Chapter 1836: Chapter 1048: Flaw (Part 2)
"Fine, Yang, let’s follow along." Beiyu Ye said without hesitation and followed.
But just as Beiyu Ye approached Jiu Shan Sha Yue from behind, he suddenly struck, slapping toward the back of Jiu Shan Sha Yue’s head. Yet, it was as if Jiu Shan Sha Yue had eyes at the back of her head, narrowly avoiding the strike.
"What are you doing?!" Jiu Shan Sha Yue yelled angrily, having narrowly dodged.
"She’s fake!" Beiyu Ye shouted, "There’s no way news could come from my Taoist Sect. Yang, be careful!"
Upon hearing this, Jiu Shan Sha Yue dropped her disguise and revealed her true form.
This person was wearing a cyan Daoist robe, with a slim physique and graying hair tied up in a bun atop their head, giving an appearance of immortality. However, terrifyingly, the elder’s eye sockets were deep and sunken, and instead of eyeballs, there were dark hollows that resembled endless voids.
A mere glance was enough to make Yang Xiao feel an inexplicable dizziness, as if his entire soul was about to be sucked out.
"Don’t look into its eyes!" Beiyu Ye reacted quickly, immediately maneuvering two puppets to attack the person.
Meanwhile, behind them, there was movement in the forest as two living puppets emerged, exuding an intimidating presence.
Both had peak Ghost Level strength. Even if living puppets are not as strong as puppets of the same level, these two combined posed a significant threat.
"Help me hold off these two living puppets; I’ll handle the Source Ghost!" For this moment, Beiyu Ye exhibited exceptional courage; he seemed to know how to tackle the Source Ghost.
"Watch yourself!" Yang Xiao reminded before turning to face the two living puppets.
Up against these adversaries, Yang Xiao dared not underestimate them and immediately summoned the Mirror Ghost for assistance.
He didn’t intend to kill the living puppets; his goal was to buy time for Beiyu Ye.
The battle commenced instantly, with the Mirror Ghost engaging one robust living puppet in a brawl, fighting like real men by standing their ground, exchanging punches; whoever backed down was a coward.
In contrast, Yang Xiao’s battle was more technical. The puppet opposing him was a dignified-looking woman, around 40 years old, dressed as an intellectual woman from the Republic era, wearing black square-toed shoes, likely a college teacher, and wielding a teaching wand as her magical artifact.
The wand was similar to his Human Bone Staff, always hitting its target with every strike, unable to be blocked.
Unlike the Human Bone Staff, however, this wand only harmed the body, not the mind.
These few blows from a distance left Yang Xiao suffering miserably; after all these years, apart from his sister’s whip, he couldn’t tolerate being treated this way by anyone else.
Angrily determined, Yang Xiao charged forward, enduring the wand’s blows, eventually trading injuries with a strike, severing the woman’s left hand carrying the wand.
The woman’s shoes were also a magical artifact; she instantly appeared in front of Yang Xiao, aiming a stomp at his foot.
Frighteningly, Yang Xiao found himself immobilized by a mysterious force, unable to move.
In a critical moment, Yang Xiao triggered the Ghost Lantern, breaking the power of imprisonment, then swiftly raised his saber, delivering a blow that severed the woman’s head.
Simultaneously, the battle on the Mirror Ghost’s side reached a conclusion. Yang Xiao watched as the Mirror Ghost avoided the opponent’s Cannon Fist, followed by a Yin Leg.
Seizing the opponent’s unresponsive moment, it lunged forward, opening its mouth wide at an angle no living human could achieve, revealing jagged teeth, and savagely bit the opponent’s neck.
"Ah, my son, truly smart, no need for idle talk when you can play dirty!"
Yang Xiao was very pleased with the Mirror Ghost’s performance, though, had it been him, he’d have dealt with the opponent long ago; he enjoyed fighting these types lacking brains.
As Yang Xiao’s battle concluded, Beiyu Ye and the Source Ghost’s fight intensified; the Source Ghost’s combat strength surpassed the half-step Nether Realm.
But Beiyu Ye seemed to know how to counter the Source Ghost; surprisingly, he and his two puppets fought evenly against the Source Ghost.
Seeing Yang Xiao had dealt with his opponent, the Source Ghost ceased its engagement with Beiyu Ye and turned to flee into the dense forest behind.
"Don’t run!" Beiyu Ye immediately gave chase, knowing letting it escape would be like releasing a tiger into the wild.
Then suddenly, a figure burst out from the forest, blocking Beiyu Ye’s path; it was another living puppet in a bizarre state, with cracked skin exposing flesh beneath, like a ballooned human skin that could burst at any moment.
"Watch out!" Yang Xiao warned.
And the next moment, the living puppet exploded, the massive force spreading in all directions, toppling trees within a 20-meter radius, even affecting Yang Xiao standing tens of meters away, narrowly steadied himself.
After the explosion, a deep crater formed at the blast site, demonstrating the blast’s immense power.
"Whew—"
"Whew—"
Beiyu Ye breathed heavily, his chest heaving after narrowly escaping. At the last moment, the half-step Nether Realm puppet shielded him from the deadly impact, although it was severely damaged, with one arm blown away.
"Are you alright?" Yang Xiao rushed over to check on Beiyu Ye, relieved that he only had some scrapes.
"I’m fine; it’s a shame it escaped, just barely!" Beiyu Ye said through gritted teeth, realizing the missed opportunity was a significant loss.
Looking towards where the Source Ghost had fled, Yang Xiao was sure it was heading in the direction of Zhenxuan Temple, urgently saying, "Can’t believe that Source Ghost could morph into Jiu Shan Sha Yue, almost tricking us."
"Indeed, your judgment was correct. The Source Ghost aimed to deceive us away from the temple," Yang Xiao added.
"Heh, it must be so; the moment that guy appeared, I knew something felt wrong; how could Jiu Shan Sha Yue’s mere strength escape from that senior’s control?"
Beiyu Ye urged, "Yang, we must hurry; that guy must be hiding in Zhenxuan Temple now. It’s wounded by me; if it has enough time to recover, it’ll be trouble."
"Right!" Yang Xiao followed Beiyu Ye’s pace.
"Yang, I’m grateful you came to aid me; this debt my Taoist Sect will not forget. When we get out..."
Before Beiyu Ye could finish, Yang Xiao, following behind him, audaciously struck, drawing the Ring-Headed Saber and swung a Reverse Kasaya at Beiyu Ye, but as if prepared for it, Beiyu Ye narrowly dodged.
However, the extended knife stroke still tore Beiyu Ye’s clothes, leaving a mark on his back, but unfortunately, it was blocked by a protective force.
Clearly, he wore a Protective Magical Artifact beneath his clothes, though this was Yang Xiao’s quickest strike; there’d be no time to aim for the head.
Beiyu Ye reacted swiftly, turning and striking Yang Xiao’s chest with his palm, holding a white handkerchief embroidered in vibrant colors.
Simultaneously, the half-step Nether Realm high-rank puppet rushed beside Yang Xiao, its massive fist pounding toward Yang Xiao’s head.
Yang Xiao, unsuccessful in his strike, immediately withdrew, utilizing the Soul-Capturing Mirror’s ability, causing the puppet to miss.
In that moment, Beiyu Ye’s demeanor entirely changed; he stood with hands behind his back, his gaze coldly fixed on Yang Xiao, seemingly confused, unable to pinpoint his flaw.
"Heh..." Yang Xiao chuckled coldly, gradually relaxing and stretching his limbs, "Jiu Shan Sha Yue was only imprisoned after you left; how the hell did you know that?"
