The sun hung high in the sky, its rays piercing through the thin clouds and casting a glow over the dark, dense forest.
Yun Jinghe stood among the trees, her sword in hand, her cold eyes scanning the surroundings with an icy sharpness.
In the next moment, she flipped her wrist and placed the still-sheathed spirit sword on the ground.
A powerful surge of energy erupted from her, causing her white robes to flutter violently and sending tremors through the area.
“Come out!”
With a furious shout, several demons lurking in the shadows were forcibly flung into the open, even those hiding underground were shaken out by the force.
Some lesser demons, sensing danger, tried to flee but were blocked by an overwhelming spiritual pressure, forcing them back to where Yun Jinghe stood.
She remained motionless, her expression frosty, her gaze carrying an invisible weight as she looked down at them.
Realizing the peril they were in, the lesser demons immediately prostrated themselves before her, begging for mercy, terrified that she might strike them down in displeasure.
Yun Jinghe picked up her sword again and summoned a scroll midair with a wave of her hand, unfurling it before them.
“Those who can provide information about the person in this painting will be spared.”
Trembling, the demons raised their heads to look at the girl depicted in the scroll.
The girl in the painting tilted her head slightly with a smile, her lively spirit practically leaping off the page. It was clear that the artist had poured deep emotion into every stroke, capturing her essence vividly.
“I’ve seen her! I’ve seen her!”
“M-me too!”
The demons clamored over each other, desperate to secure their survival.
Yun Jinghe listened quietly to their jumbled accounts, her face betraying no emotion, though a barely restrained excitement flickered in her eyes.
Soon.
I’m almost there, Yingying.
“Pah! Pah! Pah!”
Shi Ying sat perched on a tree branch several meters high, spitting lightly into the air as she casually tossed an unconscious lesser demon onto the pile of fallen leaves below.
The dreams of these demons were truly foul and unpalatable.
Resting her hands beside her, she tilted her head back to gaze at the sunlight filtering through the leaves, squinting slightly against the brightness.
Since her escape that day, she had hidden herself in this mountain forest, though she had lost track of how much time had passed.
She wondered how Wu Feng was doing.
And then there was Yun Jinghe.
Shi Ying ran her fingertips absently over the rough bark of the branch, her mind drifting back to the furious, chilling look in Yun Jinghe’s eyes that day.
That gaze had unsettled her deeply, as if she had committed some unforgivable atrocity.
Lost in thought, a dark shadow suddenly lunged at her from the side.
Shi Ying leaned back to dodge, but another slender black streak shot toward her. Instinctively, she raised her hand to block it, only to feel a sharp, searing pain.
Turning, she saw the attacker, a pitch-black snake. Its tail, lined with razor-sharp scales, had sliced open the back of her hand, drawing blood.
The snake, as thick as a wrist, coiled around the branch, its tail now smeared with a trace of Shi Ying’s blood.
“They said a half-demon had come here. I didn’t believe it at first,” the snake demon hissed, flicking its tongue to taste the blood on its scales. “Though not as potent as a cultivator’s, a half-demon’s blood is still worth thousands of times more than the tainted blood of ordinary humans.”
Shi Ying glanced down at the wound on her hand, anger creeping into her expression. “I hate creatures with no legs and those with too many.”
As her voice faded, she spread her hands, and countless crimson threads extended, crisscrossing and entwining among the tree branches. They finally gathered at her knuckles, forming an overwhelming red net.
With the slightest movement of her fingertips, the branches entangled by the red threads rustled in response.
The black snake reared its upper body and lunged fiercely at Shi Ying. However, several red threads descended from above, swiftly wrapping around the serpent and tightening relentlessly.
The friction between the red threads and the snake’s scales produced faint, eerie sounds.
Shi Ying pressed her fingers downward, and the black snake, now thoroughly ensnared by the red threads, was lifted into the air and brought before her.
Wu Feng had once told her that some humans and demons coveted the blood of half-demons for cultivating dark arts, as it could yield twice the result with half the effort. However, such forbidden techniques were far too perilous, and few dared to practice them.
She had never encountered such a situation before until now.
The black snake hadn’t expected these seemingly fragile red threads to possess such formidable strength, rendering it completely immobile.
This body is utterly useless! Fortunately, I still have a backup plan. Just wait until this reckless half-demon comes closer.
Shi Ying landed gracefully on a branch, bending slightly to observe the black snake she had effortlessly trapped. She raised her foot and stepped on the snake’s raised head, pressing down with deliberate force.
“Huh, this is the first time I’ve seen someone lose their temper and curse at themselves. And you’re so weak, how dare you provoke me?”
The black snake’s golden-yellow eyes widened abruptly, hissing threateningly.
A trace of venomous hatred flickered in its gaze. If not for that accident, it would never have fallen to such a state.
Shi Ying withdrew her foot and then kicked the snake off the branch.
She leaped down after it, landing precisely on the snake’s vulnerable seventh-inch spot.
The black snake immediately writhed in agony, its thick tail thrashing violently against the ground with loud thuds.
Just as Shi Ying was considering whether to skin the black snake and take it to Wu Feng, a sudden chill ran down her spine, an instinctive warning.
She turned her head, only to catch sight of a swift white figure approaching her at incredible speed, carrying a familiar aura.
Yun Jinghe!
In an instant, Yun Jinghe stood before Shi Ying. Her delicate features, usually gentle when facing her, now radiated icy fury.
Without a second thought, Shi Ying tried to flee, but her waist was seized from behind and yanked back forcefully.
Yun Jinghe grasped her slender wrist from behind, pressing the tip of her nose against the inside of Shi Ying’s wrist, nuzzling it with unsettling intimacy.
Her long lashes lifted slowly, revealing a trace of madness in her usually calm and indifferent eyes.
“Yingying, I’ve caught you.”