Divine Root Bone

In the dilapidated courtyards of Shou'an Village, the sounds of fighting had completely ceased.

The surging black mist was dispersed layer by layer, and the chilling, malevolent energy no longer raged wildly. Only a thin, cold mist remained, lingering around the ruins and drifting slowly in the wind. The ground was covered with cracks, and rubble and broken tiles were scattered everywhere. There were charred marks everywhere from the clash of spiritual energy. The thrilling and chaotic battle that had just taken so many turns had finally come to a complete end.

Xiao Jingchen, who was at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, was trapped on the ground by spiritual energy chains and could not move.

The entire battlefield was now completely under the control of Zhang Yang and his group.

But no one let their guard down.

Everyone knew that the battle had taken several unexpected turns because an unseen hand was secretly manipulating things behind the scenes. The puppet girl lurking in the shadows was the true mastermind behind the entire sinister chaos.

Deep in the shadows of the dilapidated wooden house.

The puppet girl stood silently in the darkness, her exquisitely beautiful but bloodless face hidden in the shadows, her pair of dark, empty eyes silently surveying everything in the courtyard.

Since her birth, all her plans have never failed. Based on the resentment of the entire village of Shou'an, she manipulated corpse puppets, corrupted cultivators, and disrupted the battle. She thought she could use the power of evil to completely annihilate the group of sect cultivators who had entered this place.

But she never expected that Zhang Yang's strength far exceeded her expectations. Not only did he shatter the evil threads in everyone's sea of ​​consciousness in advance and preserve everyone's mind, but he also attracted reinforcements from the Southern Region's rogue cultivators and all the disciples of the sect to join the battle, breaking through her layers of plans and annihilating all her puppet combat forces.

Just as she was deep in thought, pondering whether to use the graveyard as her trump card and personally eliminate everyone,

Deep underground, the sinister source of the entire Shou'an Village cemetery suddenly emitted an extremely subtle fluctuation that no one could detect.

It was a mysterious, ancient, and sinister command originating from the deepest restrictions, which silently entered the puppet girl's consciousness.

The moment she received this secret command, the puppet girl's lifeless eyes lit up slightly.

The dark, malevolent energy that had been surrounding her and was poised to erupt again instantly receded completely, without leaking out at all.

A faint, mysterious, and eerie smile slowly rose on her cool and alluring face.

Her body transformed into a nearly transparent, dark phantom, without stirring up the slightest breeze or a ripple of spiritual energy. Like a ghost, she silently disappeared into the deep shadows along the dark alley behind the houses, completely retreating from the battlefield of Shou'an Village and vanishing without a trace.

In the courtyard, no one noticed her quiet departure.

Everyone remained tense, each standing in their own direction, trying to recover their depleted spiritual energy while vigilantly scanning the surrounding villages, fearing that the evil forces would return and reignite the fighting and chaos.

The lingering chill of death in the air still sends shivers down one's spine and makes one's scalp tingle.

Time slowly passed by, bit by bit.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

After about half an incense stick's time of rest and recuperation.

Xiao Jingchen, who was bound and suppressed to the ground by more than ten chains of pure spiritual energy, finally showed a slight movement.

Her previously stiff and tense body trembled slightly, and her long eyelashes fluttered gently a few times.

The thick black mist that had previously shrouded those eyes, which were completely corrupted by evil, murky and dull, devoid of any consciousness, slowly receded and dissipated like a tide.

The turbidity recedes, and clarity returns.

The vibrant divine light belonging to a living cultivator gradually filled his pupils again.

His heavy, stagnant breathing gradually became steady and long. The evil and turbid energy that had been accumulating deep in his chest was slowly expelled from his body by the remaining orthodox spiritual power, turning into a wisp of black smoke that drifted away in the wind.

"call……"

With a long, drawn-out breath, Xiao Jingchen's tense body completely relaxed, and he slowly awoke from the boundless darkness that had imprisoned his consciousness.

He frowned slightly, a sharp pain churning in his mind, countless fragmented and chaotic images flashing wildly through his mind.

Coldness, darkness, slaughter, loss of control, the despair of being manipulated, the involuntary rage...

Fragments of memories, from when he was completely possessed and controlled by the Yin and evil source and turned into a killing puppet, appeared intermittently in his sea of ​​consciousness, causing his mind to tremble and a layer of cold sweat to seep out of his back.

As he slowly raised his eyes, his vision gradually cleared, and he saw the group of figures standing in layers around him. His tense heartstrings suddenly relaxed, and the lingering gloom and fear in his eyes slowly faded away, replaced by a sense of realization and gentleness.

When everyone in the courtyard saw that Xiao Jingchen had finally fully awakened, his eyes had regained their clarity, and he had completely broken free from the control of the evil spirits, the huge weight that had been hanging over their hearts instantly fell to the ground.

The tense, wary expressions on all the disciples' faces vanished, replaced by joy and relief, as they secretly breathed a long sigh of relief.

It should be noted that Xiao Jingchen is the direct disciple of the Qingyun Sect and the sect leader. He is exceptionally talented and holds a prestigious position. He is a core talent that the sect is focusing on cultivating. If he were to perish in this desolate and eerie Shou'an Village, or be completely corrupted by evil spirits and become a puppet that is neither human nor ghost, it would be a great loss to the entire Qingyun Sect.

Fortunately, he survived, completely broke free from the control of the evil spirits, and preserved his sanity.

Upon seeing this, the twelve inner disciples of the Qingyun Sect straightened their clothes and postures, took half a step forward in unison, and bowed respectfully and politely.

The twelve voices were in unison and solemn, echoing throughout the dilapidated courtyard.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Jingchen!"

All twelve were inner disciples at the fifth to seventh level of Qi Refining. In the sect's seniority system, there is a world of difference between inner disciples and direct disciples.

As a direct disciple of the sect, Xiao Jingchen's status was far higher than that of ordinary inner disciples. He was a high-ranking member of the sect, and he was superior to them in terms of cultivation, seniority, and identity.

Therefore, the twelve inner disciples dared not be the slightest bit negligent or arrogant, and their attitude was extremely respectful, with no breach of etiquette whatsoever.

Standing in the crowd, Lin Wanqing saw all the inner sect senior brothers and sisters respectfully bowing and greeting her. With her calm temperament and familiarity with the sect's rules, she naturally understood the importance of respecting hierarchy and elders.

She was just an ordinary inner disciple, and compared to Xiao Jingchen, who was a direct disciple of the orthodox lineage, her status and seniority were still quite different.

Therefore, she dared not be arrogant in the slightest. She quickly suppressed her sharpness, bowed slightly, and said in a gentle and respectful tone, "Wanqing greets Senior Brother Jingchen."

To the side of the crowd, Su Qingyao, dressed in simple and elegant clothes, stood quietly.

Her demeanor was the most composed and graceful.

She was not a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, but a disciple of the neighboring Yunlan Sect. Strictly speaking, she did not need to follow the hierarchy and etiquette within the Qingyun Sect, and could simply stand aside and observe without bowing or greeting.

However, the two families have been on good terms for generations and have always lived in harmony without any disputes or friction.

Moreover, the Yunlan Sect's overall foundation and strength are slightly inferior to the Qingyun Sect. Therefore, she should lower her stance and give the Qingyun Sect's direct disciples face.

Furthermore, the fact that everyone fought side by side against evil spirits, sharing life and death, forged a deep bond of friendship in adversity.

Su Qingyao's eyes were clear, she nodded slightly, her tone gentle and refined, her manners impeccable: "Qingyao greets Senior Brother Jingchen."

The last person to speak up was Zhang Yang.

This was the first time he had seen the famous disciple Xiao Jingchen since he entered the Qingyun Sect. They had never met or interacted before, and he was a complete stranger to him.

Therefore, according to the etiquette of the sect, he should have stepped forward to greet them.

But Zhang Yang's identity is now completely different.

He had long since transcended the ordinary inner sect, broken through the shackles, and joined the ranks of the core disciples of the Qingyun Sect.

Core disciples hold a prestigious position with immense authority, far surpassing ordinary inner disciples in status, second only to the sect's personal disciples and elders.

Therefore, he did not need to bow and scrape like the twelve inner disciples, nor did he need to be as cautious and reserved as Lin Wanqing.

He stood tall and straight, his clothes slightly dusty, yet he remained composed and dignified, neither humble nor arrogant, and spoke calmly and peacefully: "Senior Brother Jingchen."

His voice was clear and bright, and his manners were impeccable, yet he retained the aura and dignity befitting a core disciple, striking the perfect balance.

Xiao Jingchen, who had just woken up, was still slightly dazed. His mind was filled with chaotic memories, and it took him several breaths to finally calm down and sort out the situation.

He slowly scanned the entire room, his gaze sweeping over the respectfully greeting inner disciples, over the gentle and polite Lin Wanqing and Su Qingyao, and finally settling on Zhang Yang, who exuded composure and subtly commanded the entire room.

Although he had just awakened and his consciousness had been imprisoned by evil forces, he was not entirely ignorant.

During the battle when he was controlled by evil spirits and his body was out of control, his consciousness broke through the black mist several times, allowing him to have brief moments of clarity.

In those brief moments of clarity, he took in every scene on the field.

He witnessed with his own eyes that Zhang Yang was the first to detect the sinister movement, protect his fellow disciples in advance, and shatter the evil threads in everyone's sea of ​​consciousness;

He witnessed firsthand how, when the battle was collapsing and everyone was in dire straits, Zhang Yang remained calm in the face of danger, directed the entire operation, and held the line to the death.

He witnessed firsthand that all the arrangements, from the five rogue cultivators from the Southern Region rushing to the aid to the enemy's aid to the entire battle, were centered around Zhang Yang.

He witnessed firsthand that, at the crucial final moment, Zhang Yang seized the opportunity and delivered a precise strike, stunning and suppressing him from his loss of control, thus ending the chaos.

Looking around the entire scene, all the disciples of the Qingyun Sect subconsciously followed Zhang Yang's movements, implicitly regarding him as their leader and obeying his commands.

Xiao Jingchen instantly understood.

The person truly in charge of this sect's training expedition team is none other than Zhang Yang, the newly promoted core disciple of the Qingyun Sect.

Knowing the cause and effect, a hint of understanding and approval flashed in Xiao Jingchen's eyes. With a gentle expression, he slowly nodded to everyone present and returned their greetings one by one. His demeanor was calm and refined, showing the grand style of a senior disciple.

Just as everyone in the courtyard was exchanging greetings and the atmosphere was easing slightly.

Five figures slowly walked towards the edge of the battlefield outside the courtyard.

It was those five rogue cultivators from the Southern Region who had temporarily teamed up to go to Blackstone Mountain to compete for treasure.

In the final stages of the battle, it was they who took action, completely eliminating the three evil corpse puppets that Xiao Cui and the two villains had transformed into, eradicating all the troublesome puppets, and eliminating the remaining evil forces on the battlefield.

All five were veteran cultivators at the eighth to the peak of Qi Refining, with rich combat experience and decisive actions. At this moment, they had all finished their cultivation and adjusted their breathing, wiped the dirt off their bodies, and looked calm and composed.

Having fought side by side, the five had long since lowered their guard against Zhang Yang and his group. With a familiarity born from shared hardships on their faces, they slowly walked into the courtyard and approached the others.

Thus, the chaos in Shou'an Village was completely quelled, the external enemy was defeated, the evil shadow retreated, the hostages were revived, and the situation on all sides became completely stable.

Zhang Yang surveyed the dilapidated courtyard, a chilling aura lingering around his nose, his eyes filled with a sense of composure and caution.

This place has just experienced a horrific upheaval. The entire village is filled with resentment, lingering evil spirits, and lingering malevolent forces. The open courtyard is shrouded in malevolent winds and fraught with hidden dangers. It is by no means a place to stay for long or to discuss matters.

If one lingers too long, no one can guarantee that there are still lingering evil spirits or disturbances in the shadows, or that something else might happen again.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Yang remained calm and composed. He turned to everyone present and spoke in a deep voice, his tone resolute and powerful, carrying the authority of someone in charge:

"Gentlemen, the evil spirits here have not yet dissipated and there is still hidden danger. It is not advisable to stay here for long. Everyone, move inside, close the doors and windows, and discuss in detail the ins and outs of the strange changes in Shou'an Village today, and thoroughly investigate the source of the evil spirits."

Everyone present had personally experienced the perilous battle that had just taken several life-or-death turns, and they knew in their hearts that this place was extremely strange and full of hidden dangers.

No one raised any objection; they all nodded in agreement and echoed their approval.

"I will follow Senior Brother Zhang's arrangements."

With solemn expressions, the crowd stopped lingering in the dilapidated courtyard and turned to walk towards the main house in the village, which was still intact and clean. They prepared to have a private talk behind closed doors to thoroughly understand the sinister and eerie chaos that had enveloped Shou'an Village.