### Chapter 247: Black Shadow
“Ah—”
Su Xinghe stared, mouth agape.
She never imagined that Yun Zhonghe, a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, could pull off such a jaw-dropping stunt!
This was utterly absurd!
Sure, she already knew Yun Zhonghe was somewhat impressive—after all, he had managed to put her down a few pegs—but what she was witnessing now was just out of this world.
Seriously, was this guy even a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator?!
Su Xinghe couldn’t help but grumble inside, feeling like her Golden Core Stage cultivation had dropped into a black hole.
Earth-Level Sword Technique, Late Initial Understanding of the Spirit—awakened Sword Dao…
And those sword skills she had never seen before, seemingly a bizarre blend of two techniques!
What kind of freakish sword cultivator was this?!
She had heard a few stories about Yun Zhonghe, including some gossip that he owed his accomplishments to having two elder mentors backing him up. But witnessing his unbelievable performance firsthand made her realize things were far from simple.
Mu Jixue and Lin Zhongyu, the two girls she had the fortune to meet one or two times, were indeed brilliant genius maidens with extraordinary talents and powers.
However, in comparison, the strength that Yun Zhonghe was exhibiting was simply insane—enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
On the steps, wave after wave of monster beasts fell beneath Yun Zhonghe’s sword, bl**d staining the stone steps, and the air thick with the stench of gore.
Yet the monsters didn’t seem intimidated at all. Instead, they charged forward like crazed lunatics driven by some wild force, lunging at him like there was no tomorrow.
They even occasionally threw ranged attacks at him.
Fireballs, wind blades, lightning bolts—you name it.
The terrifying fluctuations of spiritual energy swept towards him like a storm, making it hard to breathe.
Yun Zhonghe managed to swing his sword domain, extinguishing those attacks as effortlessly as autumn leaves being swept away by the wind.
With each flicker of sword light came the crisp sound of slaughter—that was the desperate wails of the monster beasts.
Still, a sheen of sweat started forming on Yun Zhonghe’s brow.
There were just too many of these beasts, seemingly endless, and although his killings were fierce, he couldn’t withstand the horde’s reckless assaults—like a stampede of students rushing to a cafeteria when the food is finally served.
He felt like he was going to burst, but the tide of beasts continued to swarm in like locusts, showing no sign of letting up.
Even though he had support from four Spirit Golden Swords and four sets of the Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies Sword Technique, the burden on his meridians was considerably less, but thanks to the residual vitality of Su Xiaoxiao in his body, he feared he wouldn’t last much longer without it.
“Have you thought of a solution?”
Yun Zhonghe yelled back in desperation at the two girls behind him while fending off the tidal wave of monster beasts.
Su Xinghe and Su Xiaoxiao were fully engrossed in studying the ancient runes on the altar, seemingly having discovered something.
“This altar looks like an ancient teleportation formation, but it has many broken and damaged sections. I don’t know if we can fix it for use again.”
Su Xinghe, being an elite inner disciple, had a broad range of knowledge—even as a spellcaster, she had a solid grasp of high-level formation insights.
At this point, there was no other choice; they had to gamble and try to fix the formation.
It was complicated, and one person couldn’t do it alone; it needed at least two people to collaborate.
Su Xiaoxiao only had a superficial understanding of formations, gleaned from some outer gate classes, so she was merely a helper following Su Xinghe’s lead.
Both stepped into the formation, their hands quickly forming seals, channeling spiritual energy from beneath their feet throughout the entire formation.
With their combined efforts, the formation gradually began to operate.
Faint bronze runes slowly emerged from the formation, as if some ancient power was being awakened from slumber.
Sweat beads became visible on Su Xinghe and Su Xiaoxiao’s foreheads, their faces etched with focus.
As time passed, the formation became clearer and ultimately coalesced into a tangible form, transforming into a shimmering sphere of light hovering above their heads.
Buzz~
A deep, resonant vibration echoed throughout the space, causing the whole area to tremble at that moment!
Then, a glowing passage slowly opened within the sphere of light!
“Success! But… I don’t know where it leads…”
Su Xinghe gasped.
“Well, it’s better than waiting to d*e here.”
Yun Zhonghe made a quick decision, urging them to step in first, and he would follow right after.
“Okay! Let’s go!”
Su Xinghe firmly grasped Su Xiaoxiao’s hand, their eyes meeting.
No matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together.
As soon as Su Xinghe gave the command, she and Su Xiaoxiao jumped into the glowing sphere without hesitation, their figures instantly vanishing from Yun Zhonghe’s sight.
After ensuring that Su Xinghe and Su Xiaoxiao had successfully transferred, Yun Zhonghe also prepared to retract his spiritual energy and end this tough battle.
Just then…
A figure suddenly appeared behind Yun Zhonghe!
Yun Zhonghe: !!!
He was startled, not knowing what this entity was, feeling as if it was a humanoid silhouette, eerily blurry, as though it had materialized directly from the void.
It exuded an intense black aura, looking like a ghostly figure that sent chills down his spine.
Yun Zhonghe’s heart raced, completely bewildered as to when and from where this thing had shown up. He hadn’t sensed a thing!
What was worse was, for some inexplicable reason, when this entity appeared, he felt a terrifying chill coursing through him, as if bound by some invisible force, leaving him unable to move a muscle—his heart raced as if it would leap out of his chest.
This irrational fear felt deeply strange, and he could vaguely sense a connection between this entity and himself—an unsettling link.
This sense… emanated from the depths of his soul.
“Wake up, you’ve been walking the wrong path up till now.”
“You can’t achieve anything; this is not your road.”
“You will only bring about your own destruction for their sake.”
The voice seemed to echo from some distant hellish abyss, carrying a chilling coldness that sent a shiver through him, freezing his very soul.
Cold, deep, hoarse, mournful, desolate—like the loneliest wail in the dead of night, it seemed to dredge up despair and unwillingness lurking deep within his heart.
Yun Zhonghe’s heart jolted, every hair on his body standing on end.
“Who are you?!”
Yun Zhonghe struggled to swallow, managing to push out that single phrase with great difficulty.
But all he received in response was a suffocating silence.
With great effort, Yun Zhonghe turned his head, but in that instant, an inky black hand, exuding a bone-chilling aura, suddenly obscured his vision. The hand was coiled with strands of black mist, like a demonic claw stretching forth from the abyss, dragging Yun Zhonghe’s consciousness into an unknown horrific realm!
In that moment, it was as if something had burrowed into his mind.
“Ahh, ahh, ahh!!!”
It was unbearable; it felt like his head was about to split open. The world in front of him began to twist and distort, fragmented memories resembling shattered glass pieces began to fit together in his mind.
Yun Zhonghe saw himself lying in a pool of bl**d at the bottom of a dark, deep sea, a frost-covered sword piercing his chest.
d*ath loomed, icy sensations wrapping around him, while Mu Jixue gazed at him with a detached expression nearby.
Not only that… but there was also Lin Zhongyu… and Su Xiaoxiao…
Familiar faces looked on from afar, none extending a hand to help…
Everyone just stood by, watching…
He was dying; why wasn’t anyone coming to save him… why…
“This is your fate!”
The eerie black shadow issued a warning.
