After successfully defeating the mid-level evil spirit, Wang Quan and his companions knew the danger within the valley was far from over. As the evil spirit's remnant energy lingered, the oppressive atmosphere around them grew heavier. The surrounding mist thickened, carrying with it an ominous presence, as if countless unseen eyes were watching them from the darkness, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"This valley hides a greater threat," Daoist Feng Ming muttered, his expression grim. His cyan sword trembled slightly in his hand, sensing the looming danger ahead.
Wang Quan, too, felt the growing tension in the air. His Five Elements Secret Art circulated within him, and he extended his spiritual awareness, trying to probe the area for any hidden dangers. He could tell that the battles ahead would likely be far more difficult than what they had already faced.
Suddenly, the mist in the distance began to churn violently, as if some powerful force was stirring within it. The group immediately tensed, all of them ready for anything. Lei Feng raised his hands, summoning lightning that crackled around his fingers, prepared to counter any unexpected attack.
Wang Quan gripped his sword tightly, his spiritual energy flowing rapidly through his meridians. He could feel the overwhelming pressure growing stronger, signaling that something massive was about to descend upon them.
Without warning, a deep, guttural roar echoed from within the fog. Moments later, several towering figures emerged from the thick mist. These new adversaries were far larger than the mid-level evil spirits they had just defeated. Their forms were shrouded in dense, swirling black smoke, their presence exuding an overwhelming aura of death.
One particular evil spirit stood over three meters tall, its eyes glowing with a chilling red light. Its long, clawed hands gleamed like sharp blades, emitting a piercing hum. Its cold, dead aura was suffocating, making it seem as if a creature from the depths of hell had been unleashed upon the world.
"High-level evil spirits!" Daoist Feng Ming's expression darkened as he raised his sword, cyan energy swirling around the blade and whipping up gusts of wind.
Wang Quan's gaze turned serious as he intensified the flow of his Five Elements spiritual energy. The gold and fire elements within him surged forth, gathering around his sword. He was well aware that the enemy they faced now was much stronger than anything they had encountered before. Any mistake could lead to their souls being consumed by the spirits.
"Prepare for battle!" Feng Ming ordered, his voice sharp and commanding.
With a chilling roar, the high-level evil spirit lunged at Feng Ming, its long claws slicing through the air, shrouded in thick black mist. The air around them seemed to explode with death energy, forming a wave of darkness that crashed toward the group.
Feng Ming responded with a cold snort, swinging his cyan sword in a wide arc. A powerful gust of wind, imbued with sword energy, shot upward, meeting the evil spirit's claws head-on.
"Wind Blade Severing Sky!"
The sword energy collided with the spirit's attack, resulting in a violent explosion of sparks. Despite the impact, the high-level spirit's form barely faltered, merely stepping back a few paces, its defensive strength clearly formidable.
"Such a strong spiritual body," Feng Ming muttered, his brow furrowed. He hadn't expected the evil spirit to withstand his sword technique so easily.
Lei Feng wasted no time. His hands formed a series of seals, gathering lightning that crackled fiercely around him before he released it in a devastating blast.
"Heavenly Thunder Strike!"
A massive bolt of lightning, like a dragon descending from the sky, streaked toward the evil spirit. The thunderous strike hit the spirit's form with a deafening crash, sending sparks and flashes of light everywhere. The spirit's body trembled under the power of the attack, but it still refused to collapse, roaring in defiance as the black mist around it grew thicker, seemingly absorbing the lightning's energy.
Wang Quan narrowed his eyes, realizing that this high-level spirit's power was beyond their normal techniques. Its spiritual body was resilient enough to endure even Lei Feng's thunderous strikes.
"We need stronger methods," he thought.
Taking a deep breath, Wang Quan unleashed the full power of his Five Elements Secret Art. His sword flared with golden and fiery energy as the elements of gold and fire intertwined, forming a blazing inferno around the blade.
"Golden Flame Sword Technique—Blazing Heaven Slash!"
He swung his sword forcefully, sending a massive arc of golden flames soaring through the air. The fiery blade energy burned fiercely as it streaked toward the high-level evil spirit. The intense heat from the flames scorched the air, forcing back the death energy as the fiery sword arc crashed into the spirit's chest.
"Hiss—!"
The spirit let out an agonizing screech, its body sizzling and cracking under the flames. The golden fire seemed to have a purifying effect, burning away the evil energy as the spirit's form began to weaken, gray-black smoke pouring from its body.
However, instead of retreating, the spirit grew even more enraged. It lunged toward Wang Quan with lightning speed, its claws extending, surrounded by black mist, aimed straight for his vital points.
Wang Quan's eyes sharpened, and he quickly channeled the earth element within him. His stance solidified, and a thick wall of earth energy rose before him just as the spirit's claws descended.
"Earth Spirit Shield!"
The spirit's claws slammed into the shield with an ear-splitting crash, sending tremors through the ground. Though the shield cracked and pieces of earth were sent flying, it held long enough to block the attack.
Seizing the opportunity, Feng Ming swiftly counterattacked. His cyan sword unleashed a barrage of wind-infused sword energy, slicing through the air toward the spirit. At the same time, Lei Feng called down another barrage of lightning bolts, combining their efforts into a whirlwind of destructive energy.
Caught in the relentless onslaught of wind, fire, and lightning, the high-level evil spirit's form began to collapse. Its eyes flashed one last time with an eerie red light before it let out a final, piercing wail. Moments later, its body disintegrated into thick black mist, which quickly dissipated into the valley.
"Finally… it's over." Wang Quan exhaled, feeling the toll of the battle on his spiritual energy. Though they had vanquished this powerful foe, he knew this was just a small victory in a valley full of dangers. The worst was likely still to come.
Daoist Feng Ming sheathed his sword and approached the spot where the evil spirit had dissolved. From the ground, he retrieved a small, black fragment that pulsed faintly with spiritual energy.
"This is a fragment of the spirit's core," he said, holding it up for the others to see. The fragment emitted a cold aura, clearly containing a concentrated amount of soul power.
Wang Quan could feel the residual soul energy within the fragment, and his heart stirred slightly. The rumors were true—evil spirit cores could indeed enhance a cultivator's soul strength. This fragment alone was an incredibly valuable resource for him.
Feng Ming distributed the fragments among the group before warning them again, "Stay on guard. This was just one of the spirits we'll face. The road ahead will be even more perilous, but we must press on to cleanse the valley."
Wang Quan gripped the fragment tightly, silently vowing to collect more spirit cores during the mission. These fragments could significantly strengthen his soul and pave the way for his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage.
With Daoist Feng Ming leading the way, the group ventured deeper into the valley. As they descended further, the air grew colder, and an even greater crisis loomed ahead, lurking in the thickening shadows.