Chapter 1014
Fatal Blow
Yang Ling and Bai Wei immediately countered, engaging the old man in a fierce battle. Sword energy rippled and spiritual power surged, causing the entire house to tremble as if it were about to collapse at any moment.
Although the old man was incredibly powerful, Yang Ling and Bai Wei were by no means ordinary people. Working together, they gradually gained the upper hand against him.
"You two juniors are quite capable!" the old man roared, suddenly summoning a strange magical artifact. It was a black banner, its surface engraved with bizarre runes and totems.
As the old man chanted the incantation, the black banner suddenly released a large amount of black mist, instantly enveloping the entire room. Yang Ling and Bai Wei felt their vision blur and their breathing become difficult, as if they were tightly bound by an invisible force.
"This...this is demonic mist?" Bai Wei exclaimed, a look of panic on her face.
Yang Ling also sensed the evil intent contained within the demonic mist, but his gaze became even more resolute: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
He held Bai Wei's hand tightly, and the two huddled together, groping forward through the thick demonic fog. Despite the poor visibility and difficulty breathing, they resolutely continued forward step by step.
Suddenly, a sharp sword aura pierced through the demonic mist, aiming straight for the old man's head. The old man was shocked and hurriedly dodged to the side. It turned out that Yang Ling, with his extraordinary perception, had accurately determined the old man's location within the demonic mist and launched this fatal attack.
"Ah!" the old man cried out in agony and fell to the ground. Yang Ling's sword energy had pierced a bloody hole in his chest, and blood gushed out.
As the old man collapsed, the pervasive demonic mist dissipated rapidly, like a punctured balloon. Yang Ling and Bai Wei's vision finally returned, and through the dissipating black mist, they found each other. Their eyes met, and both revealed relieved smiles.
"Haha, we actually did it!" Bai Wei jumped up excitedly and threw herself into Yang Ling's arms.
Yang Ling caught her steadily and replied with a smile, "Yes, we did win." He gently patted Bai Wei's back, his eyes full of affection.
But in this heartwarming moment, a sudden change occurred. The old man's body, which had been lying on the ground, suddenly turned into wisps of black smoke, disappearing into the air as if blown away by the wind. At the same time, the spatial rift that had been roaring in the center of the room began to slowly shrink, like a wound that was healing.
Yang Ling's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he grabbed Bai Wei's wrist, saying urgently, "Judging from this situation, he's trying to escape!"
Bai Wei immediately realized what was happening and stared nervously at the gradually closing crack: "We have to hurry, we can't let him get away!"
The two rushed toward the disappearing spatial rift almost simultaneously, but just as they were about to touch it, the rift vanished completely, as if it had never existed.
Yang Ling angrily slammed his fist into the wall, smashing a large hole through the sturdy stone. He roared, "That old scoundrel, he got away after all!"
Bai Wei also seemed a little frustrated, but still tried to comfort Yang Ling: "At least we have destroyed that evil pearl, so it shouldn't be able to cause much trouble in the short term."
Yang Ling took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down: "You're right, Bai Wei. We can't be discouraged right now. We must continue to practice diligently and improve ourselves. Only in this way can we better protect this land and its people."
Bai Wei held Yang Ling's hand tightly: "If we work together, we will definitely be able to protect our homeland."
Yang Ling took another breath and looked at Bai Wei, saying, "First, we must ensure the safety of the city's residents. Although the bead has been destroyed, we don't know if the old man in black robes has any other tricks up his sleeve. We need to patrol all parts of the city, especially those who were previously controlled by the bead, to confirm that they have returned to normal." Bai Wei nodded seriously after listening, "Yes, we can't let the old man in black robes' evil scheme succeed. Moreover, I'm also very curious, what exactly is that secret leading to another world? Could it be related to the old man in black robes' plot?"
“Very likely,” Yang Ling replied. “That place may contain some unknown power or resources that the black-robed elder wants to use to achieve his goals. However, the most important thing right now is to ensure the safety of the people here.”
Bai Wei sighed softly, "I never expected that we would encounter something like this when we were just out here to gain some experience."
Yang Ling smiled and gently patted Bai Wei's shoulder: "This is the path of cultivation, always full of unknowns and challenges. But no matter what, we must uphold the righteous path and protect innocent lives."
“You’re right.” A determined glint flashed in Bai Wei’s eyes. “Then let’s set off now and go into the city to check the situation.”
The two left immediately, quickly departing from the dilapidated house. Walking through the city, they carefully observed each resident who had been previously detained, confirming that they had all returned to normal.
Walking on the city's stone-paved streets, Yang Ling and Bai Wei both wore somber expressions. The city's residents were gradually returning to their daily lives, and the streets and alleys were bustling with activity once again. However, they understood that beneath this calm surface, unknown dangers might still lurk.
"Yang Ling, look at that man." Bai Wei suddenly tugged at Yang Ling's sleeve and pointed to an old man who had just walked unsteadily across the street corner.
Yang Ling looked in the direction Bai Wei pointed and saw that the old man was pale and walked slowly, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. He frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "It seems that the influence of that bead has not been completely eliminated."
Bai Wei nodded, quickly walked towards the old man, and asked softly, "Grandpa, how are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
The old man raised his head, looked at Bai Wei and Yang Ling, and said with gratitude in his eyes, "Thank you, young people. I am much better now, but I am still a little weak."
Yang Ling stepped forward, took the old man's wrist pulse, closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment before saying, "Your meridians are still a little disordered, but it's not a big problem. I will write you a prescription. You can take the medicine according to the prescription for a few days and you will recover."
After speaking, Yang Ling took out paper and pen from his pocket, quickly wrote down a prescription, and handed it to the old man. The old man took the prescription and looked at the two of them gratefully, saying, "Thank you so much! Without you, our city would probably have become a living hell long ago."
Bai Wei smiled and said, "Old man, you're too kind. Cultivators are meant to protect all living beings."
After bidding farewell to the old man, the two continued on their way. After walking through several streets, they arrived at a square in the city. Many residents had gathered there, seemingly celebrating something.
"It seems they're celebrating the destruction of the beads," Bai Wei said with a smile.
Yang Ling nodded: "That should be the case. However, we still cannot let our guard down. Although the old man in black robes has escaped, he will not give up easily."
As the two were talking, a scream suddenly erupted from the crowd. Looking up, they saw a massive crack suddenly split open in the sky, as if ripping the entire heavens apart. Then, an enormous black phoenix flew out from the crack! (End of Chapter)