Chapter 0974: Spread of the Devilish Mist

Li Luo froze for a moment when he saw that Li Lingjing’s eyes were filled with negative emotions. For a moment, it reminded him of the way she looked when she was under the influence of the Soul Eater True Devil back in the Western Region's Dark Domain.

Still standing on the same spot, she grabbed Li Luo's hand in response. Her slender fingers grasped his hand tightly, nails digging deep into the back of his palm. At that moment, the strengthening provided by the Sanctified Dragon's Body seemed to have no effect at all.

Li Luo could feel an icy sensation from her fingers, which gave him an uneasy feeling.

When he felt a lancing pain from the back of his hand, Li Luo said solemnly, "Cousin Lingjing, what's wrong?! Wake up!" However, she did not respond. She started squeezing his hand with even greater strength, and veins began to pop up on her arm. Although her hand appeared tiny and weak, it was making Li Luo's bones creak.

The negative emotions that she had been repressing this whole time were flooding outwards.

And there were strange, black lines crawling about in her pupils.

"Traces of the Soul Eater True Devil!" Li Luo was shocked when he saw it. It seemed like the Soul Eater True Devil that had been completely eradicated previously had begun to show up after the huge battle earlier.

However, this thing could not be deterred even by an ordinary Duke. Only a King was sufficient.

After these thoughts ran through Li Luo’s mind, he was hit with an idea. He clenched his fist, and the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade appeared in his hand. He channeled his mental state inwards and activated the Kingmark hidden deep within the blade.

Bang!

An indescribable energy surged up. Li Lingjing's tiny body shook a little when she came into contact with the energy, and she released her grip on Li Luo's hand instantly. The overwhelming negative emotions in her eyes also died down speedily.

After a few moments, her eyes were back to normal.

"Li Luo..."

She looked at him with a bitter smile on her face. Her body sagged with weakness immediately after. Seeing this, Li Luo caught her immediately and held her by the waist.

Li Lingjing grabbed Li Luo's clothes as her tiny body leaned into him for support. Her pale face seemed completely helpless.

"Cousin Lingjing, what happened over here?" Li Luo asked.

Li Lingjing pressed her cheek weakly against Li Luo's chest. She sighed and said gloomily, "I met another Soul Eater True Devil."

Hearing this, Li Luo's eyes were horrified. He couldn't help but ask in a wavering tone, "Another Soul Eater True Devil? How did that thing get into the Spirit Resonance Cave?!"

At present, there were countless elites from the various powers standing guard right outside the Spiritual Resonance Cave. These Others could not have possibly snuck in!

Li Lingjing thought about it for a moment before she replied, "They're not ordinary Others... they're a special hybrid of Others and something else. This is why they cannot be detected by Dukes as long as they do not reveal themselves willingly. The Soul Eater True Devil must have sought me out intentionally. I fought with it, and it was a tough opponent."

Li Luo's face turned serious as he listened. If it was an opponent that even Li Lingjing claimed to have difficulty dealing with, the situation earlier must have been a terrifying ordeal. It was no wonder the energy waves coming from it were so frightening.

"However, it cannot just do as it pleases. I managed to force it to retreat in the end." Despite Li Lingjing’s soft and weak voice, her willpower remained strong.

"Cousin Lingjing, you are truly impressive. Things would have turned even uglier if Qin Ying had encountered it," Li Luo said in an attempt to console her a little.

Li Lingjing smiled bitterly as she said, "Although I forced it to retreat, I was corrupted by it earlier. That was why I was acting completely differently..."

Her eyes drooped slightly and she continued in a soft voice, "This shows that my previous corruption has not been erased completely. I have failed your kind intentions."

Li Luo sighed and replied, "Don't worry about it, Cousin Lingjing. What's most important is that you're safe."

"You are too kind," she said with a light smile.

Li Luo continued out of concern, "How're you feeling currently?"

"I've exhausted a huge amount of resonant power and will need some time to recuperate." Li Lingjing rubbed her red lips a little before she continued, "Cousin Li Luo, you can put me down now. We should not let others see me in such a weak state. If we do, there will be no one to stop people like Qin Ying later."

Indeed, the situation in the gilded hall was a mess. The various forces were all fighting against the rogue cultivators. If anyone saw how weak Li Lingjing was, people like Qin Ying and Qin Yi might make full use of this opportunity to attack them.

At that time, Li Lingjing would not be able to render much assistance in her weak state. Li Luo alone would most likely be unable to fend them off.

"Cousin Lingjing, don't worry about it. I have plans of my own," Li Luo said with glee. He was a little moved seeing how Li Lingjing was so concerned about him even though she was absolutely exhausted.

Nonetheless, he could also tell that their current position was making her a little uncomfortable, so he slowly released her.

Li Lingjing staggered a little with her body still slightly limp. Her slender hands held onto Li Luo's arm for support while her pale cheeks slightly flushed. Afterwards, she took out a broken sword filled with an ominous aura from her pocket sphere and tossed it away like scrap.

Li Luo recognized it with a single look. That was the violet-eye treasured artifact that Li Lingjing had used previously. It seemed like it had been completely shattered in the earlier battle.

After she regained a bit of her strength, she looked up towards the outside of the hallway. There was a fat figure that had been stealing glances at them every now and then.

When he noticed Li Lingjing looking over, he shivered and hid behind a pillar.

"He's Zhu Dayu from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhu. We just started working together," Li Luo explained.

Li Lingjing nodded slightly. Just as she was about to speak, her expression suddenly took a complete change. She raised her head and looked far ahead into the distance of the gilded hall. There was a strange, black mist slowly spreading in all directions.

The mist seemed unusual, as if it had a life of its own, and they could faintly hear numerous strange whispers from it. Even from a distance, the mist was able to arouse the negative emotions within one and make one feel uneasy.

"It's the Soul Eater True Devil. After I shattered its physical body, it became completely unscrupulous. It's spreading its corruption now. I guess it's not going to stop until it has me captured," Li Lingjing explained slowly.

Li Luo frowned when he heard this. The situation in the gilded hall was already a mess, and now they had to deal with the Soul Eater True Devil on top of it all. This was really troublesome.

"Let's go into the depths of the gilded hall. The other pairs from the various powers will be headed there too. Looking at the way the Soul Eater True Devil is spreading its corruption, it'll be hard for the other teams to escape unscathed. In that case, we may be able to work together with them and borrow their strength to fight against it," Li Luo whispered to her.

His current plan was to drag the other teams down along with them. There was no way they could fight off the Soul Eater True Devil without help.

Li Lingjing nodded lightly.

Afterwards, Li Luo stepped forward and told Zhu Dayu seriously, "A very strong Other has snuck into the gilded hall. Those strange rogue cultivators from before should be its work. My cousin fought against it just now and was nearly corrupted.”

Zhu Dayu replied in disbelief, "How can there be Others in the Spiritual Resonance Cave?"

"It is true." Li Luo pointed over at the strange mist spreading in the distance.

Zhu Dayu was at a loss for words. As a member from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhu, he was no stranger to Others. Based on the eerie and peculiar feeling he got, it confirmed his suspicions.

"I'll have to hurry up and find my clan member too," Zhu Dayu said in a panic.

When the situation took a turn for the worst, it was safest to stick with who he knew.

"Let's go together. Your clan member should be heading towards the depths of the gilded hall too," Li Luo suggested.

Zhu Dayu hesitated for a moment, but he did not turn down the offer. Looking at the situation on hand, it was indeed safer for them to work together.

As such, the three of them made their way towards the center district of the gilded hall in a hurry.

While they did that, the creepy, black mist slowly spread to the outer districts of the gilded hall.

The strange whispers echoed in the air as it gradually filled every room.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Some of the rogue cultivators did not manage to escape in time. When they came into contact with the mist, their eyes turned pitch-black immediately and faintly visible worms started crawling inside their pupils.

Following this, the corrupted individuals would follow the black mist, slowly creeping towards the center district of the gilded hall.