Chapter Sixty-Two
The dark aura clearly hadn't expected Gu Jin to detect it. With a soft exclamation of surprise, it turned to flee but was intercepted outside the hall by Gu Jin, who advanced with his Primordial Spirit Sword in hand.
"Who are you? How dare you trespass into Great Marsh Mountain?" Gu Jin stared at the Demonic Qi hovering in the air, his brow furrowed tightly.
The Mountain Protection Array lay beneath the mountain—no one below the Demigod level could breach it. Yet the formation array hadn't been triggered. How had this Demonic Qi entered? Moreover, it appeared neither human, immortal, nor demon—utterly sinister and bizarre.
Ayin poked her head out from inside the hall, gazing anxiously toward the sky.
"A Jin, be careful!"
Hearing Ayin's voice, Gu Jin tightened his grip on the sword.
"Cackle... Little child, have you already found Feng Yin's three hun and five po souls?" A cold laugh, indistinguishable as male or female, emanated from the Demonic Qi. Clearly looking down on Gu Jin's strength, it showed no panic at being intercepted and even had the leisure to inquire about Feng Yin.
"Who exactly are you? Why do you know about Feng Yin?" Gu Jin's voice turned icy and heavy, his heart unsettled. They hadn't even informed the two Sect Leader senior brothers or the Phoenix Clan Elders about recovering two more of Feng Yin's souls in the Palace of Bell and Spirit. How did this Demon Tribe member know?
"Who I am is unimportant. Since that little phoenix of the Phoenix Clan is already dead, why bother seeking her souls? Using your little junior sister's life to exchange for a completely unrelated Feng Yin—doesn't it pain you? Hahaha..." Seeing Gu Jin remain silent, the Demonic Qi provoked with a hideous laugh.
It glanced toward Ayin's direction, as if revealing a trace of malice, and suddenly shot toward the window.
"If you want to revive Feng Yin, this venerable one will take your junior sister's life!"
"Wishful thinking!"
Gu Jin raised his sword to meet it, Immortal Power radiating from his sword formation, his expression cold as he firmly guarded the second-floor window of the Scripture Pavilion.
But the dark aura's Demonic Power far surpassed Gu Jin's. It transformed into a humanoid shape, conjuring a black whip as Demonic Qi scattered everywhere. Gu Jin battled it fiercely in the air, the gravity in his eyes deepening with each passing moment.
"Ayin, run! Go to Ze You Hall!"
Sect Leader senior brother and Xian Zhu senior brother were both at Ze You Hall. Worried Ayin might come to harm, Gu Jin urgently urged her to leave.
Clearly unwilling to let Gu Jin stall until Xian Shan and Xian Zhu arrived, the Demonic Qi suddenly manifested three demonic shadows. Whips lashed out, instantly shattering Gu Jin's sword formation and trapping him within the sharp, oppressive Demonic Qi.
If allowed to continue collecting that little phoenix's souls, Feng Yin would inevitably be reborn one day. Feng Ran would likely be overjoyed! The Demonic Qi seemed to harbor inexplicable hatred toward the Phoenix Clan. Glancing at the Fire Phoenix Jade on Gu Jin's waist, it had a sudden thought and unleashed its Demonic Power to the fullest, attempting to devour Gu Jin along with the Fire Phoenix Jade.
Witnessing this scene, Ayin, standing before the window, was greatly alarmed. Without hesitation, she flew into the air, raising her sword to attack the Demonic Qi from behind. Water Condensation Beasts had always been considered mere mascots within the Three Realms. The Demonic Qi clearly looked down on Ayin, merely flicking its whip casually while continuing to devour Gu Jin with its Demonic Qi. Little did it expect that Ayin, having had her Immortal Foundation reforged with Immortal Power by Xiuyan in the Palace of Bell and Spirit, now possessed Immortal Power incomparable to before. Striking out with all her might, her sword directly blasted one of the three phantom shadows into fragments.
Suddenly suffering this blow, the remaining two dark shadows emitted fierce cries and roars. Abandoning their attempt to devour Gu Jin, they merged back into one entity, turning to lash their black whip toward Ayin.Ayin's earlier strike was completely unskilled, merely taking advantage of the Demonic Qi's carelessness. The immortal sword met the black whip and was instantly ground into dust. The black shadow snorted coldly, showing no mercy as a whip lashed solidly onto Ayin's body.
Struck on the back by the whip, Ayin grunted, spat out blood, and half-knelt on the clouds, yet did not retreat an inch.
"Hmph, a mere Water Condensation Beast dares to injure this venerable one? I'll scatter your soul and spirit, ensuring you never reincarnate!" A strange voice emerged from the black shadow as another heavy whip descended.
Gu Jin, who had just broken free from the Demonic Qi's engulfment, witnessed this scene. His expression changed drastically. He swiftly sliced his palm, letting blood surge into the Primordial Spirit Sword. Silver Divine Power erupted from the sword, cleaving through the Demonic Qi wielding the black whip.
As the Primordial Spirit Sword attacked the shadow, Gu Jin leaped forward, landing before Ayin, who had taken the blow. He gathered her into his embrace and grasped her hand. Seeing her pale face, he anxiously called out to her.
"Ayin! How are you?"
Seeing Gu Jin emerge unscathed from the Demonic Qi, Ayin smiled weakly. "A Jin, I've failed to keep my promise again. I said I wouldn't get hurt in front of you, but this time, I'm afraid I won't even last a hundred years." As she spoke, she spat out another mouthful of blood, staining her plain white robe crimson.
"Ayin, don't speak!" Gu Jin's face turned ashen as he continuously channeled Immortal Power into Ayin's body.
The black shadow, which had always slain gods and demons in its path, had most of its Demonic Power destroyed by the Primordial Spirit Sword. It dodged the sword's attack in a wretched state, staring in horror at the sword emitting silver Divine Power and the person wielding it.
Impossible? How could such power reside in that sword? And how could Gu Jin possess this Divine Power!?
The black shadow's eyes filled with venomous hatred. The fear of having its pure demonic body destroyed by Primordial Chaos Power a century ago was seared into its soul, causing it to tremble uncontrollably.
At that moment, several figures appeared above Ze You Hall, their powerful Immortal Power surging toward the Scripture Pavilion.
"Gu Jin! Today's hatred, this venerable one will repay twofold in the future!" Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the black shadow snorted coldly and fled toward the foot of the mountain.
"Don't even think of escaping! Primordial Spirit Sword, stop it!"
Seeing the Demonic Qi attempting to flee, Gu Jin's eyes turned bloodshot. With one hand, he continued channeling Immortal Power into Ayin; with the other, he sliced his palm again, offering fresh blood to the Primordial Spirit Sword to help it break its seal.
With each surge of blood, Gu Jin's face grew paler, but he paid no heed, single-mindedly focused on stopping this mysterious Demon Tribe member.
A deafening roar echoed as the Primordial Spirit Sword's Divine Power surged violently. Vast silver light enveloped the Demonic Qi, reversing the situation. It seemed on the verge of crushing it entirely. The Demonic Qi revealed a flicker of terror, frantically swinging its long whip to resist the sword's divine might.
Despite Gu Jin continuously channeling Immortal Power into Ayin, her Soul Power grew weaker, and her body gradually turned cold. With a muffled groan, Ayin spat out another mouthful of blood. Her hand holding Gu Jin's went limp and fell, as she slowly closed her eyes.
Gu Jin was horrified. In that moment of distraction, the Demonic Qi seized the opportunity to break through the Primordial Spirit Sword's Divine Power and desperately fled toward the mountain base.
Just then, Xian Shan, Xian Zhu, and Yan Shuang arrived. Seeing Ayin unconscious, they were all shocked.
"A Jin, what happened?"
Xian Shan reached out to check Ayin's forehead, his expression suddenly shifting, revealing a look of astonishment.Gu Jin's entire focus was on the unconscious Ayin, paying no attention to Xian Shan's unusual behavior. He simply pointed toward the foot of the mountain, saying, "Sect Leader, a member of the Demon Tribe has invaded the mountain. It fled toward the mountain gate."
"A Jin, take Ayin back to Qi Moon Hall to recover."
Upon hearing that a demon had appeared on Great Marsh Mountain, Xian Shan and Xian Zhu's expressions changed instantly. After instructing Gu Jin, they immediately chased after the figure toward the foot of the mountain.
Seeing Ayin's pale face and feeling her icy-cold hands, Gu Jin frowned deeply, growing increasingly uneasy. He and Yan Shuang hurriedly carried Ayin toward Qi Moon Hall.
As it happened, after dinner that evening, Qing Yi and A Jiu had been playing chess and drinking, exchanging rounds of Drunken Jade Dew. Despite the commotion at the mountain gate, the two were passed out drunk in Qi Moon Hall, completely unaware. Gu Jin and Yan Shuang, preoccupied with Ayin, didn't bother to wake them.
Inside Qi Moon Hall, Ayin lay on the bed, the pristine white sheets stained with shocking amounts of blood.
The life-preserving Divine Pill that Bi Bo had secretly left behind was frantically fed to Ayin by Gu Jin, finally stopping her continuous vomiting of blood and the chilling of her body. A faint flush returned to Ayin's cheeks.
Seeing Gu Jin about to feed Ayin another Divine Pill, Yan Shuang grabbed his arm to stop him. "Enough, A Jin. Ayin's Immortal Foundation is too weak. She can't take any more Divine Pills, or she'll explode and die!"
Gu Jin froze, only then realizing that Ayin had stopped vomiting blood. He hid his trembling hands, regained some composure, and nodded.
Yan Shuang pretended not to notice this, checking Ayin's forehead. "Ayin's Immortal Power has mostly recovered. The Divine Pill is exceptionally effective for healing. She just needs a few more days of rest, so don't worry too much." She glanced at Gu Jin, who remained motionless beside Ayin. "Stay here and take good care of Ayin. I'll go help the two seniors. We can discuss anything else tomorrow."
Yan Shuang left Qi Moon Hall and flew toward the foot of the mountain. As soon as she exited the hall, a faint wisp of dark aura silently slipped into the northeastern corner of the hall, finding the thoroughly drunk A Jiu and seeping into his body.
In the Nine Nether Purgatory, thousands of miles away, the Demon Venerable, watching all this through the Water Mirror, suddenly rose from her throne the moment the Primordial Spirit Sword emitted Divine Light. Her face twisted with equal parts fear and hatred.
"How is this possible? How could Dong Hua's disciple possess Primordial Chaos Power?"
Although the Demonic Qi within Hong Yi was only a tenth of her Demonic Power, it was already unmatched among those at the peak of the High Lord level. Yet Gu Jin's Primordial Spirit Sword not only wounded it but nearly destroyed the fragment hidden within Hong Yi.
Normally, to avoid detection by the Immortal Tribe, the Demonic Qi lay dormant within Hong Yi. Even though Gu Jin had used Primordial Chaos Power in the Nine Nether Purgatory and Guixu Mountain, she had never noticed. If not for this strand of Demonic Qi attempting to kill Ayin, it wouldn't have forced Gu Jin to unleash Primordial Chaos Power in its presence, revealing the abnormality of his Divine Power to the Demon Venerable.
"Demon Venerable, you say that was Primordial Chaos Power? The Primordial Chaos Power of the Ancient True God?" The Demonic Beasts kneeling on the ground had also witnessed the scene, their eyes filled with terror.
"What is there to fear!" The Demon Venerable, having regained her composure, stepped barefoot onto the prison flames, coldly rebuking them. Perhaps stirred by anger, she coughed, her face—covered in God-Slaying Flower patterns—appearing pale and ghostly.
Chang Qin's final strike before her death had ultimately damaged her Demonic Power. It would take at least a century for her to recover her peak strength."Primordial Chaos Power!" The Demon Venerable uttered these four words, a dangerous curve lifting the corner of his mouth.
The scene from a century ago, when that person had looked down upon the world and delivered Divine Punishment, surfaced before his eyes as vividly as if it were yesterday.
Because of that most revered existence between heaven and earth, she had lived a life worse than death in this Nine Nether Purgatory for a hundred years.
The Demon Venerable suddenly raised his head, gazing toward the direction above the firmament. There lay the apex of the Three Realms—the sealed Ancient Divine Realm.
"Primordial Chaos Power has actually appeared in the Three Realms. Good, good! This is the chance you've given this venerable one! If I cannot touch you, then let your son bear all of this venerable one's hatred! Shang Gu, your son whom you cherish like a treasure, and the Three Realms you and Bai Jue saved—this venerable one will destroy them all, one by one. One day, even your Ancient Divine Realm will become my domain!"
Great Marsh Mountain remained sleepless through the night, its lights blazing brightly. By the next morning, Xian Shan and Xian Zhu, who had searched within and beyond the mountain gates for a radius of ten li, had still found no trace of that Demonic Qi.
As soon as the two returned to the mountain, they solemnly summoned Gu Jin to Ze You Hall.
Even now, Ayin, who had slept through the night, had yet to awaken.
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