Xiao Han's face remained calm, but the sensations emanating from his [Star-Magic Battle Body] surged like a tide. The pervasive, eerie black aura felt increasingly piercing to him, as if ice needles were piercing his bone marrow. This battle body possessed an almost instinctive aversion and vigilance towards such filth.
His gaze swept across the vast plains, landing on the most magnificent central stone palace in the distance, exuding an ancient and desolate aura—that was his target. His steps were steady, each one deliberate and cautious.
Along the way, several more Martial Artist corpses came into view. Their deaths were gruesome; their skin was intact, without a single wound, but their faces were twisted like withered tree bark, their eyes bulging out, frozen in the boundless terror they had witnessed before their deaths. What was even more chilling was that the aura of their souls was so faint as to be almost nonexistent, as if they had been forcibly absorbed by some evil force.
"What a vicious method." Xiao Han frowned, his wariness of the "Void Whisperers" growing even heavier.
As they approached a small teleportation array, ripples appeared faintly in the space at the edge of the array, indicating an unexpected change.
From behind the boulder emerged an old man with snow-white hair and beard, a warm smile on his face. He cupped his hands in greeting to Xiao Han from afar. "Young friend, have you also come here for this opportunity?" He concealed his aura very well, but it could not escape Xiao Han's perception; he was clearly a Martial Emperor Initial Stage.
Xiao Han stopped and returned the greeting. "Senior, you are too kind. I am Xiao Han, and I am new to this place and do wish to explore it."
Upon hearing this, the old man chuckled and stroked his beard, saying, "I am Sun Baicao, having wasted some time. Young friend, your cultivation at such a young age is already quite remarkable, truly admirable. To be honest, I recently stumbled upon some information: a 'Star Core Fragment' will appear not far ahead of this formation. However, that place is quite dangerous. I wonder if you would be willing to join forces with me? If we succeed, you will take eight, and I will take two. What do you say?"
"I'll take eight and he'll take two?" Xiao Han sneered inwardly. Such a good thing was like a pie falling from the sky; there must be something fishy about it.
On his face, however, he showed no sign of it, instead displaying just the right amount of eagerness. "Is what you say true, senior? Star Core Fragment... I would be more than happy to have it, and I am willing to go with you, senior."
However, his heart was already on edge. He couldn't sense the eerie black aura emanating from the corpses on Sun Baicao, and her words and actions were impeccable. Yet, under the operation of Xiao Han's [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes], he detected an extremely difficult-to-detect anomaly—not an aura, but more like a fundamental incongruity, like a drop of incongruous turbid oil in clear spring water, small but not negligible.
"Something's not right!" The thought flashed through his mind like lightning. Without further hesitation, he secretly resolved to use the [Illusion-Breaking Talisman]. Even if he misjudged, it would only cost him one talisman; if he was right, it would nip a great danger in the bud.
In a split second of thought, the [Illusion-Breaking Talisman] was activated.
A barely perceptible wisp of light flicked from his fingertip, silently striking Sun Baicao.
The old man's smile froze for a moment, a barely perceptible ripple passing through the depths of his pupils, before he quickly regained his kind and benevolent expression, as if everything just now had been an illusion.
"Young friend, have you made a final decision?" Sun Baicao asked with a smile.
But under Xiao Han's [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes], the scene before them was suddenly torn apart!
The moment the eerie light touched Sun Baicao, his kind face abruptly vanished! Beneath it, a pair of eyes covered in eerie black runes suddenly opened, bursting forth with icy coldness, savagery, and endless greed, as if piercing straight to the deepest hell! Those runes were completely identical in aura to the black energy remaining on the soul of the deceased!
"So it really was you!" Xiao Han's anger exploded, and he held nothing back.
In an instant, the Eternal Night Void Emperor Martial Soul roared and descended. The deep and dark prototype of the [Eternal Night Domain] spread rapidly like splashed ink, and the formless and intangible power of [Shadow Binding] transformed into a shadow serpent, devouring Sun Baicao! Within his dantian, the Chaos Green Lotus Martial Soul also bloomed with a myriad of feet of azure light, and the pure and vast purification power had already condensed, waiting only for a thunderous strike!
"You little beast, how dare you!"
Sun Baicao —or rather, the possessed Void Whisperers —never expected Xiao Han to act so swiftly and decisively, his disguise instantly pierced through. A shrill scream erupted from his throat, the distorted sound waves like steel needles piercing, threatening to tear apart one's soul!
The human skin on his body rapidly withered and cracked, and countless slippery, writhing, pitch-black tentacles gushed out from beneath the skin, swirling wildly like a raging inky wave, sweeping towards Xiao Han. The evil aura emanating from his body rose steadily, instantly surpassing the Martial Emperor Initial Stage and fiercely approaching the mid-stage!
Instead of retreating, Xiao Han advanced, unleashing the [Star-Magic Battle Body] to its peak. Star patterns and demonic marks flowed across his body, light and darkness intertwined. With a single punch, a force that cleaved through the air shot straight out!
"Bang!"
His fist clashed violently with several thick, black tentacles, a muffled explosion reverberating outwards. An extremely cold and eerie energy surged wildly through his fist and arm, not only corroding his flesh and blood but also carrying a filthy mental shock, rushing straight into his sea of consciousness, attempting to corrupt his mind.
"What a vicious mental attack!" Xiao Han's sea of consciousness trembled, Chaos Green Lotus Martial Soul immediately shone with a supple azure light, trying its best to protect his mind, but the intense dizziness lingered.
The black tentacles were incredibly smooth and tough; most of the force of the punches was eerily neutralized when they landed on them. What was even more troublesome was that these tentacles seemed inexhaustible; as soon as one wave was swept away by the force of the punches, more tentacles would emerge from the monster's twisted body, pressing down like a dark cloud.
"Hehehe... Such a fresh and tender soul, just right for me to make a new body!" The monster let out a piercing laugh, its dark tentacles dancing more and more wildly, bringing with them gusts of foul wind.
Xiao Han unleashed his movement technique, "Close at Hand, Far Away," to its fullest extent, his figure leaping and darting through the gaps in the raging tide of tentacles, constantly facing perilous situations. The sharp sword energy of "A Step to the Ends of the Earth Green Lotus Sword Song" crisscrossed and shot out, severing some tentacles, but the black mist churned at the cuts, and they healed instantly, causing no real damage whatsoever.
"We can't keep going like this!" Xiao Han's eyes flashed, and a thought suddenly became clear in his mind.
This thing is extremely yin and extremely evil...
He steeled his resolve, determined to take the risk, and activated the newly acquired "Star-Magic Conversion"!
Within his dantian, a portion of the condensed stellar power, guided by his will, surged along the strange meridians of the [Star-Magic Battle Body]. In an instant, it transformed into a pure demonic aura filled with destruction and savagery!
This demonic aura, though originating from the same source as the monster's evil energy, is quite different, containing a more savage and domineering Annihilation True Meaning!
Xiao Han's chest rose and fell slightly as he poured all the newly generated, ferocious demonic power into his right fist, unleashing the powerful intent of the "Annihilation Divine Fist" once more!
"Annihilation Divine Fist - Demon Fiend Piercing the Sky!"
A punch, thrown in fury!