Discovering the Yao Woman

The Profound Yin Mine was located in the desolate mountains thirty miles north of the Provincial City. It was once an important silver mine for the previous dynasty, but due to frequent mining accidents and legends of hauntings, it had been abandoned for many years.

At this moment, an evil aura surged from the depths of the mine, dyeing half of the night sky an ominous dark red.

Uncle Nine and Mo Yuan pushed their movement techniques to the limit, arriving at the outskirts of the mine in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. They saw black mist swirling around the mine entrance, with runes faintly flickering, clearly indicating the presence of a powerful defensive formation.

Four Black Robe Cultists guarded the entrance, their cultivation levels all at the mid-stage of Qi Refining or above.

"A frontal assault is difficult; we need to end this quickly," Uncle Nine whispered. He formed a hand seal, and his figure gradually blurred, seeming to merge with the shadows of the night. This was the Shadow Stealth Technique, only usable by Foundation Establishment cultivators. He approached the mine entrance as silently as a ghost.

Mo Yuan took a deep breath, gripping the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear tightly as spiritual energy and Dragon Essence circulated within him. Although he couldn't use the stealth technique, his Ghost Shadow Footwork had reached a state of perfection. Combined with the advanced Aura Concealment Technique, his movements were as fleeting as smoke.

Just as Uncle Nine, like an unseen wind, instantly incapacitated the acupoints of two of the guards, Mo Yuan also moved! He exploded forward, the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear transforming into a streak of purple lightning, thrusting directly at the other two cultists!

"Enemy attack!" The two cultists reacted extremely quickly. One swung his saber to block, while the other retreated rapidly, crushing a warning jade talisman in his hand at the same time.

"Screech!" The Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear was incredibly sharp, and the lightning power it contained was a bane to evil arts. The Black Robe Cultist who tried to block was shredded along with his saber by the spear's aura! The other cultist, though he retreated several yards, was struck in the back by a golden light flicked by Uncle Nine, falling to the ground.

However, the alarm had been raised! Roars and hurried footsteps erupted from the depths of the mine, and several powerful auras rapidly approached!

"Let's go!" Uncle Nine didn't hesitate. He waved his sleeve, and a gentle force swept Mo Yuan up. The two of them charged into the mine like arrows loosed from a bow.

Uncle Nine flicked his fingers repeatedly, sending several Evil-Slaying Talismans flying out like golden butterflies. They accurately landed on the formation nodes at the mine entrance, temporarily disrupting the formation's operation and delaying the pursuers.

The interior of the mine was deep and winding, with many forks. An eerie wind howled, and the evil energy was so dense it was almost tangible. The air was filled with the smell of blood and decay.

Countless twisted and strange runes were carved into the cave walls, continuously drawing Yin Sha energy from the earth's veins and channeling it towards the depths.

The two of them moved rapidly in the direction of the most concentrated evil energy. Along the way, they encountered several waves of cultists who tried to intercept them, but all were quickly dealt with by Uncle Nine's lightning-fast methods.

The strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was fully displayed; ordinary Qi Refining stage evil cultivators were like clay chickens and pottery dogs before him.

The deeper they went, the greater the pressure. On both sides of the passage, they began to see desiccated corpses with their blood essence drained, clearly unfortunate victims used for sacrifice.

Resentment and malevolent energy intertwined, forming an invisible resistance that attempted to erode their minds. Mo Yuan had to circulate the Soul Cleansing Banner, emitting a clear brilliance to protect himself before he felt any better.

Suddenly, the path ahead opened up, revealing a vast underground cavern. In the center of the cavern was a blood pool with a diameter of over ten feet. Thick blood churned and boiled within, and countless distorted faces, filled with agony, bobbed and wailed.

Above the blood pool, the phantom image of a massive black banner floated, the nascent form of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner! At this moment, the banner phantom was madly absorbing the Yin Sha energy and Soul Power converging from the blood pool and the surrounding rock face runes, its aura continuously rising. It had already reached the peak of a high-grade evil artifact and was on its way to becoming top-grade!

Around the blood pool sat eight Black Robe Elders, all at the late stage or Grand Perfection of Qi Refining, jointly maintaining the formation.

And on a towering rock directly above the blood pool stood the Holy Maiden in the black veil! She held a black bone altar in her hand, chanting incantations and guiding a vast amount of energy into the phantom image of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

Even more chilling was the fact that in the shadowy corners of the cavern stood three heavily armored Golden Armored Corpses, exuding a power not weaker than that of early Foundation Establishment! This was clearly one of the Black Fiend Sect's trump cards.

The appearance of Mo Yuan and Uncle Nine immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Lin Fengjiao! And you, you little bastard! How dare you intrude upon our Holy Sect's sacred grounds!" Killing intent flared in the Holy Maiden's eyes. She hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly.

"Wicked woman, refining such a heinous evil artifact! Today is your death day!" Uncle Nine's voice boomed like a bell. The pressure of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was released without reservation, pressing down on them like a mountain, attempting to disrupt the formation's operation.

The auras of the eight elders maintaining the formation immediately faltered, and the condensation speed of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner phantom clearly slowed down.

"Hmph! So what if you're Foundation Establishment? You dare to ruin our Holy Sect's grand plan, you can only die! Kill them!" the Holy Maiden commanded sternly.

The three Golden Armored Corpses' eyes glowed red, and they let out low growls. Like three small mountains, they charged at Uncle Nine! They possessed immense strength, were impervious to blades and spears, and feared no death, making them extremely difficult opponents.

At the same time, the Holy Maiden personally activated the bone altar, sending a solidified black beam of light towards Mo Yuan! The beam contained a poison that corroded the soul and a curse!

"Mo Yuan, be careful!" Uncle Nine warned, already entangled by the three Golden Armored Corpses. He drew his Peach Wood Sword, its blade shining with golden light, and unleashed the exquisite Mount Mao Swordplay. He battled the three corpses, sword energy crisscrossing the air, accompanied by the continuous roars of the corpses, making it difficult to determine a victor for the moment.

Facing the Holy Maiden's enraged strike, Mo Yuan felt immense pressure.

He dared not be careless, fully activating the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear. A phantom dragon roared from the spear, and with a move called "Thunder Dragon Emerges from the Abyss," he fiercely thrust it out!

"Boom!"

The purple-black lightning and the cursed light beam collided violently. Energy surged, and the cavern shook violently. Mo Yuan felt a chilling, venomous force spread up his arm, his blood and essence churning. He retreated several steps before stabilizing himself, the lightning on his spear having dimmed considerably.

The Holy Maiden's strength far surpassed that of the Red Robe Elder from before; she likely had one foot already in Foundation Establishment!

"You have some skill, but it's not enough!" the Holy Maiden sneered. The bone altar trembled again, and several more streams of black energy, like venomous snakes, lunged at him.

Mo Yuan knew that a direct confrontation was disadvantageous, so he immediately changed his strategy. He moved rapidly through the cavern using Ghost Shadow Footwork, dodging attacks while continuously throwing Evil-Breaking Talismans and Fire Cloud Talismans at the formation nodes around the blood pool and the eight elders!

"Annoying fly!" Seeing this, the Holy Maiden was forced to divide her attention, controlling the bone altar to intercept the talismans while also maintaining the refinement of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. For a moment, she was tied up by Mo Yuan's harassing tactics.

Mo Yuan seized the opportunity, his gaze locking onto an elder whose aura was unstable due to a formation backlash. A cold glint flashed in his eyes!

"Now!"

His Dragon Essence erupted, pushing his speed to the absolute limit. The Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear became one with him, transforming into a highly condensed purple lightning bolt. With lightning speed, he thrust directly at the elder's back!

This strike was fast! Accurate! Ruthless! It contained all of Mo Yuan's cultivation and killing intent!

"Pfft!"

The elder had no time to react. His protective Sha energy was like paper. His heart was instantly pierced by the lightning spear's aura! He looked down at the bloody hole in his chest in disbelief, his body crashing to the ground, dead.

The Eight Fiends Soul Refining Formation had a corner instantly broken! The phantom image of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner violently shook, its condensation process almost interrupted!

"Junior! You are seeking death!" Seeing this, the Holy Maiden was utterly enraged. She abandoned her ranged attacks, her figure darting towards Mo Yuan like a phantom. Her fingers formed claws, her nails instantly turning black and sharp, and she lunged at Mo Yuan's crown with a foul wind.

She intended to tear apart this guy who had repeatedly ruined her plans with her absolute strength!