At the critical juncture when the claws coiled in foul demonic qi were about to reach Zhao Qian's throat, a sudden flash of ruthlessness and resolve crossed her eyes, though she had been frozen stiff with extreme fury and terror only a moment before!
She indeed had not yet truly cultivated any demonic techniques, and the spiritual power within her body was still built upon a righteous foundation.
However, during the time she had been possessed by the demonic soul, the old demonic soul—hoping to entice her into completely falling to the demonic path and show off the might and “sincerity” of demonic arts—had not only orally imparted numerous profound and bizarre demonic technique mnemonics to her, but had also drilled into her the operational principles, critical junctures, and even hidden weaknesses of many common demonic spells as though sharing curious secrets.
“Bone-Eroding Demonic Claw... Qi courses through Jiuwei, force gathers at Quchi, and the demonic core is concealed at Laogong in the palm's center... The flaw is... at the Shousanli point behind the elbow! When the demonic qi circulates, there is inevitably a split-second delay!”
In a flash of sparks and flint, the weakness of the demonic claw before her surfaced crystal-clear in Zhao Qian’s mind!
Driven purely by survival instinct, she recklessly channeled all the remaining spiritual power in her body into her legs, executing an unpracticed Divine Might Manor movement technique to slide abruptly backward and to the side!
At the same time, her tightly clenched right hand hidden inside her sleeve thrust forward!
It was not an offensive stance of any kind. Instead, she brought her fingers together like a sword, focusing her meager spiritual power—infused with her last bit of strength and a desperate, resolute will—to stab like a venomous needle with pinpoint precision toward the back of the demon's claw-bearing arm: the Shousanli acupoint!
Pfft!
A faint sound rang out, like a bubble popping.
The sneering demon suddenly felt his arm go numb as a sharp, stinging pain shot through his elbow joint. The demonic qi that had been circulating smoothly and gathering at the center of his palm truly stalled abruptly, like a punctured balloon, before falling into chaotic disarray! The terrifying spectral phantom of the demonic claw fluctuated violently and dimmed by nearly half!
“What?!” The attacking demon cried out in shock. He had never expected this Junior Sister—who seemed like a lamb to the slaughter and was supposedly so “cherished” by Su Yi—could see through the weakness of his technique with a single glance and counterattack in such an insidious, almost suicidal fashion!
Although the power behind Zhao Qian’s strike was feeble and incapable of inflicting any real damage, it undeniably disrupted his assault, buying her a precious, fleeting breath of respite!
This unexpected turn of events not only stunned the other demons, but even Su Yi, who was “anxiously” rushing over from a distance, felt a flash of genuine surprise flit through his eyes.
Oh? She was hiding a trick like this? Seems that old demonic soul put quite a bit of effort into her... Thoughts raced through Su Yi's mind, yet his feet maintained their “rescue” pace—sluggish enough to appear as though he desperately wanted to save her, yet struggled under the constraints of distance and resolve.
“Useless trash! You can't even take down a Qi Condensation wench!” Seeing this, the leading demon cursed furiously and made his move in person. A more immense surge of demonic qi condensed into an even larger ghostly hand, sweeping down toward Zhao Qian's head. This time, it was faster and covered a wider area, leaving her zero room for trickery!
【Idiot! Three paces to the left, step onto the Kan position, and guide its force through your right Jianjing point!】
【Condense Yin in your right palm, strike his Shanzhong point, and disperse his power!】
【Seven paces behind you, there is an opening in the earth vein—you can borrow its force!】
Commands—succinct yet precise to the utmost degree—imprinted directly into Zhao Qian’s consciousness with irresistible authority.
Her instinct for survival overwhelmed everything else, and Zhao Qian complied almost subconsciously!
Her body twisted at an awkward yet exquisitely precise angle, narrowly dodging the sharpest brunt of the demonic claw. At the same time, her elbow nudged outward in an apparently casual manner, perfectly deflecting a portion of the demonic qi’s force.
The backlash made the attacking demon’s breath hitch! Immediately after, she countered with a reverse palm strike. Though her spiritual power was faint, it landed with pinpoint accuracy near the core node of his demonic qi circulation—the Shanzhong point!
“Ugh!” The leading demon grunted. His demonic qi was thrown into turmoil by this seemingly featherlight strike, and his assault was thwarted once again!
Zhao Qian herself was dumbfounded. She had never imagined she could unleash such exquisite, almost uncanny combat techniques.
She moved like a phantom through the siege of several demons, slipping past fatal strikes at every critical moment. Though her occasional counterattacks lacked power, they unfailingly struck where it caused the enemy the greatest trouble.
In the distance, the last trace of surprise vanished from Su Yi’s eyes, replaced by a cold, knowing look that said, As expected.
That demonic soul finally couldn't hold back and made its move.
Meanwhile, inside Zhao Qian’s mind, the voice of the demonic soul resounded once more, laced with greed and urgency: 【Good! Splendid! Just like that! Kill them! Let me suck dry their demonic qi! This pure demonic essence is enough to restore a sliver of my strength!】
Devour its own kind? A wave of intense revulsion and nausea welled up within Zhao Qian.
Just as her resolve wavered and she struggled with indecision—
“Junior Sister Zhao Qian! You’ve done wonderfully! Hold on, Senior Brother is here!”
A loud shout brimming with “concern” and “urgency” thundered across the field!
Su Yi’s figure darted like lightning—his speed notably faster this time—as he slammed into the fray. His sword light cascaded like a waterfall, forcing back the demons besieging Zhao Qian in an instant and shielding her securely behind him.
With his back to Zhao Qian and facing the demons, his voice was steady and brimming with “protectiveness”: “Junior Sister, you’re exhausted. Leave the rest to me! Fall back immediately and adjust your breathing!”
With that, the longsword in his hand unleashed an astonishing aura as he took the initiative to launch a ferocious assault against the dozen-odd demons. His sword strikes were broad and sweeping, surging with spiritual power as he deliberately drew the battle away from Zhao Qian.
Want to restore your strength by draining demonic qi? Did you ask for my permission first?
Yet how could the demonic soul let this opportunity slip? It immediately urged Zhao Qian to advance alongside Su Yi; otherwise, it wouldn't get a chance to absorb any demonic qi.
However, the moment she took a single step forward, she heard Su Yi shout an order in an indisputable tone while fiercely clashing with the demons: “Disciples, heed my command! Form the Solidifying Origin Formation and protect Junior Sister Zhao Qian in the center! Without my order, under no circumstances is she to be put in danger again, nor is a single demon allowed near her!”
His voice carried a tinge of “lingering fear” and “unwavering resolve”: “Earlier, due to my decision, Junior Sister Zhao Qian nearly met with disaster!
“This is my fault—the fault of Su Yi! Right now, I ask for nothing else. I only hope that my fellow Junior Brothers and Sisters will keep her safe on my behalf! I, Su Yi, would be eternally grateful!”
These words were so heartfelt and earnest, filled with self-reproach and trust in his fellow disciples, that they instantly ignited the righteous disciples' sense of duty and camaraderie.
“Rest assured, Senior Brother Su! We will protect Senior Sister Zhao to the death!”
“Form the formation! Quickly!”
Dozens of disciples moved swiftly into position. A sturdy barrier of spiritual light rose, encasing Zhao Qian tightly in the dead center of the formation, barricaded so completely that not even a drop of water could trickle through.
Several female disciples even stepped forward and firmly took hold of Zhao Qian, who was still reluctant and trying to push her way out, soothing her gently: “Senior Sister Zhao Qian, just listen to Senior Brother Su!”
“That's right, Senior Sister. It was so dangerous just now! Senior Brother Su cares about you too much to bear seeing you get hurt again!”
“Senior Sister, Young Manor Lord Su is so deeply devoted to you. You... you will definitely be happy in the future.”
Their eyes were brimming with envy and sincerity, having completely interpreted Su Yi’s actions as the utmost devotion to his “beloved.”
Surrounded on all sides, Zhao Qian looked at Su Yi, who was “fighting bathed in blood” in the distance to “create a safe environment” for her, and then looked at the fellow disciples around her, whose faces were filled with concern while effectively keeping her under lock and key. She nearly ground her silver teeth to dust, her chest suffocating to the verge of bursting, yet she couldn't utter a single word.
She could only force an “appreciative” smile that looked uglier than weeping, silently clenching her fists until her fingernails bit deep into her palms under everyone’s “knowing” and “blessing” gazes.
Rate on N.U.
