Upon hearing the woman's words, Chen Xiao's eyes widened suddenly, filled with undisguised astonishment. He fixed his gaze on the woman and asked with a hint of doubt, "You...you are actually the owner of this temple?"
The woman nodded slightly, her movements gentle yet resolute.
Her expression was complex, a mixture of emotions, as she slowly spoke: "Indeed, this place has always been the land I have protected for generations, and it has always been peaceful and tranquil in the past. But recently, the evil spirit took advantage of my momentary lapse in attention, found a loophole, and quietly infiltrated, causing this place to fall into crisis. As the guardian, I have no choice but to step forward and do my best to deal with this sudden disaster."
After saying that, she gracefully plunged her sword deep into the ground. The sword seemed to have a mind of its own, and it even made a low murmur as it entered the earth.
Immediately afterwards, her hands moved like nimble butterfly wings, rapidly changing hand seals, her lips parted slightly, and she chanted incantations.
The incantation was obscure and difficult to understand, yet it seemed to contain boundless power. As she chanted it, a mysterious force seemed to gather and surge in the air.
In an instant, ripples spread across the space surrounding the temple, and several ancient runes faintly appeared.
These runes, like mysterious symbols left over from the long river of time, emitted a soft halo that gradually spread out, like a solid shield, confronting the surging evil aura in the black vortex above.
For a moment, a delicate balance was formed between the forces of good and evil above the temple, as if a silent contest was quietly unfolding.
As if sensing the opposing force from below, the black vortex, like an enraged beast, began to surge violently.
From the depths of the vortex, several pitch-black tentacles slowly emerged. These tentacles twisted wildly in the air, exuding a chilling aura, like long black whips, lashing fiercely towards the woman and Chen Xiao's location.
The tentacles sliced through the air with a sharp whistling sound, as if they were about to tear apart anything in their way.
The woman remained calm and composed, standing still without changing her expression.
Just as the tentacles were about to touch her, the hand seals on her hands suddenly changed, and the originally soft rune light instantly surged, like a blazing sun shining in the sky.
The light transformed into incredibly solid light screens, upon which mysterious patterns flowed, repelling all the approaching tentacles.
The tentacles lashed against the light screen, splashing up bursts of black mist filled with a pungent, putrid stench, yet they couldn't penetrate the light screen even a fraction.
“These evil creatures are trying to devour the spiritual energy of this place in order to restore themselves. I must not let them succeed. The spiritual energy here is pure and powerful. Once it is controlled by these evil creatures, it will surely cause an unimaginable catastrophe.”
The woman looked at Chen Xiao with unwavering determination, her eyes filled with concern and resolve. "Leave immediately. This place is extremely dangerous. You are not directly related to this evil creature, so there is no need for you to get involved in this life-or-death battle."
Chen Xiao stubbornly shook his head; the movement of his head was small, but full of power.
Her eyes burned with a burning determination as she declared, "I will never leave. Although I have no past connection with this evil entity, I cannot stand by and watch this place be corrupted by evil spirits, nor can I abandon you to face this danger alone. I am willing to protect this place with you, even if it means being shattered to pieces."
A hint of relief flashed across the woman's eyes, a relief like a gentle spring breeze caressing her face.
"In that case, let's fight side by side. Although we've only met by chance today, it's truly fate that we can work together."
Having said that, she lightly raised her jade-like hand and recalled her longsword.
As if sensing its master's call, the longsword rose from the ground, drew a graceful arc in the air, and landed steadily in her hand.
In an instant, fierce flames ignited on the sword. The flames were a deep blue color and extremely hot, scorching and distorting the surrounding air.
She moved with lightning speed, rushing towards the black vortex.
Each step seemed to leave a deep footprint on the ground, with a faint glimmer of light within it.
Enveloped in flames, the longsword in his hand danced with impenetrable speed, each attack carrying the devastating power of fire as it surged forth from the endless stream of evil creatures emerging from the black vortex.
Wherever the longsword passed, the evil creatures let out painful howls, were burned to ashes by the flames, and turned into wisps of black smoke that dissipated into the air.
Chen Xiao also mustered his courage, took a deep breath, mobilized the spiritual power in his body, and cast the spell he had learned from the magic weapon.
She quickly formed hand seals in front of her chest and chanted incantations. Beams of light shot out from her hands, transforming into various forms of spirits, some like birds and others like beasts, which pounced on the evil creature.
These spirits, in conjunction with the woman's fire power, formed a powerful attack network. With their combined efforts, the expansion of the black vortex was gradually contained.
The originally surging and expanding black vortex began to slowly contract, and its evil aura was no longer as intense as before.
As the mysterious black vortex slowly dissipated, only a faint black trace remained in the sky.
The woman was slightly out of breath, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She turned to Chen Xiao and asked, "I heard that you came here specifically to find us? Is His Majesty among you?"
Chen Xiao was taken aback, as if struck by the sudden question, and subconsciously uttered "Ah?"
Her face instantly filled with confusion and disbelief. Her gaze was fixed on the woman as she stammered, "You are... a descendant of Ning Ci?"
The woman nodded slightly to Chen Xiao and replied, "That's right, Ning Ci is my grandmother, and Ni Huashuo is my father."
As she finished speaking, her gaze inadvertently fell upon several people approaching from behind, and she began to scrutinize them.
After resting, Ye Yu and the others were still worried about Chen Xiao's safety.
They were well aware that this journey was fraught with danger. Chen Xiao was of noble status, and it was inevitable that they would worry about him facing unknown dangers alone.
So the three of them followed the trail and found their way to this place.
The temple was shrouded in a mysterious array, filled with traps and swirling mist. They wandered within the array for a long time, lost their way, and thus failed to find Chen Xiao immediately.
Just as they found Chen Xiao's trail, they heard what this strange woman said.
Ye Yu and Chao Yuan did not know who Ning Ci and Ni Huashuo were, but seeing Chen Xiao and Yin Yuyao's expressions, their solemn and focused demeanor, they knew that these two must be key figures.
They exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly. After safely escorting Yin Yuyao to Chen Xiao's side, they used "protecting them" as an excuse to walk to opposite corners.
Although they stood in the corner, their eyes kept darting between Chen Xiao and the woman, but they no longer listened to their conversation.
The woman had clearly noticed their actions.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
