Battle with the Ghost Moth

On the outskirts of Sunset Forest, Qian Yun and Hu Liena sat inside the tent. Since it was inconvenient to light a fire, they ate their rations with some water, then quietly sat cross-legged and adjusted their conditions.

The Cat's Eye Stone on Qian Yun's chest flashed, and a bead and a gauzy robe appeared in his hands.

Even with his enemy right in front of him, how could Qian Yun truly put himself in danger? Before setting out, he had already taken treasures from Pope Hall that were suited to the Ghost Moth's traits, hoping to finish the battle quickly.

The bead in his hand was about half the size of a fist. It was called the Green Bamboo Treasure Bead, and its entire surface was a tender green. Even in the darkness, it gave off a gentle glow. Its effect was to drive away filth from the surrounding area, protecting them from the Poison Mist.

The other item was a gauzy robe. Though light and unremarkable in appearance, it was the more valuable of the two. It was called the Goddess Gauze and had an exceptionally powerful ability to conceal spiritual power. It could completely block the Ghost Moth's spiritual detection, allowing Qian Yun to catch it off guard.

Besides that, he had brought two Thunder-Attracting Spears. The Ghost Moth wasn't particularly afraid of lightning, but Qian Yun only needed their sharpness, which was enough to pierce rock.

After checking everything, Qian Yun handed the Goddess Gauze to Hu Liena, who was sharpening her knife. He had prepared it for Xiao Na in the first place. His Crown Martial Soul possessed powerful spiritual energy, and he was confident he could withstand the Ghost Moth's mental attacks. By comparison, Hu Liena, who specialized in seduction, was undoubtedly better suited to wearing the Goddess Gauze.

Hu Liena, who had remained silent, put away the short knife Bibi Dong had given her. "I wonder what kind of Spirit Skill the Ghost Moth will give you."

Qian Yun tucked away the bead and replied, "Based on what I know about it, with a thousand years of cultivation, it probably won't give me an offensive Spirit Skill. But it definitely won't be bad."

"Mm."

The night passed uneventfully.

The next day, the sun rose. Qian Yun and Hu Liena emerged from the tent and, just as they had the night before, Qian Yun whistled to summon a scout to lead the way.

They were still on the very outskirts of Sunset Forest. A Ghost Moth, which preferred dark surroundings, naturally wouldn't stay there.

Qian Yun and Hu Liena sped through the dense forest, following the scout. With the scout leading them, they made rapid progress.

Qian Yun's golden eyes stayed fixed on the scout's back, his mind frighteningly calm.

What had been his greatest gain from all those years in the Enforcement Team? The answer was undoubtedly the serenity of his mind.

Though his enemy was right before him, he hadn't shown the slightest trace of killing intent. He had come only to take the Ghost Moth's life; he had no other thoughts.

Their group avoided the territories of various Spirit Beasts along the way and soon arrived at a gloomy cave.

The place was sheltered from the wind and surrounded by towering trees. Cold gusts blew from the cave entrance, making them shiver.

The scout exchanged a few words with the people stationed there, then returned to Qian Yun's side. "Sir, the Ghost Moth is still inside."

Qian Yun nodded. "All right. Stay outside. If the Ghost Moth escapes, do everything you can to kill it."

"Yes, sir." The scout bowed and stepped back. After what Qian Yun had said the previous night, he naturally wouldn't make a fool of himself by trying to ingratiate himself again.

Qian Yun turned around and gazed at the dark cave, which looked like the gaping maw of some ferocious beast. A faint smile tugged at his lips.

The Ghost Moth was nocturnal. In broad daylight, it was most likely still asleep.

Hu Liena tossed the gauzy robe into the air. An invisible barrier-like covering enveloped them. The scenery before Qian Yun and Hu Liena warped for a moment, then returned to normal.

The difference was that the cold wind from the cave could no longer affect them at all.

After activating his Martial Soul Possession, Qian Yun started walking forward. Hu Liena summoned her Martial Soul and followed close behind.

The deeper they went into the cave, the less light reached them. Before long, the darkness grew so deep they could barely see the path ahead.

After walking for a while longer, Hu Liena seemed to sense something in front of them.

"Shrrk—"

A harsh scraping sound rang out. In the blink of an eye, Qian Yun had boldly raised a torch, illuminating the formerly dark cave. Its wavering flame shone over smooth stone walls that hadn't seen bright light in countless ages, reflecting faint glimmers.

By the torchlight, Hu Liena finally made out what lay ahead. Her eyes trembled, and her small hand instinctively clenched.

Before them lay a mass of blood and flesh so thoroughly devoured it was impossible to identify. Only its long, thin tail suggested that the remains belonged to a monkey.

The creature's chest had been torn open and was sunken in. Its internal organs were long gone. Its eyes were wide open, terror and hatred forever frozen on its monkey face—it almost looked human!

Just then, Qian Yun felt the transparent barrier in front of them shudder violently.

"Gree—!"

An ear-piercing, mournful shriek followed!

Quick as a flash, Qian Yun raised the torch and hurled it with all his strength toward the upper side of the cave.

As the torch spun through the air, sparks flew from it. A drop of water fell. One side reflected Qian Yun and Hu Liena holding the torch, while the other showed a pair of scarlet eyes. Beneath that pair, another pair of eyes slowly opened...

The thrown torch lodged firmly in the rock wall. Qian Yun finally saw what they were about to face.

Four pairs of scarlet compound eyes sat atop a dark gray body as large as a giant bell. At the very top, a black claw missing a finger was deeply embedded in the stone wall.

This was the Spirit Beast they had been searching for—the Ghost Moth. Its entire body hung upside down, and as it moved, its broad, thin wings, which connected its mouth to its claws, suddenly beat.

"Hmph!"

Without needing a word, Qian Yun and Hu Liena unleashed their Spirit Skills at the same time.

Spirit Roar sent ripples through the air, with Fox Fire close behind. They were aiming for the moment it released its claws, before it had a chance to spread its wings!

The Ghost Moth hung in midair. Taken by surprise, it nevertheless showed the cunning of a thousand-year Spirit Beast. It tucked in one of its dark gray wings while beating the other with all its strength, its enormous body displaying unexpected agility.

By then, Qian Yun's Spirit Roar had only just arrived. With a crash, rocks flew everywhere and a cloud of white smoke burst open. After dodging the attack, the Ghost Moth finally spread its wings.

The first strike had missed, but Qian Yun wasn't the slightest bit frustrated. He put his right hand on Hu Liena's shoulder and channeled his spiritual power into her.

Hu Liena's eyes lit up as the Crown empowered her. Her two fox tails swayed behind her, and she raised a hand toward the Fox Fire already streaking through the air, guiding it toward the Ghost Moth.

At her gesture, the Fox Fire, which had been about to miss, seemed to receive an invisible command. It changed course without warning, tracing a snowy white line through the air before lightly striking the Ghost Moth.

"Gree—gree!"

The pale, eerie Fox Fire landed on the Ghost Moth's body. It was as if a spark had ignited lamp oil. With a boom, it exploded against the creature.

Hu Liena's trick worked, but it also enraged the Ghost Moth. An even more furious shriek burst from its body and howled through the cave, making the Goddess Gauze ripple violently.

Seeing that the Ghost Moth's attack had no effect, Qian Yun felt reassured. He launched another Spirit Roar, this one imbued with Star Power and lightning that could paralyze it.

The Spirit Roar shot out at incredible speed and, as expected, struck the Ghost Moth while it was still shrieking. After a crackling burst of noise, the creature's body stiffened. It neither dodged nor flapped its wings, but hung eerily suspended in the air like a painting.

Qian Yun frowned, then pushed off with his feet and jumped away with Hu Liena. The spot where they had been standing abruptly collapsed.

Seeing this, Qian Yun thought, Just as I expected.

Ghost Moths were vicious by nature and possessed powerful mental attacks. They were a notoriously difficult opponent in the Spirit Beast Realm, and a thousand years of cultivation had undoubtedly made this one even more terrifying.

It had also gained an ability that would make it extremely difficult for its opponents to deal with: Clone.

Unlike what people usually imagined, the Ghost Moth's Clone wasn't merely a phantom. It was a completely separate body!

That meant the Clone could attack just like the original. Although its attacks were only thirty percent as powerful, it was still terrifying. Especially now, when their numerical advantage had vanished.

Qian Yun kept his eyes locked on the Ghost Moth and said gravely, "Xiao Na, use your first Spirit Skill!"

"Okay!"

Pink mist instantly filled the air. With the Crown's enhancement, Hu Liena's first Spirit Skill now did more than interfere with her opponents' minds—it also greatly strengthened her allies.

Within Charm, Qian Yun and Hu Liena's abilities increased once more.

The Goddess Gauze concealed their spiritual presence, while Charm concealed them from sight. Now they had truly disappeared from the Ghost Moth's senses.

The Ghost Moth in the air stared down at the red mist that had suddenly appeared, uncertain. It couldn't sense its opponents at all.

But even if they had disappeared, they couldn't escape an attack that covered the entire area. Its eyes blazed with vicious light as it beat its enormous wings, gathering a whirlwind. Its Clone began to build up power beside it.

The next instant, a storm of attacks poured down. The two Ghost Moths kept hurling whirlwind after whirlwind from the air, as if they would never run out.

The whirlwinds crashed down, and the ground roared. Only after the rising dust obscured the red mist did the Ghost Moth finally stop. It hovered in the air, slowly beating its wings as all four pairs of compound eyes swept across the surroundings.

Even it couldn't attack endlessly. On top of that, it had to bear the strain of maintaining its Clone and healing the wounds Hu Liena had inflicted earlier.

Everything seemed to fall silent again.

"Whoosh—"

Another Spirit Roar pierced through the smoke and struck the Ghost Moth's Clone.

Both Ghost Moths in the air shuddered at once. Then the Clone seemed to develop cracks.

A Clone was still only a Clone. After withstanding so many attacks, it was finally nearing its limit.

The Ghost Moth looked toward the red mist on the ground. A red gleam flashed in its eyes, and the Clone beside it dropped straight toward the mist like a kite with its strings cut.

If it couldn't find them, why not use its body to probe? The Ghost Moth's compound eyes fixed on the red mist, and a massive whirlwind gathered in front of it. The moment those two human brats dared to show themselves, it was confident it could kill them with a single strike.

However, as the Clone plunged into the red mist, everything once again fell eerily silent. The Clone had plunged into the mist like a stone sinking into the sea, and then there was no sign of it.

Only then did the Ghost Moth finally realize, by the instinctive fear a beast felt before a powerful enemy, that these two humans were beyond anything it could understand. It gradually began to consider retreating.

The massive whirlwind in front of its chest began to shrink, and its wings beat more slowly.

Suddenly, the faintest sound of something cutting through the air rang out.

The thrown blade spun faster and faster through the air, slashing toward the Ghost Moth like a silver disc.

In that split second, at the edge of the red mist, Qian Yun seemed to glimpse a deeply human sneer on the Ghost Moth's hideous face.

The sharp blade sliced through the air without making the slightest sound. Then it really did stop...

The Ghost Moth glanced at the short knife hovering in front of it, then beat its wings. Hu Liena's knife flew back along its original path.

Immediately afterward, it locked onto a spot in the red mist and leaned forward, diving toward where Hu Liena was.

The instant the short knife stopped, Qian Yun sensed something was wrong. He sprang up and rushed toward Hu Liena.

Hu Liena stared at the diving Ghost Moth. With its power locked onto her, there was nowhere to hide. As danger drew near, she didn't make a futile attempt to flee. Fox Fire gathered in her hand.

Just as she chose to fight with everything she had, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Help me!" Qian Yun shouted as he shielded Hu Liena. At the same time, the Second Soul Ring beneath his feet blazed brightly.

Hu Liena didn't hesitate. She pressed her other hand against Qian Yun's back, pouring out all her Soul Power, while the Fox Fire in her free hand shot toward the short knife in midair.

Qian Yun raised his head to face the Ghost Moth, gritting his teeth. As his Second Soul Skill activated, light burst from his hands, and dazzling colors swallowed everything in the cave in an instant.

Then Qian Yun raised the Spirit Blade in his hand and struck down at the Ghost Moth with everything he had!