Chapter 667: Showoff

Her hair was lifted by the wind, the brown tips spreading out in the air.

That desire rising from deep within grew stronger and stronger.

It wasn't fear, nor nervousness, but an inexplicable urge to put on a show.

It was as if something inside her had been awakened, urging her forward, telling her— you can do it, you're already impressive, no point in not showing off.

Qingque took a deep breath.

The operation of Great Void Sword Qi became clear in her mind.

The gray‑haired woman had taught her in a dream, not how to use brute force, but how to let her mind settle, settling to a stillness like a calm pool.

The sword's mental realms are divided into Still Water, Dust‑free, Bright Mirror, and Great Void, four levels.

When the mind does not move, true Qi generates itself.

Qingque silently recited it in her heart.

The Cloud Cavalry's commands, the demon‑shadow bodies' roars, all these sounds mingled, turning the whole street into a boiling pot.

Yet what Qingque heard in her ears seemed to drift farther away, as if a layer of water separated it.

The wind grew stronger.

Qingque's sleeves were blown up and rolled, the hem behind her stretching into a straight line.

A current of air, wrapped with fine sand and stones, rose from the ground, swirling at her feet.

Sunlight poured down from above, bathing her, stretching her tiny shadow long and long.

She kept walking forward.

The people running by saw her appearance, froze for a moment, then hurried aside to both sides.

It wasn't because her aura was that strong; a girl just over 1.4 meters tall, no matter how she walked, couldn't exude a sweeping‑army presence.

They cleared the way simply because: "You damn block the road!"

Crazy!

The corner of Qingque's mouth twitched.

The little momentum she had barely mustered crumbled halfway under that "Crazy!" remark.

Forget it.

She inhaled deeply and kept moving.

The rampaging demon‑shadow bodies drew nearer.

Three demon‑shadow soldiers were tangled with the Cloud Cavalry in the middle of the street; their shells had long lost human shape, only endless growths and mutations constantly expanding and contracting.

A twisted limb swung and flung two Cloud Cavalry officers far away.

One Cloud Cavalry soldier was struck, sent soaring horizontally, his body rotating twice in the air, then crashing heavily onto the ground, bouncing once, sliding several meters along the stone slab before stopping.

He stopped right at Qingque's feet.

It was a Cloud Cavalry squad leader, tall and broad, clad in standard armor, his helmet askew, a large bruise blue on his face.

He braced against the ground trying to rise, but his arm went limp as soon as he straightened it.

Then he lifted his head and saw Qingque standing before him.

The squad leader's eyes widened.

"Miss Qingque?"

The voice carried disbelief; instinctively he glanced behind Qingque, then swept left and right, as if searching for someone's silhouette.

After searching and finding nothing, his expression shifted from disbelief to bewilderment.

"Could it be—Grand Diviner?"

Lord Fu Xuan arriving would be wonderful; Lord Fu Xuan's arrival would mean salvation—he probably thought that.

Qingque gave a light cough.

For some reason, the officer's neck instantly stiffened, and he turned back to look at her.

"The Grand Diviner is not here."

Her voice was measured and unhurried.

Coupled with the raging demon‑shadow bodies' background noise behind her, the contrast left the squad leader's mind momentarily baffled.

"Huh?"

The squad leader was completely stunned.

His mind probably spun two or three times before processing those two words.

What's going on? Grand Diviner not here?

Then why does a slacking Diviner come here?

But he couldn't worry about that any longer.

The demon‑shadow bodies were still raging over there, comrades desperately intercepting; each second delayed added another point of danger.

The squad leader, unable to mind his chest pain, rolled up from the ground, stood in front of Qingque, and spread his arms.

"Miss Qingque, you must leave this place quickly! It's too dangerous! If you want to help, go to the General's Mansion and find the Grand Diviner, report the situation there—"

Qingque raised one hand.

She pressed down gently, indicating him not to panic.

Along with the composed expression on her face, it even made the squad leader involuntarily close his mouth.

The squad leader opened his mouth slightly, then shut it again.

He lowered his head, looking at the petite girl before him, his mind a blank.

According to him, Miss Qingque was renowned in Tai Bu Si as a master of slacking off.

Usually she was either playing cards in a teahouse or sleeping in the library; she postponed work whenever possible, dodged responsibilities, and was the least likely person in Tai Bu Si to appear on a battlefield.

But now she is standing right here, standing on the street ravaged by Demon Shadow Bodies, standing before the Cloud Cavalry that has been knocked to the ground, with not a trace of panic on her face.

The Squad Leader wanted to say something like "Miss Qingque, stop kidding," or "This isn't the place where you usually slack off," or "Where on earth does your confidence come from?"

But Qingque gave him no time to keep thinking.

A misstep, a slight tilt of her body, and she was about to slip past him.

The Squad Leader instinctively reached out to stop her—no, he couldn't let an ordinary Diviner go to his death. His hand just left his side when Qingque's shoulder brushed past the Non‑commissioned Officer's fingertip; she swayed her waist, slipped entirely beneath his arm, and not even a hem brushed him.

Like a fish.

Smooth and slick, not even a splash of water.

The Squad Leader's arm froze in mid‑air, his fingertips still poised as if to grasp something.

He stood about 1.9 meters tall; with his arms outstretched he could block most of the alley, yet Qingque slipped by effortlessly, not even grazing his hem.

"So agile!"

The Squad Leader couldn't help but blurt it out.

The thought just formed, and he saw Qingque already ahead, her small silhouette steady, clutching that jade token that seemed to have come from nowhere.

The battle ahead was worsening.

Three Demon Shadow Body soldiers exerted force simultaneously, their twisted limbs lashing out like whips, driving back the encircled Cloud Cavalry entirely.

Several Non‑commissioned Officers were shaken back repeatedly, and the formation was torn open with a huge gap.

The green stone slabs beneath were gouged by the proliferating tissue of the Demon Shadow Bodies into deep furrows; fragments of stone and dust rose, forming a hazy gray mist in the air.

The previously suppressed Demon Shadow Bodies all turned their heads in unison; on those twisted faces, no human facial features remained, only flesh that kept proliferating and shedding, writhing.

Their gazes swept over the repelled Cloud Cavalry, then settled on the only person standing in the clearing—the small figure emerging from the smoke and dust.

Qingque stood before them.

Those behind widened their eyes, and a strained shout came out of their throats: "Watch—!"

A few Cloud Cavalry soldiers who had just scrambled to their feet also saw the scene and all turned pale.

The nearest one struggled to charge forward, but a wound on his leg made him stagger after a single step, leaving him to watch helplessly.

Three Demon Shadow Bodies moved.