Chapter 1635: Burning Spirit Ghost Curse

Accompanying the avatar's voice was the roar of the fierce beast, Teng Snake. Its might surpassed the thousand-zhang giant crocodile's! The thousand-zhang giant crocodile was below, the Teng Snake above, both radiating unmatched ferocity. The ice lake seemed to have transformed into a battlefield for ancient, formidable beasts.

Without hesitation, the avatar immediately unleashed the spiritual treasure, the Four-Rider Teng Snake Seal. It showed no intention of approaching the grotesque-faced man, denying the jade armored beetle any opportunity for a sneak attack. With a subtle shift of thought, the Teng Snake, treading on frigid flames, descended from the sky. It didn't charge directly at the grotesque-faced man but instead cut off his path to the Crying Spirit Cave Master!

Phantom flags stood tall and dense across the ice lake. Once drawn into the flag formation, the Crying Spirit Cave Master vanished from the grotesque-faced man's sight. Ethereal blue light and chilling winds enveloped the flag formation, and the power of the fragmented array was not to be underestimated.

The only drawback was that as the flag formation's might intensified, the phantom flags began to waver with increasing instability. Soon, the first phantom flag dissipated. The dissipation of a phantom flag indicated that its corresponding fragmented flag within the formation's core could no longer be sustained and was destroyed. Then the second, the third... Fragmented flags were destroyed in quick succession. Before the flag formation's power could reach its zenith, it began to wane. One by one, the phantom flags vanished from the formation.

Each destroyed fragmented flag created a weakness in the formation, potentially leading to a fatal vulnerability. For this reason, even with control over the Ice Palace Grand Formation and a successful ambush, Qin Sang knew his time was limited. Conversely, for the Crying Spirit Cave Master, this presented a glimmer of hope for escape!

The Crying Spirit Cave Master's cries for help were cut short, the latter part absorbed by the flag formation. The tide of battle shifted in an instant, and the Crying Spirit Cave Master felt his surroundings suddenly change. When he next regained his senses, the outside world was gone, replaced by endless layers of ethereal blue light and frigid winds. Flickering phantom flags encircled him completely, spinning relentlessly and leaving no gap. The phantom flags spun faster and faster around him.

All the phantom flags rapidly converged on the Crying Spirit Cave Master, bringing with them a palpable killing intent. In such a perilous situation, the Crying Spirit Cave Master knew he had to save himself; he couldn't place all his hope in the grotesque-faced man. However, the Crying Spirit Cave Master was currently ensnared by the Blood Crocodile Bone Hand.

It was at this moment that the crimson flower magical artifact, which the Crying Spirit Cave Master had recalled to his side, once again pulsed with vibrant red light. The exquisite crimson bloom appeared as if nourished by fresh blood. The crimson flower hung inverted, its corolla pointing directly at the Crying Spirit Cave Master. A column of red light shot downwards, completely enveloping him. This artifact had protected its master multiple times. Though most of the evil spirits had been annihilated by the sword formation, it still retained considerable power.

Bathed in the red light, the Crying Spirit Cave Master's tense expression eased slightly. The frigid malevolence of the flag formation was blocked by the light, unable to reach him, and its suction force was also weakened. He finally regained his footing but did not rashly charge into the formation. Crossing his hands in front of his chest, he wove spiritual threads with his fingers, drawing several intricate runes in the air. The runes were composed of tadpole-like lines, their meaning arcane. As the Crying Spirit Cave Master pointed forcefully into the void, the runes collided, splitting and reconfiguring. Broken segments reconnected, but their final shape was entirely different from before, coalescing into a distorted talismanic diagram. The talismanic diagram had jagged edges, but contained a humanoid figure trapped within, writhing incessantly.

The Crying Spirit Cave Master replicated this process, forming four such talismanic diagrams in the four cardinal directions around him. They were largely similar in form, differing only in subtle details. The four talismanic diagrams were energetically linked. Upon completing the diagrams, the Crying Spirit Cave Master extended his right hand, true essence boiling in his palm. It transformed into four streaks of light that shot through the air towards the four talismans.

Boom! Boom!

No sooner had the talismans fully formed than they exploded in succession, from which a spectral figure shot forth from the fragments. As the spectral figure materialized, an aura of malevolence immediately spread. It was a Yin Demon of profound evil, making the earlier evil spirits released by the Crying Spirit Cave Master utterly incomparable.

However, despite years of cultivation and immense effort, the Crying Spirit Cave Master had only managed to nurture four such Yin Demons, a number far inferior to that of his evil spirits. More Yin Demons did not necessarily mean better. These beings of ultimate evil were inherently bloodthirsty and lacked consciousness. Even the Crying Spirit Cave Master, who had personally refined them, typically needed to seal them away using secret arts. Their seals were only removed when absolutely necessary, and they had to be recalled after a brief period of release. Otherwise, it would be impossible to predict whether the Yin Demons would attack foes or turn on their master.

Freed from the talismans, the Yin Demons let out piercing shrieks, their forms shifting erratically. They coiled around the Crying Spirit Cave Master, their gaze towards him devoid of subservience, more akin to that of covetous predators. Their expressions were unsettling, alternating between sinister grins and fierce snarls.

A flush crept across the Crying Spirit Cave Master's face. His internal injuries were still unhealed, but he couldn't afford to consider them now. He immediately suppressed his surging vital energy, silently activated a demon-binding art, pointed at the flag formation, and commanded, "Go!"

The Yin Demons' forms wavered, appearing somewhat reluctant. Nevertheless, their movements showed no hesitation; they obediently followed the Crying Spirit Cave Master's command, turning to assault the phantom flags and attempting to destroy the formation. The flag formation, now fully activated as a killing array, would not permit anyone to escape.

No sooner had the Yin Demons burst free of the red light's embrace than the remaining phantom flags flared with intense light, connecting with the sky. Immediately, several streams of ethereal blue light transformed into sharp swords, lancing towards the Yin Demons. Witnessing this, the Crying Spirit Cave Master's expression remained impassive. He subtly hooked a finger.

Swish!

Almost simultaneously, the four Yin Demons were impaled by the ethereal blue light; some even drew multiple attacks. The aggressive Yin Demons immediately froze in place. Then, the Yin Demons vanished into thin air. They were all afterimages!

Further away, shadows flowed, re-coalescing. The Yin Demons reappeared, revealed to be illusory spirit bodies with their dark forms showing no visible injuries. Then, with a single leap, the Yin Demons seized the opportunity to phase through several phantom flags, materializing above the formation, in the very heart of the ethereal blue light. This was precisely one of the flag formation's weak points!

The Crying Spirit Cave Master intently watched the Yin Demons' movements. Seeing them successfully infiltrate, his eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered them to attack with full force.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The Yin Demons launched successive attacks, seemingly chaotic but actually following a precise pattern, leaving trails of afterimages. Though all their attacks appeared to strike empty air, the phantom flags within the formation vibrated several times more violently than before. At their points of impact, the ethereal light tore, subtly revealing nascent voids. Under the relentless assault of the Yin Demons, the formation's weak point expanded. However, the Crying Spirit Cave Master still found the progress too slow, so he formed hand seals.

"Coalesce!"

The Yin Demons stiffened in place, reluctantly turning their heads to look at each other and letting out unwilling shrieks. Yet, powerless to resist, they lunged towards their companions and began to coalesce. Their nature was inherently greedy and bloodthirsty; normally, if their master permitted them to devour their kin, they would not hesitate. However, this forced fusion was not what they desired.

As the Yin Demons coalesced, the vital energy within the Crying Spirit Cave Master's body once again began to surge. The four Yin Demons merged into a single mass of black shadowy evil. The shadow writhed, contracting into a tight ball, then stretching and deforming in places, ultimately transforming into a monstrous Yin Demon Beast, vaguely canine in form!

The Yin Demon Beast possessed stout limbs and stood nearly a hundred zhang tall. Though not as colossal as the thousand-zhang giant crocodile, it was still a malevolent creature capable of striking fear into anyone's heart if unleashed. It reared its head, its four hooves pounding the void as it let out whimpering sounds. Opening its massive maw, a swirling mass of black corrupt light formed within, aimed at the nascent void, and then blasted forth!

Boom!

The corrupt light surged headlong into the void. Between the ethereal blue lights, a circular black hole abruptly appeared. Malevolent energy permeated the black hole, expanding and permeating outwards. The Yin Demon Beast continued its assault, ceaselessly spewing forth demonic light. The power of the flag formation instantly grew chaotic.

The Crying Spirit Cave Master opened his left palm, unleashing the wooden spike. Simultaneously, he commanded the crimson flower artifact to condense its light column and violently thrust it into the center of the suction. Restrictions in the void flared, but none could withstand the wooden spike; they shattered one after another. He was on the verge of forcing a path out of the flag formation.

Just as a flicker of joy appeared in the Crying Spirit Cave Master's eyes, an inexplicable sense of dread washed over him. Then, through the phantom flags, he saw a swirling mass of black demonic fire. The demonic fire blazed fiercely. Behind the demonic fire, a figure was dimly visible, registering in the Crying Spirit Cave Master's eyes and piercing them with profound pain.

At that instant, the Crying Spirit Cave Master was overcome by a sudden premonition of imminent catastrophe. A chill shot from his feet, up his spine, and directly to the crown of his head, making his hair stand on end! The Demonic Fire Blazing Dragon roared forward, emitting truly terrifying fluctuations.

It was then that Qin Sang's true form, having bypassed the poisonous light, arrived and, with a flick of his sleeve, unleashed the Nine Nether Demonic Fire upon the flag formation.

Whoosh!

The demonic fire surged towards him. Even before the blazing dragon reached him, the aura of the demonic fire caused the Crying Spirit Cave Master's blood to almost congeal. A startled cry tore from his throat, and he spat out a ball of white light. Within the white light, a string of white jade prayer beads materialized. As soon as the prayer beads appeared, the string instantly disintegrated, scattering everywhere. It was, in fact, a set of formation artifacts. The beads shimmered and glowed with white light, forming the phantom image of a jade barrier.

This was a powerful set of defensive formation artifacts. The Crying Spirit Cave Master had secretly activated them when he unleashed the Yin Demons, but had kept them concealed until now. There's an old saying about striking an enemy mid-crossing. The Crying Spirit Cave Master was well aware that unless the grotesque-faced man could fully restrain the adversary, he would undoubtedly face resistance the moment he broke free from the formation. He had prepared for this very eventuality.

Just as the jade barrier was about to fully materialize...

The Crying Spirit Cave Master suddenly heard a strange 'Heng-Ha' sound. Without warning, the bizarre noise pierced his eardrums and reverberated within his Purple Mansion, making his primordial spirit feel as if it had been impaled by a sharp cone. The unbearable pain forced a groan from him. Qin Sang had dedicated years to cultivating the *Fire Seed Golden Lotus*, already possessing formidable spiritual consciousness. With the added power of the Thousand-Knot Divine Net, a spiritual consciousness treasure, his current use of the Soul-Snatching True Word was incomparably potent.

Shatter!

With his primordial spirit wracked by excruciating pain, the Crying Spirit Cave Master could no longer concentrate on controlling the formation. The nearly formed jade barrier violently trembled, and the string of beads scattered. With a 'boom,' the lingering light of the jade barrier and the white jade beads were utterly swept away by the Demonic Fire Blazing Dragon, offering not the slightest resistance.

With catastrophe upon him, the Crying Spirit Cave Master had no time to unleash other divine abilities. Furthermore, he had yet to escape the flag formation, so even his Nascent Soul attempting to flee would lead to certain death. His face contorted with terror, his bloodshot eyes darted frantically. His substantial, blood-colored gaze fixed upon the Yin Demon Beast above. Simultaneously, blood continuously welled from the Crying Spirit Cave Master's eye sockets, forming crimson tendrils that, like living veins, crawled across his face and spread rapidly over his entire body. In an instant, the Crying Spirit Cave Master's body was covered in a network of blood. The blood began to burn, and blazing crimson flames enveloped the Crying Spirit Cave Master.

The Yin Demon Beast's roar abruptly sharpened as its body curled into a ball, transforming into a stream of corrupt light that surged into the Crying Spirit Cave Master's crown.

A guttural roar!

The Crying Spirit Cave Master's neck arched high, veins bulging, as he let out a spine-chilling roar. Next, the corrupt light flowed through his entire body along with the crimson flames. The Crying Spirit Cave Master's flesh began to grotesquely proliferate, his skin bulging and expanding. Amidst the corrupt light and crimson flames, the Crying Spirit Cave Master vanished, transforming into a grotesque, non-human monster. Only his head retained its original appearance, seemingly embedded within a mass of decaying flesh.

This was the Spirit-Burning Ghost Curse, a technique that integrated a Yin Demon into one's own body, granting terrifying power in an instant. However, this curse carried immense risks and could only be used in moments of extreme peril. This was the first time the Crying Spirit Cave Master had used the Spirit-Burning Ghost Curse for self-preservation since learning it.

Transformed into a monstrous entity, the Crying Spirit Cave Master leaped, attempting to smash through the flag formation. Through layers of phantom flags, Qin Sang's Heavenly Eye witnessed the horrific scene of the Crying Spirit Cave Master's transformation. Qin Sang's pupils involuntarily constricted, but his movements didn't falter; in fact, the demonic fire's speed intensified.

Boom!

The Demonic Fire Blazing Dragon engulfed the crimson flames and violently slammed into the monster. The Crying Spirit Cave Master had too little time; his transformation hadn't truly completed. Flesh and blood erupted like fireworks, sending fragments of meat and fresh blood flying. Among them was the Crying Spirit Cave Master's head, which was largely incinerated by a single sweep of the demonic fire. Only a segment of neck bone remained attached to the Crying Spirit Cave Master's head as it spun and flew, dripping with blood, before being engulfed by the demonic fire.

In his dying moments, the Crying Spirit Cave Master's eyes were dull and lifeless. He offered no resistance and was consumed by the flames, reduced to ashes. Qin Sang's eyes narrowed slightly. With a change of his hand seals, the demonic fire suddenly dispersed, transforming into a sea of flames. Simultaneously, he deployed the Golden Sinking Sword to weave an inescapable net, ensuring the destruction of every last fragment of flesh and blood.

"Dead?"

Qin Sang was slightly taken aback. The Crying Spirit Cave Master's Nascent Soul was nowhere to be seen, confirming it had been destroyed along with his physical body. One of Qin Sang's objectives in drawing his opponent into the formation was precisely to deny any chance of their Nascent Soul escaping, thereby preventing any possibility of resurgence! He must have known that attempting to escape as a Nascent Soul would only delay the inevitable, or, worse, lead to eternal damnation if captured. Thus, he chose to merge with the Yin Demon for a desperate, final stand.

He cast his gaze over the now empty flag formation. For some reason, Qin Sang still felt a subtle unease. The Crying Spirit Cave Master's final move had seemed too decisive. Suddenly, his expression shifted. He retracted the demonic fire and sword formation, then darted outwards.

At that very moment, the ice lake was completely frozen solid. The thousand-zhang giant crocodile, having lost its target, was now eager for a new engagement. Outside, the scene was even more chaotic, with countless palaces having collapsed. The fragmented formation teetered on the brink of destruction. The ethereal blue light hung low, threatening to collapse at any moment. The power of the spiritual formations elsewhere in the Ice Ceremonial Palace was greatly diminished. The grotesque-faced man, pursued by Qin Sang's avatar, fled outwards. Wrapped around his right wrist was a wisp of vital energy, a living evil spirit!

Suddenly, the suffering vanished from the evil spirit's face. Its features then twisted, morphing into the likeness of the Crying Spirit Cave Master. Even in crisis, the Crying Spirit Cave Master had not forgotten to leave a contingency. When the crimson flower had spawned evil spirits, forming a river of blood to confront the Seven Souls Killing Formation, he had seized the chaos to send dozens of evil spirits fleeing. Most of those evil spirits were annihilated by the aftershocks, but this particular one had survived. He never would have imagined that he would truly perish here. His habitual contingency had unexpectedly become his sole lifeline. Sensing the evil spirit's continued existence, he was overjoyed. While appearing to fight desperately, he was secretly employing a forbidden art to rebirth through the spirit.

The evil spirit's face was contorted with malevolence. Discovering its new predicament, its expression abruptly stiffened, and then it heard the grotesque-faced man's chilling voice.

"Cave Master, to be trapped in such a death trap and still possess the means to rebirth through a spirit, I must admire your resourcefulness!" the grotesque-faced man said with a chilling tone. "However, that person's divine abilities are extraordinary, and he can control the Ice Palace Grand Formation. Had I not intervened to save this evil spirit, do you truly believe you could have escaped?"