Darkness swept in like a tide, seemingly swallowing the entire sealing area. The air was thick with the smell of blood. The ground beneath their feet trembled faintly, as if something was struggling beneath the earth.
Lucas tightly gripped his long sword and stood beside the Soul Reaper. He said in a low voice, "Who on earth is she?"
Darlene's face was pale. The light at the top of her staff flickered precariously. "That woman, was she a priestess in the past? But wasn't she already dead?"
The Soul Reaper's gaze was profound. His voice was slow, as if he was recounting a long - buried past. "Her name is Yin Xue. She was originally my companion in the mortal realm... and also my former protector."
"Protector?" Lucas's eyes sharpened, filled with shock and doubt. "Since she was a protector, why was she infected by the power of the nightmare spirit?"
The Soul Reaper was silent for a moment and then began to speak slowly. "Back then, we went to this sealing area together. Using the blood of the priestess as a catalyst, we tried to seal the source of the nightmare spirit underground completely. However, at the last crucial moment of the ceremony, a crack appeared in the seal. To fill the crack, she sacrificed her own flesh and blood to suppress it forcefully. But the power of the nightmare spirit that escaped from the crack eroded her soul..."
He paused slightly, a faint hint of regret appearing in his eyes. "After the seal was completed, her physical body collapsed, but her soul remained. To prevent her from completely falling into darkness, I used my soul - blood to form a talisman seal and forcefully sealed her soul. However, even with my power, I couldn't completely purify the poison of the nightmare spirit in her body."
"So, she didn't die but became a half - human, half - spirit being?" Darlene's tone was complex.
The Soul Reaper nodded slowly. "She hovered between life and death... Half of her was the former her, and half was a continuation of the source of the nightmare spirit."
"Did you know she would come back?" Lucas's gaze was fixed on the Soul Reaper.
"I guessed," the Soul Reaper's eyes drooped slightly, and his voice was tinged with exhaustion. "But I never expected her to recover so quickly."
Boom—
The cracks on the four walls of the sealing hall suddenly widened. The black fog of the nightmare spirit, as black as ink, rushed in, almost engulfing the three of them.
Lucas stopped asking questions. He suddenly raised his sword and cleaved through the oncoming black fog, shouting, "This isn't the time to question the past. The most important thing now is to stop her from awakening the source of the nightmare spirit beneath the seal."
The Soul Reaper nodded. A pale blue soul power emerged in his palm, resisting the invading black fog. "The sealing power hasn't completely collapsed yet. We still have a chance to seal her again."
Darlene immediately chanted incantations. Golden runes flickered like stars in the air, forming a barrier to protect the three of them.
"She's ahead."
Lucas stepped into the depths of the sealing hall first. The long sword in his hand released a faint blue sword qi, tearing through the darkness ahead. However, when they crossed the stone platform, they suddenly stopped.
On the stone platform, Yin Xue sat cross - legged on a black lotus, her eyes closed. In the palm of her hand, she held a black, heart - like nightmare spirit crystal.
The crystal pulsed slowly. With each pulse, the darkness in the sealing hall became even denser.
Yin Xue opened her eyes. Her gaze fell on the three of them, and the corners of her lips curved slightly. "You've come."
"Stop!" Darlene raised her staff, ready to release a spell.
Yin Xue just stood up slowly, caressing the nightmare spirit crystal in her hand. "It's too late. The seal has been broken. I'm just accelerating its revival."
Lucas pointed his sword at Yin Xue and said coldly, "Even if the seal is broken, we won't let you succeed easily."
Yin Xue chuckled. "Succeed? Lucas, you're as naive as you were in the past. Can you mortal - realm cultivators really stop the existence of the nightmare spirit?"
"Fusing with the nightmare spirit is courting death!" Darlene said sternly.
Yin Xue's gaze was deep. She slowly stepped down from the stone platform. "Death? No, the real death... was when the Soul Reaper gave up on me and sealed me here all those years ago."
As she spoke, the nightmare spirit crystal in her palm suddenly shattered, turning into countless black threads that wrapped around her limbs. Her entire figure gradually blurred, as if she was about to merge completely with the darkness.
The Soul Reaper raised his palm. The blue soul power condensed into a talisman seal, trying to cut the black threads. However, Yin Xue's figure disappeared instantly, turning into countless black shadows that swam around the hall.
"Do you think you can stop me? Can you?" Yin Xue's voice echoed from all directions, elusive.
Lucas remained calm. His sword qi, like a swimming dragon, slashed in all directions, cutting down the approaching black shadows one by one. Darlene followed closely behind, chanting incantations continuously to drive the shadows back.
The Soul Reaper stood in front of the sealing statue, his hands clasped together. A complex and profound soul - seal rune emerged in the palm of his hand.
"Although the nightmare spirit is powerful, using soul - blood as a catalyst, we can seal it again," the Soul Reaper murmured in a low voice.
In an instant, the entire sealing hall shook. A huge rune formation slowly rose from beneath the stone platform, emitting a dazzling blue light that temporarily dispelled the darkness around.
However, Yin Xue's figure reappeared in the center of the formation. A sneer hung on her lips. "So, you're finally willing to use your soul - blood?"
The Soul Reaper didn't respond. He just slowly raised his palm. Blue soul - blood dripped from his fingertips and integrate the formation.
Yin Xue's smile gradually faded at this moment. She looked at the Soul Reaper with a complex expression. "Soul Reaper, did you ever regret sealing me?"
The Soul Reaper's gaze trembled slightly. His tone was low. "If possible, I would trade my life for yours."
Hearing this, Yin Xue's expression froze slightly. However, the darkness in her eyes grew deeper. She slowly closed her eyes, and the black shadows turned into a black tide, rushing towards the Soul Reaper.
"Soul - blood sacrifice, seal re - activation!"
The Soul Reaper clasped his hands together. The entire sealing hall was suddenly ablaze with blue light. Huge rune chains shot out from all directions, wrapping Yin Xue's figure layer by layer.
Yin Xue didn't struggle. She just said softly, "Soul Reaper... you've finally killed me."
"I'm not killing you. I'm setting you free," the Soul Reaper replied in a low voice, his eyes filled with a sense of relief and sadness.
The black shadows gradually dissipated, and the sealing formation slowly sank into the ground. The sealing area returned to silence.
The three of them stood where they were. The Soul Reaper closed his eyes for a moment and then said softly, "Everything... is over."
However, Lucas looked at the sealing statue, and a sense of unease welled up in his heart. "Is it really over?"
Beneath the darkness, it seemed that some kind of power was still surging quietly.