Chapter 248: Chapter 126: The Oriole Behind

’They’re on to me this fast!’

Zhao Rui had originally thought that a sect as large and established as the Qingcheng Sect, even if not teeming with experts, should have had no problem holding off a single demon long enough for the disciples to evacuate safely.

’How could they fail to even slow her down?’

He had just retreated to the main hall with the other novice Daoists when the woman strolled in at a leisurely pace.

“So many little Daoists. How delectable!”

The woman arched a delicate eyebrow. With a flick of her finger, several streams of True Qi instantly pierced through the bodies of the Daoists in front of her.

’Damn, she’s vicious!’

Even after experiencing how formidable the Illusionary Sound Old Demon was, Zhao Rui was still stunned by this woman’s brutality.

’She really kills at the slightest provocation!’

“Charge out, or we’ll all die!”

Someone shouted, and several Daoists scrambled for the entrance.

But in the face of absolute power, any attempt to escape was utterly futile.

With a few sickening squelches, they all collapsed to the ground, their fates unknown.

After killing them, the woman clearly had no intention of stopping. She raised her finger and began pointing at the others.

In her eyes, these people were no different from animals.

At that point, Zhao Rui knew he could no longer hide. He activated his Body Technique, his figure flashing as he used his Wooden Sword to disperse the streams of True Qi aimed at his fellow Daoists.

“Oh? What a surprise!”

The woman glanced at Zhao Rui, looking him up and down with a smile. “Not bad looking, and your Martial Arts are impressive. I’ll spare your life for now.”

Being stared at so brazenly by the woman made all the hairs on Zhao Rui’s body stand on end, a deep unease settling over him. Even if he subscribed to the notion that a man doesn’t lose out when a beautiful woman takes an interest, this was just plain creepy.

“You flatter me, Senior. I’m not sure how my Qingcheng Sword Sect has offended you. But if a handsome man is all it takes to satisfy you, I’m sure Qing City has plenty to offer.”

Zhao Rui spouted nonsense, his feet inching backward, ready for her to strike at any moment.

As he spoke, Yun Hao staggered over to join him.

Behind him were a dozen or so more Qingcheng Daoists who had just arrived, including Daoist Yu.

The woman seemed completely unfazed by their arrival, smiling leisurely. “That’s a fine idea. In that case, I’ll hold off on the killing for now.”

Her smile was like a blossoming flower.

To the onlookers, the woman before them suddenly became bewitchingly graceful, her clothes seeming to fall away piece by piece at the touch of her delicate hands.

Everyone present wore dazed, intoxicated expressions, and even their bodies began to sway in time.

In the entire hall, only Uncle Master Yun Hao, Daoist Yu, and a few others showed signs of struggle, Powerful Qi flaring around them as they resisted the Charm Power.

“Boundless Celestial Venerable! Senior, is this illusory form your true body?”

Just then, a resonant voice boomed like a clap of thunder, shattering the seductive, illusory atmosphere.

It shattered the woman’s alluring illusion.

At the same time, the glint of a sword cut through the air, shooting toward the woman.

The woman’s almond-shaped eyes widened slightly as she reached out to flick the incoming sword.

“You’re not afraid of my Illusion Technique!”

“I don’t like fakes!”

Zhao Rui shot back a reply, his figure moving like lightning as he launched a flurry of attacks, simultaneously pushing his Charm Immortal Technique to its limit to disrupt the woman’s Divine Soul and the flow of her True Qi.

“This is…”

The woman’s Divine Sense faltered for a moment. She dodged the Sword Qi, then bent a finger to flick the body of the blade.

The moment her slender, delicate hand touched the blade, a bolt of lightning abruptly erupted at the point of contact.

The woman let out a hiss of pain, snatching her finger back and striking the air with her palm to knock the sword away.

“What an impressive kid. Who are you in the Qingcheng Sect?”

The woman hadn’t expected Zhao Rui to have so many tricks up his sleeve.

A serious expression finally appeared on her face.

His attack having failed, Zhao Rui quickly retreated, darting behind Uncle Master Yun Hao and sending him a quick mental message.

“Uncle Master, we’ll use the Thunderbolt Swordsmanship together! You take the left, I’ll take the right!”

“You know how to…”

“Attack!”

This was no time for questions. With a thunderous shout, Zhao Rui pointed his Peach Wood Sword toward the heavens. Looking like a Celestial Master descending upon the mortal realm, he instantly shot forth several bolts of lightning.

Seeing this, Yun Hao no longer hesitated and also pushed his Thunderbolt Sword Technique to its absolute limit!

One on the left and one on the right, True Qi swirling around them, they looked like twin Thunder Gods descending as their Exotic Techniques sparked with lightning and thunder.

They charged the woman in unison.

The Thunderbolt Sword Technique had a complementary Technique called the Yin-Yang Thunder Roar. Similar to a Yin-Yang Electrode generating a powerful current, it allowed two users to produce a synergistic effect far greater than the sum of their parts.

The moment they unleashed it, the woman, who had been completely nonchalant until now, revealed a look of surprise.

“This is getting more and more interesting. Once I capture you both, I simply must enjoy this land of pleasure you’ve created with your crackling lightning.”

A cold glint flashed in the woman’s eyes. Her body spun sideways as she rose into the air, meeting their attack head-on.

For a moment, the entire hall was filled with raging True Qi, with thunderclaps and bolts of lightning striking in every direction.

The remaining Daoists in the hall didn’t dare to stay, scrambling to flee outside.

Only Daoist Yu and the few other Grandmaster Realm experts were unafraid of the rampant destruction. They remained on high alert, searching for an opportunity to strike.

The three figures in the center of the hall moved in a blur, exchanging dozens of blows in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Rui coordinated with Uncle Master Yun Hao while simultaneously using his Charm Immortal Technique in subtle attacks, trying to disrupt the woman’s True Qi flow.

Back when he faced the Illusionary Sound Old Demon, he hadn’t been a Grandmaster, and had barely been able to hold his own.

But now, after a period of allocating points, his true strength had long surpassed the True Essence Realm.

Under his barrage of subtle attacks, even a Female Demon like her was forced to divide her attention and remain vigilant.

“Uncle Master, we can’t beat her head-on! Cover the disciples’ retreat! We’ll execute a fighting retreat and lure her toward Emei Mountain!”

Seeing that their prolonged assault was yielding no results, Zhao Rui knew that the two of them alone couldn’t handle this woman.

They needed a top-tier fighter, like that old nun, to land a fatal blow.

Otherwise, even if the two of them fought for a day and a night, the best they could hope for was a stalemate.

And that was just based on the level of power the woman was currently displaying.

“You two have made me angry!”

Seeing how tenacious the two were, the woman grew annoyed. A flash of killing intent crossed her eyes; she was clearly preparing to get serious.

“Uncle Master, watch out!”

Zhao Rui was extremely perceptive when it came to Demon Sect Techniques. He could tell at a glance that she was about to unleash a Secret Technique and quickly warned Yun Hao.

Yun Hao was already injured to begin with. After using his Thunderbolt Swordsmanship at full power for so long, he could no longer suppress his wounds.

Hearing Zhao Rui’s warning, he instantly resolved to sacrifice himself.

“Qinglian, I’m sorry!”

The True Qi in his body suddenly surged. He forcibly activated a Secret Technique, instantly raising his Cultivation by an entire level.

“I’ll hold her down! You take the opportunity to strike!”

Pushing himself to his absolute peak, Yun Hao sent the message to Zhao Rui and then abruptly charged the woman.

“Foolish!”

The woman sneered as her figure suddenly split into eight phantoms, each one appearing completely real.

“Uncle Master Yun Hao, third from the left!”

“Fourth from the right!”

Zhao Rui could no longer afford to hide his true strength. He unleashed his Heavenly Demon Illusionary Sound Technique at full power, and every minute sound in the entire hall was rendered perfectly in his ears.

No matter how fast the woman moved or how real her illusions appeared, the source of the sound could not lie.

At the same time, he gathered the Seven Stars Power within his body, ready to unleash the Seven-Star Palm Force for maximum damage.

“Now!”

At that exact moment, Uncle Master Yun Hao found a slight opening. He suddenly flashed behind the woman and lunged, wrapping his arms around her from the back.

The woman slammed a palm into his back, sending a violent tremor through his body and causing him to spray a mouthful of blood right at her face.

She hurriedly raised a sleeve to shield herself.

In that instant, Yun Hao grabbed hold of her arms.

’This is my chance!’

Zhao Rui’s eyes lit up. He executed a Dipper Step, his figure flashing forward in an instant as he slammed his Seven-Star Palm Force into the woman’s back.

With a loud THUD, the woman took the full force of Zhao Rui’s blow to her back.

“Is that all you have?!”

The woman roared, enduring the intense pain as she spun around and slammed a palm into Zhao Rui.

Simultaneously, a jolt of power from her body snapped both of Yun Hao’s arms and sent him flying.

’I’m screwed!’

While still in mid-air, Zhao Rui scrambled to adjust his posture, preparing to run the moment he hit the ground.

’Can’t win, can’t save him. Survival comes first!’

But in that instant, an aged figure suddenly flew in through the entrance at incredible speed.

In a flash, a palm struck the woman’s back.

It landed on the exact same spot where Zhao Rui had struck her with his Seven-Star Palm Force.

The woman’s body went flying backward like a broken doll, slamming violently into the main hall’s courtyard wall.

Under the immense force, the wall collapsed with a deafening CRASH, and countless bricks and stones rained down, burying the woman beneath the rubble.

Amidst the swirling dust, the aged, stooped figure softly chanted:

“Boundless Celestial Venerable!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep