Chapter 308: Defy! Just Do It Like This

Xiao Qing gripped her Long Sword, staring coldly at the blurred figure ahead. The opponent moved with the agility of the wind, and every dodge filled her with fury. "Stop hiding!" she gritted out, swinging her sword again to unleash a sharp sword Qi, but the figure merely tilted slightly to the side, evading the lethal strike.

"Heh, you three are quite the handful," the figure suddenly chuckled, its voice hoarse and low. "But thinking you can catch me with just this much skill? You're still far off."

Wang Zhenqiu clenched his fists, veins bulging; he could not stand this kind of provocation. "Stop playing god! If you have the guts, show your true form!" With that, he leaped up, his legs erupting with astonishing power as he lunged straight at the figure. But just as he was about to touch the target, the figure's silhouette eerily dispersed, melting into the air like mist.

"Hmph, utter stupidity," Lin Xuan muttered with a frown, then turned to look around. "Don't attack rashly. This guy has no physical form; we are just wasting time and stamina."

Xiao Qing slowed her pace slightly upon hearing this, though her vigilance did not wane: "Then what should we do? Are we just going to let him act so arrogantly here?"

"Of course not." Lin Xuan pulled a Yellow Talisman from his robes, one of the special tools he carried with him. He skillfully held the Talisman Paper between his fingers, his eyes scanning the surroundings rapidly. "His spiritual power fluctuations are very unique. As long as we find the source, we can find a way to break it."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a slight rustle came from a treetop not far away. Almost instantly, Wang Zhenqiu shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. He roared, "Don't you run!" and followed up with a punch aimed at the treetop. With a loud "Bang!", branches and leaves scattered, and a residual image appeared once more.

This time, the opponent finally did not dodge completely, choosing instead to block the strike head-on. When the two fists collided, a powerful shockwave swept outward, tearing countless fissures into the surrounding ground.

"Interesting... to actually be able to withstand my attack." The figure stood steadily on the ground, its tone revealing a hint of seriousness for the first time. But it soon mocked, "Too bad, this is as far as you go."

The next second, it raised a hand and pressed against the Void, and dark clouds suddenly gathered, the atmosphere between heaven and earth becoming even more oppressive. Immediately after, dense black smoke seeped out from within, condensing into countless sharp needles that shot toward the three!

"Watch out!" Lin Xuan shouted, hurriedly throwing out his Yellow Talisman and chanting a spell. Accompanied by a flash of golden light, a golden barrier quickly formed, blocking the vast majority of the attack. However, a small number of black needles still pierced through the barrier, striking the group.

Xiao Qing stumbled back in pain, her face deathly pale. She looked up and glared fiercely at her opponent, only to find that the outline of the opponent's face was gradually emerging—pale, gaunt, with a pair of pitch-black eyes that seemed to want to devour all light.

"Is this your true face?" she said through gritted teeth, pointing her Long Sword diagonally toward the sky. "Then I won't hold back either!"

At this critical moment, Lin Xuan suddenly spoke up to warn: "We can't use ordinary methods anymore; he is a Demonic Cultivator! The power he summons is based on resentment, and our weapons have limited lethality against it."

Wang Zhenqiu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and replied impatiently: "Then tell me what to do? We can't just stay in a stalemate forever, right?"

Lin Xuan's gaze was firm: "We must find the location of its main body and concentrate our firepower to win in one strike! Otherwise, we will only fall into a war of attrition."

Hearing this, the figure actually laughed: "Easier said than done, can you actually do it?"

Just as the two sides were at daggers drawn, Xiao Qing's eyes caught some details. Her gaze fixed on the edge of a rock not far away, discovering a subtle anomaly—something there was faintly distorting the space, appearing completely out of place with the surrounding environment.

"Over there..." she lowered her voice to signal the other two.

After Xiao Qing pointed it out, Lin Xuan instantly understood the key to the problem. He quickly took out several more Talismans, rapidly stacking and arranging them in his palm. Then, he used complex hand gestures to guide the position of the spells. "I will provide full cover in a moment; leave the rest to you two to resolve." As he spoke, he formed seals with both hands, driving the Array to trigger a new protective shield.

At the same time, Xiao Qing and Wang Zhenqiu began to adjust their stances. The former took a deep breath and poured all her battle Qi into her Long Sword, causing the entire blade to emit a dazzling cold light; the latter gathered all his strength, preparing to unleash his ultimate move—Tiger Roaring Thunder Strike.

Once all preparations were complete, the three nodded in mutual understanding, then launched their offensive almost simultaneously!

Facing their fierce onslaught, the figure showed a hint of surprise, but it did not choose to flee; instead, it sneered, and more black smoke surged around its body, attempting to block their advance. However, Lin Xuan had long anticipated this, and the multi-layered defense he had specifically arranged unfolded, directly neutralizing most of the interference.

Seeing the distance between them gradually closing, Wang Zhenqiu erupted first, leaping several yards high, his single arm raising a violent energy fluctuation as he slashed down at the target like a roaring beast.

At the same moment, Xiao Qing precisely controlled the direction of her Long Sword, thrusting straight toward the anomaly she had discovered earlier. The blade had not yet arrived, but the sharp edge had already sliced through the surrounding Void...

Finally, as the last shred of concealment was completely overturned, the truth hidden behind the smoke was exposed beyond doubt—an ancient Evil Artifact was emitting a sinister aura; it was this thing that supported the Core of the entire charade.

Seeing this, the figure's expression changed abruptly. "You—how is it possible..." Before it could finish, the joint attack of the three slammed entirely into the Evil Artifact!

The moment the firelight shattered, the entire area fell into chaos. The aftermath of the explosion made the earth tremble, rubble flew everywhere, and the air was filled with a pungent, scorched smell.

"Did we succeed?" Xiao Qing asked the others, panting heavily.

"Not necessarily... let's wait and see," Lin Xuan replied cautiously.

Sure enough, before the dust had even settled, a weak voice sounded from the darkness: "You... are truly too naive..."

Before anyone could react, a hand glowing with an eerie, ghostly light suddenly reached out from the ground, tightly grabbing an ankle that had unknowingly approached...

"Help... me... ah—!" The scream of the one ambushed was cut short.

"Who was hit? Who is still there?" someone asked with a tremble.

No one answered; only an atmosphere of killing silence lingered...

The breathing in the darkness grew increasingly rapid, finally turning into a long, low whisper:

"The game is far from over."