At the age of one hundred, I inquired about the Dao, awakening the supreme spiritual root that shatt

As Ling Xiu entered the secret room, a strong stench of blood assaulted his senses, mixed with the pungent smell of corpses.

He was horrified to see a huge pool of blood standing in the center of the secret chamber. Thick, nauseating blood was boiling inside the pool, and countless white bones floated on the surface.

Dozens of porcelain jars were placed to the side, each containing a child, with only their little heads showing.

The children looked on in extreme pain, had lost consciousness, and their heads were shaking unconsciously from side to side.

A faint green light continuously emanated from the tops of these children's heads, and their pure life force was being frantically devoured.

In the center of the blood pool stood a circular stone platform, upon which sat a middle-aged man in black robes, his long, blood-red hair flowing freely, his appearance ferocious and terrifying.

This person had his eyes closed, his mouth opening and closing, constantly absorbing the life-giving green light of more than a dozen children. His body was surrounded by demonic light, and he was stuck at the most critical moment of his cultivation.

Outside the blood pool, there was a giant ceramic jar with two yellow talismans pasted horizontally and vertically on its mouth to suppress the contents inside.

The yellow cross-shaped talisman undulated up and down, and a low, terrifying roar occasionally emanated from the jar.

The scene before him shocked Ling Xiu.

"Damn it, that's Daoist Qingxu! How dare you use the Ling family's name to commit evil!"

Ling Xiu drew his sword and was about to fly towards Qingxu Daoist on the stone platform.

At that very moment, the giant ceramic jar with the yellow cross symbol attached to it broke through the air on its own and crashed down on him.

"What?"

Ling Xiu subconsciously took several steps back. The pottery jar crashed hard against the stone wall of the secret chamber and shattered, releasing a cloud of black mist.

After the black mist dissipated, a cold-faced man in a black robe appeared on the scene.

This person had a cold expression, four sharp fangs protruding from his mouth, and bloodshot eyes; he was clearly no longer human.

"The Ghost King?"

The monster had two stacked pustules on its head, constantly swelling and contracting, clearly indicating that it was a demon king-level monster.

This ghost king is Ling Xiewei's guardian. Its cultivation level is already at the late stage of the Condensation Realm. Its eyes, filled with overwhelming ferocity, are fixed on Ling Xiu.

"roar!"

The Ghost King let out a furious roar, transforming into a black shadow and rushing straight at Ling Xiu. Long, sharp claws sprouted from his hands, tearing through the void and sweeping over with a strong, bloody wind.

"Could this be a True Condensation Realm disciple from the Qingyun Sect who was stationed here back then, who was actually refined into a Ghost King by Daoist Qingxu?"

Ling Xiu felt a chill run down his spine and immediately activated the Blood Shadow Sword to engage the Ghost King in a fierce battle.

Sword beams crisscrossed, tearing space apart as ghostly claws clashed violently with the sword's edge, unleashing deafening roars.

The Ghost King possessed an incomparably powerful physical body, sharp claws, swift movements, and astonishing strength.

What's even more troublesome is that the sword wounds left on its body by the Blood Shadow Sword can heal rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

For a time, Ling Xiu was tightly restrained by the Ghost King, making it difficult to kill him in a short period of time.

The green light above the heads of the children in the earthenware pots beside them was growing dimmer. At this rate, the moment the green light completely disappeared, the children would be utterly dead.

Seeing the twisted, pained expression on the child's innocent face, Ling Xiu felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

The Ghost King was fearless and his physical body was as hard as a top-grade spiritual weapon. His claws were covered with dense demonic energy and ghostly mist, and his attacks were crazy and ferocious.

Ling Xiu temporarily avoided their sharp edge, maneuvering around them while rapidly thinking of a way to break the deadlock.

Ling Xiewei, still absorbing the green light of life on the stone platform, had half his body submerged in the blood pool, his body rising and falling incessantly.

The external fighting and disturbances made him frown, feel extremely agitated, and the fluctuations of his demonic energy became extremely unstable.

But this was a crucial juncture in his cultivation, and he was unwilling to fail at the last minute, so he forcefully suppressed any movement and did not wake up.

"We must kill the Ghost King as soon as possible! Once he completes his breakthrough and regains consciousness, his control over the Ghost King will increase dramatically. With these two forces combined, we will no longer be able to resist!"

More importantly, the child inside the jar was in critical condition, and there was no time to waste.

Ling Xiu dodged the Ghost King's fatal attack by sidestepping, and quickly reached for the Qiankun bag at his waist with his right hand, immediately producing a top-grade talisman.

"roar!"

A dragon's roar reverberated throughout the secret chamber.

The supreme-grade talisman was unleashed, conjuring a dazzling golden dragon phantom. The dragon's might was immense, and the golden dragon phantom continuously solidified, its scales and claws lifelike, as if a true ancient dragon had appeared in the world.

The divine dragon, imbued with the power of the Yang element, charged fiercely toward the Ghost King, creating an extremely awe-inspiring scene.

This is the Baxia Purple Gold Dragon Mystic Talisman, a treasure he obtained in the Heavenly Ruins Secret Realm. After being refined and enhanced by the Qiankun Mystic Gourd, it was upgraded into a top-grade Mystic Talisman Treasure. Its supreme yang power naturally restrains the yin and evil ghost king.

Whoosh!Whoosh!

The Ghost King felt a deadly threat as the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon's claws tore several deep, bone-revealing wounds into its hard body.

He let out a heavy, fearful gasp, and felt a desire to retreat, but was instantly bound and imprisoned by the dragon's body.

Click!Click!Click!

The purple-gold dragon's body tightened continuously, intending to crush the ghost king directly. The supreme yang energy invaded the ghost king's body, continuously purifying and dissolving its yin and evil ghost energy.

"No...don't kill me!"

The Ghost King let out intermittent, mournful screams as his body was squeezed to the point of bursting.

"No!"

With a deafening roar, the Ghost King's body exploded completely, turning into a pool of black, foul-smelling liquid, and he died on the spot.

The monster's dying cry sounded just like a human voice, but Ling Xiu had no time to worry about whether it was a disciple of the Qingyun Sect from back then, a monster that had become a ghost king and could never turn back into a human.

Having dealt with the Ghost King, Ling Xiu did not pause with his Blood Shadow Sword, immediately unleashing a powerful sword technique to launch a fierce attack on Qingxu Daoist.

The moment the Ghost King exploded, a violent backlash surged into Qingxu Daoist's body.

Coupled with the intense external energy impact, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood.

He was jolted awake from his cultivation state, and his breakthrough attempt was declared a failure.

The green light of life connected to the child's head also ceased, and he could no longer draw upon it.

Qingxu Daoist suddenly opened his eyes, his heart filled with both rage and horror.

The Ghost King, which he had painstakingly crafted over two years, vanished in an instant. The strange man who barged in with a sword before him only fueled his rage.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into my secret chamber!"

Having failed to break through, his true essence was disordered, his spirit was in turmoil, and his body was in a period of weakness, so he dared not take the sword head-on.

He retreated rapidly, while simultaneously raising a black spiritual light defensive shield around himself—a mid-grade Xuan-level defensive technique.

But how could this shield possibly withstand the fierce attack of the top-grade Xuan-level Blood Shadow Sword?

With a crisp crack, the black shield was pierced by the sword and shattered instantly.

Although the shield absorbed half the power of the sword technique, the sharp sword tip still pierced his left collarbone.

When Qingxu Daoist was stabbed in the shoulder, a piercing pain caused him to let out a violent scream.

"what……"

His defenses were breached, and Ling Xiu sent him flying to the side of the blood pool with a single sword strike.

Without a second thought, Ling Xiu immediately flew to the porcelain jars and quickly used the Blood Shadow Sword to break them all apart.

The children were on the verge of death, and were extremely weak.

"Don't be afraid, you're all alright!"

Ling Xiu instructed them to hide in the corner, then turned around and glared fiercely at Qingxu Daoist.