Chapter 1130: Diverting Disaster
The White-Haired Old Woman wanted the young girl to become her new Guardian Spirit. This was something the Crippled Elder had kept from Cold Yue, because he knew that once Cold Yue learned of it, a conflict was inevitable between the two parties, potentially even escalating into a full-blown fight. To prevent such an outcome, he remained silent on the matter.
In response to Cold Yue's politeness, he reciprocated with equal courtesy, but he wouldn't let her civility coax him into revealing anything he shouldn't.
Since the White-Haired Old Woman had decided to make the young girl her Guardian Spirit, the Crippled Elder felt it best to let the White-Haired Old Woman handle this troublesome affair herself. If he were to explain it on her behalf, Cold Yue might very well resent him for it, and he had no desire to put himself in such a passive position.
In any case, it was the White-Haired Old Woman who coveted the young girl, not him. There was no need for him to blindly meddle and invite trouble upon himself. Once the White-Haired Old Woman successfully captured the young girl, it would be most appropriate for her to handle the matter herself. All he had to do was collect his own reward.
In his view, no matter who ultimately succeeded in obtaining the young girl—whether it was the White-Haired Old Woman or Cold Yue—as a helper, he would at least secure one reward. While this was far less than two rewards, under the current circumstances, he naturally couldn't expect to receive both. Even though he felt deeply regretful about it, he could only passively accept this reality.
Cold Yue had never imagined such a drastic turn of events would occur during the time their group of four had been separated from the White-Haired Old Woman and the Crippled Elder. Unaware of the truth, she was still rejoicing that the White-Haired Old Woman had struck the young girl away, for she, too, sensed that the young girl was on the verge of collapsing.
In her estimation, everything the White-Haired Old Woman was doing now was for her benefit. The White-Haired Old Woman was on the verge of success; once the battle concluded, Cold Yue would immediately obtain a Blood-Clad Ghost King. Regardless of whether she could ultimately subdue this Blood-Clad Ghost King and successfully sign a contract with it, at the very least, once she captured it, she would transition from a passive to an active position. She would have ample time and means to handle the matter. She believed that given enough time, she could absolutely break through the Blood-Clad Ghost King's mental defenses and make it her new Guardian Spirit. How could she not be pleased?
As for the three Great Spirit Callers who had accompanied Cold Yue to Death Valley, aside from Shang Yuanqi, whose brow was deeply furrowed, the other two wore expressions of delight. For as long as the White-Haired Old Woman secured the young girl, it meant their mission was a complete success. As per their agreement, Cold Yue would then have to pay them their due compensation.
Shang Yuanqi's furrowed brow, entirely unlike the reactions of the other two, stemmed from his lack of opportunity to act, which meant he couldn't avenge his deceased Big Sister. Naturally, no joy could be seen on his face.
At this moment, he was even considering whether he should strike unexpectedly, using all his power in one blow to scatter the young girl's soul. However, if he did so, he would undoubtedly face Cold Yue's retaliation, and it was highly probable he would lose his life here today. After all, having just entered the Great Spirit Caller realm, the gap between him and Cold Yue, a peak mid-stage Great Spirit Caller, was more than just a slight difference.
Moreover, even if he did strike unexpectedly, he might not be able to kill the young girl. With five other Great Spirit Callers present, he felt his chances of success were very low, so he was momentarily indecisive.
The White-Haired Old Woman's thoughts at this moment diverged from everyone else present. Although she was indeed breaking her promise, the fact remained that she had lost her Guardian Spirit, and she had lost it while helping Cold Yue. Therefore, even in breaking her word, she felt not a shred of guilt.
She had already made up her mind: once she captured the young girl, no one, Cold Yue included, should expect her to hand the girl over. She would use every means to subdue the young girl and make her her new Guardian Spirit!
If Cold Yue accepted, then so be it. But if Cold Yue refused, they would simply have to settle it with their strength. With both of them having lost their Guardian Spirits, she didn't believe Cold Yue would be her match.
"Little girl, aren't you going to surrender yet? If this continues, it won't just be your physical body that gets hurt; your soul will also suffer severe damage. It'll be a real pain to recover then!"
The White-Haired Old Woman already considered the young girl to be within her grasp, so she was still reluctant to strike too harshly. After all, if the young girl's soul were truly damaged, then wouldn't it fall to her, the future master, to deal with the trouble? So, if this particular trouble could be avoided, it was best, lest she waste both resources and time later.
"Hehehehe, old hag, I see both your ears and your brain are a bit faulty. Then again, your skin is clearly reaching its end; it's inevitable for problems to arise."
The young girl cackled menacingly. Although she was very weak at the moment, her disheveled hair and ferocious expression were unnerving, and the words that spilled from her lips showed no intention of yielding.
Upon hearing this, the White-Haired Old Woman let out a cold snort and said no more. However, in her heart, she resolved to inflict some necessary harm upon the young girl. She hadn't originally intended to do so, but she felt the young girl was far too impertinent. Without dealing some necessary damage, she certainly wouldn't be able to subdue her. Thus, she temporarily changed her mind, deciding that even if it cost her more time and resources later, she would deliver a severe lesson this time, planting a seed of fear for her in the young girl's heart in advance!
However, just as the White-Haired Old Woman was about to strike ruthlessly at the young girl, the girl, with a ferocious grin, shot off rapidly in one direction, leaving behind a harsh declaration.
"If you've got the guts, then catch me!"
To the White-Haired Old Woman and the others, the young girl's action was nothing but a feint, obviously intended to scare them and create an opportunity for her to escape.
The Crippled Elder had previously told the White-Haired Old Woman that she was solely responsible for dealing with the young girl, while he would prevent the girl's escape and thwart any interference. Seeing the young girl fleeing into the distance now, if he did nothing, wouldn't he be slapping his own face? Moreover, he hadn't yet received the benefits the White-Haired Old Woman had promised him. If he didn't intervene to stop the young girl, the White-Haired Old Woman would more than likely use it as an excuse to reduce his compensation. Therefore, he certainly couldn't just stand by and watch the young girl escape.
Although the Crippled Elder knew the young girl couldn't escape—even if he didn't act, there was absolutely no way she could flee Death Valley. After all, there were a total of six Great Spirit Callers present; even if he didn't make a move, the other five Great Spirit Callers would still intervene, so the possibility of the young girl successfully escaping was completely zero.
However, whether the young girl could escape or not was one thing; whether he intervened to stop her was another. If he didn't intervene, it would certainly give them grounds for complaint. On the other hand, if he did intervene, he could legitimately demand satisfactory compensation afterward.
"Don't bother, you won't escape!"
The Crippled Elder chuckled, speaking as he swiftly raised his arm towards the rapidly fleeing young girl. Immediately, tendrils of Yin Qi appeared around the young girl's body, coiling around her, seemingly intending to trap her.
Although the Crippled Elder's strike was casual, he was quite confident in it. He believed his attack would surely trap the young girl in place. After all, the young girl was now extremely weak and absolutely couldn't dodge his strike.
However, reality delivered a harsh blow to the Crippled Elder's face. Just as the tendrils of Yin Qi were about to coil around the young girl's body, she suddenly accelerated sharply, her body twisting into an uncanny arc, successfully dodging the Crippled Elder's attack. The tendrils of Yin Qi consequently struck empty air.
This scene not only startled the Crippled Elder but also caused the other five Great Spirit Callers present to pause. Their thoughts were, in fact, the same as the Crippled Elder's: they all believed the young girl couldn't possibly dodge his attack. But the reality diverged from their expectations, which was why they felt a slight shock.
Their momentary daze lasted only an instant. Immediately, the six of them reacted and pursued the young girl at their fastest speed.
However, what the six of them never dreamed of was that after the young girl swiftly darted a certain distance, she abruptly stopped mid-air. This caused the six to be startled once again.
The six had originally expected the young girl to use this opportunity to escape as far as possible, never once considering that she would suddenly halt. So, the young girl's sudden maneuver truly baffled them; they couldn't fathom what she was thinking.
Although perplexed, the six didn't cease their movements. Accompanied by a whoosh through the air, they formed a circle, surrounding the young girl.
"Hmph, gaining a temporary burst of speed by overdrawing your body's energy—this method won't just fail to help you escape; it will also harm your very foundation. Utterly foolish!"
The White-Haired Old Woman looked at the young girl, snorted coldly, and then spoke with an expression of disdain. In her view, the young girl's sudden burst of speed must have been due to overexerting her body. But for the young girl to attempt to escape from them by such a method was simply a colossal joke.
The thoughts of the other five were not significantly different from the White-Haired Old Woman's; they likewise believed the young girl's sudden increase in speed was certainly due to forcibly overdrawing her body's energy.
At this moment, none of the six Great Spirit Callers took the young girl's previous harsh words seriously. Yet, when faced with the White-Haired Old Woman's cold taunts, the young girl surprisingly didn't retort. Instead, she fixed her gaze downwards.
The young girl's unusual behavior naturally drew the attention of the White-Haired Old Woman and the other five. Puzzled, they, too, cast their gazes downwards.
Upon looking, two dark specks, distinctly different from the surrounding vegetation, entered the six individuals' line of sight, causing them to slightly freeze once more.
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