Chapter 401: The Paper Figurine
The man’s sudden change in expression caught the attention of the Guardian Spirit beside him, but before the Guardian Spirit could even ask, fury contorted the man’s face.
This anger seemed to come out of nowhere; the Guardian Spirit hadn't yet grasped what was happening when the man threw a punch at Zhao Hong's corpse through the air.
Thud!
Spirit Power condensed into a fist, directly piercing through Zhao Hong’s chest. Yet, this time, strangely, not a drop of blood flowed from Zhao Hong’s corpse.
Although Zhao Hong was dead, logically, if the man had punched through her chest, blood should still have flowed. After all, Zhao Hong had only just died; her corpse was still fresh, but the result was precisely the opposite.
Staring at the wound in Zhao Hong’s chest, pierced by his own punch, and seeing not a single drop of blood fall, the man’s face turned ashen.
"Damn it, I've been tricked!"
As the man’s curses escaped his lips, a wisp of Yin Qi rose from Zhao Hong’s corpse, and the body twisted, transforming into a female paper figurine.
This paper figurine was not a flat, two-dimensional cutout, but a remarkably three-dimensional paper effigy, exquisitely crafted and lifelike, bearing an astonishing resemblance to a real person.
This hole was precisely what the man’s punch had left behind.
With the appearance of the paper effigy, the ground in this area remained as it was before, pitted and uneven, with traces of the fierce battle visible everywhere.
However, the bloodstains Zhao Hong had left behind had changed. Whether it was the blood mingled with the earth or the nearly congealed stains on the vegetation, all of it, in that instant, transformed into Yin Qi and vanished, as if it had never been there at all.
This sight not only stunned the man and his Guardian Spirit, but also caused Yang Haoran and Bai Xue, hidden in the shadows, to pause in surprise.
The two exchanged glances, each seeing the astonishment reflected in the other’s eyes.
However, the surprise in Yang Haoran’s eyes flickered and vanished, immediately replaced by a smile spreading across his face, his eyes narrowing into crescent moons.
The reason for his smile was his understanding that the battle between Zhao Hong and the man was far from over. The appearance of the paper effigy was the clearest proof of that.
As for Bai Xue, seeing the smile on Yang Haoran’s face, a hint of admiration arose in her heart. She admired Yang Haoran’s composure and intellect. In her opinion, Yang Haoran must have realized long ago that things weren’t as simple as they seemed, which was why he had remained as steady as a mountain. If they had moved just now, while the man was dealing with Zhao Hong, Zhao Hong would undoubtedly have reaped the benefits, like a fisherman finding a dead fish to snatch.
Neither of them spoke, nor did they make any sound. At Yang Haoran’s subtle signal, they both turned their gaze back to the man’s position.
At this moment, the man was trembling with rage. He had just tried to forcibly condense the soul within Zhao Hong’s corpse into a Spirit, only to suddenly realize there was no soul to be sensed within the corpse at all.
In that instant, he knew he had likely been tricked. Under normal circumstances, how could one not sense the presence of a soul within a corpse? If it couldn’t be sensed, then something was clearly amiss!
That was why he had punched Zhao Hong’s corpse. And it turned out he was right; Zhao Hong’s corpse was indeed peculiar!
“Zhao Hong, get out here! Stop putting on an act for me! ”
The man’s gaze swept across his surroundings, and in a fit of rage, he violently waved a hand at the paper effigy floating in the air. The paper effigy was instantly slapped into smithereens, as he roared at the empty air around him.
As his roar echoed, a slight ripple suddenly emanated from the space where the paper effigy had been. The ripple grew from faint to strong, and in the blink of an eye, a fissure appeared in space, from which a figure stepped out.
This person was none other than the Spirit Master Zhao Hong. Though her attire was plain and rustic, her entire being exuded an enigmatic aura, making it clear at a glance that she was no simple character.
The Zhao Hong who emerged from the spatial rift now, and the Zhao Hong that the paper effigy had transformed into earlier, were practically identical in every aspect save for their temperament, with no other distinctions whatsoever.
Seeing Zhao Hong appear before him, the man’s face was filled with shame and indignation. He wanted to attack Zhao Hong, but at that moment, a powerful surge of Yin Qi suddenly erupted from the other side of the mountain.
Moreover, this Yin Qi was rapidly approaching their position at an extremely fast speed.
The man didn't know the origin of this Yin Qi, but he had some suspicions. He believed that the powerful Yin Qi rapidly approaching their position might be Zhao Hong's Guardian Spirit, as Zhao Hong had appeared without her Guardian Spirit present.
Whether his guess was correct was not something the man wanted to dwell on at the moment, for he had no time to spare. Since Zhao Hong currently had no Guardian Spirit behind her, this was the best opportunity to strike!
Thus, he let out a furious roar, without uttering another word of nonsense. While commanding his Guardian Spirit to attack Zhao Hong, he simultaneously began to cast his Spiritual Art.
The man’s Guardian Spirit first unleashed an illusion art upon Zhao Hong. The illusion art cast by an Evil Spirit (evil Spirit) was far more potential than that of a regular Evil Spirit (evil spirit), and the moment the illusion successfully enveloped Zhao Hong, her body trembled slightly as she fell into the illusionary realm.
Meanwhile, the man seized this opportunity to swiftly form hand seals, intending to unleash a powerful Spiritual Art to deliver a fatal blow to Zhao Hong.
However, Zhao Hong seemed to have anticipated this move from her opponent long ago. The moment she fell into the illusion, her hands also rapidly formed seals, and her sealing speed was considerably faster than the man’s.
In the blink of an eye, before the man could even unleash his Spiritual Art, Zhao Hong’s Spiritual Art was already complete.
“Spiritual Art: Illusion Break! ”
Zhao Hong let out a low cry, her Spirit Power erupting within her. The illusion that the Evil Spirit had cast upon her was instantly shattered, and the world before her eyes returned to reality.
However, though the illusion was broken, the Evil Spirit (evil Spirit) was now actually on top of her. The instant she broke free of the illusion, the Evil Spirit, transformed into a mass of Yin Qi, violently slammed into her chest.
Thud!
A dull thud echoed, and Zhao Hong’s body was not sent flying by the Yin Qi formed by the Evil Spirit. Instead, the mass of Yin Qi that was the Evil Spirit merged into her body.
As the Yin Qi integrated into her body, Zhao Hong found that her body was no longer under her control. Her hands, moreover, involuntarily reached for her own neck.
As a Spirit Master, Zhao Hong possessed absolute knowledge of ghostly entities. The situation she now found herself in told her she had been possessed by the Evil Spirit (evil spirit), which was why her body was no longer her own.
Evil Spirits possessed the ability to manipulate physical objects, and also the ability to possess. The man’s Guardian Spirit’s current action was to possess Zhao Hong, then, by controlling Zhao Hong’s body, force Zhao Hong to kill herself!
At the same time, the man completed his hand seals, his gaze sharp and piercing, as a fierce cry escaped his lips.
“Spiritual Art: Yin Wind Blades! ”
As the man’s fierce cry rang out, a violent Yin wind swept through the area. The Yin wind transformed into razor-sharp wind blades, swarming towards Zhao Hong like a tidal wave.
Wherever the wind blades passed, the space trembled faintly. The ground, moreover, was carved with deep gouges by the blades, revealing the terrifying sharpness of these wind blades.
Such sharp wind blades, even a single one, would be enough to cleave a normal person’s body. Yet, the Spiritual Art the man unleashed now produced not merely one, but countless dense wind blades. If they were to land on a living person, they would undoubtedly shred them into countless fragments!
Although Zhao Hong was no ordinary person, if she didn’t employ some means of defense and directly took the brunt of so many wind blades with her body, then there was no doubt her body would likewise be torn to shreds, no different from an ordinary person’s.
Just as the forest wind blades were about to strike Zhao Hong, at that critical moment, the Evil Spirit (evil Spirit) that had merged into Zhao Hong's body was forcibly expelled by her. Immediately after, she flickered sideways, dodging out of the way.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, the wind blades slammed into the spot where Zhao Hong had been moments before, their deafening roars shaking the air. The impact sent massive clouds of dust and smoke billowing from the ground.
Although Zhao Hong’s speed was immense, her body was still struck by one of the wind blades. A gash was ripped open on her body, and blood continuously welled from the wound.
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