Chapter 27: An Interesting Kid

Before Canfeng finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved. The Soul Wraith Puppet transformed into a black shadow, lunging toward the burly Huang, the man surnamed Gao, and Miss Zhou.

Although the puppet's aura was weakened, it was still a Late Golden Core existence. Dealing with three weaker Early Golden Core cultivators was more than enough.

The burly Huang's expression shifted dramatically. He strained to raise a defensive barrier, but the puppet tore it apart with a single claw. He screamed in agony as his chest was pierced through, his soul forcefully ripped out and absorbed into the puppet's body.

The man surnamed Gao turned to flee, but the puppet was faster. It flashed behind him in an instant, its sharp claws piercing through his skull. His soul, too, was devoured.

Miss Zhou was so terrified that her face lost all color. She trembled uncontrollably, collapsing to the ground in tears, frantically trying to summon her natal magical artifact.

But the puppet showed no mercy. Moving even faster, it struck down with a claw, and Miss Zhou's movements came to an abrupt halt.

All three souls were completely devoured. The dim ghostly light on the puppet gradually recovered somewhat, and its aura strengthened considerably.

Canfeng's heart settled slightly, and his gaze fell back on the young man surnamed Gu.

The young man surnamed Gu watched as his three fellow cultivators met their grisly ends, powerless to do anything. His expression darkened, and the golden long spear in his hand trembled from his grip. The supreme yang spirit flame danced along the spear's shaft, illuminating everything around him.

Canfeng sneered coldly, lifted his great hammer, and charged forward once more.

The two clashed in midair, spiritual light scattering and mana surging. With the advantage of his Mid-Golden Core cultivation and the Soul Wraith Puppet's assistance, Canfeng gradually gained the upper hand. Every time the skull great hammer crashed down, it forced the young man surnamed Gu to retreat step by step.

The young man surnamed Gu gritted his teeth and held on. Though the supreme yang spirit flame could suppress Canfeng's mana, the consumption was enormous. His internal spiritual power was nearly depleted.

Just as he was about to lose, the young man surnamed Gu suddenly gritted his teeth and slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist.

Buzzzzzzz—

A cloud of purple mist surged out from the pouch, spreading everywhere, dense and thick. They were countless purple spirit insects! Though the insects were small, they exuded a bizarre aura. The sound of their wings vibrating drilled straight into the soul, causing dizziness and vertigo.

"Soul-Eating Insects!"

Canfeng's pupils contracted sharply, and his face turned pale.

The purple insects swarmed toward him. Wherever they passed, even the air seemed to be devoured into nothing. The Soul Wraith Puppet rushed forward to block them, but was immediately surrounded by the insects. The ghostly light on its body rapidly dimmed, and its aura plummeted sharply.

Even more terrifying was that those insects could actually gnaw through the mana barrier around Canfeng! Worse, they could even seep through his mana and directly attack his soul!

Canfeng felt a sharp stabbing pain in his mind, his vision going dark. He desperately channeled his mana to drive them away, but the effect was minimal.

Seizing the opportunity, the young man surnamed Gu launched a counterattack. The supreme yang spirit flame worked in perfect tandem with the Soul-Eating Insects—one attacking, the other countering. They complemented each other flawlessly.

Canfeng was forced back step by step. His mana barrier was riddled with holes, and the Soul Wraith Puppet was entangled by the insects, unable to move.

"You forced my hand!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Canfeng's eyes. He retrieved a deep blue orb from his storage pouch, one that exuded a powerful, oppressive aura.

It was the Ghostfire Bead bestowed by Jiuyou!

Pouring mana into it, he hurled it viciously toward the young man surnamed Gu.

The moment the Ghostfire Bead left his hand, a deep blue light erupted brilliantly, unleashing an earth-shattering pressure!

The young man surnamed Gu's expression shifted drastically. He flew backward with all his might, activating every defensive measure he had.

Boom—!

The Ghostfire Bead exploded. A towering deep blue flame surged into the sky, enveloping everything within a hundred zhang. The purple spirit insects were caught in the flame, instantly reduced to ashes with a continuous crackling sound.

In the face of the Nether Capital Ghostfire, the supreme yang spirit flame was like a firefly compared to the full moon—easily suppressed.

Though the young man surnamed Gu had retreated in time, he was still caught by the shockwave. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura severely weakened. Without looking back, he transformed into a streak of golden light and fled into the distance with all his remaining strength.

Canfeng wanted to pursue, but he had consumed too much mana. He simply couldn't catch up. Hovering in midair, he glared viciously at the retreating streak of light, gnashing his teeth.

"Surnamed Gu, don't let this young master run into you again!"

Inside the cliffside cave.

Jiuyou sat cross-legged, his aged eyes appraising the Heavenly Light Mirror in his hand. He smiled with satisfaction.

In his palm, the Nether Capital Ghostfire suddenly erupted. The deep blue flame danced, casting the entire cave in flickering light and shadow. The Heavenly Light Mirror in his hand flashed with brilliant light, and the power of the Nether Capital Ghostfire instantly surged. The flame leaped higher, and the chill radiated outward. In an instant, the entire cave was covered in a thick layer of ice.

"Not bad." Jiuyou nodded slightly.

"Though it can't directly boost my power by forty percent like it would for a Golden Core cultivator, this old man's mana intensity can still be increased by at least twenty-five percent. However, the mana consumption will also increase by twenty-five percent."

He patted the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk in his storage pouch, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

"Fortunately, with these eight bottles of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk in hand, I can completely compensate for the mana loss. This way, this old man finally has the confidence to truly fight a Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator."

Jiuyou caressed the Heavenly Light Mirror, the more he looked at it, the more satisfied he became. After a moment, he stored the ancient relic back in his pouch and closed his eyes to rest.

Suddenly, a flash of cyan light appeared in his eyes. His divine sense expanded instantly, locking onto an area over a hundred li away. There, he sensed six auras. One of them was his grand-disciple, Canfeng, though his current aura seemed somewhat weakened.

Jiuyou's aged face wrinkled, but he did not get up. He simply waited quietly.

A moment later.

Canfeng, following the guidance of the Communication Jade Slip, arrived outside the temporary cave that Jiuyou had opened. He paced back and forth outside the entrance, hesitation clear in his eyes. He dared not enter.

He had used all his trump cards and still couldn't take down a single Early Golden Core cultivator. It was a complete loss of face. If his grand-ancestor found out, a scolding would be unavoidable. His resentment toward that surnamed Gu fellow grew even stronger.

"Th-the, young master... is our grand-ancestor really inside this cave?"

The Golden Core cultivator behind him put on a flattering smile, forcing out a few expressions of goodwill.

Canfeng was already in a foul mood. He gave the man a cold, sidelong glance and snorted.

"Say one more word, and this young master will 'convert' you right now."

The Golden Core cultivator immediately broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead and quickly shut his mouth.

"Canfeng, what happened to you?"

Jiuyou's voice came coldly from inside the cave, carrying an undeniable authority.

"Your grand-ancestor told you to capture some hands to gather spirit herbs. Can you not even handle such a small matter?"

In an instant, Canfeng felt his scalp go numb. The Golden Core cultivator and four Foundation-Establishing cultivators behind him instantly felt a bone-chilling cold. Even the flow of mana within their bodies slowed. Their hearts trembled with terror, and they dared not harbor any thoughts of scheming.

Canfeng dared not enter the cave. Instead, he bowed deeply from a distance toward the cave entrance, his voice carrying a hint of urgency.

"Gr-grand-ancestor... everything was going fine at first. There was just a small accident. I encountered a wandering cultivator surnamed Gu. Not only is his divine sense far beyond those of the same cultivation level, his escape techniques are even comparable to Late Golden Core cultivators. His methods were endless. Your grandson used every trump card, but still couldn't take him down. He has two secret treasures that counter your grandson's techniques."

Jiuyou's voice came again, tinged with curiosity.

"Oh? What could counter my ghost path techniques? Could it be some supreme yang object?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Grand-ancestor, you are wise!" Canfeng nodded repeatedly, gesturing wildly with his hands.

"That kid has a supreme yang spirit flame! Your grandson almost died under that flame! If not for the Soul Wraith Puppet you bestowed upon me blocking a fatal blow, I'm afraid your grandson would have...

Also, that kid has raised a massive swarm of Soul-Eating Insects that specifically devour souls! I had no choice but to detonate the Ghostfire Bead to barely drive him back."

He paused, a note of unwillingness in his tone.

"But that kid is too cunning. His methods are sinister and ruthless—he's more like a demonic cultivator than a demonic cultivator himself. Your grandson nearly fell into his trap several times."

"Heh, interesting."

Jiuyou's voice came from the cave. Instead of anger, there was laughter—a sinister laugh that echoed among the cliff walls.

The other cultivators secretly looked around, unable to tell where the voice was coming from. They only felt that the laughter was everywhere, as if the entire world was echoing with it. Only Canfeng obediently cupped his hands toward the cave entrance.

Just then—

A beam of blue light suddenly shot out from the cave entrance!

The oppressive aura of that beam was suffocating. The moment it appeared, the air around them instantly froze, as if heaven and earth themselves had been frozen solid. In a flash, the beam of blue flame directly struck a massive mountain peak in the distance.

A thunderous boom!

The entire mountain peak was blasted into dust, leaving only a giant crater.

Seeing this, the other cultivators were scared out of their wits. Cold sweat soaked their backs, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

A powerful, suffocating pressure descended upon them. Except for Canfeng, the other five cultivators wobbled in the air, nearly falling from the sky.

Jiuyou's figure appeared at the cave entrance.

He took a single step and appeared before them in an instant. His black robe billowed, and his turbid, aged eyes flickered with ghostly light.

To Canfeng's surprise, Jiuyou did not get angry. Instead, he let out a cold, sinister laugh: "Hahaha—cunning, sinister, ruthless."

"Yes, yes, grand-ancestor."

"When you put it that way, this old man is actually a bit interested in that kid."

"Huh?" Canfeng looked bewildered, his murderous intent toward that surnamed Gu kid deepening by a notch.

"Canfeng."

"Your grandson is here." Canfeng immediately responded, bending even lower.

Jiuyou narrowed his eyes slightly and swept his gaze over the five people behind Canfeng. A trace of coldness flickered in his gaze. The air around them turned even colder, and even Canfeng couldn't help but shiver.

"Go."

"Huh? Oh, oh, oh! Yes! Your grandson will go capture more hands right away!"

Canfeng felt as if he had received a pardon. He quickly led the five men behind him in bowing respectfully to Jiuyou. Only after retreating a hundred zhang away did he dare to turn and fly off.

Jiuyou stood with his hands behind his back, watching Canfeng disappear into the distance. A meaningful smile hung at the corner of his mouth.

"A surnamed Gu kid... supreme yang spirit flame, Soul-Eating Insects, and divine sense that surpasses those of the same level... That kid definitely has some secret hidden on him. Especially those 'Soul-Eating Insects'... heh... those aren't something a wandering cultivator could possess."

He muttered softly, then turned and walked back into the cave, his figure disappearing into the darkness.

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