Chapter 334: Spirit Frenzy

Xu Qing's speed exploded. Aided by the repulsive force of the area, which felt like a boost, he retreated over fifty feet and reached the captain the moment the red-robed woman's voice rang out.

From his position, he saw the dazed look in the red-robed woman's eyes, and an inexplicable unease subtly rose within him. At the same time, the captain swiftly reached out and grabbed Xu Qing's arm.

"Don't move yet!"

Xu Qing paused, the captain's words prompting him to ponder. He then looked up at the red-robed woman in front. She stood still, her expression bewildered. The blood on her hands was rapidly evaporating, forming a thin, crimson mist that spread in all directions. This mist grew thicker, continually expanding, until it eventually converged into streams of blood that flowed around the red-robed woman.

The number of these blood streams rapidly increased, forming hundreds in the blink of an eye, like blood-serpents composed of fresh blood. They emitted terrifying fluctuations and a strong, sweet aroma.

This was extremely bizarre!

And their number continued to grow.

As the dazed look in the red-robed woman's eyes deepened, the surrounding blood streams branched out, forming even more and circulating at a faster pace.

In an instant, the blood streams multiplied from hundreds to thousands, intertwining in all directions to form layer upon layer.

This scene was truly alarming.

Moreover, a cold wind blew from the direction of the red-robed woman, settling on Xu Qing. His pores bristled, his eyes narrowed, and he stood motionless.

Years of combat and killing had cultivated an instinct for danger in Xu Qing. Now, this instinct, along with the captain's warning, clearly told him not to move.

Moving would mean facing a near-certain death.

This feeling was strange and illogical, as the red-robed woman's cultivation level, by all appearances, was only at the Golden Core Three Palace stage. Yet, she instilled a strong sense of crisis in Xu Qing.

The captain also remained still, his expression grave with suspicion. He stared at the red-robed woman and secretly sent a message to Xu Qing.

"Don't move. This woman is exceedingly sinister. She not only possesses a sacred artifact from the Litu Cult and an imperial-level cultivation technique, but also the Blood Intent Realm, the most difficult art to master in the Grand Preceptor Immortal Sect."

"Few have successfully cultivated this Blood Intent Realm throughout the history of the Grand Preceptor Immortal Sect. It's rumored that cultivators in this realm gain the ability to instantly kill opponents of the same cultivation level. We don't know if that's true, but it's best not to test it."

"And this Blood Intent Realm has a peculiar characteristic, which may or may not be a flaw: the opponent's perception is extremely sensitive to dynamic objects within their field of vision!"

Xu Qing clearly sensed the gravity in the captain's whispered message.

He stared at the red-robed woman, his eyes slowly narrowing.

At this moment, no human sounds were heard, only the echoing wail of the wind and the fracturing sounds of the void, caused by the aura of the Specter Spirit Venerable.

Additionally, there was a corrosive sound emanating from the face of the Specter Spirit Venerable's clone, resembling the popping of countless bubbles. From a distance, it was evident that after Xu Qing took the Dao Blood, the clone's face was decaying.

The nose was the first to dissolve, followed by the eyes and mouth. All of this made the Specter Spirit Venerable's clone's face incredibly ugly and grotesque.

Concurrently, the entire face's complexion changed from its previous grayish-white to black.

Xu Qing and the captain paid no attention to this decaying scene; their gaze remained fixed on the red-robed woman.

At this moment, the red-robed woman's eyes remained dazed, as if unfocused. She seemed to be looking at Xu Qing and the captain, yet it felt as though, in her eyes, they didn't exist.

"Is it you?" the red-robed woman softly asked.

This unfocused gaze and repeated question intensified Xu Qing's vigilance. The Golden Crow totem on his body began to burn, and the Purple-Gold Limitless Crown on his head emitted a radiant glow.

Simultaneously, the Heavenly Palace within him vibrated, and tiny black insects spread around, ready for combat.

The captain reacted similarly, emitting astonishing cold energy. The face within his pupils opened its eyes, and upon closer inspection, faces could be seen flickering within the pupils of that face, appearing somewhat unstable.

Just as both sides stood in confrontation, the red-robed woman lifted her right foot.

The surrounding crimson blood streams abruptly accelerated, creating a sharp whistling sound, as if they could tear through anything, and surged towards Xu Qing and the captain.

But at that very moment, a piercing scream suddenly echoed from the sky.

"What have you done?!"

The sound was louder than any thunderclap, as if countless bolts of lightning had exploded between heaven and earth. The resulting shock made Xu Qing and the captain tremble violently, causing blood to spurt from their mouths as they were thrown backward.

The blood streams around the red-robed woman also jolted, rapidly recoiled, and completely returned to her palms, transforming back into fresh blood. The red-robed woman's expression twisted, her dazed look instantly vanishing, replaced by her previous sharp demeanor. Without any hesitation, she abruptly retreated, swiftly speeding away in one direction.

Xu Qing and the captain also had no time to spare and fled at full speed.

As they both departed, a clone of the Specter Spirit Venerable, eyes blazing with fury, blood trickling from her lips, and torn clothes, rapidly descended from the sky.

She had been engaged in a life-and-death battle high in the sky and hadn't paid attention to the ground. Just now, she'd briefly glanced down and saw three human youngsters around her clone. The clone's face seemed wrong, as if it was blurring.

This made her heart lurch. She broke free, despite sustaining injuries, to get a closer look. What she saw made the Specter Spirit Venerable's body suddenly tremble, her eyes widening in disbelief.

She saw the blackened face of her clone.

She saw its dissolving facial features.

She saw its indescribable ugliness.

For a woman who cherished beauty, the shock caused by this scene was truly monumental. The Specter Spirit Venerable trembled violently, her breathing becoming ragged.

Her mind erupted with towering rage, a fury capable of incinerating the sky and destroying everything.

"You!"

"You!!"

"You're courting death!" The Specter Spirit Venerable shrieked, instantly going berserk. She raised her hands, ready to strike at Xu Qing, the captain, and the red-robed woman.

But the next instant, two Sword-Wielder elders pursued her from the sky.

They also saw the black face and dissolving features of the Specter clone on the ground, feeling a strange sensation in their hearts. They also spotted Xu Qing and the other two fleeing.

Although all three had their appearances concealed, they were perfectly clear to the elders.

Noticing they were humans, the elders knew full well that these three must be audacious individuals from powerful human factions within Yinghuang Prefecture, and they must also have intricate ties with the Sword-Wielder Tribunal.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have known about the Sword-Wielder Tribunal's plan and timing, allowing them to take advantage of the chaos here.

However, the fact that they plundered something from the Specter Spirit Venerable's clone's face left the elders amused and bewildered.

But since they were humans, the elders had a certain obligation to protect them. So, they instantly struck, using formidable divine abilities to block the Specter Spirit Venerable.

The Specter Spirit Venerable shrieked. Due to the impending crisis, she had to temporarily suppress her rage and abandon her attack on Xu Qing and the other two.

Her own clothes were torn, and her treasured garments had lost their protection. So, she reached out with her right hand, attempting to retrieve more of her treasured garments from afar to use as defensive artifacts.

With her grasp, a roar came from the direction of her cave dwelling, and garments flew out, heading straight for her.

As they rapidly approached, the Specter Spirit Venerable's eyes widened again, and she froze for a moment. She looked at the tattered clothes before her, momentarily unable to comprehend what she saw.

The damage to these clothes was simply too severe.

All the beadwork and valuable decorations were gone.

Their appearance had drastically changed: some were reduced to mere strips like rags, while others were riddled with holes, covered in numerous imperfections.

In fact, at this moment, not only was the Specter Spirit Venerable stunned, but the two Sword-Wielders who had attacked her also paused in surprise.

Seeing the tattered clothes, both elders' expressions became exceedingly strange. Naturally, they were deeply impressed by Xu Qing and the other two, and couldn't help but exchange private messages.

"Whose juniors are these? Ruthless!"

As for the Specter Spirit Venerable, she stared at these tattered clothes, her face pale, her body trembling, and her heart bleeding. Every single piece was something she cherished immensely, yet now they were reduced to this state.

The heart-wrenching pain in her surpassed everything else, erupting from her mouth as a piercing shriek.

"I will grind your three bodies to dust, annihilating your forms and spirits!"

This voice was incredibly sharp, echoing through the nine heavens, filled with intense resentment and hatred.

In this utterly enraged frenzy, the Specter Spirit Venerable had lost all reason, charging directly towards Xu Qing and the captain with earth-shattering murderous intent.

Meanwhile, her other clone in the sky also let out a desperate cry, rushing recklessly towards the red-robed woman.

She wanted to kill these three little thieves, no matter the cost!

However, her state and actions presented an extremely rare opportunity for the three Sword-Wielder elders fighting her.

The more the Specter Spirit Venerable lost her sanity, the smoother their suppression would be. Therefore, the next instant, all three elders unleashed their full cultivation, blocking her with all their might.

Under their obstruction, the Specter Spirit Venerable was utterly unable to achieve her desire to personally slay the culprits. The more frustrated she became, the more insane she grew, which in turn made the suppression by the Sword-Wielder elders even more relentless.

The three individuals fleeing on the ground naturally witnessed this scene.

The captain and Xu Qing felt their scalps tingle and accelerated their speed. The red-robed woman, however, was filled with indignation and frustration.

After all, she wasn't responsible for what happened at the cave dwelling.

But explaining the situation now would be useless. The red-robed woman gritted her teeth and fled at top speed without looking back.

All three pushed their speed to the absolute limit, so Xu Qing and the captain soon reached Yan Yan.

With Yan Yan's face full of trepidation and shock, there was no time for conversation. Xu Qing grabbed Yan Yan, pulled out a magical airship, and stepped onto it, with the captain following closely behind.

The next instant, the airship transformed into a long rainbow, roaring as it shot towards the horizon, directly leaving the core region of Sanling Town Dao Mountain. It accelerated rapidly in the sky, fleeing in a frantic rush.

Behind them, the Specter Spirit Venerable's roars remained intense, sharp, full of hatred, and madness, echoing in all directions.

Truly, for her, this day was the greatest catastrophe of her life. Not only was she being suppressed by the Sword-Wielder Tribunal, but her clone had been disfigured, her Dao Blood lost, and her lifelong cherished treasured garments had been brutally torn apart.

Even with her profound cultivation, such a shock was unprecedented in her life, especially for someone who adored beauty.

Relatively speaking, she didn't even hate the Sword-Wielder Tribunal's suppression as much; what she hated most were those three utterly depraved little thieves!