Mo Yu felt a little helpless.
The woman in his arms was nothing like the seductive temptress from the previous night.
"There really isn't anything left. I'm not lying."
She released her spiritual sense, carefully scanning the surroundings. Only after confirming that the vengeful spirit had completely disappeared did she finally let out a sigh of relief.
Even then, she refused to leave his embrace, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
"Can we go back now?"
She timidly pointed toward a soul banner lying a short distance away.
Mo Yu followed her gaze. Inside the tattered banner, countless vengeful spirits twisted and screamed in endless agony. Their mournful cries filled the air, creating a horrifying sight.
Only then did he realize why she was so frightened.
Still... wasn't this a bit excessive?
His thoughts drifted to the Human Emperor Banner resting inside his system's storage.
A mischievous grin slowly spread across his face.
He couldn't help but wonder...
If she, a Void Refinement cultivator, fought him while he was only at the Nascent Soul stage—but he wielded the Human Emperor Banner—who would win?
The thought alone filled him with wicked satisfaction.
Heh...
It was finally his chance to turn the tables.
He would make this sly fox, who had teased and bullied him for so long, experience what it felt like to be completely overwhelmed.
"Don't get carried away."
Yan Xi's calm voice echoed in his mind.
Mo Yu nodded before looking down at the frightened fox woman in his arms.
"You don't have to worry. They're only Soul Transformation cultivators. I can handle them myself. Just stay here and watch."
She rolled her eyes.
"Stop acting tough. You only reached the Nascent Soul stage yesterday. How could you possibly defeat them?"
She paused before continuing.
"I've already checked. The Qin family has three Soul Transformation cultivators and thirty-three Nascent Soul cultivators."
"Now that we know they're practicing evil arts, we should simply report them to the nearest Holy Land. This is their territory—they'll deal with it."
Mo Yu smiled confidently.
"Trust me. I'm much stronger than you think."
He also wanted to use this opportunity to test the results of his recent cultivation.
She hesitated for a moment before finally sighing.
"...Fine. But if things go wrong, I'll grab you and we'll run."
Despite her brave words, she remained curled up in his arms, too afraid to even glance outside.
Mo Yu smiled and nodded.
Just then, Yan Xi's voice sounded in his mind once more.
"Only three Soul Transformation cultivators? I've already prepared myself. Open your mind and let me take over."
Mo Yu blinked before quickly realizing what she meant.
"No, that's not necessary," he replied. "I really want to face them with my own strength."
"And can you?" Yan Xi asked skeptically.
After all, he was only at the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage. Defeating three Soul Transformation cultivators by himself was practically impossible.
"If I really can't handle it, you can step in then. It'll still be in time."
"...Very well."
Yan Xi didn't argue any further.
Mo Yu shifted his gaze toward Qin Jun, who was cultivating a short distance away.
Second-stage Soul Transformation. This shouldn't be difficult.
A cold gleam flashed across his eyes as his figure disappeared without a sound.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly behind Qin Jun.
Lightning surged around his clenched fist as he drove it forward with explosive force.
Boom!
The punch landed squarely on Qin Jun's back.
Caught completely off guard while cultivating, Qin Jun had no chance to react.
The devastating impact tore straight through his body.
Blood and shattered flesh erupted into the air as his body was hurled forward like a broken doll, crashing into the protective formation surrounding the cave.
Another deafening explosion echoed through the cavern.
His body disintegrated into a cloud of blood.
Mo Yu blinked in surprise.
"...That's it?"
He stared at the crimson mist hanging in the air.
Am I really that strong... or was he simply too weak?
A single punch actually destroyed his body?
Without pausing, he turned toward the nearby Nascent Soul guard.
Another punch.
The cultivator exploded instantly, leaving nothing behind.
Only then did Qin Jun's soul emerge from the blood mist, hovering in the air in a daze.
It took him several seconds to comprehend what had happened.
Then came a furious scream.
"You bastard! How dare you ambush me!"
His face twisted with disbelief.
How had an enemy managed to infiltrate the Qin family's hidden sanctuary?
Even more impossible...
How had a mere Nascent Soul cultivator destroyed the body of a Soul Transformation expert with a single punch?
Fear crept into Qin Jun's heart.
Without his physical body, he knew he had no chance of defeating Mo Yu.
Grabbing the Soul Banner, he immediately activated a teleportation technique and fled.
Mo Yu watched him disappear but made no move to pursue.
Instead, he raised a hand.
Dark ghostly flames spread throughout the cave.
The Netherworld Ghostfire engulfed every Soul Banner and every imprisoned spirit.
The countless vengeful souls let out mournful cries before their hatred dissolved, finally finding peace.
Inside his mind, Yan Xi spoke with unconcealed astonishment.
"...Your physical body is actually this powerful?"
She had watched him cultivate the Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Art the previous day.
Even so, she had never imagined the technique could elevate someone's body to such a terrifying level.
Mo Yu shrugged casually.
"I found this old body-refining technique while you were asleep. I didn't expect it to be this effective."
Yan Xi fell silent.
Effective?
That was an understatement.
Even during her time in the Immortal Realm, she had never witnessed such an overwhelmingly powerful body cultivation technique.
This wasn't merely a high-level cultivation art.
It was something worthy of an Immortal Emperor.
Meanwhile, the fox girl remained curled tightly against Mo Yu's chest.
Her fluffy tail was wrapped around herself as she kept her eyes firmly shut, completely unaware of everything happening outside.
Once every vengeful spirit had been purified, Mo Yu calmly left the cave.
Moments later, he arrived above the Qin family's estate.
Three figures were already waiting.
Qin Jun's soul hovered in the center.
To his left stood Qin Li, the Qin family's Grand Elder.
Dressed in black robes, he possessed a gaunt face and sharp, sinister eyes. His cultivation had reached the first stage of Soul Transformation.
On the right stood Qin Chuan, the Second Elder.
Unlike Qin Li, he wore green robes and carried himself with calm dignity, his aura steady and composed.
He too was a first-stage Soul Transformation cultivator.
Qin Chuan looked at Mo Yu in surprise.
He had rushed over the moment he sensed the disturbance.
This was the culprit?
A fourth-stage Nascent Soul cultivator carrying a frightened fox girl with almost no cultivation?
Was this really the person who had destroyed Qin Jun's body with a single punch?
Unable to hold back, Qin Chuan burst into laughter.
"You've really gotten old, Qin Jun. You couldn't even defeat a junior at the Nascent Soul stage."
Qin Li laughed as well.
"You were ambushed and still ended up like this? Even if I stood still and let that kid punch me, he wouldn't be able to destroy my body."
The two elders laughed openly.
Qin Jun's expression darkened.
He said nothing.
He genuinely wished they could experience that punch for themselves.
Even now, recalling the overwhelming force behind it made his soul tremble.
Could either of them survive such an attack?
He wasn't confident.
Mo Yu smiled faintly.
"If you're both so certain..."
"Why don't you stand still and let me test that claim?"
The laughter disappeared from Qin Li's face.
"Brat, do you think I'm a fool?"
His expression turned cold.
After spending centuries in the cultivation world, he understood one truth better than anyone.
The moment you underestimated your opponent...
...you were already halfway to death.
The three Soul Transformation experts floated high above the Qin estate, their auras erupting like tidal waves.
An immense pressure spread across the city.
Every cultivator below looked up in alarm.
"Aren't those the Qin family's three Soul Transformation ancestors?"
"Why have they all come out?"
"Who's that young man? How does he dare challenge the Qin family?"
"Wait... look closely!"
"Qin Jun doesn't have a body anymore!"
"What?!"
"Impossible!"
"He's a second-stage Soul Transformation cultivator! Who could destroy his body?"
"Who exactly is that young man?"
Whispers quickly turned into an uproar as countless eyes focused on the lone youth standing before the Qin family's strongest experts, unable to believe what they were witnessing.