Just as he was about to speak, a series of strange laughs suddenly echoed through the air. His heart suddenly began to pound wildly . Turning around, he saw a red light shooting into the sky behind him, like a blood-red curtain obscuring the stars and the moon, appearing extremely eerie and terrifying in the night sky.

"Something big must be coming," Fei Luo said calmly.

Except for Cui Caiting, everyone else's expression changed slightly. They knew that such a strange phenomenon was not something that ordinary demons could produce, and they all secretly became vigilant.

Suddenly, a deep, long roar echoed, startling everyone and making them nearly lose their composure. Fei Luo looked surprised and murmured, "It sounds like a dragon's roar... Are there dragons around here?"

"A dragon?" Xiao Xuan, though tense, perked up immediately. "I've heard countless stories about dragons, but I've never seen a real one. Now my wish has come true!"

The red light spread rapidly as if it were alive, and a long thing emerged from the smooth blood curtain, circling and flying towards the group.

It was clearly in the form of a dragon. Xiao Xuan quickly opened his eyes wide, but when he saw it clearly, he was suddenly horrified. It was indeed a dragon flying towards them, with a sharp snout, a protruding forehead, and five claws. It was over thirty feet long, but it wasn't the kind of dragon he had ever heard of. It had no scales, no thorns on its back, but a dragon with no skin or flesh, just bare bones, a dragon made entirely of blood-red bones.

"What... what kind of dragon is this? Is this a dragon?" Xiao Xuan stammered.

A sinister laugh rang out again, followed by a chilling voice: "This is indeed a dragon, a celestial dragon, a dragon that devours demons. But that's all ancient history. Now it's a demonized bone dragon, and also my mount."

The bone dragon coiled in the air like a python, and only then did everyone see that behind its tail dragged a terrifying, bizarre chariot, composed of countless skulls and bones.

Seated on the chariot was a man, clad in a white robe, bald, with several strands of white hair fluttering in the wind behind his head. His cheekbones were high, his eye sockets deep-set, and his eyes were completely hidden, like a skeleton whose flesh hadn't yet fully rotted away.

"The Skeleton Ancestor!" Cui Caiting exclaimed, her tone carrying a rare surprise.

"Heh heh, I didn't expect that among these brats, there would actually be someone who recognizes the Demon Clan," the Skeleton Ancestor chuckled sinisterly.

Everyone's expression changed, and Fang Shaolin exclaimed in shock, "Heavens! No wonder the Great Swamp is teeming with evil spirits; it turns out this great demon is hiding here causing trouble..."

Fei
Luo gasped, "You...you're still alive?"

The Skeleton Ancestor turned slightly, his dark eye sockets facing her, seemingly laughing, "Dead? I've long since cultivated to the realm of immortality; who can kill me!"

Fei Luo felt a chill run down her spine, as if a tangible, imposing aura was pressing down on her. She hurriedly channeled her energy to resist, refusing to show weakness, saying, "I know at least one—Fenxu of Jukuzhou!"

"Haha, what is Fenxu! It's just that that fellow's methods are strange; I was caught off guard back then and suffered a loss. If he dares to come again, I will definitely annihilate him, body and soul!" The Skeleton Ancestor grinned again, his eerie aura rippling out like waves.

Everyone hurriedly used their internal energy to resist. Zhaixia, whose cultivation was the weakest, swayed and almost fell off the Dream Pavilion. Fortunately, Xuehan grabbed her and channeled her true energy to protect her heart meridian.

Fei Luo quietly gathered her spiritual power and sneered, "I'm afraid someone's just being stubborn and guilty."

"What a sharp tongue! Who are you, kid?" The Skeleton Ancestor pointed at the ferocious bone dragon in front of him and chuckled, "Look at this pitiful dragon. Do you know its origin?"

Li Mengtang stared at a giant, blood-red pearl like a gemstone under the bone dragon's chin and said solemnly, "The Li Dragon is transformed from a ten-thousand-year-old Azure Dragon. It hides in the Ninefold Abyss, nourished by countless essences of Gui Water. After forming the pearl, it can ward off all filth and poisons and devour demons and evil spirits.

" "Devour demons and evil spirits?" The Skeleton Ancestor laughed loudly, "Let me tell you, this Li Dragon is the key to the restriction and the spirit of suppressing evil spirits left by that scoundrel Fen Xu in the Great Swamp. But now, not only can it not devour this old skeleton ancestor, it has become my chariot's slave!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was secretly surprised and immediately thought of the abandoned mysterious pavilion on the small island in the middle of the lake.

Cui Caiting shook her head and said, "Impossible! This kind of supreme exorcising artifact is the nemesis of demons and evil spirits. Your plan is no match for it!"

The Skeleton Ancestor's voice suddenly turned fierce: "Enough nonsense! Quickly hand over the Demon Lord's Cover, or the Demon Clan will annihilate you body and soul!"

Xiao Xuan was shocked, his mind trembled, and he almost took the Seven Evil Cover out of his Ruyi Pouch in a daze.

The others were also shocked. Fei Luo asked, "What Demon Lord's Cover?"

"I'll say it again, hand over the Seven Evil Cover." The Skeleton Ancestor's tone returned to calm, as if he was trying his best to suppress his anger.

Fei Luo laughed and said, "That's strange. That evil artifact has been lost for decades. If you want it, why don't you ask the Seven Evil Demon Lords for it?" Her words were mocking, clearly knowing the origin of the Seven Evil Cover.

It turned out that the Seven Evil Demon Lords had long since vanished into thin air. Even if they were still alive, how could the Skeleton Ancestor dare to ask for it?

The Skeleton Ancestor flew into a rage , his voice cold as he said, "Since you refuse to obey, then taste my power!" Before his words had even finished, the blood-bone dragon in front of him suddenly unfurled its body, sweeping forward with a fierce wind. Cui Caiting swiftly flew forward on her sword.

Fei Luo and the others knew she couldn't be distracted, so they all focused their energy on defense.

Ru Meng flew extremely fast, but the blood-bone dragon was no slower at all, its claws slashing out, a powerful and sinister current tearing through the air.

Xue Han flicked her sleeve, revealing the Golden Shield. With a low hum, a huge golden shield instantly appeared, protecting everyone.

The current struck the shield, producing a terrifying cracking sound. Five cracks appeared on the golden shield. Xue Han's heart trembled, and she hurriedly gathered her Golden Qi to resist, quickly repairing the shield.

The bone dragon continued its clawing attacks, the force of its attacks growing stronger and stronger, causing Ru Meng, who was flying, to sway.

Xue Han's light shield trembled violently, its surface flashing with dazzling light.

A moment later, Xue Han was drenched in sweat, her face flushed, and her slender body swayed uncontrollably. She suddenly shifted to a kneeling stance to support herself.

Everyone knew her skill was formidable, yet she appeared to be struggling in such a short time, causing them all to be secretly astonished.

Cui Caiting suddenly said to Fei Luo, "You take the sword." Besides her, Fei Luo was the only one among the group who had reached the Flying Immortal realm.

Knowing she was about to intervene, Fei Luo hesitated for a moment, then said, "The Skeleton Demon is no ordinary being, and with this demonized dragon added to the mix, it's best for us to retreat for now. We'll report to the sect leader and then come with our disciples to exterminate them another day." Cui

Caiting said, "Without killing this ghost dragon, we can't escape them!" She immediately formed hand seals, and suddenly circles of light rippled outwards.

Fei Luo hurriedly took over the sword, only to realize that due to the bone dragon's interference, entering the dream realm couldn't be accelerated at all.

Cui Caiting's face turned grim, and a pale purple, perfectly round sphere of light materialized from her clasped hands.

Xiao Xuan, seeing this, immediately knew she was about to unleash the Five Elements Return to Origin technique, and his heart trembled: "This demon and dragon have actually forced Master to use her ultimate technique right from the start!"

The purple sphere rapidly expanded, its color deepening, with tiny, cyan-blue sparks occasionally snaking across its surface. Cui Caiting shouted, and the two-foot-long sphere shot from her hands, flying unhurriedly towards the blood-bone dragon that was chasing after it with its claws.

Sensing the powerful threat, the skeletal dragon roared and spewed a flame-like azure breath from its mouth to meet the sphere.

The two clashed, and the purple sphere melted away like a snowball, but still pierced through the azure breath, heading straight for the skeletal dragon's face.

The skeletal dragon hurriedly shook its head, but unexpectedly, the purple orb shifted and followed it as if it had eyes, silently piercing its bony neck. About a breath later, the skeletal dragon unleashed a deafening roar, causing its massive body to twist and contort, several huge red bones blasting off its neck…

Xiao Xuan suddenly felt a pang of sadness for it; a thousand-year-old phoenix had once been instantly disintegrated by this ultimate technique.

Unexpectedly, the seemingly severely injured skeletal dragon swung through the air, its twisted body instantly straightening. Then, with a contraction and a leap, it shot up like a rainbow above Ru Meng, a huge bony claw swooping down.

Everyone was shocked. Xue Han hurriedly raised her shield to block, but this time the light shield was torn apart like paper. Cui Caiting, still recovering from her shock, used her palms to block the skeletal dragon's thunderous attack.

Ru Meng shuddered violently, tilting downwards, nearly throwing everyone off. Cui Caiting quickly regained control of her sword, steadied it, and leaped forward.

The skeletal dragon pursued relentlessly.

"Five Elements Return to Origin..." the savage laughter of the Skeleton Ancestor echoed from behind: "So you're disciples of the Xuan Sect, good! Excellent! Chong Yuanzi is one of the people I hate most. The Demon Clan will now unleash a massacre!"

Fei Luo swayed slightly, her lips parted, and she vomited a mouthful of blood. It turned out that although her cultivation was high, martial arts were not her forte. In the emergency, she had blocked the bone dragon's heavy blow, injuring her internal energy.

Xiao Wan and Xiao Xuan quickly supported her from both sides, while Li Mengtang formed a hand seal, intending to use a healing spell to treat her.

Fei Luo shook her head, saying, "I'm fine. Let's get rid of the enemy first."

Cui Caiting, slightly out of breath, said, "The Ghost Dragon is powerful. I'll try using Five Elements Return to Origin again to attack that old demon." With that, she strained to form a hand seal, and a purple orb of light condensed again in her hand. She had already used Five Elements Return to Origin four times today, consuming a great deal of spiritual energy, and was gradually feeling the strain.

Fei Luo said to Li Mengtang, "Let's all come together. Mengtang, you use your arrows to shoot that old monster too."

Li Mengtang agreed, took out the Wooden Mother Divine Bow from her magic pouch, and drew the bowstring.

Fei Luo plucked a shimmering purple hairpin from her hair and continued, "I'll count to three and attack at the same time, so that the old monster won't be able to defend himself."

Xiao Xuan saw the purple hairpin and his heart skipped a beat, because the invincible general he had spent countless efforts on was destroyed by this beautiful little thing.

"One...two...three!" When Fei Luo counted to three, a ball of purple light, a dazzling green light, and a flash of purple lightning suddenly shot out at the same time, all attacking the Skeleton Ancestor on the Skeleton Chariot.

Xiao Xuan was dazzled and thought to himself, "Both are supreme martial arts techniques, both are renowned divine weapons, both are treasures made from ancient beast horns, how could you, old demon, not be miserable!"

The Skeleton Ancestor calmly raised two fingers and pointed at a black skull embedded in the chariot shaft. Suddenly, four curtains of dark flames rose around the chariot, interspersed with countless blood-red magical symbols, completely enveloping the entire chariot. The dazzling Bi Hua was the first

to arrive, seemingly slowing down for a moment as it entered the dark flames, revealing an arrow with a pure green body and green leaves as feathers. Then, it burned away, disappearing by more than half. When it completely broke through the dark flames, less than a quarter of its original size remained.

"Could it be the Flame of Asura?" Li Mengtang's beautiful face paled slightly, and she nocked another wooden arrow.

The Skeleton Ancestor waved his sleeve, and a strange blood-red color completely devoured the remaining part of the arrow.

At this moment, the purple orb of light touched the inky black fire curtain and suddenly exploded with a deafening roar. The violent shockwave distorted everyone's vision, and all that could be seen was the skeletal dragon pulling the chariot being overturned by the shock, its huge skeletal body being thrown into the air even higher.

But the Skeleton Ancestor's sinister laughter rang in everyone's ears: "Hahaha! The Five Elements Returning to the Origin is nothing more than this!"

A chill ran through everyone's hearts, but Xiao Xuan wondered, "What other deadly little thing is there?"

The fluctuations quickly subsided, and the Skeleton Chariot appeared unharmed in everyone's sight. The Skeleton Ancestor's laughter grew even more maniacal: "Even if Chong Yuanzi himself came, I'm afraid he couldn't do anything to the Demon Clan's indestructible Skeleton Dragon Guard!"

Just as he was feeling smug, a bolt of purple lightning flashed before his eyes, eerily zigzing across the night sky. Then, the Skeleton Dragon let out a shrill wail, and its still unbalanced massive body suddenly trembled violently. The blood-red pearl under its chin shattered, and crystalline fragments rained down, scattering a cloud of eerie, dreamlike crimson splendor in the air. The

purple lightning was none other than the Purple Rhinoceros Hairpin. It turned out that Fei Luo, seeing the Skeleton Ancestor's chariot's extremely strong defense, had changed her attack direction, striking the pearl the moment the Skeleton Dragon lost its balance.

The Pearl of Li was the Li Dragon's Achilles' heel, not only the source of its spiritual power but also the weakest point in its powerful body. It instantly lost its former majesty, struggling futilely in the air before plummeting downwards.

The Skeleton Ancestor roared in shock and rage, leaping from his seat and completing an incredibly complex hand seal with astonishing speed. Before the chariot was torn down by the falling bone dragon, a blood-red, humanoid shadow shot from his body, flying ghostly towards the group on the Dream Platform.

"Soul Devouring Curse!" Li Mengshang's face paled. She released the bowstring and fired a second arrow at the oncoming blood shadow.

The Azure Flower that shot from the Wooden Mother Bow clashed with the blood shadow, vanishing in an instant, while the blood shadow's momentum remained undiminished.

As Xue Han was about to meet her, Cui Caiting leaped forward first, her hands circling and pushing, conjuring a seemingly tangible golden light barrier in front of her—the Immovable Golden罡 Technique, the most powerful defensive technique among the Five Elements of Ruyi.

However, the blood shadow passed through the golden light barrier, only slightly paler, before plunging into Cui Caiting's body like a demon.

Cui Caiting let out a muffled groan, slumping softly onto the sword, her skin turning eerily crimson in the blink of an eye. Shui Ruo, Xiao Wan, and Xiao Xuan rushed to help, but their hands were immediately burned by the heat. They cried out in alarm, "Second Senior Sister, come quick!"

The skeletal dragon and the skeletal chariot plummeted downwards. From the darkness came the furious roar of the Skeleton Ancestor: "You will not escape! The Demon Clan will turn you all into blood skeletons, my slaves for eternity!"

With a deafening crash, everyone looked to see the skeletal dragon and the skeletal chariot crash to the ground, raising a cloud of dust and sand. Incredibly, the skeletal dragon was rapidly shrinking, a truly bizarre sight.

"Could this ghostly dragon be a phantom beast?" Xiao Xuan wondered, but her mind was on her master. She turned and saw Cui Caiting's face was as red as blood, while Li Mengtang, who had rushed over, seemed helpless. This only increased her panic. Meanwhile,

the Dream Realm had been uncontrolled for some time and was teetering on the brink of collapse. Fei Luo retrieved her Purple Rhinoceros Hairpin and immediately took control of the sword, propelling the Dream Realm away from the danger.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Xuan asked.

Li Mengtang touched her master's wrist, probing for a while, then said palely, "It must be one of the demon's three unique evil techniques—the Soul-Devouring Curse! I can't break it."

Everyone knew that her healing skills were unparalleled among the new generation of rogue immortals in the mortal realm, but they didn't expect her to say this, and they all panicked.

Fang Shaolin said, "I heard my master say that the Skeleton Demon's Soul-Devouring Curse is very powerful. Those who are afflicted cannot rely on external forces to resist it, and it has injured many highly skilled masters."

Li Mengtang nodded and said, "That's true. I just tried it, and I couldn't find the location of that evil power at all."

Xiao Wan hurriedly wanted to find help, saying, "Third Martial Aunt is currently on Xiaoyao Peak. She has boundless magical power and will surely have a way. Why don't we hurry back?"

Fei Luo looked at Cui Caiting worriedly and said, "Flying such a long distance on a sword, I'm afraid we can't withstand it." Sword flying is incredibly fast, and the rider needs to have a certain amount of true qi to withstand it.

"Master, can you still gather your true energy?" Xuehan asked, clinging to a sliver of hope.

Cui Caiting struggled to sit up, her voice weak and feeble, "Find...find a quiet place...I'll dispel it myself..." She seemed to be forming a hand seal to resist the invading curse, but suddenly collapsed again.

Shui Ruo's eyes welled with tears, "Let's find a place to stop quickly, Master seems to be unable to hold on!"

Fei Luo desperately wanted to, but they were still in the Great Swamp, and Cui Caiting, the strongest among them, had already lost her fighting power. If the Skeleton Ancestor caught up with them, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Xuehan, Li Mengshang, and the others had obviously thought of this as well, their eyes filled with worry.

Xiao Xuan suddenly pointed down and said, "Uncle-Master, how about we land here?"

Everyone looked down and saw a dense forest surrounding a green lake, with a small island in the center of the lake, the very place they had visited yesterday. Fei Luo's heart stirred slightly.

"Isn't there a place on this island where the essence of life gathers? It's perfect for helping Master break the curse! And..." Xiao Xuan continued, "This island is surrounded by water, easy to defend and difficult to attack. If those demons chase after us, we can use the terrain to hold them off for a while."

Fei Luo gave him a rather approving look and said, "That makes some sense." She immediately flew down on her sword and landed on the green platform on the island. After everyone dismounted, she chanted an incantation to restore Ru Meng to its original size and ordered her maid, Zhai Xia, to put her into Cui Caiting's magic pouch.

Xiao Xuan carried his master on his back and rushed into the building, placing Cui Caiting on the green stone platform in the center of the main hall, the very spot where the essence of life had gathered that they had discovered yesterday.

Cui Caiting immediately felt her spirits lifted and was finally able to sit in meditation, beginning to form hand seals and circulate her energy to heal herself.

Everyone waited quietly by her side, all filled with worry.

After a while, Cui Caiting said weakly, "You should all go and rest. I can break the curse in a few hours."

Everyone was delighted to hear this, and seeing that although her skin was burning hot, her breathing was calm and even, they felt a little relieved.

By this time, it was already dawn, and everyone who hadn't slept all night looked exhausted.

Fei Luo said, "Leave two people here to guard, the rest of you go and rest, we'll rotate in a while."

No one was willing, so Fei Luo added, "Those demons might come after us at any time. If you don't rest properly, how will you have the energy to fight them?"

Only then did everyone compromise. Xue Han and Xiao Xuan insisted on taking the first shift to guard their master, and the rest left the hall to rest.

Xiao Xuan recalled the experiences of the past day and a half since descending the mountain, feeling only fear and trepidation. He suddenly whispered to Xue Han, who was meditating and adjusting her breathing, "Senior Sister." "

Hmm?" Xue Han looked up at him.

Xiao Xuan asked, "Senior Sister, have you heard of the Demon Lord's Cover that the Skeleton Demon was chasing after us for?"

"Of course I have," Xue Han replied thoughtfully. "It's one of the Seven Evil Demon Lords' most treasured artifacts, lost for decades." "I'm curious why the Skeleton Demon suddenly came to demand it from us..."

Xiao Xuan asked, "What exactly is the Demon Lord's Cover?"

Xue Han explained, "The Demon Lord's Cover, also known as the Seven Evil Cover, is a notoriously evil magic weapon. Legend says the Seven Evil Demon Lords' powerful magic originated from this item, as it absorbs seven evil energies from the world and transforms them into magic power for its master."

Xiao Xuan felt a surge of panic, remembering what Mi Dingzi had said, and unconsciously touched the Ruyi Pouch at his waist, saying, "Seven evil energies..."

"It's anger, resentment, jealousy, lust, greed, cruelty, and arrogance!" Xue Han frowned and said, "When the Seven Evil Demon Lords were still around, in order to collect these seven evil energies, they constantly stirred up chaos and hatred, creating countless horrific bloodshed incidents. They were truly wicked. Fortunately, the Heavenly Dao has its balance, and in the end, they could not escape destruction."

"Those Seven Evil Demon Lords seem very powerful..." Xiao Xuan said.

"Of course, he's on par with the Evil Emperor Yuan Yi, one of the four great demon lords of the world. Moreover, his Seven Absolute Realms are incomparably powerful, with countless demons under his command,"

Xiao Xuan said. "In that case, even the Skeleton Demon King is probably no match for this Seven Evil Demon Lord."

"A world of difference," Xue Han said. "No matter how you look at it, the Skeleton Demon King's strength is far inferior to the Seven Evil Demon Lord."

Xiao Xuan gasped, "So powerful, what happened to him? How did the Seven Evil Demon Lord perish? Was he defeated by the Heavenly Court?"

"No, the Heavenly Court twice sent troops to conquer the Seven Absolute Realms, but both times ended in failure," Xue Han said.

Xiao Xuan was very surprised: "Ah! Who could possibly defeat him?"

Xue Han suddenly shut her mouth, as if she was hesitant.

Xiao Xuan asked, "Why did you stop talking?"

Xue Han seemed to be deep in thought.

Xiao Xuan grew anxious and grabbed her arm, shaking it. "What's wrong with saying this?"

Xue Han finally said, "It's alright to say, but that person is feared by gods, Buddhas, and demons alike, so it's best not to mention him."

Xiao Xuan was even more surprised and asked several times in a row, "Feared by gods, Buddhas, and demons alike? Is there such a person in the world? What's his name?" "

His name is Xuan Xuanzi," Xue Han answered the last question.

Xiao Xuan's heart suddenly trembled, and a strange feeling suddenly swept over him.

Xue Han continued, "Legend has it that he is from the Xuanhu lineage, not belonging to the Nine Netherworlds or the Ten Categories, not entering the Six Paths of Reincarnation, not being in the Three Realms or Five Elements... Hey, Xiao Xuan, what's wrong with you?"

"Me? Nothing," Xiao Xuan said absentmindedly, "The Seven Demon Lords were killed by him?"

Xue Han said, "Legend has it that they once fought a battle, and the result was that the Seven Evil Demon Lords were annihilated, both in body and spirit. The Seven Evil Covers disappeared without a trace, and some say that they were destroyed by Xuan Xuanzi."

Xiao Xuan thought to himself, "They were destroyed, but Mi Dingzi spent nineteen years repairing them..." For some reason, he felt an unusual longing to know about Xuan Xuanzi, and asked, "Then... what happened to Xuan Xuanzi?"

"Legend has it that he later fought against the Evil Emperor Yuan Yi, but this time both sides were severely injured. Thanks to him, the severely weakened Evil Emperor fought against our sect for the spiritual vein, and our sect was defeated.

" "And then?"

"Shortly after Xuan Xuanzi fought the Evil Emperor, the Heavenly Court sent troops to besiege him. After a fierce and terrifying battle, they finally subdued him, and it is said that he was also annihilated, both in body and spirit."

Xiao Xuan's heart tightened for no reason, and he asked, "Since Xuan Xuanzi was an enemy of two great demon lords, he must not be a bad person. Why did the Heavenly Court still send troops to eliminate him?"

"It is said that he disrupted the Mandate of Heaven, causing unpredictable changes in the world. Moreover, he is of the Xuanhu lineage, which is already shunned by gods and Buddhas, hence the Heavenly Court's intention to deal with him." "

Why would being of the Xuanhu lineage incur the shunning of gods and Buddhas?" Xiao Xuan found Xue Han's words rather vague and asked in confusion, "These legends about Xuan Xuanzi are earth-shattering, yet I've never heard of a single one."

"Because you've always been on the mountain, and..." Xue Han glanced at Cui Caiting, who was meditating with her eyes closed on the jade platform, and whispered, "Plus, Master seems to dislike anyone discussing anything related to Xuan Xuanzi, so naturally you won't hear these things... Sigh, let's not talk about this anymore."

Xiao Xuan was still in a daze, lost in thought.

At noon, after everyone had a quick meal of dry rations, Li Mengtang and Zhaixia replaced Xue Han and Xiao Xuan.

Xiao Xuan emerged from the main hall, feeling extremely tired. He found a shady spot in the stone corridor behind the building and lay down. Just as he was drifting off to sleep, something flashed before his eyes. He quickly opened them and saw a cluster of vibrant, shimmering blue phosphorescence slowly descending from the treetops.

"What is that?" he exclaimed, jumping up in surprise and doubt. "Could it be those demons chasing after us?" His sleepiness vanished instantly, and he crept closer.

Among several large trees, a delicate and beautiful woman seemed to have just finished dancing. Though her hands and feet were still in motion, her sleeves and skirt fluttered, and her two full, round, proud breasts still swayed.

"Oh, it's Uncle-Master! What are you doing?" Xiao Xuan grinned as he emerged from behind a tree.

"Wait, don't come any closer!" Fei Luo cried out urgently.

But it was too late. Several thick vines suddenly shot out from the treetops, binding Xiao Xuan, who had stepped among the trees, like giant pythons, and lifting him upside down into the air.

Xiao Xuan felt the vines tighten rapidly, their force surprisingly strong, almost suffocating him. Just as he was about to struggle, a thick, blue bolt of lightning struck him from nowhere, making him see stars and nearly causing him to faint.

In the dizzying moment, Xiao Xuan saw Fei Luo giggling, laughing so hard she was doubled over, clutching her stomach.

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