Chapter 55

Ning Yue, though he saw Bai Luoluo's rapid progress, still felt quite troubled, because if he could not condense the Ten Thousand Spirits Treasure Mirror into a virtual image, he would not be able to cultivate the "false body." Without a false body, he could not accommodate the Youyue Tianlang Sword. If Bai Luoluo were to directly condense the Youyue Tianlang Sword virtual image, it would be a tremendous waste, and Ning Yue wouldn't have to go through so much trouble.

Ning Yue had already thought of the best method for Bai Luoluo's cultivation. There was nothing more he could do next. However, his own cultivation, with the help of the divine crystal fragment's deduction, had allowed him to open two or three dozen life souls in just over ten days, completing the 108 life souls required for the Ten Directions Illusion Annihilation Technique.

The completion of the Ten Directions Illusion Annihilation Technique increased Ning Yue's strength by nearly three times, making him a match for a 7th stage virtual image expert. If not for the fact that the foundation of the Ten Directions Illusion Annihilation Technique was the Tai Qing Heart Method, which Ning Yue had yet to master, the power of the Ten Directions Illusion Annihilation Technique would be even greater.

With the completion of the Ten Directions Illusion Annihilation Technique, Ning Yue found little reason to stay in Huo Family Village. Just as he was planning to find an excuse to leave, he discovered another matter. The pack of Youyue Demon Wolves he had been raising in the distance had suddenly decreased by dozens in just a few days, which greatly surprised Ning Yue.

Ning Yue hid among the wolf pack and waited for two days without any unusual occurrences. Just as he was convinced that a powerful beast had passed by, a young man dressed identically to the black-clothed youth he had killed, but slightly older, appeared from a distance.

This black-clothed youth brought over a hundred Youyue Demon Wolves. Upon seeing the wolf pack, he sneered and two cold, piercing energy whips emerged from his hands.

The older black-clothed youth's energy whips were as swift as lightning, and he swung them continuously, instantly killing seven or eight demon wolves. The dead wolves were in a miserable state, with blood seeping from their seven orifices and their bodies shriveled, as if their essence had been drained.

Ning Yue, relying on the power of the Ten Directions Illusion Annihilation Technique, did not hide himself. The black-clothed youth pretended not to see him and even avoided Ning Yue whenever he inadvertently approached.

Ning Yue thought to himself, "Most evil cultivation techniques have some flaws, and it's common for practitioners to suffer from cultivation mishaps. However, the Youyue Tianlang Sword, though not a orthodox heart method, is not considered evil. It doesn't have such drawbacks during cultivation and doesn't make people bloodthirsty. This person must be naturally cruel, or he has suffered a cultivation mishap."

Ning Yue, being an unparalleled martial arts grandmaster, immediately noticed that the black-clothed youth's state was somewhat peculiar.

After the black-clothed youth killed dozens of demon wolves, a black Youyue Demon Wolf virtual image appeared around him. This demon wolf had seven life souls that were extremely weak, clearly not yet condensed, while the other nine life souls were burning brightly. A strange power circulated throughout his body, emitting a strong force that disrupted the elemental energy of the world.

Ning Yue couldn't help but shake his head and thought, "His Youyue Demon Wolf virtual image clearly has some flaws and has suffered heavy damage. I wonder who injured him."

Each time the black-clothed youth slaughtered a demon wolf, the life souls within the virtual image grew stronger. When he encountered a demon wolf with life souls, the corresponding life souls would become even more powerful. After devouring the essence of many demon wolves, the black-clothed youth's aura became as terrifying as a ghost's wail, and a cold wind swirled around him, refusing to dissipate.

From his own experience and observations, Ning Yue guessed that the black-clothed youth was at a critical juncture. If he were not careful, the fierce spirits of the beasts he had absorbed would turn against him, causing him to lose his mind or suffer severe injuries, even death. If he could overcome this obstacle, he could transform the essence of the beasts into his own inner strength, thus leaping into the ranks of top experts.

Ning Yue, of course, would not let the black-clothed youth succeed. Moreover, the Youyue Demon Wolves had already been tamed by him, and he was quite displeased to see so many of them killed. He had been waiting to see if there were any other enemies tracking the black-clothed youth. Since he had determined that there were none, he was fearless.

Ning Yue made a slight gesture, and the black-clothed youth's body suddenly stiffened. All the essence and life souls within him flew out of his body. Despite his shock, he couldn't move a finger, and he had no idea who his enemy was or why they had such divine and unfathomable power.

Ning Yue had already prepared the life souls for Bai Luoluo to condense the Youyue Tianlang Sword. With this sudden addition of a black-clothed youth, he naturally took them for himself.

With over a dozen life souls entering his body, Ning Yue merely exhaled and shouted, and a giant wolf with pure white fur, like flowing silver, appeared behind him.

Given Ning Yue's understanding of the laws of ghosts and gods, condensing such a low-level virtual image was as easy as turning his hand.

The Youyue Demon Wolf virtual image, upon completion, immediately received a substantial boost of soul power, breaking through to the 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th stages in quick succession. This was the peak of the Youyue Tianlang's cultivation, as this low-level life soul diagram could only be cultivated up to the 4th stage.

Ning Yue let out a clear whistle, and the Youyue Demon Wolf virtual image transformed into a silver light, landing in his palm and becoming a silver longsword about 1.5 meters long and three fingers wide. The sword was slender, with a handle over a foot long, allowing it to be wielded as a two-handed sword. A silver demon wolf on the handle spat out the blade.

Ning Yue waved the sword slightly, and it created countless silver lights that condensed in the air, emitting a strange, mesmerizing power.

After testing a few sword techniques, Ning Yue put away the Youyue Tianlang Sword and sighed, "The Youyue Tianlang Sword virtual image is of little use to me. Having one more virtual image treasure does not significantly enhance my combat power."

Ning Yue dispersed the sword in his palm, and as the Ten Directions Illusion Annihilation Technique circulated, the Youyue Demon Wolf virtual image transformed into a silver energy whip. The silver energy whip he condensed was vastly different from the two black-clothed youths.

This energy whip emitted a cold glow, and with a single swing, it cut a large rock in half, as sharp as any divine weapon. It was flexible and adaptable, combining hardness and softness, far surpassing any divine weapon.

After testing a few more techniques, Ning Yue retracted the Youyue Demon Wolf virtual image and gathered the wolf pack, then headed back to Huo Family Village.

He had encountered two black-clothed youths in succession, and he vaguely felt that something significant was happening nearby, possibly related to the sudden inaction of the Bingma Temple pursuers. Therefore, he could not stay in Huo Family Village any longer. This time, he planned to take Bai Luoluo and leave.

As soon as Ning Yue returned to Huo Family Village, he sensed that the atmosphere was wrong. The first thing he saw was the collapsed village gate, followed by the bodies of dead wolves and even some villagers.

Before he even entered the village, he heard someone roaring, "Who stole the Cold Light? Speak up! If you don't, I will destroy this village and kill everyone, leaving no one alive!"

Ning Yue's heart tightened, and he rushed into the village. He had taken the life souls from the white demon wolf and was unwilling to let the villagers take the blame for him. When he entered the village, he saw that the demon wolves trapped in the inner city were already dead or injured, and the entire inner city was in ruins. The villagers were gathered in an open area, and Huo Funiu, the village chief, and the elders were desperately trying to explain, but the black-clothed youth standing in the village would not believe them.

"Another black-clothed youth?"

Ning Yue muttered to himself, but no one heard him.

---

Page break for ads

---

Page break for ads