The two girls turned against each other and the evil core ended

The underground passageway beneath Qingwu Town felt even more oppressive than the Origin of Guixu. Black water droplets seeped from the damp stone walls, dripping onto the ground with a pattering sound, mingled with the eerie roars from afar, making one's scalp tingle. Su Xiao held up the Chiyang Gu Box, and a red light paved a path ahead, illuminating the stone chamber at the end of the passage—larger than the one at the Origin of Guixu. A fist-sized black crystal hovered in the center, the second evil core.

But before anyone could get close, the evil core suddenly vibrated violently, and black mist poured out of the crystal, condensing into the form of Xiaowan in the air. Her body was translucent, her eyes filled with madness, and her voice was as sharp as fingernails scratching a stone wall: "You think you can seal me? I have already integrated my remaining soul into the evil core! As long as the evil core is not shattered, I will never disappear!"

Meng Meng tightly grasped the Gu-repelling fabric, her voice trembling, "Xiao Wan, wake up! If you continue like this, you will only be completely devoured by the evil force!"

"Swallow?" Xiaowan sneered, and the mist condensed into countless hands, grabbing at everyone, "I want you all to be swallowed up with me! Let Qingwu Town become an eternal evil zone!"

Zhao Yu immediately drew his dagger and slashed at the mist, but the dagger passed through the mist, causing no damage at all. Lin Xi rang the copper bell, its low hum trying to disturb Xiaowan's residual soul, but the power of the evil core bounced back, causing her eardrums to hurt.

"It's useless!" Xiaowan's figure shuttled through the mist. "This evil core is more powerful than the source of Guixu. You are no match for it!"

At that moment, a fierce twang of silver bells and the clashing of black beads echoed from the entrance. Hong Yang and Hua Liang rushed in, one after the other. Hong Yang's red robe was stained with black Gu fluid, and the wound on her shoulder was still bleeding. Hua Liang's dark purple gauze skirt was ripped several times, and the bone hairpin in her hair was askew. It was obvious that the two had been fighting before entering.

"Xiao Wan's residual soul?" Hong Yang raised an eyebrow. With a wave of his red robe, the poisonous insect flew towards the mist. "Perfect, let's deal with it together!"

Hua Liang suddenly raised his hand, and the black poisonous energy blocked Hong Yang's poisonous insect: "Don't get in the way! This evil core is mine, and I should also deal with Xiao Wan's remaining soul!"

"Yours?" Hongyang laughed in anger, the silver jewelry clashing harshly. "Hua Liang, don't forget, we are 'two beauties'! If you hadn't stolen my Gu King back then, would I have had to fight with you until now?"

Hua Liang's expression instantly turned icy, her eyes filled with hatred beneath the black veil. "Steal your Gu King? It's obviously you who's useless and can't keep it! If you hadn't imitated my personality back then and deceived the Gu King's trust, why would I have used Yin Gu?"

Su Xiao and the others then realized that Hong Yang and Hua Liang were not only rivals, but also a pair of beauties with a long-standing grudge. Originally from the same Miaojiang Gu sect, they should have been a perfect pairing, but a struggle for the position of Gu King turned them against each other. One excelled at mimicking characters to gain trust, while the other mastered the use of Yin Gu to manipulate secrets, and they became sworn enemies ever since.

"There's no point in bringing up the past!" Hong Yang's poisonous insect attacked again. "Today, either you die or I live. Whoever gets the evil core will be the final winner!"

"Let's see who is more powerful!" Hua Liang's ghost flower wrapped around Hong Yang's poisonous insect, and the black poisonous gas flew towards Hong Yang.

The two men fought once again, completely ignoring Xiao Wan, Su Xiao, and the others standing beside them. Seeing this, Xiao Wan's remaining soul suddenly laughed out loud: "Alright! Alright! Fight! When you're both defeated, I'll absorb your Gu power and the power of the evil core and become the strongest being!"

Her mist suddenly surged towards Hongyang and Hualiang, attempting to absorb their power. Hongyang and Hualiang's expressions changed, and they instinctively joined forces to resist. Although they were enemies, they both knew that if Xiaowan absorbed their power, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Don't do anything yet!" Hongyang shouted at Hualiang, "First, deal with Xiaowan's remaining soul, and then decide the winner!"

Hua Liang hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Okay! But the evil core must be mine!"

"Dream on!" Hong Yang snorted coldly, and the insect flew towards the mist. "Let's solve the problem first!"

Although the two continued to taunt each other, their cooperation was remarkably seamless. Hongyang's insect-borne insect attracted Xiaowan's attention, while Hualiang's Yin-borne insect quietly approached the evil core, attempting to weaken the connection between Xiaowan's remaining soul and the evil core. Seeing this, Su Xiao immediately declared to the others, "Let's take action too! The Red Sun-borne insect can restrain the evil power, so let's seize this opportunity to seal the evil core!"

Chen Mo raised the bronze compass, and the remaining power condensed into a lightsaber, slashing towards the fog; Meng Meng's anti-Gu pattern cloth unfolded in the air, and the blue light blocked the attack of the fog; Lin Xi's copper bell rang again, this time, she injected power into the copper bell, and the buzzing sound penetrated the fog, finally interfering with Xiaowan's residual soul.

"No! Don't come over here!" Xiaowan's remaining soul began to become unstable, "I won't lose! I want to live forever!"

The power of the evil core suddenly erupted, and a black mist enveloped the entire stone chamber. Hongyang and Hualiang's expressions grew solemn. They knew that if this continued, not only would they fail to seal the evil core, but they would also be consumed by the evil force.

"Hua Liang! Use your Yin Gu to entangle the evil core!" Hong Yang shouted, "I'll use the Gu to restrain Xiao Wan's remaining soul! Su Xiao, take this opportunity to use the Chi Yang Gu to seal the evil core!"

Hua Liang didn't hesitate, wrapping its black poison around the evil core, temporarily suppressing its power. Hong Yang's poisonous insects then trapped Xiao Wan's remaining soul in the mist, rendering her unable to move.

"Now!" Su Xiao opened the Red Sun Gu box, and the Red Sun Gu flew out, its red light flying towards the evil core. The red light collided with the evil core's power, making a "sizzling" sound, and the black mist began to dissipate.

Xiaowan's remaining soul screamed miserably: "I won't accept this! I won't accept this!"

The red light finally enveloped the evil core, and the vibration of the evil core gradually stopped. The black mist completely dissipated, and Xiaowan's residual soul also disappeared - this time, she would never come back.

The stone chamber returned to calm. Hongyang and Hualiang both breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately looked at each other warily.

"The evil core has been sealed, and you haven't achieved your goal." Hongyang's insect was still pointing at Hua Liang, "You're lucky today. If we meet again next time, I won't show mercy!"

Hua Liang didn't retract the Yin Gu either: "Same here! Next time I'll let you know who is the true master of Gu magic!"

After they finished speaking, they turned simultaneously and walked in opposite directions of the passage. Hongyang's red robe disappeared into the darkness, leaving only the crisp sound of silver bells; Hualiang's dark purple gauze skirt also gradually faded away, and the sound of black beads colliding became fainter and fainter. They were still the "two beauties" who had always been enemies, and they would still fight for their own interests, but in this moment, they reached a brief tacit understanding.

Su Xiao looked at the direction the two had gone, then looked at the evil core wrapped in red light, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Mo put away the bronze compass and said with a smile: "It's finally over, Qingwu Town is safe."

Meng Meng nodded, his eyes filled with relief: "Those tribesmen trapped by the evil spirits can finally rest in peace."

They walked towards the entrance, where sunlight streamed in, warm and bright. They knew that their long journey to exorcise the evil spirit had finally come to an end, and that Qingwu Town would no longer be shrouded in the dark evil. They, carrying this memory with them, would continue to protect those in need.

The villagers of Qingwu Town had already been waiting at the entrance. Seeing Su Xiao and the others emerge, they flocked to them, their faces filled with gratitude. Su Xiao looked at the villagers' smiles, then at his companions, feeling a surge of accomplishment. All of this was the result of their concerted efforts, and it was also the best way to express his gratitude to Senior Lin Shen and the others.