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It wasn't until nightfall that the two riders on the back of the Silver Moon Wolf King, Xu Sheng and Gu Linruo, finally saw a village looming ahead. However, due to the late hour and surrounding woods, their view was obscured and they could hardly make anything out with the naked eye...
Xu Sheng glanced ahead and said to Gu Linruo beside him, "Senior Sister Gu, is this the place? It doesn't seem any different!"
Even with spiritual power spreading out in all directions, they could not sense the presence of any monster beasts...
Upon hearing this, Gu Linruo, with her amber-like beautiful eyes, slightly tensed and cautiously replied, "If the information is correct, then this should be it. I've observed carefully before, and there is no other village around!"
"For now, let's proceed on foot!"
After speaking, she patted the Silver Moon Wolf King, still in full sprint, signaling it to halt...
Understanding her command, the Silver Moon Wolf King lowered its body, its crimson pupils vigilantly scanning the surroundings...
Xu Sheng and Gu Linruo dismounted from the wolf's back...
The former casually waved his hand, and the Tianyu Sword instantly flew into his grip, emitting a faint humming sound. Its weak light barely illuminated their surroundings...
"If it is this village, the danger won't be low!"
Gu Linruo also unsheathed her sky blue personal sword and said earnestly, "We'd better be on our guard! The description of the task we were entrusted with might not be accurate!"
Many Xuantian Sect disciples had lost their lives due to inaccurate task descriptions, much more dangerous than most sect assignments!
Xu Sheng smiled faintly and whispered, "Right, let's go then. We'll continue forward and carefully observe the village before making any judgments!"
After his words fell, the two of them, along with the wolf, kept their footsteps as quiet as possible under the cover of night as they steadily approached the village...
On the way, nothing strange happened; everything was eerily quiet...
It was only when they arrived at the front of the village that their pupils abruptly constricted...
In front of them, the village was enveloped by an evil-aura-filled purple halo, with ripples caused by spiritual power continuously emanating from its entrance...
Gu Linruo furrowed her brows in confusion and asked, "Is this a seal? And it's filled with an evil presence!"
It seemed that the task they were commissioned for had nothing to do with some Golden Core Stage Sixth Layer monster beast at all!
Xu Sheng didn't speak, but reached out to lightly touch the ripple that barred their way. Instantly, his fingertip was seared by an emerging ghastly white flame...
After withdrawing his hand, he said with a serious expression, "The one who used this formation must be a cultivator, and not just one person at that!"
Gu Linruo, puzzled, asked, "Junior Brother Xu, what should we do? Should we return to Xuantian Sect and cancel this task?"
If the task is not as described, disciples who took it up had the right to cancel it!
Xu Sheng flashed a smile and shook his head, "No, going back to the sect now would mean we came all this way for nothing. As for this formation, let's break it immediately!"
Seeing Xu Sheng determined to complete the task, Gu Linruo warned, "But..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Xu Sheng commanded again, "Silver Moon Wolf King! Tear apart this formation!"
The Silver Moon Wolf King, as if understanding his words, suddenly bared its bloodthirsty fangs, fixing its crimson pupils on the formation before them...
The next moment, with a mighty howl, "Aooow!" the aura around the Silver Moon Wolf King surged, instantaneously advancing from the Golden Core Stage to the Nascent Soul Stage!
This was its true strength, and exhibiting the Golden Core Stage strength was nothing but a small trick it used!
Standing beside and sensing that the Silver Moon Wolf King's aura was several times stronger than her own, a shocked Gu Linruo exclaimed, "This Silver Moon Wolf King's cultivation level is surging... and moreover, it has reached the Nascent Soul Stage!!"
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How exactly did Junior Brother Xu manage to control a monster beast of the Nascent Soul Stage, which is a whole two realms higher than his own cultivation level?!
Could it be...
That my suspicions during the Five Peaks Tournament were correct!!
Xu Sheng himself is not at the Foundation Establishment Stage, but a strong cultivator of the Nascent Soul Stage!!
Xu Sheng's eyes flickered as he glanced at Gu Linruo's Beautiful Eyes, which shimmered with realization, and he spoke indifferently, "It seems you've guessed it, Senior Sister Gu, my true cultivation level is indeed at the Nascent Soul Stage!"
As they conversed, the Silver Moon Wolf King extended its sharp claws and, with a might that could destroy heavens and earth, tore fiercely towards the formation in front...
With a loud "Bang!!" the claws collided with the formation, releasing a terrifying burst of light...
Then, only a crisp series of "Cracks" could be heard as the formation in front of them instantly cracked open with several fissures, which then spread rapidly in all directions...
Seconds later, the entire shattered barrier suddenly vanished...
"Let's go!"
After speaking, Xu Sheng, holding the Tianyu Sword, took the lead towards the village...
Gu Linruo and the Silver Moon Wolf King followed close behind, their nerves taut and on high alert...
...
Elsewhere, a group of individuals dressed in black robes and surrounding demon cultivators seated on the ground suddenly opened their sinister eyes...
One of the demon cultivators got to his feet, his eyes filled with bloodthirsty light, and licking his crimson lips he said, "Oh? Prey has entered, and they've even broken the formation we cast together!"
Another demon cultivator gave him a cold glance, also stood up, and eerily said, "Interesting. Since someone insists on courting death, we naturally can't let them be disappointed!"
A demon cultivator at the edge scolded, "No one should act rashly; what's most important now is to revive our leader! He is a powerhouse of the Divinity Transformation Stage, it would be effortless for him to deal with anyone!"
The previously standing demon cultivator thoughtfully said, "That's true! Let's resurrect our leader first, then we can thoroughly enjoy the pleasure of tormenting those cultivators!"
After the two standing demon cultivators finished speaking, they sat back down...
They then closed their eyes, and intense spirit force fluctuations burst forth from each person, as they started chanting a very complex and ancient incantation...
One could see their purple-black spiritual power rapidly converging together, pouring entirely into the cold coffin placed in their midst...
One could vaguely sense that beneath the coffin, the corpse was quickly starting to surge with vitality...
...
Meanwhile, Xu Sheng and Gu Linruo, who had already entered the village, did not even need to rely on sight to easily detect the musty scent emanating from several decaying corpses!
Under this strong, nauseating smell, Gu Linruo's complexion turned several shades paler, decisively unleashing her spiritual power to seal her sense of smell!
Only after doing so did her complexion ease considerably...
She spoke up, "How many people must have been killed for the stench of decaying corpses to reach this level!"
Xu Sheng glanced casually at several corpses of villagers who had died in the same manner on the ground and analyzed, "If I am not mistaken, the whole village has been slaughtered by those demon cultivators! Moreover, judging by the bizarre manner of death, it seems their souls were bound and taken by a special method!"
"It must be for some specific purpose!"
...