Xiao quickly ran toward the pedestal, deactivating Time Acceleration in the process. The technique had been consuming far too much qi, and his reserves were already running dangerously low.
As his breathing grew heavier, Xiao marveled at how much qi he still had left, considering he was only a first-stage Qi Condensation cultivator. Even he didn't expect to last this long under such extreme conditions.
He imagined how much stronger he'd be once he reached the Foundation Establishment stage. His potential was vast, but for now, survival took precedence. He couldn't afford to waste any more qi. Every drop needed to be conserved, so he cut off all other sources of qi expenditure, focusing entirely on the pedestal in front of him.
Reaching the 5th pedestal, Xiao immediately set to work. His movements were sharp and efficient as he disrupted the pedestal's connection to the altar. The surrounding area was chaotic, yet Xiao barely spared a glance at the desolation around him. He had no time for distractions.
The landscape looked like it had been struck by a bomb—a barren wasteland, eerily silent. The aftermath of just one qi explosion had reduced the area to ruins, yet in the grand scheme of things, Xiao knew this was nothing compared to the power he could one day wield.
The thought excited him. One day, he'd unleash his own destructive force without relying on external sources which Yan had done.
As his mind briefly wandered, Xiao took note of the fact that, despite the devastation, the pedestal remained intact and did the altar. That was peculiar. Everything around them was nearly broken, yet these two objects stood as if untouched by the chaos that ravaged the area. Xiao couldn't dwell on it too much. He was grateful it allowed him to continue working uninterrupted.
Seconds ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity as Xiao poured his remaining qi into the pedestal. His focus was razor-sharp, blocking out everything else until, finally, the connection was severed. The 5th pedestal was disrupted, and with it, Yan's link to the altar was broken. Xiao could feel it.
He expected that to be the end of the ordeal. But, of course, nothing ever went as planned.
"Just my luck," Xiao muttered under his breath, a bitter smile curling his lips.
Yan's connection to the altar was indeed broken, as evidenced by the shocked expression on his face. It was clear that Yan hadn't anticipated this outcome, either. Yet, as the link was severed, another problem arose which Xiao hadn't accounted for.
The souls of those who had perished inside the altar began to stir. They hadn't simply vanished into thin air as Xiao once thought. Instead, they had been trapped, their restless spirits bound to the altar.
Xiao had assumed their essence was absorbed, but he had been wrong. Horribly wrong. Now that the connection was broken, those souls were freed. And they were angry.
Xiao's sharp eyes scanned the area as the air around him grew heavy with malevolent energy. The spirits began to rise, their twisted forms shimmering in the darkening sky. There was no time to think—only time to act.
Reacting on instinct, Xiao reactivated Time Acceleration and dashed toward Yan, who had fallen to his knees. The souls were fast. Far faster than he expected, and they wasted no time in pursuing him. He couldn't afford to stay here. He had to capture Yan and flee.
But the thought of leaving these vengeful spirits behind gnawed at him. He knew the consequences. This village would become a cursed ground, a place of death and despair if the spirits were left unchecked. Xiao had no means of exorcising them or fighting them at his current stage of cultivation. For now, the only option was to escape. Anything else would be suicide.
Yan, still reeling from the severed connection, was struggling to even stand. His body trembled as he staggered forward, unable to run. Xiao easily caught up to him, grabbing him by the collar and hoisting him up. With Yan slung over his shoulder, Xiao bolted toward the exit on the far side of the village, away from the direction he had entered.
The spirits were relentless, pursuing them with an eerie, single-minded focus. Xiao had initially believed he couldn't do anything to stop them, but that changed when one of the spirits—a particularly fearsome one—came too close. Out of sheer desperation, Xiao swung the Infinity Edge at the approaching specter.
The spirit was the patriarch of the Zhu family, his spectral face twisted in rage as he locked eyes on Yan. When Xiao's blade struck, something unexpected happened which was that he felt resistance on his sword. The sword connected. It hurt the spirit.
Xiao was confused. This shouldn't have been possible. He had no technique or ability to attack spirits at this stage of his cultivation. And yet, the sword seemed to work.
There was no time to question it, though. His qi was running low, dangerously so. Even if the sword could harm the spirits, he didn't have the energy to fight them all off. Not like this.
His breathing grew ragged as exhaustion and the injuries from his earlier battles caught up to him. His speed dropped to about 60% of his maximum. Xiao's mind was clouded, his body on the verge of collapse, but he kept moving. He hadn't stopped for a second since his fight with Yan began.
At this point, Xiao wasn't even thinking anymore. His body was running on pure instinct, each step guided by a survival drive honed through years of combat and hardship. His instincts had kept him alive through many life-threatening situations, and they were keeping him alive now.
Nightfall was less than a minute away. Xiao could feel it in his bones. The souls would become even more powerful once darkness fully descended. He had survived too many encounters with spirits to not know that.
The sky was growing darker by the second, and Xiao was nearing the village exit. But the spirits were faster now, almost doubling their speed with the approaching night. He couldn't outrun them.
Time Acceleration was still active, but his qi reserves were almost empty. If he pushed any further, he'd have to tap into his life force, something he wasn't ready to risk—not yet.
Desperate times called for desperate measures.
Xiao allowed the spirits to feed on Yan's energy, knowing they seemed more focused on him as their target. While Yan was already unconscious, his life force draining rapidly. If Xiao didn't hurry, Yan would die. And if Yan died, everything Xiao had fought for would be meaningless.
This made Xiao change his approach and in a bold and reckless move, Xiao activated the Void Star Sovereign technique while running.
It was a dangerous gamble and cultivating while moving, especially during combat, was a sure way to cripple one's dantian. One misstep, and he'd ruin his cultivation permanently. But Xiao had no other choice.
Surprisingly, the technique worked in his favor. His dantian flared to life, and he reactivated Time Acceleration, doubling his speed once more. Time Healing kicked in as well, slightly restoring his strength, though the strain on his body was immense. He couldn't keep this up for long.
The spirits, startled by Xiao's sudden increase in speed, attacked even more viciously, but he was closing in on the exit.
His instincts screamed at him that safety lay just beyond the village's boundaries. In a final, desperate sprint, Xiao funneled every last ounce of qi into his legs, propelling himself forward at breakneck speed. The spirits fell behind, unable to keep up with his footwork.
At long last, Xiao burst out of the village and collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. The night was fully upon him, but he had made it.
"Finally..." he whispered between heavy breaths, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle into his bones.