Chapter 415: Chen Mu Acts

"At that time, swallowing this Wu Long Mansion will be merely an appetizer; the entire Shannan Dao, and even broader territories, will become our Shishen Sect's hunting ground."

"You so-called righteous sects are merely tastier blood offerings!"

His words, filled with madness and indifference, sent chills down their spines.

"Delusional!"

Jin Ao roared, his black flame true qi exploding violently like a volcanic eruption, his black flame blade pointing directly at the Soul Devouring Elder.

"With me, Jin Ao, here, you demons shall not succeed! Today, I shall first slay you, old demon, then destroy this evil embryo!"

Before his words had even faded, Jin Ao struck without hesitation.

He knew that facing such an ancient demon, there could be no hesitation or probing—only total commitment!

"Flame of the Burning Sky—"

Jin Ao gripped the blade with both hands, merging man and weapon into one, transforming into a long rainbow of blazing black flame that tore through the thick, stinking air of the cave, carrying the resolute will to sever all and burn all, straight toward the Soul Devouring Elder!

His fourth-tier heavenly sword intent pushed to its peak, the black flame blade's radiance warped the very space it passed through; the drifting crimson mists evaporated instantly, and the grotesque insects nearby turned to ash.

This strike represented the peak of Jin Ao's Earth Altar Realm's See-Through-Immortal cultivation!

Its power was strong enough to force ordinary cultivators of the same level to retreat in fear.

Facing this earth-shattering strike, the Soul Devouring Elder showed not a trace of fear—only a sneer.

"A grain of rice dares to shine?"

The old man did not dodge or evade—only gently tapped his twisted bone staff forward.

From the eye sockets of the pale white skull atop the staff, two emerald-green ghostly flames suddenly ignited!

"Hum—"

An invisible, profoundly cold and evil spiritual wave spread like liquid mercury flooding the ground.

This wave did not target physical form—it struck directly at the soul!

Jin Ao's mighty blade momentum, the instant it touched this spiritual wave, involuntarily hesitated slightly.

The dominant will within the blade's light seemed to strike a wall—invisible yet viscous—corroded and disrupted by the cold, evil spiritual force!

Even the black flame true energy on his skin rippled.

Among experts, victory hinges on a single thread!

In that fleeting moment of hesitation, the two Shishen Sect disciples behind the Soul Devouring Elder moved.

The emaciated man let out a piercing shriek, his body darting like a phantom, two short, green-glowing bone daggers appearing in his hands, striking like a venomous snake's tongue at the flank of Jin Ao's blade light.

The fat woman cackled, her mouth splitting wide to her ears, spewing a thick, stinking, yellow-green phlegm composed of countless tiny eggs, like a net casting over Jin Ao.

Before the phlegm reached him, its nauseating stench and corrosive aura already slammed into his face!

Their coordination was flawless—one close, one distant, one swift, one treacherous—clearly seasoned warriors trained specifically to assist the Soul Devouring Elder against powerful foes.

Jin Ao's blade momentum was blocked, and now under dual assault, he was thrown onto the defensive.

He roared, forcing his mind to stabilize, shifting his blade light to deflect the emaciated man's bone daggers and the fat woman's phlegm—but the original strike aimed at the Soul Devouring Elder had lost much of its power.

"Clang!"

"Sssshhh~"

The clash of metal and the sound of corrosion rang out simultaneously.

The emaciated man was blasted back several steps, the green glow on his daggers dimmed.

The fat woman's phlegm was mostly evaporated by the blade qi, yet a few drops clung to Jin Ao's protective true energy, emitting a "sizzling" corrosion sound.

Meanwhile, the Soul Devouring Elder, taking advantage of Jin Ao's distraction, tapped his staff again.

This time, from the skull's mouth emerged a hair-thin, nearly invisible stream of gray-black energy, silent and swift, aimed straight at Jin Ao's third eye.

This stream moved with astonishing speed and seemed to bypass physical defenses entirely, striking directly at the soul!

Jin Ao sensed the danger and tried to dodge—but his blade momentum was stalled, and the two fifth-qi cultivators held him in check; he could not maneuver freely.

"Hum!"

A soft yet unbreakable light shield, imbued with the mystery of yin-yang transformation, suddenly appeared before Jin Ao.

Chen Mu acted!

He had been holding back, waiting, and seeing Jin Ao in peril, he struck decisively.

"Puff!"

The gray-black stream struck the shield and vanished like a mud ox entering the sea, only ripples forming before the shield's flowing power swiftly dissipated and neutralized it.

"Huh?"

The Soul Devouring Elder showed surprise for the first time, turning his gaze to Chen Mu: "Boy, who are you?"

To dispel his "Soul-Eroding Thread" so effortlessly was beyond the capability of an ordinary Three Flowers Gathering cultivator.

Had this boy concealed his true strength?

Chen Mu did not answer—he flickered forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Jin Ao, the Xian Long Sword in hand, its tip angled toward the ground, calmly facing the Soul Devouring Elder.

"Lord Jin, leave this old demon to me. Deal with those two quickly."

His tone was calm, yet brimmed with quiet confidence.

Through his earlier observation, Chen Mu had already grasped the Soul Devouring Elder's patterns.

He excelled in spiritual attacks and sinister curses; his physical body and direct combat were likely not his strongest suits.

The True Martial Exterminating Sword Art was precisely adept at countering such dark arts.

For Chen Mu to restrain or even defeat the Soul Devouring Elder was the optimal choice.

As for the two fifth-qi cultivators, entrusting them to Jin Ao, an experienced See-Through-Immortal expert, should pose no problem.

Jin Ao cast a deep glance at Chen Mu—he had seen from that flawless defense that "Qin Shuang" was no ordinary man; his strength likely surpassed Jin Ao's prior estimation.

This was not the time for questions.

"Good! Brother Qin, be careful—this old devil's Soul-Eroding Threads are incredibly venomous, targeting the spirit directly!"

Jin Ao let out a low roar, no longer hesitating; he spun his Black Flame Blade, wreathed in Xiong Xiong's fury, like a tiger bursting from its cage, charging fiercely at the gaunt man and the fat woman.

This time, he held nothing back—his blade intent and true energy pushed to their absolute limits, determined to swiftly slay these two henchmen before joining Chen Mu to confront the old devil.

"Bold boy!"

The Soul-Devouring Elder, enraged by Chen Mu's calm yet contemptuous tone, saw the ghostly flames in his eyes flare violently: "Since you're eager to die, old man will oblige you. Let you taste the flavor of your spirit being slowly gnawed away, turned into nourishment for my holy insects!"

He raised his bone staff high and chanted a harsh, eerie incantation.

The countless strange insects and fleshy worms clinging to the cave ceiling and surrounding the blood pool, as if given orders, shrieked in unison—a tidal wave surging toward Chen Mu.

Thin strands of dark red mist rose from the blood pool, coalescing into twisted, agonized human faces, emitting silent wails brimming with intense resentment and psychic assault, lunging at Chen Mu!

Simultaneously, the Soul-Devouring Elder unleashed his full spiritual field—a cold, malevolent fluctuation that seemed to freeze souls—spreading like a domain to engulf Chen Mu, attempting to suppress and erode his spiritual awareness.

Facing this overwhelming tide of insects, resentment attacks, and spiritual suppression, Chen Mu's gaze remained calm.

The Three-Laugh Buddha Beads on his body spun rapidly, blocking the spiritual assaults.

The Third Level of Sword Intent—fully unleashed!