Chapter 97: Surprise Attack

Of course it's special; she made it and caught it with her own hands!

Cheng Xi watched the black-robed figure vanish into the night, thinking of Ji Muzhi, who was being brought back by Baohua and Fenghuo.

The Array had been destroyed, so the shackles on Ji Muzhi should be undone; it would be best if the Blood Begonia Flower could be found, but if not, his life would no longer be in danger.

Fenghuo had returned to Cheng Xi's energy center, feeling quite resentful; if Cheng Xi fought with people every other day like this, it would be too exhausting for her.

Chi Laicheng had not yet returned, and Ji Muzhi lay in the Cold Jade Ice Pool; his complexion was much better than when she had left, so severing his connection to the Array had indeed been the right move.

Ji Muzhi slowly opened his eyes and saw Cheng Xi crouching before the pool, unable to help but be stunned for a moment, "Eldest Miss?"

"Awake? The problem shouldn't be major now, how do you feel?" Cheng Xi said.

Ji Muzhi didn't understand for a moment why Eldest Miss was here; confused, he asked blankly, "Why am I here?"

"Indeed, if Chi Laicheng hadn't dragged you back, you would have already become nourishment for the Array by now. You really are the boldest Alchemist I've ever seen, actually daring to barge into the Nine Yin Soul-Suppressing Talisman Array with your bare hands!"

Faced with Eldest Miss's sarcasm, Ji Muzhi felt instantly guilty and explained in a low voice, "I don't know how it happened, but I just walked in as if I were possessed."

"It's your good fortune that you made it out alive!" Cheng Xi stood up. "Chi Laicheng has gone to find the Blood Begonia Flower for you; if he finds it, eat it to recover faster, and if he doesn't, it's no great matter. You aren't going to die anyway, so just recover slowly."

Hearing this, Ji Muzhi knew that Eldest Miss was truly angry, and he dared not make another sound.

Cheng Xi returned to her own courtyard and fell straight to sleep; Baohua closed the door for her and kept watch outside, calling Fenghuo out to chat.

Fenghuo was a bit overdrawn today and seemed listless, so Baohua took her to the Spirit Gathering Array where the Dragon Blood Fruit had been kept; the Spirit Essence in the array was dense, and Fenghuo felt much more comfortable as soon as she entered.

She thanked Baohua, and Baohua said happily, "Once you've recovered, you'll have someone to chat with... Fire, will you follow Xixi from now on? Do you still want to go home?"

Fenghuo was stunned by Baohua's question; she thought for a moment before saying, "She snatched me, so naturally I must follow her. Even if I were to leave, it wouldn't be now."

She had to wait until she found a place more suitable for her cultivation before she could leave; otherwise, it was too dangerous for a lone fire to be out, and she would easily be captured.

Baohua was using her leaves to groom Fenghuo's flames when the entire courtyard suddenly shook violently. The spirit stones of the Spirit Gathering Array instantly turned to powder, and a sky full of yin energy surged in like a black tide.

"It's Yin Puppets!" Fenghuo soared into the air, her crimson fire wings spreading over ten meters. "Go wake up Cheng Xi!"

Seven green-faced, fanged corpse puppets smashed through the courtyard wall, dark red vines sprouting from their rotting flesh. Baohua shrieked and flung out her flower stamens, the gold powder condensing into a Barrier in the air, only to be pierced through by the ghostly light shot from the blood-colored eye on the lead corpse puppet's forehead.

A muffled groan came from the direction of the Cold Jade Ice Pool; amidst the sound of boiling water, there was the crisp crack of dislocated bones. When Cheng Xi burst through the window, she happened to see a sight that made her heart and gallbladder split—three corpse puppets were pinning Ji Muzhi to the edge of the pool, his left arm joint bent at a grotesque angle, while his right hand clutched a jade bottle that was about to roll away.

"Xun Wind, obey my command!" Cheng Xi pressed her fingers together and sliced her palm, the blood beads condensing into eight Red Jade Talismans. The gale winds surged, carrying Fenghuo, and a Fire Dragon roared, burning the corpse puppets into charcoal. She caught the falling jade bottle; it felt warm to the touch—what was inside was not Blood Begonia Flower juice, but Chi Laicheng's Heart Blood.

Fenghuo suddenly let out a clear, long cry, her tail feathers igniting with glaze-colored flames. At the wounds of the scorched corpse puppets, spell patterns identical to those of the Nine Yin Soul-Suppressing Array appeared. "These are Array-eye puppets!" Cheng Xi's heart shook violently; she swung her Sword to sever the vines entangling Ji Muzhi. "The black-robed figure is using Yin Puppets to construct the Array in reverse!"

From the horizon came Chi Laicheng's hoarse voice transmission: "Run! The Blood Begonia Flower is..." Before he could finish, a giant white-bone hand tore through the clouds, cradling the unconscious Chi Laicheng in its palm. A half-section of charred peach branch was stuck in his chest—it was the very branch Cheng Xi had snapped yesterday to test the Array.

"Eldest Miss... beware of the illu..." Ji Muzhi suddenly erupted, his pupils glowing with an eerie purple light. Cheng Xi backhanded the jade bottle onto his crown point, the Heart Blood flowing along the spell seal to temporarily suppress the Soul-Controlling Technique.

Fenghuo suddenly clamped onto Cheng Xi's lapel: "These Yin Puppets are carrying Void-Devouring Insect Eggs!" Her entire body's flames turned pure white, scorching the transparent worms crawling out from the cracks in the void; the entire courtyard had already been wrapped into a cocoon by silver insect silk.

"Help me hold them for ten breaths." Cheng Xi bit her tongue and used her essence blood to redraw the Breaking Array Talisman on Ji Muzhi's back. Beacon Fire transformed into a fire net to cover everyone, while Precious Flower's gold powder collided with the Yin Puppet black mist, sparking blinding electricity. When the final talisman pattern was completed, a complete Nine-Petal Blood Begonia Totem appeared on Ji Muzhi's back, and all the corpse puppets suddenly stood frozen and motionless.

Cheng Xi's gaze was icy as she scanned the surroundings: "Whoever you are, if you dare to play tricks here, don't blame me for being impolite."

Just then, a black shadow flashed past the Spirit Gathering Array. Cheng Xi was quick-witted and immediately unleashed a spell to attack in the direction of the shadow.

The black shadow dodged nimbly, letting out a sharp, strange laugh: "Cheng Xi, do you think you can rest easy just by destroying the Nine Yin Soul-Suppressing Talisman Array? The good show has only just begun."

Cheng Xi gave a cold snort: "You hiding, skulking thing, if you have the ability, come out; stop hiding and dodging."

The black shadow ignored her, merely weaving continuously through the Spirit Gathering Array, accelerating the rate at which it devoured the Spirit Essence. Seeing this, Ji Muzhi endured his physical discomfort and pulled out several Pills, preparing to use his alchemy to assist.

"Ji Muzhi, stop! Do you want to die?" Cheng Xi shouted sternly.

Ji Muzhi's face was deathly pale, "Eldest Miss, the situation is critical now; every bit of strength adds a bit more chance of victory."

Beacon Fire also gathered her spirits, spitting a ball of flame from her mouth toward the black shadow. The black shadow seemed wary of Beacon Fire's flames, its dodging movements clearly slowing down.

Baohua, meanwhile, was continuously setting up simple defensive arrays on the side, attempting to prevent the black shadow from escaping.

Cheng Xi concentrated her energy, searching for the black shadow's flaw. Suddenly, she noticed that when the black shadow dodged Beacon Fire's flames, a brief gap appeared on its left side. She immediately seized this opportunity, and a ray of light shot toward the black shadow like lightning.

"Ah!" The black shadow let out a miserable shriek, its form revealed; it was a mysterious person shrouded in a black robe, whose aura was somewhat similar to the black-robed figure that had appeared in the Nine Yin Soul-Suppressing Talisman Array, yet not entirely the same.

After being wounded, the mysterious person tried to flee. How could Cheng Xi let them go easily? She immediately gave chase. Just as she was about to grab the mysterious person, the person suddenly pulled a black sphere from their bosom and threw it at Cheng Xi.

Cheng Xi dodged to the side, watching as the black shadow was about to escape, when suddenly a Sword light slashed down from mid-air; half of the black shadow's shoulder instantly fell to the ground, emitting a shrill scream.

Cheng Xi was stunned, raising her eyes to look at the figure in mid-air: Li Zhi'an!