326: Prevent

The Storage Pouch was a weathered brown, and the moment the opening loosened, he took out a pitch-Black Pill.

A faint black mist swirled around the surface of the pill, emitting a heart-palpitating, sinister Aura; it was clearly not something benevolent.

Without the slightest hesitation, Village Elder Gongsun tilted his head back and swallowed the pill.

The moment the Medicinal Pill entered his body, a violent power suddenly erupted from within him.

The sinister energy around his body surged like boiling black water, the muscles beneath his Daoist robes bulged high, and his originally hunched figure even straightened somewhat.

Even the Soul Shadows on the ten thousand souls banner seemed to be infused with new power; their shrieks became even more ear-piercing, their forms grew more solid, and one could even vaguely see the eerie light flickering on their nails.

"Bai Qingtian!"

Village Elder Gongsun's voice became hoarse and frantic as he gripped the banner pole with both hands and swung it violently toward Bai Qingtian.

"I want to see what you, with your heavily injured body, can use to withstand my ten thousand souls banner!"

Countless Soul Shadows attacked once more, their offensive several times more intense than before.

The black mist almost enveloped half the valley, and the Soul Shadows' sharp claws tore through the air, leaving behind fine black traces as they clawed toward Bai Qingtian's vital points.

Bai Qingtian's expression changed drastically.

He could clearly feel that the power of Village Elder Gongsun's attack had more than doubled; that sinister force surged like a tide, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.

The Spiritual Energy in his body was nearly exhausted, and the wound on his chest split open again under this pressure, warm blood flowing down his robes and soaking the rock beneath him.

"Even if I die, I won't make it easy for him!"

A hint of resolve flashed in Bai Qingtian's eyes.

He took a deep breath and mobilized all the remaining Spiritual Energy in his body, infusing it all into the longsword in his hand.

The translucent white longsword instantly erupted with a brilliant spiritual light, and the patterns on the sword's body seemed to come alive, emitting a faint hum.

"Explode for me!"

Bai Qingtian stared at Village Elder Gongsun and spoke through gritted teeth.

The moment the words left his mouth, he violently threw the longsword in his hand.

That Spiritual Artifact longsword, which had accompanied him for decades, now carried a dazzling spiritual light as it carved a sharp arc through the air.

The spiritual light was like a burning flame, illuminating the entire valley; the longsword even left a faint trail of light in its flight path, whistling toward Village Elder Gongsun like a falling meteor with an Aura that could destroy heaven and earth.

Bai Qingtian's eyes were filled with regret and determination—this longsword was something he had obtained during a fortuitous encounter in his early years, and it had accompanied him through countless dangerous places; it was his only Spiritual Artifact.

Using Spiritual Energy to detonate the sword's body could unleash power far exceeding his own Cultivation, but it also meant he would lose this Magic Treasure forever, and his future combat strength would inevitably be greatly diminished.

But for now, this was his only means of survival.

"You want to self-detonate your Spiritual Artifact? Too late!"

A sinister look flashed across Village Elder Gongsun's face.

He felt the terrifying power contained within the longsword, yet he wasn't afraid at all.

The sinister energy that had surged after consuming the Black Pill flooded frantically into the ten thousand souls banner, the runes on the banner's surface instantly lighting up as countless Soul Shadows converged toward the center of the banner like they were drawn by a magnet.

In just a moment, the Soul Shadows condensed into a giant Ghost Claw.

The Ghost Claw was entirely pitch-black and covered in hideous scales, its five sharp claws flickering with a cold, eerie light and emitting a suffocating sinister Aura.

Village Elder Gongsun roared and controlled the Ghost Claw to snatch at the rapidly approaching longsword.

"Bang!"

A deafening roar echoed through the valley like a clap of thunder.

The moment the spiritual light and the Ghost Claw collided, a violent shockwave of energy spread out in all directions.

The rock walls surrounding the valley shattered upon impact, and huge boulders rolled down like collapsing mountains, crashing into the stream and kicking up sprays of water several meters high.

Amidst the billowing dust, the spiritual light of the Spiritual Artifact longsword suddenly dimmed, and dense cracks appeared on the sword's surface, spreading like a spiderweb; it was clearly no longer capable of self-detonating.

And that giant Ghost Claw also mostly dissipated under the impact, leaving only a few fragmented claw fingers that slowly faded into the air.

Village Elder Gongsun was sent staggering back by the shockwave, his steps stumbling as a trace of black blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Forcibly channeling the surging power had caused significant damage to his Meridians; at this moment, his blood and Qi were churning, and his chest felt bursts of tightness.

"Hahaha! Bai Qingtian, without your Spiritual Artifact, I'll see how you block my Soul Shadows now!"

Village Elder Gongsun wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes full of triumph.

He waved the ten thousand souls banner again, and the remaining Soul Shadows on the banner pounced toward Bai Qingtian once more like hungry wolves smelling blood.

This time, without the longsword to block them, the sinister energy spread wantonly; wherever it passed, even the temperature in the air seemed to drop several degrees, and tiny ice pellets even formed in the stream water.

Bai Qingtian stumbled backward, his back slamming heavily against the cold rock wall.

The Spiritual Energy in his body was completely exhausted, and he didn't even have the strength to lift his hand; the wound on his chest throbbed with heart-wrenching pain, and blood soaked his white clothes, leaving a startling bloodstain on the rock wall behind him.

He looked at the pouncing Soul Shadows, a hint of despair flashing in his eyes.

But in the next second, he still clenched his fists, his nails sinking deep into his palms—even if he died, he would use his Physical Body to endure this fatal blow and definitely not make it easy for Village Elder Gongsun!

Just as the Soul Shadows were about to touch Bai Qingtian, two figures suddenly appeared in the center of the valley as if teleporting.

"Such noisy things truly ruin one's mood."

Situ Jun's voice carried a hint of slight impatience as he frowned slightly, the space around him quietly rippling.

The fluctuation was extremely subtle, yet it carried an awe-inspiring Power of Law, spreading out silently like ripples on a calm lake.

The Soul Shadows pouncing toward Bai Qingtian hit an invisible wall halfway.

The Spatial Barrier was like transparent glass, firmly blocking the Soul Shadows; in the next second, the Soul Shadows shattered with a "pfft" like fragile bubbles, leaving not even a ripple behind, only a faint black mist that quickly dissipated in the air.

Seeing the two people who had suddenly appeared, Village Elder Gongsun's expression changed drastically.

His gaze first fell upon Luo Yu—Luo Yu was dressed in a pale purple gown, and her body was surrounded by the powerful Aura of Middle Stage Nascent Soul Cultivation, her Spiritual Energy thick and condensed, which shocked him greatly.

But when his gaze turned to Situ Jun, his heart suddenly sank!

Situ Jun's Aura seemed plain, yet that indistinct pressure weighed on Village Elder Gongsun's heart like a great mountain.

"Elder Luo!"

Village Elder Gongsun forced himself to remain calm, holding the ten thousand souls banner in front of him in an attempt to intimidate them with the sinister energy on the banner's surface.

"This is a private matter between this old man and Bai Qingtian; it has nothing to do with outsiders. Please do not interfere!"

He thought Luo Yu was the stronger of the two, yet he hadn't expected that as soon as he finished speaking, he would feel the space around him suddenly solidify.

It was as if countless invisible shackles attacked from all directions, tightly locking his limbs.

Village Elder Gongsun could even feel his Meridians growing stiff under this force, to the point where he couldn't even move a finger.

The ten thousand souls banner in his hand lost its Spiritual Energy support and fell to the ground with a "clatter," the Soul Shadows on the banner instantly withering, no longer daring to make even a single sound.