"Vile thief! I never imagined you'd dare impersonate my most revered Senior Sister Zhu Yan. Hand over your life at once!"
Xu Yuan's righteous voice rang through the room. He then controlled his flying sword and charged forward again. Having broken through to the middle stage of Qi Refining and with the support of five-element spiritual veins, the sheer might of this dharma artifact was already terrifying. An ordinary fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator facing it head-on would likely lose their head in an instant.
Having heard that Xu Yuan had previously only been at the third layer of Qi Refining, Zhu Yan had believed that even if he possessed some skill, the Yin Crow could easily suppress him. She had only sent a wisp of her divided soul this time—who could have imagined that this brat had not only broken through, but also possessed such nerve?
"Bastard, I am Zhu Yan! Stop at once!"
After another furious rebuke, a ripple suddenly rose from the black crow inhabited by Zhu Yan. The black feathers around its neck then turned illusory and fell away, stabbing straight toward Xu Yuan's brow.
With Xu Yuan's speed, there was simply no avoiding this strike. In an instant, he felt as though he had been dragged into a purple illusion. Countless arms lunged at him within it, seemingly intent on dragging him into an abyss of eternal damnation.
"Bold outer-mountain disciple, you insist on forcing my hand."
Outside, Zhu Yan's black crow let out a smug, cold laugh. Even when cast through the body of a Yin beast, this soul-striking technique was not something a mere mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator could withstand. But since this brat had offended her first, he could only suffer a little.
Flapping her wings, Zhu Yan swept them across Xu Yuan's