Chapter 440 - 306: Golden Fire
An eerie sound echoed around them, and the three pairs of malicious eyes in the corner sent a chill down their spines. The expressions on Zhao Xuanqi and Zhuang Li’s faces changed instantly.
’When...?’
Even with his powerful Spiritual Sense, Zhao Xuanqi hadn’t detected the Three-Headed Child’s approach. The creature seemed to have a special method for concealing the waves of its presence!
"Go!"
Zhuang Li’s expression turned grim. She instantly pressed her thumbnail into the pad of her index finger and sliced it open, drawing a spray of blood. Without hesitation, She prepared to inscribe a Technique on her neck.
They were deep in the heartland of this Realm, where danger lurked at every turn. If their presence was exposed and they became entangled with Evil Spirits, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Now that they were exposed, their only option was to deal with the immediate threat as quickly as possible and make their escape.
They both had the same idea, and Zhao Xuanqi immediately sprang into action.
PFFT!
He had already spat a mouthful of blood into his palms.
Just then, the Three-Headed Child crouching in the corner made its move.
The head on the left, fixed with an exaggerated smile, now clenched the rattle in its mouth. It shook its head violently, and a rapid drumbeat, mixed with an eerie children’s laughter, echoed through the courtyard.
DUM DUM! DUM DUM!
HEE HEE! HEE HEE!
The Sound Waves left them in a daze, their internal Qi and Blood surging uncontrollably.
Zhuang Li’s hand faltered as she inscribed the Technique, and she nearly made a mistake.
SWOOSH!
The instant it launched its sound wave attack, the child pushed off the wall with its small, pale hand. Its body blurred as it pounced toward them, its speed even more terrifying than that of a blood-patterned Evil Spirit.
’My Qi and Blood are stagnating, and the Technique isn’t finished.’ The threat level of this Three-Headed Child far exceeded Zhuang Li’s expectations.
’Is that a cursed object it’s holding? Combined with its own power, its threat level must be mid-C Class, possibly even Upper Level!’
’This is bad!’
Since she hadn’t completed the Technique in time, it would be difficult to fight the Evil Spirit physically. If she got tied up in a melee, it would only further delay the inscription. Her first instinct was to dodge, create some distance to evade the initial assault, and then counterattack once the Technique was ready.
Acting on pure instinct, she reached out to pull Zhao Xuanqi aside, worried he wouldn’t react in time and would be fatally wounded by the Evil Spirit’s pounce.
CLAP!
However, before her hand could even touch his clothes, she heard a soft clap.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zhao Xuanqi’s blood-soaked palms clap together and then part. In that split second, a complete Technique materialized upon them.
’This is...’
Her pupils contracted slightly, and her mind went blank. For a moment, she couldn’t process how Zhao Xuanqi had managed to do that.
The next instant, the Three-Headed Child was upon them.
BANG!
Zhao Xuanqi’s body swelled in an instant as he entered the Qi Surge state. Slabs of muscle bulged across his frame, his height shooting up by nearly ten centimeters, and his clothes strained to the point of bursting.
He thrust out a single, open palm, striking fiercely at the Three-Headed Child.
HUMMM!
Zhuang Li’s vision was instantly flooded with a dense, crimson light as a gale of forceful wind spread outward.
BANG!
The Three-Headed Child’s small, pale hand met Zhao Xuanqi’s palm. The two were locked in a brief stalemate, and the blazing Blood Qi that exploded across the child’s body surprisingly failed to cause any substantial damage.
’This Evil Spirit is incredibly strong.’
During the brief stalemate, a malicious smile spread across the child’s expressionless middle face.
CRACK!
Its neck twisted with a sudden release of Force, whipping its right-side face forward. Clenched in that face’s mouth was the black Wooden Sword, now shrouded in a dark light and on the verge of being activated.
Just then, the muscles in Zhao Xuanqi’s palm rippled like waves. He forcibly stirred his settling Qi and Blood, and the light of his Blood Qi—which had dimmed after the exhaustive first strike—flared to life once more.
Dual Force!!
This time, the child’s body, suspended in mid-air, could no longer hold its position. It was blasted backward by Zhao Xuanqi’s Force-imbued attack and slammed violently into the courtyard wall.
"Hasten!"
Just then, Zhuang Li’s voice rang out from the side. Seizing the opportunity while Zhao Xuanqi blocked the child’s attack, she had completed her Technique.
Zhao Xuanqi instantly felt a wave of Primordial Qi envelop him. Realizing what it was, he didn’t resist, allowing the energy to stimulate his body.
For a moment, it felt as if electricity was coursing through him, heightening his muscle contraction and speeding up his neural responses.
’Miaoyin Hall’s Techniques can be used on others?’
Zhao Xuanqi’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Don’t get tied down! We need to get out of here!"
Zhuang Li said to Zhao Xuanqi. Then, pushing off hard from the ground, she swiftly leaped onto the wall.
Zhao Xuanqi didn’t hesitate. With no intention of prolonging the fight, he immediately leaped out of the courtyard.
TAP! TAP! TAP!
But at that very moment, the sound of dense footsteps echoed from all around. The commotion from the fight in the courtyard had attracted the attention of the patrolling Sword Soldier Ghosts.
Given how many Sword Soldier Ghosts were in the area, they would be surrounded and their escape route cut off within moments.
They had just leaped across two rooftops when figures began vaulting up all around them. The Sword Soldier Ghosts, clad in tattered armor, moved with a surprising lightness, not at all cumbersome, as they closed in with extreme speed.
With that, the entire district seemed to erupt into a frenzy, stirred by the commotion.
A profound sense of danger washed over them both. They could clearly feel that deep within the district, something terrifying was beginning to stir.