Chapter 74: Malignant Hauntings

The battle lasts only an instant.

Mu Renjie, who possesses late Foundation Establishment power and whose methods are bizarre and unfathomable, finds it far too easy to strike a Foundation Establishment Initial Stage cultivator.

It's a complete crush.

Moreover, after Mu Renjie sensed something amiss, he acted with extreme decisiveness, unwilling to waste a single word; Zhou Changkong didn't even have time to state conditions or threats before being beheaded and having his soul absorbed.

"Sss… truly wonderful!"

After the Umbral Holy Stone absorbed the soul of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the black mist seemed to grow even stronger, and its connection with Mu Renjie deepened further.

"Almost there… almost there…"

The Dark Holy Stone re-enters his body; Mu Renjie feels his compatibility with the Umbral Holy Stone deepen, and in his dantian, a golden core-like presence commands all his liquid magic.

It seems that with just one more small step, he could truly rival the Nascent Core realm! "Just now, Zhou Changkong's expression was full of caution toward me; it seems he already knows something."

"If Zhou Changkong knows, does that mean Luoxia Sect has already begun to suspect me?"

Mu Renjie's eyes are filled with jet‑black, and though maddened, he hasn't lost his ability to think.

Nevertheless, even if Luoxia Sect has sensed something, he is unafraid, because before deciding to act, he had already prepared for being discovered by Luoxia Sect.

At worst, he could just run away.

But in the next instant, Mu Renjie's gaze hardened slightly as he looked toward a rapidly approaching sword light in the distance, exclaiming in surprise, "Where did that Foundation Establishment cultivator come from? A member of Luoxia Sect? Besides Zhou Changkong, has Luoxia Sect sent other Foundation Establishment cultivators to lie in wait at Nanshan Fang?"

He quickly pieced together the general course of events.

"Perfect timing! I'm still lacking a Foundation Establishment Realm soul; you shall help me complete the final step!"

Mu Renjie let out a cold laugh, unshaken and even pleased, and chose not to flee, waiting for the sword light to rush in and land at the Jia‑4 Cave Residence.

……

"Damn it!"

Gong Wansheng stared at Zhou Changkong's dismembered corpse, his eyes blazing with erupting fury.

In the end, he still arrived a step too late.

"Mu Renjie, you defected to an Evil Cultivator and still dared to kill my Luoxia Sect elder. Today, no matter what, you cannot escape death! The entire Mu family will be buried with you!" Gong Wansheng declared word for word.

He is usually notorious in Luoxia Sect for being a frivolous loafer, never taking things seriously.

Yet no one dares to look down on him.

Because when Gong Wansheng truly loses his temper, those who provoke him meet a terrible fate.

"You are that Foundation Establishment cultivator of Luoxia Sect, state your name. Today I will not die, but after you die, I will devour your soul and thus remember your name." Mu Renjie laughed wildly, his gaze at Gong Wansheng like that of a predator eyeing tasty prey.

It can be confirmed that the opponent is not a Nascent Core cultivator, so he has nothing to fear.

Gong Wansheng's eyes flickered as he released a sharp divine light; then he lightly tapped his forehead, and a sword‑trace sigil appeared, spreading a powerful divine pressure.

Whoosh! Chichichi…

In the blink of an eye, a transparent sword‑shaped Magic Treasure materialized, swiftly splitting into a dozen or so invisible sword qi, attacking Mu Renjie from bizarre, hard‑to‑find angles.

Almost every sword qi carried the force of a full‑power strike from a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.

When a dozen sword qi fire together, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator with slightly weaker defense, unable to respond in time, would likely meet immediate regret with just this single attack.

"What a fierce sword qi! So young yet possessing such strength; a late Foundation Establishment level—Luoxia Sect actually sent a core genius disciple over, they really hold me in high regard!"

Mu Renjie let out a bizarre grin, unhurried, sending the Umbral Holy Stone to hover above his head; the rolling black mist formed a shield around him. The sword qi struck, tearing several slashes, yet could not penetrate. Within the black mist seemed a terrifying corrosiveness, an extremely evil, filthy substance; after a few breaths of stalemate, the sword qi swiftly vanished.

"Nascent Core magic?" Gong Wansheng, seeing the opponent expend little effort, deflected one of his killing moves and couldn't help feeling surprised.

He felt his sword qi sink like a cow into the sea, as if suppressed! This isn't merely due to the opponent's bizarre technique; rather, the opponent's magic seems far purer, crushing his.

And he, already a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, knows that within the Foundation Establishment realm, no one's magic can completely crush his.

Unless a Nascent Core cultivator!

"No, not a Nascent Core cultivator!" Gong Wansheng glared at the strange dark‑red object hovering above Mu Renjie's head; it didn't look like a Magic Treasure, but more like a cultivator's golden core…

"Achieved a false core effect through some special means? No wonder Mu Renjie's power has progressed so rapidly! In just a few years, he went from Foundation Establishment Initial Stage to rivaling late Foundation Establishment!" Gong Wansheng was shocked, the situation diverged greatly from his expectations, extremely strange! "Impossible! For the Demon Sect Evil Cultivator to court Mu Renjie, how could they afford such a costly, precious treasure to give him?" Gong Wansheng shook his head in astonishment.

A treasure capable of forcibly elevating a Foundation Establishment cultivator to rival the Nascent Core realm is something Luoxia Sect doesn't possess; its value cannot even be measured in Spirit Stones, being one of the top strategic resources! In simple terms, if Luoxia Sect owned such a treasure, it would guarantee that the sect maintains Nascent Core combat power for generations! Even if a generation lacks a Nascent Core talent, this treasure could keep the sect's prestige intact, preventing enemies from targeting them.

Such a treasure likely exists only in the Great Yu Cultivation World, within the Nascent Soul sects that truly stand above the clouds! How could a Demon Sect Evil Cultivator possibly bestow such a treasure upon the modest Mu Renjie?

Even the entire value of Nanshan Fang cannot compare to such a treasure!

"Taste my methods!"

Mu Renjie's pupils turned jet‑black, a manic hue flashing on his face; within the black mist seemed countless evil spirits, forming into black spheres that lunged at Gong Wansheng like demonic heads tearing at him.

Gong Wansheng dared not be careless; the light of his Spirit Boots flared, his figure darted swiftly, leaving phantom after phantom in the air to dodge continuously. Yet the black silk mist moved equally fast, like countless black beams weaving through, and even with his superb footwork, he could not fully evade them.

Boom! A black sphere struck Gong Wansheng, instantly sending a chilling sensation through his body, as if his magic and blood were shackled—like a mortal experiencing a ghost pressing down, mind clear yet unable to move.

Fortunately, as a Luoxia Sect prodigy, his future Nascent Core seedling's innate foundation is sufficiently strong.

His thoughts shifted, he roared in anger, and his signature Magic Treasure Flying Sword instantly delivered a scorching energy blade, freeing him instantly from the bizarre state.

"Break it for me!"

His magic surged to the limit, sword light flashing, cleaving the incoming black mist spheres.

"No, no! Although Mu Renjie possesses some traits of a Nascent Core cultivator, he does not truly match a Nascent Core cultivator's strength. Otherwise, killing me would be as easy as a palm flip, and I wouldn't have a chance to counter."

"Since you're not a true Nascent Core, then die!"

Gong Wansheng rallied his spirit, dispelling inner fear, reigniting fierce battle intent.

He gathered sword qi between his fingers, slashing across his forehead, instantly cutting a wound that bled.

His magic sword at that moment took on a faint blood‑red hue, and Gong Wansheng's divine consciousness grew a few degrees more refined.

Clack clack…

A massive sword qi formed, its terrifying pressure causing even the late Foundation Establishment Gong Wansheng to struggle to bear, swaying as if about to collapse.

This is his ultimate hidden technique after invoking the secret art.

Targeted by the killing move with no escape, Mu Renjie seemed to sense the danger as the black in his pupils deepened, and the attacking demonic black spheres all withdrew, circling him as a defense.

Boom! A massive, swift sword flash streaked past, and the black mist, like snow under sunlight, dissolved instantly.

When one watches, one cannot resist; the blackness in Mu Renjie's eyes also involuntarily faded at this moment, beginning to clear and revealing a look of fear.

But just as the magical sword was about to fall onto Mu Renjie and slay him on the spot, the hovering Nether Saint Stone above his head blocked the sword's descent.

Clang! The harsh sound waves radiated in all directions, shattering the surrounding buildings instantly, and a first‑tier formation could not block them at all.

The surroundings suddenly filled with a plaintive, wailing cry.

Hearing this crying, Gong Wansheng, who was already struggling to execute the killing technique, was greatly affected and could lose his footing at any moment.

What unsettled him further was that this eerie crying made Mu Renjie, who should have begun to fear and have his evil aura dissipate, go mad again.

Not so—he was actually struggling! The last glimmer of humanity in his expression seemed to fade, or rather be devoured, yet Mu Renjie appeared to repent, trying to break free.

Yet his resistance was negligible; he had long sought to merge completely with the Nether Saint Stone, and now it was finally about to happen.

Even though Gong Wansheng had sliced away most of the black mist, Mu Renjie should be very weak at this moment.

But the impression given was that it seemed even more terrifying!

Like an omen; a slight touch would bring a nightmare that clings.

Poof!

Gong Wansheng could not hold on, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, and the massive magical sword shattered along with it.

He stared at Mu Renjie with blood‑red eyes, finally understanding what was happening.

"This is not a treasure that can force a Foundation Establishment practitioner to match a Golden Core realm; it is something tainted by evil!"

"This Mu Renjie did not join the Evil Cultivator; he was used by an Evil Cultivator!"

"Damn it! This is a path even an Evil Cultivator wouldn't dare try; Mu Renjie is courting death!"

Gong Wansheng felt terror in his heart.

If Mu Renjie succeeds in this, he would rival a Golden Core cultivator, but the price would be a life worse than death, becoming a chaotic entity even worse than an Evil Cultivator, like a demon! In that case, Nanshan Fang would fall into chaos, collapsing without a fight, and Luoxia Sect and Baihua Valley would both be greatly troubled by it.

"Mu Renjie, stop now! You've been used by an Evil Cultivator! If you continue, you'll lose all sanity and become a walking corpse!"

"And also, even if you don't care about the Mu family, do you not care about your daughter? Don't think that sending her to Liyang Immortal City makes her safe; truth be told, she was intercepted!"

After Gong Wansheng cast a secret technique, he became quickly weakened; now he cannot generate effective power, and can only shout loudly, hoping Mu Renjie will regain his senses.

But he has already prepared to flee at any moment.

Although Mu Renjie is gravely wounded now, his vital energy severely depleted, once he completes the transformation, even in weakness he will be beyond what an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator can resist.

Then, Nanshan Fang's fate will likely be even more tragic than Yin Ye Peak.

After all, Yin Ye Peak was overrun by Evil Cultivators, who would not indiscriminately slaughter, especially not targeting low‑level Scattered Cultivators.

But a Mu Renjie who has lost his mind will likely kill indiscriminately! Nanshan Fang, who can stand against it? Even the two Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Cao family could at most save themselves and flee.

The cultivators of Nanshan Fang, doomed! (End of chapter)