Several shadowy figures, their faces obscured, attacked from all directions. These shadows emanated a white light, and each gathered potent evil energy in their hands. As they approached, they remained mere shadows, devoid of facial features.
"Mother of God, what are these things?"
The Sixth Prince, Nangong Li, had never encountered such monsters.
Two dark shadows lunged directly at him, and a powerful evil aura enveloped him. Before he could even unfold his fan, he was repelled several meters by the invisible, immensely powerful evil energy.
Meanwhile, Meng Qinghua found himself in a precarious situation. Five or six shadowy figures surrounded him. Powerful evil energy descended from above. The sword in his hand snapped in mid-air and fell to the ground. He was suppressed by an unseen evil force, forced to his knees, unable to stand.
*Pfft!*
It felt as if something within him was about to explode. He couldn't bear it and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Who would have thought that he, the esteemed master of the Poisonous Doctor's Pavilion, a man few in the world could match, would be injured by mere faceless entities?
Moreover, his attackers were unseen, and he had no idea what weapons they used. What were these faceless black shadows, barely even considered beings, that attacked him?
"Meng Qinghua, quickly save me..."
From a distance, Nangong Li floated in mid-air, seemingly held tightly by invisible hands. He couldn't channel his internal energy, nor could he break free from this restraint.
Adding to his plight, the shadowy figures attacking him were hidden in the darkness, making them impossible to see or touch.
Beside him, Meng Qinghua, who had been looking in his direction, wanted to rescue Nangong Li. However, he was suppressed by the powerful evil energy and couldn't rise. He was struggling to save himself, let alone help others.
Only then did he understand the saying that there is always someone better, and there are always new horizons beyond the sky. Such peculiar and abnormal phenomena in this world truly broadened his horizons.
*Bang!*
Everything around them inverted. A powerful surge of spiritual energy washed over them. The moonlight, previously obscured by dark clouds, reappeared. At the same moment, the shadows hidden in the darkness instantly dissolved into a mass of black mist.
Nangong Li landed steadily, now able to move.
Meng Qinghua could also stand up.
Both of them looked towards Nangong Mo. They saw that Nangong Mo was bathed in a purple light, and as he raised his arms, everything around them returned to normal.
"My goodness, Xiao Linzi, he's so powerful."
Nangong Li could feel that the evil energy surrounding them had vanished. Instead, a spiritual energy that made them feel refreshed and comfortable flowed into their bodies like a warm current, increasing their internal strength.
The changes around them were visible to the naked eye.
Meng Qinghua could only describe it as facing darkness moments ago, and now embracing light.
He looked at Nangong Mo, never having known that Nangong Mo could gather the spiritual energy of all things in heaven and earth.
Was his identity merely that of a prince?
"Hahahaha... Lord Lian Di is as formidable as ever."
Suddenly, the evil energy that had disappeared from the world returned. The bamboo house collapsed, bamboo leaves rained down, and an evil wind swept through. The sound was like thunder piercing the ears, shaking the ground.
The Sixth Prince, Nangong Li, and Meng Qinghua instinctively covered their ears.
Yet, the sound seemed to penetrate their bodies, suppressing them both to the ground, rendering them immobile.
As the sound grew closer,
A black shadow, over eight zhang tall, appeared outside the bamboo forest. The shadow was surrounded by masses of black mist. Since it was nighttime, the mist was invisible. However, wherever the shadow passed, flowers withered, green bamboo turned black, and even the moonlight overhead was blocked by the mist.
The shadow slowly approached. Meng Qinghua and Nangong Li could clearly feel the suppressing evil energy growing stronger.
The eight-zhang shadow stopped about two zhang away from Nangong Mo. As he raised his hand, the black cloak he wore billowed in the wind, revealing a sickly pale face. His black hair, black eyebrows, and black lips were all exceptionally striking. Despite his fair skin, his features were exquisitely delicate, and his unusual eyes were breathtakingly beautiful.
As the man drew closer, his voice was sinister, and the surrounding black mist finally became clearly visible.
"Evil King, it's you."
Nangong Mo's voice was cold. He was not surprised to see this person. His identity as Lord Lian Di had been exposed, and his spiritual energy would naturally manifest in the world, attracting these evil spirits. It was not unexpected.
As for the person before him—the Evil King—he was the master of evil energy, the king of darkness, and an adversary. When his spiritual energy was weak, he would appear.
"Hahaha, Lord Lian Di still remembers me. It is my honor."
The Evil King spoke thus, but his attitude was arrogant, and his tone was indifferent, showing no signs of a defeated foe.
Yes, a defeated foe. In the battle a thousand years ago, the Evil King's forces suffered countless casualties. Lord Lian Di only lost one spirit fox. However, it was precisely because of that spirit fox's death that Lord Lian Di became enraged and suppressed all evil spirits in the world in the Imperial Qiong Ling Mountain.
After escaping, the Evil King disappeared without a trace. Lord Lian Di, heartbroken by the spirit fox's death, went into seclusion for a thousand years. After a millennium, Lord Lian Di descended to the mortal realm to undergo tribulation, becoming the Ninth Imperial Uncle Nangong Mo of the Eastern Victory Kingdom.
"Defeated foe, you are all a bunch of trash. How dare you show yourselves before this Lord Lian Di today? Have you not learned your lesson from the bitter defeat in the thousand-year war?" Nangong Mo's voice was as cold as ice, his aura alone overwhelming.
"Hahaha, Lian Di, oh, Lian Di. If it were a thousand years ago, this King would certainly not dare to come and face death. But now, you are in a mortal body, and you have contracted heart palpitations. You are so useless, do you think this King would still fear you?"
"Very well, then come and try me personally!" Nangong Mo sneered. With a wave of his sleeve, all the spiritual energy in heaven and earth was absorbed by him. Trees, flowers, and plants all awakened their essence.
Meanwhile, the Evil King sent a mass of black mist, imbued with evil energy, directly towards Nangong Mo.
Good and evil were now in a contest.
Nangong Mo's ordinary face suddenly cracked and disappeared as he unleashed his spiritual energy, revealing his true form.
Meng Qinghua and Nangong Li, surrounded by masses of black mist beside him, were stunned into silence.
"That... that's Ninth Imperial Uncle? He... he's still alive?" Nangong Li clearly saw Nangong Mo's face and was shocked.
However, Meng Qinghua beside him showed no shock at all.
He had already known that Xiao Linzi was Nangong Mo, but he was unaware of Nangong Mo's other identities. At this moment, he was shocked by the terms "Lord Lian Di" and "Evil King" that Nangong Mo had spoken. What in the world were these?
Nangong Li, still reeling from the fact that Nangong Mo was alive, also heard Nangong Mo's mention of "Lord Lian Di, Evil King, and the like." He ignored the suppressing evil energy and turned to Meng Qinghua: "Did we die? Have we met the King of Hell?" So we're hearing ghost stories?
"..."
The two forces clashed. Ultimately, evil could not overcome righteousness, and the Evil King was injured by Nangong Mo.
He clutched his abdomen, from which black blood was flowing, and smiled at Nangong Mo: "Lord Lian Di, today is considered our first meeting. In the future, when I find the mortal form of the spirit fox, I will present it to Lord Lian Di, and then we shall battle again."
The mortal form of the spirit fox? Where... where is she?
Nangong Mo frowned, his voice trembling slightly. He had never known that the spirit fox had entered the mortal realm. After all, a thousand years ago, she had already...
"Hahaha, it seems our Lord Lian Di has forgotten everything. So be it. Since you have forgotten her, from now on, this King will be her guardian. Hahaha..."
The Evil King disappeared into the night with a mass of black mist.
His appearance this time was for three purposes: to test, to issue a challenge, and to provoke.
In the battle a thousand years ago, his forces suffered countless casualties. This time, he would have his revenge. And that enchanting spirit fox would surely be his sooner or later!