Chapter 1333: Two Moves
A layer of frost settled on Ah Mei's face, her beautiful eyes burning with rage. Such intense fury caused her delicate body to tremble.
Her reaction was so vehement because Xiujuan's profoundly insulting words had precisely struck a raw nerve.
If it were possible, she naturally wouldn't have wanted to sell her body to get close to Xiao Kang, nor would she have stooped to grovel before a mere ghost, making herself appear like a servant begging for scraps. Yet, to successfully complete her mission, she had no choice but to do so.
Of course, using such a base method as selling her body to approach Xiao Kang was not her own desire, but an arrangement from above. No matter how unwilling she was in her heart, she could only passively accept it.
Though she accepted the arrangement against her will, and even played her role to the fullest to ensure the mission's success, she harbored deep repulsion and even intense resentment towards it in her heart. Normally, no one would mention this matter in front of her, which allowed her some measure of comfort, letting her at least use self-deception to ignore this unpleasant reality.
But now, Xiujuan had forcibly ripped open this wound in her heart, her words brimming with humiliation for Ah Mei. It was easy to imagine just how intense the fury in her heart had become!
“Old hag, I won't kill you. I'll take your soul into my Soul-Gathering Bead and torture you relentlessly. Every time your son sleeps with me, I'll torture you once! ”
Ah Mei gnashed her teeth and declared. As her words fell, she wasted no further breath, immediately launching an assault on Xiujuan. Under the control of her will, two Soul Armaments whistled forth from two swirling masses of Yin Qi, shooting towards Xiujuan.
While a peak late-stage Evil Spirit was formidable, there was still a significant gap when compared to a Yin Division agent at the Earth Soul realm. This was partly because the Earth Soul realm was inherently higher than the peak late-stage Evil Spirit realm, and partly because the Yin Spirit Power of the Yin Division had a strong suppressing effect on ghosts. Therefore, if a ghost at the peak late-stage Evil Spirit realm encountered a Yin Division agent at the Earth Soul realm, even if that agent had just stepped into the Earth Soul realm, there would be absolutely no chance of victory.
Ah Mei was not a Yin Division agent who had just entered the Earth Soul realm. Although she was in the early Earth Soul stage, she had long since stabilized at this level. Compared to an agent who had just stepped into the Earth Soul realm, her strength was considerably greater. For her to deal with a ghost of Xiujuan's caliber, it was an effortless task, and she didn't even need to use both Soul Armaments simultaneously.
She acted this way because she wanted to defeat Xiujuan immediately. Her urgency stemmed from two reasons: one, the fury in her heart had reached its peak; and two, this was Xiao Kang's territory, or rather, Yang Haoran's territory. She didn't want to expose herself, and ending the battle quickly would minimize the chances of exposure.
Precisely because she didn't want to expose herself, the moment Xiujuan's power erupted, Ah Mei immediately unsealed the power within her body. However, she didn't unleash her full strength; she merely released a small amount to set up an inhibitory barrier, preventing others from sensing the powerful energy fluctuations Xiujuan emitted. Only after the barrier was successfully deployed did she unleash her Earth Soul realm power!
The two Soul Armaments were incredibly fast, reaching Xiujuan in an instant. Even though Xiujuan had prepared to dodge before Ah Mei made her move, she still couldn't completely evade the attack when it arrived. The "skin" she wore was cut open in two large gashes by Ah Mei's Soul Armaments.
Although it was only the "skin" Xiujuan was wearing that was cut open, the powerful Yin Spirit Power unleashed by the two Soul Armaments still had a tremendous impact on Xiujuan's Spirit Body beneath the "skin. " Had she not been prepared and dodged in time, with just that one encounter, even if she didn't die, she would have been crippled by Ah Mei and become her prisoner!
Xiujuan knew very well that if she fought Ah Mei to the death, it was a foregone conclusion that she would be the one to lose. She absolutely could not be a match for Ah Mei, an Earth Soul realm expert. Even if she used every trick in her sleeve, it wouldn't change this fact.
She wasn't afraid of death, but she was afraid that Xiao Kang would continue to be kept in the dark by this woman, being used without even realizing it. If she wanted Xiao Kang to see through this woman's true identity, then she could not die here. At the very least, she could not die before Xiao Kang returned, nor could she be collected into Ah Mei's Soul-Gathering Bead. Otherwise, there would be no one to explain any of this to Xiao Kang, and Ah Mei could fabricate any lie she wished.
If it truly came to that, then it wouldn't just be Xiao Kang suffering a loss; Yang Haoran would also incur a significant disadvantage, as the ultimate target of their machinations was, after all, Yang Haoran. If not for these considerations, with Xiujuan's temperament, even knowing she was outmatched, she would absolutely fight the opponent to the very end, neither backing down nor fleeing.
And now, facing the assault of Ah Mei's two Soul Armaments, she not only chose to dodge but also waved her hand, launching an attack at the distant void.
The primary purpose of her attack was to shatter the inhibitory barrier Ah Mei had set up in this place. As long as the barrier broke, the powerful energy fluctuations unleashed by the two of them would undoubtedly be sensed by more people, naturally including Xiao Kang.
Once Xiao Kang sensed the two powerful energy fluctuations erupting from this location, it was a given that he would immediately rush back. At that point, not only would Ah Mei's identity be exposed to Xiao Kang, but she, as his mother, would also be able to save her life—killing two birds with one stone!
As for whether Xiao Kang was a match for Ah Mei, an Earth Soul realm expert, Xiujuan wasn't particularly worried about that. Although Xiao Kang was young, as Yang Haoran's trusted confidant and with Yang Haoran's vigorous cultivation, Xiao Kang's realm had also broken through to the Earth Soul. Judging by the energy fluctuations Ah Mei was currently unleashing, there was still a considerable gap between Ah Mei's strength and Xiao Kang's. Therefore, Xiujuan did not believe Ah Mei would be Xiao Kang's opponent.
For Xiujuan, the immediate problem she faced was whether she could break open the inhibitory barrier!
When Ah Mei set up this inhibitory barrier, she hadn't used much Yin Spirit Power because she hadn't unleashed her full strength at the time, only releasing a very small portion. A barrier set up in such a state, while still capable of preventing energy fluctuations from leaking out, would certainly not have strong defensive capabilities itself. For Xiujuan to break it with her abilities wouldn't be difficult. But the key question was: would Ah Mei allow her to successfully destroy the inhibitory barrier?
The answer was naturally no. The instant Xiujuan waved her hand and launched an attack at the distance, Ah Mei understood what trick Xiujuan was trying to pull. Of course, she would not allow such a thing to happen right under her nose, especially with such a vast disparity in their strengths. If Xiujuan succeeded in doing so, it would be an immense humiliation for her!
Without any surprise, Xiujuan's attack on the inhibitory barrier was easily shattered by one of Ah Mei's two Soul Armaments. The other Soul Armament, meanwhile, launched an attack on Xiujuan.
Xiujuan was too slow to dodge, and the Soul Armament longsword pierced through her chest, not only creating a large hole but also inflicting a fatal blow to her Spirit Body with the powerful Yin Spirit Power it released.
Xiujuan, who had been able to unleash powerful energy fluctuations just moments before, now found her aura instantly becoming incredibly weak. Large amounts of Yin Qi billowed from the pierced area of her chest, causing her body to tremble. Even standing steadily became a problem, let alone launching a counterattack.
“Hmph, killing you is easier than crushing an ant. How dare you act so brazenly before me, oblivious to death? You truly deserve to die! ”
Ah Mei spoke coldly. Although her words were utterly arrogant, she indeed possessed the capital to be arrogant in front of Xiujuan. In just a short while, she had only made two moves against Xiujuan, yet the peak-state Xiujuan had been crippled by her. Such power certainly gave her cause for arrogance.
As Ah Mei's words fell, a Soul-Gathering Bead immediately appeared in her hand.
“I said I wouldn't kill you. I will collect your soul and slowly torture you. Since I've said it, I won't break my word! ”
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