An explosion of force tore through the field, sending debris flying high into the air. Rocks the size of houses were launched dozens of meters away.

THUD THUD THUD THUD

When the dust and smoke cleared, a massive crater had formed, hundred meters across and plunging deep into the ground.

Meng Bai stood frozen, his mouth slightly agape. "That... that’s almost like what Master can do."

Lin Mu chuckled softly. "Her precision is commendable. That was almost exactly the depth we needed."

Cattaleya flexed her arm, brushing some dust off her shoulder. "Almost? I can go deeper if you want," she said teasingly.

Lin Mu smiled. "No, this is perfect."

Without hesitation, he leapt into the crater, his robes fluttering behind him as he descended.

The others followed swiftly, landing lightly on the uneven ground at the bottom. A dense wave of cold Qi immediately washed over them, carrying a foul, iron-like scent. Even without using their senses, they could all feel it... the pulsing corruption buried within the soil.

It did not take long to find the source.

"There it is..."

Now that the earth had been removed, the object was exposed to the open air, its sinister nature apparent to all.

It was a small mass, roughly the size of a clenched fist, irregular in shape, and deep crimson in color. It looked like congealed, curdled blood that had dried over years, yet it pulsed faintly as if still alive. Veins of black energy slithered across its surface, leaking threads of dark smoke into the surrounding air.

Monk Hushu frowned, his expression grave. "Such a foul thing should never have been allowed to exist. It reeks of death and sin."

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed as he crouched near it. "It’s a vessel of some kind. Possibly the focus or byproduct of a ritual. Whatever it is, it’s dangerous."

He reached out, his hand glowing faintly with protective Qi, and carefully lifted the grotesque mass.

But the moment his fingers made contact, the entire steppe seemed to shudder.

KIREAAAAAAAAAAA

A piercing wail ripped through the air: shrill, ghostly, and full of agony. It echoed across the plains, shaking the ground and rattling the stones. The sound was the same haunting wail they had heard earlier, but magnified a hundredfold.

"ARGH!" Meng Bai cried out, clutching his head as the sound tore into his mind.

His Qi wavered violently, nearly destabilizing his control. The others, though startled, managed to resist the mental assault through sheer willpower and cultivation.

"Protect him!" Cattaleya shouted.

Lin Mu reacted instantly.

SHUA

He released his Sword Intent, wrapping Meng Bai in an invisible barrier of sharp, cutting energy. The air around the young man shimmered as the Intent sliced apart the invading spiritual sound, isolating him completely. Meng Bai gasped as the pain abruptly vanished, though his face remained pale.

"Stay calm," Lin Mu said firmly. "You’re safe now."

But even as he spoke, new danger emerged.

The blood mass in his hand began to convulse, twisting violently as streams of dark energy burst out of it. Shapes began to form within the smoke, vague, humanoid figures made of shadow and malice. Their eyes burned like dim coals, and their screams mingled with the echo of the wail.

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Dark specters swarmed from the corrupted mass, lunging at the group with unnatural speed.

Monk Hushu clasped his hands together, his calm voice rising in the middle of chaos.

"Amitabha! Light of Buddha guides all!."

Hummmm

His chanting echoed like the tolling of a temple bell, golden light spreading outward in ripples. Every ripple struck the shadows, weakening their forms. Yet they persisted, screeching in fury.

Cattaleya’s vitality surged once again, her body flaring with crimson aura.

Woom woom wooom

She met the incoming specters head-on, each of her punches releasing shockwaves that tore through the ghostly shapes. Her blood energy was so strong that it burned through their essence upon contact.

Elyon, meanwhile, stood still with an amused expression. "Darkness against me?" he muttered with a grin. "How foolish."

He extended his claws, and the surrounding shadows bent toward him instead of away. A claw of condensed darkness materialized, slicing effortlessly through the specters. Each time he moved, the dark figures dissolved into wisps of smoke, consumed by his superior control over darkness.

REEE REE REEE

The remaining specters shifted, attempting to strike at Meng Bai.

HISSS!!! HISSS!!!

But before they could reach him, twin serpents hissed sharply.

Xiao Yin and Xiao Yang, the twin snakes coiled around Meng Bai’s arms, uncoiled in a flash. Xiao Yin released a chilling hiss filled with pure Yin Qi, which caused the attacking specters to screech in pain, their forms destabilizing from the superior power.

SHAAA

Then Xiao Yang followed, exhaling a breath of pure Yang Qi that incinerated them in an instant, purifying even their remnants.

Lin Mu stood at the center of it all, eyes calm and focused.

’I can’t let them proliferate.’ Lin Mu thought. ’I need to end them in one go.’

As more shadows surged from the writhing blood mass, he raised his hand, and a storm of silver light erupted from his body. His Sword Intent flared outward, forming countless illusory blades that filled the crater like a silver sea.

SHING SHING SHING

With one gesture, the blades swept forward, slicing through every remaining specter with absolute precision. The howls ceased abruptly, replaced by silence.

Once the last of the specters had vanished, Lin Mu looked down at the corrupted mass in his hand. It still pulsed weakly, refusing to die.

"Time to eliminate the source." He muttered.

His eyes glowed faintly golden as he began to recite the Calming Heart Sutra.

"Let thy heart be as the moonlit pond—unmoving, clear, and deep. Release all suffering, and awaken to the boundless stillness beyond form."

The words resonated with immense power, echoing through both the physical and spiritual realms.

A wave of pure Buddhist aura spread outward, bathing the mass in warm light. The black veins on its surface sizzled and burned away, while the deep crimson color began to pale.

Within seconds, the object disintegrated entirely, turning into fine dust that scattered into the air and vanished.