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墨書 Inktalez
A woman with an enchanting appearance approached He Guannan with a sly smile on her face.
The gaze she wore was the same one He Guannan had seen earlier. As the woman slowly walked toward him, his first instinct was to run. However, apart from his head, his body was paralyzed; he struggled to move his legs and arms, but they remained as still as if they were submerged in water, and he couldn't even make a sound. He looked up at the woman closing in on him, and for a brief moment, their eyes met. Her gaze held a glint of cunning, and he thought to himself that his inability to move must be her doing.
The woman drew nearer to He Guannan. As she approached, his heart raced, and his nerves tightened to their breaking point; he could only watch helplessly as she came closer.
Suddenly, a short sword fell from above, plunging into the ground before He Guannan. A formation appeared instantly on the ground, expanding around his feet. In the next moment, the stiffness in his body vanished, and he regained feeling in his limbs.
Seeing the formation's perimeter stop at her feet, the woman halted her advance. She cast a quick glance at Pei Huaizhi, who had been lurking in the shadows casting spells, and scoffed, "I almost forgot about you." As soon as she spoke, the formation beneath her enveloped her completely. Meanwhile, He Guannan stood outside the formation, his hands forming seals as he rapidly changed gestures while chanting, "Dui Ze, countless golden threads."
As his voice fell, countless golden threads wrapped around the woman, binding her hands and feet so she could not move. Seizing the opportunity, Pei Huaizhi activated the formation. The array on the ground emitted a golden light that spread from beneath the woman's feet up to her calves; the areas touched by the golden light began to petrify. The woman looked down at her stone-encased legs and coldly remarked, "A petrification formation."
In an instant, a wave of pressure erupted from within her body, creating a whirlwind that swept through the hall and sent three statues tumbling half over. Other small objects spun wildly in the air while He Guannan and Pei Huaizhi clung tightly to nearby stable structures to avoid being swept away by the fierce wind.
The wind grew stronger, so powerful that it threatened to tear off the roof of the hall. He Guannan clung to a pillar, squinting against the gusts that stung his eyes. He glanced toward where the woman had stood moments ago but saw no trace of her. Just as he was about to voice his concern about "the Evil Spirit disappearing," a flying tile struck him in the face with a sharp pain that shot through his skull and forced him to bite back his words. Instead, he muttered aloud, "Old Pei, she's gone."
After a moment of silence without a reply, He Guannan squinted toward Pei Huaizhi, who was gripping onto a window ledge. The other man was there but seemed completely oblivious to what He Guannan had just said. The howling wind was so intense that it snatched away any sound he tried to make. Increasing his volume, he shouted again, "Old Pei! Old Pei! Can you hear me?"
Pei Huaizhi couldn't catch what he was saying but noticed He Guannan's lips moving and assumed it must be something important. Yet with the wind roaring around them, any words spoken were drowned out.
Suddenly remembering that he had a communication talisman on him—and that He Guannan had one too—Pei Huaizhi wasted no time pulling out his talisman. As he recited the incantation aloud, he watched as it vanished from his hand in an instant. Immediately after, the surrounding winds began to diminish until they ceased altogether; everything returned to an eerie calmness that felt unsettling.
He couldn't pinpoint why it felt strange; all he knew was that this sudden shift made him uneasy and heightened his alertness. Suddenly recalling He Guannan's presence again, he rushed over to where He Guannan had been holding onto the pillar and searched around it for any sign of him but found nothing. Frantically searching throughout the hall while calling out, "Guannan! Where are you?"
After several calls without response and seeing only crumbling walls and shattered floors around him—nothing large enough left to hide a person—he glanced at his Locator on his left wrist. It only displayed one red dot: himself. A wave of intense anxiety washed over Pei Huaizhi as he feared for He Guannan's safety and dreaded what might have happened.
With one hand gripping his short sword and the other igniting flames for light, he continued searching for any sign of He Guannan. Just as he was about to head toward the back courtyard of the temple, the Locator suddenly beeped. Raising his hand quickly to check it revealed another red dot appearing behind him; without hesitation, he turned and ran toward its location.
He ran through the grand hall and courtyard, finally bursting out of the main gate. After sprinting a few dozen meters to the right, he arrived at the location marked by the red dot. There, he found He Guannan lying in a messy pile of grass. A wave of relief washed over him, but as he got closer, he noticed that He Guannan's face was ashen, resembling someone who had long since passed away. This sight made his nerves tighten suddenly; his heartbeat and breathing gradually synchronized, each rise and fall echoing his inner anxiety and unease.
His fingers trembled slightly as he reached toward He Guannan's mouth and nose to check for breath. Feeling the warmth of breath against his fingertips, he finally exhaled in relief. He called out a few times and even patted He Guannan's face, but there was no response.
Before he could ponder the reason for this, a chilling howl pierced the night sky. In the dark woods, pairs of glowing red eyes flickered to life. A creature resembling a mouse, over two feet tall and covered in white fur, slowly emerged from the forest. Pei Huaizhi squinted to get a better look at this creature.
As soon as he recognized it, a chill ran down his spine as familiar scenes flooded his mind.
It was a Fire Mouse.
Fire Mice were ferocious beasts that often preyed on living creatures and were frequently found in shadowy forests. They hunted in packs like wolves, with a leader coordinating their attacks. The only difference was that Fire Mice could spit out a sticky liquid with strong corrosive properties akin to sulfuric acid. Very few prey managed to escape once targeted by them. Pei Huaizhi knew all too well about Fire Mice because he had been bitten by one during the "West Lake Demon Incident." If not for someone rescuing him back then, he wouldn't be standing here now.
One after another, Fire Mice emerged from the woods, baring their teeth and surrounding Pei Huaizhi, poised to attack. Slowly rising to his feet, Pei Huaizhi's eyes flashed with a cold glint as he gripped his short sword tightly. Suddenly, one of the Fire Mice lunged at him with its jaws wide open. Before its sharp teeth could reach him, he kicked it away. The remaining Fire Mice became even more aggressive, their red eyes glinting with malice as they all charged at him.
Seeing so many Fire Mice attacking simultaneously, Pei Huaizhi immediately took to the air on his sword, darting back and forth while accurately stabbing at their necks. Seven or eight Fire Mice fell in quick succession while he positioned himself protectively in front of He Guannan to prevent any from getting close.
The lead Fire Mouse seemed to sense Pei Huaizhi's intentions and signaled to its companions with its eyes. Understanding their leader's command, they charged straight at He Guannan. To protect him, Pei Huaizhi wielded his short sword to slay the attacking Fire Mice one after another. But for every group he defeated, another would come rushing in, spitting out their corrosive liquid at him. Fortunately, he had set up a protective barrier around them beforehand, which prevented the liquid from causing harm. However, maintaining both the sword control and reinforcing the barrier drained a significant amount of his spiritual energy.
Moreover, Fire Mice grew stronger in numbers; they rarely let go of their prey once they had locked onto it. Their relentless attacks wore on for an extended period, causing Pei Huaizhi’s spiritual energy to deplete rapidly.
After half an hour of fighting, Pei Huaizhi noticed that the number of attacking Fire Mice had significantly decreased—from dozens at first to just a handful now. Sensing that his energy was nearly exhausted, he recalled his short sword and reinforced the protective barrier one last time before sitting down to recuperate.
The remaining few Fire Mice continued to batter against the barrier with loud thuds echoing through the air. At this moment, Pei Huaizhi closed his eyes in meditation, focusing on calming his mind and sensing the spiritual energy around him before drawing it into his body.
Not long after he began absorbing spiritual energy, He Guannan suddenly opened his eyes behind him and sat up straight. However, upon waking up, his gaze was vacant and unfocused. Then he pulled out a dagger from within his clothes and aimed it at Pei Huaizhi's back. Sensing danger to his master, the short sword immediately moved to block the dagger.
The sudden movement of the short sword startled Pei Huaizhi from his meditation.
He immediately turned around and saw He Guannan standing straight in front of him, his eyes filled with joy and surprise. Having confirmed that He Guannan was dead, how could he not feel happy at this sudden turn of events? He took a step towards He Guannan, but the dagger in He Guannan's hand swiftly slashed towards Pei Huaizhi's throat. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, retracting his neck and ducking back to avoid the blade. Seizing the opportunity as the dagger's momentum faltered, he pushed back to counter and seized He Guannan's arm, attempting to wrest the dagger away. However, He Guannan was equally agile and executed the same maneuver to escape from his grasp.
Noticing something was off, Pei Huaizhi scrutinized He Guannan's face and felt a chill run down his spine. He saw that He Guannan's eyes were hollow and his expression cold; compared to before, he seemed like a completely different person—more like a soulless automaton.
As Pei Huaizhi opened his mouth to speak, He Guannan suddenly lunged forward with the dagger, his movements perfectly coordinated. The dagger swept across Pei Huaizhi's body, aiming for arteries and vital points. Pei Huaizhi raised his sword to block, the clash of metal ringing out like brilliant stars in the night sky as sparks flew. At that moment of impact, a powerful surge of spiritual energy erupted from both of them, colliding violently. With a loud bang, their protective barriers shattered into pieces, and a fierce gust of wind tore through everything around them.
During their confrontation, Pei Huaizhi realized that He Guannan now resembled someone under the Puppet Technique. Whether or not it was true, he decided to test it out. He shouted several phrases he believed would provoke a reaction from He Guannan, especially secrets about himself—things he feared most. "He Guannan, I'm going to tell the entire association about your eavesdropping on President and the others!" he yelled. "He Guannan, if you don't wake up soon, you'll lose your salary!" But after saying this, there was no change in He Guannan; his gaze remained unchanged.
If it truly were the Puppet Technique, a few shouts should have elicited some response—unless his soul was bound. That was impossible; binding a soul with Puppet Technique required prior preparation and formations. In such a short time frame, an Evil Spirit couldn't accomplish that.
Pei Huaizhi pondered deeply while parrying another strike with his short sword without fear.
As their weapons clashed and their gazes met, Pei Huaizhi's heart skipped a beat; he kicked He Guannan in the chest to create distance and declared, "You are not him."
He Guannan glanced over with a cold smirk. In the next moment, his appearance shifted to Xie Wanjun's form before reverting back to his original self as he slowly said, "You guessed right; I am indeed not him. I initially thought the fire rats would take care of you, but it seems I underestimated you."
"What have you done to them?"
"Of course, I've killed them all."
Upon hearing this, an intense rage surged within Pei Huaizhi as he charged at him.
At that moment, Fu Sang stood across from a man clad in red. His hair was thick and dark as ink, skin pale as snow, and eyes bright like stars—exceptionally handsome with a hint of delight in his expression. Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept by as he raised his hand to summon the wind; dust and sand clung to his palm. After a moment, he smiled at her and said, "It seems they are about to die. Are you going to catch me or save them?"
Seeing his charming smile without any sign of fear on her face or words from her lips, Fu Sang turned and vanished into the dark forest. She sensed a massive surge of spiritual energy coming from the temple and used her Heavenly Eye to observe inside and outside the temple. She discovered Pei Huaizhi and He Guannan battling fiercely in the courtyard, their wounds bleeding profusely—a situation Fu Sang had not anticipated. In order to stop them quickly, she drew the Shrink Earth Talisman with her bare hands and leaped directly into the temple.
As she arrived just in time to see both men poised to stab each other’s hearts with their weapons, Fu Sang instantly teleported in front of them. With both hands moving simultaneously, she seized their weapons before using Celestial Black Silk to bind He Guannan’s limbs tightly and pull him away from Pei Huaizhi.
Fu Sang quickly subdued Pei Huaizhi, pinning him to the ground. Just as she was about to check his body to understand his erratic behavior, a woman silently appeared behind her, extending her claws towards Fu Sang's head. Sensing the presence behind her, Fu Sang immediately turned and swung her sword, severing the woman's fingers. This sudden movement gave Pei Huaizhi the opportunity to break free.
As soon as he escaped, he charged toward He Guannan. His reckless determination to attack He Guannan made Fu Sang realize that they had likely fallen victim to the Evil Spirit's illusion, each perceiving the other as an enemy in their respective illusions, which drove them to attempt to kill one another.
Deciding to bind Pei Huaizhi again, Fu Sang tied them back-to-back. As she prepared to dispel the illusion for both of them, the woman stealthily launched another attack from behind Fu Sang. Just as she was about to succeed, a force propelled her away. With a series of cracking sounds, the woman's leg bones shattered. Time seemed to freeze until she regained consciousness, finding herself sprawled on the ground. A wave of excruciating pain surged through her body, followed by a piercing scream that echoed into the sky.
The woman glared at Fu Sang with malice, completely taken aback by the young girl's formidable cultivation. If it weren't for her Spirit Pearl protecting her, that force would have crushed her internal organs by now. Leaning against the Spirit Pearl for healing, she worried that Fu Sang might sense its presence. To divert Fu Sang's attention, she decided to speak up: "The illusion I cast can only be undone by me. How about we make a deal? I will release them from the illusion if you let me go."
The claim that only the caster could dispel the illusion was purely a lie; she was gambling on whether Fu Sang would believe her, though it was likely a losing bet.
"You have no right to negotiate with me," Fu Sang replied as she drew blood in the air to create a blood talisman. "Hand over the Spirit Pearl now." The moment the blood talisman flew into Pei Huaizhi's forehead, his limbs ceased moving and his eyes closed.
The woman felt a jolt of panic; how did she know I have a Spirit Pearl? She had concealed its aura meticulously. Regardless of how Fu Sang knew, it was clear from her tone that she would not let her off easily. Even if she surrendered the Spirit Pearl in hopes of being spared, it was unlikely to work. In a few minutes, her leg bones would be reconnected; at that point, she could find an opportunity to escape. If escape proved impossible, she still had a hostage.
After a moment, Pei Huaizhi slowly opened his eyes and saw Fu Sang's face gradually approaching him until they were just a couple of fingers apart. At such close range, he noticed that Fu Sang's gaze was no longer as cold as before; instead, it held a hint of warmth. When he saw her hand reaching out again, he quickly asked, "What do you want?"
Hearing Pei Huaizhi speak made Fu Sang retract her hand. "Looks like you're fine now." She had noticed a shallow wound on his collarbone that was still bleeding and intended to treat it when she saw his rejection and decided against it. She then instructed Celestial Black Silk to release him.
As soon as Pei Huaizhi hit the ground, he felt pain all over his body. When he touched one of his injuries and felt something wet, he realized it was blood. Looking at his arms and legs revealed several wounds of varying sizes; however, they were not bleeding and appeared to be healing slowly—some even had scabs forming. Realizing this meant that Fu Sang must have used her powers to heal him.
At that moment, there was a swift sound slicing through the air as a White Silk darted past him and wrapped around the fleeing woman in intricate knots. Recognizing her immediately as the Evil Spirit, Pei Huaizhi exclaimed, "Where have you hidden Xie Wanjun?"
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