Chapter Fifteen: Evil Venerable Blocks the Path, Clear Sword Heart Breaks Evil Spirits
"Evil Venerable! Do you think you alone can stop us?" Chen Mo’s Golden Sword Qi split through the sky like a shooting star, heading straight for the Evil Venerable’s face. Wherever the sword qi passed, the black evil mist was instantly purified, and the air was filled with a faint golden light.
The Evil Venerable snorted coldly, drawing a curve in front of him with his black longsword. Black evil power condensed into a shield, blocking the Golden Sword Qi. With a loud clang, the sword qi struck the shield, erupting in a shower of sparks. The Evil Venerable was pushed back two steps, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "A cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining, to possess such strength. No wonder Blood Fiend fell into your hands."
"Words are useless. Today, we must close the spatial rift and prevent the Evil Spirit King from being unsealed!" Chen Mo leaped up. In the moonlight, his Flowing Frost Sword shone with a silver cold light. Primordial Chaos Power poured out from the sword unceasingly, and Golden Sword Qi cascaded down towards the Evil Venerable like a waterfall.
Seeing this, Xuan Jizi, suppressing the erosion of evil power within his body, circulated his spiritual energy. With a wave of his horsetail whisk, golden threads shot towards the Evil Venerable, entangling him. "Everyone, let's join forces to take down the Evil Venerable. We cannot let him hinder us from closing the rift!"
The First Elder, Second Elder, and the newly appointed Third Elder (a former Law Enforcement Hall disciple named Shi Yan, whose cultivation had reached the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment) attacked simultaneously. The First Elder wielded his longsword, his sword qi slashing at the Evil Venerable like thunder. The Second Elder produced a bronze mirror, which shot out golden light towards the Evil Venerable, attempting to weaken his evil power. Shi Yan, on the other hand, circulated a defensive technique, conjuring a golden barrier behind everyone to prevent sneak attacks from rogue cultivators.
The Evil Venerable, surrounded by their attacks, remained unfazed. He circulated his full evil power, and the evil energy on his black longsword grew more potent. Countless distorted human faces appeared on the sword's surface, emitting shrill screams. "Evil Soul Sword Art, Ten Thousand Souls Devour Heart!" the Evil Venerable roared, and his black longsword slashed towards them. Countless black sword qi surged from the sword, each carrying the terrifying aura of devouring living souls.
"Be careful! This sword qi can devour living souls. If you're hit, your mind will go into chaos!" Mo Lao shouted, holding his wooden sword and conjuring a silver barrier in front of him. The black sword qi struck the barrier, emitting sizzling sounds, and the light on the barrier gradually dimmed.
Chen Mo circulated "Clear Sword Heart," fully merging his will with the Flowing Frost Sword. He took a deep breath, and his mind was empty of all extraneous thoughts, leaving only the words "Slay Evil." The golden and silver light on the Flowing Frost Sword intertwined, forming a sword shadow several zhang long. The sword shadow, imbued with the aura of purifying all evil, slashed towards the black sword qi.
"Primordial Chaos Heart, Break Evil!" Chen Mo uttered a low cry. The sword shadow collided with the black sword qi. The golden light instantly suppressed the black evil power, and the black sword qi, purified by the sword shadow, dissipated bit by bit, turning into black ash scattering in the air.
The Evil Venerable's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Chen Mo's "Clear Sword Heart" to be so powerful. He took a deep breath and pulled a black pearl from his embrace. The pearl was engraved with strange runes and emanated a dense evil power. "Since you insist on obstructing the Evil Spirit King's unsealing, I shall use the 'Myriad Souls Pearl' to make all of you sacrifices to the Evil Spirit King!"
The Myriad Souls Pearl was refined from thousands of living souls and was extremely powerful. If detonated, the living souls of all beings within a radius of dozens of miles would be absorbed, becoming nourishment for evil power. Xuan Jizi's face turned pale: "Not good! Quickly stop him from detonating the Myriad Souls Pearl!"
Chen Mo's heart tensed. He circulated his Light Body Technique, his figure shooting towards the Evil Venerable like an arrow released from a bow. The Flowing Frost Sword, carrying Golden Sword Qi, pierced directly at the Myriad Souls Pearl in the Evil Venerable's hand. Seeing this, the Evil Venerable quickly raised the Myriad Souls Pearl above his head, continuously injecting evil power into it. The runes on the pearl began to flash, and black mist spread outwards.
"Too late! The Myriad Souls Pearl has begun to detonate, you will all die!" the Evil Venerable sneered, his eyes filled with madness.
At this critical juncture, Su Qingyue suddenly rushed out from the crowd, holding a talisman emitting golden light in her hand. This was a High-grade Talisman, the Evil Banishing Talisman, which she had painstakingly made yesterday under Mo Lao's guidance, consuming a large amount of spiritual energy. "Chen Mo, catch!" Su Qingyue threw the Evil Banishing Talisman towards Chen Mo.
Chen Mo caught the Evil Banishing Talisman, feeling the powerful purifying force contained within the paper. Without hesitation, he infused it with his Primordial Chaos Power. The Evil Banishing Talisman instantly erupted with dazzling golden light, merging with the sword qi of his Flowing Frost Sword. "Primordial Chaos Slash!" Chen Mo uttered a low cry, and the golden sword shadow, carrying the purifying power of the Evil Banishing Talisman, slashed towards the Myriad Souls Pearl.
"No!" the Evil Venerable let out a desperate scream. The golden sword shadow struck the Myriad Souls Pearl, and the pearl instantly split open. The living souls within, illuminated by the golden light, turned into streams of white light spots and dissipated into the air. The Evil Venerable was struck by the residual power of the sword shadow, his body flying backward and slamming heavily against the wall of the black palace, spitting out a mouthful of black blood.
Seeing this, everyone quickly seized the opportunity and flew towards the spatial rift. Xuan Jizi circulated all his spiritual energy, waved his horsetail whisk, and golden threads began to entwine around the spatial rift. "Everyone, quickly inject your spiritual energy! While the Evil Venerable is injured, let's close the rift as soon as possible!"
Chen Mo, Mo Lao, the three Elders, and disciples from other sects circulated their spiritual energy. Golden spiritual energy surged into the formation like a tide. The light on the formation grew brighter and brighter, pressing down on the spatial rift. The black evil energy within the spatial rift surged violently, and the furious roar of the Evil Spirit King emanated from the rift, but the rift was still shrinking bit by bit.
The Evil Venerable crawled up from the ground, looking at the gradually shrinking spatial rift with unwillingness in his eyes. He circulated the remaining evil power within his body, and his black longsword stabbed towards Chen Mo: "Even if I die, I'll take you with me!"
Chen Mo sensed the danger behind him but couldn't get distracted. Seeing this, Su Qingyue quickly took out several Blazing Fire Talismans, injected spiritual energy into them, and threw them towards the Evil Venerable. The flames from the Blazing Fire Talismans formed a wall of fire, blocking the Evil Venerable's path. "Chen Mo, focus on closing the rift! I'll deal with the Evil Venerable!"
Su Qingyue held her longsword, circulated her spiritual energy, and charged towards the Evil Venerable. Although her cultivation was only at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, under Mo Lao's guidance, her swordsmanship and Talisman Arts had improved significantly. The flames from the Blazing Fire Talismans continuously burned the Evil Venerable's evil power, making his movements gradually sluggish.
Cornered by Su Qingyue, the Evil Venerable grew increasingly anxious. He circulated his evil power, and his black longsword slashed at Su Qingyue, wanting to finish her off quickly and stop everyone from closing the spatial rift. Su Qingyue, unfazed, took out a Wind Control Talisman, injected spiritual energy into it, and her figure instantly became nimble, easily dodging the Evil Venerable's attack. At the same time, she took out a Defense Reinforcement Talisman and affixed it to herself. Golden light enveloped her body, blocking the residual sword qi from the Evil Venerable.
"I didn't expect Qingxuan Daoist Temple to have a female disciple like you. Unfortunately, you will die here today too!" the Evil Venerable roared. Black evil power condensed into a spear in his hand, which he thrust at Su Qingyue.
At this critical moment, Mo Lao suddenly rushed out from beside the formation, his wooden sword carrying silver sword qi, stabbing towards the Evil Venerable's back. "Evil Venerable, your opponent is me!"
The Evil Venerable sensed the sword qi behind him and quickly turned to defend. The wooden sword collided with the spear, and the Evil Venerable was pushed back a few steps, his internal evil power becoming chaotic again. Mo Lao seized the opportunity to advance, his wooden sword slashing at the Evil Venerable like raindrops, each sword qi carrying the effect of purifying evil power.
"Mo Lao, didn't your cultivation decline long ago due to injuries? How can you still possess such strength?" The Evil Venerable's eyes were filled with disbelief.
Mo Lao sneered, "Back then, I merely pretended to have fallen in cultivation to investigate the traces of rogue cultivators in secret. I didn't expect to finally meet you today!"
In his early years, Mo Lao had indeed been seriously injured while fighting rogue cultivators. However, relying on his strong willpower, he not only recovered his cultivation but also broke through to the Late Foundation Establishment stage. For years, he had hidden his strength, waiting for the opportune moment to eradicate the core force of the evil tide in one fell swoop.
Upon learning of Mo Lao's true cultivation, the Evil Venerable was filled with fear. He wanted to escape, but Mo Lao's sword qi blocked his path. "Do you think you can run?" Mo Lao held his wooden sword and approached the Evil Venerable step by step. Silver sword qi condensed in front of him, forming a sword net that trapped the Evil Venerable within.
Chen Mo and the others took the opportunity to speed up the process of closing the spatial rift. The golden light on the formation grew increasingly bright, the black evil energy within the spatial rift weakened, and the rift continued to shrink. When the rift had shrunk to the size of a palm, a powerful suction suddenly emanated from within, attempting to draw in the spiritual energy of everyone present.
"Everyone, put in more effort! We must close the rift completely!" Xuan Jizi shouted, injecting the last trace of spiritual energy from his body into the formation.
Chen Mo circulated "Clear Sword Heart," pouring all his Primordial Chaos Power into the Flowing Frost Sword. A golden sword shadow slashed towards the spatial rift. "Primordial Chaos Heart, Seal!" The sword shadow struck the spatial rift, and golden light instantly enveloped the crack. The black evil energy within was utterly purified, and the rift finally closed completely.
The moment the spatial rift completely closed, the black palace began to shake violently, and the black evil energy within the palace dissipated like a tide. Seeing the spatial rift closed, the Evil Venerable's eyes were filled with despair. "No! My Lord Evil Spirit King, I have failed you!"
Mo Lao seized the opportunity, thrusting his wooden sword towards the Evil Venerable's dantian. "Evil Venerable, your time of death has come!" The silver sword qi pierced the Evil Venerable's dantian, and the evil power within him instantly dissipated. His body went limp and collapsed on the ground, his breath extinguished.
Seeing the spatial rift closed and the Evil Venerable slain, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Xuan Jizi, suppressing his exhaustion, said, "Finally... finally, we have closed the spatial rift and stopped the Evil Spirit King from being unsealed."
The First Elder stepped forward, looking at Xuan Jizi's pale face. "Sect Master, the evil power within you has not yet been completely cleared. Let's return to Qingxuan Daoist Temple first so you can recuperate properly."
Xuan Jizi nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "This success in closing the spatial rift is thanks to Chen Mo, Qingyue, and Mo Lao, as well as the support from various sects. When we return to Qingxuan Daoist Temple, I will reward everyone handsomely."
Everyone nodded in agreement and began to clean up the battlefield. Chen Mo walked to Su Qingyue's side, looking at the sweat on her face. "Qingyue, are you alright? You were a great help just now."
Su Qingyue shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine. It's good that I could help you. Besides, Mo Lao also helped me a lot."
Mo Lao walked up to the two of them, his eyes filled with relief. "You two are both excellent. Chen Mo has comprehended 'Clear Sword Heart,' and Qingyue's Talisman Arts have advanced rapidly. The future of Qingxuan Daoist Temple rests on your shoulders."
Chen Mo and Su Qingyue quickly bowed. "Thank you for your praise, Mo Lao. We will continue to work hard."
After tidying up the battlefield, everyone proceeded towards Qingxuan Daoist Temple. Along the way, they chatted and laughed, discussing their victory in the battle. Chen Mo walked in the middle of the group, looking at Su Qingyue beside him, his heart filled with warmth. He knew that closing the spatial rift was only a phased victory in their fight against the evil tide; there would be more challenges awaiting them in the future. But as long as Su Qingyue was by his side, and with the people of Qingxuan Daoist Temple fighting alongside him, he was confident in facing any challenge.
Upon returning to Qingxuan Daoist Temple, Xuan Jizi began to go into secluded cultivation to heal and clear the remaining evil power within him. Mo Lao was responsible for handling post-battle affairs, rewarding meritorious disciples, and comforting injured ones. Chen Mo and Su Qingyue were also not idle. Chen Mo continued to cultivate the "Primordial Sword Heart Record," consolidating his "Clear Sword Heart" realm. Su Qingyue continued to study Talisman Arts, hoping to create more powerful talismans in preparation for future battles.
A few days later, Xuan Jizi emerged from seclusion, having cleared most of the evil power within him. He convened everyone and said, "Although we have successfully closed the spatial rift in Black Wind Valley and slain the Evil Venerable, the remnants of the evil tide are still out there. We cannot let our guard down. Next, we must send people to investigate the other strongholds of the evil tide and annihilate the rogue cultivators completely, restoring peace to the Cultivation World."
The First Elder nodded. "What Sect Master said is correct. I suggest Chen Mo and Qingyue be responsible for investigating the remnants of the evil tide. Chen Mo's Primordial Chaos Power can purify evil power, and Qingyue's Talisman Arts can provide support. The two of them working together will surely complete the mission."
Xuan Jizi looked at Chen Mo and Su Qingyue and asked, "Are you willing to accept this mission?"
Chen Mo and Su Qingyue exchanged glances and said in unison, "We are willing!"
Xuan Jizi nodded. "Good! Then you should depart as soon as possible. Be careful. If you encounter danger, you must send word back immediately, and we will send people to support you."
Chen Mo and Su Qingyue bowed. "Yes, Sect Master!"
The next morning, Chen Mo and Su Qingyue packed their belongings and left Qingxuan Daoist Temple, heading towards the possible strongholds of the remaining evil tide forces. They did not know that a more difficult challenge awaited them ahead. But they both held a firm belief in their hearts: to completely annihilate the evil tide, protect the peace of the Cultivation World, and allow all people under heaven to live in peace and contentment.