The attire of this corpse was identical to Mo Qingcheng's.
However, Zi Linling knew this was not Mo Qingcheng.
She pulled back the cloak, revealing a puppet.
It turned out Mo Qingcheng had not used a body-substitute talisman, but a puppet-substitute technique.
Though both were used to replace the true body, they differed.
A body-substitute talisman inscribed a replacement array on a talisman paper.
When danger arose, it could absorb a fatal blow for the true body, but the talisman paper would be consumed.
A puppet substitute, after being inscribed with a replacement array, needed to be placed in a safe location beforehand.
This way, when danger struck, the puppet substitute and the true body would swap positions, ensuring the true body's safety.
Furthermore, body-substitute talismans utilized energy activation for replacement, while puppet substitutes used energy induction.
In terms of replacement speed alone, puppet substitutes were significantly faster than body-substitute talismans.
This was why Mo Qingcheng could complete the swap the instant Zi Linling cut her throat.
Of course, due to this, there was a distance limitation between the puppet substitute and the true body.
This distance generally did not exceed one hundredzhang.
In other words, although Mo Qingcheng had left Jiujue Peak, she was still on Duanhun Cliff.
It was worth noting that while the puppet substitute took Zi Linling's fatal blow for Mo Qingcheng, it also completed a life-and-death contract recognized by the Heavenly Dao.
Therefore, even though Mo Qingcheng did not die, the Heavenly Dao would no longer pursue her.
After all, she had already "died" once.
"Heh heh!"
Zi Linling sneered, "Mo Qingcheng, can you escape?"
As she muttered to herself, a circle of fire walls appeared around her.
These fire walls enclosed her, but caused her no harm.
This was because they were her Blazing Fire Spirit Skill.
The purpose was to prevent anyone from ambushing her while she released her divine sense to search for Mo Qingcheng.
Zi Linling sat in the center of the fire walls and projected her late-Emperor realm divine sense.
Her vast divine sense instantly covered a radius of a hundredzhang, forming a divine sense cage.
To put it figuratively, it was like forming a giant net of divine sense to cover an area of a hundredzhang.
This way, if anyone tried to escape her divine sense range, she would detect them.
Having established the boundaries, Zi Linling then divided a wisp of her divine sense and began to search inch by inch.
Meanwhile, Mo Qingcheng was hiding behind an inconspicuous large rock.
Although the puppet substitute had blocked Zi Linling's fatal blow for her, due to the time lag in the swap, she was still injured.
Though not severely, a cut had been made on her fair neck by the edge of the blade.
If that cut had been any deeper, her throat would have been severed.
At that point, even with a puppet substitute, she would have been unable to escape death.
But now, though she had narrowly escaped, she had to tend to the wound on her neck.
Otherwise, if she lost too much blood, she would fall into danger again.
Leaning against the rock, Mo Qingcheng took out a bottle of hemostatic pills from her embrace.
She had bought this bottle of hemostatic pills at the black market for a hefty price; there were only three in total.
She took out one, crushed it, and lifted the veil of her cloak, revealing a ghastly face.
The reason it was ghastly was because her facial skin was covered with branching lines, like tree roots.
Those branches were as black as ink and bulged outwards.
Mo Qingcheng had no time to think, and applied the crushed hemostatic pill to the wound on her neck.
Pills were pills; their effectiveness was far superior to ordinary wound medicine.
In just two breaths, the bleeding from her neck wound stopped.
A moment later, the wound would scab over.
After tending to the wound, Mo Qingcheng's hand touched her ghastly face, her eyes filled with a venom so intense it was almost tangible.
"Zi Linling, this is all your fault!"
She glared fiercely in the direction of Jiujue Peak, her teeth clenched, and re-donned her cloak.
She could not leave yet.
Because when she attempted to leave, she sensed an extreme danger.
When she stayed put, that feeling of danger disappeared.
She had tested this repeatedly, without exception.
Therefore, she understood that someone did not want her to leave, at least not for the time being.
Mo Qingcheng looked up at the sky and saw that the tribulation clouds had dispersed.
It seemed the puppet substitute not only saved her life but also made the Heavenly Dao abandon its pursuit.
Cannot leave?
What should she do?
Mo Qingcheng frowned and transmitted a message to Yue Wudi, "Demon Lord, the tribulation clouds have dispersed, you can speak now."
Previously, Yue Wudi, being targeted by the Heavenly Dao, dared not even communicate with Mo Qingcheng via divine sense.
Because if the Heavenly Dao discovered him, not only would his wisp of remnant soul be lost, but Mo Qingcheng would also be implicated.
Having finally found a host body and being able to slowly repair his remnant soul, he had no desire to be annihilated.
Yue Wudi heard this and cautiously separated a tiny wisp of his soul, tentatively revealing his aura.
"Huh! The tribulation clouds have actually dispersed."
Yue Wudi was overjoyed and then officially began to communicate with Mo Qingcheng.
"You're injured?"
As a demon, he was very sensitive to the smell of blood.
Mo Qingcheng nodded and said, "When you suddenly returned control of my body, I didn't have time to react, so I was ambushed by that bitch. If it weren't for the puppet substitute I prepared in advance, I would have already crossed the Bridge of Helplessness."
In truth, she harbored great resentment towards Yue Wudi.
If Yue Wudi hadn't forcibly entered her body, how would she have agreed to a transaction with him?
If she hadn't made a deal with Yue Wudi, how would she have become ugly?
And just now, if Yue Wudi hadn't returned control of her body without warning during the fight, how would she have been injured?
However, did Mo Qingcheng dare to resist?
She dared not!
From the moment she agreed to the transaction, her soul had been branded by Yue Wudi.
As long as Yue Wudi willed it, he could take her life at any time.
Mo Qingcheng was unwilling!
But what good was her unwillingness?
Unless, one day, her soul became stronger than Yue Wudi's, and she forcibly consumed that mark and Yue Wudi's soul, she could be freed.
But that day was as distant as the stars.
Yue Wudi chuckled sinisterly, "You resent this Seat?"
How could he not detect the clear resentment in Mo Qingcheng's words?
Mo Qingcheng's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly denied, "Qingcheng dares not!"
She was not yet powerful enough, so she had to endure.
Moreover, she said she "dares not," not that she "does not."
Yue Wudi snorted coldly, "It's best if you don't dare! Don't worry, I will compensate you for today's events!"
He didn't care about Mo Qingcheng's emotions, but he decided to appease her for now.
His soul had not yet fully recovered, and the matter of devouring Mo Qingcheng's soul could not yet be put on the agenda.