Realm of the Night God

Yang Haoran was not only wary of Zhong Siyu, but also quite apprehensive of her strength.

Even before opening the heaven soul, Zhong Siyu was already a formidable presence among malevolent spirits. Now, her power had noticeably increased.

Due to Zhong Siyu, Yang Haoran successfully opened the heaven soul and absorbed the power contained in several Death Mark Seals. However, Zhong Siyu also gained multiple Death Mark Seals and devoured the souls of Deng Feng and Duda. Even Duda's guardian yin spirit became her nourishment.

Since then, he had already refined the Death Mark Seals within his body. Given his capability, Yang Haoran believed Zhong Siyu could achieve the same.

As for the extent of Zhong Siyu's current strength, Yang Haoran was unsure. He could only speculate from the intense Yin Qi emanating from her.

Despite Waning Moon's attack splitting Zhong Siyu's transformed Yin Qi in two, she appeared unharmed. In this moment, Yang Haoran's mind was filled with various thoughts and speculations. However, he maintained a calm demeanor, masking his inner emotions with a trademark smile.

"Long time no see. Your strength has improved significantly," Yang Haoran said, trying to avoid showing hostility as much as possible. He knew provoking this madwoman could be dangerous, and he wanted to avoid triggering her into a killing frenzy.

"I've not only improved a lot, but my current strength has surpassed your imagination. But well, you're not bad yourself, stronger than I initially thought," Zhong Siyu replied with a sly smile. She didn't make a move against Yang Haoran and seemed unfazed by his sudden attack.

Natural-born malevolent spirits like Zhong Siyu harbored intense resentment, madness, and bloodlust. They were not easy to deal with, even without provocation. Zhong Siyu's behavior, though abnormal, went unnoticed by her. Yang Haoran, on the other hand, understood the unique treatment he received was due to the enchantment technique.

Despite not attacking Yang Haoran, Zhong Siyu didn't exhibit strong fondness for him. After her remark, she lost interest in Yang Haoran and turned her gaze toward the malevolent spirit man's location.

Both the malevolent spirit man and Deputy Captain Zhou had noticed Zhong Siyu's presence. The malevolent spirit man, sensing Zhong Siyu's terrifying aura, wanted to pause and assess the situation, but Deputy Captain Zhou relentlessly attacked him, seemingly in a frenzy.

With one arm severed and his flesh riddled with holes from the Copper Coin Sword, the malevolent spirit man faced impending doom in Deputy Captain Zhou's hands.

Shocked and furious, he hadn't anticipated Deputy Captain Zhou's strength. Just as he was about to unleash a powerful move, he sensed an extreme danger. After repelling Deputy Captain Zhou's attack, he looked in the direction of the perceived threat and saw a pair of crimson eyes.

As fellow malevolent spirits, his eyes were also red, but compared to the blood-red eyes before him, his eyes seemed pale in comparison.

In the moment he lost focus, Deputy Captain Zhou seized the opportunity. With a flash of golden light, the decaying flesh of the malevolent spirit man was cleaved in two by the Copper Coin Sword.

A mass of Yin Qi emerged from the split body. Without the support of this Yin Qi, the divided flesh instantly turned into powder.

As Yin Qi condensed, the malevolent spirit man reappeared, but now he had no physical body; he was a pure soul body.

Malevolent spirit soul bodies were dense, resembling real flesh, but compared to Zhong Siyu, the malevolent spirit man's soul body fell short.

Zhong Siyu currently appeared almost indistinguishable from a living person, except for the strong Yin Qi entwining her. Without it, discerning whether she was human or ghost would be even more challenging.

As the soul body manifested, the malevolent spirit man felt a surge of anger. After a brief hesitation, he abandoned Deputy Captain Zhou and fled towards the mountain top.

It wasn't that he feared Deputy Captain Zhou. Although he had underestimated Deputy Captain Zhou's strength, in a life-or-death struggle, the outcome was uncertain.

His true fear lay in Zhong Siyu, who had just appeared. Despite being fellow malevolent spirits, Zhong Siyu was far more powerful than him. He was not her match. The reason for considering Zhong Siyu an enemy rather than a friend lay entirely in the gaze she cast upon him—a hungry, wolf-like gaze that only a carnivorous beast would have when spotting flesh and blood.

Zhong Siyu wanted to devour him.

Being a malevolent spirit, if Zhong Siyu consumed him, her strength would surge again, surpassing the effect of consuming ten evil spirits.

Similarly, if he had the chance to devour Zhong Siyu, his power would skyrocket. However, from the current situation, he lacked the opportunity and capability. Hence, he decisively chose to escape.

Surprisingly, he didn't return to the black water pool below; instead, he fled towards the mountain top.

What did this imply?

It indicated that, in the eyes of the malevolent spirit man, the mountain top was far safer than this location. Entering the black water pool would undoubtedly lead to his demise, but successfully fleeing to the mountain top might offer a slim chance of survival.

Although the malevolent spirit man hadn't explored the outside world, he wasn't foolish. In the current situation, if he didn't seek assistance, his soul would undoubtedly scatter.

When Yang Haoran and Deputy Captain Zhou appeared, the malevolent spirit man showed no fear. He even dared to make threats. Yet, with Zhong Siyu's arrival and just a single glance from her, he was terrified, fleeing towards the mountain top without any intention of testing Zhong Siyu's abilities. This vividly demonstrated the intense fear Zhong Siyu instilled in him.

"Thinking of escaping? Dream on!"

Deputy Captain Zhou spoke coldly, preparing to pursue. However, as his body just began to move, a blood-red figure blocked the malevolent spirit man's path.

"I came here today solely for you. If you escape, my trip would be in vain. Do you think I'll let you leave?"