15: Chapter 15 Enveloped in Black Qi, the False King Tiger's Deadly Move

Inside the palace of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Mausoleum, the Spiritual Qi was so dense it had nearly liquefied. The snow-white Celestial Fox Demon Core floated in mid-air, the phantoms of nine tails slowly rotating, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure. The ancient Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Art scroll lay quietly on a jade platform, its lines exuding the mysterious aura of an ancient powerhouse.

Lin Zhou and his group were still immersed in the ecstasy of obtaining the Legacy when that cold, sinister laughter pierced their eardrums like ice, causing everyone to freeze.

From the shadows, Wang Hu slowly stepped out. His physique was even more burly than before, his skin showing a bizarre blue-black hue, surrounded by wisps of black Qi. His eyes were blood-red, and his gaze toward Lin Zhou was filled with malice and madness.

"Wang Hu? Aren't you already dead?" Su Ye's eyes widened, and he cried out in shock. He clearly remembered Lin Zhou's arrow piercing this guy's chest; he had seen him fall dead with his own eyes. How could he still be alive?

Qin Yue's expression instantly became extremely grave. She gripped her longsword, her sharp gaze sweeping over the black Qi surrounding Wang Hu. "No, the aura on him is very strange. This isn't normal martial arts spiritual power; it's more like... a Demonic Path Evil Art!"

"Dead?" Wang Hu laughed wildly, his voice raspy like a broken gong. "I, Wang Hu, am blessed with great fortune. How could I die at the hands of you trash? Last time was just my Obscuration Art! Being heavily injured by that brat Lin Zhou, I intended to find a place to linger on, but I didn't expect to encounter a Demonic Path Legacy deep within the Secret Realm!"

As he spoke, he suddenly punched his own chest. Beneath the blue-black skin, veins writhed like earthworms, and an aura several times stronger than before soared into the sky.

"Now, I have already broken through to the Pseudo-King Rank! Lin Zhou, the humiliation you brought me last time, I will repay a hundredfold today!" Wang Hu's voice was a hysterical roar, the black Qi around him churning and turning into countless bared-teeth ghost shadows that pounced toward Lin Zhou.

Lin Zhou's eyes narrowed, and his [Domain of Archery] instantly expanded. A pale golden light enveloped the area, shredding those ghost shadows. He gripped his explosive sniper bow, his [Elemental Space-Breaker] talent activating, and a Demon-Breaking Arrow was notched on the bowstring, flickering with purple-gold light.

"Pseudo-King Rank? It's just a Realm forcibly raised with the help of a Demonic Path Evil Art. Your Foundation is unstable and vulnerable!" Lin Zhou's voice was cold. The bowstring twanged, and the arrow shot out like a meteor, carrying the triple effects of penetration, splitting, and explosion, aimed straight for the space between Wang Hu's brows.

"Trivial tricks!" Wang Hu laughed wildly, the black Qi around him surging and turning into a massive black shield. The arrow struck the black shield with a dull thud and was actually blocked forcefully, without leaving even a single crack.

"How is that possible?" Liu Yiyi covered her mouth, her eyes full of shock. Lin Zhou's Demon-Breaking Arrow could heavily injure even a Grandmaster-level powerhouse; how could it do nothing to Wang Hu?

" Hahaha! Surprised?" Wang Hu laughed triumphantly. "This Demonic Path black Qi was refined by absorbing the essence blood of hundreds of exotic beasts. Its defense is incredibly powerful! Lin Zhou, your archery is just like scratching an itch to me!"

As he spoke, his figure blurred, turning into a black shadow and rushing toward Lin Zhou like a specter. His speed was several times faster than when he had used his Mad Lion Transformation before, and the air along his path was corroded by the black Qi, making a sizzling sound.

"Lin Zhou, watch out!" Qin Yue shouted. Her longsword unsheathed, the sword light like snow, stabbing toward the back of Wang Hu's heart. Her swordsmanship was exquisite and fast as lightning, aimed directly at Wang Hu's flaw.

"Get lost!" Wang Hu didn't even turn his head. He struck back with a palm, the black Qi condensing into a giant ghost claw that collided with Qin Yue's sword light.

"Boom!"

With a loud bang, Qin Yue was shaken back repeatedly, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were filled with horror as she looked at Wang Hu. The power of this palm was even more formidable than a Peak Grandmaster-level powerhouse!

Su Ye roared and swung his giant axe at Wang Hu, but Wang Hu sidestepped to dodge it, and the ghost claw struck Su Ye's chest. Su Ye flew backward like a broken kite, crashing heavily against a stone pillar in the palace, spitting blood, his aura withering.

Ye Ying's figure flickered in the shadows, his dagger carrying a poisoned cold light as it slashed toward Wang Hu's neck. But Wang Hu seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. With a swirl of black Qi, he entangled Ye Ying's dagger and yanked hard. Ye Ying was pulled in front of him, and Wang Hu punched him in the abdomen. Ye Ying instantly curled into a ball and fainted.

Liu Yiyi's Ice Magic fell like a rainstorm but was easily neutralized by the black Qi around Wang Hu, not even touching the corner of his clothes.

In an instant, the three of them—Qin Yue, Su Ye, and Ye Ying—were heavily injured and lost their fighting capacity.

Wang Hu's gaze fell on Lin Zhou again, his blood-red eyes full of mockery. "Lin Zhou, your teammates have all fallen. Now, what else do you have to rely on?"

Lin Zhou's eyes were icy, but there was no panic on his face. He slowly put away his explosive sniper bow, the spiritual power in his body surging wildly. He fully activated his Early Stage King-Rank Physical Body, and the [Shadow Possession] skill was activated. Black demon power merged into his limbs and bones, causing his speed and defense to skyrocket.

"Rely on? I have only ever relied on myself!"

As Lin Zhou's voice fell, his figure suddenly disappeared. He used the [Shadow Stealth] skill to merge into the shadows of the palace.

"Oh? Trying to hide?" Wang Hu sneered. The black Qi around him spread out like a giant net, enveloping the entire palace. "Within my Black Qi Domain, any stealth skill is useless! Come out!"

The black Qi churned, and countless black tentacles erupted from the ground, lashing out wildly into the shadows.

Lin Zhou's figure moved continuously through the shadows, narrowly avoiding the attacks of the tentacles. He could feel that Wang Hu's Black Qi Domain had a very strong suppressive effect on his Shadow Stealth. If this continued, he would be discovered sooner or later.

"I must end this quickly!" Lin Zhou thought to himself. His gaze fell on the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Demon Core floating in mid-air, a glint flashing in his eyes.

That Demon Core contained the Origin power of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox. If he could trigger its power, he might be able to heavily injure Wang Hu!

With a thought, Lin Zhou's figure suddenly darted toward the Demon Core.

"Trying to go for the Demon Core? In your dreams!" Wang Hu noticed Lin Zhou's intention and roared. His figure chased after him like lightning, his ghost claw condensing and grabbing toward Lin Zhou's heart from behind.

This claw contained all of his power. If it hit, even an Early Stage King-Rank Physical Body would be instantly torn to shreds!

At the critical moment, Lin Zhou suddenly turned around. The spiritual power and demon power in his body erupted simultaneously. He clenched both fists and slammed them fiercely toward the ghost claw.

"Bang!"

Fist and claw collided, and a terrifying energy shockwave instantly erupted. Lin Zhou felt a violent force transmit from his fist, making his arms go numb and causing him to retreat repeatedly. Wang Hu was also shaken back several steps, his eyes filled with surprise and suspicion as he looked at Lin Zhou.

"Your Physical Body strength... has actually reached the Early Stage King-Rank?"

Without waiting for Lin Zhou to answer, a trace of madness flashed in Wang Hu's eyes. "But it's useless! Today, I will definitely tear you into ten thousand pieces!"

He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of pitch-black essence blood. The essence blood merged into the black Qi, which instantly became even denser, faintly showing a tendency to condense into a physical form.

"Demonic Path Secret Technique — Ghost Shadow Soul-Devourer!"

Wang Hu's voice was eerie. The black Qi churned and turned into a massive ghost shadow. The ghost shadow opened its bloody maw and lunged to devour Lin Zhou. A terrifying suction force came from the ghost shadow's mouth, and Lin Zhou's body actually flew toward it uncontrollably.

"Not good!" Lin Zhou cried out inwardly. He could feel that this ghost shadow contained a terrifying power that could devour the Divine Soul. Once devoured, the consequences would be unthinkable.

In the moment of crisis, Lin Zhou's gaze fell on the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Art scroll on the jade platform. He suddenly reached out, and with a surge of spiritual power, he sucked the scroll into his hand.

The moment the scroll touched his hand, an ancient and mysterious power flooded into his mind. Lin Zhou didn't have time to look closely; acting on instinct, he began to circulate the first layer of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Art Mind-Cultivation Technique.

"Buzz—!"

A burst of snow-white light erupted from Lin Zhou's body, resonating with the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Demon Core. Above the Demon Core, the phantoms of the nine tails suddenly surged. A terrifying pressure swept through the hall, fiercely suppressing the ghost shadow.

"This is... the power of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox?" Wang Hu's face instantly turned pale, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Under the suppression of the Celestial Fox's pressure, the ghost shadow let out a shrill scream and instantly shattered, turning into a sky full of black Qi.

Lin Zhou seized this opportunity. He poured both his spiritual power and demon power into his fists. His figure shot out like a cannonball, slamming fiercely into Wang Hu's chest.

"No—!"

Wang Hu let out a desperate roar and tried to resist, but he was firmly pinned by the Celestial Fox's pressure and could not move.

"Boom!"

Both fists slammed heavily into Wang Hu's chest, and a terrifying force instantly erupted. Wang Hu's body was like a smashed watermelon, exploding violently. Blue-black blood splattered all over the palace walls.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing the Pseudo-King Rank Demonic Path Cultivator, Wang Hu!]

[Congratulations to the host for gaining 50,000 experience points!]

[Congratulations to the host, your Rank has increased to lv.27!]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining 1 Demonic Path Black Qi Origin!]

The System prompt sounded. Lin Zhou slowly withdrew his fist. Looking at the mangled flesh all over the ground, he let out a long sigh of relief.

He turned to look at the three—Qin Yue, Su Ye, and Ye Ying—and walked over quickly. He took out the nine-turn soul resuscitation fruits and gave them to the group to heal their wounds.

Qin Yue took the fruit, her gaze toward Lin Zhou full of complexity. "What you used just now... was the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Art?"

Lin Zhou nodded, his gaze falling on the floating Celestial Fox Demon Core, a flash of excitement in his eyes.

This crisis was finally resolved.

And his strength had once again achieved a qualitative leap through this battle.

Inside the palace, the Spiritual Qi remained dense, and the light of the Legacy shone brilliantly on the jade platform.

Lin Zhou knew that within this ancient mausoleum, there were still more secrets waiting for him to explore.

And his legend had only just begun.