Chapter 13 The boy hugged her tightly as Gu Xiaozhu was being captured...

During the time Gu Xiaozhu was captured, she had thought that talismans needed spiritual power to be used, and although Huan Yao had said that she had a lot of spiritual power in her body, she was unable to use them at all.

She had actually thought about it: if she had powerful spiritual energy within her, what about her blood?

Does she also possess spiritual power in her blood?

If she smears her own blood on the talisman, can she activate it?

She asked the system this question, and the answer was yes.

But the system strongly opposed her using this method.

Despite His repeated refusals, she finally agreed not to use her own blood.

But soon, she thought of another way—

Use the spiritual power contained in the spirit stone to activate the talisman.

This approach has received strong approval from the system.

Ultimately, it proved that this method was feasible and quite simple.

That is to simply stick the spirit stone and the talisman together, and then the talisman will automatically absorb the spiritual power from the spirit stone.

Gu Xiaozhu glanced at the still wailing phantom demon, quickly retreated from the raging flames, and asked in her mind, "System, how much longer until Jiang Zhihe arrives?"

Almost there! Just two more minutes!

Gu Xiaozhu nodded, then quickly ran to Huanniang and Ruier, handing them the two talismans: "Hurry back to the house first, then stick these two talismans on the door!"

These two talismans are mid-grade protective light talismans for defense, and she had already infused them with the spiritual power from the spirit stones. Simply sticking them on the door will create a barrier to protect the people inside the house.

Huanniang nodded quickly, then pulled her son and ran towards the house.

"Hehe..."

A hoarse and shrill voice rang out behind her, and Gu Xiaozhu froze.

Of course, she knew that those few mid-grade talismans alone were not enough to kill the Illusion Demon; at most, they could only injure him and buy him some time.

She turned around, and sure enough, it was true.

The flames began to subside, and a dark figure gradually appeared.

At this moment, half of Huan Yao's face was burned beyond recognition by the flames, and his clothes were also torn to shreds.

At this moment, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere and an overwhelming killing intent surrounded him!

He had never suffered such humiliation at the hands of a mere mortal!

"Hehehe..." He suddenly laughed, "You're right, I am a demon!"

Gu Xiaozhu looked at him warily, a sudden unease rising in her heart.

Huan Yao looked up, his messy black hair obscuring his face, revealing his murderous eyes.

"So... not a single person here will survive!!"

After saying that, he rushed straight towards Huanniang and Ruier, who were still running towards the house!

If I can't do anything to you, can't I at least do something to these ordinary mortals?!

Gu Xiaozhu's pupils contracted sharply. She wanted to stop it, but she couldn't.

The Illusion Demon was too fast. She was just a mortal with no cultivation, so she couldn't do anything.

Is there really nothing she can do?

Suddenly, her gaze focused on her own palm.

Blood flows beneath the skin.

Blood……

She quickly pulled out the hairpin and raised her hand to slash at her own palm!

[Host! What are you doing?!]

In my mind, the system screamed.

The sharp end of the hairpin pierced the fair skin, and beads of blood oozed out, quickly forming a line that slid down the girl's palm and dripped onto the ground.

"Tick-tock".

The sharp claws that were almost within reach suddenly stopped. Huanniang realized that death had not yet come, and she shakily raised her eyes.

The claws slowly retracted, and the phantom demon turned around. In its dark eyes, only a drop of bright red blood remained on the ground.

The immense spiritual power almost materialized, transforming into thin, golden threads that permeated the air. Not only the Illusion Demon, but also the other cultivators outside the house felt this suddenly appearing, almost tangible, immense spiritual power!

"What's going on? Why is there such a strong fluctuation of spiritual energy over there all of a sudden?"

"Could it be that a secret treasure has been unearthed?"

"But I haven't heard any such news. Could it be some powerful figure?"

"Want to go check it out?"

"Maybe we should just forget about it? I just saw some people from the Spirit Law Bureau on the road."

Not far from the Li residence, Jiang Zhihe and his two companions, who were being entangled by the Spirit Law Division, also sensed this unusual and immense spiritual power.

“This is…” Wu Jiangxue frowned slightly.

Jiang Zhihe's face darkened completely. He looked at the three Spirit Law Division personnel blocking his way and said in a deep voice, "Get out of the way!"

The man in black, who was leading the Spirit Law Division, frowned and said, "You have violated the city's regulations and even ignored the Spirit Law Division's obstruction. According to the regulations, you need to come back to the Spirit Law Division with us immediately!"

Jiang Zhihe looked at the three stubborn people opposite him, and the hum of the long sword in his hand grew louder and louder, and even the temperature around him seemed to be dropping little by little.

Shangguan You, standing next to him, narrowed his eyes.

Oh dear, those three over there are doomed.

Meanwhile, the three on the other side also noticed that the surrounding temperature was dropping, and one of them directly threatened, "I'm warning you! Attacking a member of the Spirit Law Division is an even more serious crime!"

"ha……"

The young man in red spoke slowly, his wrist gripping the longsword twitching slightly. He raised his eyes, but patience was gone, replaced by a chilling coldness:

"You bunch of idiots."

… …

[Host...stop the bleeding! Stop the bleeding!]

Meanwhile, the Illusion Demon, who was not far away, had already been completely drawn to the blood that was radiating a rich spiritual energy. His eyes were fixed on the hand that was still bleeding, and the greedy and bloodthirsty desire in his eyes had almost reached its limit!

Blood……

Blood……

Blood! ! !

A thick fog instantly rose around him, transforming into sharp spikes that pierced towards the girl!

"Crack—!"

The robe glowed faintly, and the protective shield that formed around it helped to withstand the attack, but it also caused the robe to completely lose its spiritual essence. The shield shattered and the light dissipated.

[Ahhh, host! Stop the bleeding! This isn't worth risking your life for!!!]

The system began screaming the moment the robe lost its spiritual essence.

He knew that once the spiritual energy of the robe dissipated, at the speed of an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, His host would not have time to use any defensive artifacts or other means.

She's going to die!

In this life-or-death crisis, Gu Xiaozhu felt a strange sense of peace.

"Isn't it worth it?" she murmured softly, as if sighing.

"But in my opinion, it's worth it to exchange one life for two wonderful people with good qualities."

The moment the magic robe lost its spiritual essence, the Illusion Demon's lips curled into a smile, and he transformed into a black shadow, arriving in front of the girl in the blink of an eye!

Thick, dark fog swirled around the girl, and her hands transformed into sharp claws, striking her like lightning!

Just then!

A silver sword light ripped through the night sky, freezing everything in its path and causing the heavens and earth to freeze over.

Before Huan Yao could even react, he was struck directly by the sword light. In an instant, frost spread across his entire body, forming translucent ice crystals.

The demon's eyes still held a glimmer of greed before it collapsed heavily to the ground, lifeless.

At this moment, all that can be seen in the courtyard is cold ice.

Everything happened so fast that Gu Xiaozhu hadn't even had time to react when the familiar red hem of her dress came straight into her line of sight.

Then, the red-clad boy's long hair flew up, dispelling the surrounding chill, and he embraced her tightly.

The boy possessed a warmth that didn't match his spiritual root attributes; his familiar aura enveloped her entirely, giving her an unprecedented sense of security.

"Thank goodness...you're alright."

A slightly trembling voice came from beside her ear. Gu Xiaozhu was stunned for a moment, then slowly raised her hand and hugged the boy's slightly trembling body.

"Yes, I'm fine, you don't need to worry."

She spoke softly.

"Ah! That's right! Your hand!"

Jiang Zhihe suddenly realized what was happening, immediately pulled away from her embrace, and hurriedly looked at her still bleeding hand.

"Stop the bleeding... Yes, we must stop the bleeding immediately!"

The young man in front of her looked at her palm and, unusually, became somewhat at a loss.

When Wu Jiangxue, who arrived a step later, saw this scene, she said nothing, but stepped forward and handed a pill to Gu Xiaozhu.

"Eat it, and your wound will heal quickly."

Gu Xiaozhu nodded, then took the pill and swallowed it.

Strangely enough, this elixir tastes sweet!

Wu Jiangxue looked at the girl's slightly widened eyes and her expression softened a little.

The pill was very effective; in just a short while, the wound on her hand was completely healed, and not even a scar could be seen.

After the wound healed, the overflowing spiritual energy gradually dissipated into the world.

Shangguan You clicked his tongue in amazement: "No wonder you're all so interested in her, turns out she's a walking 'Tang Monk's flesh'..."

"Hmm...that's not right either. 'Tang Monk's flesh' only grants immortality, but this Miss Gu can directly make people..."

He didn't say what he was referring to, but Jiang Zhihe and Wu Jiangxue, who were present, both knew what he meant.

Wu Jiangxue's expression turned wary: "You..."

Shangguan You smiled and opened his bone fan: "Do you think Brother Jiang would let me see these things if I didn't trust him?"

Wu Jiangxue was taken aback. She glanced at Jiang Zhihe, who was still talking to the girl and completely ignoring Shangguan You. For some reason, she recalled Jiang Zhihe's behavior when she first met this girl and treated her.

Wu Jiangxue: "..."

Alright, at least it shows that Shangguan You is indeed trustworthy.

"Are you sure you don't have any other injuries?" Jiang Zhihe asked with a worried expression.

Gu Xiaozhu looked helpless: "I really don't have any more. You gave me so many defensive magical artifacts, he can't hurt me at all."

Jiang Zhihe: "That's good..."

Meanwhile, the system was chattering incessantly in his mind.

[Ahhh, host! You absolutely mustn't do anything reckless again!]

[Seriously, unless it's an extremely urgent situation, you absolutely, positively must not bleed or get injured!]

"Okay, I understand. Sorry," Gu Xiaozhu replied in her mind.

【well……】

The system let out a long, inexplicable sigh.

[Ding!]

[Task issued: Protect yourself and survive the Phantom Demon Crisis.]

Rewards: 1 Medium-grade defensive magic weapon, System Energy

[Ding! Host task completed!]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained a mid-grade defensive magic weapon and system energy.]

The reward has been sent to your system inventory.

Gu Xiaozhu: "...?"

What's going on? Why was a task suddenly issued?

[Host, I have already applied. I can issue tasks based on some of the events you have experienced and distribute rewards to you.]

……I see.

However, the system is quite generous with mid-grade magic weapons.

Magical artifacts or elixirs are generally divided into three grades: low, medium, and high. Low-grade ones are suitable for cultivators at or below the Foundation Establishment stage, medium-grade ones are suitable for cultivators at or below the Nascent Soul stage, and high-grade ones are suitable for cultivators at or below the Deity Transformation stage.

Theoretically speaking, there is another legendary level: the highest grade. Highest grade magical artifacts or elixirs correspond to the Tribulation Transcending stage. However, as far as she knows, highest grade artifacts are almost non-existent in the cultivation world; if they exist, they are only a few ancient artifacts, extremely precious.

Shangguan You, holding a bone fan, looked at everyone and said, "Now that things are over, why don't you send Miss Gu back first? I'll hand this Illusion Demon over to the Spirit Law Division."

Jiang Zhihe and Wu Jiangxue both nodded.

“Then those people…” Gu Xiaozhu began, gesturing for them to look towards the house not far away.

Inside the house, a group of people watched the scene outside with surprise and uncertainty, while outside the house, Huanniang was holding her child.

Wu Jiangxue: "Don't worry, the Spirit Law Bureau will handle it afterwards."

Gu Xiaozhu nodded and then followed them back to the inn.

… …

After returning to the inn, Wu Jiangxue said goodbye to the two and went back to her room.

Jiang Zhihe stood at the door of Gu Xiaozhu's room, smiling as he said to her, "Then I wish you sweet dreams tonight."

Gu Xiaozhu smiled and said, "Yes, I appreciate your kind words."

“Clatter.”

The door closed, and Jiang Zhihe looked around for a while. After thinking for a moment, he simply stuck his sword into the floor by the doorway and then turned to leave.

As they were going downstairs, they ran into Shangguan You, who had just returned from the Lingfa Division.

Shangguan You: "Oh? Brother Jiang, you're out so late?"

Jiang Zhihe smiled and said, "Go and do a small favor."

Shangguan You raised an eyebrow: "Then go early and come back early."

After bidding farewell to Shangguan You, Jiang Zhihe headed towards the Li residence with a clear goal in mind.

… …

Li Mansion.

"Was that...was the monster destroyed by that immortal?" a servant asked tremblingly.

"Of course! Didn't you see that sword strike? It killed the monster instantly!" another servant affirmed.

"Then... what should we do now? Master... he's already dead."

The room fell silent immediately after these words were spoken.

They were just ordinary servants in the Li family. Now that their master is dead, the Li family is probably going to disappear. So where can they go?

"Wait, where's that magic weapon? Who took it?"

A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

The voice flashed through everyone's mind like a ray of inspiration.

yes!

If I were to obtain that magical artifact and sell it, wouldn't I be set for life?!

"Yes, where is that magic weapon?"

A lazy voice, completely different from theirs, came from behind.

Everyone became alert and turned to look at the doorway.

A handsome young man in red stepped out from the still-smooth ice on the ground, his eyebrows slightly raised, his expression unreadable.

They immediately recognized the young man as the one who had slain the monster, and fell silent.

"Hmm? Why are you all so quiet? Where is that magic weapon?" The last syllable of his voice rose slightly, carrying a hint of nonchalance.

But everyone felt an invisible, subtle sense of oppression.

"Immortal Master~" a beautiful woman asked sweetly, "What kind of magic weapon is it? This servant has no idea."

Jiang Zhihe didn't even glance at her, but instead crossed his arms: "So... the Silver Moon Bell is with you?"

The woman was taken aback, then realized that the Silver Moon Bell he mentioned must be that magical artifact.

The woman smiled sweetly: "Immortal Master, this humble servant had no idea...!"

A cold glint flashed, and she felt a chill on her neck.

It is a long sword formed from solidified ice.

And this long sword was now held across his neck.

The woman's face turned pale instantly, and she hurriedly begged for mercy: "Immortal Master! Immortal Master, I really don't know anything about the Silver Moon Bell! Please, Immortal Master, spare me!"

She genuinely didn't know who possessed the magical artifact, and her act of striking up a conversation with the young man in front of her was merely to attract his attention.

Now that Master Li, whom she relied on, is dead, if she could climb up to this powerful immortal, wouldn't she be worry-free for the rest of her life?

But clearly, she was wrong.

And that's completely wrong.

Jiang Zhihe saw that the expression on the person in front of him did not seem fake. He then looked at the remaining silent people and finally the ice sword in his hand disappeared.

"Forget it, why waste so much breath arguing with you?"

He formed a hand seal, and pale blue spiritual energy overflowed, finally surging towards everyone present like a tidal wave.

Anyone who came into contact with this spiritual power looked dazed, and their eyes lost their sparkle.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhihe nodded in satisfaction.

[Soul-capturing magic? When did you learn such a vicious trick?]

Soul-capturing magic uses spiritual power to control the mind of others, turning them into puppet-like beings. Orthodox cultivators generally do not practice this kind of magic, and sects and schools would not teach this so-called evil art to their disciples.

[If not handled carefully, this method could cause permanent brain damage, turning them into mentally challenged individuals.]

An electronic voice suddenly rang in her ears. If Gu Xiaozhu had heard it, she would have been very surprised.

Because this voice is exactly the same as the system's voice.

A note from the author:

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