The spirit cat, as usual, gracefully extended its claws and waved them at Su Xi several times. However, it found that Su Xi's soul did not move at all, completely unaffected.
"Meow?"
The spirit cat was confused by the situation, continuously licking its paws and pondering where it had gone wrong.
Zheng Yuan, unaware of what had happened, only saw the spirit cat acting cute and pampered in front of Su Xi, as if trying to please her.
(T_T)
He felt a million points of damage to his heart. The spirit cat he had worshipped for so long was actually acting cute towards Su Xi. Could it show him a little respect?
Despite his internal anxiety, he dared not show any expression on his face, quietly standing by and praying repeatedly.
The spirit cat and he had an agreement of master and servant, but not a true one. He provided the spirit cat with soul offerings daily, and in return, the spirit cat would act for him based on its mood. He worried that if he appeared too anxious, the spirit cat might simply refuse to cooperate, leaving him in a bind.
Su Xi was also bewildered. In that brief moment, she truly thought she was about to die. She never wanted to experience the feeling of her soul leaving her body a second time.
Tian Gang Zhenren sensed Su Xi's emotions and explained, "The cultivation technique you practice is very special; it can temper your soul. The spirit cat's strength is not yet sufficient to take away your soul."
Upon hearing Tian Gang Zhenren's explanation, Su Xi breathed a long sigh of relief. If the spirit cat could not harm her, she had no reservations. However, after relaxing, she realized a greater challenge lay before her: she had no idea how to return her soul to her body. Without her soul back in her body, her abilities would be useless.
Tian Gang Zhenren looked at Su Xi with helplessness, having anticipated her thoughts. He conjured a beam of light and sent it into Su Xi's soul. As the white light brightened, Su Xi quickly felt the connection between her body and soul. Without needing to do anything, with just a thought, her soul returned to her body.
Seeing Su Xi's soul re-enter her physical form, the spirit cat let out a sharp yowl. Its prey had escaped from its very jaws, an insult it could not tolerate.
"Meow~"
The spirit cat rapidly grew in size and charged at Su Xi without hesitation. Since its psychic attacks were ineffective, it would resort to brute force to crush Su Xi. It refused to believe it couldn't handle her.
Despite its increased size, the spirit cat moved with remarkable speed. Its sharp claws lunged towards Su Xi's vital points, aiming to tear her to shreds. Su Xi felt the sharpness of the spirit cat's claws, knowing that a direct hit would dismember her. Thus, she wisely chose not to confront it head-on.
After evading several of the spirit cat's attacks and finding an opening, she swiftly wielded her fire-poker. A blast of blue and red energy enveloped the spirit cat, sealing off all its escape routes.
"Meow~"
The spirit cat paused briefly upon seeing the fire-poker in Su Xi's hand, then was instantly frozen by ice and fell to the ground.
Seeing that Su Xi had ambushed the spirit cat, Zheng Yuan, disregarding their prior agreement, rushed to help. If the spirit cat were harmed, his own strength would be significantly weakened. Therefore, he had to intervene to protect his power.
A stream of black energy erupted from Zheng Yuan, forming a skull above his head. The black skull rapidly enlarged, opening its gaping maw and lunging towards Su Xi.
"Ghost Path."
This was the cultivation technique Zheng Yuan practiced, allowing him to summon evil spirits from hell to aid him. The summoned spirits could not only kill but also devour a person's entire soul, leading to eternal damnation. This had been Zheng Yuan's secret weapon for years as he roamed the jianghu.
Even before the evil spirit reached her, a chilling aura washed over Su Xi, causing her to shiver. This was a true demon from hell, indeed not easy to deal with. However, even if it were difficult, she had no intention of surrendering.
"Heavenly Thunder Talisman!"
Su Xi beckoned, and a talisman shot from her hand. Following this, a series of thunderclaps echoed through the sky. The lightning storm, like a torrential downpour, rapidly enveloped the approaching evil spirit, preventing it from advancing.
Facing the powerful lightning, the evil spirit's face contorted in fear. It had expected a feast in the human world, not such a dangerous predicament. Had it manifested incorrectly? Mama! The evil spirit suddenly regretted its haste, having outrun so many of its companions, only to now risk its own life.
"BOOM~"
The heavenly thunder, with its immense pressure, struck the evil spirit, instantly dissipating a portion of its dark energy. Then, another wave of black lines began to be driven away. After the lightning, the evil spirit's form shrank by more than half, its aura becoming somewhat weak.
"BOOM~"
Seeing that the Heavenly Thunder Talisman was effective, Su Xi did not give the evil spirit any chance to recover. She pressed her advantage, throwing talismans without restraint, enveloping the evil spirit. It was like a full-body spa treatment.
"Wooo~"
Amidst the raging lightning, the evil spirit could only emit a series of mournful cries. Soon, it went silent, completely dispersed into the heavens and earth. Lightning naturally exerted a suppressive effect on spirits, and Su Xi's lightning was no ordinary kind; heavenly thunder possessed powerful demonic-repelling properties.
Zheng Yuan stared in disbelief as his summoned evil spirit vanished. What was happening? From its appearance to its disappearance, it had taken less than three seconds. How had Su Xi managed to destroy an evil spirit from hell? He wondered if he was dreaming. When had disciples from the Five Great Immortal Mountains become so formidable?
For the first time, a thought of retreat began to form in Zheng Yuan's mind. Even though his cultivation was superior to Su Xi's, he found himself constantly suppressed by her. He had no way to escape this predicament. If he stayed, he would only face defeat. Having made up his mind, Zheng Yuan abandoned all pretense of dignity.
He cast a technique and launched an attack with a fierce aura. Without waiting to see the result, he swiftly fled backward, leaving his stunned attendant behind. Su Xi had already sensed Zheng Yuan's intent to flee and had no intention of letting him go easily. Though she did not pursue him, a smile played on her lips. Running away was not going to be that simple.