The horrifying scene chilled Miao Zhicheng and Lu Da to the bone, shattering any will they had left to fight.

They paid each other no mind, turning to flee wildly in opposite directions!

"Running away? Why so fast? It’s not like I’m going to eat you, is it?"

The Ghost Guard let out a laugh that was both flirtatious and bone-chillingly cold. Her form blurred like smoke as she went after the more heavily injured Miao Zhicheng.

"Demoness! Get away from me!"

Feeling the murderous intent closing in from behind, Miao Zhicheng was filled with a mixture of terror and fury. He spun around and swung his saber with every ounce of strength he had!

The Ghost Guard sneered. Without dodging or evading, she threw a punch wreathed in thick Evil Qi!

BOOM!

CRACK!

Miao Zhicheng’s saber glint was shattered in an instant. The force of the punch slammed into his chest, breaking who-knows-how-many ribs. He screamed, spat out a mouthful of blood, and was sent flying backward.

Hearing Miao Zhicheng’s agonized cry, Lu Da’s heart went cold. He pulled the last few Thunder Fire Bombs from his robes and, without even looking, hurled them back in the direction of the pursuing Ghost Guard!

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

A series of violent explosions erupted, and the resulting fire and smoke temporarily obscured their vision.

Lu Da seized the opportunity to rush to Miao Zhicheng’s side, pulling the heavily injured man to his feet. "If we work together, we might have a chance!"

Miao Zhicheng, in no state to worry about their past grievances, nodded desperately.

They used the distraction to escape.

The Ghost Guard was about to pursue them when a sudden jolt in her heart stopped her in her tracks.

BOOM!!!

Just then, an explosion of unprecedented, terrifying force erupted from the ruins of the inn behind her.

It was as if some incredibly terrifying power had detonated from within, and an immense, invisible force instantly pulverized the entire inn.

Dust and debris shot skyward, forming a massive mushroom cloud.

A figure slowly strode out from the billowing dust.

He was tall and straight, carrying a long, dark spear. A terrifying aura, not yet fully dissipated, still clung to the weapon’s shaft.

In his other hand, he held a head, its features twisted in a grimace—it was the head of the Nether Guard.

The Ghost Guard’s smile froze instantly. It then morphed into shock, then disbelief, before twisting into an expression of utter distortion.

"You! You killed Nether!!!"

The Ghost Guard’s voice was shrill and piercing, filled with a bloodthirsty madness.

Chen Qing casually tossed the Nether Guard’s head aside. His gaze was calm as he looked at the Ghost Guard and said coolly, "My spear is fast. He passed... peacefully."

The Ghost Guard slowly bent down and cradled the head in her hands. Her features twisted into a horrific snarl. "I want you dead—!"

As she spoke, a ghostly green Qi Force erupted from her body.

Instantly, the surrounding dust and sand were swept up into a series of terrifying vortexes.

Standing in their midst, the Ghost Guard looked like a vengeful specter that had clawed its way out of the Forest of Ghosts and Demons. A ghastly green light even began to glow in her eyes.

The Ghost Guard stretched out her hands. The incredibly powerful vortexes surged, sweeping up the snow from the ground. From a distance, it looked like a sinister storm of bleached bones.

With a great wave of her hand, the swirling vortex shot toward Chen Qing, a deafening rumble echoing all around.

The ground trembled violently. Then the storm, carrying an unmatched Momentum, descended upon Chen Qing like a world-ending canopy, threatening to tear him to shreds.

The Ghost Guard was clearly enraged beyond limit; she opened with a killing move.

An all-or-nothing killing move!

Chen Qing’s eyes were as placid as still water as he tightened his grip on the Cloud-Coiling Spear.

BOOM!

Within his body, he held nothing back, his True Qi surging and churning wildly!

The Five True Qi streams converged forcefully in an unprecedented manner. Though they didn’t fuse, he used the profound mysteries of the Formless Technique and his own formidable control to channel them frantically into the Cloud-Coiling Spear!

At the same time, the Momentum of the Mountain Prison-Suppression Spear, which he had only recently comprehended, exploded forth!

HUMMMM—!

The Cloud-Coiling Spear let out a deafening hum. Its shaft trembled violently as the surrounding air grew incredibly heavy and the ground began to crack, inch by inch!

An indescribably terrifying pressure radiated out from Chen Qing, as if an invisible mountain had descended from the heavens to suppress everything in its vicinity!

The muscles on his arm bulged. The Cloud-Coiling Spear transformed into a streaking light, a Startled Swan that could tear apart heaven and earth, as he thrust it straight at the charging Ghost Guard!

RUMBLE!

Wherever the spear’s light passed, the very air seemed to distort, letting out a mournful cry as if under an unbearable strain!

The ferocious snarl on the face of the charging, enraged Ghost Guard was instantly replaced by boundless horror.

From that seemingly plain and simple spear light, she sensed a mortal threat!

She wanted to dodge, but the air around her felt as heavy as lead!

The spear’s light, propelled by the Five True Qi streams, surged forward unstoppably, cleaving the vortex in two.

The resulting whirlwind was even more violent than the Ghost Guard’s original attack, churning upward until it seemed to rush straight into the Jiuxiao Heavens.

BOOM!

The thick cloud cover high in the sky was split in two, revealing the bright, clear moonlight.

The moonlight cascaded onto the desolate landscape, creating a magnificent spectacle.

For a moment, it was as if the sky had lit up.

POP!

The Ghost Guard’s entire body simply popped, her flesh and blood shredded into nothingness by the spear’s light and the raging vortex.

With a flick of his wrist, Chen Qing retracted his spear.

He quickly gathered what silver notes and valuables he could find on the ground, then hurried off in pursuit of Miao Zhicheng.

’It was the perfect time to eliminate him, too!’

...