Ye Huo Huo watched as Miao Feng's fist wind swept towards her vital point. She had no time to dodge, and being forced, even knowing she was no match, she couldn't just be beaten to death. With no time to save herself, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and transform her palm into a claw, reaching directly for Miao Feng's chest. This move was an attack aimed at forcing a defensive reaction.
Her vital point was at the back of her neck. Miao Feng’s strike to her back of the neck would be slightly longer in distance than Ye Huo Huo’s grab at her chest. Often, life and death were decided by the narrowest of margins.
However, Ye Huo Huo had miscalculated. Miao Feng did not halt her attack because of Ye Huo Huo's move. She merely let out a cold laugh, her hand reaching for Ye Huo Huo’s back of the neck showing no hesitation.
Ye Huo Huo secretly gritted her teeth, thinking, "Fine, if I have to die here today, I will at least take her with me. That way, Lu Yao can at least live." She didn't retract her hand either. Both of them seemed determined to achieve a mutual destruction.
Just as Miao Feng's fist brushed against Ye Huo Huo's skin, and Ye Huo Huo's fingernails had already pierced Miao Feng's chest garment, both were suddenly thrown apart by a powerful force.
Ye Huo Huo's vital point had been struck. Although the force didn't hit her full on, it still made her feel nauseous and dizzy. She couldn't stand steady, her footsteps faltering.
Miao Feng was also slightly injured. Ye Huo Huo's nails had not only torn her clothes but also created five small bloody wounds on her chest. They had only just broken the skin, the wounds were shallow, and for Miao Feng, this was nothing.
In their first encounter, Ye Huo Huo was defeated.
Ye Huo Huo gasped for air for a long time, trying to recover from the nausea and dizziness. It took a while for the swirling dizziness to subside and the buzzing in her ears to lessen before she heard a desperate call, "Ye Huo Huo, are you alright! Ye Huo Huo…"
"No… I'm fine! I won't die!" She shook her head, and cold sweat dripped from her chin onto the ground. It was then she noticed that her clothes were soaked with sweat from just that moment.
"Old monster, you're too cunning. How can you attack without even announcing yourself? If I hadn't used the Collapsing Thunder Palm to push you away, she would have been killed by your strike." Lu Yao shielded Ye Huo Huo behind her. Her already round face was puffed up with anger, like a swollen pufferfish. "Also, I ask you, why did you strike her first when we are both standing here, and not me?"
Lu Yao's question almost made Ye Huo Huo laugh. She wondered how this girl could be so oblivious, still concerned about such things at a time like this.
Clearly, Miao Feng hadn't expected this question either. She was stunned for a moment, then smiled meaningfully, "I struck her first because she appeared more formidable than you. For someone who must be killed, one naturally attacks the strongest first, to prevent her from escaping or launching a sneak attack that causes unnecessary damage.
However, this little girl is indeed ruthless, daring to put herself in a deathly situation and counterattack, attempting a mutually destructive outcome. It’s just a bit overestimating herself!"
"You've misjudged. I'm stronger than her. Remember next time you see us, you should attack me first!" Lu Yao said, unconvinced.
Ye Huo Huo felt a mix of amusement and exasperation, silently cursing Lu Yao's damned competitive spirit. She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, "Senior, you are mistaken. I was not overestimating myself. In that situation, even if I had dodged part of your attack, I would have been severely injured, losing all ability to fight. By then, you would have killed my companion, and I would have had no chance of survival.
Only by risking my life and launching a proactive attack could I potentially force you back. Even if you didn't retreat, and I was killed by your punch, I was confident I could injure you. My companion would then have a greater chance of survival, whether by fighting you or escaping. Rather than both of us dying here, sacrificing my life for even one of us to live is worth it."
Ye Huo Huo's words were so righteous that Lu Yao was moved, a spark appearing in her eyes.
"Ye Huo Huo, who asked you to risk your life for me? If you died because of me, I would owe you a great debt. Do you want me to repay you in my next life?"
"Heh, I underestimated the two of you. One can remain so calm and rational in a life-or-death moment, making the most correct judgment. The other reacts so quickly, delivering a punch that could knock me away. If I didn't absolutely need your lives, I might have hesitated to strike.
However, you can only accept your fate. Isn't it better to die painlessly if my punch to your vital point had been fatal? Instead, you struggled painfully. Alas, you have truly disappointed my good intentions."
Miao Feng spoke of killing with such sincere earnestness that Ye Huo Huo was truly astonished.
"Senior, if you must kill us, then we cannot dishonor our sect. Knowing we are outmatched, we will not surrender without a fight. However, Senior, if my guess is correct, this coffin is Li Ke's burial chamber. Although we may not escape from you, we have the ability to destroy this coffin before you kill us."
As Ye Huo Huo spoke, she closely watched Miao Feng's expression. Indeed, when she mentioned destroying the coffin in the room, Miao Feng’s usually calm expression faltered for a moment. Though it was brief, it didn’t escape Ye Huo Huo’s eyes.
What had been a guess and a test was now a certainty for Ye Huo Huo: this coffin was very important to Miao Feng.
Lu Yao was not foolish either. She understood Ye Huo Huo’s intention and leaped to the side of the coffin, placing a hand on it. Although her hand seemed to rest on it as if patting someone’s shoulder, anyone could see she was gathering her strength, ready to shatter the coffin with a palm strike at any moment.
Miao Feng could no longer pretend to be indifferent to the coffin. Her already icy expression sank even further, "Little girls, you are playing with fire. Do you not want to live?"
"Old monster, you say that as if you would let us live if we didn't destroy the coffin anyway." Lu Yao didn't have Ye Huo Huo's good temper and had lost her patience, too lazy to even call her Senior.
"Senior, we have no intention of disrupting your plan to revive Li Ke. Our presence here was accidental. We originally intended to pacify that vengeful ghost in the blood-red robe, and unexpectedly stumbled into your forbidden territory. As I said earlier, you can rest assured, we will not reveal the secrets of this place. On the contrary, our sect has made significant achievements in soul transference techniques. Perhaps we can be of some help to you.
To be honest, junior here has a senior disciple who was harmed. Only his soul and spirit remain. To prevent his soul from dissipating and losing even the chance to reincarnate, our master sealed his soul within the body of a myna bird.
Although our sect's techniques are not as exquisite as yours, they share some similar principles. Perhaps some things can be of reference to you." Ye Huo Huo was still trying to appeal to her emotions and reason.
Threatening with the coffin and tempting with soul transference techniques, she employed a two-pronged approach, hoping to salvage their lives from this woman who had become utterly obsessed.
However, her calculations fell short, as she underestimated Miao Feng’s obsession. She would not take any risks regarding Li Ke’s revival. In her eyes, only the dead could keep secrets, so Ye Huo Huo and Lu Yao must be eliminated. And that coffin was indeed an indispensable part of the revival process.
She looked at Ye Huo Huo and Lu Yao and smiled slightly. This smile felt like a gentle spring breeze carrying the scent of flowers. Ye Huo Huo surprisingly felt the fragrance of blossoms and grass.
Suddenly, her heart gave a dire warning. She thought, "Oh no!"