Chapter 204: Take this, young master!

Almost at the same moment the stabilizer suffered heavy damage, the tall man whose aura had been linked to the stabilizer, as if struck by lightning, arched his body and spat out a large mouthful of blood mixed with chunks of viscera; his aura quickly waned like a punctured balloon, his eyes filled with incredulous horror and despair. He never imagined that this holy object, regarded as the foundation by the organization, would be destroyed before his eyes by two juniors!

Done!

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue simultaneously felt an indescribable ecstasy. At last, at last, our efforts were not in vain!

Just as the two prepared to press their advantage and completely destroy the 'Heart of the Earth Vein Stabilizer' that brought calamity to Wan Yao Gu, reducing it to powder——

At the cavern's top, without any warning, a hoarse yet supremely majestic cold snort sounded; though not loud, it was like the evening drum and morning bell, clearly reaching everyone's ears, carrying an undeniable, chilling killing intent:

"Impudence! How dare you destroy the foundation of my 'Shadow'!"

Before his words faded, an aura far surpassing that of the tall man earlier, and even more terrifying and unfathomable than any foe they had faced, descended from above like a reversed heavenly river pouring down, as if Mount Tai pressed upon the summit! The aura was yin-cold and viscous, bringing a suffocating sense of oppression.

At the instant that terrifying aura descended, Zhang Jun and Lin Xue felt their shoulders suddenly sink, as if bearing the weight of an entire mountain range; their bones groaned under the strain, their knees buckled, and they barely managed not to collapse uncontrollably to the ground. The shadows in the cavern's top writhed strangely, and a gaunt figure drifted down, feet still a few inches above the ground, hovering silently; the surrounding air seemed to stagnate because of his presence.

The newcomer wore the same hunched attire as before, with wide sleeves that nearly enveloped his whole body, but now the eyes deep in his sockets were no longer murky; instead they shot out two beams of terrifying light that shattered heart and courage, his aura radiating far stronger than when he had fled like a stray dog—more than tenfold! It was that hunched old man who had left and returned! Now he bore no trace of embarrassment; yin energy coiled around him, and faint black mist rose.

"Heh heh heh… heh heh…" the old man emitted a series of dry, grating laughs from his throat, like two rusted iron plates scraping together, each syllable exuding a chilling cold.

His gaze locked onto the already crack‑riddled 'Heart of the Earth Vein Stabilizer' like the deadliest viper, a flicker of barely perceptible rage flashing in the depths of his eyes before being replaced by a cat‑toying‑with‑a‑mouse amusement; his hoarse voice carried a palpably threatening majesty: "You brats, do you really think the fruits of my decades of labor can be so easily destroyed by you?"

His fingers, gaunt as chicken claws, lifted slightly, dark qi curling at his fingertips as he pointed from afar at the crystal still flickering with unstable black‑red light; the corner of his split mouth curled in a cruel arc: "This is merely the outer wall of the stabilizer. The true core lies hidden within the Jiuyou Dihuo—how could you, mere wet‑behind‑the‑ears brats, touch or shake it?"

As his words fell, the tall man whose aura had been weakened by Zhang Jun's blow, and the poison‑mist person who had merely watched from the sidelines, also snapped out of their initial shock and horror.

The two exchanged a glance, each seeing in the other's eyes the relief of having survived a catastrophe and a heightened awe of the old man. Each forcibly suppressed the surging qi and blood within, standing left and right like the door‑guarding fiends of a temple, once again sealing off Zhang Jun and Lin Xue's retreat; their eyes blazed with killing intent fiercer than before, undisguised, as if they wished to carve the two alive.

"Old coot, you ran faster than a rabbit earlier—did you piss your pants? Now you've changed into clean trousers and dare to show off again?" Zhang Jun forced down the sweet‑sour taste rising to his throat, secretly regulated his breath, and shoved the slightly unsteady Lin Xue behind him; his voice sounded low from bearing the immense invisible pressure, but his tone of defiance and mockery did not wane: "You sneaky old thing! Today you've fallen into my hands—consider yourself unlucky! I, the young master, will turn your rat‑nest completely upside down!"

Lin Xue leaned against Zhang Jun's solid back, panting rapidly, fine beads of fragrant sweat appearing on her forehead. Her thoughts raced, quickly filtering all records of this place's restrictions and structure from the Jade Slip of Guardian One True Person.

Suddenly her eyes lit up; a neglected, secret record about the lower structure of the altar surfaced in her mind—beneath the altar there seemed to be a hidden emergency escape tunnel dug long ago by Medicine Sect predecessors to guard against mishaps. She suppressed her inner joy, kept her composure, and with her fingertips lightly tapping a unique, concealed rhythm on the lower hem of Zhang Jun's waist‑side garment, she transmitted a specific signal only the two of them understood.

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue had grown up together; this tacit understanding was ingrained to the marrow, so he grasped her meaning the instant her fingertips moved. He sucked in a deep breath, the remaining pure‑yang energy in his body bursting forth unreservedly, a layer of solid golden‑light erupting from his surface and actually managing to lift the mountain‑heavy pressure by a fraction, buying himself a sliver of breathing space.

"Old dog! Take this, young master!" Zhang Jun bellowed like thunder, advancing instead of retreating, like a tiger fully enraged, both fists thrusting out—his fist wind fierce and domineering, howling as it tore the air, he launched a fierce assault at the Shadow Elder whose aura was immeasurably deep! That unstoppable, death‑defying momentum, so vast it seemed capable of overturning the entire cavern.

Seeing this, the Shadow Elder's deep‑set eyes flashed with undisguised contempt and scorn, as if Zhang Jun's dying struggle were beneath his notice.

He casually waved his gaunt palm forward; the motion seemed light and casual, yet it unleashed a tidal‑wave‑scale yin‑cold force, like an invisible black wall rising to meet Zhang Jun's earth‑shattering fist wind.

As Zhang Jun and the Shadow Elder clashed head‑on, the massive energy burst they created surged like a furious tide through the cavern, drawing the full attention of the tall man and the poison‑mist person; at that very moment Lin Xue, having already caught Zhang Jun's silent cue, lowered her body like a nimble civet cat and darted to the edge of the altar where the black‑red crystal had been.

Her slender fingers flew like butterflies among flowers; following a special technique of the Medicine Sect, she rapidly pressed specific, barely noticeable patterns on the altar stone walls she had memorized, using a precise sequence and force.