If Xu Hei were still in his previous snake demon state, he might have actually committed murder for treasure.

But now, since the other party hadn't provoked him, why would he harm others proactively? Xu Hei had merely asked on purpose earlier, and fortunately, this woman was sensible enough. To have reached this point, she was naturally not a fool.

"I've refined the Lunar Mystic Fire for hundreds of years. In my current state, it's not something I can undo quickly. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind handing it over to you right now," Hua Qingyun said.

"No need to say more, let's stick to the previous agreement," Xu Hei interrupted her.

How could this woman, a complete stranger to him, trust him to such an extent? Wasn't she afraid that once she handed over the flame, Xu Hei would turn against her?

Whether true or false, Xu Hei just listened to her words without taking them seriously.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, those two might still be waiting outside. Why don't we leave this place first, and once I've recovered, we can try to break through," Hua Qingyun suggested.

"No worries, let's go take a look. If those two are indeed outside, I wouldn't mind giving them a surprise," Xu Hei sneered.

Hua Qingyun was puzzled but didn't argue and followed behind Xu Hei.

Xu Hei appeared shortly after.

"Could it be..."

Hua Qingyun's body trembled, and a storm surged in her heart.

But she didn't ask further. This matter was significant and involved secrets. Even if she asked, Xu Hei probably wouldn't answer, and it might even annoy him. It was better to play dumb.

At this moment, a thousand feet underground.

Two Demon Blood Vines were trailing from a distance. These fierce creatures were extremely stealthy, striking with lightning speed, unnoticed by most.

Hua Qingyun felt a prickling sensation on her back and couldn't help but quicken her pace, moving closer to Xu Hei.

...

Outside the thorny thicket.

Hidden underground were eight ghostly banners and three coffins, forming a deadly array. Anyone daring to come out would face a storm of attacks.

"Nie Feng is dead, his soul fire extinguished, and the wandering souls I released have lost control!" Wei Wudao's expression turned grave.

"Did the body snatching fail?" Ji Qing wondered, surprised.

"Hmph, I never expected him to succeed. But for the wandering souls to vanish too, that's unexpected."

Wei Wudao's face darkened, a sense of foreboding in his heart.

He had inadvertently placed some wandering souls, through which he observed Hua Qingyun's Lunar Mystic Fire, sparking his murderous intent.

As for Nie Feng, he was merely used as a tool to kill Hua Qingyun.

Body snatching? If this person succeeded and the truth came out later, it would be a huge problem. He never intended for Nie Feng to leave alive.

But now, he had no idea what happened inside, whether Hua Qingyun was dead or not.

He performed a spell, and more wandering souls flew out from the ghostly banners, turning into green lights that entered the thorny thicket to investigate.

But soon after flying out, these wandering souls lost contact.

Wei Wudao's expression shifted, "Something's wrong, let's retreat!"

"What happened?" Ji Qing asked, puzzled.

"The wandering souls lost contact immediately after entering. There are two possibilities: they were either destroyed or encountered an ancient fierce creature. Either way, the fact that they disappeared so quickly means the enemy is already upon us!"

Wei Wudao swiftly retrieved the eight ghostly banners and three coffins from underground, preparing to retreat.

Though they no longer feared most ghosts, in a place like this, no one could guarantee that disaster wouldn't suddenly strike. Better to retreat than make a mistake.

As for the Lunar Mystic Fire, they could return to investigate after some time. If the wandering souls continued to be destroyed upon entry, they would have to give up.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, the space beside them twisted, and a Star-Moon Flying Sword teleported out, precisely calculated by Xu Hei.

"It's that flying sword!"

"It's Xu Hei! He's not dead?"

Wei Wudao and Ji Qing's expressions changed simultaneously, recognizing the origin of the flying sword at a glance.

"Swish!"

The flying sword pierced through Ji Qing's body with lightning speed, emerging without a drop of blood. A large skeleton appeared out of nowhere on her body, bearing the brunt of the strike, showcasing her powerful mid-Divine Transformation cultivation.

Ji Qing's face darkened, "So it was him causing trouble. Let's see if I don't kill him!"

With that, she was about to fly towards the thorny thicket.

"Wait! Come back!"

Wei Wudao threw out a black cloth, which instantly extended a hundred feet, wrapping around Ji Qing and yanking her back forcefully.

Ji Qing was puzzled, but in the next second!

"Boom!!"

Suddenly, the ground ahead split open, and a massive scarlet vine burst out from the ground, exuding a terrifying aura, charging straight at Ji Qing.

"Not good! It's the Demon Blood Vine!"

The two were horrified.

Ji Qing's face turned pale with fear. The Demon Blood Vine was so close that she could clearly see its serrated mouth and even smell the blood scent, getting closer and closer!

If not for Wei Wudao pulling her back with a magical treasure in time, her physical body would have been destroyed by that strike.

"Boom!!"

Without hesitation, the two burned their primordial spirits. At the same time, Ji Qing took out the half Nether Mammoth and threw it forward, causing it to self-destruct.

The terrifying spiritual power waves spread like a tsunami, blocking the Demon Blood Vine, but it only paused slightly before continuing its charge, crashing into half of Ji Qing's body.

Her lower half was gone, devoured entirely. The remaining half was pulled back by Wei Wudao, wrapped in black cloth, and they fled, disappearing from sight.

The Demon Blood Vine chased the blood scent for a moment before stopping, retracting into the soil and hiding again.

Not long after.

Xu Hei and Hua Qingyun emerged from the thorny thicket.

"They actually escaped, quite a quick reaction," Xu Hei thought regretfully.

Wei Wudao was indeed a cunning fox. The moment he sensed something was wrong, he decisively fled. Relying solely on the Demon Blood Vine to kill them was too naive.

However, with just one strike, swallowing half of Ji Qing's body wasn't a loss. Even though Divine Transformation cultivators prioritize their primordial spirits, losing half of the physical body was still a significant blow.

He originally intended to drive both Demon Blood Vines simultaneously, but time was too tight to control the details.

In the end, he used the flying sword to distract them. Otherwise, those two would have escaped even sooner.

Xu Hei summoned the Star-Moon Sword back and put it away.

Hua Qingyun had been following behind. Although she hadn't witnessed the entire process, she had heard the commotion clearly.

"This person can actually control the Demon Blood Vine? My god, what kind of monster is he?"

Hua Qingyun was utterly shocked, her eyes nearly popping out.