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The sudden turn of events left the crowd on the ground momentarily stunned, their breaths caught in their throats.
But in the next instant, Liu Dong's face lit up with excitement.
They had won—Master had truly won!
The earlier onslaught of ghostly souls had been so fierce that it had made their hearts clench, fearing she might sustain injuries.
Never did they expect this moment of concern to end so quickly. With the battle decided, it was time to settle the rest.
Liu Dong's gaze shifted toward the nearby group of stunned evil cultivators. He couldn't suppress the grin spreading across his face.
He practically shouted his orders.
"Action Team, what are you waiting for? Arrest them!"
"Hahaha, move, move!"
The members of the action team were initially stunned but quickly snapped out of it, their excitement palpable.
Especially Xuan Hui, who had been itching for action while watching Master dominate the battlefield. As soon as Liu Dong gave the command, he charged forward, wielding his sword like a wolf among sheep.
As a Fourth-Rank cultivator and a skilled sword wielder specializing in offensive combat, facing opponents mostly at the Third Rank, Xuan Hui was unstoppable.
"Damn it, damn it! How could Elder Jingming lose?!"
"Where did the Action Team find so many elites? Save me, I don't want to die!"
The fall of the purple-robed Daoist utterly shattered the psychological defenses of the remaining evil cultivators.
Their will to resist was almost nonexistent. After all, the Action Team had a living Sixth-Rank powerhouse on their side—how could they possibly fight back?
Half an hour later…
Liu Dong, his face flushed with satisfaction, stared at the row of shackled evil cultivators on the ground and exclaimed "Good!" three times in a row.
He had already contacted other members of the Action Team, who would arrive soon to conduct a thorough search of the stronghold.
At this moment, he turned to look at Yao Yao, his heart trembling. He never expected her to be capable of slaying even a Sixth-Rank opponent.
The highest-ranking leader in the Action Team was only at the Sixth Rank.
Even such an expert would likely falter under her hands—how could this not leave him awestruck?
"Master, is this Jingming truly dead?"
Looking at the still-warm corpse on the ground, Liu Dong couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
Had they managed to capture him alive, someone of his strength and status would undoubtedly have yielded more valuable information.
But when cultivators of this level fought, unless one side possessed overwhelming power, the outcome was usually life or death.
Yao Yao seemed to read the fat uncle's thoughts. She slowly extended her palm.
A translucent figure, identical to the fallen Jingming, was trapped within her grasp. Realizing its dire situation, the tiny figure struggled in terror—but to no avail.
"This… what is this?"
Liu Dong's eyes widened in shock, unsure of what he was seeing.
Yao Yao replied nonchalantly, "It's Jingming's Yin Spirit."
After reaching the Sixth Rank, Daoist practitioners began to connect with Heaven and Earth, which was why they possessed such immense power.
To communicate with Heaven and Earth required the soul as a catalyst. At the Sixth Rank, cultivators focused on strengthening their spirits.
In Daoist terminology, this spirit was referred to as the Yin Spirit. Upon reaching the peak of the Sixth Rank, the Yin Spirit could detach from the physical body without perishing.
Only then could one seek enlightenment and ascend to the Seventh Rank.
However, even beyond the Seventh Rank, the Yin Spirit remained vulnerable. Once captured, it was essentially at the mercy of its captor.
"Uncle, you now have two options."
"One, I can perform a soul search, which might uncover some information. Or two, you take him back, and your team can try to extract his memories yourselves."
Soul searching was an incredibly delicate process; a single misstep could cause the target's spirit to disintegrate into nothingness.
Yao Yao didn't dare guarantee success. As her master had taught her, one should never promise anything uncertain.
This put Liu Dong in a difficult position. The matter was far too significant. After all, capturing a Sixth-Rank evil cultivator was unprecedented in their department's history.
He lacked the authority to decide and could only say, "Please wait a moment, Master. Allow me to report this to my superiors before giving you an answer."
"Alright!" Yao Yao nodded, then added as a reminder, "Uncle, you'd better hurry—he won't last much longer."
Upon hearing this, Liu Dong wasted no time. He pulled out his phone and dialed his superior.
Due to his earlier report about Master's existence, the higher-ups had granted him direct access to the Minister.
Little did he know this privilege would come in handy so soon!
Once the call connected, Liu Dong skipped pleasantries and directly reported the issue requiring resolution, then waited silently for the verdict.
The person on the other end was clearly stunned, taking a long time to respond.
Just as Liu Dong began to wonder if the line had dropped, a heavy voice finally spoke.
"You're not joking, are you?"
Liu Dong immediately understood—the hesitation wasn't due to a dropped call but disbelief. He forced a bitter smile and replied, "Do I look like someone who'd dare joke about something like this?"
This was the top leadership of their department. Making light of such matters would be akin to courting disaster.
Seemingly realizing the gravity of the situation, the voice on the other end hesitated no further.
"Tell Master to proceed without hesitation!"
"Success or failure makes no difference!"
After all, there was no one in the entire department skilled in soul searching. Even if they brought the Yin Spirit back, what use would it serve?
It was better to let Master take the risk. If she succeeded, it would be a stroke of great fortune, a sign of divine favor.
As for failure?
What failure? They had already eliminated a Sixth-Rank cultivator—an achievement worthy of celebration under any circumstances.
"Understood. I'll relay the message to Master immediately."
Receiving the response, Liu Dong exhaled deeply in relief and hurried over to inform Master of the decision.
Truthfully, he hoped Master would take action. After all, she seemed like an endless abyss—profound and unfathomable.
If there was any chance of uncovering the secrets of the evil cultivators, it rested solely with her.
Hearing this, Yao Yao's small face grew serious. In a crisp voice, she declared, "Then I'll begin."
The longer they delayed, the greater the chances of failure.
With a gentle motion, her tiny hand hovered over the Yin Spirit's head, and her spiritual energy pierced into its essence.
The Yin Spirit immediately began to struggle, but without its physical body to anchor it, its strength dissipated like water without a source. It soon stiffened, losing consciousness and becoming completely docile.
At this moment, Yao Yao began to glimpse streams of information—various hideouts and internal details of the evil cult.
Everything proceeded smoothly until the name "Houzhu" appeared in the Yin Spirit's memories. Suddenly, the Yin Spirit's form began to tremble violently.
Cracks started to appear across its body, resembling a shattered porcelain doll.
Yao Yao's expression changed. She swiftly erected layers of seals around it before flinging the Yin Spirit away.
But before it could travel ten meters, the Yin Spirit's eyes widened in terror, and with a deafening explosion, it burst into a cloud of spiritual energy, like fireworks scattering in the air.
The terrifying aftershock of its spiritual power not only broke through the seals but also forced everyone to retreat hastily.
Yao Yao, however, stood her ground. Her brows furrowed deeply as she stared intently into the void, her posture tense, as if bracing for an impending calamity.
Seeing this, Liu Dong and the others exchanged puzzled looks.
But the next moment, their confusion was replaced by an overwhelming sense of dread.
A chilling shiver ran down their spines, as though they were being watched by something unimaginably terrifying.
For a fleeting moment, they thought they were going to die.
But then, that oppressive gaze gradually receded like a retreating tide, leaving behind only a group of people drenched in cold sweat.
"Master, what was that just now?"
Liu Dong clenched his trembling jaw and turned to the figure standing at the forefront, voicing the question on everyone's minds.
The others, hearing this, all looked over. Clearly, they too wanted to know what had just happened.
But this time, Yao Yao fell silent.
It wasn't that she refused to speak—it was that speaking would serve no purpose. On the contrary, once these people learned the truth, they would likely never sleep soundly again.
That gaze had traversed thousands of miles to descend upon them. Such immense spiritual power and skill were beyond even the Ninth Rank.
In her understanding, there was only one possibility.
That was… the Human Sovereign Realm!