Chapter 195: Wait for Me!

195. Chapter 195: Wait for Me!

"Let's go, Ancient City Lord! This evil spirit has fully revived!"

"If we don't leave now, we'll be trapped here too! The aura of this evil spirit is such that even a Nascent Soul True Lord arriving in person might not be able to subdue it!"

Su Wushuang's usually cold face showed a rare hint of emotion.

After the white‑clothed female evil spirit completely devoured the Immortal Stone, its aura surged to the extreme; the black mist bearing its malignant aura made her outside feel terrified, unable to resist the urge to flee.

Not to mention Xiao Zhangqing, enveloped by the black mist and trapped within it.

It was unclear what had just transpired, why the white‑clothed female evil spirit suddenly became so "excited", far beyond the information obtained from that Evil Cultivator Yin San Gongzi, and why it deliberately kept Xiao Zhangqing.

But Su Wushuang knew that, given the current situation, Xiao Zhangqing was certain to die.

No matter how many trump cards Xiao Zhangqing possessed, or how astonishing his talent, escaping unharmed from such a terrifying evil spirit was impossible!

Even if Zhu Qingyun, among the top Golden Core Realm true beings, fell into this dire situation, the outcome would not change.

"It's my fault that Xiao brother is harmed!"

Gu Zongyuan's tiger‑like eyes widened, filled with anxiety and regret.

If he hadn't overstepped and volunteered to investigate the true situation of this Evil Cultivator, Xiao Zhangqing would not have fallen into such a trap.

But now he had no choice but to heed Su Wushuang's advice and retreat.

If there were even a sliver of hope, he would fight desperately to rescue Xiao Zhangqing.

But now it was clear that not even one percent of hope remained.

The aura of the white‑clothed female evil spirit intensified at a visible speed, reaching an inconceivable level. Their full‑force assault, he and Su Wushuang, against the black mist was like a mere tickle; they couldn't even carve a passage, let alone stir a ripple! Just as the two were about to retreat, a frantic, mournful scream from the white‑clothed female evil spirit rang out, the black mist churned, and the terrifying ominous aura surged straight into their minds; the unconscious spread caused Gu Zongyuan, whose cultivation and Soul Transformation were slightly inferior, to feel his Soul Transformation tremble, his magical power lagged a few beats, and a sweet taste of blood rose in his throat.

Su Wushuang, at mid‑stage Golden Core cultivation, had a stronger Soul Transformation, so his condition was slightly better, yet still quite uncomfortable; he had to escape quickly.

Moreover, both of them were already tainted by the ominous aura; even if they fled back now, it would be enough to fill a whole pot for them.

"Buzz—buzz—buzz!"

The black mist was so dense it wouldn't disperse, as if a flood dragon were raging within; the white‑clothed female evil spirit, whether from overexcitement or something else, let out a mournful, nauseating scream that grew sharper… Suddenly, everything halted abruptly!

The black mist receded like the tide, vanishing in an instant, and the white‑clothed female evil spirit's mournful scream ceased.

The overwhelming pressure on Gu Zongyuan's and Su Wushuang's Soul Transformations suddenly vanished.

The two didn't know what had happened and dared not think positively, subconsciously guessing whether the white‑clothed female evil spirit had "returned to its original nature".

After fully reviving, comparable to a Nascent Soul True Lord, could it now control its own ominous evil aura at will, no longer leaking uncontrollably? While the two fled toward the distance, they couldn't help glancing back.

What they saw left both of them stunned.

Inside the ruins, the swirling black mist was gone, the white‑clothed female evil spirit's figure vanished, and only Xiao Zhangqing stood there, momentarily dazed, then his face lit up with joy.

"Damn! This female evil spirit devoured Brother Xiao, yet can transform into his appearance!"

"It seems this white‑clothed female evil spirit can assume anyone's form; we'll have to be even more cautious with evil spirits in the future!"

Gu Zongyuan and Su Wushuang were even more shocked; none dared to think that Xiao Zhangqing had survived and slashed the blazing white‑clothed female evil spirit.

……

In fact, Xiao Zhangqing did eliminate the white‑clothed female evil spirit.

Of course, it wasn't his own strength but a clever exploitation of a system "bug"! Back at Nanshan Fang, Xiao Zhangqing first obtained a fragment of the Immortal Stone, which also harbored a deep‑seated ominous aura. Even after its former "owner" Mu Renjie died, it remained an extremely bizarre artifact, capable of bewitching minds and turning people chaotic and evil; Xiao Zhangqing didn't even dare to touch it directly.

Later, after equipping it in his inventory, the system inspected and "formatted" it, confirming its purification and the absence of negative effects; only then did Xiao Zhangqing dare to use the Immortal Stone fragment.

Today the white‑clothed female evil spirit voluntarily devoured the Immortal Stone fragment, merging with it; could it then be "formatted" again by the system? The female evil spirit's power far surpassed Mu Renjie's, a hundred or a thousand times stronger, making herself insignificant before it, yet Xiao Zhangqing had absolute confidence in the system.

Even if it truly reached the Nascent Soul level, it would still be nothing compared to a mere tip of the system's iceberg! Facts proved that the final outcome matched Xiao Zhangqing's speculation.

No matter how bizarrely powerful the white‑clothed female evil spirit was, how unimaginable its methods, even wielding spatial power that most Nascent Soul True Lords couldn't master, it couldn't even struggle before the system, being drawn in as easily as a white rabbit.

"Having devoured an evil spirit near the Nascent Soul True Lord level, the Immortal Stone's grade should have increased, right?"

"If the grade rises, will the skills it grants also evolve?"

Xiao Zhangqing's face showed delight, and he couldn't help looking forward. The Immortal Stone fragment was, among his many pieces of equipment, one of the most effective.

It possessed two extremely powerful and practical divine skills.

The first skill, a truncated version of the Body‑Outside‑Body Technique, allowed Xiao Zhangqing, while in the Foundation Establishment Realm, to wield the magical power of a Golden Core cultivator, serving as the foundation for activating various Magic Treasures, spells, and divine abilities. As seen when he was pursued by the white‑clothed female evil spirit, lacking Golden Core magical power caused his escape speed to drop more than half and greatly weakened the potency of his Star‑Plucking, Constellation‑Swapping Sword Technique.

One could say.

Without this skill, Xiao Zhangqing's overall strength would drop a level! The second skill, Nightmare Technique, although far weaker than Dragon Chant Technique in Soul Transformation damage, even inferior to Nine Autumn Divine Insight Technique, proves invaluable for interrogating enemies in special situations, yielding abundant information.

If, as guessed, the Immortal Stone fragment's grade has risen, these two divine skills would also upgrade, perhaps even gaining one or two more, making today a true blessing from misfortune! "Hope the white‑clothed female evil spirit doesn't disappoint me!"

Xiao Zhangqing's eyes lit up as he prepared to pull up the system interface.

He found the other items in his inventory were normal and viewable, but the slot for the Immortal Stone was temporarily frozen, unviewable, grayed out.

Kind of like a firmware update from a past life? "It seems this white‑clothed female evil spirit truly is extraordinary; even the system needs time to format it…"

Xiao Zhangqing let out a dry laugh.

He then looked ahead and saw Gu Zongyuan and Su Wushuang desperately fleeing, glancing back at him.

Clearly they had seen him, yet their expressions grew even more terrified, far scarier than seeing the white‑clothed female evil spirit.

"What's wrong with these two?"

Xiao Zhangqing was speechless; was he scarier than the white‑clothed female evil spirit?

He immediately activated the Great Roc Riding the Wind Escape Technique and pursued.

However, the Immortal Stone fragment was currently being "upgraded" by the system and unusable; Xiao Zhangqing couldn't summon the solid magical power of a Golden Core cultivator, so his Great Roc Riding the Wind escape was much slower, unable to catch up quickly.

"Gu brother, Valley Master Su, why are you running, wait for me!"

Xiao Zhangqing chased while channeling magical power, wrapping his voice and sending it rolling forward.

Gu Zongyuan and Su Wushuang heard his shout; instead of stopping, they fled even faster.

Xiao Zhangqing was momentarily stunned, then humorously transmitted, "What's up with you two? You don't actually think I'm possessed by an evil spirit, do you? You're overthinking! The evil spirit is already dealt with; I'm not possessed!"

Gu Zongyuan, hearing this, glanced at Su Wushuang and asked her opinion.

Su Wushuang shook her head, indicating not to believe.

That white-clad female evil spirit has clearly fully recovered, comparable to a Nascent Soul True Lord, how could Dao Companion Xiao possibly slay it?

Moreover, just now there was basically no intense combat movement; it almost ceased in an instant! "Hurry up and flee. If we are caught by it, we will die." Su Wushuang said with a cold face.

Gu Zongyuan, hearing this, could only grit his teeth and continue fleeing.

Xiao Zhangqing, seeing this, was utterly speechless, directly threatened: "Stop! Gu Elder Brother, if you don't stop, then I will consider the bet I made with your master, the Character: Liyang True Person, null and void, no need to stay in Character: Liyang Immortal City for thirty years!"

Eh...

Gu Zongyuan, who was desperately fleeing, paused upon hearing this.

Knowing the bet between Xiao Elder Brother and his master...

Seems, not like being possessed? "Are you really Xiao Elder Brother?" Gu Zongyuan, for a moment, also didn't dare to stop his escape technique, but instead asked.

Xiao Zhangqing said unhappily: "If I really am that white-clad female evil spirit, with its terrifying aura finally displayed, wanting to kill you two, could you escape? Would it not be able to catch up to you?"

Su Wushuang interjected: "But if you really are Dao Companion Xiao, with Dao Companion Xiao's escape technique, you could also easily catch up to us two. Why can't you catch up now?"

Still quite clever...

Xiao Zhangqing replied: "Naturally because when I eliminated that evil spirit again, an accident occurred; now I cannot display my full strength! Look at my escape technique: although the speed is much slower, is it not the same school as my previous escape technique?"

The two, hearing this, carefully sensed.

They discovered that Xiao Zhangqing's pursued escape technique was indeed still the same as before, although the speed was slow, but that marvelous trajectory seemed to merge with the wind.

Thus, after exchanging a glance, Gu Zongyuan and Su Wushuang still stopped, waiting for Xiao Zhangqing to catch up. (End of chapter)