The moment Bai Zhiqiu’s voice reached her, a chilling sensation suddenly erupted behind Qian Moyu. It was as if a venomous serpent had fixed its gaze upon her, sending shivers down her spine.
Fortunately, her reactions were swift. The instant she felt the lock-on, Qian Moyu pushed off the city wall with all her might, executing an inverted leap into the air. A black orb of energy whizzed past her beautiful hair, incinerating several strands into ash.
The orb then slammed into the city wall. The sturdy ground instantly corroded, forming a massive, gaping pit. From there, the corruption spread outwards relentlessly, as if imbued with a life of its own.
“What sinister power!”
Qian Moyu conjured a wind blade in her hand, meticulously peeling away the affected area along its edges. She then contained the malevolent magic within a sphere of wind.
“Master! Are you alright? Let me see!”
Yin had intended to hold her back. However, despite her small stature, Bai Zhiqiu forcibly dragged her forward, bringing them both before Qian Moyu.
“I’m perfectly fine!”
Qian Moyu’s brow twitched as she watched her disciple’s hands patting her up and down. “Speaking of which, how did you even get here?”
“It was Sister Gu Nian! She told me you might be in danger! But now that Master is safe, I’m relieved!”
Seeing Qian Moyu unharmed, a flicker of relief washed over Bai Zhiqiu. Just moments ago, she had witnessed the orb graze past Qian Moyu’s head with her own eyes.
“Don’t worry! It’s nothing major! You should have more faith in your Master’s strength! However, that little bug lurking in the shadows will certainly pay the price for this!”
The wind had just brought her a message: the little bug had returned to the Cloud Whale. This time, however, she wasn’t cowering within the palace; instead, she stood atop the Cloud Whale, gazing directly at the entire Xuan Guan.
“Tsk! Being looked down upon like this is truly irritating! Little Zhiqiu, be careful yourself!”
With that, a gust of wind erupted beneath Qian Moyu’s feet, lifting her to a position level with Motong. “As you wished, I’m here to help you!”
“But what I needed was for you to kill that Spirit Controller *before* coming to help me! It seems we’re far from reaching that expectation.”
Motong’s lips twitched slightly, sensing that the current situation had only grown more dire.
“No choice then! We’ll just have to push through! It’s only a matter of slaying a few Sunwheel-tier beings; if Sir could hold Nandu back then, there’s no reason we can’t do the same.”
With that declaration, Qian Moyu unleashed her magical power once more. Immediately, fierce winds surged forth like razor blades, slicing a vast horde of low-tier beasts into thin pieces.
****
“Can Master truly handle this?”
Bai Zhiqiu watched the figure standing atop the Cloud Whale, his black robes fluttering wildly in the gale. Dark blood continuously streamed from his eyes.
“This… it’s hard to say…”
Yin observed for a few seconds, her brow furrowed. “That Man in Black’s aura is extremely strange right now! It’s brimming with decay!”
“It seems a major problem is brewing, but he shouldn’t be able to threaten your Master and her allies yet.”
Listening to Yin’s words, Bai Zhiqiu nodded slightly.
“Little demoness? What are you doing here? And this is… the Blood Emperor?”
When Yan Qingzhu first saw Bai Zhiqiu, her face was wreathed in smiles. However, the moment her gaze fell upon the white-furred, unidentified flying object beside Bai Zhiqiu, her smile instantly froze, turning as cold as a winter wind.
“Yan Qingzhu! Listen to me explain! Yin is a good person!”
As Bai Zhiqiu tried to clarify to Yan Qingzhu, she grumbled inwardly at Yin: ‘[You idiot, why aren’t you using your spirit form?]’
“I was too busy eating just now! Hehe!”
Yin awkwardly patted her small head.
“Oh? Then I’d like to hear what’s going on with you two.”
Upon hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s explanation, Yan Qingzhu’s expression softened slightly, yet her eyes remained fixed on Yin with undisguised hostility.
“What’s going on with me, you… Mph… Mph…”
Before Yin could utter any more potentially damaging words, Bai Zhiqiu decisively clamped a hand over her mouth. She genuinely feared the little one would irrevocably offend Yan Qingzhu!
“She just… she’s parasitic within me, and I’m her master now, completely under my control! There’s no danger, I promise!”
Bai Zhiqiu hastily explained to Yan Qingzhu, her eyes darting towards the knife Yan Qingzhu was subtly reaching for.
She truly feared that if she was a moment too late, Yin would be chopped into mincemeat. Then, her precious Yin would turn into ‘Yin-sauce’!
“Mph! Who recognized you as my master! Don’t just…”
Yin struggled free from Bai Zhiqiu’s grasp, only to be suppressed once more just as she was about to speak.
“Just say less! I really don’t want to see you turned into bat-paté!”
“Any issues can be discussed after this is all over. Our immediate priority is to deal with the Xuan Guan beasts! Be wary of that black-robed man’s magic; his power is extremely peculiar!”
Upon hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s words, Yan Qingzhu nodded, and the knife in her hand returned to its sheath.
“His magic is filled with an aura of decay, and its abilities are similar to the Poppy we encountered… No! This seems to be death itself?”
Yan Qingzhu quickly detected the anomaly within that magical energy. It wasn’t merely causing things to wither; it was directly ushering them into death.
“Death?”
Hearing Yan Qingzhu’s words, Bai Zhiqiu’s heart sank.
Withering, at least, had a process. But death could genuinely be accomplished in an instant! The situation seemed to have become even more urgent!
“Is there no way to counteract him?”
Bai Zhiqiu asked, her voice laced with worry.
Just moments ago, she had witnessed Qian Moyu’s arrows, under the property of “death,” instantly turn into nothingness. How could this be called mere death? It was outright elimination.
“Of course there is! And it’s right by your side!”
No sooner had the words left her lips than Gu Nian’s figure materialized before the three of them.
“Sister Gu Nian? Why have you returned?”
Bai Zhiqiu asked, her gaze filled with curiosity as she looked at the returning Gu Nian.
“Naturally, there were still some matters left unfinished. My guess was correct; the true mastermind behind the Spirit Controller is indeed him!”
Having said this, Gu Nian’s eyes lifted to the sky, a hint of bloodthirsty madness flickering within their depths. “He absolutely must die!”
“Miss Gu Nian! Appearing at our Xuan Guan so casually seems a bit… presumptuous, wouldn’t you say?”
Yan Qingzhu stepped forward, confronting Gu Nian. The knife in her hand vibrated with a faint hum, and even golden flames began to emanate from her form.
“I’m here to tell you how to deal with him! As I just said, the solution is right beside you.”
With that, Gu Nian looked towards Bai Zhiqiu.
“Sister Gu Nian! What method are you talking about? What do you need me to do?”
The moment Gu Nian’s eyes met hers, Bai Zhiqiu understood her meaning.
“Actually, the method is quite simple. As long as we have someone who wields the authority of death, and they reach Sunwheel-tier strength, we can completely suppress his authority!”
“Nonsense! The little demoness hasn’t even reached Brightmoon-tier yet, let alone Sunwheel-tier!”
“Of course there’s a way; this is a characteristic unique to Higanbana…”