Making a Move

"Ding!"

Rou Yan trembled, feeling as if she had struck a piece of profound iron. No matter how much she pushed her strength, she couldn't advance even half a step.

The result of this sword strike filled her with despair.

Her sword tip rested at the Ghost Infant's navel. Although it was a vital spot, it had only managed to pierce a small amount of the surrounding skin.

Foul-smelling black blood dripped from the wound, emitting a corrosive "hissing" sound as it hit the ground.

"Waaaaah!!!"

The Ghost Infant, its vital spot attacked, flew into a complete rage. Accompanied by an infant's cry, a terrifying aura erupted from its small body.

The black shadows that had been restraining it shattered almost instantly.

Rou Yan, who was extremely close, had no time to dodge. A piece of ancient jade at her waist flashed briefly, and then her body was sent flying like a tattered sack, crashing heavily against a stone wall. As countless spiderweb-like cracks spread, the thick stone wall collapsed with a roar.

Dust and smoke billowed everywhere, leaving their fate unknown.

"Damn it!"

Ma Xiu watched, his eyes splitting with fury. However, with his own spiritual energy almost completely dispersed, he was in no condition to save himself.

He staggered a couple of steps before collapsing powerlessly to the ground.

Facing the charging, berserk Ghost Infant, Ma Xiu was filled with despair. He closed his eyes, awaiting death.

However, after a moment, the expected attack didn't come. At the same time, a somewhat annoyed voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

"Hey! I say, lady, can you move your face a bit? It's really stinky!"

Ma Xiu was confused. Wasn't this the voice of that cowardly martial artist?

His eyelids twitched, and he opened them again. The scene before him left him somewhat bewildered.

Not far away, Ling Yun, who had been standing by idly, was now stepping on the head of an Evil Spirit, grinding his foot with clear disgust.

Although its face was somewhat deformed from being stepped on, it was still recognizable as the mother Evil Spirit of that Ghost Infant.

It turned out that after giving birth to the Ghost Infant, the Evil Spirit itself had been weakened to its limit and desperately needed flesh and blood to replenish itself.

For an Evil Spirit, the vital energy of a martial artist was undoubtedly a fatal attraction. So, while everyone's attention was diverted, it had sneaked up to Ling Yun, intending to devour him.

Of course, the outcome was obvious.

The Evil Spirit, now pinned under Ling Yun's foot, let out continuous roars. But no matter how it attacked or struggled, the foot above it was like it had taken root, unmovable.

As if annoyed by its noise, Ling Yun's foot slipped slightly.

"Pfft!"

With a muffled sound, the Evil Spirit's head exploded like a watermelon, scattering in pieces from under his foot.

The struggling Evil Spirit's body immediately stiffened, and soon large amounts of foul black energy began to emanate from it.

Ling Yun hadn't expected the creature to be so fragile. He quickly pinched his nose and took two steps back, then turned to the stunned person and Evil Spirit not far away, saying with a look of "apology."

"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt you two. You continue, don't mind me."

As his words fell, Ma Xiu didn't know what to think, but the Ghost Infant was clearly enraged.

It abandoned its immediate prey and, roaring, charged towards Ling Yun's location.

Seeing the Ghost Infant suddenly change its target to him, Ling Yun was a bit confused. He hadn't provoked it; why was it suddenly acting like this?

At this moment, Ma Xiu also recovered. Although the person before him was just a martial artist he normally wouldn't even glance at, for someone drowning, even a straw would be clutched tightly.

He immediately shouted urgently, "Little brother, this thing is called a Ghost Infant, and its greatest strength is speed."

"Try to lure it into a narrow place to stall for time, and I'll recover... Hey! What are you doing, hurry up and dodge!"

Ling Yun seemed to ignore his words, remaining frozen in place.

Watching the charging Ghost Infant, he reached out his hand, seemingly intending to grab it directly.

"Idiot!" Ma Xiu cursed inwardly. These martial artists were all the same, their brains filled with muscle. With a little bit of strength, they didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth.

This guy was definitely going to die. Ma Xiu immediately sentenced him to death in his heart, simultaneously calming his mind and trying to recover a sliver of strength as quickly as possible.

"Hmm? Why is there no movement over there?" Ma Xiu muttered to himself. He looked up, and the scene before him completely overturned his inner world.

Ling Yun, whom he had imagined would be brutally killed, was still standing unharmed.

In his hand, he tightly held a small figure, appearing from a distance like a kind father holding up his son.

"How is this possible?" Ma Xiu stared blankly at the Ghost Infant struggling in Ling Yun's hand but unable to escape, his mind filled with doubt.

"Did I mistake it? Perhaps that wasn't a Ghost Infant at all, but just a similar Evil Spirit."

But no matter how Ma Xiu tried to avoid reality, Ling Yun's situation was not as easy as it looked.

Although this little thing was not large, the power it erupted with was somewhat beyond his expectations.

Even with his greatly increased strength, he was currently using nearly thirty percent of his power to barely suppress it!

Its physical toughness was also quite good. Ling Yun tightened his grip, slowly increasing the pressure, but it only managed to spit out a few mouthfuls of black blood.

Just as he was engrossed in studying it, a fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the Ghost Infant, which he held immobile, and it fiercely bit down on the back of his hand.

Its terrifying bite force, capable of piercing steel plates, caused even Ling Yun's perfected Vajra Body to feel a distinct sting!

"Holy crap! You little brat, how dare you bite me!"

Seeing the dozens of teeth marks on the back of his hand, Ling Yun was enraged and violently flung it away.

However, before it could even touch the ground, the Ghost Infant twisted its body nimbly, turning in mid-air like a cat and rapidly pouncing back.

Its target was his throat.

"Bang!"

Ling Yun stepped forward, and like kicking a soccer ball, his right foot landed squarely on the Ghost Infant.

Terrifying power surged out. The Ghost Infant let out a sharp scream and was sent flying backward, smashing into a dilapidated house like a cannonball.

"Boom!"

With a loud crash, the entire house collapsed, burying the Ghost Infant within.

Ling Yun didn't stop there. His figure flickered, activating the Phantom Step.

He instantly vanished from his original spot, and the next moment, he appeared above the ruins of the collapsed house.

Looking at the scattered debris, he sensed the surroundings briefly before stomping heavily towards a certain spot.

"Crash!"

The seemingly calm ruins suddenly exploded, and a black shadow shot out from amidst the scattering rubble, quickly fleeing into the distance.

Ling Yun's foot missed, but his expression remained unchanged. His body flickered, and he reappeared in front of it again, his speed clearly overwhelming it.

"Little guy, why are you running? Let's play some more!"

Dodging its pouncing mouth once more, Ling Yun delivered another side kick to the Ghost Infant's jaw, sending its entire body flying into the air.

While it hadn't recovered, Ling Yun stomped his right foot heavily on the ground. The muscles in his right arm bulged, with several veins coiling around it like dragons. He brought his palm forward like a blade and swung it forcefully.

Tiger Blade Technique!

The Ghost Infant couldn't dodge in time and was directly sliced across its neck.

Though it was his palm, it seemed sharper than a real blade.

With a soft "chi," the next instant, a head was tossed high into the air, spinning as it fell into the distance.

Watching the Ghost Infant's headless corpse twitch and fall backward, Ling Yun's expression was calm as he wiped the bloodstains from his hand.

Only after the Ghost Infant completely turned into a pile of black ash did Ling Yun turn around and stride towards Ma Xiu, who stood there dumbfounded.