The green-robed elder gripped Yang Kai and charged at full speed into the depths of the Sinister Cave. The other three flew alongside him.
The green-robed elder glanced back with a smile, eyes brimming with interest. He casually flicked his wrist, and two streaks of emerald light shot backward like spirit snakes slithering from a burrow.
The cries of the Hu sisters had barely died down before their delicate bodies were struck by the green light.
In an instant, both sisters turned a sickly shade of green. The sudden transformation left them stunned on the spot. They hurriedly checked themselves but found they had suffered no injuries, and their True Essence circulated without any obstruction.
Leng Shan's face, however, turned deathly pale. "The Phantom Bone Shadow!" she cried out in alarm.
The Ghost King Valley cultivators looked at the Hu sisters once more, sympathy written all over their faces.
"What does this mean? What is this?" Hu Jiao'er asked in a grim tone.
Leng Shan looked terrible, her face heavy with worry. After a moment's hesitation, she finally began to explain. "The Fiends and Demons — among them is one who wears green robes. He has a taste for women, and I'm afraid you've caught his eye. The Phantom Bone Shadow is his signature technique. Once it strikes, he can sense your location at any time. He can even use this to influence your minds, making you surrender without a fight and obey his every command."
The Hu sisters' beautiful faces drained of color.
"Moreover, the green tint on your skin is the mark of this technique. Once you leave here, anyone who sees that color will know you've been hit with the Phantom Bone Shadow." After a pause, Leng Shan continued: "Right now he's heading inside to investigate and can't split his attention — which is why he left this tracking art on you. The moment he's done in there, he'll definitely come looking for you."
"Even if he doesn't come in person, others will capture you and hand you over just to gain his favor. You're in serious trouble," Shen Yi added gravely.
"Is there any way to break it?" Hu Jiao'er asked, her voice cold as ice.
"Even a ninth-level Shenyou Realm expert might not be able to break it — unless you kill him, or find someone of even greater power." Leng Shan bit her lip.
Hearing this, the Hu sisters' hearts sank to rock bottom.
Yang Kai knew nothing of the sisters' predicament, but the two streaks of green light the green-robed elder had launched, along with the lustful gleam in his eyes, he had caught sight of clearly.
His gaze turned cold and sharp.
The other three seemed completely used to the green-robed elder's little tricks. They didn't so much as change expression, let alone comment on it.
They simply flew on in silence.
Shenyou Realm experts moved at terrifying speed. What had taken Yang Kai's group ages to reach the cave entrance, they covered in moments. Before long, they were bringing him back.
Returning to the vicinity of the two elevated platforms, all four of the Fiends narrowed their eyes and studied what lay ahead with grave expressions.
The Sinister Spring waters had completely receded, and where the Evil Spirit Spring had once been, a massive dark cocoon now stood.
Across its surface, patterns resembling blood vessels crisscrossed in every direction, pulsing with an unfathomable reservoir of power.
The entire cocoon stood four or five zhang tall — colossal, emanating a bone-piercing chill. Tendrils of sinister, demonic energy, almost solid to the eye, drifted around the cocoon like writhing tentacles. The sight was nothing short of terrifying.
Thump... thump...
Powerful, rhythmic pulsing echoed from within. With each beat, waves of force that could influence the mind and divine sense rippled outward, sweeping over the fiends and Yang Kai alike.
The green-robed elder's expression shifted. He formed a quick series of hand seals and swept his palm forward, deflecting the incoming wave.
"What is this?" the yellow-robed elder asked, his face grim, staring at the cocoon in bewilderment.
These four were powerful, elderly cultivators of vast experience and broad knowledge. Though they could feel the immense pressure radiating from the cocoon and knew whatever lay inside was not to be trifled with, none of them could identify what it actually was.
Such dense, tangible sinister energy — visible to the naked eye. In all their years, the four of them had only witnessed it once before.
On the Evil Lord himself.
A few months ago, when they had accompanied the Ghost King Yinming to pay audience with the Evil Lord, they had been fortunate enough to witness his grandeur firsthand.
The Evil Lord's evil had transcended mere evil. The Ghost King Yinming had called it "demonic" — true demonic power. All evil was but child's play before the demonic.
"Boy, I'll ask you one last time. Do you know what happened here? If you dare say you don't, I'll seal you in this place and leave you to rot. Tell me, and I'll let you live." The green-robed elder set Yang Kai down, regarding him with an indifferent stare.
Yang Kai's expression remained calm, his composure unchanged. He glanced at the elder, then furrowed his brow. "It's something that emerged from the Evil Spirit Spring."
"The Evil Spirit Spring?" All four of the Fiends' expressions changed, and the green-robed elder's voice rose sharply.
Those four words were undeniably attractive to them as well.
"Yes." Yang Kai nodded, hiding nothing. He then gave a brief account of everything that had happened before.
The four old men's hearts burned hotter with every word. The wariness they had felt toward the cocoon gradually gave way to naked greed, and their eyes gleamed with fervor as they stared at it.
By the time Yang Kai finished speaking, their breathing had grown noticeably ragged.