[Chapter 88: Borrowing Spiritual Energy]
Daniel turned his head sharply and saw the living room furniture moving on its own accord. The dining table, sofa, and several cabinets hurled themselves forward with tremendous force, crashing toward them like wild projectiles.
Daniel's expression darkened. This malevolent spirit had been lurking in the shadows, gathering its strength -- it was truly troublesome.
Without hesitation, he wrapped his arm around Amanda's waist and, with a powerful leap, landed atop the charging dining table, narrowly evading the onslaught.
But no sooner had they touched down than the furniture abruptly shifted direction, continuing its relentless assault.
"Troublesome," Daniel muttered grimly.
He drew his copper coin sword with a swift snap.
"Split! Go!"
In an instant, the copper coin sword erupted, breaking apart into 365 small blades that flew out in all directions like deadly shurikens. They smashed into the flying furniture, piercing and striking with precision.
An invisible but overwhelming pressure descended, pinning the furniture to the floor as its movement ceased abruptly. Its chaotic energy was snuffed out.
Seizing the moment, Daniel swiftly stepped forward, forming a series of intricate hand seals as his voice rose in a commanding chant:
By heaven's order and earth's foundation, let corruption be scattered.
Let hidden darkness be dragged into the light and undone.
May the guardians of every direction stand witness and enforce judgment.
By sacred decree and sanctified seal, let this command be known above and below.
Let the wicked be bound, and the defiant be struck down.
Let hostile spirits be ended and their malice cut away.
By judgment without mercy where evil stands, be silenced and be no more.
As his incantation echoed through the house, a mysterious, potent force surged upward. When he spoke "no more," that force sharpened, instantly radiating a deadly edge.
In a flash, the power spread to cover the entire house. Purifying Soul Seal was designed to cleanse all malevolent presence.
Especially dark souls and wicked spirits -- their bane.
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air, followed by the sense of a rapid retreat. The evil presence was fleeing.
"It left?" Amanda gasped, relief brightening her face.
"No," Daniel said coldly. "It accepted the Old Woman's ultimate sacrifice -- a pact sealed by her remaining life. That means it intends to kill you. This is an unbreakable contract: break it, and your soul will scatter like dust."
Daniel's features hardened. "But it can't escape."
With a confident motion, Daniel formed a hand seal.
"Return."
The copper coins suppressing the furniture shot back through the air, reassembling into the copper coin sword in his grasp.
He took a deliberate step. Immediately, an arcane energy sprang up beneath his feet, deep and resonant.
He began reciting an unfamiliar spell, his voice steady:
By established mandate, the firmament stands ordered and the ground holds its charge.
The land bears memory; its currents answer lawful authority.
I stand as Warden of this ground,
Reading the fault-lines and hidden veins beneath stone and soil.
Where forces converge, I discern their balance and fracture.
By rite and seal, I align this place to sanctioned order.
From the four quarters, let stability answer.
From every boundary, let foundation gather.
Under affirmed authority, this ground is compelled to yield strength.
Ward-lines open. Structure submit.
By sealed mandate -- be broken and realigned.
His final words echoed like a great bell, resonating through every corner.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The earth based spiritual energies from all directions stirred violently, exploding through the garden -- not a conventional blast, but an invisible, overwhelming force.
No creature -- be it unseen spirits or tangible monsters -- could evade it.
A tortured roar erupted from the garden. This time it came from one clear source.
Daniel's gaze sharpened. Pointing his copper coin sword, he commanded again: "Splti! Go!"
The sword exploded once more, scattering its blades through the window toward the sound.
...
Daniel grabbed Amanda's hand and stepped out into the garden.
There, amidst the chaos, 365 tiny blades pierced an eerie figure barely five feet tall, dressed in a strange cloak.
Its face was sickly gray-green, with two bloody, hollow eye sockets where eyes should have been, as if gouged out.
Despite lacking eyes, Daniel felt an unfathomable, chilling gaze burning from those empty holes.
Ordinary spirits cannot appear during the day -- they're consumed by strong vital energy of the sun.
But powerful ghosts have long ceased fearing typical solar energy levels. Unless exposed to direct sunlight, they remain unscathed.
Some can even walk freely in daylight, indistinguishable from ordinary humans.
This evil spirit's daytime manifestation was clear proof of formidable power.
No wonder the Old Woman sacrificed her last breath for it.
Judging by the dense, oppressive ghostly aura and its designation as an evil spirit, however, it likely could not yet withstand sunlight fully.
The Evil Spirit screamed in pain as the Sovereign Yearblade pierced it.
In response, the insects surrounding the earth surged suddenly, swarming like a tidal wave toward Daniel and Amanda.
No one could fathom where so many had come from.
Amanda's skin crawled instinctively. Her hair stood on end, and her body tensed with pure dread.
"Ah! Ah!" she cried, hopping anxiously, panic rising.
"Borrow Spiritual Energy!" Daniel commanded.
He stepped forward again, and a towering spiritual energy borrowe form the earth burst into being.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The swarm shattered instantly beneath the wave of power.
But then two crimson lights shot from the Eye-Hole Evil Spirit's hollow eyes.
Daniel's vision instantly darkened.
Amanda gasped, panic tightening her chest.
"Why can't I see? Am I blind?"
Daniel's heart sank.
Blindness is a common spirit tactic, but usually weak against someone at his level.
Yet this evil spirit wielded it with terrifying mastery.
Its command over this power was strong.
"Haha..." The spirit's sinister laughter echoed.
It seemed to relish Daniel's sudden blindness.
Dark energy thickened sharply around them, suffocating the air.
"Go to Hell," a malicious voice hissed as the thickening shadows surged forward.
Amanda felt the shiver of an ice cellar envelop her body, cold seeping into her bones.
Within the pitch-black void she found herself in, shadowy forms began to manifest.
They brimmed with hatred, advancing rapidly toward her, threatening to drag her into eternal torment.
"Ah! Ah!" Amanda screamed again, desperation propelling her backward.
"Hehehe..." The evil spirit's sinister laughter lingered, victorious.
"Are you feeling proud?" Daniel's voice rang out, sharp as steel.
He swiftly formed a hand seal.
"Rise!"
From all around the garden, glowing seals flared into life, flying through the night air to encircle the Evil Spirit.
Light rises in the east, thunder and flame held in restraint. By sealed authority, evil is suppressed!
"Crush it for me!"
The seals ignited into fierce flames, burning swiftly but condensing into an immense force that slammed down on the spirit.
The Evil Spirit's twisted form was pressed into place, trapped and unable to move.
But then a surge of thick dark energy erupted from its body. It twisted and roiled, taking on shadowy shapes visible even to ordinary eyes. Under this pressure, the Soul Suppressing Seal began to weaken.
"Hahahaha! You think you can trap me?" The spirit's mocking laughter rolled again.
"Is that so?" Daniel's voice grew colder, unwavering. He tightened his focus and formed a solemn, sacred hand seal.
*****
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