Inch Force

Ganlong Venerable lightly touched the ice surface with his toes, his black boots crushing the ice crystal patterns beneath the snow.

This Sea Well wasn't hidden far away; it was located on the icy plain where You Su had killed the Black Sea Moon.

The surrounding frozen blood reflected an eerie red light, twelve ice pillars pierced the sky like fangs, and seven bronze cauldrons were arranged in a staggered pattern, the chains wrapped around the cauldrons trembling slightly with the roars of evil spirits.

"The Xuanming Guixu Formation." Ganlong Venerable traced the Taotie Pattern at the formation's core with his fingertips, the frost-colored nails rubbing against the bronze creating a piercing screech. "They even altered the Formation Technique I stipulated..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she clenched her fist and snapped off one of the handles of the heavy bronze cauldron in an instant.

"I clearly instructed them to use their own Mystic Qi as a catalyst... but they used the Heart's Blood and sweat of living people instead! These beasts!"

Looking at the churning black mist in the well, You Su initially thought that only the blood of a living person could attract evil spirits, but it seems that this is not the case at all.

This made him even more bewildered. If one loses their Mystic Qi, it can be cultivated back, but these people are unwilling to even put in that effort. Instead, they use human lives, something that cannot be regenerated, to replace their renewable Mystic Qi.

This blatant disregard for human life truly chilled You Su to the bone. However, these people never intended to save these people from the distant mountains; perhaps in their eyes, these were the rare and valuable lives of these worthless souls.

"How do we break the formation?" You Su asked. "Would destroying these seven bronze cauldrons be enough?"

He now had only one thought: to kill these bastards who disregarded human life as soon as possible.

The woman glanced at him, catching a glimpse of the burning murderous intent in the boy's eyes, as if she had also glimpsed the same thoughts that he held in her heart.

"It's unrealistic to carve such a deep Underwater Tunnel; the Xuanming Guixu Formation is essentially a Formation Technique."

The Ganlong Venerable froze the boiling blood pool in the cauldron, and profound runes flowed in her palm. She was not only a top-tier sorcerer from the Five Continents, but also a highly accomplished Formation Technique master; however, few knew of her latter identity.

"The seven cauldrons were meant to lure the evil spirits from the seabed to seek their prey, but now that the passage is complete, even without the beacon, they still know the way. So destroying the bronze cauldrons is only a temporary fix; we can only close the passage by reversing the Formation Technique. But to prevent it from being sabotaged, I encrypted the Formation Technique's trajectory, making it illogical and impossible to destroy."

"Why are you explaining all this to me? Then just reverse it already!" You Su was completely impolite, instead feeling that this woman was showing off her knowledge.

Ganlong Venerable's expression tightened, but she still restrained herself from such disrespect from a junior, because she knew that You Su was just as anxious as she was.

"I'm telling you all this so you know that breaking the formation won't be a quick task. When we break the formation, I'll have a protective Formation Technique around me, making it difficult for Evil Demon to get close. You'd better stay far away, because the evil spirits here won't stop before the formation is broken, and I won't have time to look after you. I'll set up Formation Technique next to you, so you can just stay there peacefully."

Before the words were finished, the Sea Well suddenly spewed forth a foul-smelling black wave. A malevolent creature covered in fluorescent seashells burst forth from the earth, each shell reflecting a grotesque Fish Face, and a childlike laugh escaped its throat, "Hehehe..."

Just by feeling, one could tell that this evil spirit was no ordinary being. Temporarily avoiding its sharp edge was indeed the most sensible choice for You Su.

However, he didn't want to choose that way.

As he vanquishes evil spirits, he absorbs the power of the souls that perish under his sword due to the True Lord's Power, so he is not prepared to stand idly by.

But the more important reason was that he had nowhere to vent his anger, and it would be difficult to relieve his frustration without cutting something.

So he raised his ink-black sword, a resolute look appearing between his brows:

"If I also hide, what will happen to these evil spirits? Am I just supposed to watch them devour people?"

Upon hearing this, the woman's exquisitely beautiful face froze for a moment. She did not doubt You Su's strength, after all, he was able to become the Evil Warding Department, so he must have unique skills in dealing with evil spirits. However, if he were to face Sea Well head-on, he would not be dealing with one or two, but hundreds or thousands.

She wanted to say that You Su was an outsider and didn't need to risk his life for the Northern Ao Continent, but she ultimately couldn't bring herself to say it. She felt that if she did, it would make her look down on the young man and reveal her own narrow-mindedness.

Standing before this boy, who was hundreds of years younger than her, she felt a pang of inferiority—for her heart was only filled with Bei Ao, while the boy's heart held the entire Five Continents.

"After this is over, I will commend you on behalf of everyone in the Northern Ao Continent."

The woman's voice was unusually gentle. Offering this praise while You Su was wanted across five continents implied that she intended to use the power of the entire continent to clear his name.

You Su glanced at the woman, waved his hand dismissively, and said, "Don't get yourself into trouble. Let's deal with the important matters first."

For some reason, the boy's advice stung the woman's heart.

She deeply sympathized with being misunderstood by the world. Her gaze towards the boy was now devoid of any sharpness.

You Su did not linger any longer. The Ink Pine Sword was drawn and hummed continuously, as if it was also eager to start a killing spree.

The icy plains of Shuo City trembled amidst the howls of evil spirits. Ganlong Venerable hovered above the Sea Well, her plain dress torn into tattered butterfly wings by the surging black mist. The ice crystal runes flowing from her fingertips fell like a galaxy, and the moment each rune entered the bronze cauldron, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on its surface. The reversed mystical light of the Formation Technique rose from between the seven cauldrons, weaving into an inverted star map, pressing the turbid currents churning at the well's mouth inch by inch back into the abyss.

You Su's sword cleaved a river of blood across the snow. The Ink Pine Sword had drunk too much black blood of evil spirits, and before it could drip clean, the severe cold of Bei Ao caused a layer of fine black frost to condense on its spine. With each evil spirit slain, the frost flowers exploded into a chilling Sword Qi.

He exhaled hot breath continuously, and even though he was already exhausted, he cleanly and neatly severed the claws of the three Crab-shaped Evil Spirit. As the foul-smelling slime splattered on his face, he vaguely heard the rustling sound of thousands of shells rubbing against each other in the underwater eddies—these evil spirits were indeed of the same origin as those surging from the seabed.

"Thirty percent remaining..." Ganlong Venerable's voice transmission mingled with the rustling of falling ice crystals.

"Focus on breaking your defenses!" You Su commanded.

The Divine Mark on Ganlong Venerable's forehead flickered uncertainly. The reversal Formation Technique consumed not only her Mystic Qi, but also the tearing apart of her centuries-old obsession with the Northern Ao Continent.

Because what is being reversed is not only the Formation Technique, but also the Vengeful Spirit of the dead. However, it can only make their dying wails echo endlessly, but cannot reverse their lives. Therefore, every rune engraved into the cauldron is as if it is tearing out her heart and flesh.

You Su leaned on the ground, panting, when the piles of evil spirit remains around him suddenly began to writhe strangely.

From the depths of the Black Tide came a crisp sound of bones dislocating. A hand covered in blue scales burst forth from the snow, the webbed membranes between its fingers glowing with a ghostly blue light. It was a humanoid evil spirit. As it slowly stood up, You Su's pupils suddenly contracted—its head resembled a shark pierced by sharp teeth, its gills spewing out a salty mist, and its bony tail, extending from the end of its spine, swept across the ice, carving deep furrows.

You Su's pupils contracted slightly as he thought to himself that after killing so many evil spirits, they had indeed sensed it, which was why a distinctly special evil spirit had appeared.

"Get back!" The warning from the Ganlong Venerable was drowned out by the piercing shriek of the bone tail.

The evil webbed feet slammed heavily on the ground, and the ice field instantly collapsed into a spider web shape. Before You Su could even leap up, his ankles were entangled by the surging black water.

The liquid seemed alive, and the moment it seeped into his meridians through his trouser leg, he felt his blood begin to boil—this wasn't fear, but a kind of violent power unleashed by the touch of the evil spirit, his body yearning to kill it!

The Shark-headed Evil Spirit's bony tail had already swept towards his face. The moment You Su blocked with his sword, the Ink Pine Sword emitted a crisp clang, and the blade was actually forced into an arc shape.

Just as You Su thought his strength had successfully blocked the attack from the Humanoid Evil Spirit, a mocking glint flashed in the evil spirit's vertical pupils. Its bony tail suddenly swelled to three times its original size, and writhing black flesh burst out from the gaps in its scales, like the taut muscles of a person when suddenly exerting force.

You Su spun around to dodge, his left arm was still slashed open, drawing blood. Such great force was enough to confirm that this was an evil spirit Flesh and Blood Type.

You Su his sword and fought again, clashing with the evil spirit several times. However, each time he thought his strength was enough to fight the evil spirit, he was easily suppressed by it.

"I see." You Su licked the blood from his lips, clearly having already listed this evil spirit as a must-kill target.

"I told you to step back!" the woman hovering above the Sea Well commanded again. "It came for me! It can't break through my Protective Formation! You don't need to fight it!"

"I'll let you focus on breaking the formation!"

You Su gave the female immortal above an impatient look, but that look made Ganlong Venerable momentarily dazed.

Was he trying to stop it from bothering me...? But he clearly didn't need to go to such lengths...

Ganlong Venerable felt a slight urge to pause the formation-breaking process to help the boy, but she also knew that if she stopped, all her previous efforts would be in vain.

If she did that, the boy certainly wouldn't be grateful to her. The only thing she could do was break the formation as soon as possible!

The Humanoid Evil Spirit seemed to realize that to deal with the people above, it had to deal with the people in front of it first, and it pounced on You Su again with fierce force.

Suddenly, You Su sheathed his sword. Just as the evil spirit's claws were about to pierce his chest, he rushed into its arms amidst the stench, his blood-stained palms gripping the evil spirit's cheek.

But his left hand drew his sword from its sheath in a contorted motion, as if he were pulling out a dagger hidden in his sleeve. He was never just a right-handed swordsman!

The violent Don't Cower Sword Intent surged into his skin as they touched, instantly filling his pupils with bloodshot veins. The Ink Pine Sword immediately erupted with a dragon-like sword cry—the fire intent nurtured by the Sun Yang Sword Nurturing Art, the endless and powerful sword intent collided violently in his meridians!

The Shark-headed Evil Spirit let out a scream like an infant's cry, You Su's right arm shattered inch by inch amidst the intertwined black and red blood light, but it also poured all the accumulated violent power back into the body.

The evil creature's scales burst open like a fish bladder in boiling water, revealing the writhing scarlet flesh beneath. Taking advantage of the moment You Su drew his sword and thrust it upwards, the blade piercing through the jaw and into the skull!

The next instant, the terrifying, almost shark-like head was split in two.

The moment You Su killed the evil spirit, he immediately examined his inner Sea of Consciousness, and sure enough, there was now an image of the Humanoid Evil Spirit on the Golden Paper.

He tightened his grip on the sword hilt again, but didn't feel any enhancement. However, he wasn't in a hurry, and instead swung his sword at the next evil spirit without stopping.

And just as the sword pierced the evil spirit's body, You Su finally confirmed his prediction!

This Humanoid Evil Spirit possesses an extraordinary explosive power!

Therefore, You Su, who was good at judging the strength of the enemy, made the wrong judgments many times. He thought that he could block the opponent and save his strength to counterattack, but he was often caught off guard by the sudden increase in strength.

His sword strike, which should have easily pierced the body of the fish-shaped evil spirit, instantly shattered into dust with a single thought!

But the true value of this explosive power lies not in the sheer force of the attack, but in its suddenness. In a very short time, it can transform an ordinary move into a deadly strike, catching the enemy completely off guard!

This concept is closer to the Inch Force in Body Cultivator. However, the Inch Force is an extremely difficult combat technique to master, and only those who are masters of body cultivation can master it. Yet, You Su, as a Daoist cultivator who does not specialize in body cultivation, has obtained a similar ability so easily!

You Su realized this as well, so he was willing to get injured to kill the evil spirit with his own hands.

At this moment, the Sea Well let out a mournful cry like a primordial beast. The last seven Ice Talisman flew out from the sleeve of the Ganlong Venerable, and the bronze cauldron exploded into dust. The inverted star map turned into a vortex, tearing the evil spirits that had not yet crawled out into fireflies. The moment the black tide flowed back to the well mouth, she staggered and landed, her tied hair once again becoming disheveled and loose.

You Su knelt on the gradually freezing remains of the evil spirit, the five penetrating wounds on his chest slowly healing under the Tai Sui Power.

The black tide surging on the ice field solidified into winding, inky ravines, like a hideous scar.

He looked up at the approaching Ganlong Venerable. The woman stopped in front of him, her body exuding a faint, cold fragrance. Without warning, the icy mist gathered in her palm pressed against You Su's chest.

"Are you going to discard me after I've served my purpose?!" You Su instinctively shrank back.

His dodging motion, however, filled the woman with sorrow, and the boy's words filled her with unbearable guilt. She had indeed wanted to kill the boy, but only when she considered him an enemy. She never showed mercy to enemies.

She didn't choose to explain with words, but instead forcefully pulled You Su over, wrapping the rolled-up flesh on You Su's chest with icy mist. The cold air intertwined with the Tai Sui Power, freezing the surging pain inch by inch.

You Su realized that this woman was actually going to heal his wounds, and although he was surprised, he did not refuse.

"Did it work?" he asked, panting.

"Um."

Ganlong Venerable responded softly and withdrew his hand. His eyes swept over the wounds on the boy's body. Although his eyes were gentle, his voice was colder than the north wind.

"I told you I have a protective Formation Technique; it can't hurt me."

You Su was in a good mood, lazily propping herself up on one side:

"There's nothing around you, so where did this Formation Technique come from?"

"If you had a protective Formation Technique, would you have depicted it in a magnificent and resplendent manner? Would you be eager to tell everyone that you have a protective Formation Technique so that no one can attack you?"

You Su curled her lip, "Then why didn't you block Venerable Ningshuang's poison?"

Ganlong Venerable's eyes widened. "If this evil spirit were as powerful as that old man, would you still be able to kill it?"

You Su shrugged. "Fine, I never expected you to appreciate it anyway. Just consider it wishful thinking on my part."

He certainly wouldn't admit that his insistence on killing the evil spirit was to absorb its power, and that he wasn't protecting the woman at all. Since the woman wanted him to think he was meddling, he might as well go along with it.

Upon hearing this, the woman's icy mist condensed and dissipated in her palm. You Su almost thought she was going to take revenge, but in the end, she simply flicked her sleeve to shake the snow off his shoulder.

Those venomous taunts swirled three times between the woman's lips, ultimately transforming into a single admonition:

"Since you've caused so much trouble, behave yourself from now on. Let's go!"