Evil Cave's Shocking Change, Nine Yang Shatters Evil

Chapter 18: Evil Cave Shock, Nine Yang Breaks Evil

The cave mouth was thick with yin wind, evil qi spilling out like a tangible fog, chilling everyone to the bone. After Li Yifan ordered them to hold position and await reinforcements, the Seventh Squad sprang into action at once.

Zhao Xiong and Sun Shi, drawing on their experience, directed Chen Feng and Zhang Tie to fell trees, sharpen them into crude barricades, and combine them with boulders to build a simple defensive line thirty paces from the cave entrance. Qian Xiaoliu, playing to his strengths, set tripwires and simple whistling arrow traps among the grass and rock crevices before the line—anything that touched them would trigger a sharp alarm.

Li Yifan personally buried the oil pots they had brought at key points along the defense, and had the squad gather their torches for emergencies. He cycled his Nine Yang True Qi, heat radiating from his body to dispel the encroaching yin evil, bringing a trace of warmth and reassurance to his men.

Time passed in tense waiting. The cave was deathly silent, but the dense evil qi did not dissipate. Instead, it seemed to stir restlessly, as if something was awakening in the darkness.

"Captain... something in the cave seems to be moving?" Qian Xiaoliu, sharp of perception, lowered his voice, his face pale.

Li Yifan focused his senses and indeed detected violent fluctuations in the evil qi within the cave, accompanied by faint scraping sounds and the drag of chains. His heart tightened. "Everyone on alert! Prepare for battle!"

The moment the words left his mouth, a muffled boom echoed from the cave! Then heavy footsteps, mixed with the clatter of chains, grew louder and closer! A ferocious aura, several times stronger than the corpse puppets they had faced, surged toward them!

"ROAR!"

A inhuman howl shook the entire hollow. A dark figure flashed at the cave mouth—a massive creature nine feet tall, its body wrapped in rusted iron chains, its skin a livid black-green, charged out! Its eyes were blood-red, fangs bared, muscles knotted, exuding a suffocating stench of corpse rot and evil qi!

"An Iron Corpse! Watch out!" Zhao Xiong's face twisted in alarm. "This thing is impervious to blades, has boundless strength, and is ten times more dangerous than an ordinary corpse puppet!"

The Iron Corpse spotted the men behind the defenses and charged with a roar, its heavy steps leaving deep prints in the ground! It ignored the tripwires, snapping them outright! The whistling arrow traps screeched, but it paid them no heed!

"Loose arrows!" Qian Xiaoliu fought his fear and fired a rapid volley at the Iron Corpse's eye sockets. But the creature simply raised an arm to block—the arrows clinked off its skin and bounced away! Its defense was terrifying!

"Barricade!" Zhao Xiong bellowed, bracing the barrier with Sun Shi, Chen Feng, and Zhang Tie, thrusting their blades through the gaps!

The Iron Corpse slammed straight into the barricade! Crack! The arm-thick timbers snapped on impact! The sheer force sent Zhao Xiong and the others staggering back, their qi and blood churning!

"Light it up! Use fire!" Li Yifan shouted, his body flickering as he pushed Spirit Fox Steps to the limit, circling to the Iron Corpse's flank. Pouring Nine Yang True Qi into his saber, he struck at its knee joint with a Burning Wind Style—he had to cripple its mobility first!

Clang! Sparks flew! The blade bit less than half an inch before sticking. The recoil numbed Li Yifan's arm. This thing's defense was monstrous!

At the same time, the squad hurled torches at the Iron Corpse, igniting the oil they had spread on the ground. Boom! Flames erupted, engulfing the creature!

"ROAR!" The Iron Corpse let out a pained bellow. It did fear fire, its movements slowing slightly as the evil qi on its surface sizzled under the blaze. But it did not retreat—instead, it grew more frenzied, swinging its chain-wrapped arms in wide arcs! One of the county soldiers sent to assist, too slow to dodge, was struck by the chain. His bones shattered, and he died on the spot!

"Spread out! Harass it! Aim for the joints and eyes!" Li Yifan stayed calm, commanding with precision. He lunged again, focusing all his power into a Scorching Sun Finger aimed at the Iron Corpse's armpit—a joint with relatively weaker defense!

Pfft! The scorching finger force finally broke through, sinking inches deep! The Iron Corpse's arm went stiff! Li Yifan seized the moment, drew his saber, and hacked at the same spot again!

Zhao Xiong, Sun Shi, and the others mustered their courage, attacking the Iron Corpse's knees and ankles from different angles. Though they couldn't land fatal blows, their constant harassment slowed its movements. Qian Xiaoliu's arrows sought its eyes and ear holes.

But the Iron Corpse was too strong! It suddenly shuddered, and the chains around it lashed out like venomous snakes with terrifying speed! Sun Shi couldn't dodge—the chain struck his chest, sending him flying backward with a spray of blood, gravely wounded!

"Sun Shi!" Zhao Xiong's eyes burned with fury.

Li Yifan's heart raced. Reinforcements hadn't arrived; if this dragged on, they might all die. He had to take a desperate gamble!

"Zhao Xiong, Qian Xiaoliu, cover me! Chen Feng, Zhang Tie, look after Sun Shi!" Li Yifan roared, pushing Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique to its peak! The pale-gold Nine Yang True Qi in his dantian surged at an unprecedented speed, heat billowing from his body, his skin faintly reddening! He gripped his saber with both hands, pouring all his spirit and energy into this single strike! The essence of the mastered Burning Wood Saber Technique reached its zenith, and a faint layer of red-gold light flickered along the blade!

"Nine Yang burns wood—break for me!"

He shot forward like an arrow from a bow! The Iron Corpse, sensing the threat of this strike, roared and swung its chain at him!

Li Yifan dodged with a subtle shift of Spirit Fox Steps, evading the chain and closing into the Iron Corpse's chest! His saber turned into a red-gold streak of lightning, blazing with the heat to incinerate all, and stabbed straight at the creature's heart—where the evil qi was densest, its core!

Pfft—shiiing!

This time, the blade didn't strike dead leather; it sank in like a red-hot knife through butter! The red-gold Nine Yang True Qi flooded the Iron Corpse's body! Supreme yang annihilated extreme yin!

"OWWW—!!!"

The Iron Corpse let out a bloodcurdling shriek. Black smoke billowed from its chest. Its massive frame convulsed violently, its blood-red eyes dimming in an instant. It thrashed, trying to grab Li Yifan, but its movements had already stiffened.

Li Yifan, having landed his blow, didn't linger. He pulled his saber and leaped back, shouting, "Oil! Concentrate on the chest wound!"

Zhao Xiong and Qian Xiaoliu understood. They hurled the remaining oil pots at the Iron Corpse's shattered chest, torches following close behind!

Boom! Flames swallowed the Iron Corpse instantly! This time, fire burned from both inside and out! Nine Yang True Qi rampaged within, destroying the evil qi core!

The Iron Corpse thrashed wildly in the flames, but its movements slowed, until it finally crashed to the ground, reduced to a pile of charred bones, its evil qi spent.

[Life-or-death combat, limit burst! Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique proficiency +30! Burning Wood Saber Technique proficiency +25! Deeper understanding of supreme yang overcoming evil!]

The squad collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, hearts still pounding. That fight had been a hair's breadth from disaster—Sun Shi gravely wounded, one county soldier dead.

But before they could catch their breath, a sharp, piercing howl erupted from the cave: "Who dares destroy my Iron Corpse?! You seek death!"

The words barely faded when a dark figure shot out of the cave like a ghost, leaving only afterimages in its wake! A wave of evil qi, far purer and dozens of times more venomous than the Iron Corpse's, instantly blanketed the area! The newcomer wore a black robe, his face gaunt and sinister, eyes glowing green, black qi swirling around him—an Evil Cultivator! His aura was at least Bone Refining Realm peak, or higher!

"Watch out! It's the corpse-controlling Evil Cultivator!" Li Yifan forced his qi up, holding his saber before the squad. The true mastermind had finally appeared!

The Evil Cultivator's gaze swept over the Iron Corpse's remains, then fixed on Li Yifan, whose qi was heavily drained. He sneered, "Such pure yang qi, boy... You've ruined my plans. You'll pay with that yang body of yours! It'll make a fine yang corpse!"

Before his words died, the Evil Cultivator formed hand seals. Black qi surged around him, coalescing into several dark tentacles that shot toward Li Yifan like lightning! Before they reached him, a bone-piercing chill assaulted his senses, as if it could freeze his blood!

Li Yifan felt immense pressure—this Evil Cultivator was far stronger than the Iron Corpse! Gritting his teeth, he cycled his remaining Nine Yang True Qi, his saber blazing like fire as he slashed at the black tentacles!

Sssss!

The saber qi clashed with the black qi, producing a corrosive hiss! Though Nine Yang True Qi could counter it, the enemy's evil qi was greater in volume and purer! Li Yifan was forced back, his qi and blood churning!

"Captain!" Zhao Xiong and Qian Xiaoliu tried to help, but the Evil Cultivator casually waved a few streams of black qi to drive them back. The gap in strength was too vast!

"Looks like I have to go all out!" A flash of resolve crossed Li Yifan's eyes. He was ready to burn his Nine Yang True Qi again at any cost, using a mutual-destruction tactic.

Just then—

"Whoosh—crack!"

A whistling arrow shot into the sky with a sharp shriek, bursting into a vivid Xuntian Guard flare signal against the pre-dawn darkness.

It was Qian Xiaoliu! While the Evil Cultivator's attention was fixed on Li Yifan, he had secretly released a distress signal!

The Evil Cultivator's expression shifted. "Filthy Xuntian Guard scum!" Clearly unwilling to be surrounded by a larger force, his assault slackened. He shot Li Yifan a venomous glare. "Boy, I'll remember you. Next time we meet, I'll take your yang essence!"

With that, his form flickered, dissolving into a wisp of black smoke. Abandoning the cave, he fled into the deep mountain forests at astonishing speed.

Li Yifan did not give chase. His reserves were heavily drained, and the Evil Cultivator's escape art was too bizarre—pursuing him would be far too risky. Letting out a breath, he immediately checked Sun Shi's injuries and had Qian Xiaoliu tend to the fallen village militiamen's remains.

Daylight crept in. In the distance, hoofbeats and shouts rang out—the reinforcements from Linshan County and the vanguard of the Xuntian Guard, alerted by carrier pigeon, had finally arrived.

Gazing at the ravaged battlefield and the fleeing Evil Cultivator, Li Yifan's heart grew heavy. The mission was complete—the source of the corpse plague had been found and destroyed—but it had come at a cost. More importantly, a powerful, vicious Evil Cultivator had slipped away. This was undoubtedly like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.

"A corpse-refining Evil Cultivator... this matter is far from over." Li Yifan stared in the direction the Evil Cultivator had vanished, tightening his grip on his blade. After this battle, he understood more deeply than ever the importance of strength—and just how treacherous and troublesome the path of dark cultivators could be.