Confronting the Black Fiend Sect's Evil Cultivators

The dragon soul beneath the earth broke free, and Dragon Essence surged into Mo Yuan. He felt a gentle yet immense power flood his meridians like a tide. The bottleneck of Qi Refining level five, peak, shattered as if it were natural, his aura steadily climbing to Qi Refining level six.

This improvement wasn't forced; it stemmed from the noble essence of the Dragon King's Dragon Essence nourishing and expanding his foundation, making it solid and stable.

He didn't rush into battle due to the surge of power. Instead, he stood still, carefully savoring the changes in his body.

His divine sense perception range more than doubled, his sensitivity to Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy sharpened, especially his affinity for earth vein energy and lightning, which significantly increased.

The Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear in his hand pulsed with joyful intent. The sliver of Thunder Dragon Soul Essence within the spear seemed to have grown stronger, its purple-gold lightning patterns flowing ceaselessly, blending perfectly with his own Dragon Essence aura.

"Young friend, my residual soul has just escaped and needs to immediately enter dormancy to condense, or I risk dissipation. This bestowed power will last for about half a day. During this time, you can borrow my lingering dragon might to connect with the earth veins. Wielding artifacts should yield twice the result with half the effort. Remember to use it wisely, do not linger..." The Thunderglory Dragon King's voice carried evident fatigue, coming in broken fragments. Following this, a purer essence of dragon qi merged into the depths of Mo Yuan's Dantian, for him to slowly refine and absorb in the future.

Afterward, the Thunderglory Dragon King's residual soul aura completely vanished into the earth veins.

Mo Yuan felt grateful, knowing the Dragon King had done his best to help. He collected his thoughts, shifting his focus back to the passage above.

The noisy footsteps and angry shouts grew closer. The Red Robe Elder and the Holy Maiden had clearly sensed the anomaly underground and were rushing over.

He took a deep breath, choosing not to break through forcefully upwards. Instead, he retreated several feet, re-emerging into the shadows of the underground cavity. Simultaneously, he gripped the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear with both hands, slowly infusing his spiritual energy and the Dragon Essence he had just obtained into it.

The spear trembled slightly, a low dragon's roar echoing in the cave. A point of extremely condensed purple-gold light began to form at the spear's tip, as if compressing countless bolts of lightning.

Just as the Red Robe Elder's figure appeared first at the passage entrance, cautiously peering down, Mo Yuan moved.

He didn't charge forward. Instead, he held the spear level in front of him, his mind completely one with the spear's spirit.

"Go."

With a low shout, the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear flew from his hand. It didn't shoot straight but transformed into a winding, twisting purple-gold lightning serpent, silently sticking to the cave wall as it flew with speed too fast for the eye to discern.

This was a high-level application of the Object Control Art, using divine sense to guide the artifact, its trajectory unpredictable.

The Red Robe Elder had just sensed a faint energy fluctuation when the serpent-like spear light had already bizarrely circled to his side, aiming straight for his temple.

The Elder's face turned ashen with terror. He hastily turned his head, simultaneously summoning a bone shield to protect his side.

"Screech!"

The sharpness of the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear far exceeded imagination. The bone shield was pierced as if it were made of paper. Although the spear light didn't directly hit his head, it grazed the Elder's cheek, leaving a scorched black mark. The accompanying lightning power instantly paralyzed half of his body!

"Be careful! His artifact is strange!" The Holy Maiden's voice was filled with shock and anger. She had seen clearly that the spear seemed to possess sentience. Missing its first strike, it actually drew an arc in the air, like a living creature, continuing its assault towards the Elder's back.

Mo Yuan, hidden in the darkness, controlled the spear with his full concentration.

He felt as if his mental power had extended outwards, forming a single entity with the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear in the air. The spear's trajectory, speed, and power all moved according to his thoughts.

This feeling of controlling an artifact for ranged combat was entirely different from close-quarters fighting, demanding greater mental strength, spiritual energy control, and prediction of the battle situation.

He controlled the spear to continuously harass and attack the Red Robe Elder, forcing him into a state of frantic defense and exhaustion.

As for the ordinary cultists who swarmed in afterward, Mo Yuan divided his attention. He stomped his foot on the ground, drawing forth a trace of earth vein energy.

"Earthbind."

As he softly uttered the words, the ground beneath the cultists suddenly became muddy and viscous, as if invisible hands were grabbing their ankles, slowing their movements and throwing their formation into disarray.

This was the most rudimentary application of earth vein energy, yet it served an excellent auxiliary purpose at this moment.

Seeing this, the Holy Maiden's expression turned icy. She realized Mo Yuan intended to use the advantage of his artifact and the terrain for a protracted ranged attrition.

She hesitated no longer. She formed seals with her hands, chanting obscure incantations. A dense aura of Yin Fiend energy emanated from her, resonating with the residual power of the blood pool.

"Gulp... Gulp..." The blood pool began to boil again. Driven by the incantations, the colossal Corpse King Guardian slowly stood up. Its crimson eyes locked onto Mo Yuan's hiding spot, letting out a low roar.

It had absorbed enough Yin Fiend energy and dragon power, its aura ferocious. Each step it took carried immense force.

Mo Yuan frowned. This Corpse King Guardian exerted significant pressure on him. He recalled the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear, holding it in his hand and feeling the surging power within the spear.

Facing an opponent with such tough skin and astonishing strength, mere ranged harassment would be ineffective. A stronger burst of power was needed.

He recalled the "drawing lightning from the earth veins" mentioned by the Dragon King's residual soul, and a realization dawned upon him.

He no longer hid, stepping out from the shadows, his gaze calmly fixed on the charging Corpse King Guardian.

Simultaneously, he held the spear in one hand, pointing it towards the sky (the cave ceiling). With his other hand, he rapidly formed seals, frantically injecting the Dragon Essence within him and his own spiritual energy into the spear. He also attempted to communicate with the residual lightning aura in the underground space, which had become active due to the Dragon King's escape.

The Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear seemed to become a lightning rod. The light at its tip intensified, emitting crackling, powerful electric currents.

Above the cave ceiling, faint, low thunder echoed. Wisps of Heaven and Earth lightning power were forcibly drawn over, converging at the spear's tip.

The Corpse King Guardian roared and charged closer, its claws carrying the might to tear apart everything.

Just as the claws were about to strike, Mo Yuan's eyes flashed. He slammed down the hand forming seals, pointing it directly at the Corpse King Guardian!

"Lightning Draw, Exorcise Evil!"

It wasn't the spear that thrust forward, but the highly compressed energy sphere at the spear tip, a fusion of Dragon Essence, spiritual energy, and the might of Heaven and Earth lightning, which shot out like a cannonball.

This pillar of lightning was only as thick as an arm but condensed as if it were solid. Its color was deep, almost black, with a blinding white point at its center. Where it passed, the air warped, emitting a heart-palpitating hum.

The Corpse King Guardian instinctively sensed a fatal threat. It crossed its arms in front of its body, forming a black shield with its dense Corpse Fiend energy.

"Boom!!!"

The lightning pillar and the corpse fiend shield collided violently! There was no earth-shattering explosion, but rather a dull "hissing" sound, like a red-hot iron poker being plunged into cold water.

The supreme yang and supreme hardness of the lightning power demonstrated its absolute suppression over the yin and evil corpse aura. The black shield dissolved and disintegrated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The lightning pillar broke through like a bamboo, finally striking the chest of the Corpse King's guardian fiercely!

"Roar—!" The Corpse King's guardian let out an incomparably shrill howl. Its massive body was pierced by the lightning, leaving a charred hole in its chest, with countless electric snakes wreaking havoc within its body.

It stumbled a few steps, then finally crashed to the ground with a thud. Its body twitched a few times before falling silent, completely purified.

This strike had almost drained Mo Yuan of half his spiritual power and the power of the Dragon Essence's blessing. His face was slightly pale, and his breathing was a little rapid.

But the effect was significant: the strongest Corpse King's guardian was killed with a single blow.

The Red Robe Elder and the Holy Maiden watched, dumbfounded, a chill creeping up their spines. Their greatest reliance had been destroyed so easily.

The Holy Maiden reacted extremely quickly, knowing that the tide had turned. Without hesitation, she crushed a pitch-black jade talisman, and a spatial fluctuation enveloped her and the heavily injured Red Robe Elder.

"Retreat!" she commanded, and their figures instantly blurred, vanishing from their original positions.

Mo Yuan did not attempt to stop them. He sensed that the escape talisman was of no low grade, and a forced interception might not succeed. Furthermore, his own condition required adjustment. He scanned the devastated main altar. The few surviving cultists had already collapsed on the ground in terror.

He quickly gathered valuable items, especially the scrolls containing information about the Black Fiend Sect and some resources. Then, he mobilized the remaining lightning power to completely destroy the core structures of the blood pool and the altar, ensuring the place had no further value before calmly departing.

Stepping out of the collapsed cave entrance, it was already late at night outside. The moonlight cast a cold sheen on the hills.

Mo Yuan found a secluded and safe cliff, set up a warning formation, and sat down cross-legged.

He did not immediately inventory his gains but first looked inward at himself.

His Qi Refining sixth-layer realm was already stable. The spiritual power in his Dantian was even more abundant and pure. That wisp of primordial Dragon Qi gifted by the Dragon King was like a small dragon, quietly circling, waiting for him to refine and absorb it slowly in the future.

His mental strength had grown slightly due to the high-intensity Object Control Art, but his control over the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear had clearly become much more proficient.

He gently stroked the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear beside him. The lightning patterns on the spear's body shimmered faintly in the moonlight.

After this fierce battle, especially the final strike that drew upon the earth's ley line lightning, his connection with the spear had become even closer, as if he could feel the faint but clear consciousness of the spear's spirit.

This magical artifact was truly beginning to become a part of his body.

"The Way of Object Control is indeed profound. For ranged and close combat, changes are as the heart desires, making it more flexible and powerful than relying solely on martial skills or talismans."

Mo Yuan understood in his heart, "In the future, I must pay more attention to the cultivation of divine consciousness and the nurturing and refining of magical artifacts."

He took out some spirit stones and held them in his hands, beginning to circulate his energy to recover the consumed spiritual power.

The half-day period had not yet passed, and the residual effects of the Dragon Essence's blessing were still present. His absorption of spiritual energy was several times faster than usual.

When the sky began to lighten and his spiritual power was fully restored, Mo Yuan took out the scrolls he had plundered from the Black Fiend Sect's main altar and carefully read them in the morning light.

The contents of the scrolls were shocking. Not only did they confirm the Black Fiend Sect's conspiracy to refine Evil Corpse Pills and extract Dragon Soul power in an attempt to awaken the "Ancient Tomb Corpse King," but they also mentioned their strongholds in several other locations and vague information about their dealings with mysterious forces.

"The Black Fiend Sect's influence is deeply entrenched and cannot be eradicated in a day or two.

That Holy Maiden who escaped is deeply cunning and her methods are bizarre. She will undoubtedly be a major threat in the future."

Mo Yuan closed the scrolls, his gaze drifting towards the direction of the Mortuary. "This matter is of great importance, and I must report it to Master as soon as possible to make long-term plans."

He stood up, stretched his muscles, and felt the abundant power within his body and the solid feel of the long spear in his hand.

After facing a powerful enemy alone and unraveling a conspiracy, his state of mind had become more stable, and he had a clearer plan for his future cultivation path.

Packing his belongings, Mo Yuan oriented himself and transformed into a wisp of smoke, speeding towards the Mortuary in Ren Family Town.

The mountain wind brushed against his daoist robe, rustling loudly. The young man's figure appeared resolute and calm in the morning light.