Chapter Sixty-Two: A World of Ice and Fire

“What?! What’s happening?!” Wang Chao suddenly realized in shock that the protective shield enveloping his body was dissolving rapidly, as if snow melting beneath the sun. At the spots where the shield vanished, he could vaguely see a ring of writhing black substance.

“Aah!” Terrified, Wang Chao hastily flung the Heart Desire Pearl in his hand to the ground. Deprived of its master, the Heart Desire Pearl instantly reverted to its original form. Yet, to his astonishment, even in its reverted state, it couldn’t escape the fate of being corroded. In the end, the once-transparent pearl faded into nothingness.

“It really works!” For the first time, a flush of color appeared on Yue Qi’s pale face. The poison he had just wielded was the very one Wang Jian once used against him! Back then, the poison hadn’t been entirely expelled and still lingered in his dantian. Each time Yue Qi cast a spell, if he didn’t restrain himself, the poison would accompany the magic. Knowing how useful it could be in a crucial moment, he had always kept it in reserve. Upon encountering Wang Chao’s troublesome defenses, he decided to give it a try—and it succeeded beyond his expectations!

“This... is this... Gu poison?!” Wang Chao stared dumbfounded at the scene before him. He was well aware of Gu poison’s existence; after all, he had once supplied Wang Jian with a bit of it. But he never imagined it was so potent that it could completely dissolve even his Heart Desire Pearl! And today, of all days, he hadn’t brought any antidote.

“Quick! Hurry! Someone help me!” Seeing Yue Qi’s cold gaze fixed upon him, Wang Chao realized the gravity of the situation. Now bereft of his most effective protection, he knew Yue Qi could kill him with a single first-rank spell.

As if sensing its master’s desperate call, the puppet accelerated, charging at Yue Qi. Yue Qi felt a headache coming on; this thing was simply too troublesome—impervious to blows, unburnable by fire...

“Seventh Brother! Let me handle him!” Having witnessed Yue Qi slaughter Wang Chao’s subordinates, Bai Lian dared not delay any longer. She raised her sword and advanced toward Wang Chao.

Though Wang Chao had been startled earlier, seeing Yue Qi entangled with the puppet put him at ease. But then, noticing Bai Lian’s approach, he tensed again. Wang Chao might not be a cultivator, but as the eldest son of the martial Wang clan, his skills were formidable. Seeing his opponent was a woman, he sneered, drew his long blade, and charged. In an instant, two fierce battles raged side by side, each locked in stalemate.

Hong Ye and the other two hid inside a room, not daring to come out. In a fight of this caliber, their interference would only be a hindrance. It was better to remain quietly where they were...

Though Bai Lian gained no particular advantage, she managed to hold her own against Wang Chao. The person most shocked was Wang Chao himself. He had heard his steward was killed by Bai Lian and had assumed it was a sneak attack. He never imagined her close-quarters combat would be so fierce; the long blade he had trained with since childhood proved useless against her.

Satisfied with Bai Lian’s performance, Yue Qi felt reassured. He had faith in her abilities, but if he couldn’t defeat the soulless puppet himself, Bai Lian alone would struggle to overcome Wang Chao.

“Might as well try again!” Gritting his teeth, Yue Qi decided to use the poison once more. Though casting a second-rank spell with it would deplete his reserves, and he disliked harboring this dreadful toxin in his dantian, he couldn’t deny its effectiveness at critical moments.

This time, he cast a simple earth-commanding incantation. The yellow orb spinning around his fingertip gradually turned black under the influence of the poison, radiating an unsettling aura.

“Go!” Yue Qi’s other hand released two thunder-commanding spells. The puppet, having suffered under such attacks before, dodged rather than face them head-on. Immediately, Yue Qi followed up with his earth-commanding spell, striking the puppet’s body. Though the earth-energy orb shattered on impact, the poison clung tightly to the puppet, working its intended effect...

“It’s working?!” Yue Qi was delighted to see the black poison writhing, as if seeking an entrance to devour the puppet whole.

Sensing something amiss, the soulless puppet furrowed its brow in a strangely human gesture. To Yue Qi’s surprise, however, the puppet seemed otherwise unaffected and charged at him even more fiercely.

“Damn it!” Yue Qi could clearly see the poison corroding the puppet, but at such a slow rate that it might take a whole day to destroy it completely...

“I can’t possibly hold out that long!” Growing anxious, Yue Qi tried to feint but was caught off guard by the puppet, which landed a savage kick to his back.

“Ugh!” He spat out a mouthful of blood. Fatigue set in, and he realized that if he didn’t kill the puppet with his final reserves, his demise was all but certain.

He refused to let that happen, but the situation was dire. Finding a way to defeat the puppet in a short time was no easy feat...

“Huh?!” Yue Qi suddenly noticed a small hole had appeared in the puppet where the poison had corroded it. Strangely, no blood flowed from the opening; with his sharp eyes, Yue Qi could even see the puppet’s internal organs, all blackened and mutated.

“Even its interior is so well defended?” Yue Qi thought, then steeled himself. “I’ll have to try!”

The hole on the puppet’s body was scarcely half a finger’s width—hitting it dead-on with a spell was no sure thing. Moreover, unlike other puppets, this soulless one seemed to possess a trace of will. If it realized this spot was vital, hitting it a second time would be near impossible.

As he dodged, Yue Qi waited for the poison to spread, but frustratingly, the expansion slowed. Even after the hole grew to a finger’s width, the poison showed no sign of further movement.

“What now?!” Growing ever more anxious, Yue Qi failed to notice the wind spell at his feet had faded until the puppet was right in front of him. Startled, he hastily reinforced himself with two more wind spells and narrowly escaped disaster.

Sure enough, once the hole in the puppet’s chest had grown to the size of a normal eye, it ceased to change. Even the writhing black substance on the puppet’s body had vanished...

“This is my chance!” Yue Qi’s spirit power surged to its peak as he focused on the small hole in the puppet’s chest.

Sensing the pressure emanating from Yue Qi, the puppet suddenly became agitated. With a roar, it charged at him.

“Now!” Yue Qi’s heart raced. As the puppet rushed at him, he suddenly retreated, and most astonishingly, closed his eyes.

With compressed spiritual power, he prepared a fire-commanding spell in his left hand and a water-commanding spell in his right. Though compressed, both first-rank spells were the size of his palm—testament to the immense spiritual energy he’d poured into them, and the skill required to control them. Any misstep and the spells would explode in his hands...

“Come on!” Yue Qi roared, his eyes still tightly shut. He no longer trusted his sight. His senses heightened, and in his mind the hole in the puppet’s chest loomed enormous.

“Go!” Yue Qi braced himself, then, in a motion that defied logical movement, lunged forward—straight at the onrushing puppet.

“Die with me!” At a meter’s distance, he hurled both spells—the fire arrow and the ice arrow—one after the other, driving them into the puppet’s body.

“Did it work?!” Yue Qi leapt aside, but the puppet seized the moment to land a crushing blow to his waist. For a moment, Yue Qi felt his whole body would shatter; darkness closed over his vision and he nearly passed out. Fortunately, his spirit was strong enough to keep him conscious.

The spells entered the puppet’s body, but there was no immediate reaction. The puppet stood motionless, and without careful observation, one might not even notice the human-shaped figure standing there.

“Did it fail?” Disappointment welled in Yue Qi’s chest. This had been his last resort. If it failed, he would surely meet his end here today...

Collapsed on the ground, battered and breathless, Yue Qi found himself unable to rise. He quickly pulled out a superior-grade spirit stone from his storage bracelet. Now was not the time for thrift—his life was on the line.

After replenishing his strength, he cast a water-nourishing spell on himself. The soothing effect quickly restored much of his vigor. He stood and fixed his gaze on the puppet, wary of any sudden movement.

But strangely, the zombie-like puppet remained rooted to the spot, its back to Yue Qi. He couldn’t see its face, nor tell whether his spells had any effect...

A faint cracking sound broke the silence. Yue Qi heard it clearly, and elation surged in his heart.

Crack after crack followed, and he saw fine fissures appear on the puppet’s back. Then, with a sudden snap, the entire body shattered, releasing a wave of putrid stench from within.

“Is it dead?!” Relief flooded Yue Qi as he looked at the fallen soulless puppet. At last, the danger had passed.