Everyone, attack together!" Faxiang bellowed.
He unleashed the power of the Samsara Pearl, and the four of them joined Zeng Shushu, surrounding Nian Laoda from all sides.
The cave shook with the clash of magic treasures and demonic power.
Hidden in the shadows, "Xiao Zhou" watched the scene with a cold smile. In truth, he was Xiao Yicai in disguise.
Seeing the chaos, he slipped through a side passage toward the treasure-refining ground.
By the time he returned, the battle had grown fiercer.
Zeng Shushu and the others' weapons were smeared with blood, their spiritual light dimming.....corrupted by the Red Demon Eye's foul power.
Boss!" Xiao Zhou shouted suddenly, pretending to panic. "They have powerful helpers! Our refining ground is ruined!"
"What?!" Nian Laoda's face twisted in rage. But after a moment, he sneered.
"No matter. Those two already fell into the Abyss.
No one survives that place. Their deaths are enough revenge for my brothers."
He waved his hand. "Retreat!"
The Wild Dog Taoist snatched up the unconscious woman and Jiang Laosan's body, then followed.
Lin Feng closed his Mountain and River Fan and disappeared into the tunnels. Xiao Zhou, smirking inwardly, went after them.
"Don't run, monster!" Qi Hao suddenly shouted. Despite his injuries, he forced himself into the air, trying to pursue.
But mid-flight, his body shuddered. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
"???" Zeng Shushu froze.
Senior Brother Qi… if you can't do it, don't force it. Now you're just hurting yourself for no reason.
He could only stare speechlessly as the battle came to its end.
The Abyss of the Dead.
Darkness reigned here. The air itself seemed soaked in Yin, heavy and suffocating, whispering with the cries of restless spirits.
For any ordinary mortal, just breathing in this air for an hour was enough to rot the body and shred the soul.
Through this black gloom descended a streak of pale light....Lu Xueqi, clutching Zhang Xiaofan tightly in her arms.
Her robes were already damp with cold mist, her sword glowing faintly blue to ward off the surrounding Yin.
But her eyes never left the pale figure in her arms.
"Xiaofan… Xiaofan!"
Her voice trembled as she called him, her delicate brows furrowed with worry.
Zhang Xiaofan stirred slowly. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing dim eyes. He managed a weak smile.
"Senior Sister Lu… where are we?"
Lu Xueqi's gaze swept the shadows. Jagged cliffs loomed around them like teeth, and a thick mist of Yin energy rolled endlessly.
"We should be at the bottom of the Death Abyss," she answered softly. "Don't speak. I'll heal you first."
But Zhang Xiaofan waved his hand faintly.
"No need. I'm fine. Boss Nian's palm only stirred my qi a little. With a few cycles of cultivation, I'll recover."
His voice was steady, almost casual.
Yet Lu Xueqi bit her lip. Her eyes softened as she looked at his pale face leaning against her chest.
"No. You took his palm head-on. You can't deceive me. Look at you—so weak you couldn't even stand."
Before Zhang Xiaofan could protest further, she set him down gently, sat opposite him, and pressed her palms to his chest. A pure stream of spiritual power surged into him, warm and bright like a river of moonlight.
Zhang Xiaofan blinked, slightly dazed. He wasn't injured....at least not badly....but the warmth of her power wrapping around him was… different.
His heart stirred with something he dared not name.
Just as he was about to speak, a chilling laugh echoed through the abyss.
"Hehehe… hehehe…"
The sound was eerie, crawling like cold fingers across the spine. It came from everywhere at once, as if the very darkness itself were mocking them.
Lu Xueqi's eyes snapped open. Her healing didn't falter, but she turned her head sharply toward the sound.
Then the shadows moved.
From the mist, thousands of skulls drifted forward, ghostly flames burning in their hollow eyes.
Their jaws clacked open and shut, exhaling waves of Yin energy that made the rocks tremble.
The very air seemed to curdle with malice.
Lu Xueqi rose instantly, her sword flashing into her hand. She stepped in front of Zhang Xiaofan.
"Xiaofan, rest. Leave this to me."
Her voice was calm but resolute. She leapt forward, Tianya sword glowing. One graceful arc of blue light, and the first skull shattered into fragments.
But that was only the beginning.
Dozens of skulls swarmed at her, their mouths opening wide. A terrifying suction force erupted from them, pulling at her qi like a whirlpool.
Her brows knitted. With a sharp seal, Tianya split into dozens of shimmering sword shadows.
They streaked forward, piercing the skulls. Each one exploded in a shower of ghostly flame.
Yet before she could breathe, hundreds more surged from the mist, their suction force multiplying. Her qi quaked, her very soul trembling.
The abyss itself seemed to roar with their hunger.
"Naiqi!"
A voice cut through the storm.
Zhang Xiaofan, pale but steady, stood beside her. He lifted the worn firestick high. Strange runes flickered on its surface as he chanted under his breath.
Then—an overwhelming suction erupted from the stick.
It was like a black hole had opened in the abyss.
The skulls shrieked as if realizing too late, then were torn from the air, devoured one by one, dozens, then hundreds, then thousands.
The firestick pulsed with a bloody glow, drinking in every fragment of Yin.
Zhang Xiaofan's eyes turned scarlet. His breathing grew harsh.
"Kill!"
His roar shook the darkness. Murderous aura poured from him, heavy and suffocating.
He pointed a sword seal, and the firestick shot forth like a demon unleashed, its bloody light shredding every skull in sight.
Tens of thousands of Yin spirits froze at the sight....then fled, scattering into the endless abyss.
For the first time in centuries, the Death Abyss fell silent.
But Zhang Xiaofan was trembling, his chest heaving. His crimson eyes burned with killing intent.
The firestick spun around him like a predator, thirsty for more blood.
"Xiaofan!"
Lu Xueqi's heart clenched. She saw the madness overtaking him, the demonic nature surging from within.
She stepped closer, her voice sharp yet tender.
"Xiaofan, wake up!"
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