Chapter 1203: Mist‑Hidden Ghost Ruins

The male cultivator wielding a broad sword and the female cultivator with a short blade were also battle‑hardened veterans; though they did not know who the newcomer was, this was undoubtedly their only chance! The two exchanged a glance and instantly unleashed all their potential!

"Xunfeng Rift‑Sky Slash!"

"Spiritual Blade Dance of Slaughter!"

A massive azure wind blade and countless sharp short‑blade glints, like a raging storm, seized the moment the battle formation stalled and struck hard into the breach of the Shadow Pavilion's battle array!

Puff! Puff!

At once, seven or eight Shadow Pavilion assassins at the Hua Shen stage were severely wounded or even killed instantly by the backfire of the formation and the sudden attack!

The battle formation collapsed in an instant!

"Scoundrel!" The late‑stage Refine‑Void elder of the Shadow Pavilion, furious as thunder, whirled around, his resentful gaze fixed on the suddenly appearing Han Wuxian, "You're asking for death!"

He abandoned the people of Xunfeng Valley, his form turning into a gray streak; a twisted serpentine long sword materialized in his hand, emitting a shrill screech as it lunged straight at Han Wuxian's brow! At the blade's tip, gray mist gathered, as if countless vengeful souls were wailing, the power terrifyingly immense!

Facing this wrathful strike, Han Wuxian's expression remained unchanged; he did not even draw a weapon, merely raised his right hand slowly, spread his five fingers, and gently grasped the incoming serpentine sword.

"Shatter."

The words were law!

The serpentine long sword, clearly an extraordinary weapon, when still three feet from Han Wuxian's palm, seemed seized by an invisible giant hand, let out a strained wail, its blade instantly riddled with cracks, and then with a "Bang", shattered into countless fragments!

"What?!" The elder's pupils contracted, his face turning pale with shock, unable to believe his eyes! His destined treasure had been so casually crushed by the opponent's bare hands?!

How could this be possible?!

At the moment his spirit faltered, Han Wuxian moved.

His figure seemed to blur for an instant, then, as if teleporting, he appeared before the elder, still holding his fingers together like a sword, pointing at the elder's dantian.

The elder's lingering soul surged wildly, frantically activating protective gray mist, while his body recoiled violently!

Yet Han Wuxian's fingertip, as if ignoring spatial distance, landed with pinpoint precision on the weakest point of the protective gray mist!

Snort!

The gray mist burst like a bubble pierced by a needle, dissipating instantly. The elder felt a pain in his dantian; his Silence Extinction Nascent Soul, cultivated for years, was instantly invaded and sealed by an even more terrifying, purer Silence Extinction force!

He let out a wail, his cultivation lost, falling from the sky like a kite with its line cut.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ran and Qing Lin had also entered the fray. Xiao Ran's sword flashed like a dragon, specifically hunting down the scattered Shadow Pavilion assassins, each strike fierce, venting years of hatred. Qing Lin wielded a long spear, the emerald vitality force specifically countering the Silence Extinction death aura, protecting the wounded of Xunfeng Valley.

Deprived of their leader and formation, the remaining Shadow Pavilion assassins were swiftly wiped out under Han Wuxian's overwhelming strength.

The battle ended faster than expected.

The desert fell back into deathly silence, leaving only a field of wreckage and a heavy scent of blood.

The five or six survivors of Xunfeng Valley, after the calamity, looked at the four suddenly appeared saviors whose strength was absurdly great, feeling both gratitude and awe.

The pair of Refine‑Void stage male and female cultivators helped each other forward and bowed deeply to Han Wuxian: "Elder of Xunfeng Valley, Zhao Kuo (male), Liu Ling (female), thank you, senior, and fellow Daoists, for saving our lives! May we know the full name of our benefactor?"

"Han Wuxian." Han Wuxian gave his name, his gaze sweeping over their injuries, especially the lingering Silence Extinction death aura, "Your wounds are severe; let me tend to them first."

Wang Tie stepped forward immediately, produced pills and silver needles, dispelling the death aura and treating the wounds. His medical skill was superb, quickly stabilizing everyone's injuries.

Zhao Kuo felt the death aura in his body dissipate, his wounds improving, and expressed deep gratitude: "Senior Han, Master Wang, I cannot thank you enough! Should you ever need anything, Xunfeng Valley will brave fire and water without hesitation!"

Han Wuxian waved his hand and asked, "Why has Xunfeng Valley suffered this calamity? Why does the Shadow Pavilion slaughter your sect?"

At the mention, Zhao Kuo and Liu Ling's eyes instantly flashed with intense sorrow and anger.

Liu Ling clenched her teeth and said, "We don't fully understand the exact cause. Three days ago, a large force of Shadow Pavilion masters suddenly besieged Xunfeng Valley, killing anyone they saw, and forcibly abducted nearly a hundred of our core disciples and Inner Gate elders! They seemed… seemed to be searching for something, or perhaps… people with a particular spiritual root constitution!"

Zhao Kuo added, his face showing fear: "They acted ruthlessly and even threatened… to send the abducted to the altar deep within the Mist‑Hidden Ghost Ruins! We fought to the death to break out, and only a few of us escaped, only to be pursued here…"

"Altar! Mist‑Hidden Ghost Ruins!"

"Those two words again!"

Han Wuxian exchanged a glance with Xiao Ran and Wang Tie; it seemed the Mist‑Hidden Ghost Ruins were more perilous than imagined, and the Shadow Pavilion's dealings there were certainly extraordinary.

"Do you know what that altar is specifically for?" Han Wuxian pressed.

Zhao Kuo shook his head: "We only know it's extremely evil; those sent there have never returned. Our valley master… the old master, in order to cover our breakout, perhaps… perhaps has already met a terrible fate…" he said, his tiger‑like eyes brimming with tears.

The atmosphere grew heavy for a moment.

Han Wuxian pondered briefly and said, "We are about to head to the Mist‑Hidden Ghost Ruins."

Zhao Kuo and Liu Ling were startled by the words: "Senior wants to go there? Absolutely not! It has become a dragon‑pool tiger‑den; the main forces of the Shadow Pavilion are likely gathered there, and the Grey Mist Yanluo is stationed there, making it exceedingly dangerous!"

"Precisely because of that, we must go." Han Wuxian's tone was calm yet firm, "Your wounds are not healed; what are your plans next?"

Zhao Kuo glanced at the few remaining disciples behind him and said bitterly, "Our sect is destroyed; we may only try to contact other forces that bear a grudge against the Shadow Pavilion and then plan further."

Han Wuxian nodded, took out several jade talismans and handed them to Zhao Kuo: "These are communication jade talismans; if you encounter an unsolvable danger, crush one, and I may sense it. Take care."

Zhao Kuo and the others received the talismans, bowed deeply again: "Thank you, senior! When you go to the Ghost Ruins, be extremely careful!"

After bidding farewell to the Xunfeng Valley survivors, the four of Han Wuxian continued toward the deepest part of the Black Wind Desert, also the direction of the Mist‑Hidden Ghost Ruins.

The closer they got, the more intense the gray, dead‑silence aura in the air became, and even the raging black wind seemed much "quieter", as if suppressed by a stronger power.

Finally, after crossing a massive sand ridge that resembled the back of a black giant dragon, the scene ahead opened up, sending a chill down their spines!

They beheld an enormous, shattered mountain ruin sprawling between heaven and earth. The mountains seemed ripped and crushed by some colossal force, assuming an unnatural twisted shape.

The entire ruined mountain range was shrouded in a viscous, still, gray mist that seemed alive! The mist was so dense it could not be pierced; a spiritual sense entering it would be instantly devoured and dissolved, even reflecting back a chilling, heart‑pounding sense of death and silence!

Within the mist, faint outlines of ruined palaces could be seen, like the skeletons of colossal beasts, narrating ancient desolation and eeriness.

Here lies the Mist‑Hidden Ghost Ruins!