Seeing that he couldn’t deceive Su Zhuyi, Zhang Enning directly changed his expression. His face was gloomy and pale, his lips dark red, and his entire person looked extremely frail. At this time, the copper bell in his hand rang ding-ding-dang-dang, and the townspeople in the city came out one by one in a line.

These people were still alive. The principle was similar to the Soul-Loss Curse she had placed in the well back then, except that Su Zhuyi had only cast a spell back then for convenient control when needed, while Zhang Enning was raising them like living corpses, consuming their vitality daily. Now, these people were no different from the living dead. When the yin energy was heaviest, he would release two flying corpses inside to feed, using formation barriers and secret techniques to stimulate them, making the two flying corpses kill each other as well.

The sole flying corpse that survived in the end would have a great chance of advancing to become a fire demon. Ji Wuxin’s abilities in this area were considerable – following his technique manuals to raise corpses would have an even greater chance of success. And a fire demon’s strength would be comparable to a human cultivator’s Nascent Soul stage. Plus, fire demons didn’t fear pain or injury, so their combat power was much stronger than ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators. This was already a high-level corpse-raising technique. For Zhang Enning to grow to such a level in ten years was truly astonishing.

Su Zhuyi watched those barely alive people coming out in a line, somewhat unable to figure out Zhang Enning’s intentions. However, her hands weren’t idle. Flying corpses were very difficult to fight since they were already dead things – no matter how severely injured, they could still crawl up. And she currently had no handy weapon to shatter the flying corpses’ skulls and crush the spirit crystals inside that connected their souls to their master, so she could only use other methods.

After kicking the female flying corpse away, Su Zhuyi crouched down to avoid the fierce wind above her head, then rushed behind the male corpse and directly used her strength to form claws with her five fingers, efficiently dislocating both his arms, then his legs. She then drew talismans in the void and struck them on the scattered limbs. The flying corpse immediately stopped charging and no longer obeyed Zhang Enning’s commands, only writhing there, trying to retrieve its limbs.

When she did all this, her movements were as swift as lightning – in the blink of an eye, she had already disabled one flying corpse. Zhang Enning’s expression changed slightly as he sneered, “To be so ruthless even to your father, yet claim to have a kind heart – do you have any kindness?”

Father?

No wonder Su Zhuyi felt that middle-aged male corpse looked somewhat familiar – so it was her father. Their features were still somewhat similar.

That scum had committed countless evil deeds while alive and wasn’t peaceful even in death. A person with little cultivation talent could advance to become a flying corpse – he was thoroughly evil.

Su Zhuyi sneered, “This is righteously eliminating relatives for the greater good.”

…

Seeing that he temporarily had no way to take down Su Zhuyi, Zhang Enning immediately ordered the female flying corpse to entangle her while he retreated into the shadows again. At this time, the townspeople who had walked out of the city were gradually approaching Su Zhuyi, intending to surround her.

At the same moment, an old willow tree emerged from underground. Its willow branches formed a dense net, actually creating a spider web-like formation in the sky. Its roots and tendrils spread out in all directions, forming a trapping formation that sealed off the entire area where Su Zhuyi was located.

Though it was daytime, inside this yin energy cage formed by the willow tree it was pitch black, with gloomy and dim light.

Zhang Enning let out strange laughter from the shadows, “Su Zhuyi, you’re now a disciple of a prestigious righteous sect. These people – will you kill them or not?”

Su Zhuyi: “…”

Using willow trees to form an array to bind her, with soul-confusing formations and spirit-absorbing formations within the array, then sending some living dead to attack while flying corpses hid among them waiting to strike…

If Qin Chuan were trapped here, he would probably mistake all these villagers for flying corpses due to the formation’s effects, then kill them all in confusion and suffer immensely afterward. Su Zhuyi had encountered such situations before, but who was she?

She could slaughter everyone without batting an eyelid.

Moreover, she knew these techniques too.

She raised her hand, flames floating from her palm, about to strike away those soul-lost villagers in front of her and rush to near the formation’s eye. But in the instant she raised her hand, she pulled it back.

Around her were tiny points of pale green light, twinkling and dancing around her.

Her body seemed draped in a layer of moonlight, and beneath her feet were faint ripples and a moon’s reflection. In the moment she extended her hand, those tiny lights landed on her hand, as if kissing her fingertips.

“Big sister.”

“Little uncle said the jade hairpin would look even prettier at night.”

Little Skull’s words echoed in her ears. She reached up to touch the white jade hairpin on her head and suddenly felt reluctant to act.

It was as if she thought of Qin Jianglan catching fireflies with Little Skull, sitting there seriously polishing the jade hairpin, carving formation patterns bit by bit – like a clean and beautiful painting that amazed time itself.

And she didn’t want to stain that painting with even a drop of blood at this moment.

Su Zhuyi stood still without moving.

A spiritual energy barrier appeared around her, temporarily preventing those living dead from approaching.

But this tree cage had spirit-absorbing formations, meaning if she used spiritual energy it would be quickly consumed. And if a cultivator had no spiritual energy left, her combat power would decline, making it extremely easy for Zhang Enning to deal with her.

“Tsk tsk, didn’t expect Little Master really can’t bear to harm these mortals.”

“Could it be that after entering a righteous sect for ten years, you’ve truly reformed and become a new person?”

“But do you think you can wash yourself clean?”

“Do you still remember Old Lady Lu?”

“Do you still remember those villagers who were bitten to death by Old Lady Lu?”

Zhang Enning’s voice rose, “They all died because of you.”

The willow branches rustled and shook, the illusory realm’s power also strengthening. Su Zhuyi still didn’t speak. She looked pained, with tears already shimmering in her beautiful eyes.

Zhang Enning had determined her identity through blood and the old tree’s hints. After all, Su Zhuyi’s current strength was the Golden Core stage, and she wore a veil to disguise her appearance, so Zhang Enning couldn’t see her face. When everyone thought she was a little monk in childhood, it was only after the old tree acknowledged a master that he understood the little monk was female. Although the old tree’s intelligence wasn’t high, it could distinguish between male and female.

That face was covered by a veil, tears pooled in her eyes, her body seemed draped in moonlight, with tiny lights dancing around her. In that moment, Su Zhuyi was extremely beautiful in Zhang Enning’s eyes.

And he, with a murderous aura in his heart and accumulated grievances distorting his mind, couldn’t help but want to destroy and ruin all things beautiful.

Soon, she would fall into demonic obstacles.

Soon, her spiritual energy would also be completely consumed.

Soon, his fire demon would succeed this time. Using Su Zhuyi to refine a fire demon to destroy the Xueluo Sect would be the most satisfying form of revenge for him. He used concealment techniques, hiding in the shadows of those living dead, quickly approaching Su Zhuyi. He wanted to twist her slender neck, insert willow branches into her temples, destroy her dantian and consciousness sea, and refine her into the most powerful fire demon…

Zhang Enning moved through the shadows, approaching Su Zhuyi.

Just then, Su Zhuyi formed claws with her five fingers and used the Great Grappling Technique, pulling a living person out from the shadows beside her! With a casual wave, she divided her spiritual energy into strands and directly bound Zhang Enning tightly in circles.

“Shadow Evasion technique – you learned it quite well.” Her eyes were clear and bright, without a trace of being confused by illusions.

“I fell into a trap!” Zhang Enning wanted to break free, and the old tree also rapidly lashed its branches. But Su Zhuyi’s finger directly cut Zhang Enning’s neck, and using her blood-stained finger, she drew a mark on Zhang Enning’s face, then said coldly, “Old tree, move once more and I’ll make your master’s body explode.”

The rustling willow branches immediately stopped moving. Su Zhuyi was now at the Golden Core stage – spells she couldn’t cast before could now be smoothly executed. What she used to bind Zhang Enning was Spirit-Binding Rope, and she now had him firmly controlled while also placing a curse on him.

“Remove the cage.” Su Zhuyi commanded again.

Seeing Zhang Enning’s refusal, she directly snatched the copper bell from his hand. After examining it briefly, she shook the bell rhythmically several times. The living dead squeezed together to make way, the female flying corpse completely stopped moving, and Su Zhuyi dragged him swagger to the formation’s eye, destroying it in a few moves, breaking both the illusion and spirit-absorbing formations. Then she said, “Old tree, be sensible.”

Moments later, the birdcage of intertwined willow branches overhead disappeared, and a willow sapling about a person’s height appeared before Su Zhuyi. Its roots had only grown two tendrils, standing like two feet in a splayed stance on the ground. The willow branches were trembling as if shivering.

Having captured Zhang Enning, how should she deal with him?

Zhang Enning was created by the Heavenly Dao to replace Qinghe. If she killed Zhang Enning too, would that damned Heaven become furious and find ways to kill her?

Thinking this way was quite worrying.

After finally finding a replacement, you fucking killed him again – this grudge would just keep growing!

Qin Jianglan had also told her to live well and try not to change any historical trajectories. She looked at Zhang Enning in her grasp and the trembling willow branches before her, momentarily unable to decide.

So she casually asked, “Sword Ancestor, what do you think should be done?”

Broken Sword: “Hmph!”

You don’t look for me when fighting. What are you asking me for now?

Just then, sudden changes occurred. Su Zhuyi discovered Zhang Enning’s eyes turning blood red, with baleful energy surging from his body. Black baleful energy swirled around him, seemingly taking the rough form of the Longquan Sword. This appearance was exactly like a miniaturized version of Qinghe.

The willow tree was also trembling more violently, with most of its trunk hidden directly underground.

The souls and grievances from within the Longquan Sword had all been absorbed by Zhang Enning.

He was now on the verge of losing control, his aura frantically intensifying. Su Zhuyi was somewhat worried that the Spirit-Binding Rope couldn’t contain him. But she hadn’t thought of how to deal with this situation yet…

After brief consideration, Su Zhuyi carried Zhang Enning and flew quickly. After searching in the sky for a while, she landed and from a great distance threw Zhang Enning into a farmhouse cesspit.

Fortunately, this area had mortal villages and towns. Though she couldn’t find thousand-year-old pits, she could still find some decades-old old with some searching. That stench made her immediately wrap herself tightly in a spiritual energy barrier.

Since it had worked on Qinghe, throwing Zhang Enning in could also temporarily suppress that baleful energy, right?

To suppress Zhang Enning’s baleful energy, Su Zhuyi even used a spiritual energy barrier to create a lid over the cesspit. She saw the willow tree had followed Zhang Enning over and was about to grab the willow tree to throw it in too, when she heard a weak voice say, “I’m sorry, can you save us?”

Being devoured and torn by countless grievances daily, both it and its master could barely hold on. When they lost their reason, he would forget everything, including his mother, including his revenge, becoming a puppet that only knew how to kill.

It didn’t want this.

Its master didn’t want this either.