Chapter 471: Painting Scroll Unfurls Gently, Long Qi Dies

The Dharma Array shattered, dropping fragments of spirit energy to the ground, which dissipated in the blink of an eye amidst the flames.

In the end, I overestimated myself; how could I have harbored the delusional thought of stopping the Demon Lord?

Facing the Demon Lord, whose anger was surging, Lingxiang felt utterly powerless against her own recklessness.

Yet Lingxiang was not afraid in the slightest; even with the Demon Lord's oppressive aura bearing down on her, her gaze did not waver, and she stared straight back at him.

Some things might be avoided, but right and wrong must be clearly distinguished, especially since everyone had already torn off their masks.

Xin Yi was anxious about the plight of Lingxiang and Long Qi, but being weak and powerless, he could not move at all, and he had to fight against a tide of sleepiness; though he saw it all, he could only fret in vain.

Adao was even more anxious, his eyes turning red, but he had promised Lingxiang to take good care of Xin Yi and had sworn not to put himself in danger, so he dared not disobey in the slightest.

Fortunately, Chiyanzi and Lu Ying were not lost in their fight; after Lu Ying's two Daoist Techniques entangled the Rust Ghost and the Yin-Eroding Ghoul, Chiyanzi finally rushed toward Lingxiang.

But for some reason, the Rust Ghost merely flicked its robe, instantly breaking free from the restraint of Lu Ying's technique; a sound of chains hidden within the rustling of the robes caught Chiyanzi off guard as he flew over, instantly wrapping around his ankles.

"Oh no!"

Chiyanzi cried out that it was bad, but before he could find a way to break free, a strange force pulled him, causing him to fall to the ground.

Lu Ying was shocked; he had clearly controlled the Rust Ghost, yet he hadn't seen how the Rust Ghost had broken free at all.

This demon possessed strange tricks; it was likely not so easy to deal with.

And who was the only one with strange tricks?

The Yin-Eroding Ghoul gave a sinister laugh, then transformed into a pool of black blood and slipped into the shadow beneath it.

Lu Ying's technique missed once again.

If these two subordinates were already this difficult to deal with, what chance of victory would they have against the Demon Lord?

Panic rose in Lu Ying's heart, and he began to doubt himself—a great taboo in cultivation.

Just as Lu Ying was distracted, the Yin-Eroding Ghoul's shadow quietly moved beneath him, and a blood-red tentacle shot out from the shadow, taking the shape of a giant blade, hanging behind Lu Ying.

Just as the giant blade fell, a vine shot out, wrapped around Lu Ying's waist, and pulled him away.

It was Chiyanzi's Five Elements wood technique.

The giant blade missed with a loud crash, and Lu Ying instantly regained his focus; he looked at Chiyanzi with gratitude, and the latter nodded with a firm expression.

Even if the path ahead was fraught with danger and difficulty, there was no reason to give up at this moment.

Lu Ying's mind cleared, and with his twin maces imbued with Spirit-Attachment, he swung them hard, smashing the chains that were wrapped around Chiyanzi.

As soon as Chiyanzi broke free, he rushed toward Lingxiang again, but the Yin-Eroding Ghoul's shadow was faster; in the blink of an eye, it reached Chiyanzi, and two blood-red whips shot out from the shadow, lashing at him rapidly.

The whip strikes were fierce, forcing Chiyanzi to retreat and dodge; after he stood his ground, his path forward was blocked by the Yin-Eroding Ghoul.

Lu Ying took the opportunity to circle toward Lingxiang, but his vision blurred, and after a rustling sound, his path was intercepted by the Rust Ghost.

The two looked at Lingxiang with worry, but the Yin-Eroding Ghoul and the Rust Ghost struck first, and the four became locked in an inseparable struggle.

Lingxiang could only face the enemy alone.

The Demon Lord's temperament had suddenly changed; Lingxiang guessed it was likely that the Wandering Soul Grass she had added to the Huitian Pill had taken effect.

In ordinary use, Wandering Soul Grass would usually damage the soul, but the Huitian Pill contained Five Spirits Ginseng, which had the effect of stabilizing the soul and calming the spirit; when used together, they could separate the soul from the body.

The reason Lingxiang had provoked the Demon Lord to test the medicine was to strip the soul of Mo Zun Boyan from Lingxiao's physical body.

Although she did not know how much the souls of the Demon Lord and Lingxiao had merged, fortunately, the Demon Race was missing one soul and one spirit, which allowed this to be carried out.

She just hadn't expected that they would end up in such a passive position.

Looking at the Demon Lord, who was approaching step by step with a murderous glint in his eyes, Lingxiang held the Yushu Fire Finger, but she understood that the disparity in their strength was too great; she could not possibly be his match.

A mantis trying to stop a chariot—how absurd...

Lingxiang gave a self-deprecating smile, but for her to sit still and wait for death was absolutely impossible.

However, as if it never rains but it pours, just as the Demon Lord reached out toward Lingxiang and she was forming seals to cast a spell, Long Qi in her arms suddenly began to convulse.

Long Qi's eyes rolled back, saliva flowed from his mouth, his whole body shook uncontrollably, and he opened his mouth to emit strange sounds.

It was Demon-Falling!

Demon-Falling occurred at the moment of life and death; the Demon Lord's heavy injury to Long Qi had provided the perfect opportunity.

But if Long Qi were to become a demon, everything Lingxiang had done would be in vain.

Lingxiang looked at Long Qi with worry, but the Demon Lord grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up, dragging her toward the secret chamber without a word.

"Long Qi!"

Lingxiang struggled with all her might, but it was futile; she could only watch helplessly as Long Qi, who had fallen to the ground, continued to convulse.

Just then, the fingers of Tumi Xianzi in the glass coffin moved slightly, and the Painting Scroll on the ground slowly unfurled, floating before the Demon Lord.

The painting within the scroll emitted a faint light, and the Demon Lord looked at the woman in the painting, lost in thought, his footsteps coming to a halt.

"Lingxiao... Lingxiao..."

It was as if celestial music had drifted from an empty valley, intoxicating the Demon Lord; he ignored even the struggling Lingxiang, his heart and eyes filled only with the woman in the painting.

"Tumi..."

The Demon Lord raised his hand to stroke the woman in the painting, but the painting retreated; the Demon Lord had to follow closely, yet the painting avoided him, constantly drawing the Demon Lord along.

"Lingxiao... Lingxiao..."

The calls echoed incessantly; the Demon Lord was lost in it, unable to extricate himself, following the Painting Scroll closely like a butterfly.

It was thanks to Lingxiang's soul-separation plan; otherwise, a mere painting could never have bewitched the Demon Lord. The current Demon Lord was likely in a state of chaotic consciousness, unable to distinguish reality from illusion.

Moreover, that was not just a painting; residing within the painting was the Primordial Spirit of Tumi Xianzi.

The freed Lingxiang did not delay and hurried to Long Qi's side, but she did not know what else she could do.

As if he did not feel pain, Long Qi's body twisted into a strange posture, his eyes turned white, and he whimpered incessantly.

Just then, a light flashed before Lingxiang's eyes; she turned to look and saw it was the Dust-Peering Mirror.

And in the Dust-Peering Mirror, Lingxiang was actually raising her hand to pull the hairpin from her head.

So, this is how the deadlock is to be broken?

Lingxiang took a deep breath; now was not the time to panic!

After a moment of contemplation, Lingxiang channeled her Spirit Power into a blade at her fingertips and slashed at her wrist; fresh blood instantly gushed out, splashing all over Long Qi's face.

Using her own blood, Lingxiang began to draw around Long Qi, and before long, she had finished drawing a blood array.

It was the Soul Restraining Array!

The blood array surrounded Long Qi; Lingxiang tore a strip of cloth from her skirt, wrapped it carelessly around her wrist, and ignoring the blood seeping through it, she walked into the array, picked up Long Qi, pinched the Lianxin Sword Art, turned her fingers into a blade, and without a moment's hesitation, stabbed into Long Qi's chest.

The whimpering sound came to an abrupt halt, as if stuck in Long Qi's throat; Long Qi only opened his mouth, but could not make a single sound.

Spirit Power poured from Lingxiang's fingertips into Long Qi's body; before long, Long Qi's eyes stopped rolling, his body went limp, and his chest no longer rose or fell.

Lingxiang had killed Long Qi!

Lingxiang had actually killed Long Qi!