Chapter 117: Chapter 114: Mage!!
Xing Suanzi cradled the Jile Spirit House and muttered a Magic Spell. The Jile Workshop was instantly enveloped in a thick fog.
Within the fog.
Shadowy figures stirred.
Painted Skins weaved through the mist, clashing with Ye Baici and her companions.
Though few in number, Ye Baici’s party was comprised of elites, each one possessing methods to counter the Skin Painting Technique.
With soaring Fierce Flames, roaring Fire Dragons, and crisscrossing figures, the Painted Skin Puppets were dissipating at a rate visible to the naked eye.
At this rate, no matter how many Painted Skin Puppets the Jile Spirit House held, it could not sustain such losses.
"Cloud Formation and Rainfall!"
Xing Suanzi narrowed his eyes, surveying the entire scene. His Spell changed, and in an instant, clouds and rain completely covered the Jile Workshop.
The rain was pitch-black,
like ink.
"Be careful!"
Ye Baici’s heart pounded.
"It’s ink!"
Before the words left her mouth, the downpour transformed into sharp arrows, shooting down toward everyone below.
"SWISH!"
"SWISH! SWISH!"
For a painter, wielding a brush and splashing ink to conjure a rain of arrows was an effortless task, yet now he used this very method against his enemies.
"THUD!"
Caught off guard, one person was struck by several arrows. His movements stiffened, and then a countless volley descended.
His body was instantly riddled with holes, leaving him as dead as dead could be.
Still others were surrounded by Painted Skin Puppets who seized the opening. They were covered by innumerable sheets of paper and, in an instant, devoured down to a pile of bones.
"Mute Girl."
Ye Baici’s expression was grim.
"Administer the needles!"
The Mute Girl, who was fending off enemies with her Golden Needles, heard her and bit her lip. A worried look filled her eyes as she flashed to Ye Baici’s side.
Ghost Gate Needle!
Unleashing the potential of a Mage was clearly no easy task.
After only a few needles, the Mute Girl’s forehead was covered in sweat, and her speed grew slower with every needle she placed.
The effect, however, was obvious.
Ye Baici’s black hair turned white at a visible rate, and the light in her eyes grew so bright it seemed tangible.
The Buddha’s Heart Lamp shone with unprecedented brightness.
"ROAR!"
The two Fire Dragons tilted their heads back and roared, their bodies coiling. On their forms, originally composed of Fierce Flame, scales began to appear, piece by piece.
They were just like true living creatures.
They spat Fierce Flame and crashed wildly into two Great Mage Puppets, turning the Jile Workshop into a sea of fire.
Never mind the Painted Skins—
even the clouds and rain in the sky were incinerated by the raging blaze, unable to re-form.
"Damn it!"
Xing Suanzi roared, grinding his teeth. The Jile Spirit House in his hand trembled, and dark figures shot out from it one after another.
Puppet Creation Technique!
"CLANG!"
Rouge Saber clashed with a dark figure, and an expression of surprise crossed their face.
"Be careful!"
"They’re Skin Puppets!"
Painted Skins come from paintings, but Skin Puppets are made from actual skin.
Xing Suanzi had actually used human skin and Beast Hides as his canvas, imprisoning the flesh and souls of others to create his puppets.
Compared to the Painted Skins, these puppets were more resistant to the Fierce Flames and a notch stronger.
The Painted Skin Puppets had the advantage of numbers, but Ye Baici’s party had come prepared, leading to a stalemate that wouldn’t be broken anytime soon.
...
「In a separate courtyard.」
Feng Hongda shielded his sister behind him, his eyes darting about as the entire situation unfolded in his mind.
Soul Control Technique!
As soon as the chaos erupted, he had split off a wisp of his Divine Soul, transforming it into a goshawk to fly high above the Jile Workshop.
Thus, he had a crystal-clear view of the situation there.
’They’re Mages!’
His mind raced, and Feng Hongda said:
"Xing Suanzi has harmed countless people over the years. Finally, some tough opponents have shown up to get revenge."
"Sister!"
He spun around abruptly, his eyes shining.
"Where’s your scroll? We can grab it and leave while we have the chance. An opportunity like this won’t come again."
"The scroll..." Feng Yue’er’s beautiful eyes shifted slightly, and she pointed into the distance.
"It’s over there."
"Let’s go." Overjoyed, Feng Hongda told Feng Yue’er to stay close as he kicked open the door and bolted.
"WHOOSH..."
They hadn’t gotten far when a flaming roof beam came crashing down toward them.
"Watch out!"
Feng Hongda shouted, and his body instantly swelled, transforming him into a hairy black bear.
"SMASH!"
With a sweep of a massive paw, he sent the beam flying.
Beast Painting Technique!
"Sister, keep up."
He glanced at Feng Yue’er cowering behind him and shouted, his hands flying to part the flames ahead as he charged for the room where the scrolls were kept.
Scrolls were vulnerable to fire.
So the place they were stored would naturally have fireproofing measures.
In the back courtyard was a small pond, and in the middle of it stood a narrow hut—the very place Feng Yue’er had pointed to.
But with the Jile Workshop now a raging inferno, even this hut had not been spared; flames licked at its walls.
"CRASH!"
Feng Hongda smashed his way into the hut, beat out the burning flames, and snatched a scroll, unfurling it.
"Huh?"
’Isn’t this the second madam of the Wang Family who passed away last year?’
Stunned, he tossed the scroll aside and grabbed another.
’County Magistrate Zhou’s concubine!’
’Guo Yuanwai’s daughter...’
’That damn Xing Suanzi... Just how many people has he hidden away? How many has he refined into Puppets in the Painting?’
’There are even men?’
Feng Hongda’s expression was savage, and he cursed furiously, suddenly recalling rumors mentioned by Demon Catchers.
According to the rumors, deep within the Jile Workshop was a highly secret area that one could only enter after their identity had been verified.
Inside were men and women of a beauty ordinary people couldn’t even imagine, pleasures that only the city’s wealthiest elites were qualified to enjoy.
’Could it be...’
’that this is that place?’
’In terms of beauty, the people in the paintings in the front courtyard were already as lovely as Celestial Immortals. How much more beautiful could they possibly be?’
’Unless...’
’Their status isn’t ordinary!’
’Only by toying with women of high status could those men get a different kind of thrill.’
"That animal!"
As Feng Hongda’s hands trembled with rage, he felt Feng Yue’er gently tug his sleeve. She pointed toward a basket of scrolls in the corner.
"My scroll is in there."
The scrolls in the basket were tattered and clearly not valued.
Following her gesture, Feng Hongda unrolled a scroll. The woman painted on it had a sickly pallor—it was Feng Yue’er.
