The group returned to the half-open stone door, the air around it heavy with a bone-chilling cold. Ouyang Chen shot a meaningful glance at Zheng Tong.

Zheng Tong nodded, forming complex hand seals. Two paper talismans fluttered into the air, transforming into small figures that carefully pushed against the heavy stone slab.

Swish!

A beam of sharp, icy light shot out from within—the Puppet Groom, lying in ambush.

“Go!”

Ouyang Chen shouted low in his throat. His longsword erupted with blinding golden brilliance, accurately intercepting the puppet’s attack while simultaneously blasting the stone door wide open.

His gaze instantly locked onto the center of the meditation chamber.

The withered skeleton, clad in tattered Daoist robes, was now coated in a layer of writhing, purple-black corruption. Two distinct points of ghostly purple fire burned within its empty eye sockets. The moment it sensed the intruders, the skeleton raised a hand, condensing the purple-black evil Qi into a twisted, jagged longsword.

It lunged.

Chaos erupted in the narrow chamber. Sword lights and the radiance of Dharma Treasures collided, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.

Ouyang Chen took point against the corpse, his sword technique sharp and methodical, steady as a mountain. Ma Kun and Lu Shu doubled team against the puppet. Although the construct had high defense and self-destruct mechanisms, it lacked the fluidity of a living cultivator. Against two opponents of similar cultivation, it was quickly suppressed.

Suddenly, Ouyang Chen slashed heavily against the skeleton’s blade.

Clang!

The violent collision deflected the evil sword. A condensed beam of purple-black Sword Qi veered off its original trajectory, tearing through the air with a shrill shriek—straight toward the corner where Lin Xuanwei was cowering.

The beam was too fast, aiming directly for Lin Xuanwei’s dantian.

Lin Xuanwei seemed paralyzed by the sudden threat of death. He stood frozen, watching the destruction descend upon him, his eyes wide with terror.

At the critical moment—

Hum!

A dazzling, brilliant golden light erupted from Lin Xuanwei’s body without warning. It formed a solid sphere, encasing him completely.

The purple-black Sword Qi slammed into the barrier. A deafening boom shook the room, and both the golden shield and the sword energy dissipated simultaneously.

“Such a powerful defensive Magical Artifact?”

Ouyang Chen caught the flash of gold from the corner of his eye but didn’t pause. He turned his focus back to the [Hatred] skeleton.

Lin Xuanwei, snapping out of his daze, scrambled on hands and knees to hide behind Lu Yao.

“Miss Lu! Save me! That scared me to death!”

Lu Yao felt a surge of disdain. Suppressing the urge to kick him away, she snapped, “Don’t cause trouble!”

The battle reached its climax. The puppet groom fought tenaciously, but it couldn’t withstand the combined assault. Lu Shu found an opening and severed its core with a precise strike. The construct collapsed, lifeless.

On the other side, Ouyang Chen saw his chance. He parried the skeleton’s blade with a backhanded slash, while his left hand slammed a shimmering golden talisman onto its forehead.

“Suppress!”

The talisman exploded into a cage of golden light, instantly trapping the purple-black skeleton. Runes flowed across the surface of the barrier, exerting a crushing pressure. Inside, the skeleton struggled violently. The purple-black threads of [Hatred] writhed like mad worms, hissing as they corroded against the holy light, but they couldn’t break free.

“Quickly!”

The team moved in perfect sync, placing Spirit Stones around the cage to reinforce the seal. The golden light stabilized, and the entity within gradually ceased its struggles.

“It’s done!”

Everyone let out a collective breath, wiping cold sweat from their brows.

Lu Shu stared at the trapped entity with lingering fear. “Is this… [Hatred]?”

“Correct,” Ouyang Chen confirmed, nodding gravely. “I have fought cultivators tainted by [Hatred] before. This venomous, frenzied aura is unmistakable.”

As he spoke, Ouyang Chen cast a subtle, imperceptible glance at Ma Kun.

Ma Kun caught the signal instantly.

He suddenly grunted, staggering back a few steps. He clutched his forehead, his face twisting in exaggerated pain. “Ugh… my head… it hurts…”

“Senior Brother Ma! What’s wrong?” Lu Yao asked immediately, her voice pitched with just the right amount of panic.

“ARGH!”

Ma Kun let out a bloodcurdling scream. Strands of black energy—feigned or summoned—surged around his body. He spun around, eyes wild, and without a word of warning, launched a palm strike directly at Lin Xuanwei.

The strike was vicious, carrying lethal killing intent.

Boom!

The golden light on Lin Xuanwei’s body flared again. His automatic defense artifact activated, barely intercepting the sneak attack. The impact sent him stumbling, gasping for air.

“Save me! Brother Ouyang! Miss Lu! He’s gone mad!” Lin Xuanwei shrieked, his soul seemingly flying out of his body in terror. He scrambled backward, trying to put distance between himself and the assailant.

“Fall back! Quickly!” Ouyang Chen roared, his face a mask of shock and anger. “Junior Brother Ma has been corrupted by [Hatred]! Get away from him!”

The group scattered immediately, leaving Lin Xuanwei isolated.

Ma Kun, seeing his first strike fail, let out a feral growl. Like a demon possessed, he pounced on Lin Xuanwei again.

Lin Xuanwei tried to defend himself, raising his arms in panic, but his meager cultivation and lack of combat experience were laughable before a Late Golden Core cultivator like Ma Kun.

The protective golden light flickered violently under Ma Kun’s storm-like assault. Lin Xuanwei was beaten back repeatedly like a sandbag, blood spraying from his mouth with every heavy blow.

Crack!

Finally, the expensive defensive artifact reached its limit. The golden barrier shattered into dust.

Ma Kun grinned savagely. He gathered his Qi into a condensed blade of light and slashed viciously across Lin Xuanwei’s chest.

“Ahhh!!”

Lin Xuanwei let out a miserable scream. His body was flung backward, slamming heavily into the cold stone wall before sliding down to the floor. A pool of bright red blood rapidly expanded beneath him.

Seeing Lin Xuanwei lying motionless in the blood, Ma Kun dropped the act instantly.

He straightened up, cracked his neck, and clicked his tongue, looking down at the unconscious body with sneering contempt. “Tsk. So fragile.”

Lu Shu frowned slightly. “Ma Kun, you went too hard.”

Ma Kun shrugged, wiping his hands. “I thought a rich young master like him would have more life-saving Dharma Treasures. I didn’t hold back. Who knew he was this useless?”

Ouyang Chen walked over, his expression impassive. “Forget it. We didn’t intend to take his life, just to test him. In a place like this, one can never be too cautious.”

The others nodded. There was no guilt on their faces, only cold calculation.

Lu Yao’s gaze lingered on Lin Xuanwei for a brief second before shifting away. She felt no remorse, only a faint regret that her cash cow was now broken. What a shame. I won’t be able to milk him for any more Spirit Stones.

“I just received a response from the Elder,” she said, changing the subject. “They should be arriving soon.”

“Good. We wait here,” Ouyang Chen decided.

Lu Shu looked at Lin Xuanwei, whose life was hanging by a thread, his breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps. “If we leave him like that… he’ll be dead in moments, won’t he?”

Zheng Tong, who usually looked like a simple, honest man, spoke up from the side. “Junior Sister Lu, he was injured by Senior Brother Ma Kun while Ma Kun was ‘possessed’ by [Hatred]. What does that have to do with us?”

His tone was flat, factual.

Ma Kun let out a low, weird chuckle.

Lu Shu sighed softly. She couldn’t quite harden her heart completely. With a wave of her hand, she cast a gentle Wood Element technique. A screen of soft green light descended over Lin Xuanwei, sealing his wounds and protecting his heart meridians, temporarily halting death’s advance.

Lu Yao curled her lip in mockery. “Hah. Look at you, playing the saint.”

“I’m just preserving his life for now,” Lu Shu replied calmly. “We’ll let the Elder decide his fate when they arrive.”