Chapter 158: Spirit-Devouring Commander

Under the joint suppression of numerous powerhouses above the Spirit Gang Realm, the frantic flames continuously retreated back into the body of the mountain-guarding spirit beast, the Fire Spirit Rabbit.

Guided by Qing Xi, Xia Huanyan inscribed the blood contract.

To ensure a smoother soul-binding process, Qing Xi spared no expense, consuming over ten thousand strands of Five-Elements Origin Essence as a bridge to connect the consciousnesses of Xia Huanyan and the Fire Spirit Rabbit.

Since it was a passive bonding process, even if successful, the two would only share an equal relationship.

However, in Qing Xi's view, this was already sufficient.

As the contract turned into a beam of light and merged into the Fire Spirit Rabbit's body, countless flames surged forth, enveloping Xia Huanyan.

Qing Xi, on the other hand, was blasted backward by the formidable shockwave, crashing hundreds of meters away.

Fortunately, his physical body was comparable to a Mysterious-grade spirit weapon, leaving him completely unharmed. However, he smashed straight through a small two-story building below, greatly startling the people inside who were busy attending to intimate matters.

Boom!

The Fire Spirit Rabbit erupted with a terrifying aura, blasting all the cultivators who had been channeling spells to suppress the flames backward, their eyes filled with shock and dismay.

"Huanyan!"

Seeing his daughter enveloped in roaring flames, Xia Song felt as though he had been struck by lightning.

"Rest assured, the contract is formed. What happens next depends on her own fortune."

Qing Xi walked over. Although his clothes were scorched to rags, he maintained a calm and composed gait, believing firmly that one must always keep up their aura.

Dusting off his clothes, a look of relief washed over his face.

The others finally breathed a sigh of relief, standing quietly nearby to wait.

Following the successful soul-binding, the excess fire spiritual energy within the Fire Spirit Rabbit continuously poured into Xia Huanyan's body, absorbed by her Fire Spirit Constitution, gradually calming the violent primordial energy.

Xia Yan looked on with joyous surprise and laughed aloud, "It really succeeded!"

"Congratulations, Elder Former Sect Master!"

The crowd cupped their fists and offered their congratulations one after another.

"Haha, you are all too kind, my friends. Now that this matter is settled, I shall certainly fulfill my promise and deliver the agreed-upon reward to everyone." Xia Yan beamed like a blooming peach blossom, an indescribable sense of gratification filling his heart.

Sect Master Xia Song also let out a long breath. The gaze he cast toward Qing Xi was filled with profound gratitude, along with the affectionate look one might reserve for a prospective son-in-law.

Hearing that the reward would soon be in hand, the Scarlet Flame Sect Master laughed heartily, "Since the mountain-guarding spirit beast is about to break through its bottleneck, even if the otherworldly fiends attack again, we will—"

Thud!

Before he could finish his sentence, a deafening explosion echoed throughout the Herb Sect.

Then, amid the violent trembling of the grand array's protective barrier, a panicked voice shouted from the front gate: "Terrible news! The otherworldly fiends have attacked again!"

At these words, everyone turned to glare at the Scarlet Flame Sect Master.

"Jinx!"

The Sect Master of the Blissful Sect spat out in disgust.

He felt that his brain must have been kicked by a donkey when he chose the Scarlet Flame Sect as a private ally.

"Since the mountain-guarding spirit beast has not yet awakened, we must hold the line and wait for an opportunity." Treading upon his silver sword and swallowing a few medicinal pills to replenish his depleted energy, Ye Wuwei was the first to fly toward the mountain gate.

"Big Brother, you are incredible!"

Xia Dang ran up to Qing Xi and gave him a thumbs-up.

Lin Feng also approached, his face filled with admiration, "As expected of Brother Qing Xi, I'm going to follow and hang out with you from now on!"

Qiu Yingying's figure materialized slightly behind Qing Xi, her melodic voice drifting over, "I never expected our junior brother to keep his true abilities hidden all this time. It seems my judgment was poor before."

As a witness to Qing Xi's rise, Qiu Yingying knew better than most just how monstrously talented he was.

In less than two months since joining the sect, he had already reached this realm.

Looking across the entire Yunchuan Prefecture, he was truly unprecedented.

Even more impressive was that today he had helped Xia Huanyan complete the spirit beast soul-binding, ensuring he would undoubtedly become a heavily favored guest of the Herb Sect in the future.

"I still rely on Senior Sister to guide and support me."

Qing Xi grinned, though inwardly he felt a twinge of depression.

To help Xia Huanyan complete the soul-binding, he had burned through over ten thousand strands of Origin Essence; thinking about it now still made his heart ache.

The group quickly arrived at the mountain gate.

There, thousands of fiends stood sneering, among whom a thousand fiends had formed a grand array. A majestic earth giant raised its massive fist arrogantly and smashed it forcefully against the protective barrier, sending out countless ripples.

Standing inside the mountain gate, separated by the barrier, Ye Wuwei shouted angrily at the two commanders, the Horned Fiend and the Mantis-Headed Fiend: "You brute fiends can't break this array anyway. What is the point of this stubborn harassment?"

Hearing this, the two fiend commanders immediately gritted their teeth in fury.

Originally, according to the dog-headed strategist's plan, they were responsible for the main assault to pin down the Herb Sect, while another squad would sneak around to the rear and quietly dismantle the array.

Things, however, did not go as planned; that squad was not only discovered but completely wiped out.

The thought of the descendants of the Spirit-Swallowing Old Monster being killed filled the two commanders with surging rage.

In their Kunxu Realm, the Spirit-Swallowing clan possessed unique innate talents and immense value. Losing even one member meant that even if they eventually breached the Herb Sect's mountain gate, they would face severe punishment from the Fiend King.

"Kill!"

The more the two fiend commanders thought about it, the angrier they became. Together, they channeled a Heavenly-grade treasured seal and smashed it fiercely against the array's barrier.

"Vile fiends, do not be so arrogant!"

Former Sect Master Xia Yan raised the Purple Firmament Pill Cauldron, preparing to hurl it out. Suddenly realizing something was amiss, he hastily held back, pulled out an array disc, and dialed the array's defensive power to its maximum.

The fiend army attempted dozens of attacks, only to find the leyline grand array as hard as a hundred-thousand-year-old turtle shell—stubbornly resilient and utterly unbreakable.

"Haha, looks like we're completely safe today!"

The Scarlet Flame Sect Master was in an exceptionally good mood.

With the grand array holding fast, the fiends could never break through. Once the Fire Spirit Rabbit awoke, they could launch a counter-offensive.

However, what made the Scarlet Flame Sect Master's eyelids twitch was a powerful aura that suddenly descended from the distant sky.

Countless fiends were blown off balance as a massive black shark hovered in the mid-air, its two eyes glowing like blood-red gems, brimming with intense and hateful malice.

"Another peak Spirit Gang Realm fiend?"

The Scarlet Flame Sect Master was dumbfounded.

The others turned to glare at him simultaneously, cursing him aloud as a jinx.

"It doesn't matter. The leyline grand array is miraculous; even with an extra peak Spirit Gang expert, there is no way they can break it," the Scarlet Flame Sect Master said defensively, though his voice grew progressively weaker.

Qing Xi stared at the black shark fiend, and detailed information popped up in his vision.

[Name: Spirit-Swallowing Commander]
[Cultivation: Peak Spirit Gang Realm]
[Note: Belonging to the Spirit-Swallowing clan from the Kunxu Realm, it possesses formidable array-breaking abilities. It can silently bite through array barriers, making it an expert at breaching formations. It also boasts the ability to rapidly devour spiritual energy, possesses a tough physique, and is exceptionally troublesome to deal with.]

"Damn it, we're doomed!"

Qing Xi blurted out.

His resentment toward the Scarlet Flame Sect Master instantly skyrocketed.

Was this guy the reincarnation of a crow?

"Everyone, this black shark fiend is extraordinary! It has the ability to break formations—we cannot let it get close to the barrier!" Qing Xi shouted in warning.

Xia Yan's heart tightened. Remembering the breach that had previously appeared at the lowest point of the leyline grand array, he abruptly realized the gravity of the situation and focused every ounce of his concentration on controlling the array disc to face the impending crisis.

The Spirit-Swallowing Commander moved at terrifying speed, reaching the front of the barrier in the blink of an eye. Opening its mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth, it took a massive bite, instantly shattering the three-meter-thick protective shield.

Looking at the gaping hole ripped open in the barrier, everyone felt their hearts leap into their throats.

"Damn it, we're doomed!"

Every single person present harbored the exact same thought as Qing Xi.