At this moment, Mu Anxiao was truly perplexed. Why were those monsters willing to fight Feng Qishi and Piao head-on, but instead chose to toy with her?
She felt a surge of indignation.
"If you have the guts, come out and fight! Stop hiding," she yelled as she turned.
Instantly, the monster she had just knocked down reappeared before her. "I wasn't serious before, but this time, I will be." With that, he conjured a large saber and swung it towards Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao’s eyes widened. She quickly raised her arms and leaned back, her toes touching the ground as she rapidly retreated to dodge the saber.
The monster was relentless, pursuing Mu Anxiao and continuing his assault.
Seeing that she had gained some distance, Mu Anxiao swiftly turned around. She sprinted forward a few steps, then leaped into the air, kicking off a tree. She spun around and raised her silver rope, lashing out forcefully at the approaching monster.
In the next instant, the saber in the monster’s hand clattered to the ground and vanished.
Simultaneously, Mu Anxiao landed steadily. After scanning its body, a smirk played on her lips. "Your nose, that's your weakness." With that, she reeled in the silver rope and strode towards the monster.
Seeing this, the monster hastily conjured other artifacts.
However, to its dismay, Mu Anxiao was already standing before it. "Die!" she declared, reaching out and grabbing its large nose.
The monster cried out in pain, tears welling up.
To prevent a repeat of the previous encounter, Mu Anxiao directly jabbed its right eye.
At the same moment, Piao and Feng Qishi each obtained an inner core.
In the air.
The monster leader’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The other monsters looked grim, their smiles fading.
Below.
Mu Anxiao tightly clutched the inner core in her hand, watching as the monster, after its agonizing death, dissolved into white smoke.
She endured the strange sensation within her heart and placed the inner core into her coin pouch.
Immediately, three other monsters materialized behind her.
"Here they come," she said, slowly turning to face the three adversaries.
One of the monsters growled, "Go to hell."
Mu Anxiao’s expression was impassive as she charged forward with her silver rope.
After a few rounds of combat…
Mu Anxiao eliminated another one.
"Done," she declared, placing the inner core into her coin pouch. She then eyed the monster standing before her. "Your turn."
The monster before her narrowed its eyes.
Mu Anxiao frowned. Just as she was about to turn, a chill ran down her back. She gasped and muttered, "Damn it."
"Next, it’s your turn," the monster in front of her said, extending its hand and conjuring an artifact.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao disregarded everything behind her, retreated several steps, and swung her silver rope forcefully at the monster in front of her.
The next moment, due to its depleted strength, the monster collapsed as the silver rope touched it. It turned into white smoke, leaving behind an inner core.
Mu Anxiao gasped, ignoring the inner core, and turned to face the first monster, which was looking down at its bloody claws. "You ambushed me."
The first monster narrowed its eyes.
Mu Anxiao was covered in a cold sweat, the pain in her back throbbing.
On the other side.
Feng Qishi and Piao concluded their battles simultaneously.
Piao inadvertently glanced at the injured Mu Anxiao and her eyes widened. "She’s hurt."
Hearing this, Feng Qishi turned and saw that the monster that had wounded Mu Anxiao had erected a barrier.
Piao watched the barrier intently. "A barrier, that guy wants to fight Mu Anxiao to the death."
Feng Qishi clenched his long sword, without even looking at Piao, and quickly ran to the barrier, striking its outer layer forcefully with his sword hilt.
Seeing this, Piao rushed forward to help Feng Qishi.
The monster, hearing the thudding sounds, said, "It's useless." He then looked back at Mu Anxiao and conjured a long whip.
Mu Anxiao blinked slightly, feigning nonchalance. "A whip? You think your whip," she tightened her grip on the silver rope, "can compare to mine?"
"Die!" the monster said, cracking the whip.
However, due to the barrier, Mu Anxiao stumbled into it as she turned.
Then, the whip landed heavily on Mu Anxiao's injured back. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to her knees.
"Mu Xiazi!" Feng Qishi roared, taking a step back and beginning to use his magic to break the barrier.
Piao also lent a hand.
Mu Anxiao grunted but did not spit blood.
The monster, believing itself victorious, burst into laughter.
The sky.
The monster leader looked at the temporarily surviving first monster below and shouted, "Don't linger, leave quickly."
While the first monster couldn't discern Mu Anxiao's abilities, the monster leader could.
At that moment, he wished for the first monster to leave quickly, with no other thoughts.
"Boss, he's almost won," a monster behind the leader said.
The monster leader retorted, "Don't you recognize her?"
"Recognize who?"
"The one who spoke to me last night, the one who looked so much like Gu An."
However, the monster hadn't noticed at all that Mu Anxiao, disguised in men's clothing with a beard, was a woman.
Thus, he asked, "She's… a woman?"
The monster leader nodded slightly.
"Then her abilities… are truly formidable," the monster mused, recalling all the moves Mu Anxiao had used.
The monster leader glanced at the monster and yelled down, "Stop! Hurry and go!" As he shouted, he struck the barrier twice with force, only to be repelled.
Subsequently, the monsters quickly turned and pursued the monster leader.
Below.
Piao looked up at the repelled monster leader, his lips twitching.
Within the barrier.
Mu Anxiao struggled to stand, turning to face the still laughing first monster. "What are you laughing at?"
"You…"
"Don't 'you' me. If you have the guts, take down this barrier and fight me fair and square. If you win, I'll let you go, you…"
Mu Anxiao's words were cut short as the monster raised its whip again.
Instantly, unable to evade, Mu Anxiao closed her eyes as if accepting her fate.
Outside, just as Feng Qishi was about to deliver a final blow to save Mu Anxiao, streaks of blue light suddenly illuminated his palm, and his soul sword gradually appeared.
"Huh?"
As Feng Qishi expressed his surprise, the soul sword changed direction, pierced through the barrier, and with two swift slashes, severed the whip in the first monster's hand.
"Soul sword?" the first monster exclaimed in shock.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao slowly opened her eyes, startled. "What's going on?"
The soul sword turned towards Mu Anxiao, then pointed its tip towards her hand.
Mu Anxiao, enduring the pain in her back, looked down at her hand. "You want me to extend my hand?" she asked, and with that, she extended her hand.