Chapter 142

He hoarsely spat out three words.

In an instant, a grayish, absolutely silent force field centered on him rapidly expanded! Within the field, all colors faded, all sounds vanished, and even the flow of spiritual energy came to a complete halt! Qi Chengshuang's sword light dimmed, and the spiritual glow of Ruan Xinli's talisman began to flicker.

This is the embryonic form of a domain! The opponent had actually touched the domain power that only a Divine Transformation cultivator could initially grasp! Though incomplete, it was already an overwhelming advantage against us Golden Core cultivators! Qi Chengshuang and Ruan Xinli felt their spiritual power circulation become extremely murky, as if mired in a swamp, even their thoughts seemed about to stall! A sense of despair began to spread.

"Miss! Use your strongest attack talisman to strike the ground! Disrupt his force field's rhythm!" Qianmian shouted hoarsely, seemingly understanding Shouji Xiansheng's power, "His domain relies on this place's layout; it's not flawless!"

Ruan Xinli's eyes lit up at the words; without hesitation she hurled the three purple-hued talismans she clenched, flashing with terrifying lightning—indeed three priceless Purple Sky Divine Thunder Talismans—smashing them hard into the ground beneath Shouji Xiansheng's feet!

"Boom!"

Boom—!!!

Three bolts of purple lightning, as thick as a child's arm, roared forth like angry dragons—not directly attacking Shouji Xiansheng, but violently tearing apart the earth beneath his feet! Lightning raged, rocks and soil flew, and the mighty heavenly thunder's power clashed violently with that silent force field!

Sure enough, as Qianmian said, the silent domain relying on the earth's veins and environment showed a flicker of instability!

Now!

Qi Chengshuang's eyes flashed with sharp light—this was the chance he'd been waiting for! His Golden Core spun wildly, pouring all his sword essence without reserve into his sword!

"One sword… Frost Chill!"

He merged body and sword, becoming one with his blade; gathering all his essence, qi, and spirit into a single strike, it transformed into an ultimate brilliant, ultimate icy blue arc, piercing straight at Shouji Xiansheng's heart! This sword advances unstoppably, with no retreat, only death or life!

Shouji Xiansheng, distracted for an instant by the interference of the Purple Sky Divine Thunder on his domain, had to temporarily withdraw part of his domain power to defend against Qi Chengshuang's all‑out, deadly sword strike.

He raised his gaunt palm; gray‑dark light blazed from his palm as he precisely struck that blue sword arc!

Clang——!

A deafening clang like metal on metal rang out! The terrifying energy shockwave spread again, utterly collapsing the already tottering shack! Tiles and debris flew, smoke and dust filled the air!

Qi Chengshuang's figure was flung backward, spurting blood from his mouth, he crashed heavily near Ruan Xinli, his sword flew from his hand and stuck in the ground humming incessantly; he himself turned ashen as gold paper, his breath plummeting to the depths—clearly suffering grave internal injuries.

Shouji Xiansheng, too, was forced back for the first time! He staggered half a step back; on the palm that had blocked Qi Chengshuang's deadly sword, a faint white mark appeared, and even a trace of weak chill tried to seep in, but was quickly dissolved by his overwhelming silent power.

He lowered his gaze to his own palm, then to the fallen, heavily wounded Qi Chengshuang; his ancient‑well eyes finally welled with genuine fury.

"Good… very good… I never imagined my own creation would wound me this badly…" His voice turned low and terrifying, "You all must die!"

His gray robe fluttered without wind; the oil lamp buried deep in the ruins flew out on its own, landing on his head, its flame flickering wildly, emitting an even more terrifying silent pulse! He was clearly about to unleash his true trump card.

Ruan Xinli's face turned deathly pale as she ran to Qi Chengshuang's side and helped him up; the two exchanged a glance, a thread of despair rising in their hearts—our strongest talismans are spent, he's gravely injured, Shi Ran is unconscious, and that person seems unreliable… Are we really doomed to die here?

Just at this moment of despair——

"Hum…"

A faint hum suddenly came from Shi Ran's wrist.

That red thread, which had long lain dim and dormant, suddenly glowed with a faint red light once more. Moreover, this light was no longer the violent chaos of before; it now hinted at… dignity?

Shouji Xiansheng's power‑gathering motion paused for a beat; he snapped his gaze to Shi Ran's wrist, his eyes flashing with doubt once more: "This is…"

The red glow began weak, like a candle in the wind, but under the pressure of Shouji Xiansheng's towering silent might, it seemed infused with some vitality, starting to burn steady and firm. No longer the previous chaotic, greedy, all‑consuming frenzy, it now carried an ineffable… scrutiny?

At the core of the red thread, the dark red pulse intensified, like a slumbering primeval beast slowly opening its eyes.

Shouji Xiansheng's power‑gathering motion came to a complete halt! He stared fixedly at the reviving red thread; his surprise swiftly turned into a deep dread, even… a fleeting fear!

He knew better than anyone the origin and terror of this thing; that brief contact and explosion had already dealt him a dark loss, yet now, after it had absorbed part of the silent fire's power… it seemed to undergo a change he could not comprehend!

"Impossible… it was clearly wounded and silenced by the silent power…" Shouji Xiansheng muttered hoarsely, his voice full of uncertainty.

Just as his mind was caught by the anomaly on Shi Ran's wrist——

"Now!"

In the corner, Qianmian's eyes blazed with a fierce will to survive! He had waited for this moment far too long! Without hesitation he poured all his remaining demonic energy, together with a wisp of primordial power contained in the cracked dark gold dragon scale he held, frenziedly into the shuttle‑shaped magical implement he gripped in his other hand!

That shuttle‑shaped implement suddenly burst forth with blinding black light, emitting a sharp hum, and in an instant tore apart the silent force field that had weakened a bit due to Shouji Xiansheng's distraction!

"Flee!"

Qianmian let out a hoarse roar, his form turning into a barely perceptible dark stream of light, closely following the shuttle‑shaped implement as he desperately charged toward the gap in the domain torn open by Qi Chengshuang's sword—still not fully sealed—he didn't even dare glance back.

Shouji Xiansheng instantly noticed, flew into a rage: "You think you can escape?!" He instinctively reached out to send a tendril of power to intercept that ant that kept provoking him.

However——

"Hum!"

The red light on Shi Ran's wrist surged! The tiny dark‑red core suddenly broke free from her wrist, hovering in mid‑air; though still minute, it seemed to become the sole focus of heaven and earth! An invisible yet immense pressure spread forth, bearing an aura of supreme nobility, though equally filled with silence, it was utterly different from Shouji Xiansheng's silent power.

Shouji Xiansheng's silence is termination, extinction, void; whereas the aura emanating from this red‑red core is an absolute lethal intent that reigns above all things, regards all beings as mere straw dogs, and holds sway over every life and death!

This pressure is not an active attack; it is more like an innate manifestation, a rank‑based crushing!

Shouji Xiansheng grunted, as if struck in soul by an invisible great hammer! His circulating silent power shuddered, even suffering a momentary backlash! The force he had sent to intercept Qianmian consequently dissipated largely.

In that split‑second difference, Qianmian's dark stream of light barely slipped out of the domain gap, vanished instantly into the horizon, leaving only a resentful, fearful howl carried away by the wind: "Old ghost Shouji! Today's favor will be repaid!"

Shouji Xiansheng's face turned ashen‑blue, yet he had no spare attention for the fleeing Qianmian; his entire focus was locked onto the floating dark‑red core, as if facing a formidable foe.

And after the dark red core gave a slight tremor, the red light gradually retracted, settling back onto Shi Ran's wrist, once again turning into a faint red thread mark, as if it had never awakened; but the trace of aura it had just emitted was enough to make everyone present feel their hearts leap.

Ruan Xinli was closest, feeling it most clearly; at that moment she seemed to see mountains of corpses and seas of blood, myriad dragons wailing, even the sight of the Heavenly Dao, a tremor rising from deep within her soul making her almost unable to breathe. She was holding Shi Ran's arm, and even that trembled slightly.

Qi Chengshuang stubbornly endured his wounds, painstakingly moving to stand before Ruan Xinli and Shi Ran, holding his sword horizontally; although the sword had lost its light and he was gravely injured, his spine remained ramrod straight, his gaze fixed firmly on Shouji Mister, guarding against his next attack.

However, Shouji Mister did not strike again.

He stood there amidst the ruins, the flame of the oil lamp above his head no longer jumping wildly but flickering uncertainly, showing his extreme inner turmoil. He glanced at the unconscious Shi Ran, then at the gravely wounded yet resolute Qi Chengshuang and Ruan Xinli, and finally his gaze fell once more onto the now-quiet red thread mark on Shi Ran's wrist.

His expression shifted unpredictably, greed, apprehension, suspicion, anger, and a hint of fear that could barely be concealed flashing across his face.

He had painstakingly laid his plans, shuttling among various small worlds, waiting only for the appearance of "it"—a vessel capable of bearing and nurturing "it"! If he could separate and refine "it", he would have hope of breaking his shackles, returning to the real world without relying on anyone else!

But now, changes have arisen one after another. The red thread winding is out of control; because of Shi Ran's involvement, the entire book's plot has gone out of control. Only by relying on the ever‑strengthening red thread winding to eliminate this variable, Shi Ran, can he bring the book back onto its proper course!

What's worse, the trace of aura the red thread winding had just emitted, though faint, is of such a high intrinsic rank that it makes his heart palpitate. To forcibly separate it would be far too risky, likely to backfire on himself or even end up benefiting others.

By then, he would not be able to go home, and the plot would become even more chaotic!

A muscle twitched on Shouji Mister's gaunt face. Weighing the pros and cons, today's affair is impossible to accomplish.

He drew a deep breath; the terrifying aura of annihilation that had permeated the surroundings receded like a tide, withdrawing into his body. The oil lamp above his head also fell, and he took it into his sleeve. He once again became the ordinary‑looking thin old man, though his gaze remained terrifyingly cold.

"Hmph." He let out an inscrutable cold snort, his eyes sweeping over Qiu Chengshuang and Ruan Xinli like a poisonous snake. "Ruan Xinli, Qiu Chengshuang… you guys got lucky today."

His voice hoarse and gloomy: "Take that girl and get out of my territory. Never come near here again, or… next time it won't be so easy."

Having said that, he actually ignored the two people on high alert, turned his back, hunched, and walked step by step into the depths of the ruined hut. His figure gradually blurred in the drifting dust, finally vanishing soundlessly like a ghost, as if he had never existed.

The suffocating pressure finally disappeared completely.

After confirming that Mr. Shouji had truly left, Qiu Chengshuang's tense nerves slackened; he could no longer support himself, spat out a mouthful of blood, his body swayed, he dropped to one knee, and only by propping himself up with his sword did he barely avoid falling.

"Chengshuang!" Ruan Xinli exclaimed, quickly grabbing Shi Ran with one hand and reaching to support him with the other.

"I'm fine… quick, check the surroundings—we have to leave right now!" Qiu Chengshuang said through gritted teeth. He dared not be careless; who knows if that terrifying old monster really left or might return?

Ruan Xinli also knew the situation was dire; she suppressed her fear and anxiety, quickly extended her spiritual sense to scan the surroundings, and at the same time slapped several protective talismans on herself, Qiu Chengshuang, and Shi Ran.

All around was dead silence, only the wind's wail over the ruins. Mr. Shouji's aura had indeed vanished completely, and that strange Annihilation Force Field dissipated entirely.

"He seems to have really left…" Ruan Xinli whispered, her voice still trembling. She looked at Shi Ran in her arms, face as pale as paper and breathing weakly, then at the gravely injured Qiu Chengshuang, her eyes reddening. "Chengshuang, Ranran's hurt so badly… how are you?"

"I won't die yet." Qiu Chengshuang wiped the blood from his mouth, took a pill, and the pallor on his face regained a hint of color. "First stabilize her injuries—we must return to the city as fast as possible! This place is too dangerous."

Ruan Xinli nodded, quickly produced more precious healing pills and spiritual liquid, carefully feeding them to Shi Ran, and without hesitation expended her own origin spiritual power to gently guide the medicinal effects, repairing her damaged meridians and organs.

Qiu Chengshuang endured the pain, vigilantly guarding the Dharma, while quickly scanning the surroundings. The humble hut had become a pile of rubble, and the plants around showed an abnormal grayish withered state—result of corrosion by the Annihilation Force. One can imagine how perilous the battle just fought was.

His gaze finally fell on his own long sword; the blade's glow remained, yet it seemed tinged with an inescapable sense of death. He felt heavy‑hearted—the old man who called himself Shouji possessed unfathomable strength, far surpassing Golden Core and possibly brushing the edge of the Transformation Spirit stage. His cultivation method was bizarre and vicious, unheard of.

They had been at the far end of the clouds for some time; near Yunmo City, when had such a terrifying figure been hiding? They hadn't the slightest idea.

Moments later, under Ruan Xinli's desperate treatment, Shi Ran's breath finally steadied a little; although still unconscious, her complexion was no longer so alarming, and her breathing grew considerably stronger.

"Alright, we must leave at once!" Qiu Chengshuang felt the medicinal power disperse within him, regaining a bit of mobility, and said in a low voice.