The Black-Clothed Old Man roared, and in a flash, he transformed into a wisp of black smoke and rushed into the golden light circle.
Taichu was shocked. This old man was so powerful that he forcibly broke through the barrier of the light circle.
Seeing this, Six-Eared Macaque accelerated forward again, his hair standing on end, his strength concentrated in his arms, and his fists swung around with a whooshing sound.
Not to be outdone, Liu Guang drew a sword, its blade gleaming with cold light, and thrust it toward the old man.
The old man snorted coldly and unleashed a powerful surge of dark energy from his palms, directly confronting Six-Eared Macaque and Liu Guang.
In an instant, the collision of energy generated a violent shockwave, destroying the surrounding rocks and trees.
Although Six-Eared Macaque and Liu Guang fought back with all their might, the dark power of the Black-Clothed Old Man was too overwhelming, and the two were gradually forced back.
Just then, Taichu calmed down, quickly formed hand seals, and chanted incantations. A mysterious rune flew out from his palm and headed towards the Black-Clothed Old Man.
This technique Taichu from the Chaos Scripture. Although it is extremely powerful, it consumes one's own vital energy.
The Black-Clothed Old Man sensed the approaching danger, but he remained calm.
He roared, and the power of darkness instantly transformed into a giant black hand, reaching out to grab the rune.
When the two met, a blinding light erupted.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Six-Eared Macaque suddenly pounced on the old man's back, while Liu Guang circled around to the side, preparing to attack from both sides.
However, the old man burst into laughter, and his body suddenly split into several black shadows, each rushing towards the three of them.
Taichu and the others were greatly surprised and were somewhat embarrassed in their hasty response.
But Taichu soon discovered that although these shadowy figures seemed powerful, their power was actually dispersed.
Taichu suddenly shouted, "Six-Eared Macaque Liu Guang, concentrate your attack on one of the dark figures!"
The three worked together seamlessly and finally hit a dark figure.
After the dark figure let out a miserable scream, it vanished instantly. The other dark figures were also affected and became illusory. The Black-Clothed Old Man seemed to have been seriously injured.
Upon seeing this, Taichu pressed his advantage and pursued the attack.
Ignoring the depletion of his own vital energy, he formed hand seals once more. The sky was filled with ever-changing clouds and lightning bolts that appeared and disappeared intermittently.
Six-Eared Macaque and Liu Guang also sensed Taichu's determination. They quickly adjusted their state. Six-Eared Macaque gathered his spiritual power into his eyes, trying to see through the true form in the remaining shadows.
Liu Guang brandished his sword, drawing streaks of sword shadows in the air to block the shadow's escape route.
The Black-Clothed Old Man's voice came from among the shadows. "You think you can defeat me like this? You're too naive."
After he finished speaking, the remaining shadows merged together, reformed into a physical form, and became even larger than before.
In the Taichu, he remained unmoved, continuing to chant incantations and directing lightning to strike.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Six-Eared Macaque leaped into the air, his whole body radiating golden light, and crashed into the old man like a shooting star.
Liu Guang followed closely behind, his sword flying out of his hand, the tip aimed directly at the old man's vitals.
With their combined strength, the three finally broke through the Black-Clothed Old Man's defenses. The elder coughed up blood, his eyes filled with resentment, before turning into a wisp of black smoke.
After the black smoke dissipated, the Black-Clothed Old Man coughed up blood and appeared on the spot.
Taichu's heart stirred, and he quickly made a Mystic Arts seal to communicate with the Spirit Source Pearl.
As if receiving a command, the Spirit Source Pearl suddenly burst forth with an even stronger light.
The light transformed into countless tiny rays, which, like threads, pierced through the old man's dark power defense and directly entered his body.
The old man's expression changed, his body trembled uncontrollably, and the dark aura gradually dissipated, eventually transforming into a pure soul.
"It turns out that this Black-Clothed Old Man was originally a righteous person, but he was corrupted by dark forces and fell to this state."
Six-Eared Macaque sighed heavily.
Upon Taichu quickly used his soul-collecting technique to collect the wisp of soul into a specially made container.
He plans to find an opportunity in the future to purify this soul and allow it to return to the righteous path of reincarnation.
Six-Eared Macaque scratched his head and said, "I didn't expect this guy to have such a history."
Liu Guang sheathed his sword and let out a long sigh, "In any case, at least we've solved a big problem."
However, at that moment, the ground beneath their feet suddenly began to shake violently.
Taichu's expression changed. "This is bad. By eliminating him, we have broken the balance of power here. I'm afraid an even greater danger is about to arrive."
As soon as he finished speaking, a huge black crack slowly opened in the distant mountains, emanating a chilling aura.
A colossal beast, its body wreathed in eerie blue flames, slowly emerged from the crevice.
With each step it took, the ground trembled, as if the entire world was about to collapse.
"What kind of monster is this?" Six-Eared Macaque exclaimed.
Taichu frowned and looked at the giant creature. "Judging from its appearance, it is probably an ancient evil beast that has been sealed here for a long time."
Liu Guang gripped his sword tightly. "Whatever kind of evil beast it is, since they come with ill intentions, we have no choice but to fight."
"Be careful, this monster is far too powerful for us to handle easily."
Taichu Chu quickly formed hand seals, his body radiating a dazzling spiritual light, attempting to first set up a protective barrier.
Six-Eared Macaque flashed forward and charged toward the giant beast, his fists slamming down with a whooshing sound.
Liu Guang then moved with strange steps, circled around to the side of the giant beast, and swung his sword, unleashing several sword energies.
However, the giant beast simply swung its claws and dispersed Six-Eared Macaque's attack.
It also shattered the barrier set up by the Taichu Chaos.
As the barrier shattered, Taichu spat out a mouthful of blood. "Concentrate your strength on one point. This monster is too powerful; we cannot contend with it."
Upon hearing Taichu's words, Six-Eared Macaque and Liu Guang quickly approached Taichu's side.
The three exchanged a glance, then simultaneously focused their spiritual power on a single point and charged toward the beast's weakest point, its abdomen.
Upon seeing this, the giant beast roared in anger, and its ghostly blue flames surged instantly, forming a wall of fire to block them.
But the three of them did not back down. They broke through the wall of fire and struck the giant beast in the belly with their combined strength.
The giant beast, in pain, let out a deafening roar, causing rocks to tumble down from the surrounding mountains.
Just then, Six-Eared Macaque noticed a shimmering crystal on the top of the giant beast's head, which seemed to be the core of its power.
"Attack the crystal on its head!" Six-Eared Macaque shouted.
So the three of them changed direction again and launched a fierce attack on the giant beast's head.
The giant beast seemed to sense their intentions, and its massive head swung violently, spewing out beams of black light that shot towards the three of them.
Taichu spread his hands, and a spiritual shield appeared in front of him, blocking some of the light, but a few rays still grazed past him, leaving several bloody marks on his arms.
Six-Eared Macaque's swordsmanship was as swift as the Liu Guang, cleaving through the light that blocked their path.
As the three drew closer to the top of the giant beast's head, the crystal shone even brighter.
Just as they were about to touch it, the giant beast suddenly shone brightly, and a powerful force erupted, blasting the three of them away.
"Master, this can't go on. This beast is too powerful."
Taichu frowned, at a loss for what to do.
"Sect Leader, this is Ancient Grey Rhinoceros. Its combat power is too strong. It can only be defeated by strategy, not by force. Why not try setting up an illusion array? It might be effective."