Chapter 193: Swallow

193. Chapter 193 Swallow

As the Demon-breaking Talisman was broken by spatial power, Xiao Zhangqing had completely lost hope of resolving this demon today.

Even though he still had some methods he hadn't employed.

Such as the Star‑Plucking Sword Technique, the Divine Awareness Secret Art, and so on.

Seeing the white‑clothed female demon's strange behavior, which seemed to be starting to walk off the altar, Xiao Zhangqing began to lose his nerve and dared not try any further.

According to Yin San Gongzi's testimony, this demon still has some time before it can fully revive, and under normal circumstances it cannot leave the altar stone coffin. A Golden Core cultivator, provided they don't act foolishly, can grapple with the demon—even step onto the altar to face it directly—without much danger.

But for some unknown reason—perhaps the successive attacks by Xiao Zhangqing and his two companions, or perhaps the hundred Demon-breaking Talismans and Stabilizing Spirit Talismans just used—this demon became utterly enraged, driving black mist to spread over the altar and sweep rapidly toward the three of them.

"Go!"

Xiao Zhangqing immediately shouted to the other two and prepared to flee the ruin at once.

Gu Zongyuan and Su Wushuang, seeing this, dared not delay; obeying the order, they summoned their magical energy and used a teleportation technique to dash outward from the ruin.

But at that moment Xiao Zhangqing encountered an unexpected situation.

"This is..."

Xiao Zhangqing's expression suddenly changed; his magical energy at that instant began to 'rebel'!

A cultivator's magical energy is accumulated over time, refined from chaotic heavenly and earthly Qi. When wielded, it should be as effortless as moving one's arm.

Even an outsider with power a thousand times greater can only suppress you; they cannot mobilize your internal magical energy, let alone seize control of it.

But at this moment, Xiao Zhangqing's magical energy was no longer under his control!

No...

To be precise, it wasn't the magical energy within Xiao Zhangqing himself, but the energy he had stored over the years inside the Immortal Stone Fragment that was now out of his control!

He himself is at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and his internal magical energy is insufficiently condensed, remaining in liquid form.

Only through the special properties of the Immortal Stone Fragment can it be converted into the solid magical energy stored by Golden Core cultivators.

To rival Golden Core cultivators—activating third‑tier Magic Treasures or unleashing powerful divine arts—relies entirely on the solid magical energy stored in the Immortal Stone Fragment.

Earlier, when Xiao Zhangqing dealt with the demon, he activated two hundred Talisman Scripts and also drew upon the magical energy within the Immortal Stone Fragment.

Now, as he tried to flee by invoking Great Roc Riding the Wind, the energy inside the Immortal Stone remained immobile, and instead formed a strange link with the white‑clothed female demon on the altar, pulling each other together in an instant.

Xiao Zhangqing clearly sensed many things.

"This demon wasn't angered by my Demon-breaking Talisman!"

"Its madness, its impatience, breaking through the altar's seal—all because of the Immortal Stone Fragment within me!"

"What exactly is this Immortal Stone Fragment?"

"It is not our three souls' essence that fuels the demon's hunger, but the Immortal Stone!"

Xiao Zhangqing was inexplicably horrified.

Back in Nanshan Fang, Mu Renjie, because of an Immortal Stone Fragment, became a state neither human nor ghost, completely losing his humanity and turning into a walking corpse.

Now, this Immortal Stone Fragment has formed a strong link with the white‑clothed female demon, pulling each other.

What relationship exists between the Immortal Stone and the demon? In an instant, Xiao Zhangqing's mind filled with various conjectures.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that the Immortal Stone Fragment in his hand had been secretly given by Yin San Gongzi to Mu Renjie back then, serving as a hidden talisman pen.

Had he known, during the interrogation of Yin San Gongzi he could have forced him to reveal the Immortal Stone's secret as well.

Now Xiao Zhangqing's many speculations remain unanswered and unverifiable.

"First, consider how to get out!"

"After we return, we'll study the Immortal Stone properly."

Unable to mobilize the energy stored in the Immortal Stone, the black mist surged, about to envelop him.

Xiao Zhangqing immediately prepared to sheath the Immortal Stone Fragment and used his own magical energy to invoke the Great Roc Riding the Wind Escape Technique to flee.

Using late‑stage Foundation Establishment Realm energy to power Great Roc Riding the Wind, the escape technique naturally weakens, but it still maintains a speed comparable to a Golden Core cultivator, not slower than Gu Zongyuan and Su Wushuang.

But the white‑clothed female demon would not let him go; seeing Xiao Zhangqing attempt to flee, it grew frantic, screaming wildly. The black mist, originally spreading slowly, under its command sprouted two massive arms that in an instant reached behind Xiao Zhangqing and trapped him.

"Damn!"

Xiao Zhangqing couldn't help letting out a curse.

He had only come to glance around, why did he end up singled out by the demon? "Get out of my way!"

Xiao Zhangqing let out a low growl; the Jade Clear Bright Light Sword floated before him, its sword aura like starlight slicing the heavens, slashing at the black mist.

Normally, Xiao Zhangqing's swordsmanship, strong enough to reach the pinnacle of mid‑Golden Core level, could break the black mist. But now he was powering his sword with late‑stage Foundation Establishment energy, not the solid Golden Core energy.

Beyond skill mastery, the greatest factor determining the power of techniques and divine arts is the magnitude of magical energy.

If the magical energy is insufficient, even the most formidable techniques lose potency. Xiao Zhangqing faced exactly this; his sword slash fell to early‑Golden Core level, merely causing the black mist to hiss and sway without breaking, and he soon felt enveloped in endless darkness, nearly cutting off all external perception.

"Damn it!"

Xiao Zhangqing's spirit tightened, an alarm rang in his mind, sensing imminent danger and terror.

Refusing any hesitation, he sheathed the sword, summoned two third‑tier puppets to guard him, and pushed his bodily strength to the limit. The robust third‑tier Body Cultivator fully activated, charging forward like a high‑level demon king.

The torrent of blood‑Qi force surged wildly; within the black‑mist‑shrouded space it resembled a blazing blood‑Qi sun radiating dazzling light.

Not to mention, this immensely strong blood‑Qi force proved highly useful.

Originally, within this black space, ominous aura would have spiked negative emotions and caused loss of control, but when Xiao Zhangqing activated the massive blood‑Qi force, the adverse effects and emotions instantly subsided.

"Leaving the ruin will be safe!"

Xiao Zhangqing dared no carelessness; though the black‑mist‑filled space almost cut off his external perception—Su Wushuang and Gu Zongyuan vanished from his senses—any forward charge still allowed him to break through.

The ruin's area wasn't vast, so even with a slower escape speed, he could cross it in a few breaths.

But soon, Xiao Zhangqing sensed something amiss.

At his speed, his sprint should have already exceeded the ruin's diameter by more than twice, yet he remained enveloped by the black mist, unable to leave.

He pressed forward for another moment, with the same result.

The black-space did not have an end that he could touch; he remained wrapped.

Silence of death, evil, chaos, terror… these emotions howled around like a gale, trying to pierce into Xiao Zhangqing's body.

Xiao Zhangqing, relying on his robust body of the third‑tier Body Refinement, cast everything aside.

But he knew this was not a long‑term solution.

If he could not leave this black mist space, he would forever remain the other's sacrificial lamb.

Xiao Zhangqing understood that relying solely on brute force, he could not escape.

He recalled what Su Wushuang had just said: the white‑clothed female spirit seemed able to control spatial power, perhaps the black mist's enclosure possessed that divine ability.

So he halted, turned back to stare at the white‑clothed female spirit, preparing to employ the secret divine‑sense technique, Dragon Chant!

Compared to ten years ago, his Soul Transformation had fully expanded to its limit, beginning to develop toward a "qualitative change."

Now, casting Dragon Chant, even a late‑stage Golden Core cultivator might not be able to resist.

And for the spirit, a Soul Transformation attack is also one of the most effective methods.

"Wuwuwu…"

The white‑clothed female spirit finally broke free from the altar, inching toward Xiao Zhangqing, its eerie song drawing nearer, as if whispering into his ear, weeping and pleading…

Just as Xiao Zhangqing kept a composed face, ready to unleash Dragon Chant, the white‑clothed female spirit's pallid, expressionless face seemed to reveal a strange smile, and the surrounding black mist space resonated with excited emotions.

As the white‑clothed female spirit beckoned, Xiao Zhangqing felt that the Immortal Stone on his body was not only storing mana he could not mobilize, but also completely beyond his control, and it surged toward the spirit! Then the spirit impatiently tried to "drill" itself into the Immortal Stone fragments.

Or rather, it intended to devour the Immortal Stone fragments.

In short, it was eager to merge with the Immortal Stone fragments.

Just as Xiao Zhangqing was about to cast Dragon Chant, a thought struck him, considering a possibility, and he couldn't help but pause.

At this critical moment, he hurriedly opened the system interface and glanced at the equipment inventory.

In the inventory, the slot for the Immortal Stone was still present! He could clearly sense that the link between him and the Immortal Stone fragments remained.

However, with his own mana, he could not activate the Immortal Stone.

His mana was far too weak, negligible compared to the white‑clothed female spirit's controlling power.

Thus he could not draw the mana stored and transformed within the Immortal Stone.

Yet even now that the white‑clothed female spirit has seized full control of the Immortal Stone and impatiently begun merging, the connection between Xiao Zhangqing and the Immortal Stone remains unbroken.

The link between the system inventory and the equipment also still exists…

Xiao Zhangqing, while ready to cast Dragon Chant at any moment, stared wide‑eyed at the white‑clothed female spirit "devouring" the Immortal Stone, doing nothing to stop it.

His nerves were highly focused at that moment, extremely tense.

"Squeak squeak squeak…"

The white‑clothed female spirit's eerie song continued, but now the lamentation was much reduced, like a satisfied feeling after a full meal, tinged with a hint of cheer.

And each time it merged a bit more with the Immortal Stone fragments, its aura grew stronger.

The most obvious sign was the surrounding black mist thickening, its ominous meaning becoming ever more terrifying, like dark clouds about to turn into droplets! Perhaps.

It need not devour vast amounts of cultivators' essence and souls; merely devouring this extra Immortal Stone would let it fully revive and regain a free body! (End of chapter)