122 Seeing Xue Ning Again

I had assumed they were ordinary stones, so I dodged left and right, nimbly avoiding their trajectory.

In reality, however, that was not the case. The stones seemed to have eyes, locking onto me and pursuing me relentlessly. I drew the ancient mirror, and a dazzling white light shattered the stones into dust. Yet, Tang Zifeng’s attack continued. The pulverized stone fragments kept rushing toward me, as if they would not stop until they struck their target. Faced with such persistent aggression, I had no choice but to increase my output of psychic energy, grinding the stone dust into nothingness.

Tang Zifeng smirked and pulled several small objects resembling arrowheads from his pocket. He threw them at me; in flight, the arrowheads transformed into full arrows, sharpening into lethal projectiles aimed at my vital points. Unfazed, I held the ancient mirror and quickly shone the white light in the direction of the incoming shafts. These arrows were no ordinary objects—they were not erased by the mirror’s energy, only deflected from their course. I performed a nimble roll, and one arrow struck the ground beneath my feet, detonating with a "bang" that sent me flying with a massive shockwave.

I thought that was the end of it, but unexpectedly, the explosion only consumed the body of the arrow. The arrowhead floated up from the blast crater, completely unscathed, and reformed into an arrow to strike at me again.

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath. Why was it another case of infinite attacks?

Meanwhile, Xue Ning’s three water clones were closing in on Hu Qingqing. But Hu Qingqing was no pushover. She finally drew her weapon: a large, long blade engraved with strange runes. When the blade struck Xue Ning’s water clones, the shield of energy I had created was neutralized instantly.

One thing subdues another. This seemingly mediocre "balance" energy was a natural nemesis for energy-based contractors. Before Hu Qingqing, energy attacks had absolutely no chance of success. Fortunately, while the water clones were composed of energy, her attacks were physical. Relying on the dagger she carried, she constantly harassed Hu Qingqing, occasionally managing to inflict small wounds. Even if they were minor, it was enough to affect Hu Qingqing’s state of mind.

Deep in the hall, several air explosions rang out in succession, and Hu Xing’er came flying backward. She tumbled through the air several times before regaining her balance, her body riddled with bloody holes that were gushing blood. Feng Qian followed closely, firing several blood spheres from his hands. Hu Xing’er hurriedly created an air shield to resist, but Feng Qian’s onslaught grew more ferocious with each strike, the energy within the blood spheres becoming increasingly pure.

The air shield shattered with a crash, and Hu Xing’er’s chest was pierced, blood pouring from the gaping wound. She collapsed right next to Hu Qingqing. Seeing this, Hu Qingqing swung her great blade with all her might, unleashing a ring of pure white energy. I hurriedly used the mirror’s energy to shield the three of us. Even Tang Zifeng was caught in the blast, pushed back several steps by Hu Qingqing’s energy. With a hint of anger on his face, he shouted, "Hu Qingqing, what is the meaning of this?"

Hu Qingqing ignored him, tossing her blade aside to channel all her energy into Hu Xing’er’s body.

Hu Xing’er’s chest heaved, her mouth opening as if to speak, but she was choked by the flow of blood. Her clothes were tattered and soaked through with gore. Hu Qingqing’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent as she locked onto Feng Qian. Feng Qian let out a strange laugh in her direction; the blood spheres in his hands fused together, transforming into a blood arrow that shot toward Hu Xing’er’s dying form.

Hu Qingqing shot out a beam of white light, and the "balance" ability collided with the "blood" ability, dissolving in mid-air.

"Feng Qian, stop! Do not kill her!" Sensing the danger, I urged Feng Qian to cease. We had only intended to retaliate and stall, not to make a mortal enemy. If Feng Qian accidentally killed Hu Xing’er, there would likely be no room for reconciliation between Hu Qingqing and me.

"Feng Qian!" Xue Ning called out softly as well, but Feng Qian seemed like a different person. His eyes were bloodshot, as if eroded by the color of blood.

"Feng Qian, what is wrong with you?" I tried to approach him, but before I could get close, Feng Qian fired blood spheres at me like a startled rabbit. Fortunately, the ancient mirror protected me firmly, preventing any harm.

"You! Die!" Hu Qingqing roared, glaring at us. White light erupted from her body again. Tang Zifeng dared not linger and fled in a flash. He was just passing through, and Hu Qingqing did not care about his departure. But we were in trouble; Hu Xing’er’s condition caused Hu Qingqing to completely lose control, and she stopped holding back.

"Tiger Soul! Awaken!" A great white tiger materialized from the Jack of Hearts playing card, merging with the engraved long blade in the air to form a massive, snow-white katana. Hu Qingqing grasped the white blade, and her presence surged to a whole new level.

The awakening of the Heart cards was vastly different from that of the Spades. The awakening of a Spade card strengthened inherent abilities, evolving them into more powerful superpowers. The awakening of a Heart card, however, summoned an ancient weapon belonging to the contracted mythical beast.

"Tiger Soul"—I had seen this name in an old book at the D University library years ago. It was an ancient, ferocious beast said to have participated in the War of Yan and Huang before being sealed away; its immense power was beyond doubt.

Hu Qingqing swung her katana, and a powerful wave of blade energy surged toward the three of us. Feng Qian’s blood-manipulated shield stood in our path, but it shattered like paper. I hurriedly manipulated the ancient mirror to construct a defensive shield. As one of the Seven Ancients of the Spirit School, the mirror was not to be underestimated, managing to hold for a few seconds before breaking. Taking advantage of this, the three of us scrambled back, putting distance between ourselves and Hu Qingqing’s range of attack. Luckily, Hu Qingqing was preoccupied with Hu Xing’er’s wounds and did not pursue.

Hu Qingqing tended to Hu Xing’er with one hand while blocking the only exit with the white katana in the other. We remained in this stalemate until Chen Hao and Lin Xiayue finally arrived. Unfortunately, they were no match for the enraged Hu Qingqing in her awakened state. Perhaps if she hadn't awakened in a fit of rage, the five of us might have had a chance, but now we had no power to resist. An awakened ability does not consume much psychic energy, allowing it to be used indefinitely for an hour. If we waited any longer and Hu Xing’er recovered, none of the five of us would escape.

I now felt that it had been a mistake to ask Chen Hao and the others to help. This decision had led to all five of us being trapped here by Hu Qingqing, with only Sun Xiaoxiao left waiting anxiously at the Lin family estate.

Time ticked away second by second. We launched countless attacks, all of which Hu Qingqing easily neutralized. Hu Xing’er’s wounds had completely vanished; although she could not yet move her body, she was able to use her abilities again. Constructing an air shield for herself, Hu Qingqing was finally free to move. She stalked toward the five of us, blade in hand, radiating murderous intent.

"Gravity Field!" Lin Xiayue exerted all her strength to impose gravity upon Hu Qingqing, whose shoulders trembled under the increased weight. But in the blink of an eye, the energy of "balance" canceled out the gravity.

Xue Ning’s water clones moved out again, but this time, they were cut in half by Hu Qingqing’s katana before they could even get close. Chen Hao grabbed a stone pillar nearby and hurled it, but Hu Qingqing, now wielding the divine Tiger Soul blade, sliced through everything that stood before her.

Feng Qian, his eyes bloodshot, charged out, his entire body turned into a mass of blood. As boundless energy erupted, Hu Qingqing flashed forward and slashed at Feng Qian’s waist. He dodged nimbly, barely escaping death. Although Feng Qian’s abilities had peaked, allowing him to contend with Hu Qingqing for a moment, this was not a sustainable solution.

Hu Qingqing let out a roar, "Balance Field!"

The entire underground space was instantly engulfed by her energy, and all of us were stripped of our ability to move. Hu Qingqing raised her blade, and it fell.

Xue Ning was cut in half, and her Spade 9 playing card clattered to the ground. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly agape, but I would never hear her speak again. I was right behind her, and Hu Qingqing’s blade was already raised high. I closed my eyes, silently waiting for the impending death.

A familiar voice echoed in my ear: "Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"