No one caught by the woman's move, be it an immortal or a demon, could rise again.
Moreover, Mu Anxiao was even more severely injured than they were. Now that she had stood up, the woman was greatly surprised by her appearance.
However, surprise aside, the woman felt Mu Anxiao posed no threat to her whatsoever.
Thus, the woman continued to mock Mu Anxiao, "With you like this, you still want to continue fighting me?" As she spoke, she spread her palms, conjuring a sphere.
Mu Anxiao looked at the sphere in the woman's hand and let out a soft hum. She slightly turned her face towards the green-skirted woman who was weeping because of her and said, "Move further away."
"You..."
"Quickly," Mu Anxiao interrupted, trembling as she extended one hand and conjured the rope of light that Zhang Yan had given her.
Hearing Mu Anxiao's urgent prompting, the green-skirted woman's eyes darkened, and she complied, dodging away.
Seeing this, the woman narrowed her eyes and immediately threw the sphere towards Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao's gaze sharpened. Enduring the pain throughout her body, she swiftly dodged, then looked sideways at the sphere, which was spinning violently in front of the light mist, just as before. She narrowed her eyes, then turned back to the woman who stood motionless, saying, "This move again." As she spoke, she swallowed the blood in her mouth and drew out the rope of light.
The woman's lips curled into a smile, and she quickly flashed away.
Immediately after, Mu Anxiao glanced at the sphere that was about to charge towards her. She thought, My spiritual energy is being depleted. She must be doing this deliberately. I absolutely cannot fall for it.
With that thought, she retracted the rope of light, feigning a distraction, and turned to face the sphere.
The woman watched the spectacle, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Just as Mu Anxiao had predicted, the sphere indeed charged towards her.
This time, she did not choose to dodge. Instead, she closed her eyes, recalling how the sphere had suddenly changed direction and struck her abdomen. She thought, So that's how it works.
The green-skirted woman's eyes widened.
The woman frowned, "Has she gone mad?" Saying so, she took half a step back.
At the same time, the sphere, just like before, stopped in front of Mu Anxiao's face.
Subsequently, Mu Anxiao felt a faint warmth from the light, and she suddenly opened her eyes, stepped back, quickly grabbed both ends of the rope of light, and then began to swing it rapidly back and forth in front of her.
During this process, the sphere remained stationary.
Following this, Mu Anxiao's gaze fixed, and as she tossed the rope of light into the air, it instantly transformed into a net, directly enveloping the sphere.
The woman was stunned by this sight.
The next second, after struggling a few times within the net woven by the rope of light, the sphere exploded and dissipated.
The green-skirted woman smiled.
Mu Anxiao breathed a sigh of relief, placing one hand on her stomach and the other to quickly catch the rope of light. She said, "It's over." Then, she lowered the hand on her stomach, turned, and looked at the woman.
Immediately, the woman spread her hands again.
Mu Anxiao clicked her tongue as she watched the woman attempt to conjure the sphere again.
Then, it began anew.
A quarter of an hour later.
Mu Anxiao, panting, looked at the five spheres covered by the net and said, "You are truly relentless. These are all your demonic energy. Once it's used up, you'll be truly finished." After she spoke, the spheres exploded.
The woman looked at the scene before her with disbelief and said, "Why is this happening?"
Mu Anxiao tremblingly reached out to receive the rope of light, then after a few more breaths, she raised her other hand and casually wiped away the cold sweat on her forehead.
The green-skirted woman, noticing Mu Anxiao's slightly trembling legs, quickly walked forward, took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, and personally wiped away the cold sweat on Mu Anxiao's forehead.
The woman's expression was dazed. She lowered her head, muttering incessantly, "Impossible, impossible."
Hearing the woman's voice, Mu Anxiao blocked the green-skirted woman's hand with her own, stepped forward, and said, "Why did you lie to me?"
"..." Hearing Mu Anxiao's question, the woman slowly raised her eyes and gave a wry smile.
Mu Anxiao frowned, then said, "Your intention in doing this was her, right?" She glanced at the green-skirted woman.
The woman replied, "You've seen through it." She felt there was no need to hide it any longer.
Mu Anxiao continued, "You definitely didn't come up with this plan on your own, did you?"
"What do you think?" the woman retorted, her face growing cold.
"I think..." Mu Anxiao let out a soft laugh, her lips smeared with blood. "I think you definitely didn't come up with it." Saying so, she wiped her mouth with her hand.
The woman said, "You're already on your last breath. I advise you not to meddle."
"You kill immortals, do you know..."
"As long as you die, everything can be explained."
"..." Mu Anxiao's eyes widened.
"Honestly, I didn't want to involve you in the first place. Speaking of which," the woman asked, "do you know why I didn't want to involve you initially?"
Mu Anxiao remained silent.
The woman continued on her own, "That's because you're just a nobody. If I used you to kill her, no one would believe it. But," her lips curved into a smile, "now it can be explained." After saying so, she glanced at the rope of light in Mu Anxiao's hand.
Mu Anxiao was startled. Following the woman's gaze, she looked down at the rope of light and asked, "What are you trying to do?"
"What am I trying to do? Take the blame for me, of course. Think about it," the woman said, "Shen Moyun doesn't seem to believe you either, does he? Later, I'll put on a show in front of him, and your crime will be settled."
"What exactly do you want?"
"Me?" The woman pointed at herself and smiled. "Do you want to hear it from the beginning, or just a brief summary?"
"..." Mu Anxiao frowned.
The woman continued, "Let me tell you, I originally wanted Shen Moyun to help me with this. However, after my investigation, I realized that wouldn't work because he's a great immortal. Thinking about it, it would also be a beautiful thing if Bing'er married him. Honestly, I've recently decided to let them fall out amongst themselves. That way, I'll have two scapegoats. But then, you appeared. Since that's the case, you can be my scapegoat." She smiled.
Mu Anxiao's eyes darkened. "You think very highly of yourself."
"Indeed. Beyond this mist, there's also the demon realm, which is difficult to break through. Of course," the woman said, "I believe the great immortal will have a way, but by the time he gets in, you and she will likely be dead."
"Your plan is truly layered," Mu Anxiao said coldly.
The woman replied, "It has to be. Otherwise, I'd be finished. As the saying goes, when doing anything, you must always have a backup plan to avoid embarrassment in the end. Don't you agree," she leaned forward slightly, "I'm right?"
"Do you think Shen Moyun will believe you?" Mu Anxiao asked intentionally.
The woman said, "Of course. Shen Moyun dotes on Bing'er. Most importantly, I am a demon soul. How could I possibly have such great capabilities? You see..."
"You've already exposed yourself," Mu Anxiao interrupted.
The woman's face hardened.
"I originally intended to help you. Since you're like this," Mu Anxiao said, shaking her head slightly, "I don't think I need to show you any more courtesy." Saying so, she picked up the rope of light.