The Tribulation Thunder Pill exploded the corpse monster into pieces, turning most of the corpses into flying ashes. But there were still a few corpses with blue electric arcs flashing over them. These corpses were barely dragged by the Ghost-faced Spider's webs as it tried to piece them back together into the corpse monster.
Amidst the flying corpse ashes and heavy snow, Li Shiyin's primordial spirit arrived with sword in hand, bringing with it the sword qi of her primordial spirit. She found the Ghost-faced Spider at the very center of the corpses without saying a word and struck with her sword!
The Ghost-faced Spider was still hanging in midair and countered with its spider spear. But this time, when the sword qi collided with the spider spear, it sliced right through without injuring the spear one bit.
The Ghost-faced Spider was taken aback at first, but before it could feel glad, a sense of pain from having its spider legs severed by the sword stabbed into its soul!
The spear was undamaged, but the soul was injured.
Sealing Dust and Ceasing Thoughts! Slaying Demons and Calming Souls!!
This was the sword qi of Li Shiyin’s primordial spirit. It did not harm the physical body but specialized in severing souls!
After absorbing some of the primordial spirit power from the Devouring Demon Willow, Li Shiyin's primordial spirit had reached a rather terrifying level, much stronger than her own cultivation base. Therefore, even though the Ghost-faced Spider's soul was already quite powerful and had comprehended low-level Soul Mysteries, it was still no match for Li Shiyin's primordial spirit sword qi.
Can't break your physical defense? Can't sever your soul either?!
With the first strike proving effective, Li Shiyin then utilized Celestial Soaring Immortal. She floated ethereally as if treading the mundane world with immortal steps, appearing all around the Ghost-faced Spider. Her soul-severing sword qi continuously poured onto the Ghost-faced Spider.
Thus, in this dark place, the ghastly shrieks of the Ghost-faced Spider's wailing cries could be heard.
When all the flesh and blood of the corpses fell to the ground along with the snowflakes, Li Shiyin’s primordial spirit also withdrew its sword and flew back into her physical body.
At this time, on the corpse mountain, the spider as large as a human was standing erect in the snow. There wasn’t a single wound on its entire body, yet it was already dead.
Throughout this battle, Tian Wenjin had been watching from the side. In the end, even a horrifying and disgusting monster like the Ghost-faced Spider still lost under Li Shiyin’s sword. She had also fought against the Ghost-faced Spider before, but was pierced through the body in one move. She knew how powerful the Ghost-faced Spider was, so she knew how powerful Li Shiyin was.
“No wonder she was able to challenge those above her level and become the newest peerless genius.” She had heard about Li Shiyin’s story before, but she had always thought that she was not inferior to Li Shiyin.
It was like a seasoned veteran of Jianghu looking down on sect disciples who accumulated resources.
But now she had to admit that perhaps Li Shiyin was truly a bit stronger than herself.
“Was that primordial spirit sword qi?” She sat on a rock and asked Li Shiyin who was standing up in front.
“Yes... Controlling the sword with primordial spirit, then using the power of primordial spirit to replace magic power and unleash sword qi,” Li Shiyin turned around and answered truthfully.
“Which immortal art is this recorded in?” Tian Wenjin asked.
She knew that Li Shiyin’s movement art was an immortal art, so she subconsciously assumed that this technique was also from some immortal art. There was some unwillingness hidden within her words. You, Li Shiyin, may be powerful, but aren’t you still relying on resources and your good master?
Li Shiyin shook her head and said, “It’s not an immortal art. I came up with it myself recently when I was forced by a powerful enemy with very strong primordial spirit to battle with my own primordial spirit. Then I thought of this technique.”
“My master named this technique Sealing Dust and Ceasing Thoughts.”
“Sealing Dust and Ceasing Thoughts?” Tian Wenjin murmured.
A sword technique that she comprehended herself...
“My master is very good at naming things. I’ve come up with two sword techniques so far and my master helped name both of them,” Li Shiyin said to Tian Wenjin. “One technique is this Sealing Dust and Ceasing Thoughts. The other is called Celestial Soaring Immortal, which also sounds very nice.”
“You’ve already comprehended two sword techniques?!” Tian Wenjin looked complicated.
She recalled the legend of Li Shiyin defeating Song Zetian's arrogance in one sword strike. Could that one strike be the so-called Celestial Soaring Immortal?
“If you comprehend any sword techniques in the future, you can also ask my master to name them...”
Tian Wenjin nodded vaguely without giving a clear response.
“Is the Ghost-faced Spider really dead?” She asked Li Shiyin for confirmation.
“I can’t sense its soul anymore, it should be dead,” Li Shiyin replied.
“Check it and take it back to turn in the quest,” Tian Wenjin instructed.
Li Shiyin looked up. It was late night, heavy snow, bitter cold winds. It was really not suitable for rushing back. She asked, “How are your injuries? Do we have to rush back to the sect tonight?”
Only then did Tian Wenjin sense her own condition. She pondered briefly then shook her head, “I still can’t move yet.”
She looked back at Da Shan Ridge Village, “Let’s rest overnight in the village and return early tomorrow morning.”
Li Shiyin agreed. She went to examine the Ghost-faced Spider and found that it was indeed dead. She dragged it over by one of its spider legs. When she reached Tian Wenjin, with one hand, she easily picked Tian Wenjin up onto her back to carry her.
With one hand supporting Tian Wenjin and the other dragging the massive spider, she trudged through the deep snow during the snowy night and heavy snowfall towards the village up ahead.
Tian Wenjin rested both hands on Li Shiyin's shoulders, feeling her legs being held up by only one of Li Shiyin's hands. Without realizing it, some ambiguous thoughts rose unbidden.
She started noticing Li Shiyin's fragrance, she felt the warmth of Li Shiyin's body... She gently rested her head against Li Shiyin's back. She felt safe. She noticed the snow falling and both of their hair gradually turning white.
She found that her merciless sword intent was wavering.
The house they were most familiar with in the village was naturally the village chief’s. Li Shiyin carried Tian Wenjin to this place and set her down on a stool inside while leaving the Ghost-faced Spider outside.
She found an oil lamp inside but couldn't find any matches.
Tian Wenjin weakly leaned on the table and said, “Let me try.”
Li Shiyin brought the oil lamp over. Tian Wenjin flicked her fingertip to shoot out an electric arc, lighting up the oil lamp.
“Wenjin, you can still use your magic techniques like this?” Li Shiyin asked in surprise.
“If you want to talk about ingenious usage of mystic arts, it would still be uncle Qin Ran...” As Tian Wenjin spoke, she suddenly seemed to think of something. Her heart became complicated for a moment and she didn't continue.
“My master is the most brilliant!” Li Shiyin nodded with a smile.
Tian Wenjin rested her head on the table and looked up at the sweet smile in Li Shiyin's eyes when she mentioned Qin Ran. There was a fleeting loneliness that flashed through her eyes.
“How are your injuries now, Wenjin?” Li Shiyin asked as she sat down opposite of Tian Wenjin.
“Give me a bit to recover. No major issues,” Tian Wenjin replied. “Thank you Shiyin for your pills.”
“Those pills were my master’s pills. I don’t know how to concoct pills,” Li Shiyin said. “Last night, master gave me lots of things...”
“He completely filled up my Universe Bag.” As she spoke, she rummaged around her Universe Bag and took out some portable meat and rations, placing them on the table. “So many delicious things! Come, eat, Wenjin. Eating more will help you recover faster.”
She picked up a piece of spirit beast meat and started eating while also urging Tian Wenjin to eat. Tian Wenjin looked at the food on the table and the alluring fragrance. She really wanted to decline but with great difficulty, she maintained her manners and posture as she elegantly chewed the rations.
As Li Shiyin stood up while eating the dried meat, she checked around the house, then went outside again. Standing halfway up the mountainside overlooking the village, the night scene and heavy falling snow blocked her vision. She couldn't clearly see the buildings, but she knew that there were no villagers left.
“Sigh...” She sighed. The meat in her mouth no longer tasted delicious. “We still came too late.”
An entire village of over a hundred people had just disappeared like that. Such was the world of cultivators.
Tian Wenjin spoke gravely while elegantly chewing her food, “From when the villagers sent someone to report to the sect, to when the sect member in charge compiled it into a quest, to when the inner sect disciples accepted the quest, sufficient time had passed for the bloodthirsty demonic beast to massacre several villages.”
“I had originally thought that it was truly just dealing with the rat-catching spider demon and that we could save many people. I didn't expect...”
“For these kinds of quests, most of the time it's to avenge the dead.”
"I see..." Li Shiyin gazed at the darkness outside the house and murmured, "How many innocent people in this world are killed by demonic beasts every day?"