Chapter 269: Destruction of the Jingang Temple

Deep underground, Xiao Nanfeng, Yu'er, Xu Ming and the abbot continued to fight. The ground caved in as the four of them were forced up aboveground.

Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er were on the losing end of things; the two monks were easily able to suppress them.

Xiao Nanfeng had predicted such a situation. When he slew Cui Haisheng's avatar, he had obtained a corroded Immortal relic. He was waiting until they were out of the cavern to destroy it and escape from the two monks.

After a protracted fight in which Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er both sustained some injuries, the four cultivators emerged from underground.

"We couldn't use our strongest techniques underground. Now, it's time for all of you to die!" the Jingang abbot shouted fiercely.

"No—hold it, what's going on? Senior Brother, look!" Xu Ming exclaimed.

The abbot was stunned as he glanced at his surroundings. The formation had somehow turned pitch black, with only the barest traces of sunlight filtering in. The interior of the formation was particularly dark and gloomy.

Thousands of Jingang monks were lying in pools of blood, their heads missing.

Not far away were about another hundred Jingang disciples, all of whom seemed to have been rendered immobile. They had identical expressions of despair plastered on their faces.

When they saw the four cultivators emerge from underground, however, hope blossomed.

"Abbot, save us!"

"Master, save us, save us!"

The remaining Jingang disciples cried and shouted for help.

Behind each of them was a pitch-black three-dimensional shadowy figure. The shadowy cursed effigies suddenly grabbed onto the cultivators' heads with both hands, then wrenched.

The disciples' heads were simultaneously plucked from their bodies in a fountain of blood. The scene was macabre and horrifying.

The shadowy cursed effigies opened their mouths wide, revealing sawtooth-like teeth, as they crunched down on the heads. Blood spurted.

"No!" Xu Ming cried out.

The shadowy cursed effigies turned to the remaining cultivators, still frozen in place, as they repeated their actions.

"Save us!" the remaining cultivators cried out in despair.

Chills crept down Xu Ming and the Jingang abbot's backs. There had been thousands of Jingang disciples within the formation. Had they all died...?

"Die, vile monsters!" the Jingang abbot howled, rushing over to defend the last of the disciples.

All the shadowy cursed effigies looked over, but the only emotion that filtered out from their pitch-black eyes was disdain. Many of the cursed effigies didn't even stop what they were doing; they continued to devour the disciples' heads. On the other hand, a few cursed effigies grinned at the four newcomers, revealing their teeth, as they shot over.

Xiao Nanfeng blanched. He knew very well just how frightening these shadows were, and there were dozens of them within the formation. This wasn't a fight they could win.

"We have to run!" Xiao Nanfeng fled into the air with Yu'er in tow.

By then, the abbot had come in contact with the cursed effigies. He struck at them with his staff, but it passed straight through the shadows and smashed a pit in the ground instead.

The abbot's eyes widened. He reacted surprisingly quickly, evading the shadows' counterattacks, before striking—and missing—again.

Several cursed effigies shot toward him, but he barely evaded their attacks.

The shadowy cursed effigies only had strength and speed equivalent to a Spiritsong-realm cultivator, but their ability to phase out of material existence was overpowering. The abbot's attacks were useless against them.

"This is impossible," the abbot muttered as he attempted to evade the shadowy creatures.

"Save me, Senior Brother! This cursed effigy infused its cursed spiritual power into my body and sealed my qi. I can't move!" Xu Ming shouted.

Xu Ming had been caught as well. Behind him stood a shadowy cursed effigy reaching out for his head.

The abbot's eyes widened as he shot over and slammed a palm into Xu Ming's body. Xu Ming trembled and was sent flying backwards, freed from the cursed effigy's control.

Xu Ming sprayed out a mouthful of blood. The palm strike had been potent and had ruptured blood vessels all over his body. He looked gruesome.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Xu Ming shuddered.

"I was worried I wouldn't be able to dispel the cursed spiritual power in your body. All I could do is rupture your qi pathways and reforge them. You'll have to recuperate later. Come on, we have to go now!" The abbot grabbed Xu Ming and rose into the air.

By then, all the Jingang disciples had been killed. Despite their anger, the two monks knew that these cursed effigies would be difficult opponents indeed. The only thing they could do now was run.

The shadows growled as they chased after them.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er made it to the formation barrier.

Xiao Nanfeng attempted to slash at the barrier.

It shattered, but the black smoke surrounding the formation didn't dissipate. The black smoke had formed a hemispherical dome that blanketed the region. Xiao Nanfeng cut at the smoke with his divine undying blade, and though he succeeded, the edges of the cut adhered to the blade as though he had attempted to cut a puddle of liquid. There was no opening through which he and Yu'er could escape.

"Nanfeng, let me try," Yu'er suggested.

"You'd better not. This black smoke is extremely unusual, and I suspect that there are shadows roaming within it as well. Don't touch it," Xiao Nanfeng warned her, pulling her back.

Just then, the two monks also approached.

The abbot smashed at the barrier with his staff. The black smoke fused to it, traveling down the staff and taking advantage of the contact to spread to the abbot himself. A cursed effigy emerged from the black smoke and gripped onto the abbot's neck.

"It's infused its cursed spiritual power into my qi channels and dantian! I can't move!" the abbot exclaimed.

"Let me help you, Senior Brother," Xu Ming immediately volunteered.

"You've been weakened—you can't do anything. Go retrieve that copper spike. Hurry!" the abbot cried out.

Meanwhile, a group of shadows swarmed toward the abbot.

"Senior Brother!" Panicking, Xu Ming hesitated and then turned back toward the abbot.

"Go!" the abbot howled.

Xu Ming shot toward the copper spike.

Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er were evading a group of shadows themselves. Suddenly, Yu'er's eyes lit up. "The dragon-quelling spike!"

Xu Ming grabbed ahold of the floating dragon-quelling spike, which seemed to harbor a mysterious force that was able to suppress the shadows. As he caught it, the black smoke retreated from him.

Suddenly, a shadow emerged from the formation of black fog. Alarmed, Xu Ming stabbed at the shadow with the dragon-quelling spike, sending it flying. It struck the ground, but didn't seem to be injured. It got back up in no time.

"This spike can damage the shadows!" Xu Ming exclaimed.

The abbot cried out, unable to hold on any longer.

Xu Ming turned to see a shadow having wrenched off the abbot's neck and placed it within its mouth.

"Senior Brother!" Xu Ming cried out.

However, it was too late. The abbot of the Jingang Temple had perished, and his corpse fell to the ground. Xu Ming was the final survivor of the temple. In panic, Xu Ming slashed at the barrier with the dragon-quelling spike, puncturing a hole in it large enough for him to escape.

He was just about to do so when he saw Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er rushing toward him, as though attempting to escape through the hole he had created.

Upon seeing them, Xu Ming's eyes turned blood-red.

"Xiao Nanfeng? Look what you've done to the Jingang Temple. I won't let you escape. Dream on!" Xu Ming howled.

He cradled the dragon-quelling spike as he struck at the two cultivators with his staff.

The clash forced them back; the delay caused the hole in the barrier to close up once again.

"Xu Ming, these are my lands, and that dragon-quelling spike in your hands is mine as well," Xiao Nanfeng stated coldly.

"This is called a dragon-quelling spike? You know of it? That must mean you were aware of the cursed effigies in the region, too. Why didn't you say anything? Xiao Nanfeng, you've killed all the Jingang disciples here. I can leave at any time, but I won't let either of you do so. These shadows can't hurt me any longer. I'll kill you both!" Xu Ming howled, his mental state deteriorating by the second.

He struck at the two cultivators with his staff again. "Die, Xiao Nanfeng!"

He firmly believed that this attack would be sufficient to send the two cultivators into the midst of the cursed effigies. He would have them perish right then and there, without any opportunity to escape. He struck at full force.

Xiao Nanfeng, however, didn't respond as he expected. He pulled Yu'er back, unwilling to fight against a madman, and tossed out an Immortal relic.

"Explode!" Xiao Nanfeng cried out.

"What?!" Xu Ming exclaimed.

The corroded Immortal relic exploded in flames that swamped Xu Ming. Although Xu Ming attempted to dodge the explosion, he failed to do so, perhaps due to his injuries, and was sent flying from the impact. The dragon-quelling spike in his hand flew toward the ground.

"My dragon-quelling spike!" Xu Ming exclaimed in fear.

He forced himself to ignore his injuries as he shot toward the spike, but it was too late. A group of shadows enveloped him and infused cursed spiritual power into his body.

"No!" Xu Ming howled in despair.

He was completely unable to move, and he couldn't do anything against the shadows. He could sense them tugging on his head; his neck was about to give out.

As the flames dispersed, he could see that Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er had also been beset by shadows, but Xiao Nanfeng's divine undying blade was somehow able to cut them and send them flying.

"What? Your blade can counter these cursed effigies? That's impossible!" Xu Ming cried out.

With a pop, Xu Ming's head was pulled off his neck. His eyes were filled with indignation and rage, but there was nothing he could do to stop the shadows from swallowing his head.

Blood spurted from the shadows' mouths as the final cultivator of the Jingang Temple perished.