Chapter 158: Ice Soul Shatters Evil, Sword Slays Demonic Aura

Elder Ling Shuang’s voice was like the clashing of ten-thousand-year-old ice, carrying a biting chill that pierced the soul. It instantly overwhelmed the seductive and sinister chanting of the "Blood Charm," sweeping away the bewitching sounds and terrifying illusions that permeated the bay!

An icy blue figure, wreathed in frost, snow, and a biting sword intent, descended fiercely from the high clouds! Before she even arrived, the bone-chilling cold had already caused a thin layer of ice to form on the surface of the churning dark red seawater in the bay, and fine ice crystals drifted through the air.

"Ice Soul: Frost Heaven Fall!"

Elder Ling Shuang pointed her fingers like a sword, gesturing vaguely downward. Countless solidified, icy blue sword auras, like a falling meteor shower of ice, covered the entire shallow bay! The sword auras not only precisely avoided Zhao Yuan, Li Feng, and the others, but also focused their bombardment on the five "Blood Puppets" that were lunging wildly, as well as the writhing dark red array runes on the ground!

Chi chi chi—!

The icy blue sword auras struck the "Blood Puppets," instantly bursting into large clusters of frost flowers! The extreme cold force invaded instantly; the dark red evil light on the surface of the "Blood Puppets" dimmed rapidly, their movements became stiff and sluggish, and a thick layer of solid ice covered their bodies, emitting "crack, crack" freezing sounds. Although it failed to destroy them completely at once, it successfully interrupted their frenzied offensive and temporarily froze them!

The sword auras landed on the ground runes, similarly triggering a violent energy conflict. The power of the Ice Soul and the evil blood-malice force eroded and annihilated each other, emitting ear-piercing sounds. The light of a large area of runes flickered uncertainly, and the operation of the entire "Blood-Malice Star-Summoning Array" stalled! The force field that had been binding and eroding everyone also weakened significantly!

With this single move, Elder Ling Shuang demonstrated the terrifying strength and exquisite control of a late-stage Nascent Soul powerhouse and a high-ranking Elder of the Profound Ice Pavilion!

Zhao Yuan’s pressure plummeted, and his heart steadied, but his forward momentum increased rather than decreased! Elder Ling Shuang’s arrival had created an excellent opportunity for him; he had to seize this fleeting moment to shatter the core of the array!

"Thank you for your assistance, Elder!" Zhao Yuan let out a long shout, his speed as he transformed into a sword rainbow increasing by another thirty percent! Within the gray-blue interwoven sword light, the intent of annihilation and the power of the stars merged perfectly, carrying a resolution to sever illusions and cleanse filth as he thrust directly at the terrifying object—covered in scales and bone spurs—that was rising in the center of the dark red vortex!

"Hmph! You old woman of the Profound Ice Pavilion, ruining my good work!" For the first time, a look of obvious annoyance and ferocity appeared on the "Blood Charm's" seductive face. She had not expected Ling Shuang to arrive so quickly, and that her very first move would precisely interfere with her array and Blood Puppets.

Seeing that Zhao Yuan’s sword rainbow was about to pierce the core of the vortex, a fierce look flashed in the "Blood Charm's" eyes. She abandoned her continued suppression of Li Feng and the others, changed her hand seals, and the pink and dark purple mist around her surged wildly, pouring entirely into the vortex below!

"Since you want to die, then let me let you taste the power of the 'Star-Malice Blood Spine'! Rise!"

The vortex sank violently, then erupted upward with an even more violent posture! The terrifying object known as the "Star-Malice Blood Spine" fully revealed its true form—it was actually a skeletal remnant over ten zhang long, appearing like the decayed remains of some giant beast from the starry sky! Its entire body was covered in dark red scales dripping with viscous, filthy energy, and every spinal bone spur was like a twisted blade, emitting a nauseating, fishy stench and chaotic Star-Malice aura!

The "Star-Malice Blood Spine" twisted like a living creature, its tip aiming at the rapidly thrusting sword rainbow of Zhao Yuan. It let out a violent "roar" and spat out a terrifying beam of light, condensed to the extreme and mixed with dark red blood-malice, filthy Star-malice, and pink bewitching energy! Wherever the beam passed, space itself slightly distorted, carrying the terrifying power to devour, corrode, and confuse the soul!

At the same time, the solid ice on the surface of the five frozen "Blood Puppets," under the "Blood Charm's" full-force activation of the array and the resonance of the "Star-Malice Blood Spine," began to show fine cracks! The dark red evil light within them lit up once more, struggling to break free from the ice!

"Li Feng, take the others to reinforce the freezing and clear the remaining runes! Leave this demoness and that monster to me and Zhao Yuan!" Elder Ling Shuang shouted coldly, her figure flickering as she appeared above the reef where the "Blood Charm" was located. In her hand appeared a long sword that was entirely crystalline, as if carved from ten-thousand-year profound ice—the "Ice Soul Sword"!

As the sword emerged, a cold tide swept forth! Icy blue sword auras, like a collapsing glacier, carried a stern Dao intent to freeze all things and purify evil spirits as they slashed toward the "Blood Charm"!

The "Blood Charm" dared not be negligent and let out a sharp laugh. The mist around her transformed into countless flexible and vicious pink-purple long whips, engaging with Ling Shuang’s Ice Soul sword auras. Both were in the late Nascent Soul stage; one was sinister and treacherous, with bewitching and corrosive powers that were hard to guard against; the other was pure and pristine, with a sword intent that was vast and upright, using strength to break through trickery. Instantly, energy surged above the reef, frost and evil mist intertwined and collided, and explosions rang out incessantly!

Below, Zhao Yuan’s sword rainbow collided with the terrifying beam spat out by the "Star-Malice Blood Spine"!

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

The moment the gray-blue sword light touched the dark red and pink-purple beam, time seemed to freeze for an instant. Immediately following was a silent but even more dangerous annihilation and confrontation at the level of laws!

Zhao Yuan felt a violent, chaotic energy, filled with the will of fallen stars and extreme malice, like a breached flood of filth, following the connection of his sword intent and crazily assaulting his mind and meridians! There was also a sweet, cloying bewitching force attempting to drill into his sea of consciousness, inciting the desires and fears deep within his heart! At the same time, the "Demon Seed" sealed deep within his sea of consciousness began to tremble violently under the stimulation of this same-sourced yet more powerful evil Star-malice aura, and the sealing chains groaned under the unbearable burden as wisps of dark purple aura began to attempt to seep out!

Attacked from within and without! In imminent danger!

"Annihilation as the bone, stars as the soul! Illusions cannot invade, my sword shall sever them!"

Zhao Yuan’s eyes were blood-red, yet clear as a mirror, and he roared in his heart! He cast aside all distracting thoughts, sinking his entire mind into his sword. He pushed his annihilation sword intent to the limit, perfectly fusing it with the nascent star power within the "Silent Shadow" sword body! This was not a simple superposition, but using the intent of annihilation as the "frame" and the power of the stars as the "blade" to forge a "Law Sword" specifically for severing evil and shattering illusions!

The gray-blue sword light suddenly retracted, transforming into a condensed, almost invisible dark silver thread! As the thread swept past, the violent dark red beam was "sliced" open from the middle, as if by a hot knife through butter! The filthy energy, bewitching intent, and chaotic Star-malice contained within the beam were instantly decomposed, annihilated, and purified the moment they touched the dark silver thread by the dual Dao rhymes of "Annihilation Returning to Ruins" and "Star Purification" contained within it!

The dark silver thread was unstoppable; after slicing open the beam, it did not pause, thrusting directly into the hideous "head" (the top of the spine) of the "Star-Malice Blood Spine"!

"Hiss—!!!"

A shrill, indescribable hiss, as if emitted by billions of wronged souls and decaying stars simultaneously, exploded from within the "Star-Malice Blood Spine"! Its massive body twisted and convulsed crazily, the dark red scales on its surface peeling off in large patches and turning to ash, and those twisted bone spurs snapped one after another! The dark silver thread, like the deadliest virus, spread crazily within it, destroying its filthy core structure!

"Impossible! Your sword intent... how could it possibly damage the essence of the 'Star-Malice Blood Spine'?!" While locked in battle with Ling Shuang, the "Blood Charm" caught a glimpse of the scene below and gasped in horror. This "Star-Malice Blood Spine" was her trump card, cultivated for many years using the ancient star-resentment blood-malice remaining in this place, combined with the secret arts of the Rebirth Sect. It had extremely strong resistance to both star power and conventional spiritual power, and even ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators would find it hard to damage its foundation! Yet, that sword of Zhao Yuan’s seemed to be its natural nemesis!

Zhao Yuan himself was not having an easy time. This sword had almost drained all his spiritual power and mental energy, and it had further triggered a violent backlash from the "Demon Seed" in his sea of consciousness. At this moment, his face was as pale as paper, blood spilled from the corners of his mouth, and his body swayed, supported entirely by sheer willpower. But in his eyes burned a light of excitement—he had verified his path! The annihilation sword intent fused with star power truly had miraculous effects against such twisted, evil star objects!

"Take this chance! Destroy it!" Elder Ling Shuang saw that Zhao Yuan was at the end of her rope and gave a cold shout. Her Ice Soul sword shone brilliantly, forcing back the "Blood Charm," while her left hand waved, and a crystalline "Profound Ice Thunder Bead" left her hand, transforming into a blue light that shot precisely at the "Star-Malice Blood Spine," which was struggling crazily and disintegrating on the surface!

The "Blood Charm" was furious, wanting to intercept it, but she was tightly entangled by Ling Shuang.

Boom—!!!

The Profound Ice Thunder Bead exploded violently on the body of the "Star-Malice Blood Spine"! It was not scorching fire, but an extremely cold ice explosion! Countless sharp shards of profound ice, mixed with violent Ice Soul thunder, instantly submerged and froze the broken body of the "Star-Malice Blood Spine," then detonated from within!

Crack... Boom!!!

Under the dual destruction of extreme cold and thunder, the "Star-Malice Blood Spine" let out a final mournful cry, its massive body completely disintegrating, turning into countless dark red ice dregs and filthy dust that drifted down into the dark red seawater below, stirring up monstrous, murky waves.

With the destruction of the "Star-Malice Blood Spine," the light of the "Blood-Malice Star-Summoning Array" below suddenly dimmed by more than half, and those ground runes rapidly extinguished and disintegrated. The evil light on the surface of the five "Blood Puppets" also completely dissipated, turning them into true dead objects, which were easily shattered by Li Feng and the others.

The core of the array was broken!

"No—! My 'Star-Malice Blood Spine'! You damn bastards!" The "Blood Charm" let out a sharp, ear-piercing scream, her seductive face twisted by extreme anger and heartache. She stared fixedly at the swaying Zhao Yuan, a bone-deep resentment and greed erupting in her eyes: "It’s all you! It’s all you little bastard! I will refine you into the most painful Blood Puppet, extract your soul, and torture you day and night!"

She suddenly spat out a mouthful of essence blood, which merged into the mist around her. The pink and dark purple mist instantly turned blood-red, and her aura surged! She was actually willing to damage her own origin to unleash a desperate secret art!

"Demoness, you still dare to be fierce!" Elder Ling Shuang’s eyes were icy, her Ice Soul sword pointing from afar. A point of extreme icy blue light condensed at the tip of the sword, and the surrounding temperature plummeted to the point where even the air seemed to be freezing. "Profound Ice Forbidden Art: Coffin of Eternal Freezing!"

She was also going to use a forbidden art that consumed a massive amount of energy, striving to leave the "Blood Charm" behind for good!

However, at this tense moment, on the verge of a final showdown.

The "Blood Charm’s" resentful and crazy eyes suddenly glanced at Zhao Yuan, then swept extremely quickly toward the entrance of the bay, as if she had sensed something. A trace of extremely subtle unwillingness and wariness flashed across her face, and then she let out a shrill whistle:

"I, the 'Blood Charm,' will remember today’s humiliation! You old woman of the Profound Ice Pavilion, and you, little bastard... we will meet again very soon! When that time comes, I will make you pay back a hundredfold!"

Before her voice had even faded, the scarlet mist around her exploded, transforming into countless tiny blood shadows that fled crazily in all directions, especially toward the crevices of the reefs and the underwater currents! The speed was far beyond the ordinary!

Elder Ling Shuang’s "Coffin of Eternal Freezing" shot out its icy blue light, but it only froze a portion of the blood shadows; most of the blood shadows had already merged into the environment and disappeared. Clearly, the "Blood Charm" had long prepared an escape route and was exceptionally familiar with the terrain here.

"You run fast!" Elder Ling Shuang snorted coldly, but she did not pursue deeply. The environment here was complex, and the opponent was skilled in concealment and escape arts; the risk of a forced pursuit was too great. She put away the Ice Soul Sword, her figure flickering as she arrived beside Zhao Yuan. A gentle and pure Ice Soul spiritual power was injected into Zhao Yuan’s body, helping him stabilize his injuries and calm his churning blood and the fluctuations in his sea of consciousness.

"Zhao Yuan, how are you?" Ling Shuang asked, her cold tone carrying a hint of concern.

With the help of Ling Shuang’s spiritual power, Zhao Yuan managed to stand steady and shook his head weakly: "Thank you, Elder, for arriving in time. This junior only over-consumed, and my sea of consciousness... is a bit shaken, nothing serious." He omitted the details of the "Demon Seed’s" movement; this matter was of great importance, and he intended to report it in detail to Wei Gongshen and Ling Shuang privately.

Li Feng and the others also finished clearing the battlefield and gathered around, their faces carrying the lingering fear and exhaustion of victory.

"Check the corpses and remains of those 'victims' to see if there are any clues," Ling Shuang ordered.

Soon, the results were out. Those "Blood Puppets" disguised as victims had been implanted with some kind of evil soul-controlling seal and blood-malice core, and had been dead for a long time. The shattered "Sea-Exploring Ship" was also a forgery; the materials were old, but the craftsmanship was clearly recent. Apart from these, no other clues directly pointing to more strongholds of the Rebirth Sect were found. The "Blood Charm" was very cautious and had cleaned up all information that could potentially expose her.

"This place is not a place to stay for long." Ling Shuang looked at the still dark red and filthy bay. "Although the 'Blood-Malice Star-Summoning Array' is broken, the residual evil power and star resentment remain, which may attract other filthy things. And that demoness may not have gone far. We will return to Star Fall Island immediately."

Everyone nodded and quickly boarded the "Swift Shadow Boat." The flying boat turned its direction, powered to the maximum, and sped toward Star Fall Island.

Inside the cabin, Zhao Yuan sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing, but his heart was not calm. Today’s battle, although it had repelled the "Blood Charm" and destroyed the evil array, had also exposed many problems.

The activities of the remnants of the Rebirth Sect were more rampant and secretive than expected, actually being able to set up such a trap right under the nose of Star Fall Island. Their goal was clear—targeting the defense line of Star Fall Island, and they had special designs on Zhao Yuan himself (or rather, the star inheritance and Demon Seed he carried).

The "Blood Charm’s" strength and ruthlessness also exceeded expectations. Her retreat at the last moment did not seem to be entirely due to Ling Shuang’s pressure, but more like... she had sensed something else? Or rather, had her goal already been partially achieved?

Zhao Yuan subconsciously looked inward at his sea of consciousness. After the stimulation of the "Star-Malice Blood Spine’s" aura and his own violent consumption of power, although the "Demon Seed" had been sealed and suppressed again, its "volume," or rather its "presence," seemed to be... a tiny bit more "solid" than before. The chains of annihilation sword intent and star power that sealed it also appeared somewhat dim and needed time to be nurtured and restored.

This was not a good sign.

He raised his head and looked out the window at the rapidly receding, still gloomy Vast Sea. The outline of Star Fall Island gradually became clear on the horizon, and the light of the arrays was like a guiding lighthouse in the dimness.

However, the heavy premonition in Zhao Yuan’s heart was like these lead-gray clouds, unable to be shaken off.

The dark tide had never truly subsided. It had only temporarily submerged into deeper waters.