Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 134 Signs of Retreat

The alchemy furnace suddenly trembled violently, and a powerful and evil aura surged from the bottom of the furnace, instantly filling the entire space.

Liu Sijun felt a chill run down her spine. She knew that this was an "evil spirit invasion" that was bound to be encountered during the refining of the Evil-Seeking Pill.

This elixir was specially crafted to counter evil cultivators. During its refining process, it attracts lurking evil spirits from the surrounding area to sabotage it. The evil spirits condense into a visible form, transforming into a gigantic black demonic shadow, baring its fangs and claws as it lunges at Liu Sijun.

Wherever the demonic shadow passed, space seemed to be corroded, and black cracks appeared.

Liu Sijun showed no fear. She quickly formed hand seals and chanted incantations. Golden runes flew from her fingertips, forming a sturdy shield in front of her.

The shadowy figure crashed into the shield, letting out a chilling roar. The runes on the shield flashed, fiercely battling against the shadowy figure's evil power.

Large beads of sweat rolled down Liu Sijun's forehead, but her eyes remained firm, showing no sign of backing down. She knew that if she became distracted, not only would the pill refining fail, but it could also lead to even more serious consequences.

During the stalemate with the demonic shadow, Liu Sijun suddenly came up with a plan.

While maintaining the shield, she also diverted a wisp of spiritual energy to skillfully guide the flames within the alchemy furnace.

The flames instantly transformed into a burning dragon, lunging towards the demonic shadow. Sensing the danger, the demonic shadow tried to dodge, but was firmly trapped by the shield and unable to escape.

The dragon bit the shadowy figure, and the two instantly became entangled, bursting forth with intense light and energy fluctuations.

After a fierce battle, the demonic shadow finally dissipated, turning into a wisp of black smoke and disappearing. Liu Sijun breathed a slight sigh of relief, but she knew that the refining process was not yet over and she had to press on with it.

She focused on the pills in the furnace again, adjusting her spiritual energy to make the flames more gently envelop the nascent pills for final condensation.

After an unknown amount of time, a clear and melodious sound emanated from the alchemy furnace, like heavenly music.

A relieved smile appeared on Liu Sijun's face.

The Evil-Seeking Pill has been successfully refined!

She carefully opened the alchemy furnace, and seven Evil-Seeking Pills, radiating a soft purple light, lay quietly at the bottom. Each pill contained powerful and pure tracking spiritual energy, and runes faintly flowed on its surface.

Liu Sijun gently picked up the Evil-Seeking Pill and placed it into a specially made jade bottle.

Although she felt exhausted, she was filled with a sense of accomplishment, knowing that these few Evil-Seeking Pills would play a crucial role in the upcoming battle.

Liu Sijun carefully put away the Evil-Seeking Pill and rested for a while.

After leaving the palace with the jade bottle, she first sent a telepathic message to Gu Changzhou, asking where the others were.

Upon learning that he was outside the city and preparing to go to Lin Yan's lair, they immediately rushed towards the agreed meeting point.

When she arrived at the meeting point, Gu Changzhou and his shadow guards were already waiting in full force.

Upon seeing Liu Sijun, Gu Changzhou immediately stepped forward, his eyes filled with anticipation and trust: "Miss Liu, has the Evil-Seeking Pill been successfully refined?"

Liu Sijun nodded slightly and raised the jade bottle in his hand. "Fortunately, I have not failed in my mission. The Evil-Seeking Pill has been successfully refined."

She handed the jade bottle to Gu Changzhou. The Evil-Seeking Pill inside emitted a soft purple light, reflecting on everyone's faces and adding a touch of hope to this unknown adventure.

The shadow guards gathered around, their eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation. Liu Sijun looked around at everyone and said, "This Evil-Seeking Pill contains powerful and pure tracking spiritual energy, which can help us pinpoint Lin Yan's location in the mysterious castle of Xuanji Hall. But everyone must understand that this journey will be fraught with difficulties and dangers, and we must go all out."

Everyone nodded, their eyes revealing a determination to die for their cause.

Gu Changzhou unfurled an ancient scroll, its surface shimmering with light, and mysterious runes and lines outlining a route to a mysterious castle hidden in the rift between time and space.

"According to Yunbo's memory, we enter the spacetime rift from here, and the castle is deep within it. But along the way, the void currents are raging and dangers lurk everywhere, so everyone must stay close to the group and follow orders."

Liu Sijun leaned closer to examine the scroll carefully and noticed that several marks were flashing with an eerie light. She frowned slightly and said, "Lord Gu, these marks seem to indicate great danger. We must be extremely careful when passing through them."

Gu Changzhou nodded solemnly, "I also think these places are not simple. Perhaps they are places where void turbulence converges, or perhaps they are protected by extremely powerful restrictions. If we are not careful, we will fall into a place of no return."

After the discussion, everyone set off immediately.

The moment they stepped into the space-time rift, a powerful and chaotic force rushed towards them, as if to tear their bodies and souls apart completely.

The surrounding space was like a shattered dream, with colorful light and darkness intertwined, and countless shimmering star fragments whistling past like arrows.

The chaotic void currents, like surging black waves, continuously assaulted everyone's spiritual energy shields.

Liu Sijun channeled his spiritual power to the fullest extent, stabilizing his shield while keenly sensing the changes in his surroundings. Suddenly, a distorted space appeared ahead, filled with a chilling black mist, within which eerie red lights flickered intermittently.

"Be careful, this fog is strange, there might be a trap."

Liu Sijun loudly reminded everyone.

She swiftly retrieved a Demon-Seeking Pill from the jade bottle and infused it with her spiritual power. The Demon-Seeking Pill shone brightly, its purple light like a sharp blade tearing through the dark mist.

However, several black tentacles suddenly shot out from the mist, reaching out to grab Liu Sijun like ghosts.

Liu Sijun moved with lightning speed, and just as the black tentacles were about to touch her, she suddenly swung her magpie feather fan. A wind blade imbued with powerful spiritual energy howled out, like a giant scythe, slashing towards the black tentacles.

The wind blades collided with the tentacles, unleashing a dazzling light and a powerful surge of spiritual energy that shook the surrounding space.

After being struck by the wind blade, the black tentacles paused only slightly before continuing their frenzied grabbing at Liu Sijun.

Liu Sijun frowned slightly. She knew that this black tentacle was no ordinary thing, and dared not be careless in the slightest. She waved her magpie feather fan again. This time, countless tiny wind blades flew out from the fan, like a flock of agile birds, densely shooting towards the black tentacle.

At the same time, Gu Changzhou and the Shadow Guards also used their respective spells to help Liu Sijun fight against the black tentacles.

Gu Changzhou formed a hand seal, and a golden rune flew out from his palm, rapidly growing larger in the air and transforming into a golden light screen that pressed down on the black tentacles.

The shadow guards formed a sword formation, with spiritual energy flowing within it, and streaks of sword energy shot towards the black tentacles like meteors.

Under the combined attack of everyone, the black tentacles finally showed signs of retreating.

However, at that moment, the black mist suddenly began to churn, and even more black tentacles surged out from it, overwhelming everyone.

(End of this chapter)