48: Encountering the Black Demon Again

After bidding farewell to everyone, Yao Delong and his Junior Sister continued their journey back to the Yin Yang Sect.

Yao Delong and Lin Qingxue rode their Flying Swords, traversing the rolling mountains far from the Ten Thousand Miasma Valley.

The sky gradually darkened as twilight fell, and heavy shadows spread across the towering mountains like ink.

Fatigue from the fierce battle rushed in like a tide; Yao Delong had consumed a massive amount of mental energy controlling the panyan gold puppet.

Although the spiritual energy in his body was slowly recovering, the Meridians he had used to forcibly stimulate the Pill Fire were aching.

Lin Qingxue's face was also pale, as the backlash from the origin breaking pill began to manifest, and her Ice Soul Power was significantly depleted.

Seeing that the sky had completely darkened, halfway up an inconspicuous peak in the deep mountains nearby...

...a dark cave entrance caught their attention.

"Senior Brother, there is a cave over there. Why don't we rest for the night and return to the Sect tomorrow?"

Lin Qingxue's voice carried a hint of undeniable weakness, but her icy eyes looked at Yao Delong with concern.

Yao Delong nodded slightly. "What Junior Sister says is correct." The two of them put away their Flying Swords and landed quietly near the cave entrance.

The cave entrance was entwined with vines and scattered with rubble, appearing to have been formed long ago.

However, the moment Lin Qingxue habitually released her Divine Sense to investigate the situation inside the cave, her icy eyes suddenly narrowed!

"Senior Brother, be careful! There is someone inside! Their aura... is very weak, but it carries Devilish Qi!"

She sent a warning via voice transmission and instantly gripped her Ice Soul Longsword, as cold air began to permeate around her once more.

Yao Delong's heart tightened. He approached the cave entrance silently, his powerful Divine Sense cautiously penetrating inward.

Deep inside the cave, a dark figure huddled in a corner appeared in his perception—

Their breath was faint, and their life flame was like a candle flickering in the wind.

But that tattered black robe and the fragments of a bone banner faintly visible at the waist were unmistakably the Black Fiend—Shadow Bone!

On the back of his chest, a terrifying wound the size of a bowl was clearly visible! Blood seeped from the edges, deep enough to see the bone!

Such an injury should have been fatal instantly, but at the wound, there was a fluctuation of extremely pure medicinal power containing vast vitality.

It was very slowly repairing the damaged tissue.

Clearly, this Devil Head had swallowed some kind of life-saving holy healing medicine at the last moment, barely hanging on by a thread!

"It's him!" A cold light flashed in Yao Delong's eyes as he exchanged a glance with Lin Qingxue; they were of one mind.

This devil must not be allowed to live! Strike while he is weak!

Just as the two were quietly circulating their spiritual energy, preparing for a thunderous surprise attack!

Suddenly, the Black Fiend inside the cave, who had been lying there like a dead dog, snapped his eyes open!

Those eyes were clouded and pained, yet filled with animalistic ferocity!

He also felt the killing intent coming from the cave entrance!

"It's... you?!" The Black Fiend's voice was hoarse and broken, filled with endless resentment and despair.

Fatally wounded and dying, with powerful enemies at the door—it was a dead end!

"Yao Delong... Lin Qingxue... Hahaha... Good! Very good!"

The Black Fiend let out a series of tragic, frenzied laughs, filled with the madness of mutual destruction!

"Want to kill me? Then... let's die together!!"

"Not good! He's going to risk everything!" Yao Delong shouted!

Before his voice had even faded, the Black Fiend's aura inside the cave surged violently, like a final flare-up before death!

Pitch-black flames suddenly rose from his body; it was an eerie demonic flame fueled by burning his Golden Core Origin and squeezing out his last bits of life force!

He actually disregarded everything to forcibly wring out one last bit of power!

His body shot up from the corner like a sharp sword, pouncing straight toward the cave entrance with a stench of blood!

"Junior Sister, watch out!" Yao Delong barked, having been prepared.

Lin Qingxue's reaction was even faster; her Ice Soul Longsword was already unsheathed, and a highly condensed ice-blue Sword Qi...

...carrying a chill that could freeze the Divine Soul, stabbed toward the Black Fiend's heart like lightning! The angle was tricky, sealing off all his paths of retreat!

However, the Black Fiend's target had not been her from the very beginning!

Faced with Lin Qingxue's lethal strike, the Black Fiend didn't even try to dodge, only barely tilting his body!

"Puchi!" The Ice Soul Longsword pierced through his left chest without any resistance!

The extreme cold instantly froze half of his body!

But using the momentum of his charge and the brief burst from burning his Origin, the Black Fiend's hideous face lunged right in front of Yao Delong!

His unfrozen, withered claw was wreathed in a bizarre black flame that seemed capable of burning the Soul.

Carrying the Origin energy of his demonic core, he slammed a palm ruthlessly onto Yao Delong's arms, which had been crossed in a hurried block!

"Fiendish Flame Soul-Burning Palm! Die together!"

Boom!

A wave of cold, scorching, and highly corrosive fire-attribute Devilish Qi, like a maggot on a bone...

...instantly broke through Yao Delong's already weakened protective spiritual energy and flooded wildly into his body!

"Ugh!" Yao Delong felt as if he had been struck by lightning. A sharp pain shot through his arms, and the massive force sent him flying backward...

...crashing hard against the stone wall at the cave entrance!

A sweet taste filled his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of scorching blood!

What was even more terrifying was that after the strange and overbearing fire-attribute Devilish Qi entered his body, it acted like countless tiny snakes of poisonous fire.

It rampaged through his Meridians, wildly burning his spiritual energy and life force!

A burning, tearing pain from the inside out instantly swept through his entire body!

"Senior Brother!" Lin Qingxue's eyes nearly split from grief! She twisted her longsword, and her Ice Soul Power erupted completely!

Kacha!

The Black Fiend's frozen upper body, along with his pierced heart, instantly shattered into ice crystal fragments!

The madness and resentment in his eyes froze as he completely lost his life.

Lin Qingxue didn't even look at the Black Fiend's corpse, instantly rushing to Yao Delong's side to support him.

He was burning hot to the touch. Yao Delong's face was now as red as blood, his body trembling violently.

Bizarre wisps of black flame even flickered from his skin, and his aura rapidly withered away!

"Senior Brother! Hold on!" Lin Qingxue's voice trembled as she unhesitatingly channeled her pure, icy spiritual energy into Yao Delong's body...

...attempting to suppress that violent fire-attribute Devilish Qi.

However, the Devilish Qi from the Fiendish Flame Soul-Burning Palm was extremely malicious—it would even burn when it met ice!

Instead of effectively suppressing it, the influx of Lin Qingxue's icy spiritual energy was like adding oil to a fire...

...causing the black demonic fire to counterattack and burn even more violently!

Yao Delong let out a pained groan, black smoke seeped from the corners of his mouth, and his skin began to show signs of charred cracking!

"No! This demonic fire is too overbearing! My spiritual energy is instead..."

Lin Qingxue was so anxious she was almost in tears; seeing her Senior Brother in such pain was like a knife to her heart.

Just then, a flash of inspiration struck her mind!

Extreme Yin Frost Transformation Great Method!

The core Cultivation Technique she practiced followed the path of Extreme Yin Cold Soul and condensing ice into frost.

The secret Cultivation Techniques of the Yin Yang Sect, to some extent... all possessed Dual Cultivation capabilities!

The "Extreme Yin Frost Transformation Great Method" was a standout among them, containing the Extreme Yin Origin. If it could achieve the union of Yin and Yang with someone possessing a Primordial Yang Physique...

...it could generate the purest spiritual energy, which had the miraculous effect of harmonizing Yin and Yang and neutralizing foreign energies!

A thought erupted in Lin Qingxue's heart, one that could resolve the current crisis but also caused her to instantly flush deep red, as if stained by the most brilliant sunset.

Her heart began to pound violently, and her ice-like eyes were filled with panic, shyness, and a hint of determination.

"Sen... Senior Brother..."

Lin Qingxue's voice was as thin as a mosquito's buzz, carrying an unprecedented tremble, almost inaudible.

She didn't dare look at Yao Delong's pained and confused gaze, only tightly clutching his burning arm.

"I... I have a way... but... but it requires..."

"Requires... what?"

Yao Delong endured the tearing pain in his Meridians, veins bulging on his forehead as sweat mixed with blood flowed down.

The Extreme Yang spiritual energy in his body acted like fuel to the demonic fire, making it burn even more fiercely!

Lin Qingxue took a deep breath, her icy eyes shimmering with moisture. She finally looked up...

...mustering the courage to look directly into Yao Delong's eyes, her voice still small but a bit clearer:

"It re... requires Dual Cultivation with Senior Brother... the kind... the most direct kind...!"

The most direct kind!?

A deathly silence filled the cave, broken only by the crackling of the campfire and Yao Delong's heavy, pained breathing.