The fleeting sense of relief that swept through the canyon was short-lived, snuffed out by a crushing despair.

Dustin kept striking. Each sword light precisely pulverized the reforming crimson energy into finer particles. The sheer destructive force behind his sword aura could have obliterated the soul of any ordinary cultivator, wiping them from existence entirely.

But the vile energy from the humanoid beast refused to stay dead. It clung to the air like an ancient curse, a blight that couldn