Chapter 187: True Qi is Locked Up!!!

Desperate situation!

A true desperate situation!

Ahead, the Blood-Skeleton Ghost Qi of the "Blood-Skeleton Spirit Lord" surged like roaring crimson tidal waves, carrying an aura that would annihilate everything in its path.

Where it passed, the ground turned into dark red scorched earth, the air froze, and the wails of vengeful spirits echoed.

Behind them, countless alerted "living corpses," "Filth-Eating Ghosts," and other Liu Family abominations of even more twisted forms and more evil auras,

converged into a turbid black tide, howling and writhing, sealing off all retreat.

Above their heads, the pervading gray-black mist also seemed to come alive, churning and swirling, forming a vast, intangible net.

"Priest Lu!!"

Hu Huxu's face was deathly pale, his voice cracking as he looked despairingly at the terrifying scene of this heaven-and-earth encirclement.

The temporary defensive talismans he had laid down sizzled under the impact of the Blood-Skeleton Ghost Qi, their light rapidly dimming.

Lu Yuan also felt unprecedented pressure.

The oppressive aura of the "Blood-Skeleton Spirit Lord" was like a tangible mountain, crushing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

His protective zhenran energy vibrated intensely, and the sharp pain in his sea of consciousness struck again.

He couldn't die here!

The old man was still waiting for him!

Lu Yuan still had a trump card!

But that trump card couldn't be wasted on breaking out; it had to be saved for the critical moment of rescuing the old man!

Charge! He had to charge out!

Charge towards the underground entrance where the old man was truly trapped!

Even if that place might be a dragon's den and tiger's lair, another trap, he had to go!

Because that was the only clear hope!

"Stay close to me! Charge through!"

Lu Yuan roared sharply at Hu Huxu.

At the same time, Lu Yuan held nothing back, unleashing the full power of his Two-Star Celestial Master cultivation!

"Heaven and Earth boundless, Universe lend me your law!"

"Thunder God aid me, vanquish evil and dispel illusions!"

"Urgently, urgently, as by the law's command!"

Lu Yuan's hands rapidly formed seals. This time, it was a simplified precursor version of one of the Daoist school's most powerful offensive Thunder Technique hand seals, the "Five Thunders Smiting the Crown" seal.

This hand seal was suitable for small-scale, high-frequency bursts!

The incantation from Lu Yuan's mouth exploded like thunder. The pale golden zhenran energy around his body surged violently,

transforming into countless fine, serpentine golden arcs of electricity that coiled around his body, crackling with sharp pops!

Lu Yuan did not choose to confront the massive tide of Blood Ghost Qi head-on; that would undoubtedly be suicide.

Lu Yuan's target was the side and rear, the relatively scattered tide of Liu Family abominations pouring out from houses and alleyways!

He needed to tear open a gap, force a breakthrough, and charge towards the direction of the cliff!

"Break!"

With an angry shout, Lu Yuan pointed his fingers together like a sword and aimed at the alleyway entrance to his left front, where the abominations were densest, and thrust out into the air!

The golden electric arcs coiled around him, like an army receiving its command, instantly converged into a dazzling, arm-thick pillar of thunderous light.

Carrying the majestic authority of heaven and destructive power, it blasted forth with a roar!

"BOOM-CRACK—!"

Thunder exploded, golden light burst forth!

The seven or eight "living corpses" and two larger "Filth-Eating Ghosts" at the forefront of that alleyway entrance,

didn't even have time to scream before they were instantly reduced to ashes under the supremely yang and rigid power of thunder!

Even the walls and ground of the alleyway entrance were blasted into a charred pit, the yin-evil aura clearing momentarily.

However, more abominations fearlessly surged forward to fill the gap. Stimulated into even greater frenzy by the thunder's aura, they howled and pounced.

Simultaneously, the tide of Blood Ghost Qi from behind drew closer.

Its icy, filthy aura had already touched Lu Yuan's protective zhenran energy, producing sizzling corrosion sounds.

"Go!"

Seizing the opening from his successful strike without a moment's pause, Lu Yuan's figure transformed into a streak of pale golden light, charging fiercely towards the gap blasted open by the thunder!

His hands never stopped, firing compressed Palm Thunders like a chain of firecrackers.

He precisely picked off the scattered abominations lunging at him, clearing a narrow path.

Hu Huxu gritted his teeth and followed closely. He shielded the "Soul-Sustaining Lamp" before his chest.

The lamp's flame, forcibly stimulated by his essence-blood, emitted a sickly green light carrying a strong sense of pacifying souls and suppressing evil.

This light barely resisted the yin-evil aura and sporadic attacks eroding from the sides and rear.

His other hand continuously tossed out the remaining yin talismans. These talismans burned in mid-air,

transforming into twisting green lights that temporarily hindered and confused the approaching abominations.

The two of them, one in front and one behind, were like a tiny leaf boat struggling amidst raging storm waves.

Enduring the siege of countless abominations and the ever-nearing Blood Ghost Qi from behind, they desperately fought their way towards the cliff.

Every step forward was accompanied by the roar of thunder, the howls of abominations, the explosion of talismans, and the sizzling collision of protective zhenran energy with evil qi.

Lu Yuan pushed his speed to the limit, his figure weaving and turning through narrow alleys and gaps between houses.

Avoiding the densest concentrations of abominations, he specifically targeted weak points for breakthroughs.

The zhenran energy within his body poured out like floodwaters from an opened sluice gate, sustaining the high-intensity Thunder Technique output and protective zhenran.

A mere few dozen meters felt like traversing a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, fraught with peril.

Several times, Lu Yuan was almost grabbed by extremely fast-moving black shadows pouncing from the side, narrowly avoiding them by dispersing them with Thunder Techniques.

Hu Huxu was even more disheveled. His old clothes were corroded into several holes by evil qi.

His arm was also slashed open by the sharp claw of a "hungry ghost servant," the wound rapidly turning black and festering, barely suppressed by Hu Family secret medicine.

Finally, after expending enormous energy and sustaining injuries, the two of them reached the base of the steep cliff.

This place was already about a hundred meters from the black stone house.

But the Blood-Skeleton Ghost Qi of the "Blood-Skeleton Spirit Lord" still followed like a shadow, only slightly weakened by the distance and the labyrinth of houses in between.

The horde of abominations chasing from behind had also been left at a distance, still surging forward madly.

"Where's the entrance?!"

Hu Huxu leaned against the icy cliff, panting heavily, his face somewhat greenish from blood loss and evil qi contamination, looking anxiously at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan didn't answer. Suppressing the sharp pain in his sea of consciousness and the fatigue in his body, he focused his spirit once more, sensing the source of the old man's faint Dao resonance.

This time, being closer, the sensation was clearer!

The source of the Dao resonance did not come from the cliff surface, but... from the foot of the cliff.

An area completely covered by dense, unnaturally dark green vines!

The vines were thick as a child's arm, with fleshy leaves. Their surface flowed with a dark, oily sheen, emitting a cloying scent tinged with decay.

"Over there! Behind the vines!"

Lu Yuan pointed decisively at the vines.

He could sense that behind the vines was not solid rock, but a... hollow space!

Moreover, an extremely subtle yet exceptionally pure and powerful earth vein yin energy faintly emanated from there!

The moment Lu Yuan pointed at the vines, the previously still covering vines seemed to come alive!

Countless vine tendrils rose like venomous snakes, their tips splitting open to reveal dense, sharp, tooth-like barbs.

They madly lashed out towards Lu Yuan and Hu Huxu!

At the same time, densely packed dark red sinister runes, similar to those inside the black stone house, appeared on the rock wall covered by the vines.

They emitted a powerful aura of restriction and attack!

There were indeed restrictions!

And the vines themselves were some kind of sinister plant-type demon!

"Break through!"

A fierce glint flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes. Knowing there was no retreat now, with pursuers closing in behind and the only path forward ahead!

His hands formed seals again. This time, it wasn't dispersed Thunder Techniques, but he concentrated most of his remaining zhenran energy into his right fist!

Golden thunderlight blazed dazzlingly on his fist, faintly forming the phantom of a roaring thunder tiger!

With Lu Yuan's furious shout, the right fist imbued with vast zhenran energy and majestic thunder authority,

carrying the phantom of the roaring thunder tiger, smashed fiercely into the madly lashing demonic vines and the rock wall behind them where the sinister runes glowed!

"BOOM—!!!"

A deafening explosion erupted at the cliff base! Golden light and dark red evil light collided violently, annihilating each other!

The violent thunder power, like countless golden sharp swords, instantly tore apart and pulverized the thickest demonic vines in front,

reducing them to charred fragments!

The remaining force of the punch did not diminish, solidly striking the dark red runes on the rock wall!

"Crack... crackle..."

A teeth-grating shattering sound rang out.

The seemingly indestructible runic restriction, flowing with sinister power,

under Lu Yuan's all-out punch carrying the evil-dispelling might of Thunder Techniques, actually spread with countless spiderweb-like cracks like glass struck by a heavy hammer!

Within the cracks, the dark red light rapidly dimmed and scattered.

"Pfft!"

Due to the recoil force, Lu Yuan felt a sweet taste in his throat and spat out another small mouthful of blood.

His face grew paler. The skin and flesh of his right fist were torn open, revealing white bone, charred black from Thunder Technique backlash and evil qi erosion, the pain piercing to the heart.

But a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

The restriction was loosening!

"Now! Get in!"

Enduring the intense pain, Lu Yuan roared at Hu Huxu, who was also staggering from the shockwave behind him.

At the same time, his left hand pointed like a sword, firing another compressed Palm Thunder that accurately blasted the densest cluster of cracks at the restriction's center!

"Bang!"

Another explosion. The already critically damaged restriction finally shattered completely, revealing a narrow, pitch-black hole behind it, barely wide enough for one person to pass through!

An even more concentrated, colder, and purer earth vein yin energy, mixed with a faint scent of blood and decay, gushed out from the hole!

Simultaneously, the pursuers arrived!

The "Blood Ghost Qi" like a crimson tidal wave was less than twenty meters away from them.

The shrieks of countless vengeful spirits within it almost pierced their eardrums!

More "living corpses" and "Filth-Eating Ghosts" closed in from all directions. The claws of the nearest few almost scraped Hu Huxu's back!

"Go!"

Lu Yuan grabbed Hu Huxu, whose movements were sluggish due to injuries and exhaustion.

Using his last bit of strength, he shoved him hard towards the newly opened hole!

Lu Yuan himself followed immediately, tumbling and crashing into the pitch-black, icy hole!

The moment their figures vanished into the hole,

the overwhelming "Blood-Skeleton Ghost Qi" and the attacks of countless abominations flooded the spot where they had just stood!

Dark red bloody light, turbid evil qi, sharp bone spikes, and ghostly claws,

slammed fiercely into the cliff rock wall and the remnants of the recently broken, not yet fully dissipated restriction, producing a deafening roar.

Rubble flew, evil qi overflowed.

However, a bizarre scene unfolded.

The surging, seemingly world-destroying "Blood-Skeleton Ghost Qi" and the countless Liu Family abominations that surged forward afterward,

upon reaching the edge of the hole, suddenly stopped as if hitting an invisible barrier!

The Blood-Skeleton Ghost Qi churned and roared outside the hole but could not invade an inch further.

Abominations like the "living corpses" and "Filth-Eating Ghosts" stopped several meters away from the hole as if encountering a natural enemy or nemesis.

They howled restlessly, "gazing" at the pitch-black hole with empty or greedy eye sockets, not daring to cross the line.

Even the pair of enormous eyes burning with blood flames, suspended high above the black stone house,

after "watching" Lu Yuan and Hu Huxu escape into the hole, the violent fury in their eyes seemed to subside somewhat.

Instead, they revealed a mixture of mockery, greed...

It did not continue driving the Blood-Skeleton Ghost Qi to assault the hole, just coldly "watched," as if waiting, or as if confirming something.

Inside the hole, Lu Yuan and Hu Huxu fell heavily onto the cold, damp ground, utterly disheveled.

Lu Yuan forced himself to sit up. Ignoring the horrific injury on his right fist and the nearly depleted, meridian-piercing pain of his internal zhenran energy,

he first warily looked towards the hole entrance.

Outside the hole, bloody light and evil qi churned, countless twisted figures lingered and howled, but not a single one dared to truly step inside.

At the edge of the hole, a faint, almost invisible grayish light membrane flickered slightly, isolating the inside from the outside.

"They... aren't coming in?"

Hu Huxu also struggled to sit up, clutching his injured, blackened arm, looking at the scene outside the hole with lingering fear, his face full of disbelief.

Lu Yuan frowned deeply, suspicion rising in his heart.

This gray light membrane... was it some kind of more powerful restriction?

Or did this cave itself possess something special that made the Liu Family abominations, even the "Blood Spirit Lord," feel apprehensive and unwilling to rashly enter?

He looked back into the depths of the cave.

It was a naturally formed, downward-sloping limestone cave passage, not very spacious, only allowing two or three people to walk abreast.

The cave walls were damp, covered in slippery moss and stalactites.

The air was thick with concentrated earth vein yin energy, moisture, and that increasingly distinct, faint Dao resonance belonging to the old man!

The Dao resonance was still faint, but much clearer and more stable than outside, as if its source was deep within this cave.

"This cave is strange. The things outside don't dare enter."

Lu Yuan said gravely, tearing off a strip of his robe to roughly bandage his bloodied right fist.

"But it doesn't seem to directly hinder us."

"The old man's aura is down there, getting clearer."

Hu Huxu also sensed this. He struggled to his feet.

Pulled out the last bit of medicinal powder for healing and restoring essence-energy from his pocket, took some himself, and handed a portion to Lu Yuan.

The flame of the "Soul-Sustaining Lamp" was now as weak as a candle in the wind, and he carefully put it away.

"Priest Lu, your injuries..."

Hu Huxu looked at Lu Yuan's horrifically injured right hand, wanting to speak but hesitating.

"Not a big deal."

Lu Yuan swallowed the medicinal powder, feeling the weak medicinal effect spreading, barely boosting his spirits a little.

He leaned against the cave wall to stand up, his gaze firm as he looked into the deep, dark depths of the cave.

"Let's go, down."

"The old man should be down there."

"The fact that those things outside don't dare come in is actually an opportunity for us."

"But we must hurry. I'm worried this cave's 'safety' is only temporary, or... something even more terrifying awaits us down there."

Hu Huxu nodded heavily. At this point, there was no turning back.

The two of them no longer paid attention to the abominations outside the cave that watched covetously but dared not cross the boundary.

Adjusting their breathing, enduring their injuries and exhaustion, they cautiously, one after the other, felt their way down the sloping cave depths.

The cave was exceptionally quiet, filled only with the sound of their footsteps, heavy breathing, and the faint, distant drip of water.

The cold, damp air enveloped them. That pure earth vein yin energy seeped everywhere, attempting to erode their bodies and souls.

But compared to the filthy, violent "Blood Ghost Qi" outside,

this pure yin energy was actually easier to resist. They just needed to circulate their cultivation methods to protect their heart meridians and sea of consciousness.

The further down they went, the more spacious the cave became. Occasionally, they could see signs of artificial excavation,

and strange lanterns embedded in the cave walls, long since having lost their luster.

The old man's Dao resonance also grew clearer.

Lu Yuan could even faintly sense that within that Dao resonance, there seemed to be an extremely subtle, thunder-like agitation,

as if suppressing, accumulating, waiting for something.

Hope seemed to lie ahead.

But Lu Yuan's heart grew heavier and heavier.

Because this path to hope was too quiet, too "smooth."

The Liu Family went to such lengths to set a trap, trapping the old man here. How could they let them find and approach the core so easily?

Moreover, Lu Yuan's Demon-Slaying System still hadn't issued any warnings so far...

Hmm...

Something just feels...

a bit off...

And just as Lu Yuan was feeling suspicious, he suddenly discovered in horror that his zhenran energy was locked!!!