However, just as everyone's offensive was about to close in, the aura of the demon spirit suddenly surged from within the abyss!

"Oh no! It's burning its very essence!" Li Li's expression changed drastically.

"Hahaha... You can't kill me!" The demon's voice was cold and crazed. "I have become one with this land. Unless you can destroy the entire valley, I will never perish!"

Before the words were finished, the ground trembled violently, and countless black wisps surged in from all directions, condensing into a layer of pitch-black armor around the demon spirit!

"This is troublesome..." Rong Jiaojiao gritted her teeth, her Lingyuan Sword trembling slightly, clearly indicating that the attack just now had taken a toll.

Mo Bai narrowed his eyes, then suddenly chuckled: "Never to perish? Ha, a mere demon spirit dares to claim immortality?"

He raised his hand and pushed up his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses suddenly becoming sharp: "Old Zhou, set up the formation!"

Upon hearing this, the old man in black did not hesitate to take out a black array flag and plunge it into the ground: "Heavenly Net, Form!"

In an instant, countless black threads spread out from the array flags, covering the entire valley like a spider web, and actually locked the black energy of the demon spirit!

"Burn!" Mo Bai shouted, and with a turn of his brush, countless golden runes began to burn along the net of heaven and earth.

Zi Ling had been preparing for this moment, and seeing that Mo Ling was being suppressed, she immediately transformed into a bolt of purple lightning and charged straight at Mo Ling!

"boom--!"

Lightning exploded, and a crack was forcefully cleaved in the demon spirit's black armor!

"Now!" Rong Jiaojiao's eyes narrowed, and the Lingyuan Sword was drawn again. "Nine Revolutions of Subduing Demons - Second Form - Sword Piercing the Sky!"

This sword strike, like a rainbow piercing the sun, went straight for the core of the demon spirit!

Li Li also made hand seals and chanted incantations, and the Demon-Suppressing Copper Coins were thrown down again!

Mo Bai then wielded his brush in mid-air, using golden runes as chains. The blood-red patterns that spread from the demonic spirits were gradually burned away, and even Ling Mei could not escape.

After the demon spirit let out a mournful and desperate roar, the black mist dissipated, but it was ultimately unable to break free from the combined attack of the group!

"Boom—!"

Amidst the earth-shattering explosion, the mountain crumbled inch by inch, eventually turning into a cloud of smoke and dust that dissipated into the world!

...

As the smoke and dust cleared, the valley returned to silence.

Rong Jiaojiao let out a long sigh of relief, sheathed her Lingyuan Sword, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Li Li put away the demon-suppressing copper coins, his face slightly pale, but his eyes were full of relief: "Finally, it's solved..."

The old man in black retrieved the array flag and silently stood back behind Mo Bai.

Mo Bai remained calm and composed, though the Nine Dragons Demon-Subduing Brush in his hand had dimmed slightly.

He looked at Rong Jiaojiao, a slight smile playing on his lips: "It's a pleasure to work with you, Fellow Daoist Rong."

Rong Jiaojiao nodded, inwardly acknowledging that this guy was indeed impressive: "Fellow Daoist Mo is amazing!"

Mo Bai chuckled softly, not caring, but suddenly raised his hand, lightly tapped the void with his fingertips, and cast a spell.

At the same time, Rong Jiaojiao produced a jade bottle and shone it on the location of the demonic core. From the burnt ash, a tiny spirit was about to burrow into the soil when it was sucked into the jade bottle.

Mo Bai's eyes were filled with interest. After he stopped, he said to Rong Jiaojiao, "Fellow Daoist, you have a good opportunity!"

Rong Jiaojiao...

Damn it, it's that all-knowing tone again, it's so annoying.

She frowned, looking at Mo Bai with displeasure. Mo Bai shrugged nonchalantly, and Rong Jiaojiao turned her head away from him.

As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, the valley was left in a state of chaos.

Rong Jiaojiao put away the jade bottle, and Ziling jumped back onto her shoulder, patting her cheek with her little paws as if to comfort her.

Li Li let out a long sigh, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said with a wry smile, "This demonic spirit has actually cultivated to such a level. If it weren't for the help of the two of you today, I'm afraid it would have been difficult to kill it."

Not only that, he and Rong Jiaojiao will probably be injured even if they don't die.

Mo Bai put away the Nine Dragons Demon-Subduing Brush, pushed up his glasses, and said with a smile, "Little girl, wouldn't you say I'm your savior?"

Rong Jiaojiao stepped back warily: "What do you want to do?"

Mo Bai watched this scene, a deep meaning flashing in his eyes, but his smile remained unchanged as he said, "Fellow Daoist Rong, are you interested in cooperating?"

Rong Jiaojiao looked at him warily: "What exactly do you want?"

Mo Bai chuckled: "Let's work together to track down the demon spirit."

He dropped his nonchalant attitude: "Look, if you encounter a demon as powerful as today again, not only will you not be able to destroy it, but you might also get yourself killed. If we cooperate, we won't be afraid of such a powerful demon again, right?"

Rong Jiaojiao stared at Mo Bai's ambiguous smile, feeling that he was up to no good.

She snorted coldly: "Cooperation is not possible. We are sent wherever our superiors send us, and we have to travel all over the place."

Mo Bai produced a folding fan and opened it to fan himself despite the cold weather: "That's perfect. It means that wherever you go, demonic spirits might appear. We'll just have to travel with you."

Rong Jiaojiao thought to herself, "Are you crazy?", but said aloud, "That's not something I can decide."

She didn't want this person to follow her. She felt that he was just like Jun Yuangui, as if he could see right through her, which she found very annoying.

Mo Bai looked at Elder Li: "Elder Li, I wonder if I could travel with you?"

Old Zhou, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up to remind everyone: "Young Master, it's us!"

Mo Bai's face stiffened for a moment, then he said, "Yes, it's us!"

Li Li coughed lightly and cupped his hands, saying, "Young Master Mo, I'm afraid we need to consult our captain about this matter..."

“No need for trouble.” Mo Bai produced a badge in his hand, which was the badge of the Xuanmen Group, a special department of the Dragon Kingdom. “This was given to me by Captain Tian Shu, who gave me special permission to participate in demon-slaying operations.”

Rong Jiaojiao glared at them: "Then you can do it yourself, why are you following us?"

Mo Bai glanced at Zi Ling, his expression revealing that Zi Ling could sense the presence of the demonic spirit.

Zi Ling felt her skin crawl under Mo Bai's gaze and turned into a tiny kitten, darting into Rong Jiaojiao's arms.

Rong Jiaojiao hugged Ziling tightly and stopped talking.

Li Li looked at the badge in Mo Bai's hand and said with a smile, "Young Master Mo, please do as you please, but we can't go anywhere else for the time being."

Why?

Mo Bai had a smile on his face, but it inexplicably gave people a sense of danger.

Elder Li didn't seem to mind. He said, "We have to wait until the bandit suppression down the mountain is over before we can leave. Otherwise, if anything else happens, we might not make it in time."

Mo Bai laughed and said, "How about I go and kill those bandits?"

Old Master Zhou quickly stopped him: "Young Master, it doesn't matter if you tie them all up, but if you kill them all, you will have to bear the consequences."

Mo Bai knew perfectly well that he was just venting his anger, and snorted coldly, "Then go and tie them all up."

Neither Rong Jiaojiao nor Elder Li responded; both of them took out purification talismans to cleanse the remaining blood-fiend energy.