Chapter 404: The Fisherman Makes His Move
There was no surprise; the man died at Zhao Hong's hands, and even his soul was forcibly extracted by Zhao Hong.
Zhao Hong had died once before at the man's hands, but at that time, Zhao Hong was merely a paper effigy substitute; she hadn't truly died.
But this time, the man's death at Zhao Hong's hands was no substitute; he truly died at Zhao Hong's hands, his soul forcibly extracted—there was no faking it.
The man's Guardian Spirit, including the man's soul, were both collected by Zhao Hong into the same porcelain bottle. After completing all this, Zhao Hong meticulously examined the man's body, seemingly hoping to find some unexpected gains on him.
When the man died, the contents of his independent space did not scatter, so Zhao Hong could only search his body, perhaps hoping for some unexpected discovery.
To her disappointment, however, she found nothing of value on the man. This didn't mean the man was poor, but rather that he must have stored all his precious belongings in his independent space.
"Although I can't obtain the items in his independent space, I should still be able to extract something from him, for example, his previous Spiritual Art, Yin Wind Blade, was quite good. If. . ."
Just as this thought arose in Zhao Hong's mind, her expression suddenly shifted drastically.
"Who's lurking around? Get out here!"
Zhao Hong's heart lurched, but her reaction was swift; her body immediately soared into the air.
The gaping maw bit nothing but air, but it didn't give up. After a roar, it pursued Zhao Hong who was now above it.
A white snake as thick as a water bucket burst from the earth. This white snake was none other than the snake demon, Bai Xue.
Having reverted to her true form, Bai Xue's speed was remarkably swift. Zhao Hong, whose Communication Power was considerably depleted at this moment, coupled with the suddenness of the attack and her lack of preparation, was not as fast as Bai Xue and was instantly overtaken.
The gaping maw opened again, revealing a set of sharp fangs, with the two venomous fangs being especially prominent, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.
Zhao Hong's expression turned grim. In her current situation, she had nowhere to evade; she could only immediately unleash the Communication Power within her body.
Boom!
Bai Xue bit down, but her bite was forcibly propped open by two large hands, which were conjured from Zhao Hong's unleashed Communication Power.
Although Zhao Hong's strength was not as formidable as in her peak, her power was still, after all, above Bai Xue's. Coupled with her rich combat experience and swift reactions, Bai Xue wouldn't find it so easy to succeed.
Seeing that her attack hadn't achieved the desired effect, a cold light erupted from Bai Xue's serpentine eyes. Then, she suddenly spewed a cloud of poisonous mist from her mouth, instantly engulfing Zhao Hong.
Though formidable, Zhao Hong's body was, after all, merely flesh and blood. After being enveloped by the poisonous mist, she felt a tearing, agonizing pain spread across the surface of her skin.
She looked at her hands in astonishment; under the mist's corrosive effects, the skin on her hands began to fester at a visible rate.
This was merely what was visible to the naked eye. In places unseen, such as the skin beneath her clothes, festering had similarly begun.
The poisonous mist spewed by Bai Xue was not only highly toxic but also intensely corrosive. Zhao Hong was caught right inside her mouth; although Zhao Hong had exerted her Communication Power to prop open the gaping maw, preventing it from closing, she couldn't block the poisonous mist Bai Xue exhaled.
Zhao Hong, trapped within Bai Xue's mouth, was thoroughly doused by the poisonous mist on the spot. Not only was her entire being shrouded in the mist, but she had also inhaled a considerable amount into her body.
Originally, Zhao Hong's face had only been pale, a result of the rapid, immense consumption of her Communication Power. Now, however, her complexion was no longer pale but turning black.
Not only was her face turning black, but all the exposed skin on her body was gradually darkening to black at that moment.
Although severely poisoned, Zhao Hong still desperately propped open Bai Xue's gaping maw. Should Bai Xue's mouth snap shut, her body would undoubtedly be pierced by those sharp teeth, and she would surely die.
Seeing Zhao Hong still holding on, Bai Xue violently swung her serpentine body and plunged downwards towards the ground.
Boom!
Bai Xue's immense brute force slammed a large hole into the ground. She moved back and forth, weaving in and out of the earth like an eel in mud, while Zhao Hong, still in her mouth, suffered absolutely fatal blows to her physical body.
All of this happened too suddenly—so suddenly that Zhao Hong's Guardian Spirit hadn't even had time to react. By the time he realized what was happening, Zhao Hong had already been struck.
"I'll trap her with an illusion! Quickly cast your Spiritual Art!"
Zhao Hong's Guardian Spirit looked anxious. In this situation, all he could do was cast an illusion to bewilder the white snake and buy Zhao Hong time to unleash her Spiritual Art.
However, just as he prepared to help Zhao Hong, he suddenly sensed something rapidly approaching him. His face changed; he realized that there were still enemies lurking here and, greatly alarmed, tried to dodge, but several chains radiating intense Yin Qi appeared out of thin air, binding his Spirit Body tightly.
At the same time, the incoming object successfully struck his Spirit Body—it was a bead.
If it were just an ordinary bead, it would have been absolutely impossible for it to hit his Spirit Body. But this bead was no ordinary one; after striking his Spirit Body, it didn't pass through it, but instead sank into it.
The Guardian Spirit looked down at the bead, his expression instantly changing drastically, for he recognized what this bead was.
"A Soul-Gathering Bead!"
A startled cry escaped his lips. Before the Guardian Spirit could even struggle, the Soul-Gathering Bead emitted a powerful suction force, trying to forcibly pull his Spirit Body inside.
The Guardian Spirit struggled violently, but the several chains formed from Spirit Power on his body bound him tightly. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free from the chains' control.
The only thing he could do was resist the powerful suction from the Soul-Gathering Bead with all his might.
Boom!
With another loud boom, the ground burst open, and Bai Xue, still biting Zhao Hong, erupted from the earth. Seeing Zhao Hong appear, the Guardian Spirit frantically roared,
"There's another Underworld Official hidden in the dark! Quickly, think of something, or we're dead tonight!"
The Guardian Spirit's anxious roar reached Zhao Hong's ears. Hearing these words, the severely poisoned Zhao Hong's blackened face twisted into a look of ruthless resolve.
She moved, forcibly pulling herself out of Bai Xue's mouth. However, the moment she withdrew, Bai Xue's gaping maw snapped shut.
A heart-wrenching scream tore from Zhao Hong's throat. The instant her body forcibly retreated from Bai Xue's mouth, before she had fully escaped the gaping maw, Bai Xue's mouth clamped shut, and she permanently lost both her legs.
By this point, Zhao Hong's physical body was already riddled with wounds; first, she was severely poisoned, then continuously battered by Bai Xue's impacts with the ground. Although she unleashed Communication Power for defense, it was merely a drop in the bucket, and the damage to her physical body was extremely severe.
Now, having lost both her legs to escape Bai Xue's mouth, her already critical injuries became even more grievous.
However, after Zhao Hong successfully escaped, apart from letting out a heart-wrenching scream, she did not tend to her wounds. Instead, her hands immediately formed seals.
The Spiritual Art Zhao Hong chose to use at this moment was certainly no small matter. Otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen to employ it now, as it would have been meaningless.
Her choice to use it indicated that this Spiritual Art was incredibly potent in her eyes, and once unleashed, it might just turn the tide. That was why the first thing she did after escaping was to form hand seals.
However, just as her hands began to form seals, a black ray of light flashed through the night, directly splitting Zhao Hong's battered physical body in two.
The black light abruptly halted behind Zhao Hong, transforming into a crescent wheel. The wheel spun slowly; it was precisely Yang Haoran's Soul Armament, Remnant Moon.
After Remnant Moon pierced Zhao Hong's body, Zhao Hong's body first trembled slightly, then her hand-sealing movements immediately stiffened.
A line of blood appeared across Zhao Hong's body, then blood spurted, and her body split in two, falling from the air.
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