Chapter 16

"What? Those are... Soul-Calming Nails?"

"Impossible! How could four of them appear at once?"

"Is this some kind of secret technique or martial skill?"

The entire audience erupted into a wave of astonishment, their expressions filled with disbelief.

Among the crowd, the more experienced cultivators, particularly Elder Su, began to sense something unusual. Elder Su stared blankly at the Soul-Calming Nails floating above Luo Tian's head, as if he had been struck by lightning.

"I spent over a month preparing an array and burning wandering souls, barely managing to form a single Soul-Calming Nail. Yet he... casually summoned four of them?"

Elder Su's heart churned violently. He could clearly tell that Luo Tian's Soul-Calming Nails were the real deal, far superior in power to his barely stable one.

"Roar—"

The malicious spirit in the air also sensed the danger. Red light flared wildly in its eyes, and its body tensed like a drawn bow. As a spiritual entity, it was impervious to ordinary attacks, but Soul-Calming Nails were an entirely different matter.

"A malicious spirit, is it?" Luo Tian said coldly, his gaze sharp. "I'll give you one chance: leave Diming Sect now and never return, and I will spare your life."

Whoosh—

The malicious spirit roared and lunged at Luo Tian.

"You don't appreciate kindness? Then you'll face punishment!" Luo Tian frowned slightly and flicked his fingers.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

The four Soul-Calming Nails shot out, piercing through the air directly toward the malicious spirit.

Boom!

A powerful shockwave erupted in the sky as the malicious spirit's body was instantly punctured with four large holes.

"This... how is this possible?"

Elder Su's eyes widened, his heart pounding wildly. His Soul-Calming Nail struggled even to suppress the spirit, yet Luo Tian's easily tore through its spiritual body. The disparity between them left him feeling utterly defeated.

The Diming Sect members were equally stunned. Elder Su, the most powerful spirit master in Ye Feng Nation, had failed utterly, while this Luo Tian—just who was he?

"Roar—"

The malicious spirit let out a wailing cry of agony. For the first time, it had suffered such grievous injuries and seemed visibly flustered.

"Don't let it escape into the earth veins!" Elder Huang shouted urgently. "If it does, forcing it out again will be nearly impossible!"

Luo Tian had already anticipated this. With precise hand gestures, two of the Soul-Calming Nails sealed off the spirit's escape routes, while the remaining two pursued it relentlessly.

"This creature is elusive, and four Soul-Calming Nails might not be enough to completely trap it," the Diming Sect's sect master muttered, frowning deeply. "With one more, perhaps its retreat could be fully blocked."

Elder Su took a deep breath, then slowly stood up. "Prepare a Revival Pill for me. I will assist this master with all my strength."

"What? Elder Su is going to step in?"

The sect members were stunned. Elder Su, with his revered status, actually referred to Luo Tian as "master"?

Elder Su's disciple rushed forward to stop him. "Master, your soul power is already depleted! Forcing yourself to act will damage your foundation irreparably!"

Elder Su shook his head. "No! Four Soul-Calming Nails won't be enough to kill it. I must intervene. Consider this my penance for my earlier disrespect. Even if my soul power never recovers, it is a price I am willing to pay!"

His words left everyone speechless, and even Luo Tian cast him a sidelong glance, smiling faintly. "This man... is quite interesting."

Luo Tian then waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need for you to intervene. If four Soul-Calming Nails are insufficient, then I'll summon four more."

Before anyone could react, four additional Soul-Calming Nails materialized above Luo Tian's head.

"What?"

The crowd gasped in utter disbelief.

Four Soul-Calming Nails were already shocking beyond measure, but Luo Tian had nonchalantly conjured four more! What kind of soul power was this?

"Die!" Luo Tian growled. The eight Soul-Calming Nails streaked through the air in unison, stabbing toward the malicious spirit.

"Roar—"

The spirit shrieked in terror, darting in every direction, only to find every escape route blocked by the Soul-Calming Nails. It was cornered, its evasive maneuvers growing increasingly desperate.

The Soul-Calming Nails moved like streaks of lightning, each strike forcing the spirit into a narrower space. Its cries of agony echoed through the air, as it became clear that its demise was inevitable.

In just a few breaths, the evil spirit had been struck multiple times by Luo Tian's Soul-Suppressing Nails, its aura visibly weakening.

"What a formidable evil spirit! To withstand an assault from eight Soul-Suppressing Nails… No wonder our sect suffered such heavy losses!"

The members of the Diming Sect were astonished, their faces filled with disbelief.

Elder Su's face was pale, his heart shaken to the core.

"I can't believe it. This evil spirit is far more resilient than I expected! And to think I arrogantly claimed I could vanquish it myself. How shameful…"

He now fully understood that his soul power was no match for the evil spirit. Without Luo Tian's intervention, he would have undoubtedly met his end today.

Luo Tian's strength far exceeded his imagination—effortlessly controlling eight Soul-Suppressing Nails!

Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying!

However, Luo Tian frowned as he observed that the nails had yet to finish off the evil spirit. His tone grew impatient.

"You little pest, still dodging? Fine, let's see how long you can keep this up! Soul-Suppressing Nail, Soul-Suppressing Nail, Soul-Suppressing Nail…"

With a fierce glare, Luo Tian spread his hands apart, summoning new Soul-Suppressing Nails as if they cost him nothing, hurling them toward the evil spirit in waves.

"This…"

Everyone present was dumbfounded.

"Eight… sixteen… twenty… thirty…"

As more and more Soul-Suppressing Nails filled the air, the crowd was utterly stupefied.

Are those even Soul-Suppressing Nails anymore?

Elder Su's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Condensing just one Soul-Suppressing Nail had taken everything he had, yet Luo Tian… seemed to be mass-producing them like a merchant in bulk!

"Enough, sir! The evil spirit has already been annihilated!"

Elder Su finally snapped out of his daze and called out to remind him.

By now, the space above was packed with over a hundred Soul-Suppressing Nails, sealing every corner. The evil spirit had long been obliterated under the relentless barrage, leaving not even a trace behind.

Strictly speaking, it hadn't been nailed to death—it had been smashed to death.

"Huh? It's over?"

Hearing this, Luo Tian casually waved his hand, retracting his soul power.

"Tch, such a pesky little thing!" he muttered nonchalantly, his tone even tinged with disdain.

The crowd: …

Pesky?

This might just be the most wronged evil spirit in history!

The Diming Sect's sect master hurried forward, his face full of reverence. "Many thanks to you, sir, for ridding our sect of this great calamity! May I ask your honorable name? The entire Diming Sect will forever remember your kindness!"

He wasn't joking—an expert of this caliber couldn't be overlooked. Moreover, after witnessing Luo Tian's overwhelming strength, the sect master had already resolved to cling tightly to this "golden thigh"!