The Black Mountain Old Demon had long been lurking within Yuan Jun's body, waiting for an opportunity.
Yuan Jun's attention was entirely focused on Su Xi and Ouyang Chu Ge, and he failed to notice the anomaly within himself.
Observing Yuan Jun's actions, the Black Mountain Old Demon was not in a hurry, remaining coiled in a corner, waiting for its chance. After all, Yuan Jun's cultivation had already reached the Nascent Soul stage, and his divine soul was sufficiently solidified. Devouring Yuan Jun's soul was inherently a difficult task.
A divine soul at the Nascent Soul stage possessed the ability to leave the body. It would not gain an advantage in a confrontation. Furthermore, the power of a Nascent Soul stage soul surpassed that of many others. Engaging in a direct fight was simply not a realistic option. If it were exposed, it had no confidence in dealing with Yuan Jun, and might even be devoured by him instead. It had finally escaped and did not wish to die so soon.
Therefore, for its own safety, it did not want to take risks and could only wait for the best moment. It also knew that it only had one chance. If it failed, it would have no further opportunities, and Yuan Jun would not give it any.
Now, it sensed Yuan Jun exerting his full power, with all his soul's attention diverted by Su Xi. This presented a perfect opportunity for it to strike. Once the soul's defenses were down, it would be its chance. Since the opportunity had arisen, it naturally did not want to miss it. The sooner the person was dealt with, the safer it would be.
"Swish!"
With a fierce roar, it suddenly attacked, biting Yuan Jun's Nascent Soul.
"What?!"
As Yuan Jun's Nascent Soul was bitten, he felt a sharp pain, letting out a muffled groan. The force of his grip instantly shifted, missing Su Xi's head and landing elsewhere.
"Boom!"
A powerful explosion followed, reducing a nearby hilltop to ashes.
Su Xi smiled at this sight. It seemed the Black Mountain Old Demon had succeeded in attacking Yuan Jun's Nascent Soul. Otherwise, she would have had to use another replacement talisman. Those were very precious to create, and she didn't have many left. Saving one would be ideal.
The Grand Elder, who had assumed Su Xi was in grave danger, was utterly perplexed by the scene before him, unable to comprehend what had happened to Yuan Jun. Why had he stopped attacking and started… dancing awkwardly? There was no music, making it particularly awkward. Should he be kind and start singing himself? If Yuan Jun knew the Grand Elder's thoughts at this moment, he would surely jump up in fury and curse, "You call this dancing awkwardly, old man? I'm in pain! Are you blind? Can't you see?"
The Black Mountain Old Demon knew that opportunities were fleeting and ate with extreme speed, especially when consuming a Nascent Soul stage Nascent Soul, which was even faster. "Speed is of the essence" perfectly described its situation. Facing the Black Mountain Old Demon's speed, Yuan Jun had no time to mount any defense. Even if he had a defensive method, he couldn't employ it now. After all, attacks originating from the Nascent Soul were few and far between, and ordinary people had no chance to experience them. Although he had mastered some secret arts, he couldn't use them.
"No, let go of me quickly," Yuan Jun cried out in pain, his anger barely concealed. In just a moment, a significant portion of his Nascent Soul had vanished. If the Black Mountain Old Demon continued like this, he would be completely finished. Losing his Nascent Soul would leave him a mere walking corpse.
But the Black Mountain Old Demon, having found an opportunity to devour the Nascent Soul, had no intention of letting go easily. Its sole thought was to consume more. It bit and tore at Yuan Jun with all its might. In a short while, more than half of his Nascent Soul had been torn away. Deprived of the support of his Nascent Soul, Yuan Jun's face turned pale within moments, and his Nascent Soul stage cultivation began to plummet.
He knew that if this continued, he would not survive. Thus, he no longer sought revenge and only wished to escape this place as quickly as possible. Once his strength was restored, he would deal with Su Xi and the others.
However, Su Xi, having decided to act, would not let him escape. Not eradicating the root of the problem was the greatest risk. "If you don't cut down the grass, the spring breeze will make it grow again." With this thought, she drew her God-Slaying Sword and unleashed the Solar Divine Bird, preparing to press her advantage.
The Solar Divine Bird let out a clear cry and charged towards Yuan Jun. Its most important task now was to capture him. It had been confined for too long and was itching for action. The Solar Divine Bird moved with incredible speed, quickly apprehending Yuan Jun. Faced with the Solar Divine Bird, Yuan Jun's face turned ashen with surprise. With his cultivation now depleted, how could he possibly contend with the Solar Divine Bird?
The Solar Divine Bird let out another clear cry, displaying its immense power. The Black Mountain Old Demon, which was still devouring Yuan Jun's Nascent Soul, was startled by the cry. It was in a soul form, how could it withstand the Solar True Fire? If it came into contact with even a little, it would turn to dust. However, it was unwilling to give up the prize within its grasp so easily. It quickly took another bite from the Nascent Soul and flew away.
"Roar!"
The moment the Solar Divine Bird made contact with Yuan Jun, Yuan Jun instantly turned to dust, unable to even let out a scream. The Black Mountain Old Demon, witnessing this, breathed a sigh of relief, feeling it had escaped just in time. Otherwise, it would not have made it. At the same time, it felt a sense of luck. If Su Xi hadn't decided to unleash the Solar True Fire now, it wouldn't be standing here, having already perished.
The Grand Elder, who had thought he was doomed, was astonished to see his victory come so quickly, his expression a mixture of disbelief and confusion. How could Su Xi, also a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage, be so powerful?
After dispatching Yuan Jun, Su Xi approached the Grand Elder. Although the immediate problem was resolved, there was still an issue she had not fully understood. Without clearing this up, she couldn't rest easy. Yuan Jun witnessed all this and dared not be careless. Su Xi was now an existence he absolutely could not afford to offend.
Su Xi was surprised by the Grand Elder's rapid change in attitude, but she didn't dwell on it. Cooperation was the best outcome. She directly asked the question that was on her mind, "While at the Yuan family, did you discover anything they were doing?" As a worshiped elder of the Yuan family, the Grand Elder surely had access to many secrets. Finding out what Yuan Jun and the others were up to would be most direct and convenient by asking her.
Upon hearing Su Xi's question, the Grand Elder's brow furrowed with thought, and she began to recall any strange occurrences she had witnessed. After some deliberation, she spoke, "I usually just focused on my cultivation and didn't truly pay attention to everything. However, there was one rather peculiar matter that I did notice."
Su Xi's eyes lit up at the Grand Elder's words, eager to know what this peculiar matter was. The Grand Elder recollected herself, organized her thoughts, and then said, "On the fifteenth of every month, Yuan Jun would make all the Yuan family members leave the estate and only allow them to return the next morning, under the guise of 'rest.' At the time, I didn't think much of it, as I was cultivating. But thinking back now, it's truly abnormal."
Hearing the Grand Elder's words, Su Xi immediately recognized the abnormality. Normal people wouldn't act like this. The only explanation was that something must have happened within the Yuan estate on those nights, something that couldn't be seen by others, hence the expulsion of everyone. Understanding this, Su Xi said, "Tomorrow is the fifteenth. Perhaps we should wait a little longer. We're bound to discover something."
"Alright," the Grand Elder replied, glancing at Su Xi. For her, since Su Xi had made up her mind, there was no room for refusal. Obedience was her only path to survival. Although she knew this secret was important and discovering it would put her life in danger, she also understood that refusing Su Xi would lead to even greater peril. After much consideration, she could only agree to Su Xi's request.
With the decision made, Su Xi and her companions quickly cleaned up any traces of their presence at the scene, leaving no indication of any abnormality. After all, since the Yuan estate was usually empty every time, their current absence would be perfectly justifiable.
Having completed this, Su Xi set up a formation and waited within it with her companions. This formation was not overly profound but was capable of isolating all external scrutiny, creating the illusion that the Yuan estate was deserted. No one would see them, and all they would perceive was emptiness.
As night fell, the entire Yuan estate was shrouded in silence. Initially, everything proceeded normally, but as time passed, the sounds around them gradually vanished. The already quiet surroundings became utterly silent. It was as if they had entered a silent space, cut off from all sound. Su Xi, observing this, knew that what they were waiting for was imminent.
Indeed, a sound of footsteps echoed through the silent space, followed by a slightly hoarse voice asking, "Where have the people gone?" Usually, Yuan Jun would have rushed out to greet him early in the morning. Yet, now that he had arrived, no one had appeared. Had Yuan Jun decided to quit, becoming so lax? Just as he was about to start scolding, he heard laughter emanating from the Yuan estate. Not knowing who was laughing, he suddenly saw figures moving in the distance.