William Green nodded, pushed the door open, and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Henry Sutton slowly exhaled, his whole body exhausted to the extreme, drowsy and on the verge of sleep. He turned his head to glance at his cousin, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The antidote was already in hand, but Ethan Woods seemed to need to refine it once more with thunder and fire before the poison could truly be dispelled.

A night's delay would not matter.

Thinking back on tonight's events, it all felt like a dream.

This was the first time he had truly faced things like immortals and ghosts—it had completely overturned everything he knew.

“Five Elements Armor.”

Henry Sutton looked at the luminous pearl before him, his heart filled with joy.

But his injuries weighed on him, and he was utterly exhausted. On top of that, he had long been frail from illness. In just a short while, he fell into a deep sleep.

……

In the courtyard.

William Green escorted Henry Sutton into the meditation room. Only after coming out could he truly see the scene before him.

Looking at the utterly ruined, chaotic courtyard, William Green's eyes showed a look of shock.

“It's truly shocking.” William Green sighed.

“It certainly is. This battle of spells was beyond my expectations.” Ethan Woods said calmly.

“Ethan Woods.” William Green was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

“Hmm?” Ethan Woods raised his brows slightly.

“Judging by your expression earlier…” William Green said in a low voice, “Is there something wrong with Henry Sutton?”

“Henry Sutton…”

Ethan Woods closed his eyes slightly, glanced toward the meditation room, and sighed softly: “This junior will not survive the night.”

Chapter 9: One Slash to Cut Down the Yin Spirit!

“Not survive the night?”

William Green gasped and said, “How could this be?”

Ethan Woods said indifferently, “Do you remember that butterfly from earlier?”

William Green nodded, “Of course I remember. Could the problem be with that butterfly?”

Ethan Woods nodded and said, “Exactly that butterfly.”

After a pause, Ethan Woods continued, “In the Gu Dao of the Northern Region, there is a kind of Gu insect, which is a larva. Once it matures, it can split into nine, known as the Nine-Spirit Butterfly.”

“Nine-Spirit Butterfly?” William Green pondered, “But wasn't that evil person already executed?”

“But this Nine-Spirit Butterfly did not belong to that person.” Ethan Woods said gravely, “To control the Nine-Spirit Butterfly, one must be a person of high attainment, with extraordinary cultivation. In Daoist terms, most likely someone who has formed a Yin Spirit. Otherwise, they would not be able to split their spirit and control the Nine-Spirit Butterfly.”

William Green gasped, “A person of high attainment?”

Ethan Woods looked solemn, “Exactly.”

A person of high attainment is one above all others.

Human strength has its limits, but the Way of Heaven is boundless.

It is said that in martial arts, there are three levels. The highest is called the Grandmaster of Martial Arts, who has reached the limits of the human body—able to split stones and tear apart cattle and horses, having fully tapped into the body's potential.

But when martial arts reach the third level, the limit of the human body, that is also the end of the peak.

However, those who cultivate the Dao follow the path of immortality, not human strength but the Way of Heaven, and can break through this limit.

It is said that those who break through this boundary have transcended the limits of the human body and are no longer ordinary people. They are called those above men, with greatly increased lifespans and profound abilities, their methods unfathomable even to ghosts and gods.

“Such a person has already transcended the mundane, truly extraordinary. With my meager cultivation, I am no match.” Thinking of this, Ethan Woods couldn't help but sigh.

“No matter how powerful, the Nine-Spirit Butterfly was destroyed by you.” William Green said respectfully.

“It was indeed by luck that I destroyed it. Otherwise, if the Nine-Spirit Butterfly had escaped, at midnight tonight, the butterflies would sense each other, and that person of high attainment would know everything.” Ethan Woods seemed somewhat relieved.

“Then now…” William Green thought of Henry Sutton, pondering for a moment.

“Now that the Nine-Spirit Butterfly has been destroyed by me, that person of high attainment cannot learn what happened tonight, and the temple is safe. However, the ashes fell on Henry Sutton, and through his eyes, seeped into his body. Tonight, he is most likely beyond saving.”

Ethan Woods exhaled and sighed, “That man in black was probably a direct disciple of that master. Otherwise, he would not have possessed such a precious Nine-Spirit Butterfly.”

Thinking about it, Ethan Woods couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. He had thought it was just an unruly practitioner of the heterodox path, and that defeating him would be enough. He hadn't expected that behind the man in black was such a powerful backer—someone who had cultivated a Yin Spirit and transcended the limits of the human body.

Had he known earlier that there was a person of high attainment behind the man in black, someone who had cultivated a Yin Spirit, he would have had to think twice before taking action.

“No matter what, at least I destroyed the Nine-Spirit Butterfly.”

As Ethan Woods said this, he glanced again toward the meditation room, and sighed with regret, “It's just a pity about that young man.”

William Green asked, “Is there no way to save him?”

Ethan Woods shook his head slightly, “I used thunder magic to destroy the Nine-Spirit Butterfly, but the ashes still retain some spiritual nature. That person of high attainment who has cultivated a Yin Spirit can use these ashes to send a wisp of Yin Spirit. Although it's only a wisp and can't do much, it is still a method of one above men, far beyond what I can handle.”

After a pause, Ethan Woods sighed, “I'm afraid that by tomorrow, Henry Sutton will never wake again.”

When the Yin Spirit enters, it will surely extinguish Henry Sutton's soul.