17: Chapter 17 Fighting for Life at the Spring

Five ice-crystal arms burst through the mist, neither grabbing the backward-flying Wang Tong and Deacon Zhao, nor paying any mind to the Qinglan Disciples and Black Armor Guards standing ready by the pit.

Their target, from beginning to end, had only been one—

Lu Zhao.

Before the arms even arrived, the cold air had already condensed into five ethereal blue ice spikes, tearing through the air with sharp, piercing shrieks, stabbing directly at Lu Zhao's five vital points: the brow, throat, heart, Dantian, and Qi Sea!

This was a certain-death situation.

Lu Zhao's pupils constricted as the Nine Yang True Qi within him circulated frantically, yet it felt like being trapped in a quagmire—maintaining the "Nine Yang Spirit-Locking Array" just now had already consumed most of his True Qi. At this moment, his Meridians were empty, his limbs were cold, and even lifting an arm felt like an ordeal.

He couldn't dodge.

He couldn't block.

Was he going to die...

In a flash, deep within his mind, the golden flame transformed from the fragmented runes suddenly leaped!

A scorching torrent exploded from his Dantian, sweeping through his entire body! His frozen Meridians instantly cleared, and his depleted True Qi gushed out like a spring, purer and more violent than before!

Lu Zhao had no time to think; he instinctively thrust both palms forward, tracing two intersecting arcs in front of him. Golden-red light burst from his palms, condensing into a translucent shield of flames.

The Nine Yang Divine Skill's protective ultimate technique—Flame Sun Shield!

"Clang clang clang clang clang—!"

Five booming sounds overlapped into one!

The ice spikes struck the flame shield, exploding into a sky full of ice shards and sparks! The shield vibrated violently, with spiderweb-like cracks appearing on its surface, yet it did not shatter.

Lu Zhao's feet plowed the ground as he slid back thirty feet. Everywhere he passed, the ice layer melted and steam rose.

He stood firm, his chest heaving violently. A metallic, sweet taste welled up in his throat, which he forced back down. His arms were sore and numb as if about to break, and the Flame Sun Shield's luster had dimmed, but he had ultimately blocked that certain-death strike.

Everyone by the pit watched, dumbfounded.

Wang Tong and Deacon Zhao had just been sent flying by the counter-shock of the malevolent spirit's strike, coughing up blood. Now barely standing, they saw Lu Zhao actually manage to block five ice spikes alone, and a look of horror flashed in their eyes.

This kid... was hiding his strength so deeply?!

In the deep pit, the malevolent spirit also seemed to freeze for a moment. Five ice-crystal arms hung in mid-air, their ethereal blue light flickering, as if scrutinizing this "ant" who could actually block its strike.

A moment of dead silence.

Immediately after, an even more violent howl came from the bottom of the pit!

The five arms suddenly retracted, and the cold mist in the pit collapsed inward, condensing into a ball of deep blue ice flame! The ice flame rolled, gradually outlining a blurry silhouette—part human, part beast, with twin horns on its head and bone spikes on its back, with only a pair of ethereal blue giant eyes staring fixedly at Lu Zhao.

In those giant eyes, there was actually greed, longing, and... a hint of wariness?

"It... it's transforming!" Deacon Zhao cried out in alarm.

Wang Tong's face turned ashen.

A half-step Seventh Level was already extremely difficult to deal with. If this malevolent spirit were to completely step into the Seventh Level and condense a physical form, not a single person present today would survive!

"We can't let it take shape!" Wang Tong shouted. The ice-blue jade pendant above his head shone brilliantly, turning into a streak of light that shot toward the ice flame in the pit. "Xuanshuang Secret Method: Ice Sealing for a Thousand Miles!"

The jade pendant exploded, turning into countless ice-crystal runes that showered down like a torrential rain, enveloping the ice flame. The cold air surged, intending to freeze the ice flame where it stood!

Deacon Zhao also knew it was a life-or-death moment. He gritted his teeth and spat out a mouthful of essence blood onto his sword.

The green light on the blade intensified, transforming into the phantom of a thirty-foot giant sword that slashed down from the sky!

"Qinglan Sword Art: Cloud Splitter!"

The desperate strike of two Middle Stage Qi Refining experts was terrifyingly powerful!

The ice flame was struck simultaneously by the ice-crystal runes and the giant sword phantom, twisting violently and emitting a piercing grinding sound.

The ethereal blue light flickered uncertainly, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

But in the next instant, a third eye suddenly snapped open in the center of the ice flame!

That pupil was pure black, deep as an abyss. A single glance was enough to make one's soul tremble as if falling into an ice cellar.

As the black eye opened, the ice flame suddenly stabilized.

The ice-crystal runes shattered inch by inch, and the giant sword phantom snapped in the middle! The backlash hit, and Wang Tong and Deacon Zhao both spat blood, their auras plummeting.

"The third eye... this is a 'Three Yin Evil Spirit'!" Wang Tong's voice trembled. "Ancient records state that where Yin Evil gathers on ancient battlefields, after a thousand years, there's a slim chance of birthing such a thing! It's no longer an ordinary malevolent spirit; it's the Incarnation of 'Evil'!"

Deacon Zhao's face was as pale as death.

Once a Three Yin Evil Spirit condensed its third eye, it was equivalent to the Seventh Level of Qi Refining and possessed certain innate divine abilities; it was not something human strength could oppose.

Flee!

This thought appeared in both their minds simultaneously.

But before they could move, a flash of black light erupted from the Evil Spirit's third eye!

There was no sound, no light, only an invisible wave of yin coldness that instantly swept across the field.

Wang Tong and Deacon Zhao felt as if they had been hit by a heavy hammer. Their protective spiritual light shattered, and they were sent flying again, coughing blood. Upon landing, a layer of black ice crystals condensed over their bodies, freezing even their True Qi!

The Qinglan Disciples and Black Armor Guards fared even worse. Struck by the wave, they froze on the spot, turning into black ice statues as their life force was cut off.

In front of the ancestral hall, although Yan Meng, He Shan, and the others were further away, they were still affected by the aftershock. Their faces turned black, and their blood flow stagnated. Granny Xue hurriedly took out medicinal powder and scattered it, but it was like trying to put out a forest fire with a cup of water.

Lu Zhao bore the brunt of it.

As the black light hit him, he felt his soul stiffen, as if falling into an icy abyss. His five senses vanished, leaving only boundless darkness and cold.

The Nine Yang True Qi in his body instinctively protected its master, golden flames burning in his Meridians and fiercely clashing with that wave of yin coldness.

But this time, the golden flames retreated step by step.

The Divine Ability of the Evil Spirit's third eye specifically attacked the soul, targeting the very Origin.

Lu Zhao's cultivation was still shallow, and his soul had not yet condensed. How could he block it?

His consciousness gradually blurred.

Right then, something in his bosom suddenly grew hot!

It wasn't the fragment—the fragment was already destroyed.

It was that smooth black stone he had always kept close to him.

The spirit testing stone fragment.

The stone grew hot, and fine golden patterns appeared on its surface, actually resonating with the rune marks remaining on Lu Zhao's chest! A gentle yet resilient warm current gushed from the stone into his heart Meridians, protecting the core of his soul.

Lu Zhao suddenly snapped awake.

He looked down at the stone in his bosom.

On the stone's surface, golden patterns flickered, faintly forming two small characters in ancient Seal script.

It wasn't "Spirit Testing."

It was—"Martial," "Seal."

martial seal?!

Lu Zhao's heart shook violently.

This stone, which had shattered from the Spirit Testing platform, accompanied him as he fell off the cliff, and had shown no movement for three years, was actually some kind of "martial seal"?!

Before he could think, the black light from the Evil Spirit's third eye flashed again!

This time, Lu Zhao was prepared.

He forced his True Qi to rise, the Flame Sun Shield condensing once more, while his left hand reached into his bosom to grasp that hot stone.

As the stone entered his hand, the warm current grew even stronger. In his mind, a blurry image actually appeared:

A mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, ruins and broken walls. A blurry figure stood in the center of the battlefield, holding a large Seal and howling at the sky. As the Seal fell, the earth shook and mountains swayed, and countless yin evils were wiped out...

The image came to an abrupt halt.

But a sense of realization surged into his heart.

This "martial seal" was something meant to suppress Yin Evil!

A sharp light flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced, taking a step forward against the black light!

Holding the Seal in his left hand and joining his fingers on his right, he poured all his Nine Yang True Qi into his fingertips, tracing in the air before him.

It wasn't a Formation.

It was a character.

An ancient Seal script character—"Suppress"!

Golden-red light condensed at his fingertips, flowing with his strokes to outline a three-foot-square golden character in the air. The moment the character was completed, it burst with radiance, actually holding back the black light by force!

The "Suppress" character hung in the air, slowly rotating and emitting an ancient, heavy Concept that suppressed everything.

For the first time, fear appeared in the Evil Spirit's third eye.

It seemed to recognize this character, to recognize this aura.

That was a fear from ancient times, etched deep within its Origin.

"Roar—!"

The Evil Spirit was enraged. Five arms struck out together, grabbing at the golden "Suppress" character! The ethereal blue cold air intertwined with the black light, trying to tear the character apart.

Lu Zhao gritted his teeth, held the martial seal high in his left hand, and poured his remaining True Qi into the "Suppress" character without reservation.

"Hum—!"

The golden character's light surged again, actually knocking back the five arms! But Lu Zhao also felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. Blood seeped from his seven orifices, and his body swayed.

He couldn't hold on for much longer.

He had to settle the matter with one strike.

His gaze swept across the bottom of the pit. That ball of ice flame was still rolling, and the third eye flickered with ethereal light, clearly preparing its next strike as well.

Lu Zhao's mind raced.

The martial seal could suppress Yin Evil, but his cultivation was insufficient to unleash its true power. If he could combine the power of the martial seal with the "Nine Yang Spirit-Locking Array"...

He suddenly turned his head to look at Wang Tong and Deacon Zhao.

The two were frozen by the black ice. Though not dead, they were unable to move, their eyes filled with shock and despair.

"Deacons!" Lu Zhao roared hoarsely. "If you want to live, pour all your remaining True Qi into the Formation!"

Wang Tong and Deacon Zhao were stunned.

Pour it into the Formation? Wouldn't that be placing their lives in this boy's hands?

But right now, there was no other choice. If the Evil Spirit won, they would surely die.

"Trust him this once!" Deacon Zhao gritted his teeth and was the first to circulate his remaining True Qi, pouring it into the copper film on the ground from a distance.

Wang Tong's eyes flickered, but he ultimately followed suit.

With the injection of True Qi from two Middle Stage Qi Refining experts, the Nine Yang Spirit-Locking Array shone brilliantly! The white mist surged, enveloping the Evil Spirit's ice flame, and the suppression power doubled.

The Evil Spirit howled and struggled, the ice flame churning violently.

Lu Zhao seized the Opportunity and slammed the martial seal in his left hand onto the center of the Formation on the ground!

"With the Seal as the eye, the Formation as the body, Nine Yang Evil-Locking—Seal!"

As the martial seal touched the copper film, golden patterns spread out, instantly covering the entire Formation! Thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones exploded simultaneously, and a massive amount of spiritual energy was drawn by the Formation, transforming into nine golden-red pillars of light that soared into the sky!

The light pillars converged in the air, condensing into a massive golden Seal phantom ten yards wide. On the bottom of the Seal was carved an ancient "Suppress" character, identical to the one Lu Zhao had just drawn.

The golden Seal phantom slowly descended, pressing down on the Evil Spirit in the pit.

The Evil Spirit struggled frantically, its five arms propping up the golden Seal as black light burst from its third eye, attempting to shatter it.

But the golden Seal contained the Origin power of the martial seal and was further bolstered by the Formation and Spirit Stones. It was as heavy as a mountain and unstoppable.

"Boom—!"

As the golden Seal pressed down, the Evil Spirit's ice flame was forced back to the bottom of the pit! Its five arms snapped inch by inch, and the ethereal light of its third eye dimmed as it let out a shrill, unwilling howl.

The golden Seal phantom continued to sink, imprinting itself into the bottom of the pit and merging with those ancient residual runes.

The ground shook violently, and cracks spread.

The cold mist in the pit dissipated rapidly, and the ethereal blue light went out. That heart-palpitating malevolent aura receded like a tide, eventually leaving only a trace of imperceptible coldness lurking deep underground.

The golden Seal phantom slowly vanished.

The nine peach wood stakes exploded simultaneously, the copper film cracked, and the Formation completely collapsed.

The field was deathly silent.

Everyone stared into the deep pit, holding their breath.

After a long time, there was no more movement in the pit.

The Seal... was successful?

Lu Zhao stumbled a step, leaning on his sword to keep from falling. His face was as white as paper, his clothes were soaked in cold sweat, and the webbing between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand, which held the Seal, had split, dripping with blood.

The temperature of the stone in his bosom gradually faded, the golden patterns vanished, and it returned to the appearance of an ordinary black stone.

The black ice on Wang Tong and Deacon Zhao began to melt. They struggled to sit up, looking at Lu Zhao with incredibly complex expressions.

There was suspicion, wariness, greed, and also a hint of relief at having survived.

"That Seal... what is it?" Wang Tong asked hoarsely.

Lu Zhao shook his head: "I don't know. I obtained it by chance and only today realized it has some effect in suppressing evil."

These words were half-true and half-false. Wang Tong naturally didn't believe them, but at this moment his True Qi was exhausted and his injuries were not light, so it wasn't convenient to press further.

Deacon Zhao was more direct: "Can this item be transferred? The Qinglan Sect is willing to pay a high price."

Lu Zhao still shook his head: "It's a family heirloom. I'm afraid I cannot comply."

Deacon Zhao's gaze turned cold, but he said no more.

Each took a Medicinal Pill and regulated their breathing for a moment until their auras stabilized slightly.

Wang Tong stood up, walked to the edge of the pit, and leaned over to check. The bottom of the pit was dark, the cold air was thin, and only those black residual runes glowed faintly, firmly locking away the last trace of malevolent aura.

"The Seal can be maintained for at least three years," he judged. "Within three years, this thing cannot cause trouble."

Deacon Zhao nodded: "Three years is enough for the Sect to send people here to resolve this completely."

The two looked at each other, sharing a silent understanding.

The matter here needed to be reported as soon as possible. As for how the credit would be distributed and how Lu Zhao would be handled, that would require further consideration.

Wang Tong turned around and looked at Lu Zhao, his gaze returning to its icy state.

"You rashly disturbed the Leyline and drew out the malevolent spirit. Although you ultimately succeeded in sealing it, while you may be spared the death penalty, you cannot escape punishment," he said slowly. "You are fined fifty Spirit Stones to be paid by Yangjiao Ravine within three months. Failure to pay on time will result in collective punishment for the entire village."

Fifty Spirit Stones!

Everyone in front of the ancestral hall gasped.

Thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones had already been an astronomical price; fifty would not be enough even if the entire village were sold.

Lu Zhao lowered his head, hiding the cold light in his eyes: "Junior... accepts the punishment."

Wang Tong nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Deacon Zhao: "Deacon Zhao, we need to report today's events jointly. As for this boy..."

Deacon Zhao understood: "This boy possesses a rare treasure and a unique Cultivation Technique; he needs to be closely monitored. I will leave a Disciple behind to guard Yangjiao Ravine and prevent any further incidents."

They called it monitoring, but it was actually surveillance.

Lu Zhao gripped his sword hilt, his knuckles turning white, but he did not argue.

The situation was stronger than the individual.

Wang Tong and Deacon Zhao said no more, each collecting the bodies of their Disciples—the Qinglan Sect had lost six people, the Xuanshuang Sect three, and the Black Armor Guards eleven. The losses were heavy.

The two also took the few remaining unexhausted Spirit Stones from the edge of the pit before leading their remaining forces and hurrying away.

Liu Three-Knives had already fled with the Black Armor Guards when the Evil Spirit's third eye opened, and he was long gone.

In front of the ancestral hall, only the people of Yangjiao Ravine remained, along with the mess, ice statues, and bloodstains.

The cold wind howled, kicking up dust.

Lu Zhao slowly turned around and looked behind him.

Yan Meng, He Shan, Zhong Tiegu, and the others supported each other, all injured and looking sorrowful. In this battle, Yangjiao Ravine had lost another seven people, with over twenty injured; almost every household was in mourning.

Qin Wan held the little girl and sobbed quietly. Granny Xue silently bandaged the injured, tears streaming down her old face.

Lu Zhao walked to the front of the ancestral hall, looking at those familiar yet now cold faces, his chest feeling as if blocked by a giant rock.

He slowly knelt.

"Lu Zhao was incompetent... and brought trouble to the villagers."

Everyone was silent.

After a long time, Yan Meng stepped forward and helped him up.

"You don't have to be like this, Teacher," he said hoarsely. "If not for you today, the whole village would have been wiped out. If anyone is to be blamed, it's this unjust world and the heartless immortal Sects."

He Shan leaned on his bow, the blood on his shoulder already dried: "Teacher, what do we do... next?"

Fifty Spirit Stones, a three-month deadline.

This was the guillotine hanging over the head of Yangjiao Ravine.

Lu Zhao looked up, gazing toward the north.

That was the direction of Black Mountain City, and also where the influences of the Xuanshuang Sect and Qinglan Sect intertwined.

"Earn Spirit Stones," he slowly uttered three words.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm.

"How do we earn them?" Zhong Tiegu asked.

Lu Zhao turned and looked toward the deep pit, then toward the grotto behind the village, the light in his eyes gradually brightening.

"Although the underground malevolent spirit has been sealed, the Yin Evil Qi here has not dissipated. To the immortal Sects, it's a plague, but to us... it might be an Opportunity."

He paused.

"I'm going to start a mine."

Three days later, Lu Zhao took He Shan and Yan Meng to explore deep into the grotto again.

Behind the fork that had been sealed by the giant rock, the pool water had dried up, revealing a stone slab at the bottom covered in runes.

In the center of the stone slab was embedded a fist-sized, pitch-black crystal that emitted a bone-chilling cold. He Shan touched it lightly with the tip of his knife, and the blade was instantly covered in frost. Yan Meng gasped: "This is... a yin-shattered crystal?!"