Chapter 581 - 320: Joining Forces

When Lü Zhong saw Wanmu, his gaze turned cold.

’I’ve already killed Qingding, and now Wanmu is all alone. If I can take this opportunity to get rid of him as well... With all the Nascent Soul guardians of their Sect dead, Changchun Valley would collapse on its own.’

It was, admittedly, a tempting thought.

Especially with Shuini right beside him.

If the two of them teamed up, Wanmu would have virtually no chance of survival.

But just then, a figure stumbled into view. It was Baihua, the very one who had been swallowed by the Ancient Rock Python.

Something was clearly wrong with her. Billowing black miasma poured from her body, her hands and feet had contorted into the shape of gnarled roots, and her frenzied face was a mask of terror.

"Ah, AHHHH!"

Baihua shrieked in terror as she ran.

Seeing this, the expressions of the onlookers grew grim.

For a Nascent Soul Cultivator to be so terrified, it had to be something serious. Considering their own recent encounters and the black miasma clinging to Baihua...

The cultivators present all came to the same conclusion.

At that moment, Lü Zhong and Shuini exchanged a look. With perfect unspoken understanding, they flickered out of sight, retreating to a safe distance before anyone else could react.

At the same time, the black miasma behind Baihua coalesced.

A black shadow materialized from it. It wasn’t a solid entity, but rather a smoky, vaguely humanoid form. Its scarlet eyes, like twin lanterns, radiated an intense and unconcealed malice.

"Where do you think you’re going? With your superior Wood Spirit Body, you are the perfect vessel for this god’s descent. Hahaha! I suggest you submit quietly. You are afflicted with my Heart-Loss Curse. Even if you managed an Ascension to the Spirit Realm this very instant, you could not escape my pursuit. You’d best give up hope."

The shadow spoke in a hoarse, grating voice that struck everyone’s ears like a Divine Sense attack. Even Lü Zhong, whose Divine Sense was stronger than that of his peers, felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his mind.

If even Lü Zhong was affected, the other cultivators were naturally in greater distress.

Meanwhile, upon hearing the shadow’s words, Baihua tore open the front of her robes. A ring, wreathed in black miasma, was branded on her chest. The terror on her face deepened, and as she felt the black ring devouring her consciousness, her eyes filled with despair.

"No! No, no!"

Baihua screamed in terror, realizing she could no longer think clearly.

Lü Zhong watched the entire scene unfold.

Recalling the shadow’s words, he easily deduced that the black ring on Baihua’s chest must be the so-called "Heart-Loss Curse." Observing it closely with his Celestial Net Secret Eye, he could see a clear connection between the ring and the shadow. Each time the black ring pulsed, the shadow’s aura grew stronger.

By now, the shadow had closed in on Baihua, the two of them less than thirty feet apart.

It was on the verge of succeeding.

The cultivators present watched with varying expressions, but not one of them made a move. It seemed they all intended to stand by and watch as the shadow consumed Baihua.

The scene was a perfect illustration of the selfish nature of cultivators.

"Hahaha..."

The shadow let out a sinister cackle, perhaps mocking the onlookers, or perhaps trying to further terrorize Baihua. Then, with a soft POOF, it exploded into a cloud of inky mist.

Without warning, it surged toward Baihua, attempting to envelop her.

Baihua, who had been watching the fiend’s every move, paled when she saw this. She hastily mustered what little Magical Power she had left and summoned her Lifebound Treasure.

A flowering branch shot out, transforming into a dense cluster of blossoms that formed a protective barrier around her.

"Hahaha! You know it’s useless! A complete waste of effort!" a savage laugh echoed from within the black mist, thick with unconcealed arrogance.

As it spoke, it continued to press forward.

Simultaneously, it shot out tendrils of mist.

Just as the shadow had claimed, the barrier of blossoms was useless. Its tendrils melted through the defense without resistance and landed directly on Baihua.

But just then, a Thunder Spear shot forth in a flash of lightning.

CRACKLE! The lightning erupted.

The Thunderous Spear struck the misty form of the shadow, instantly exploding into a massive Thunder Ball. A hysterical, agonizing shriek followed. All the tendrils that had reached Baihua’s body were zapped and recoiled instantly. The black mist itself shot back a hundred zhang before it could stabilize its form.

"You... Who in the world are you?" The shadow’s arrogance was gone, replaced by shock and suspicion. It stared at Lü Zhong, the one who had just attacked, and couldn’t help but retreat a few more steps.

That single strike from the Thunder Spear had wounded it severely.

A few more shots like that, and its soul would likely be annihilated.

"Heh..." Lü Zhong ignored the shadow. Once his Thunder Swamp was fully charged, he raised a hand and blasted the shadow with another Thunder Skill. As it scrambled to dodge, he shifted his gaze to the other cultivators, including Wanmu, and said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoists, I believe we have a problem. Look at her!"

He pointed at Baihua, who was now stumbling about.

A low gurgling sound emanated from her throat.

Her once-delicate features were now pale and bloodless, withered and shrunken. Her eyes were clouded, devoid of any Spiritual Light. She looked like a Walking Dead.

The black ring on her chest had become a black hole.

The black hole was continuously siphoning away all of Baihua’s Magical Cultivation, transferring it to the shadow through some mysterious connection and bolstering its power.

At this rate...

It wouldn’t be long before Baihua was drained completely dry!

Hearing this, Wanmu and the others understood Lü Zhong’s intention perfectly. He clearly wanted the five of them to join forces.

But... they hesitated.