Chapter 217: Beauty's Blood Flower

"Oh no! Has Rain Alley City undergone a Night of Ten Thousand Ghosts?"

"A Night of Ten Thousand Ghosts by the Thread-Puppet Shadow clan? Please, no!"

"One situation more perilous than the last; Guangdong's Dongguan City has also undergone a Night of Ten Thousand Ghosts, and there it was the Lao Tian Mo clan!"

"Lao Tian Mo are nothing! Over in Qiantang River–Hangcheng, a Demon Lord descended! What arrived was a Tree-Shadow Granny!"

"Are you even human? Can't you see people are about to die? What is there to compare?"

"Honorable benefactors! I'm watching on a computer; how do I zoom in and enlarge the view?"

"I'm looking at her eyes through the screen; I should be fine, right? I'm afraid of falling under an illusion spell."

"Just look boldly! Sister Ran has been crying out all night, yet some people still show no mercy? Shouldn't we scold those who won't speak up?"

"She's smiling, she's smiling! The Thread-Puppet Shadow is smiling!"

The evil spirit·Thread-Puppet Shadow indeed smiled.

Already enchantingly beautiful, coupled with those bursts of coquettish laughter, she bewitched people until their souls reeled.

The audience before their phones and computers could naturally indulge themselves to their heart's content.

But the crowd standing on the overpass faced the situation as if confronting a great enemy!

"Hehe~" Thread-Puppet Shadow laughed in a delicate voice.

She swept one hand across her skirt hem; crimson tattered strips and red silk threads seemed to come alive, drifting up one after another.

At the same time, from her ruby-like pupils radiated a gorgeous luster.

"Don't look at her eyes!" Sun Sun Zhengfang shouted loudly, warning his teammates.

The Thread-Puppet Shadow clan possesses the Xie Fa·Thread-Puppet Pupils.

Once someone falls victim, they will be dragged into a terrifying Illusion Realm.

There, countless red threads will pierce people full of holes, inflicting agony beyond endurance!

Though injuries sustained within the Illusion Realm do not manifest on the physical body in the real world, the pain is utterly real.

Under such extremely cruel torment, the prey will eventually be tortured by Thread-Puppet Shadow until their spirit collapses.

"Hmm?" Thread-Puppet Shadow arched an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth curving into a captivating arc.

She suddenly raised her hand, reaching forward.

"Whoosh~ whoosh~"

In an instant, countless red threads materialized out of thin air, each a short segment, like tiny red needles, scattering toward the crowd.

The Thread-Puppet Xie Fa·Thread-Puppet Needles!

Wei Long said nothing; he likewise raised a hand.

His great red robe billowed, spreading across the sky and covering the earth.

Red needles fell like rain, landing upon the Blood-Fiend Robe.

A continuous series of ting-ting sounds rang out, dense and unceasing, making one's scalp go numb.

Fortunately, Wei Long had already reached River Realm·Fifth Stage, and the Blood-Fiend Robe's defensive power was astonishing.

"Da Long, bind her!" Sun Sun Zhengfang commanded, while extending one hand forward. "Lu Ran, draw her attention!"

"Thread-Puppet Shadow is a stationary type; she can't do anything to you."

"Jiangjiang Ruyi, burn her!"

"Hum~"

As Sun Sun Zhengfang cast Fang Shi Fa, several tree branches unexpectedly grew out from the bridge surface.

At the same time, Wei Long summoned chains one after another.

"Oh?" Thread-Puppet Shadow's smile turned playful.

With such a posture, where was the ferocity an evil spirit clan ought to display?

Accompanied by a surge of energy, that tattered crimson long skirt danced lightly.

To be honest, the Thread-Puppet Shadow clan already dressed revealingly; with the tattered long skirt swaying gently like this—

—it made people flush crimson and indulge in lewd thoughts!

"Clatter-clatter!"

Blood-colored chains materialized out of thin air, coiling toward Thread-Puppet Shadow.

Unexpectedly, had she actually been hit?

No, she was not bound!

Because from within her crimson long skirt erupted numerous red cloth strips and red silk threads.

The Xie Fa·Thread-Puppet Garment!

Neither the branches on the bridge surface nor the blood-colored chains that appeared out of thin air could restrain her.

Instead, her red cloth strips and red silk threads bound the branches and chains!

It was clear that this garment's efficacy was extremely powerful.

For a moment, both sides entered a stage of stalemate.

"Whoosh~ whoosh~!"

Letting her tattered crimson long skirt handle the fight, Thread-Puppet Shadow raised one hand again.

Myriad red needles poured down, mingling with the curtain of rain, carrying bursts of sound as they tore through the air; the scene was breathtakingly beautiful.

It had to be said, the evil spirit·Thread-Puppet Shadow was truly tough!

Fighting two alone, facing Sun Sun Zhengfang and Wei Long, both River Realm·Fifth Stage competitors, she firmly held her ground as a stationary fighter!

The Thread-Puppet Shadow clan excels in defense and control.

Against most opponents, they can indeed hold their footing.

But this race also has one fatal weakness—sluggish movement!

It was not that she herself was slow.

Rather, the Xie Fa·Qian Si Shang was exceptionally heavy!

No one could possibly imagine just how many strips of cloth and red threads were hidden within that tattered red skirt.

Precisely because of this, Qian Si Ying could fight two opponents alone, standing firm thanks to the immense weight of her garments.

"Baa~~~"

Suddenly, a bleating sound arrived.

Moreover, it came from the other end of the sky bridge, behind Qian Si Ying!

Qian Si Ying:!!!

Her expression finally changed; the ferocious and tyrannical desire in her heart surged upward!

Qian Si Ying whipped her head around.

Through the gaps between the tightly entangled red cloth and chains, she saw the human standing on the steps below the sky bridge.

Her red pupils shimmered with a strange luster, yet her prized Xie Fa proved utterly useless.

Because the human youth draped in a yellow raincoat had his eyes closed!

"Hiss!!"

Qian Si Ying's face flushed with anger as she suddenly thrust out her left hand.

This time, no fine needles of red rain fell.

Instead, from the woman's fingertips, several red threads shot forth.

Each thread moved flexibly, drilling skillfully out through the gaps where cloth strips and chains interwove!

"Whoosh~"

Once the red threads emerged, they headed straight for Lu Ran with incredible speed.

Lu Ran nodded inwardly; so it had come, as expected?

"Zhi—"

Mist churned beneath Lu Ran's feet as he slid sharply to the side, daring not to be negligent.

This was the He Xin Xie Fa of the Qian Si sect—Qian Si Sister Xian!

If one were entangled by the red threads or pierced through the body by them, trouble would surely follow!

Lu Ran would become a puppet, manipulated at Qian Si Ying's whim.

In the markets of Great Xia, there was such a saying:

"Rather breach the Hall of Yan Wang than touch the Qian Si Sister Xian."

People would rather plunge into a dragon's pool and tiger's den, or even go straight to their deaths, than suffer this technique!

For beneath Qian Si Ying's beautiful exterior hid an extremely vicious heart.

She delighted in manipulating people into killing each other!

Yet those manipulated remained fully conscious; only their bodies refused to obey.

In other words, you would watch with your own eyes and kill your own relatives and friends with your own hands.

Or else, your loved ones, forced by desperation, would weep and collapse emotionally before reluctantly killing you.

Whichever outcome occurred, it was utterly horrific!

Fortunately amidst misfortune: the Qian Si Ying race was exceedingly rare.

If this race appeared in the world as often as evil hounds or mist shadow figures, one shuddered to think how many human tragedies they would cause.

"Shua~"

The Xia Guang Dao flashed past, slashing out a blade of golden-red light.

The five red threads rushing toward Lu Ran were all severed by a large segment.

"Ah!!"

Qian Si Ying let out a cry of pain, her expression finally changing.

Though the Xia Guang Dao had clearly severed red silk threads, it felt as though it had slashed Qian Si Ying's flesh!

The five red threads paused slightly, then stabbed toward Lu Ran with even greater ferocity.

"Hiss"

Qian Si Ying's gaze turned sinister and poisonous; low, rumbling hisses emanated from between her red lips.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bridge.

"Hold on!" Jiangjiang Ruyi flew on the south side of the sky bridge, pointing her finger into empty space to continuously trace frost runes.

One frost rune after another was flung toward Qian Si Ying.

Jiangjiang Ruyi had not followed Captain Sun's orders; she had not chosen to burn Qian Si Ying.

After all, it was still raining in Yu Xiang City!

She acted contrary to expectation, attempting to freeze the demonic creature.

And this decision had been jointly formulated by Jiangjiang Ruyi and Lu Ran.

"Whoosh~ Whoosh!"

Jiangjiang Ruyi did not need to aim at all, for the endless red threads and red cloth would actively shatter the Bai Yu tablets.

The bright red long skirt worn by Qian Si Ying possessed autonomous defense and autonomous combat capabilities.

With Qian Si Ying as the center point, within a radius of 30 meters, it was like a "defensive domain" that ordinary people could never approach.

Why 30 meters?

Because the red threads and cloth strips that the River-grade·Qian Si Shang could shoot out had a maximum length of 30 meters.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The crisp sounds rang out incessantly as waves of frost spread, causing the temperature between heaven and earth to plummet.

Visible to the naked eye, the frost soaked the red threads and red cloth strips, creeping toward the main body of the Thread-Puppet Shadow!

Meanwhile, Jiangjiang Ruyi's other hand was raised high.

In the distant night sky, a Cold Night Sword was flying higher and higher.

Divine weapons were the most crucial link in Lu and Jiang's tactical arrangement!

The Cold Night Sword was not flying away from the battlefield; it was increasing its sprinting distance!

At the same time, on the ground north of the skybridge, a flash of eye-catching golden-red light streaked by, once again severing a large section of red thread.

"Hiss!!"

The Thread-Puppet Shadow's face twisted in agony, losing her usual bewitching appearance.

Her Thread-Puppet Dress was being soaked by frost, and it looked as though it would soon spread to her main body.

But the Thread-Puppet Shadow did not care at all!

In her eyes, there was only that little lamb cub.

"Baa~~~"

Already filled with extreme hatred, she heard the bleating of the lamb cub again.

Taking three steps in two, dragging her incredibly heavy long skirt, she walked to the skybridge railing, her pair of red pupils fixed intently on Lu Ran below the bridge.

Such a scene was indeed rare!

Lu Ran was truly extremely sinister; look how he had forced the Thread-Puppet Shadow.

Originally, she was too lazy to even move, but now she was walking quickly~

If Lu Ran shouted a couple more times, perhaps he could make the Thread-Puppet Shadow perform a grand hurdle jump directly?

"Baa!" Lu Ran grabbed the flying Xia Guang Dao, turned his head, and ran.

The Thread-Puppet Shadow watched the lamb cub's retreating figure and viciously scattered a shower of fine red needles.

"Hiss—"

Lu Ran suddenly darted through; after escaping the range of the red rain, he directly turned around, facing the skybridge, and slid backward.

"It's taken hold! The Thread-Puppet Shadow has been infected by the frost!" From far away came Sun Sun Zhengfang's loud roar.

How could it be only the Thread-Puppet Shadow?

Even Sun Sun Zhengfang and Wei Long, who were fighting while retreating, were severely frozen!

Lu Ran stomped his foot; immortal mist churned as he suddenly charged toward the skybridge:

"Baa!!"

"Hiss!!" The Thread-Puppet Shadow shivered from the cold, long since rendered utterly irrational by the "baa."

She raised her palm, soaked in frost and snow, and outputted everything in one go.

A sky-full of red rain poured down, and five silk threads attacked.

Unlike the red threads extended by the Xie Fa · Thread-Puppet Dress, the five red threads shot out by the Xie Fa · Thread-Puppet Lines seemed capable of extending infinitely.

"Whoosh~"

Lu Ran suddenly flicked the Xia Guang Dao.

"Whoosh~"

On the other side of the skybridge, in the night sky, the Cold Night Sword stabbed down rapidly, thrusting straight toward the bridgehead.

The Thread-Puppet Shadow's face turned iron-green!

One could see Lu Ran stepping continuously with his feet, finally stopping at the edge where the red rain poured.

Lu Ran had never intended to engage the evil spirit in close combat to behead it.

His speed was lent to the Xia Guang Dao.

At this moment, sounds of frost shattering came from both in front of and behind the Thread-Puppet Shadow.

The Xia Guang Dao and the Cold Night Sword truly lived up to their names as divine weapons!

Carrying unparalleled momentum, the pair of blade and sword pierced through the cloth strips frozen and sealed by frost, striking directly for the enemy's head.

"Baa~~~"

Lu Ran darted to the side, agile and free, locking the Thread-Puppet Shadow's aggro tightly!

"Slash!"

"Slash!!" One blade and one sword crossed each other within the Thread-Puppet Shadow's skull.

That beautiful head, soaked in frost, exploded directly.

"Phew~"

Lu Ran stopped his feet; he saw the five red threads lying limp, drooping beside his shoes.

Following the red threads, Lu Ran looked up toward the bridgehead and saw a headless female corpse draped over the bridge railing.

Streams of fresh blood flowed down under the bridge, splashing into clusters of enchanting blood flowers.

Lu Ran pressed his lips together:

"Mm, even more beautiful."

(End of Chapter)