Chapter 164: Devouring the Evil Sword Soul

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Devouring the Evil Sword Soul

Yi Xiaoyao followed the white-haired elder into a quiet valley and entered an underground stone cave.

Beneath the stone cave was a vast subterranean space, filled with gusts of sinister wind.

The moment the members of the Cheng Mansion entered the cave, their faces turned deathly pale, filled with terror.

"Young friend, the Sword Soul is here."

The elder’s face was also a little pale as he spoke to Yi Xiaoyao.

Yi Xiaoyao surveyed the subterranean space. The sword Qi here was far denser than anywhere else in the Washing Sword Sect.

Strangely, the ground was covered in shadows that looked like grasping tentacles and vines. A portion of these shadows, however, was completely withered.

The group advanced slowly, and soon they could faintly make out a statue standing up ahead.

When Yi Xiaoyao was a hundred zhang from the statue, his gaze hardened.

The statue was incredibly lifelike. It depicted a middle-aged man holding a longsword. The blade was only three inches out of its sheath, yet in that instant, Yi Xiaoyao felt as if he had been killed countless times over.

’To think a mere statue could possess such power. It’s easy to imagine how formidable its subject must have been in his time.’

"This is the eighteenth Sect Leader of our Washing Sword Sect. The Sword Soul is hiding inside the statue," the white-haired elder said, his voice trembling slightly.

Yi Xiaoyao nodded. He had already noticed that all the tentacle-like shadows covering the ground originated from the base of the statue, spreading out in all directions like a spiderweb.

The withered and shrunken shadows took up exactly one-third of the area, which perfectly corresponded to the one-third of the Sword Soul’s spirit he had previously devoured.

Suddenly, a cold, deep voice emanated from the statue.

"My descendants, you have done well. This brat dared to devour a part of my soul! Kill him for me! Use his blood to nourish my soul!"

The voice belonged to the Sword Soul, directed at the white-haired elder and his men. It was filled with rage and greed.

Yi Xiaoyao’s heart tightened. He shot a wary glance at the men behind him.

The white-haired elder met Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze. There was no Killing Intent in his eyes. He shouted, "Young friend, pay no attention to this evil creature! Its source is within the statue. Please, destroy it quickly!"

Yi Xiaoyao understood immediately. His body blurred into an Illusion as he shot toward the statue.

The Sword Soul seemed not to have anticipated this, and it roared in absolute fury.

"My descendants, you dare to betray me?!"

In an instant, the countless black shadows on the ground seemed to come alive, forming tangible, tentacle-like vines that surged wildly toward the white-haired elder and the others.

"Quick! Use the Soul Guarding Spell I taught you!"

The white-haired elder shouted the reminder to the middle-aged men beside him. They all focused their Intent to guard their souls, resisting the black shadows that had already wrapped around their bodies.

"Young friend, we can only hold on for the time it takes an incense stick to burn!"

The white-haired elder shouted to Yi Xiaoyao while chanting the spell.

Yi Xiaoyao grinned. ’Now that I’ve found the Sword Soul’s source, devouring it will be as easy as breathing. Why would I need a whole incense stick’s worth of time?’

He was filled with excitement. The thought of devouring this immensely powerful Sword Soul made him tremble with anticipation.

"Human brat, you can die too!"

The statue roared again. Immediately, countless shadow tentacles shot out from under Yi Xiaoyao’s feet and rapidly coiled around him.

The next moment, Yi Xiaoyao couldn’t move an inch. His soul felt as if it were being crushed by countless giant pythons, on the verge of being torn to shreds.

Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes turned bloodshot as he roared, "You think a mere Evil Soul like you can kill me?"

The next instant, the Soul-Devouring Forbidden Technique erupted. A frenzied Devouring Power burst from Yi Xiaoyao’s body, and his soul began to expand rapidly.

"AHH!! What is this power?! Get away from me! Get out of here!"

The Evil Sword Soul shrieked again. A large new patch of shadows on the ground withered as it immediately gave up its attack on Yi Xiaoyao and retreated into the statue.

Yi Xiaoyao sneered. ’This kind of soul attack is impossible to defend against. Even a Nascent Soul Realm expert would probably fall to this Evil Sword Soul.’

’But the Soul-Devouring Forbidden Technique is a Secret Technique left to me by the Sword God. It’s the ultimate nightmare for a soul like this.’

As the shadows receded, Yi Xiaoyao regained his mobility and slowly walked up to the statue.

"I told you I would devour you completely. You won’t get another chance to do evil."

As his voice fell, he raised his hand and pressed it against the statue.

"Soul-Devouring Forbidden Technique!"

His cold voice was followed by a scream that echoed through the cavern.

WHOOSH...

As he freely devoured the Sword Soul, Yi Xiaoyao felt his entire being grow light, as if floating. He plundered all three hundred years of the Evil Sword Soul’s accumulation, strengthening his own soul to a terrifying degree!

"AHH!! Please, spare me!"

The Evil Sword Soul had lost all its previous ferocity, its pleas for mercy growing weaker and weaker.

Yi Xiaoyao was completely immersed in the pleasure of his soul’s growth, turning a deaf ear to its cries for help.

On the ground, the dense, web-like shadow tentacles were withering and retracting at an astonishing speed.

The black shadows coiled around the white-haired elder and his men also receded quickly, allowing them to gasp for breath.

"This young man... who in the world is he?"

"He actually managed to destroy the Sword Soul that controlled our Washing Sword Sect for three hundred years, and so easily!"

"From now on, we no longer have to live like slaves and puppets!"

As the men talked with joyous excitement, the Evil Sword Soul’s screams gradually faded into silence.

Yi Xiaoyao slowly withdrew his palm and took a deep breath, an expression of pure bliss on his face, as if he had just savored a delectable meal.

At this moment, he felt his soul filling his body to the point of being almost... crowded.

If Yi Xiaoyao were to release his soul, it would manifest outside his body as a colossal giant thousands of zhang tall!

’With such a massive soul, I wonder how long I could sustain the Soul Burning Forbidden Technique,’

Yi Xiaoyao muttered to himself, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Thank you, young friend, for ridding our Washing Sword Sect of this evil creature! At last, our sect can be revitalized!"

Just then, the white-haired elder and his men approached, their faces wreathed in smiles. They all thanked Yi Xiaoyao, their attitude exceptionally warm.

If not for Yi Xiaoyao, they didn’t know how much longer they would have been controlled by the Evil Sword Soul. The Washing Sword Sect would never have had a chance to recover.

Yi Xiaoyao didn’t react to their thanks. Instead, he stared intently at the statue before him.

"Seniors, might this junior be allowed to borrow this place for a time to seek enlightenment?"

After a moment, Yi Xiaoyao posed the question to the white-haired elder and the others.

He made this request because every time he looked at the longsword in the statue’s hand—the one with its blade drawn only three inches—he felt as if he were being killed countless times in an instant.

’It must contain an incredibly powerful Swordsmanship technique!’

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