Xie Zhihan flicked her finger, and a streak of red light shot out, instantly aiming for Taoist Yan Qi’s chest.
Simultaneously, Xie Zhihan leaped into the air and fled northward.
However, she had just taken flight when a ghastly Hell materialized in the sky. It descended, enveloped her, and dragged her back down into the small courtyard.
Jing Chun Taoist appeared on the courtyard wall, his hands forming the Emperor Fengdu Heart Seal. He manipulated the Slaughter Prison, trapping Xie Zhihan inside.
Although the Slaughter Prison appeared to be only the size of the courtyard, it had been created with the Pot World technique. Xie Zhihan felt as if she were surrounded by an endless mountain of blades and forest of swords, all stabbing and slashing at her.
Taoist Yuan He appeared opposite Jing Chun Taoist. With a point of his finger, the Pure Yang Flying Sword shot into the Slaughter Prison, transforming into countless threads of sword-light that swept toward Xie Zhihan.
Simultaneously, Taoist Yuan He sensed Xie Zhihan’s Demon Qi Magical Power. His voice turned grave. "She’s from the same sect as that Centipede Spirit!"
"She’s also a disciple of the Six-Headed Divine Monarch?"
With a wave of his hand, Taoist Yan Qi gathered the Five Elements and froze the streak of red light in mid-air. He sensed the dense Demon Qi within it, along with a hint of sweet-smelling, lethal poison.
Xie Zhihan’s expression changed. "You’ve met Wu Qianxing?"
"Wu Qianxing?" Taoist Yuan He chuckled. "Can’t say we know him. We only know he was a disciple of the Six-Headed Divine Monarch, and his true form was a seven-foot-long, giant red centipede."
Xie Zhihan’s expression faltered. ’They even know his true form... In that case, what happened to Wu Qianxing...’
Jing Chun Taoist said flatly, "Because he died before he had the chance to tell us his name."
Xie Zhihan’s form flickered through several transformations as her Demon Qi coalesced. She battered the Slaughter Divine Prison until it trembled on the verge of collapse, yet she ultimately failed to break through. Unable to escape, her heart sank.
She was the same red-robed beauty who had gone to Red Moon Valley. Though her own Dao Practice was inferior to Li Chiwang’s, she was confident that with the top-tier Magical Treasure bestowed upon her by the Six-Headed Divine Monarch, she could seize the opportunity to reclaim the Eye Sword.
However, by the time she arrived, Red Moon Valley and all its people had been annihilated, and the Eye Sword was gone. So, based on the accounts of several eyewitnesses, she headed north to the Central Plains in search of Li Chiwang’s killer.
In fact, the killer who destroyed Red Moon Valley was not hard to find, especially since she could sense the residual water Qi, fire Qi, and Pure Yang True Qi left behind.
Thus, she easily found her way to the gates of Daluo Palace.
And then she was floored.
The stories of Daluo Palace annihilating the Nether Fire Sect, slaying the Ink Flood Dragon, and hunting down Yun Fei’ang had long ago spread throughout the Central Plains.
Each of these three foes was far stronger than she was—and far stronger than Chi Wang Ancestor of Red Moon Valley.
’She couldn’t even defeat Chi Wang Ancestor, so how could she dare to attack Daluo Palace directly?’
So, she lay low in Changping Prefecture, continuing to gather information on Daluo Palace while waiting for an opportunity.
After some time gathering intelligence, she learned that the atmosphere at Daluo Palace was quite relaxed; even many ordinary disciples could go to the storehouse and pick out elixirs and Magical Treasures of their choice.
She guessed the Eye Sword was likely kept in the Daluo Palace storehouse as well. Her plan was to use a potion to control a few Daluo Palace disciples and have them steal the Eye Sword for her.
She worried that casting a spell would leave traces that the experts in Daluo Palace might detect. Therefore, she decided to use a poison produced by her own true form. The only catch was that the victim had to ingest it personally for it to take effect.
She searched for a long time before finally settling on the three before her now. They were masters who had come down from Daluo Palace, their Dao Practice was neither too strong nor too weak, and they looked like they could be Inner Sect Disciples.
But she never expected these three to be so remarkable. Not only did they see through her cover, but they had somehow managed to summon several Elders from Daluo Palace.
You had to admit, she really had a good eye for talent!
Xie Zhihan felt the stinging shame of the hunter becoming the hunted. Surrounded by the three old Daoists, for the moment she was completely unable to break through the Slaughter Divine Prison.
However, once Taoist Yuan He exposed her identity, she knew she couldn’t delay any longer.
With a flip of her hand, Xie Zhihan produced a scroll.
In an instant, a tyrannical and bloodthirsty aura surged from the scroll, shattering the Slaughter Divine Prison. The eight Ghost Generals within the prison shrieked in agony, transforming into black light and flying back into Jing Chun Taoist’s Sea of Consciousness.
Jing Chun Taoist let out a muffled groan and staggered back. He saw Xie Zhihan flying toward him as the scroll in her hand unfurled, swooping down to envelop him.
"Stop!"
"Watch out!"
Taoist Yan Qi channeled his True Qi, instantly enveloping Jing Chun Taoist and pulling him down into the earth.
Taoist Yuan He pointed. His Pure Yang Flying Sword transformed into a Sword Net, intercepting the scroll.
SWOOSH—
With a soft sound, the scroll swept over the Sword Net. It paused for just a moment before tearing right through it.
But the brief delay caused by the Sword Net was enough for Jing Chun Taoist to sink completely into the ground, dodging the scroll’s sweep.
Wherever the scroll passed, grass and trees turned to ash, and earth and stone were pulverized into dust.
Jing Chun Taoist, emerging from a different spot, was startled. ’He wasn’t sure his Beiyin Qi could have withstood that, and he had no desire to find out.’
Xie Zhihan had shattered the Slaughter Divine Prison with her scroll, but she didn’t dare linger in the fight. With a flash, she moved to fly out of the courtyard.
Then a curtain of seven-colored, shimmering light descended from the sky, once again blocking her path.
"Tail Map, open!"
Xie Zhihan cried out sharply, once again unleashing the scroll in her hand.
The tyrannical aura soared into the sky, blasting a hole through the seven-colored light and clearing a path for her.
"No wonder she dared to run wild in Changping Prefecture. It seems she’s completely refined this treasure," Taoist Yan Ling remarked with a hint of admiration. Then, two beams of Divine Light shot from his eyes, piercing directly into Xie Zhihan’s Sea of Consciousness.
The seven-colored light was merely one of his Manifestation Divine Techniques. His true specialty was the Taiyi Divine Light.
Xie Zhihan felt the Divine Light sear her Sea of Consciousness, throwing it into chaotic agony. Clutching the scroll tightly, she used its tyrannical, murderous Qi to counterattack, finally managing to expel the Taiyi Divine Light.
But in that moment of delay, Jing Chun Taoist had already re-formed the Slaughter Divine Prison, enveloping the courtyard and trapping her once more.
Xie Zhihan tried to repeat her trick and unfurl the scroll again, but she suddenly saw another sinister-looking old man appear beside Jing Chun Taoist, his hands forming a Seal Technique.
Then she felt the Yin Qi in the Divine Prison around her suddenly double in intensity. This time, when she unleashed the scroll, it failed to break through.
"Senior Brother, you’re here," Jing Chun Taoist said, looking at the newly arrived Taoist Jing Feng.
Taoist Jing Feng nodded. "I was just about to take over for Brother Yan Ling on an assignment to the research hall. I didn’t expect to run right into this."
He and Taoist Yan Ling had been speaking in Daluo Palace just moments ago when they received Taoist Yuan He’s request for backup. The message said they’d encountered a disciple of the Six-Headed Divine Monarch who was suspected of wielding a powerful Magical Treasure.
The two of them had rushed over immediately, arriving just in time to stop Xie Zhihan from breaking out.
Taoist Jing Feng and Taoist Yan Ling were both veteran Daoists of an older generation, with profound Dao Practice and immense Magical Power. With the help of Taoist Yuan He and the other two, they completely overpowered Xie Zhihan.
Even with her powerful Magical Treasure, Xie Zhihan no longer had the strength to break through the Divine Prison’s confinement.
Taoist Jing Feng began chanting the Ghost Extinguishing Soul-breaking Spell. It bypassed the tyrannical scroll and struck directly at her Sea of Divine Soul Consciousness.
Taoist Yan Ling unleashed his Taiyi Divine Light, immobilizing Xie Zhihan completely.
"AHHHH!"
Xie Zhihan let out an agonized cry. Her body collapsed, and she transformed into a giant scorpion nearly eight feet long.
Taoist Yuan He flicked his finger. The Pure Yang Flying Sword transformed into a blinding streak of golden light and pierced straight through the scorpion’s head.
A dense wave of Evil Qi washed over all the Daoists present.
But at that very moment, a wisp of Demonic Qi rose from the scorpion’s corpse, vanishing in a flash.