They had no fixed form, only masses of twisted darkness, but each one gave off a dangerous aura.
Thousand-year Soul Beasts.
Shadow Charms.
Soul Beasts unique to Shadow Valley. They lived near Shadow Space Rifts and fed on life.
Bai Lan counted them.
At least twenty.
He looked at Mu En.
Mu En stood motionless.
He showed no intention of joining the fight.
Bai Lan smiled.
He took a deep breath and turned to Yinxing.
"Let's go."
Yinxing nodded.
The next second—
Silver light burst forth!
Yinxing vanished from where she stood, turning into a streak of silver light as she charged at the nearest Shadow Charm!
Dimensional Slash!
Silver light flashed, slicing the Shadow Charm in two. It dispersed into black mist.
At the same time, Bai Lan raised his hand.
The Contract Book appeared in his palm.
Golden light shimmered!
The enormous figure of Tiangang Bamboo appeared behind him!
Its golden stalk shone brilliantly against the darkness. Three hundred and sixty golden leaves broke free from its branches and hovered in midair!
"Tiangang Arrow Formation!"
Bai Lan barked.
The next second—
Three hundred and sixty streaks of golden light shot forth at once!
Arrow Rain swept across the battlefield!
In the darkness, golden light streaked across the night, each bolt finding its mark and striking a Shadow Charm!
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss—
Black mist exploded!
One Shadow Charm after another vanished into nothingness!
But there were too many Shadow Charms.
They had barely wiped out one wave when more poured out of the darkness.
Bai Lan's eyes narrowed.
"Yinxing!"
Yinxing understood.
She flashed into the air above Bai Lan.
Her butterfly wings spread wide.
Void Domain!
In an instant, the darkness within a hundred meters of Bai Lan and Yinxing began to twist.
The Shadow Charms rushing in immediately lost their sense of direction.
They hovered in midair, unsure where to go or whom to attack.
Their Spatial Perception was thrown into utter chaos.
Bai Lan seized the opportunity.
"Tiangang Arrow Formation, second volley!"
Three hundred and sixty streaks of golden light shot forth once more!
The arrows rained down!
Shadow Charms fell in droves!
Black mist billowed.
But Bai Lan didn't stop.
He knew this was only an appetizer.
The real opponent had yet to appear.
Sure enough—
Just as the last Shadow Charm faded away,
a low growl came from the darkness.
The sound seemed to come from deep beneath the earth—or from the other side of the Shadow Space Rift.
It carried an endless chill.
And a terrifying pressure.
Bai Lan's pupils contracted.
He sensed an aura.
It was stronger than Yinxing's.
Much stronger.
"Mu En..."
He spoke without thinking.
But there was no answer behind him.
He turned around.
Mu En was gone.
Bai Lan froze.
The next second, Mu En's voice came from the darkness:
"Kid, this is your real opponent."
"Let's see how long you can last."
The voice faded.
Only endless darkness remained.
And that terrifying aura, drawing closer by the second.
Bai Lan took a deep breath.
He looked at Yinxing.
Yinxing looked back at him.
"Master," she said, her voice calm. "That thing is at least fifty thousand years old."
Fifty thousand years.
Bai Lan fell silent for a second.
Then he smiled.
"Fifty thousand years, huh?"
He turned toward the depths of the darkness.
"Come on."
Behind him, Tiangang Bamboo's golden light burned even brighter.
Beside him, Yinxing's butterfly wings quivered softly.
The growl in the darkness drew closer.
A massive shadow slowly emerged.
It was a giant beast.
It resembled a black panther, but was ten times larger.
Its body was pitch-black, its fur like flowing shadows, and its eyes a ghostly purple.
It stood in the darkness as if it were the darkness itself.
Void Shadow Beast.
Fifty thousand years.
Bai Lan looked at it, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Yinxing."
"I'm here."
"Tiangang Bamboo."
Golden light flickered.
"Let's take it on together."
He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Let's see—"
"Just how strong a fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast is."
"My third Contract Beast!!"
"Your master's here!!"
At that very moment.
Deep in the darkness, a pair of ghostly purple eyes stared fixedly at Bai Lan.
The fifty-thousand-year Void Shadow Beast radiated a suffocating pressure just by standing there.
It was enormous.
It stood three zhang tall at the shoulder and measured more than five zhang from nose to tail, like a moving hill.
Its pitch-black fur stirred without a breeze. Every strand seemed alive, swaying softly in the darkness and devouring the light around it.
The most terrifying thing was its eyes.
Its ghostly purple, vertical pupils held no emotion—only absolute indifference.
As if it were looking at an ant.
Bai Lan stood still, looking up at the giant beast.
His palms were slightly damp.
Fifty thousand years.
He had seen Yinxing's strength when she was also fifty thousand years old.
She had killed more than a dozen two-thousand-year Gale Wolves in three seconds.
But now—
Yinxing was already a hundred thousand years old.
And the Void Shadow Beast before him was also fifty thousand years old.
Yet its aura was stronger than Yinxing's had been at fifty thousand years.
"Master."
Yinxing's voice sounded beside his ear, unusually grave.
"Something's wrong with its aura."
Bai Lan asked, "What's wrong with it?"
Yinxing was silent for a second, then said:
"It has the aura of the Shadow Space."
"It may have... lived in the Shadow Space for many years."
"Within the Shadow Space, its strength is no weaker than that of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"
Bai Lan's pupils contracted.
The Shadow Space.
Mu En had told him it was another dimension, and anyone pulled into it would never get out.
But this Void Shadow Beast—
Not only had it survived and made it out, it had also fused the power of the Shadow Space into itself?
"Interesting," Bai Lan murmured.
He took a deep breath, pushing down his shock.
Fifty thousand years old, and fused with the power of the Shadow Space.
It was certainly strong.
But he wasn't the six-year-old child he had once been.
He had Tiangang Bamboo, which was thirty thousand years old.
He had the hundred-thousand-year Void Butterfly Empress.
And he also had—
Himself.
"Yinxing."
"I'm here."
"Keep it occupied head-on."
Yinxing nodded. "Yes."
The next second, she vanished from where she stood.
Space Folding.
When she appeared again, she was already floating above the Void Shadow Beast.
Her butterfly wings spread.
Void Domain!
In an instant, the darkness within a hundred meters began to twist violently.
The space around the Void Shadow Beast grew chaotic, rendering normal perception completely useless.
But the giant beast—
didn't move an inch.
It merely raised its head and looked at Yinxing.
A trace of mockery flickered in its ghostly purple eyes.
Yinxing's pupils contracted.
The next second, the Void Shadow Beast moved.
It didn't run.
It teleported.
It vanished from where it stood, then reappeared behind Yinxing!
A massive claw came crashing down!
Shadow Claw!
Yinxing's expression changed. She flashed aside, narrowly dodging the blow.
But the claw grazed her shoulder, scattering a spray of silvery blood mist.
"Yinxing!" Bai Lan's pupils contracted sharply.
Yinxing retreated dozens of meters, clutching her shoulder.
The wound wasn't deep, but Shadow Power was already corroding her body.
"Master," she said, her voice still calm. "It can use spatial abilities too. With Shadow Space boosting it, it's no weaker than me!"
Bai Lan fell silent.
The Void Shadow Beast.
Darkness element, with a trace of space element.
A trace?
Was that what the hell they called a trace?
The giant beast floated in midair, looking down at them.
Its ghostly purple eyes remained cold.
As if it were looking at two reckless fools who didn't know when to quit.
Then it spoke.
"Hundred-thousand-year... Void Butterfly Empress..."
Before you continue