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Chapter 6: Shadow Puppet Gloves
As Ling Xuan fell to the ground, the Elder's sword showed no mercy as it lunged toward her. Ling Xuan was caught off guard and unable to react in time. Ji Zichen immediately leaped down from the hill. Sensing a powerful force approaching from behind, the Elder retracted his sword just in time. Ji Zichen swung the Demon-Slaying Sword, and the two Sharp Swords clashed, sending sparks flying.
At that moment, Jiang Chun shouted, "There are people on the hill!"
Xia Zhoujiang, the bearded man, and a group of professionals he had brought also descended from the hill. The Elder fixed his gaze on Ji Zichen and said, "It's you!"
Ji Zichen pointed his sword at the Elder and stood protectively in front of Ling Xuan. "Is it not shameful to bully a woman with so many people?"
Ling Xuan was half-lying on the ground, her sword fallen beside her. Seeing Ji Zichen's sturdy back, she managed a bitter smile. "Why did you come?"
At this moment, ten remaining soldiers rushed over to protect Ling Xuan. They formed a circle around her and Ji Zichen like a Boundary Wall. Ling Xuan pressed her hand against her injured chest and forced herself to stand up. She picked up her sword, and Ji Zichen scolded her, "Are you an idiot? I told you to stay away from them; why did you go into the woods with them?"
Ling Xuan smiled sadly. "Now I believe what you said is true."
Ji Zichen snorted coldly. "What I said has always been true."
Upon hearing Ji Zichen's words, the Elder frowned and asked, "How did you know we would kill Ling Xuan?"
Ji Zichen was not foolish enough to reveal everything to the Elder. With a calm yet forceful tone, he replied, "If one wants to keep something secret, they must not do it in the first place!"
This was an old saying, and old sayings often held great wisdom.
The Elder glared coldly. "If you could overhear this matter, your skills are indeed impressive."
Jiang Chun stepped forward to stand beside the Elder and said in surprise, "Overhear? There was no one by the stable that day; how could he possibly have overheard anything?"
Zhu Qi looked helplessly at Jiang Chun and said, "Jiang Chun, is this really important right now? Why do you always like to ramble on lately?"
The Elder's gaze was heavy as he peered through the gaps between the soldiers, fixing his eyes on Ji Zichen. "I don't know how you got this information, but I advise you to stay out of it."
Ji Zichen grinned and replied, "I don't think this is just a trivial matter."
Although both sides were on high alert, no one had made a move yet. Mo Cang leaned closer to the Elder and whispered, "What should we do now? They seem intent on protecting Ling Xuan."
The Elder found it strange as well; why would they want to protect Ling Xuan? He knew they were not friends of hers. "I thought this would be easier," the Elder remarked, "but it seems we'll have to exert some effort now."
Before taking action, the Elder wanted to add one more thing. He turned to Ling Xuan with a cold sneer. "Ling Xuan, I didn't expect you to have colluded with the divine beings already. No wonder you refuse to gather Purgatory Souls."
Though injured, Ling Xuan gritted her teeth and coldly laughed. "Elder, your framing isn't very clever. Collecting Purgatory Souls is your responsibility. Just a few days ago, those three criticized you for it. At first, I thought they had become bold, but it turns out they were just trying to provoke me. Elder, we have no grievances; why do you want me dead?"
The Elder smiled. "Want to know why? Then go ask Yama."
With a flick of his wrist, the Elder sent Sharp Sword directly into the encirclement. The blade glinted in the sunlight, blinding one soldier standing nearby. Although his eyes were obscured by the glare, his ears were still functioning; the sound of Sharp Sword filled him with dread. The soldier at the front needed to react quickly, but he did nothing.
The Elder struck first with Sharp Sword, effortlessly stabbing the soldier in front of him. He then pivoted and aimed at another soldier. At that moment, Zhu Qi and his companions also sprang into action. In an instant, Xia Zhou Yu Ren and the soldiers attacked simultaneously. Ji Zichen ignored everyone else because he had already drawn his sword to interrupt the Elder's assault on another soldier.
The Elder executed a graceful turn and killed the two soldiers on his right side, throwing both sides into chaos.
As they clashed, everyone kept moving, looking for opportunities to slay their opponents. Within moments of combat starting, several soldiers had already fallen dead. Despite Ji Zichen and Yu Ren having considerable numbers, they were still no match for the strength of Zhu Qi and his two companions led by the Elder. Zhu Qi wielded Burial Sun Blade and unleashed a move called One Slash Through the Sky.
The soldiers nearby felt a wave of blade energy rush toward them; moments later, they found themselves severed from their bodies.
Xia Zhou threw Eight Desolation Needles while Zhu Qi swung Burial Sun Blade to deflect them, causing them to crash into the mountainside and create a deep hole in the rock face.
Ji Zichen had to admit that these soldiers were indeed brave, and some of them even possessed awareness and skill. However, they were still far inferior compared to Elder and his companions. Elder's killing techniques were swift and efficient; he did not torment the soldiers, ending their lives with a single stroke.
At this moment, several of the professionals also fell. Jiang Chun wielded a dagger; though short, he sliced through the soldiers' chests as easily as cutting through fruit. Jiang Chun was completely consumed by his bloodlust, wildly slashing and hacking at those around him. All he could perceive was the splattering blood, the stench of the dead, and the agonized screams of the wounded and dying.
It was a frenzied slaughter, with no concern for anything else, nor any feelings of guilt. Jiang Chun thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of killing. Elder and Yu Ren displayed exceptional skills; not a single one of them fell, only their enemies continued to drop one after another.
The fear and screams from their opponents seemed to intoxicate them.
At that moment, Zhu Qi let out a muffled groan; he had been struck by Jiang the Bearded with a palm strike and staggered back several steps, glaring fiercely at him. "You still have two moves left!" he spat.
Jiang the Bearded shot a cold glance at Zhu Qi. "This is our divine clan's territory! You have no right to act arrogantly here!"
Zhu Qi sneered coldly. "Come on then!"
Zhu Qi leaped into action, engaging Jiang the Bearded in combat.
Ling Xuan and Ji Zichen were dealing with Elder. Ling Xuan blocked one of Elder's strikes and glanced at Ji Zichen beside him. "Are you capable or not? If you can't handle it, don't push yourself."
Ji Zichen was infuriated. "I'm here to help you! What kind of sarcastic remarks are those? If I hadn't come, you'd already be under his sword as Purgatory Souls!"
Ling Xuan kicked off the ground and lunged at Elder's side with his sword. Elder twisted away while Ji Zichen raised his sword defensively. Elder quickly retreated several steps to avoid their attacks. Ling Xuan stubbornly said, "That was an accident!"
Ji Zichen shot back, "Accident? I warned you beforehand! If you're not as skilled as him, you need to admit it! I didn't expect you to lose control; your skills are looking third-rate now."
In a fit of shame and anger, Ling Xuan retaliated by striking Ji Zichen's Demon-Slaying Sword. "How dare you look at me like that!"
Ji Zichen was taken aback by Ling Xuan's sudden attack and exclaimed in shock, "Have you gone mad?"
Elder felt a mix of anger and amusement. It seemed these two didn't take him seriously at all. "At a time like this, you're still flirting! You really don't know when to quit!"
Ling Xuan furrowed her brows. "Who’s flirting?"
With a flourish, Ling Xuan drew her sword, creating a dazzling display of sword shadows. Elder was on guard, retreating while keeping an eye on Ji Zichen. However, Ji Zichen had drawn her sword and stood still behind Ling Xuan, saying angrily, "If you're so capable, why not take him on alone?"
Seeing Ji Zichen getting worked up, Elder thought to himself, "Good." The pressure from Elder's sword made Ling Xuan feel as if she couldn't catch her breath. Gritting her teeth, she insisted, "If you don’t come help me, it’s your fault! I only struck you because I was caught off guard!"
Ji Zichen didn’t truly want to stand by idly; seeing Ling Xuan gradually falling behind, she could only hold her sword at the ready.
Xia Zhou shouted from the side to encourage the remaining practitioners, "Don’t be afraid of them! Even if they’re strong, they'll tire eventually! We have the numbers; there's no need to fear them!"
Mo Cang cursed back, "A war of attrition? I'm not afraid!"
Zhu Qi wielded the Burial Sun Blade above them as Xia Zhou and Zhu Qi exchanged blows. Xia Zhou's gaze fell heavily on Zhu Qi. "You can still fight back after taking a hit; you’re quite resilient!"
Zhu Qi replied, "That hit was weak and ineffective; how could it hurt me?"
Jiang Chun took advantage of the brief pause in combat to glance at Zhu Qi. He knew Zhu Qi was holding on by sheer willpower; if they didn’t wrap this up quickly, the situation could change again.
Jiang Chun called out, "Elder, we can't waste time here. If we deal with them quickly, we can leave sooner."
Elder understood Jiang Chun's intent and frowned. "No rush! They won't last much longer."
Ignoring Elder's words, Jiang Chun pulled out a silver glove and tucked a dagger into his waistband. Mo Cang's expression changed instantly upon seeing the silver glove. "Jiang Chun! If you dare use that here, I swear I will…!"
Before Mo Cang could finish his threat, Jiang Chun interrupted with a smile. "What are you afraid of? I'm just lending you a helping hand!"
Jiang Chun put on a glove on his right hand, shaping it into a claw. Threads flew out from the glove, resembling a spider web, but these threads were not as fine as a typical spider web; they were about the thickness of half a finger.
With his thumb, index, and middle fingers, Jiang Chun shot out the threads, piercing through Mo Cang, Zhu Qi, and Elder's backs.
The three were immediately pulled back by Jiang Chun, their arms hanging limply like puppets standing before him. Ji Zichen and Yu Ren looked on in confusion. Ji Zichen asked, "What happened to them?"
Ling Xuan quickly warned, "Be careful! Jiang Chun is controlling them with the glove, just like in a shadow play. Their attack power will significantly increase."
Ji Zichen was taken aback. "Controlling people as if they were puppets?"
After a brief moment of shock, Ji Zichen calmed down. Having witnessed many instances of body swapping and similar phenomena, it wasn't too surprising that someone could control others with a glove. Curiosity settled within Ji Zichen as she thought, "This glove must be a magical artifact. However, I've never seen one that can control people like this before."
Jiang Chun looked at everyone with a chilling smile. "I'm about to make my move."
With a flick of his three fingers, the eyes of Elder and the other two turned white, seemingly devoid of any self-awareness. The three launched simultaneous attacks towards Ji Zichen, Xia Zhou, and Jiang Dahuzi.
Xia Zhou immediately ordered the others to retreat while the remaining three soldiers and other professionals hurriedly fell back.
Elder's sword struck towards Ji Zichen and Ling Xuan at an even faster speed than before. Ji Zichen grabbed Ling Xuan's wrist and swiftly retreated three paces. With a sweep of her Demon-Slaying Sword, she deflected Elder's Sharp Sword to the side. The Sharp Sword slid against the stone wall, creating a deep groove without any visible damage to its blade.
Ji Zichen was taken aback. "The blade is sharper than before! What terrifying sword energy!"
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