Chapter 138: The God-Slaying Spear

"Lixi!"

I immediately used a finger seal to seal the meridians around her wound. Upon checking the soul pulse at her brow, I discovered that her life force was extremely faint; it seemed that most of it had been drained away by that arrow.

Hua Yuyan knew the method to transfer life force, but I did not possess such arts. Faced with Lixi, who was now on the verge of death, I was frantic yet utterly helpless.

At this moment, the Old Matriarch, several members of the Phoenix Clan, and Shancha all arrived. Seeing Lixi lying on the ground, the Old Matriarch hurried over.

"Child! My child!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.

Watching the Old Matriarch, my heart ached. She spoke with a choked voice, struggling to get the words out: "Sect Master, the Demon Palace has been taken. My Phoenix Clan no longer needs to serve as demon slaves."

"It is said that the Demon Race’s God-Slaying Spear is most likely located in the abyss beneath the Demon Palace. That should be the very thing the Demon Race was after. Sect Master, there is no time to lose. Xiaojia knows the place and will lead you there."

After saying this, she held Lixi, her face covered in aged tears.

"Old Matriarch, I am sorry. I failed to protect her." Seeing the Old Matriarch in such agony, I could not help but feel immense guilt. Had it not been for Lixi’s help, I would never have been able to slay Mo Kui and Mo Xin.

"Sect Master, do not say that. Without you, my Phoenix Clan would have ceased to exist long ago. Though Lixi’s injuries are severe, have no fear—she will recover," the Old Matriarch replied.

Hearing this, I felt a slight sense of relief.

At this time, Daoist Li had not yet regained consciousness. I immediately went to check on him; his condition was slightly better than Lixi’s. Niu Dahuang had returned, and after examining Daoist Li, he gave him a pill. He told me not to worry, assuring me that with him in charge, there would be no problems.

"By the way, Yiwa, Ma Zhenlei escaped. I couldn't catch him." He paused, then added, "The situation just now was truly bizarre. I followed him along the gorge. Ma Zhenlei was severely wounded and left a trail of blood, but after following it to a certain point, the trail simply vanished. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air."

"How could that be?" I asked, feeling puzzled.

Niu Dahuang shook his head. He would certainly never lie to me, and ordinary illusions could not have deceived him. Ma Zhenlei’s strange disappearance must have been caused by something else.

"Also, Yiwa, the aura in that vicinity felt strange. This Ancient Wutong Land is filled with death energy everywhere, but in that specific spot, there was a peculiar aura. It wasn't the aura of a cultivation practitioner, nor that of a mountain spirit or demon, nor that of the Demon Race. It is hard to describe where that aura came from," he said.

It seemed someone had rescued him.

I nodded without saying more, instructing him to take good care of Daoist Li. I also told him about Hua Yuyan, asking him to look after her as well, as I feared she had been poisoned by the Liuyao Insect. Niu Dahuang said it was no problem; he had medicine to suppress the gu poison, which, while unable to cure it, could delay its onset.

My top priority now was to go to the Wutong Demon Palace.

After giving my instructions, I rose immediately, left the Forest of Withered Wood, and accompanied Xiaojia and Shancha to the Demon Palace. Xiaojia appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old; she had previously served tea in the Demon Palace, so she was very familiar with its layout.

Shancha and I followed her into the palace. The Demon Palace had three floors above ground and nine levels below.

The lowest level, the ninth underground floor, led into an abyss. As we drew closer, the malevolent aura grew heavier. Xiaojia held a green lantern that could repel this malice and prevent it from draining one’s life force.

The Old Matriarch had said that beneath the abyss, it was highly likely that the God-Slaying Spear of the Demon Ancestor Luo Hou was hidden. This spear condensed the malevolent energy from the era of the ancient war between the Sorcerers and Demons, making it incredibly ferocious. It was precisely this spear that had drained the life force of the Ancient Wutong Land, effectively destroying the Phoenix Clan.

The fact that it could directly sever the dragon vein and earth energy of the Phoenix Clan was proof enough of how terrifying the weapon was. Furthermore, it was said that during the ancient wars, countless members of the Daoist sects had died under this spear, including several gods and saints. Thus, the name "God-Slaying Spear" was no mere title—it truly could kill gods.

Near the abyss, it became too dangerous to go further. I told Shancha and Xiaojia to wait for me there while I descended alone to retrieve the spear.

Below was pitch black, filled with swirling malevolent energy. I drew the Qingping Sword and climbed down along the steep stone walls. My intent was in harmony with the sword, and in that darkness, the blade emitted a green glow, ensuring I was not entirely blind.

A few minutes later, I reached the bottom of the abyss.

The floor was like a cavern of ten thousand bones; white skeletons were densely packed, too numerous to count. I did not know if these were victims sacrificed by the Demon Race or people who had come coveting the spear and met their end here. Some skeletons still bore weapons, likely the latter, while others had been severed and discarded, likely the former.

In this place, death energy and malice were intertwined, making it hard to breathe. I had to find the spear quickly and leave the Ancient Wutong Land to stop Erpang from going down this dark path to the end.

However, the abyss was vast, and I saw only bones, no sign of the spear.

"Who disturbs this place?"

Suddenly, an ethereal voice came from behind me. I turned to find a black shadow standing not far away.

"I am the Sect Master of the Ghost Dao, here to borrow the God-Slaying Spear. I ask that you guide me, senior!" I said. Yet, as soon as these words left my lips, the shadow burst into wild laughter that echoed through the abyss.

Mid-laugh, the figure lunged at me, reaching for my throat. I swung the Qingping Sword and slashed the shadow in two. However, it simply reappeared in another spot.

"I and the Sect Master of the Ghost Dao are sworn enemies. You come to borrow the God-Slaying Spear? You shall not leave here alive!"

The voice echoed throughout the gorge. Hearing this, I realized I had said the wrong thing. But even if I hadn't, looking at the bones on the ground, I knew that this phantom would never let me take the spear. And I had never come here to "borrow" it; I had come to seize it.

The shadow was likely just a lingering remnant of someone—judging by his tone, I suspected it was the remnant of the Demon Ancestor Luo Hou. However, my grandfather had said that Luo Hou was sealed beneath the Immortal-Killing Sword Formation and had likely turned to ash long ago, so this shadow was not a major threat.

The shadow vanished. But then, the bones around me began to move.

Countless skeletons climbed up, their hollow eye sockets facing me, their eyes now glowing a deep, blood-red. In the next second, they all lunged at me.

The malevolent energy here was intense, but bones were merely bones. Without the essence of the sun and moon, they could not become true demons; they were simply being manipulated by the malice.

I held my sword with one hand. The Qingping Sword flashed with green light as I slashed to the left and right. Two sword auras swept through the abyss like a tidal wave. The aura was incredibly sharp; the bones shattered upon contact, either sliced into pieces or instantly ground into powder, scattering across the floor.

After about half a minute, the sword auras subsided. The broken bones continued to twitch, but they were no longer a threat.

I then quickly pursued the direction where the black shadow had disappeared. In that direction, the malevolent energy grew heavier, and the blade of the Qingping Sword seemed to drip with blood.

It seemed I was close.

However, when I arrived, I saw an old woman sitting beside a pool of water. Surrounded by swirling black mist, the scene was incredibly bizarre. In the pool beside her were lotus flowers, glowing with a faint, shimmering light.

I was puzzled. Should this not be the location of the God-Slaying Spear? Why were there an old woman and lotus flowers here?

Seeming to hear my footsteps, the old woman turned back. Her voice was ethereal and hoarse. "You have come here—is it for the lotus?"

The God-Slaying Spear was certainly not a lotus. Not knowing the hidden meaning behind her words, I spoke directly: "I am not here for the lotus, but for the God-Slaying Spear. Old one, have you seen it?"

The old woman smiled. "I only know that there are lotuses here, but I know of no spear. Young man, are you mistaken?"

However, in this very spot, the malevolent energy was strongest, and the Qingping Sword was dripping blood.

"I am not mistaken," I said.

I walked toward the side of the lotus pool and looked down. To my surprise, a long spear lay at the bottom of the water. It was a black-tasseled spear with a silver head, its body carved with lotus patterns, emitting a faint, dark glow from beneath the surface.

The old woman approached and asked, "Is this what you speak of?"

I nodded.

She gave another strange smile and said, "Go ahead and take it."

The pool did not look deep. I reached out, prepared to retrieve the spear.

But the moment I touched the surface of the water, the pool, which had previously been clear enough to see through, turned into a pool of blood. Pairs of scarlet, blood-stained hands reached out from the depths, grabbing me and dragging me down into the blood.