Chapter 60: The skeleton is still struggling with what to write today.

Yin Lisheng's fingertips still retained the warmth of the bloodstains on his master's clothes. That touch burned his nerves like a branding iron, and he followed closely behind Fu Yunshu without leaving his side.

"Master, the demonic energy seems to be getting stronger." Yin Lisheng lowered his voice, his gaze sweeping over the twisted, withered trees around him.

The tree trunks were covered with strange patterns, like wounds torn by sharp claws.

Fu Yunshu did not stop walking. "Youxu is an ancient battlefield. The closer you get to the center, the denser the demonic energy becomes. This demonic energy has been accumulating for thousands of years and has even mutated the surrounding area."

He suddenly raised his hand to signal to stop, "There's fighting going on ahead."

The two quietly approached a collapsed section of the city wall and peered through the gaps—Chu Yu and Duan Xuan were surrounded by dozens of demonic puppets.

Duan Xuan's skirt had been torn open, and she held a jade flute, the sound waves she played turning into fierce attacks; Chu Yu stood in front of her, his long flute wrapped with wisps of demonic energy, clearly at his last gasp and about to be exhausted.

“They are from Miaoyin Palace.” Yin Lisheng gripped the hilt of his sword, turned to look at Fu Yunshu, and asked in his eyes.

Fu Yunshu's gaze sharpened slightly, and he said, "There are too many demonic puppets. If we rush out directly, it will only attract more."

After saying that, he quickly gathered spiritual power at his fingertips, took out a talisman, drew a concealment talisman in the air, and handed it to Yin Lisheng, "You go around to the left, I will attract their attention from the front."

"Remember, you must strike with deadly precision and never give them a chance to raise the alarm."

Yin Lisheng nodded, his figure vanishing like a ghost into the ruins in an instant. Fu Yunshu then leaped and landed steadily on the broken city wall. The moment the Cold Cry Sword was drawn, it brought with it a biting, chilling wind.

"Zheng—"

The sword's cry was crisp and clear. Chu Yu suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes: "Immortal Venerable Huaiwei!"

The demon puppet horde immediately became agitated, with half of them quickly turning around and lunging at Fu Yunshu with bared teeth and claws.

In that instant, a blinding golden light burst forth from the shadows on the left—Yin Lisheng's Broken Abyss Sword, like a dragon emerging from the sea, was incredibly swift and instantly pierced through the heads of the two demonic puppets, splattering black blood everywhere.

Fu Yunshu was not to be outdone. He wielded the Cold Cry Sword with fierce sword flowers, and frost spread across the blade. Wherever it went, the demon puppets were frozen into ice sculptures and instantly shattered by the sword energy.

Each of his sword strikes was imbued with surging spiritual power, like a raging cold current sweeping across the entire battlefield.

"Fellow Daoist Duan, catch!" Yin Lisheng shouted, flicking his wrist to toss a bottle of elixirs toward Duan Xuan.

Duan Xuan reacted extremely quickly, turning around in mid-air and catching the pill steadily. She quickly fed one to herself and one to Chu Yu, and their complexions improved slightly.

Thanks to the timely assistance of Fu Yunshu and Yin Lisheng, the pressure on Chu Yu was suddenly relieved.

Taking advantage of this brief respite, she took a deep breath and mobilized the remaining spiritual energy within her body. The long flute shimmered with spiritual light, and the sound waves Chu Yu played carried a powerful aura, repelling the approaching demonic puppets.

The four didn't exchange many words, but their teamwork was quite good. Although the number of demonic puppets was large, they gradually began to falter under their combined resistance.

As the last demonic puppet crashed to the ground, Duan Xuan collapsed, panting heavily, "Finally... it's over."

Chu Yu quickly stepped forward to check her injuries and asked with concern, "Junior Sister, where are you hurt?"

"It's nothing, just that my spiritual energy is exhausted," Duan Xuan forced a smile, her gaze falling on Fu Yunshu and the other person. "I haven't yet thanked Immortal Venerable Huaiwei and Fellow Daoist Yin for their help."

"It's nothing, what are you doing here?" Yin Lisheng asked.

Chu Yu put away his flute, his expression solemn: "After we were swept into the spatial rift, we landed near a swamp. We hadn't gone far when we encountered these demons and were forced to retreat to this place."

She paused, then tentatively asked, "Does the Immortal Venerable know where this is?"

“Youxu,” Fu Yunshu explained briefly, “is the site of an ancient battlefield.”

Duan Xuan frowned. She had never heard of this place before, but since it was an ancient ruin, it probably wasn't a good place to go.

"Can we still get out?" Duan Xuan asked with some concern.

Chu Yu helped Duan Xuan up and gently comforted her, "Since we were able to get in, we must have a way out."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yin Lisheng suddenly frowned: "Wait, did you hear anything?"

The four fell silent instantly, listening intently. In the distance, a faint rustling sound could be heard, like countless feet treading on sand and gravel.

Fu Yunshu leaped to a high place and looked out. His expression changed drastically. On the horizon, countless demonic puppets surged in like a tidal wave, their numbers so great that they seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.

"Run!" Fu Yunshu made a decisive move, grabbing Yin Lisheng's wrist. "Go to that abandoned fortress in the northwest! The terrain there is treacherous, and we might be able to avoid the enemy's advance for a while."

The four of them fled with all their might, the roars of the demonic puppets growing ever closer behind them. Duan Xuan was exhausted and her steps began to falter. Seeing this, Chu Yu picked her up without hesitation.

Yin Lisheng glanced back at the approaching horde of demonic puppets, then suddenly stopped. "Master, you go first, I'll cover the rear!"

"Nonsense!" Fu Yunshu shouted sternly, "If anyone's going to cover the rear, it'll be me."

But Yin Lisheng had made up his mind. He formed a sword incantation, and the Broken Abyss Sword floated in mid-air, splitting into dozens of sword shadows: "Master, I am now also a Nascent Soul cultivator. Let me give it a try."

Fu Yunshu stopped. Indeed, Yin Lisheng would eventually have to grow up.

However, he did not leave first as Yin Lisheng had said, but instead stood by, ready to make a move at any time.

A complex mix of emotions flashed in Fu Yunshu's eyes—worry and relief—but he only said in a deep voice, "Ten breaths. Come immediately after ten breaths!"

The sword formation unfolded, and golden light poured down like a torrential rain. The demonic puppets at the forefront were shredded to pieces, but the demonic puppets behind them stepped over the corpses of their comrades and continued to advance, one after another.

Yin Lisheng's forehead was covered in a fine sweat. Controlling so many sword shadows at the same time was a great test of his spiritual power and mental strength.

"Go!" Just ten breaths later, Fu Yunshu grabbed Yin Lisheng by the back of his collar and dragged him away before the sword formation collapsed.

The four rushed into the abandoned fortress. Chu Yu quickly put Duan Xuan down and, together with Fu Yunshu, pushed open the heavy stone door. The hinges made a screeching sound, and finally slammed shut just before the demonic puppets rushed in.

"Cough cough..." Yin Lisheng leaned against the wall, panting, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The excessive consumption of spiritual energy made his meridians ache faintly.

Fu Yunshu grasped his wrist to check his pulse, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper: "Your spiritual energy is exhausted..."

The words of reproach were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back, finally letting out a long sigh, "First, regulate your breathing."

After saying that, he took out a white jade bottle from his sleeve and poured out two blue pills: "Take this. This is a Mind-Concentrating and Meridian-Strengthening Pill. It can help you restore your spiritual power and repair your meridians."

Yin Lisheng obediently swallowed the pill, and the warm current from its medicinal properties instantly relieved the pain. He whispered, "Disciple knows his mistake. I shouldn't have been so reckless and made Master worry."

Fu Yunshu didn't speak, but simply raised her hand and gently wiped away the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth, her movements incredibly gentle.

"Um..." Duan Xuan said weakly, "Shouldn't we first find out where we are?"

Chu Yu had already lit the fluorite he carried with him. In the dim light, the scene inside the fortress gradually became clear—the walls were covered with mysterious runes, and the ground was scattered with some old weapons and broken armor.

Using the faint light from the fluorite, Yin Lisheng carefully examined the interior of the fortress. The runes on the walls were intricate and mysterious, unlike anything commonly seen today.

“These runes…” Fu Yunshu’s slender fingers gently traced the stone wall, his brows furrowing slightly, “are ancient demon-sealing seals.”

Chu Yu was startled upon hearing this: "The Demon-Sealing Seal? Could something be suppressed here?"

Fu Yunshu did not answer immediately, but walked slowly along the wall, his fingertips tracing each rune.

Yin Lisheng noticed that every time his master's fingertips touched a rune, a faint golden light would appear.

"Master, these runes seem to react to your spiritual power?" Yin Lisheng couldn't help but ask.

Fu Yunshu stopped what he was doing, deep in thought: "If I'm not mistaken, the one who carved these runes must be from the Qingyuan Sect."

"But it has only been a little over ten thousand years since the founding master, True Man Chi Du, established the Qingyuan Sect. Why would these runes appear in an ancient secret realm?"

Just then, Duan Xuan suddenly exclaimed, "Come and see!"

She stood before a stone platform deep within the fortress, the glow of fluorite illuminating the scene on it—a skeleton sitting cross-legged, draped in a tattered Taoist robe, its hands forming a mudra on its knees.

Most notably, a rusty ancient sword was stuck in the skeleton's chest.

"This is..." Chu Yu gasped.

Fu Yunshu strode forward and carefully examined the skeleton: "Judging from the style of this Taoist robe, it should be a senior of my Qingyuan Sect."

Yin Lisheng noticed several lines of small characters carved on the ground next to the skeleton, which were already blurred and illegible.

Just as he was about to step forward for a closer look, the ancient sword beside him suddenly trembled violently, and a black aura shot out from the sword, heading straight for Yin Lisheng's face!

Fu Yunshu reacted extremely quickly, drawing his Cold Cry Sword instantly and colliding with the black mist. However, the black mist seemed to be alive, bypassing the sword's edge and continuing to attack him.

"Step back!" Fu Yunshu shoved Yin Lisheng aside, but his right arm was then entangled by the black energy. The black energy, like a malignant tumor, rapidly spread upwards along his arm.

"Master!" Yin Lisheng's eyes were bloodshot, and he slashed at the black mist without hesitation with the Broken Abyss Sword. However, the sword energy passed through the black mist as if it had struck thin air, having no effect whatsoever.

Chu Yu and Duan Xuan immediately stepped in to help, but their sonic attack was equally ineffective.

“It’s no use…” Cold sweat beaded on Fu Yunshu’s forehead, but his voice remained calm. “This is a Soul-Losing Curse, which needs to be washed away with the spiritual spring water of Tianshan Mountain. How could we possibly find spiritual spring water in the Netherworld now?”

Yin Lisheng's eyes reddened with anxiety: "What should we do?"

Fu Yunshu sat cross-legged, closed his eyes and concentrated: "Protect me, I will try to suppress it temporarily."

A faint golden light emanated from his body, creating a counterforce against the black aura. Yin Lisheng gripped his sword hilt tightly, vigilantly guarding his master's side, fearing any further unforeseen events.

Time passed second by second, and Fu Yunshu's face grew paler and paler, but the spread of the black aura seemed to be contained.

Suddenly, just as everyone relaxed, the skeleton made a soft "crack" sound, and the skull slowly rose up, revealing two eerie lights in the empty eye sockets!