Chapter 79: Counterattack Begins

Immediately, Zhai Qingye's figure flashed forward, and he didn't even glance back at Yuan Yao and the other two behind him.

Yuan Yao frowned and did not choose to go help right away.

Because she knew that with her current strength, she could not help and would only hold them back.

Yuan Yao turned her gaze toward the surrounding house cages.

She stared for a few seconds, and a decision formed in her mind.

She will break these cages and let them out! The more people, the greater the hope of defeating the Nightmare Beast!

Yuan Yao took a deep breath and then fixed her eyes on the cage before her.

As her spiritual power touched the cage, in an instant a far stronger spiritual force surged back like a python, as if to devour her soul!

Yuan Yao immediately steadied her mind and then focused her spiritual power to counterattack.

At the same time—

Zhai Qingye entered the battle, slashing the black mist in two with a single blade!

And his appearance caused Ying Wuji and the others to look slightly surprised.

"Qingye!" Grand Elder Yan Lao of the Holy Gate was startled upon seeing the newcomer.

Zhai Qingye looked at Yan Lao and called out, "Grand Elder."

Very quickly, Zhai Qingye fixed his gaze on Ying Wuji and Xiao Lingwei, and as their eyes met, faint sparks flickered and leapt.

Zhai Qingye, seventeen, hails from the Holy Gate, a junior disciple of the Sect Master, seventh in rank, and is called Young Master Zhai the Seventh in the Ninth Province.

In the previous Sect Grand Competition, Zhai Qingye placed second.

And Ying Wuji placed seventh in that competition.

Xiao Lingwei placed ninth.

Among the younger generation, Zhai Qingye is regarded as a peerless genius in the Ninth Province!

At this moment, although Yan Lao was shocked by why Zhai Qingye suddenly appeared, the situation was extremely urgent and left no room for him to dwell on the matter.

He shouted loudly, "Qingye, lend me a hand!"

Zhai Qingye said nothing.

Yan Lao took that as tacit consent.

Ying Wuji and Xiao Lingwei exchanged a glance and then continued to focus on dealing with the black mist.

After being split in two, the black mist quickly reformed.

"The black mist is not its true form," Zhai Qingye said gravely, "Its true form is not here."

He had previously used spiritual perception to trace the Nightmare Beast's trail and found it extremely cunning; it creates many black mist avatars to confuse observers.

The Nightmare Beast does not excel in blade‑and‑gun combat; it only excels at laying spiritual traps in the dark to attack every human Cultivator trying to flee.

"Then do you know where its true form is?" an Elder asked anxiously.

Zhai Qingye said expressionlessly, "The simplest method is that we need a bait, but this bait is certain to die."

Hearing this, several people present showed slight changes in complexion.

Yan Lao instantly understood and asked, "Qingye, is there a bait willing to sacrifice itself?"

Zhai Qingye narrowed his eyes slightly, and just as he was about to turn his head, the black mist surged at him, forcing him to raise his blade in defense.

Boom!

The black mist's attack instantly interrupted their conversation.

At that moment, Ying Wuji seemed to sense something and looked toward a direction.

And a few house cages were floating and moving, blocking Yuan Yao and the others' figures.

At this moment Yuan Yao's head throbbed as if about to split; her sea of perception was being violently ravaged, the surroundings tearing apart, and her skull felt as if pierced by countless sharp spikes.

Soon, blood spurted from her seven orifices.

She clenched her teeth and fought back desperately.

She used her spiritual perception to recite a spiritual mantra—

Heaven and Earth combine, all Qi returns to its root!

One thought of divine might, all things become clear!

Break!

In an instant, her spiritual power wildly rebounded against the opponent's sticky spiritual force, and a faint devouring tendency emerged.

In Yuan Yao's mind there was only one thought!

Swallow it!

Yuan Yao did not realize how shocking her thought was; if others learned of it, they would call her a lunatic!

She wildly counter‑attacked the opponent's spiritual force, and at the same time the house cage directly ahead of her began to warp, then tear piece by piece as a booming crack sounded.

Boom—

The cage vanished in an instant.

The six trapped inside, upon seeing Yuan Yao, instantly changed their fear and vigilance into surprise.

"Not good!" at that moment, one person's complexion changed sharply.

Because they had no footing beneath them and were falling—

Suddenly, an invisible force seemed to envelop their bodies and gently lifted them onto the ground.

"What is this..." several people whispered, startled.

They couldn't help but look up at the girl standing on the blade of the Phantom Spirit Sword, whose eyes, nose, mouth corners, ears, and other parts were bleeding, looking especially terrifying.

She kept her eyes tightly shut, her complexion faintly showing traces of pain.

The six quickly realized that she had rescued them.

【Target individuals Shi Yuan, Ji Gu Lan, Awakening Value reaches 35.】

【Target individual Li Ji, Awakening Value reaches 13.】

【Target individuals Ding Shan Yue, Liu San, Gu Si, Awakening Value reaches 50. Congratulations host, successfully conquered target individuals Ding Shan Yue, Liu San, Gu Si, gained three days lifespan, current lifespan reaches seven days and seven double-hours.】

Yuan Yao suddenly heard the 250 system's voice, a flash of surprise crossed her mind.

She had been doubtful since two days ago, and now she directly voiced the question in her heart: "250, why are some people so easy to conquer?"

Likewise, it's a life-saving grace, why do different target individuals have different Awakening Values?

Moreover, shouldn't this Awakening Value be letting the originally destined characters in the book break free from their original settings? Then why does merely relying on a life-saving grace cause them to "awaken"?

She does not consider this to be awakening.

At most it's an increase in favorability.

250 System: 【Host, you have changed the fate trajectory of the originally destined cannon fodder or marginal characters in the book. Therefore, this also counts as elementary awakening.】

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yao understood.

She opened her eyes, glanced at Gu Zhaozhao beside her who had fallen into a coma, her mind feeling rather complex.

Gu Zhaozhao is one of the cannon fodder characters.

Ding Shan Yue, Liu San, and Gu Si are as well.

Yuan Yao took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked ahead.

Even if saving someone is sometimes a kind of "conquest", she will not blindly save people just because of conquest.

She should act following her true heart.

Yuan Yao looked down at the six people, silently thinking: Not enough yet!

She then swallowed another third-grade Awakening Spirit Pill, and began to assault another room's cage.

Meanwhile, those six people below also saw everything around them clearly; while their hearts were shaken, fear also arose.

The red-clad woman Li Ji raised her head, looked toward where Ying Wuji and others were battling the black mist; immediately, she raised her hand, summoned a longsword, and then swiftly flashed away.

The Dual Polarity Sect Elder who had been fighting the black mist, upon seeing Li Ji's figure, his expression changed slightly and he shouted: "Li Ji!"

"Elder Fang." Li Ji gripped her longsword, nodded to him in greeting, then swiftly joined the battle.