Chapter 52: Fox Demon Reappears

The blood arrow pierced the air, was severed by a long sword, and then scattered by a sleeve. Yet, everything happened too quickly, its momentum unstoppable. The blood arrow ripped, shattered, and splashed before it finally fell.

Ning Changjiu instantly turned his head, staring fixedly at the tiny reddish mole on her fair, graceful neck, his expression changing drastically.

Ning Xiaoling had no time to react at all. She began to speak, but when that seemingly harmless blood landed on her, her aura suddenly changed. All words caught in her throat, and she couldn't continue speaking.

Zhao Xiang'er's pupils also contracted sharply, for she could clearly see three faint, snow-white, illusory tails emerging behind the girl!

The demonic nature, which Ning Changjiu had clearly suppressed within her body, was now ignited by these mere few drops of blood.

Ning Xiaoling looked bewildered. The color rapidly drained from her lips, cheeks, and skin before their very eyes. Her petite body beneath the Daoist robe began to tremble and convulse. The girl's neck was taut, slender veins bulging, and her body gradually tensed and arched. She wrapped her arms around her chest, as if she were intensely cold.

Ning Changjiu understood then that this was a plot by Qiu Li and Blood Feather Lord, and this blood was Blood Feather Lord's blood!

Monster lore stated that Blood Feather Lord was originally a red-feathered hawk that miraculously transformed after consuming the blood of the Vermilion Bird God. But how could the Vermilion Bird God, one of the rulers of the Twelve Hidden Kingdoms and a supreme being wielding a certain divine authority, one of the highest gods in the world, possibly bleed?

Now, it seemed that the blood Blood Feather Lord had consumed must have been that of the old fox!

A century ago, the old fox fled all the way from the Western Kingdom, its painstakingly regenerated physical body once again shattered. Its blood was scattered along the way, and Blood Feather Lord happened to stumble upon an opportunity, fortunate enough to drink a few sips of its heart's essence blood.

Ning Xiaoling's demonic seed had been deeply suppressed, making it theoretically very difficult to awaken. However, this blood, mixed with the fox demon's essence, was precisely the lightning and fire capable of rousing the dormant demonic seed within her!

"Junior Sister!" Ning Changjiu called out softly.

His cultivation was almost entirely lost at that moment. If Ning Xiaoling went mad, he could be severely injured instantly. Yet, the young man still unhesitatingly extended a finger, intending to use the Pure Heart True Art, Soul Soothing Divine Art, and Soul Stabilizing Three Methods. He condensed these into three ethereal lotuses and pointed them towards her glabella.

A mixture of ferocity and confusion flickered in Ning Xiaoling's expression.

She watched the approaching finger. Her previously unfocused pupils suddenly sharpened, and deep within them, a violent light ignited.

With a hiss, Ning Xiaoling bared her teeth, and like a startled animal, she suddenly leaped up. Her agile figure darted over the table and shot into the shadows in the corner of the grand hall. She curled her body, her hands touching the ground, her nails easily tearing through the hard floor tiles. Fear and savagery twisted contradictorily in her expression. She continued to hiss, revealing two small, pointed fangs.

At this moment, the fox tails behind her trembled incessantly, like snow-white flames engulfing her. Her consciousness was not extinguished, but she was like someone hovering on the edge of a volcanic cliff, poised to plunge into an inferno from which there was no return, should she make a single misstep.

Outside the grand hall, Lu Jiajia's figure leaped and flickered across rooftops and watchtowers. As her white silhouette bounded, sword energy surged forth like bursts of clear, cold mist, continuously striking Blood Feather Lord.

Blood Feather Lord's enormous body darted left and right, evading the ceaseless incoming sword energy, and then crashed headlong towards the imperial palace.

Azure glazed tiles were ripped off and shattered. What followed was Lu Jiajia's incredibly precise sword strike. Blood Feather Lord let out a pained cry, its body sliding over the tiles of the tall building, peeling them away like scales being scraped off a fish, creating a loud and grating noise.

Lu Jiajia's figure landed on the rooftop, her sword-rainbow moving like a white python, relentlessly pursuing Blood Feather Lord.

Blood Feather Lord was directly knocked off the rooftop. Large swathes of its blade-like red feathers were cut away, revealing blurred flesh and blood beneath. It fell heavily to the ground, barely supporting itself with its wings, bleeding profusely. Yet, it burst into laughter, declaring that they were too late and should go check on the "silly girl." It taunted that her sword could kill it, but not a Purple Court Realm fox demon, adding that once it cultivated a human form, it would show her what a true immortal sword felt like.

Lu Jiajia ignored its taunts because she could feel a surge of demonic energy suddenly rising from the palace beneath her feet.

Ning Xiaoling, whose mind was already on a fragile and sensitive edge, was now profoundly affected by such a tremendous noise. At this very moment, she suddenly let out a shrill scream, like a wild fox howling on a hill at night.

All of this happened in an instant. The moment Ning Xiaoling screamed, Zhao Xiang'er immediately opened her red umbrella, using it to block the demon-infused wail.

Ning Changjiu gritted his teeth, pressing forward against the wind while searching his memory for a way to break this situation.

Zhao Xiang'er grabbed his sleeve, telling him to come back. She warned him not to go crazy just because his junior sister had, stating that with Ning Xiaoling's current cultivation, killing him would be as easy as a single slap.

Ning Changjiu's expression hardened. He stated that his junior sister's consciousness hadn't been extinguished yet, and there was still a chance if he acted now. He warned that it would truly be too late once the demonic seed completely took over her mind.

Zhao Xiang'er asked what they should do.

Ning Changjiu asked if she knew the Soul Soothing Art.

Zhao Xiang'er shook her head, saying she didn't.

Ning Changjiu's lips thinned. He thought to himself that while he knew it, he lacked the cultivation to perform it.

Meanwhile, as their fight continued, the ornate ceiling of the grand hall began to collapse downwards, sending rubble and debris scattering. Zhao Xiang'er grabbed his wrist, opened her red umbrella, and urged them to leave first.

"Is there another way?" Ning Changjiu asked.

"Get the imperial seal," she replied. "Mother said it contains two true talismans that should buy us some time."

"Then what?"

"The Nine Spirits Platform..."

Their conversation was rapid, but the moment they moved, Ning Xiaoling moved too. Her figure shot up, her crimson pupils fixed intently on Ning Changjiu, and she suddenly lunged at him.

Zhao Xiang'er swung her umbrella to block, intending to stop her. Ning Xiaoling's body slammed into the umbrella surface with a clang, and the umbrella vibrated as if a large stone had hit water. Zhao Xiang'er let out a pained groan, and under the enormous impact, she slid backward uncontrollably. Ning Xiaoling, now on all fours, swiftly charged forward, and in an instant, raised a hand, about to claw downwards.

"Junior Sister!" Ning Changjiu called out again. His voice contained the true meaning of the Daoist sect's Pure Heart Art. Although this call couldn't fully awaken her, a faint flicker of confusion clearly passed through Ning Xiaoling's eyes.

She stopped her hand, turned her head, and stared at the young man before her. After a moment of daze, she spoke, "Se... Senior Brother?"

Ning Changjiu stealthily extended a finger, all his cultivation concentrated at its tip, aiming to touch her forehead.

Ning Xiaoling reacted immediately, retreating like lightning. The finger struck empty air, and the spiritual energy that had barely gathered on it dissipated once more. Ning Xiaoling crouched on the ground, her Daoist robe rustling against her body. She clutched her head, her expression one of extreme agony, as if two souls were tearing at her body in a tug-of-war. Her head throbbed, and her body trembled incessantly.

Zhao Xiang'er's gaze grew colder. She tightened her grip on her sword, leaned forward, and directly swung a sword strike at Ning Xiaoling.

Ning Changjiu had no time to stop her, nor did he try, for he knew that Zhao Xiang'er currently lacked the ability to kill her.

Once Ning Xiaoling's consciousness was completely overtaken, her Purple Court Realm cultivation would truly make her invincible in the city.

Indeed, as Zhao Xiang'er's sword struck down, the blade was directly grasped by Ning Xiaoling. One of her pupils was pure black, the other pure white. Blood seeped from the hand clutching the long sword, yet she seemed completely oblivious.

Blood Feather Lord let out a piercing shriek, urging the "little girl" to stop waiting and kill them all, its voice carrying a subtle, seductive demonic power.

Only now did Lu Jiajia realize that Blood Feather Lord's appearance was merely to lure her out of the grand hall. If she hadn't fallen for the trick, how could those blood drops have splashed onto Ning Xiaoling?

But regret was a useless emotion.

Without hesitation, Lu Jiajia did not turn to intercept Ning Xiaoling; instead, she continued to strike Blood Feather Lord directly with her sword.

Blood Feather Lord roared with laughter, proclaiming that Zhao Xiang'er's death was finally upon her.

Lu Jiajia angrily stated that she had spared its life by the lake that day, yet it still dared to come here to die.

Blood Feather Lord sneered, claiming she had no idea what kind of life it had endured for the past decade or more. It detailed how it was confined to a cage for most of each day, forced to eat foul-smelling blood-worms that dissipated its demonic energy, tormented by constant body curses, and had to pretend to be happy even while enduring the pain of a thousand arrows piercing its heart, all while diligently serving "that bitch." It then scoffed, asking if they truly thought it was just a carrier pigeon, lamenting that its ambition to become the Demon King of Nanzhou had been ruined by "that bitch."

Blood Feather Lord let out a harsh, prolonged laugh, blood splattering from its body.

Lu Jiajia's sword energy was unleashed to its maximum. She gritted her teeth and declared that it deserved to die.

Swords rained down.

Blood Feather Lord wearily resisted Lu Jiajia's sword, struck down repeatedly, its body covered in wounds.

It knew it could die under this sword at any moment.

Fortunately, the chant in its heart was complete.

Another sword energy, imbued with true meaning, struck it, sending it directly towards the deep pit in the city.

As its body fell backward, it suddenly turned its head, fixing its gaze on Ning Xiaoling. It let out a long shriek, speaking in human tongue, its words quick yet clear, proclaiming "Blood Sea Puppet Control Great Art!"

Lu Jiajia's expression instantly changed. This was a demonic art that used blood as a medium to control others' souls.

Before her next sword light arrived, these five words were already uttered in an instant.

Ning Xiaoling's expression froze instantly, like water turning to ice.

Blood Feather Lord's heart swelled with joy. It no longer held anything back, unleashing all its demonic power to resist Lu Jiajia's relentless assault. It knew that if it could just hold on for a few more breaths until Ning Xiaoling was completely under its control, everyone present would be like wheat under its sickle!

Ning Xiaoling slowly turned her head, looking at the frenzied Blood Feather Lord. There was no warmth whatsoever on her pale, delicate face.

Lu Jiajia's immortal sword hummed softly. She instinctively shifted her body, and in that same instant, Ning Xiaoling moved like lightning. She unleashed a direct punch, but it was not aimed at Lu Jiajia; instead, it was directed at Blood Feather Lord.

Blood Feather Lord was terrified. It didn't know what had gone wrong with its spell, and there was no time to think. The next instant, Ning Xiaoling's small fist struck its chest. Feathers scattered, bones fractured, and its chest was torn open and collapsed. An intensely twisted pain instantly swept through its entire body, paralyzing it and rendering it utterly powerless.

Blood Feather Lord's long beak was full of blood. It couldn't bring itself to look Ning Xiaoling in the eye, utterly perplexed as to how such a powerful spell could have been broken so easily.

Ning Xiaoling looked at it coldly, a hint of mockery flashing across her face, as if to convey her contempt for its attempt to control her.

"Xiao... Xiaoling..." Lu Jiajia looked at her and tentatively called out.

The girl, whose face had been as cold as frost, now painfully crumpled her features again. She suddenly looked up, staring at Lu Jiajia in white, and erupted with immense killing intent. Lu Jiajia immediately held her sword horizontally in front of her, adopting a defensive stance ready to block at any moment.

Ning Xiaoling let out a low growl like a wild fox. For some reason, profound fear and struggle flashed in her eyes. Instead of lunging at Lu Jiajia, she turned, stepped over Blood Feather Lord's heavily wounded body, and ran towards the city.