256: Chapter 256 Remnant Seed, Subduing Demons

On the other side of the valley.

Dense fog still filled the air, so thick one could not see one's own fingers.

Captain Xia An held his longsword, his expression as grave as water, cautiously groping his way forward through the mist.

Behind him followed a pink-haired woman with a delicate face—Junior Sister.

"Senior Brother, this fog is too bizarre. We cannot detect any movement around us at all."

Captain Xia An nodded slightly without looking back.

Within his eyes, a faint light shimmered.

Innate Spirit Eyes.

This was his Innate talent, capable of seeing through illusions and perceiving the flow of Qi.

If it weren't for these spirit eyes, he would have likely been separated from Junior Sister long ago in this eerie mist.

As for the other members of the Demon-Slaying Squad, they had completely lost contact by now.

Within this great fog, it was as if countless invisible giant maws were hidden, silently devouring them.

"Stay close behind me, and do not stray more than three feet away."

Captain Xia An said in a low, stern voice.

The longsword in his hand trembled slightly, Sword Qi flickering, testing the turbulent mist around them.

This fog contained an extremely cold power that constantly eroded their protective True Qi.

Captain Xia An knew that the Yao creature that had set this trap in secret possessed strength that was definitely not trivial.

He had to maintain twelve-fold vigilance; any slight carelessness would result in total destruction.

The two moved slowly through the fog.

Suddenly.

Captain Xia An's footsteps stopped abruptly.

The light in his eyes flared intensely, staring fixedly at the thick fog ahead.

"What is it, Senior Brother?"

Seeing this, Junior Sister felt a tightening in her heart and hurriedly asked.

Captain Xia An did not answer, only gripping his longsword tighter.

The next moment.

"Rumble!"

A dull, thunderous roar suddenly came from deep within the valley, far away.

The sound was dull at first, but in an instant, it transformed into a deafening roar.

It was like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens exploding right beside their ears.

Immediately after, the entire valley began to tremble violently.

The ground rose and fell like waves, and countless rocks tumbled down from the cliff walls.

"Careful!"

Captain Xia An shouted lowly, grabbing Junior Sister's arm and shielding her behind him.

True Qi surged within him as he thrust his longsword into the ground, attempting to stabilize his stance.

However, the force of the tremor was truly too terrifying.

Accompanied by the loud noise came a violent blast of air capable of destroying heaven and earth.

Gales howled, sending sand and stones flying.

Captain Xia An looked up, and through the torn mist, he saw a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.

In the distance, between the mountains, a brilliant, chilling blade light rose into the sky like a crescent moon.

The power contained within that blade light seemed as if it would split the very heavens and earth in two.

"Boom!"

The shockwave swept over.

The ancient trees nearby were as fragile as withered grass in the face of this power.

Accompanied by the sound of snapping, countless trees were uprooted and sent flying backward.

Captain Xia An groaned, feeling a force like a collapsing mountain slam into his protective True Qi.

He plowed two deep furrows into the ground with his feet, sliding back more than ten zhang before barely stabilizing his stance.

Junior Sister was even more shaken; her blood surged, and her face turned deathly pale.

The gale gradually subsided.

The torn fog could not gather again for a time.

Captain Xia An leaned on his longsword, half-kneeling on the ground, gasping for air.

He raised his head, looking toward the direction where the blade light had risen with a look of shock.

The mountain there had already collapsed by more than half, and dust was rising into the sky.

"This... what kind of terrifying power is this..."

Captain Xia An muttered to himself, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

He considered himself a leader among the younger generation, with his cultivation already at the Return to Truth Realm.

But facing the aftermath of that single strike, he felt a sense of powerlessness like an ant.

The flair of that strike had completely exceeded his understanding of the martial Dao.

What kind of sacred being could unleash such an earth-shattering strike?

Was it some reclusive expert of the Innate Realm?

Or...

"Let's go, let's go take a look."

Captain Xia An said in a deep voice, taking Junior Sister with him as they quickly rushed toward the collapsed mountains.

...

Deep in the valley.

Chen Ran slowly sheathed his blade, his gaze calmly fixed ahead.

With that strike, the thick clouds and mist that had originally shrouded the surroundings dissipated instantly, like remnant clouds swept away by a gale.

The view became clear again.

Dozens of zhang away from him, a behemoth was lying quietly in the pile of rubble.

It was a giant clam, a Phantom Soul Mirage.

Its shell appeared to be a strange grayish-white.

At this moment, several deep cracks had appeared on that indestructible shell.

"Oh?"

Chen Ran raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

His strike just now, while not using his full strength, was still not something an ordinary Yao creature could withstand head-on.

Yet this Phantom Soul Mirage had actually taken it, with only damage to its outer shell.

Such defense was truly astonishing.

Chen Ran's mind stirred, and a faint, ghostly light shimmered in his eyes.

Heavenly Eye, open.

The next moment, information about this Phantom Soul Mirage clearly emerged in his mind.

[Yao Subject: Phantom Soul Mirage]

[Realm: Third Grade]

[Sin Value: High]

[Life History: An ancient Yao Beast that lived in legends, only recently awakened. It can release exclusive fog to create large-scale illusions, control the five senses, and devour prey...]

[Talent: Mirage Dream]

[Status: Seriously injured]

"As expected of an ancient great Yao..."

Chen Ran nodded slightly, understanding in his heart.

No wonder it could block his strike; it was from the Phantom Soul Mirage clan, known for their defense.

What surprised him even more was that this Phantom Soul Mirage possessed a talent called "Mirage Dream."

Recalling the eerie mist that had shrouded the entire valley just now—which even he hadn't been able to see through—Chen Ran felt a surge of excitement.

If he could extract this "Mirage Dream" talent and integrate it into himself, his means of survival and combat would undoubtedly gain another powerful trump card.

However, besides his joy, Chen Ran keenly noticed a problem.

Although this Phantom Soul Mirage was powerful and had excellent talent, its intelligence seemed extremely weak.

Its combat methods, besides this Mirage Dream, lacked any other new tricks.

It could neither speak nor transform into human form.

According to the ancient records he had read, the Phantom Soul Mirages of the ancient era were top-tier Yao Beasts capable of summoning wind and rain and transforming into humans.

They were not only masterful in illusion but also extremely cunning and difficult to deal with.

Yet this one before him seemed like a beast acting purely on instinct; besides its hard shell and the talent to create illusions, it had no other supernatural abilities.

"It seems the dissipation of the Origin of Heaven and Earth has a greater impact on the Yao Race than I imagined."

Chen Ran pondered inwardly.

Top-tier Yao Beasts that were once incredibly supernatural had now fallen to this point, where even awakening intelligence had become so difficult.

This world was indeed locked.

Just as Chen Ran was pondering.

His brow suddenly furrowed slightly.

In his Heavenly Eye's perception, two familiar auras were approaching rapidly.

Chen Ran did not turn around, simply standing in place.

He had already used "Disguise Technique" to change his appearance, and his clothes had been changed as well.

Even if Captain Xia An were face to face with him, it would be impossible to recognize his true identity.

A moment later.

Accompanied by a faint sound of breaking through the air, two figures flew out from the remaining mist and landed in the open space not far from Chen Ran.

It was Captain Xia An and Junior Sister, who had followed the blade light.

As soon as Captain Xia An landed, his gaze immediately locked onto Chen Ran ahead, as well as the giant Phantom Soul Mirage.

When he saw the shocking cracks on the shell of the clam, his pupils contracted sharply.

"This is... a Phantom Soul Mirage! How could it appear here?"

But there was no time to think about that now.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in a salute.

"Junior from the Great Wei Demon-Slaying Squad, Captain Xia An, greets Senior."

Captain Xia An's tone was extremely respectful, even carrying a hint of awe.

Although he could not see through the cultivation of the swordsman before him, the earth-shattering strike just now was enough to prove that the other party's strength was far above his own.

It was highly likely an expert of the Innate Realm.

Facing such an expert, he naturally dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Chen Ran turned around, his gaze sweeping over Captain Xia An calmly, without speaking.

He just nodded slightly, acknowledging the greeting.

Seeing this, Captain Xia An felt slightly relieved.

Although this Senior looked cold, he did not seem to be the kind of bloodthirsty, capricious evil cultivator.

He paused and asked again: "May I ask Senior, this Yao creature..."

"It has been severely injured by me."

Chen Ran said calmly.

"This Yao is called a Phantom Soul Mirage, skilled in creating illusions. The mist you were trapped in just now was its doing."

Hearing this, Captain Xia An suddenly understood.

No wonder the fog was so bizarre that even his Innate Spirit Eyes were hard to see through; it turned out to be such a rare Yao creature.

"Thank you, Senior, for saving us."

Captain Xia An cupped his hands again, his tone sincere.

If it weren't for this Senior's timely intervention to break the illusion, their Demon-Slaying Squad would likely have been wiped out today.

Chen Ran ignored Captain Xia An's thanks and simply turned his gaze back to the Phantom Soul Mirage.

He slowly raised the longsword in his hand, and a layer of chilling cold light shimmered on the blade again.

"Leaving this Yao creature alive is a disaster. Since the Demon-Slaying Squad is here, I will leave it to you to deal with, but I still have something I need to take."

Before the words faded.

Chen Ran's figure flashed and disappeared from the spot instantly.

He soared dozens of zhang into the air, appearing in front of the shell in an instant.

The next moment.

A brilliant blade light shone in the valley once again.

"Puchi!"

Accompanied by a dull tearing sound, the Phantom Soul Mirage, already seriously injured, had its shell forcibly split in two.

Yao blood spurted out, staining the surrounding rubble red.

A Yao pill emitting white light rolled out from the clam's body.

Chen Ran reached out and summoned the Yao pill into his hand.

The Yao pill felt warm to the touch, shining with a glistening white light, with the image of clouds and mist churning faintly inside, as if it contained its own illusory world.

At the same time, after the Yao pill was detached from the body.

The Phantom Soul Mirage seemed to have its Divine Soul Origin extracted, its massive body twitching violently a few times.

The originally indestructible grayish-white shell instantly lost all luster, becoming ashen and dull, like bones weathered for a thousand years.

The fierce aura that permeated its body also receded rapidly like a tide, eventually falling to the bottom, sinking into an extremely weak, dying state.

Chen Ran looked indifferent and tucked the Yao pill into his embrace.

He did not look at the gasping Yao creature again, nor did he pay attention to Captain Xia An and the woman beside him.

His clothes moved slightly, and his figure merged into the surrounding remnant mist like a wisp of light smoke.

He did not leave a single word.

As if he had never appeared, he vanished without a trace.

Captain Xia An stood in place, looking at the direction where Chen Ran had disappeared, silent for a long time.

"This Senior... just who is he?"

Captain Xia An pondered inwardly, his thoughts churning.

He came from the Great Wei Demon-Slaying Squad and had walked on the edge of life and death for years, so his experience was not shallow.

He naturally knew that there were some reclusive martial Dao experts in the world who acted entirely according to their own will and were not bound by worldly rules.

These experts often traveled everywhere to hunt down high-grade Yao Beasts with exotic Bloodline to break through their cultivation bottlenecks or to refine peerless Spirit Pills.

That Phantom Soul Mirage was a relic species from ancient times, and its Yao pill contained extremely pure illusion-based Origin.

For some experts cultivating special Cultivation Technique, it was undoubtedly an invaluable treasure that could be sought but not found.

"But this Senior only took the Yao pill and left the shell of this Yao creature to us; he is truly generous..."

Captain Xia An took a deep breath, already having a plan in mind.

Such an expert viewed worldly things as nothing and naturally would not care for this broken Yao body.

But for the Demon-Slaying Squad, a live Third Grade great Yao, even without its Yao pill, was valuable enough to exchange for a massive amount of cultivation resources.

The incredibly hard shell alone was an excellent Material for refining top-grade defensive weapons.

"Senior Brother..."

Junior Sister's voice came from behind. She placed a hand on the shell, and after feeling that aura, she couldn't help but click her tongue:

"What exactly is that Senior's Realm?"

Junior Sister bit her lower lip, her eyes full of disbelief.

"This is a Third Grade Peak great Yao, and a relic species at that. Even if our Demon-Slaying Squad Commander came, I'm afraid it would be difficult to suppress it easily..."

Captain Xia An shook his head slightly, his expression extremely grave.

"Unfathomable."

He slowly spat out these four words, his tone tinged with bitterness.

The two were silent for a moment, forcing down the shock in their hearts.

Right now, there were more important things to deal with.

Captain Xia An stepped forward and took out several dark gold chains engraved with complex runes from his waist.

These were special 'Yao-Binding Ropes' made by the Demon-Slaying Squad, specifically designed to restrain the Qi and blood of the Yao Race.

He formed seals with both hands, and under the propulsion of True Qi, the Yao-Binding Ropes turned into several streams of light, tightly wrapping around the remains of the Phantom Soul Mirage.

Accompanied by a low hum, the rune light blazed, turning into golden streams of light that merged into the Yao creature's body along the chains.

The Phantom Soul Mirage let out a weak whimper, its remaining Yao power was completely sealed, and it could no longer move.

After doing all this, Captain Xia An finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, when he looked up and scanned the surroundings, his brow furrowed tightly again.

"Senior Brother, what's wrong?" Junior Sister noticed his anomaly.

Captain Xia An did not speak, and a faint light shimmered in his eyes again.

His Innate Spirit Eyes were pushed to the limit.

As far as his gaze could reach, the thick fog that had originally been split by the blade light, although no longer rolling and boiling as before, had not dissipated.

Instead, it hung quietly in the valley like water without a source.

"The Yao pill is gone, why hasn't this fog dissipated?"

Junior Sister also discovered something was wrong, her expression changing slightly.

Captain Xia An pondered for a moment, his tone heavy.

"This Phantom Soul Mirage's talent Divine Ability has already merged with the earth vein miasma of this valley."

"The Senior took the Yao pill, which only cut off the source of the fog."

"But this Mirage Qi that has already spread will not dissipate immediately; it will take at least several days for this heaven and earth to slowly resolve it."

Speaking of this, a trace of worry flashed in Captain Xia An's eyes.

A Senior expert could naturally ignore this remaining Mirage Qi and come and go freely.

But they could not.

"The other team members are still in the fog."

Captain Xia An gripped his longsword, looking into the depths of the thick fog with a stern expression.

"If the Mirage Qi has not dissipated, the illusion still exists. If they are lost in it..."

Junior Sister's face also turned pale.

"Then what should we do? This fog blocks Qi; we cannot send messages at all."

Captain Xia An took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"First, secure this Yao creature, and then go see if we can find the others. If nothing unexpected happens, it looks like we will have to stay here for a while..."