"Chu Liang!" Song Qingyi cried out in despair.
She ran a few steps to Chu Liang, who had dimmed eyes, and was about to cry when she suddenly realized something was amiss.
Huh?
Could she move?
Just as she wondered, the clear eyes of Chu Liang in front of her suddenly flickered back to life.
"Ah..." Chu Liang let out a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground.
The split-second of danger just now was perhaps the most dangerous moment of his life.
From being taken into the grass house by the black-robed person to seeing the soul-capturing formation, a bold idea emerged in his mind.
Faced with a Nascent Soul realm sorcerer who rendered him powerless, it was almost a death trap. If the sorcerer had directly killed Song Qingyi and Chu Liang, they would have had no way out. But in order to preserve his complete spiritual power, he chose to directly capture their souls.
Normally, there wouldn't be any difference.
But at that moment, Chu Liang suddenly remembered the reward that had disappointed him.
Soul-Shifting Curse!
If there was still a chance to turn the tables, it might rely on that...
So he had been struggling not in vain desperation but trying to turn his body, keeping one of his hands behind him so that he could retrieve the jade talisman with the spell from the white tower without being noticed.
It was because of this that when the black-robed person was about to target Song Qingyi first, Chu Liang spat out fragrant mist, infuriating the black-robed person and forcing him to capture Chu Liang's soul first.
When the black-robed person was indeed ensnared and attempted to capture Chu Liang's soul, Chu Liang also activated the white jade talisman.
The talisman immediately shattered, and the Soul-Shifting Curse took effect in an instant.
Chu Liang's spirit and the black-robed person's spirit underwent a brief exchange.
After entering the black-robed person's body, Chu Liang felt a momentary deprivation of his senses. Then, his senses returned, but his body remained immobile.
It felt like when your arm goes numb from sleeping, and that part of your body feels like it belongs to a stranger. And now, this feeling spread through his whole body, rendering him unable to move.
Fortunately, this stiffness would only last for three breaths.
At the same time, the black-robed person was horrified to find himself inexplicably in Chu Liang's body, but the black light emitted by the Book of the Underworld had already landed on "him".
His spirit hadn't even lasted three breaths before the Book of the Underworld captured it.
In other words, he's dead.
With the death of the black-robed man, the Soul-Converging Nail formed by his divine power naturally dissipated, allowing Song Qingyi to regain her mobility and rush to Chu Liang's side.
Then, in the next three breaths, Chu Liang's soul abruptly returned to his body.
This marks the end of this perilous and thrilling soul-moving journey.
A faint, cracking sound.
As the black-robed man died, the black jade book and the black candles in the array also fell to the ground and were extinguished one by one.
Chu Liang decisively stepped forward, picked up the black jade book, and felt a chilling sensation upon holding it in his hand. It exuded an inexplicable sense of malevolence. It was truly befitting of a tool from the Netherworld Sect.
He then searched the black-robed man and found a dark-gold token engraved with the words "Soul Restraint" and several small porcelain bottles containing various types of spirits...
Song Qingyi, with tears still fresh on her face, watched his actions in astonishment and asked, "What... what are you doing?"
"Searching the corpse," Chu Liang replied calmly.
"I know…" Song Qingyi certainly knew that he was searching the corpse, also aware that this was the standard procedure after killing an enemy.
But... how did you know it was a corpse?
Although various signs indicated that the black-robed man was indeed dead, it all seemed too abrupt. Her tears were still swirling in her eyes, completely unaware of what had happened, yet Chu Liang had regained his composure and was searching the body so nonchalantly...
It all just felt strange.
"How did he die?" After pondering for a while, Song Qingyi finally asked.
"He probably went mad due to a backlash of his powers, or something went wrong while he was using his divine abilities," Chu Liang replied unhesitatingly. As for using the Soul-Converging Spell, there was no need to mention it, lest it raise suspicions.
Of course, the idea of him going mad was just a cover story. Song Qingyi wasn't naïve and wouldn't believe it. However, upon hearing this explanation, she would understand that there were certain things he didn't want to reveal.
Sure enough, Song Qingyi didn't press further.
But Chu Liang's evasion only convinced her further that he was the one who killed the black-robed man.
The fact that he, with his realm of divine intent, could silently kill a demon cultivator at the Golden Core realm...
Left her inexplicably shocked.
Chu Liang lifted the black-robed man's robe, revealing the face of an ordinary middle-aged man in his thirties or forties. At first glance, it was hard to imagine that this was the appearance of a demon cultivator who had taken lives, nor could one fathom that he possessed such a weathered and hoarse voice.
Cultivators of the demonic path always used secret techniques to conceal their appearance and change their voices. It may only be after their death that one got the chance to see their true form.
He thoroughly searched the body and then laid it down before removing the black-robed man's shoes, saying, "Song Instructor, we'll split the spoils from today equally."
"No, no, it's not necessary..." Song Qingyi hurriedly waved his hand. "You came all the way this time to save me, I'm already very grateful. Whatever you gain, just keep it for yourself."
"That's really inconvenient..." Chu Liang smiled faintly.
Song Qingyi looked at the gentle smile of the young man in front of him and suddenly felt a little dazed.
The refined and elegant manner was also him, the fragrant words spoken earlier were also him, and even the joyful grave robbing was also him... It's really hard to figure him out.
Then he saw Chu Liang pull out a stack of silver notes from the black-robed man's boots, unashamedly stuffing them into his pocket, and saying, "I have to hurry, I don't have much time left."
"Hmm?" Song Qingyi became nervous again upon hearing this. "Will there be more enemies coming?"
"No..." Chu Liang shook his head. "But it won't be long before my master should arrive."
As he spoke, a sudden sharp piercing sound rang out.
It was as if a phoenix was soaring above the nine heavens, its cry reaching the four corners of the earth. Birds within a radius of a hundred miles felt their bloodlines being suppressed in this instant. Those in the sky involuntarily fell to the ground, while those on the ground couldn't help but prostrate towards the sky.
Boom!
Suddenly, a huge explosion, audible throughout the entire Yanjiao City, accompanied by rolling smoke and a mushroom cloud rising from the river bank.
The heavens and the earth were stirred.
Whew...
After a long while, the surroundings returned to tranquility.
Only, upon looking around, there were no longer any grass huts, riverbanks, or grasslands...
Just a desolate giant pit.
In the center of the pit, there was a small open space, where Song Qingyi stared wide-eyed in bewilderment.
Chu Liang stood with bound hands, looking ahead.
Surprise.
In the swirl of dust ahead, a figure covered in flames, seemingly human-shaped, and carrying a pair of huge fiery wings behind it. With a whoosh, the fiery wings retracted.
The wind blew and the dust dispersed.
Revealing the figure of the Empress Phoenix, with indifferent eyes. She was dressed in a black robe with red lining, tall and exuding an indescribable air of dominance.
Like a raging fire, like an iceberg.
She held the back of Lin Bei's neck in her right hand, as if she were holding a chick. Lin Bei rolled his eyes, his face turning purplish, apparently unable to withstand the speed at which the Empress Phoenix flew.
The Empress Phoenix's indifferent gaze swept around for a moment before she threw Lin Bei to the ground and asked, "Where are the enemies from?"
"Master... " Chu Liang finally said, "The enemy is already dead..."
"Ah, dead?" Empress Feng, upon hearing this, finally relaxed her whole body, shook her head, and returned to her lazy demeanor of the past. She raised the gourd and took a few sips, and only then did the menacing aura around her completely dissipate.
The surrounding air pressure suddenly dropped.
Chu Liang's shoulders relaxed.
Song Qingyi, who had been holding her breath, also finally heaved a sigh of relief.
The terrifying pressure and earth-shattering momentum just now were merely the aftermath of Empress Feng landing. Such a powerful presence made Chu Liang, even though he knew it was his master coming to save him, instinctively hold his breath.
A Questioning Dao Realm expert in a fighting state was truly terrifying.
Just one glance of their pressure was enough to suffocate a person!
Empress Feng walked over with long strides, her fair thighs faintly visible under her robe, and kicked the black-robed figure twice.
"Indeed dead, I thought there would be a good fight." She seemed somewhat disappointed, then looked at Chu Liang and asked, "Did you two kill a Gold Core Realm demonic cultivator?"
Chu Liang was not willing to reveal the secret of the White Tower to anyone before fully understanding it, even to his trusted master. So he replied, "The death of this person is somewhat dubious, and I am more inclined to believe it was a set-up..."