CHAPTER 170: YIFA’S STRENGTH

Yifa, without a hint of hesitation, headed west.

The five outer disciples of the Azure Dragon Sect—Shin Gaoshun, Qin Zangsheng, Tang Weien, Han Qian, and Po Yongzhen—exchanged glances and followed without question.

They didn’t need to exchange words to know that in the direction they were heading... something dangerous was there.

It wasn’t sound or sight that tipped them off. It was their sixth sense—honed under Xu Tao’s guidance and sharpened during their time in the desert. Even from afar, they could feel it. An oppressive Qi leaking into the air like rancid smoke.

"This energy is, without a doubt, Evil..." Qin Zangsheng muttered under his breath as they moved.

Soon enough, they arrived at the western wall. Apart from the lone Celestial Beast still fending off hundreds of monsters on its own, there were also dozens of monsters near the west wall.

But those weren’t the problem.

The problem stood at the very back of them all, watching like some sort of commander.

A three-meter-tall humanoid insect—its carapace pitch black and veined with crimson lines. Four arms extended from its back, each ending in sickle-like blades. A head crowned with twisted horns. Its every breath released a wave of heavy, dark Qi that melted the sand beneath it.

"That’s an Evil Spirit!"

The thought flashed through their minds unanimously.

"Clear the weaklings away first!" Yifa shouted immediately, assuming command as though it were the most natural thing to do. "After that, we’ll fight the big one together! Don’t try to fight it on your own!"

"Yes!"

Everyone nodded firmly, following Yifa’s plan.

All five quickly split up, covering the entire western section in even intervals. Despite wielding various main weapons, a common trait of those in the Azure Dragon Sect was the mastery of the sword.

Everyone, without exception, had to master the sword along with their main weapon. This was the same for Wenwen and the others as well, despite being outer disciples.

The five of them moved into their designated positions and raised their blades before their chests, tips pointed upward.

Qi roared within their bodies as they slowly chanted, "Azure Dragon Sword Formation!"

A gigantic, golden formation appeared over the sky. From it, glowing swords of light formed, all pointing downward threateningly. Without missing a beat, they swung their swords down in unison.

Right then, along with a mysterious draconic roar, the blades of light began to fall like rain. Each one traced a straight line, striking its target in practically an instant.

Within a split second, all the monsters were cleared... Except, as expected, for the Evil Spirit ahead.

Yifa let out a soft breath, molding a lump of shadow in her hand. "Alright, let’s do this!"

Po Yongzhen was the first to dash forward, flicking his sword with a sharp whistle.

A clean slash landed—

—but the creature didn’t flinch.

Worse, instead of blocking, it absorbed the Qi imbued in his blade. The crimson veins on its body glowed brighter, as if drinking in his attack and growing stronger.

"Tch...!"

Soon enough, the rest arrived at the enemy’s vicinity. One after another, the disciples struck from different angles. Gaoshun slammed a palm into its back, Zangsheng unleashed an earth-bursting fist, Little Wenwen followed up with wind-infused blade work. Even Yifa sent shadow needles, striking its blind spot!

Every technique landed perfectly...

However, as if to mock their efforts, none of them dealt effective damage. Worse still, they noticed that the corruption was starting to spread.

The ground beneath their feet discolored, turning an unhealthy purple-black. From that corruption, shriveled arms and faces began to appear—half-formed, screaming silently beneath the soil.

"...A Demonic Yin Domain..." Yifa’s eyes narrowed.

She had seen this kind of power before—back on Earth. Of course, it hadn’t been this powerful, but the effect was the same.

An unstable realm produced only by extremely powerful demons or evil spirits.

If it was allowed to fully manifest...

’...everything inside would be consumed.’

The disciples readied themselves again, but Yifa suddenly raised an arm—stopping them.

She understood now.

Their difference in level didn’t matter. This thing fed on their Qi. Every strike only strengthened it... Which meant only two things. Either they had to fight it without using Qi, or overwhelm its evil Yin Qi with a stronger Yin Qi.

In this situation, Yifa had to step forward.

She opened her status panel. There, untouched until now, were the 4,900 free stat points Xu Tao had given her long ago. She hesitated only for a fraction of a second—

—and then poured all of them into DEX and INT, the twin pillars of her Faceless Shadow Technique.

[

Name: Yifa

Level: 949

Stats:

STR: 365

INT: 2,815

VIT: 365

AGI: 365

DEX: 2,815

Cultivation: 2,024

**Bonus Points: 0

Currency:

Money: 106,110 Gold

System Points: 196,882 Points

]

A silent boom rippled through her body. The Yin Domain twisted—almost in surprise.

"I’ll handle this," she announced.

The five disciples nodded.

They didn’t question her. They simply shifted back into a circle formation to guard against approaching monsters—trusting her without a word.

After all, they could tell at a glance. Yifa’s current cultivation level was almost twice theirs!

She stepped into the corrupted sand—then vanished.

Movement so stealthy that no sound was raised, no shadow left behind.

The Faceless Shadow Technique, now boosted beyond its original limits thanks to the increased stats, returned her to what she truly was:

A hunter. A ghost in the dark.

The Evil Spirit wasn’t weak, and it reacted instantly, swinging its four sickle-arms in different directions in an attempt to strike the unseen intruder. But none of its attacks hit. It was cutting air—nothing else.

Shh—!

A thin shadow-line wrapped around its ankle.

SNAP!

One leg detached, sliced off cleanly before it could react. The Qi was so dense the creature didn’t have time to absorb it!

KISHEEEE!

The Spirit let out a shrill, distorted hiss. The earth beneath it cracked—and dozens of spiky arms burst from the ground, lunging in every direction like a blind man groping through the dark.

But Yifa flickered between them, slipping through each opening with inhuman precision. She appeared over its back for half a heartbeat—

—Bang!

Her revolver fired point-blank into one of the crimson veins. For the first time, the Evil Spirit flinched, its body recoiling as the vein shattered like glass.

It fell backward, crashing against the corrupted ground.

Yifa didn’t stop there.

Shadow stakes erupted from her feet and spiraled upward, pinning all four of the monster’s arms into the ground. Before it could regenerate, a wave of shadows gathered around her like a spinning typhoon.

"Faceless Shadow—Silent Execution."

Seven shadow blades materialized behind her... and thrust forward in unison.

They pierced every glowing vein at once.

The creature let out one last distorted scream—and then its entire body dispersed into a cloud of black dust.

Silence followed.

Then—

Fwump!

The Yin Domain collapsed, the purple-black corruption retreating like a tide until nothing remained. Only a single Large Loot Box stood in the center.

"That takes care of it."

Yifa sighed, spinning the revolver around her finger and placing it back into her Storage Ring.

"Looks like I’m getting stronger too," she whispered, a small smile creeping onto her lips.