Rest and recuperation in the town and unusual movements of the evil core

At the foot of Fengwu Mountain, a thick aura of evil permeated the air, turning the surrounding air icy and bone-chilling. As Su Xiao and the other two stepped onto the mountain path, they noticed the gravel on the ground trembling slightly. The black marks previously burned by the Red Sun Gu now glowed with a faint black halo, as if a sinister force was surging beneath.

"The golden light of the protective rune has weakened!" Lin Xi suddenly pointed toward the top of the mountain, the copper bell in his palm growing slightly hot. Everyone looked up. The golden rune that had once enveloped the evil core had now dimmed like a candle. Black evil mist was oozing out from the cracks in the rune, forming a small black cloud on the top of the mountain, constantly devouring the surrounding yang energy.

Meng Meng hurriedly unfolded the cloth with anti-Gu patterns, and the blue light enveloped the three of them, barely isolating the external evil power: "It's Xiaowan's soul thread that's causing trouble! The residual soul in that crystal stone is not completely at peace, and must be gnawing at the rune power in secret!" As soon as the voice fell, the dead tree beside the mountain path suddenly "cracked" and broke, and the inside of the trunk was covered with black insect marks - it was the remaining evil power of the black insects spewed out by the evil witch god before, which was now awakened by the abnormal movement of the evil core on the top of the mountain and began to breed wildly.

The Red Sun Gu box at Su Xiao's fingertips glowed red, and crimson Gu insects flew out, instantly burning away all the insect marks on the dead tree. "Never mind all that, let's head to the top first!" She tiptoed, sprinting up the steep rocky slope. The Red Sun Gu cleared the way ahead, sizzling away the overflowing evil mist along the way. Lin Xi followed closely behind, the copper bell humming rapidly, the sound waves causing the evil mist in the air to disperse. Meng Meng brought up the rear, the blue light of the Gu-repellent fabric forming a barrier to prevent any sneak attacks from the evil force behind her.

Just as they reached the ancient altar halfway up the mountain, they saw a dark figure huddled on the altar's stone platform—unbelievably the villager previously possessed by the evil witch god! Its eyes were gleaming white, and its body was entwined with faint black soul threads. It was unconsciously scratching the stone platform with its nails, leaving deep bloody marks. "It's the soul threads backlashing!" Meng Meng's face darkened. "Xiao Wan's soul threads have been damaged and are out of control, randomly parasitizing nearby living people!"

Su Xiao gritted his teeth and stopped. The Red Sun Gu emanated a streak of red light, gently wrapping around the villager's wrist. The red light seeped into his skin, and the villager's soul threads instantly erupted in black smoke. He shuddered, his eyes clearing, but he collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. "There's no time to worry about him. Leave a streak of Gu to protect him, and let's keep going!" Before Su Xiao finished speaking, a loud bang erupted from the top of the mountain. The golden rune shattered completely, and the black light of the third evil core shot up into the sky. The entire Fengwu Mountain began to shake violently.

The three of them quickened their pace and rushed to the top of the mountain. The scene before them made their hearts sink: the huge black evil core was suspended in mid-air, and the evil power on its surface had condensed into countless tiny black thorns. The black crystal stone that Meng Meng had previously given to the elders to seal up had appeared next to the evil core at some point. The soul threads that overflowed from the cracks in the crystal stone were entangled with the evil power of the evil core, forming a twisted black net.

"Xiao Wan is drawing on the power of the evil core to repair her soul!" Lin Xi shouted urgently, shaking the copper bell in her hand violently, sending a humming sound wave towards the crystal stone at full force. However, as the sound wave approached the black net, it was swallowed by the evil energy, not even causing a ripple. Meng Meng stretched out the Gu-repelling fabric with full force, and the blue light transformed into a giant net, covering the evil core. However, it was pierced by the black thorns, and the fabric was instantly covered with cracks, and the blue light dimmed.

Su Xiao took a deep breath and pulled the Qingyang grass from his bag. As the dozen or so pale green herbs came into contact with the air, they emanated a rich yang energy, and the surrounding evil mist subconsciously retreated. "Meng Meng, use your spiritual power to activate the Qingyang grass!" Su Xiao handed the herbs over and simultaneously infused all his spiritual power into the Chiyang Gu. "I'll use the Chiyang Gu to support the evil core, and you let the Qingyang grass's yang energy seep into the evil core, temporarily suppressing its power!"

Meng Meng immediately took the Qingyang Grass and injected a blue light from his fingertips into the herb. A pale blue Yang Qi instantly surged, drifting towards the evil core like a small green mist. The Red Yang Gu condensed into a red beam of light, supporting the evil core from below, preventing it from further spreading its evil power. The Yang Qi and the red light intertwined, and the black thorns on the surface of the evil core began to slowly dissolve. However, the soul threads within the crystal suddenly surged, tightly wrapping around the Qingyang Grass, attempting to repel the Yang Qi back.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the foothills. Zhao Yu and several villagers rushed up, torches in hand. "We're here to help you!" Though they lacked spiritual power, the villagers spontaneously formed a circle, holding their torches high. Though the flames were weak, they carried pure yang energy, causing the soul thread to pause slightly.

A gleam of light flashed in Su Xiao's eyes: "Zhao Yu, let the villagers throw torches at the crystal! The flames can temporarily burn the soul threads!" Zhao Yu did so immediately. More than a dozen torches flew towards the black crystal. The moment the flames touched the soul threads, a faint blue flame ignited. The soul threads made a sizzling sound and began to shrink rapidly.

Meng Meng seized the opportunity, stimulating the Qingyang Grass's yang energy to surge. A pale blue mist instantly enveloped the evil core and crystal. With a crack, the black crystal shattered completely. Xiaowan's remnant soul let out a shrill scream before dissipating into the air in a wisp of black smoke. Without the support of the soul thread, the evil core's evil power weakened dramatically. Su Xiao seized the opportunity to control the Chiyang Gu, completely channeling the Qingyang Grass's yang energy into the evil core.

The black glow of the evil core gradually dimmed, eventually returning to a tranquil black crystal that fell into Su Xiao's hands. The red light of the Red Sun Gu entwined around it, intertwining with the yang energy to form a temporary seal. The tremors of Fengwu Mountain ceased, and the pervasive evil mist gradually dissipated, finally returning to peace on the mountaintop.

Meng Meng slumped to the ground, looking at the cracked Gu-repelling fabric in his hands, and gave a wry smile. "This was a narrow victory. If only we had been a step later, the evil core would have completely lost control." Lin Xi also breathed a sigh of relief, and the humming of the copper bell returned to a gentle rhythm. "But Xiaowan's soul thread has completely dissipated. The evil witch god has lost its parasitic medium. He shouldn't be back anytime soon, right?"

Su Xiao clenched the evil core in his hand and shook his head. "Not necessarily. The Evil Witch God has only dispersed his remaining soul. As long as the evil core is still there, he may come back. We must find a way to completely seal the evil core as soon as possible and never give it another chance to move."

Zhao Yu stepped forward and handed the three of them water bottles. "Drink some water and rest first. The villagers have already set up a temporary rest area at the foot of the mountain. No matter what dangers come in the future, we in Qingwu Town will face them together with you."

Su Xiao looked at the determined eyes of Zhao Yu and the villagers, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. She knew that while the battle against the Evil Witch God wasn't over, they were no longer fighting alone. As the sun set, its golden afterglow shone on the summit of Fengwu Mountain, elongating their figures and casting a warm glow over this temporary victory.