Seeing Zhang Ke, who looked like a monster, extend his finger, which had grown to half a foot long, Shi Lan was so frightened that her heart trembled.
Zhang Ke grinned and chuckled, poking the beast's head. His deep, dark voice sounded as if it had been violently crushed by a stone. "Little darlings, it seems we won't need you this time," he said. Suddenly, black energy appeared at his fingertips as he reached out to grab Shi Lan.
Shi Lan quickly dodged to the side, her two small feet hopping back and forth on the ground erratically, looking like she was jumping in fear.
Zhang Ke chuckled. He hadn't dared to make a move outside because he was wary of Fei Jiang's lingering scent on her. Now that she had come to his territory on her own initiative, he couldn't be blamed.
Shi Lan's small face was pale, and her dark eyes reflected the three-meter-tall, dark-skinned thing in front of her, covered in fleshy growths.
Zhang Ke lowered his head, leaned closer to Shi Lan, took a deep breath, and a look of intoxication appeared on his ferocious face. "It smells so good. I can't wait to devour your soul." As he spoke, he stretched out his arm, which looked like a withered tree, and like a dark cloud, it went straight towards Shi Lan's face.
Shi Lan took a half step back in alarm, her small face tightening, revealing a resolute expression.
Haoze's repeated reminders echoed in her ears. Shi Lan focused her mind and used all her thoughts to communicate with the golden light in her mind.
The ball of light seemed to sense her danger and slowly rotated, emitting specks of light.
In mid-air, as Shi Lan uttered words, one after another, golden characters flew out from her lips, circling and hovering around her like guards, illuminating the entire area.
When Zhang Ke first saw this scene, he was filled with surprise and doubt. Shi Lan's behavior was so different from what he had imagined a girl to be. Zhang Ke was not sure how powerful these characters really were.
After observing for a long time, Zhang Ke tentatively took a step forward. The characters were still hovering, looking like light butterflies fluttering among the flowers.
Seeing this, Zhang Ke looked at him with disdain and waved his hand as if shooing away a fly.
Zhang Ke thought he could destroy it with just a little Yin energy, but he didn't expect that his move would stir up a hornet's nest. The characters seemed to be bees that saw their enemy, and they landed on Zhang Ke's arm in layers. A wisp of green smoke rose up as the characters fell.
Zhang Ke let out a fierce howl, his massive body thrashing repeatedly as he hastily gathered black mist in his hands and rubbed the smoking arm.
Shi Lan steadied herself and looked at Zhang Ke, who was crying out in pain and jumping up and down in panic. She thought to herself, "He's just like a piece of wet firewood that's been lit."
Zhang Ke created several clouds of black mist in succession, and it took him a lot of effort to extinguish the thick smoke on his arm.
"You shameless wretch, you won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences. I will turn you into a demon and torment you day and night."
“So you are the Ninth Prince,” Shi Lan suddenly understood upon hearing his self-address, her dark eyes showing neither joy nor anger.
Zhang Ke, also known as the Ninth Prince, laughed heartily, his expression full of smugness. "Not bad, you're really easy to fool. I only made a random illusion, and you believed it."
Shi Lan was slightly annoyed, closed her eyes briefly, and then opened them again.
She had made this mistake of being soft-hearted before, but that time, because she was good at swimming, she was not in any danger.
"So, the stories you told me before were all lies?"
“No, that’s not it,” the Ninth Prince grinned, reaching out and grabbing a lamp that appeared out of thin air in his hand. “The scoundrels who broke into my residence and coveted my concubines are here.”
"I pitied his unwavering devotion, so I turned him into a lamp and placed him in the mausoleum, so that he can watch over Qin Yi for all eternity," the Ninth Prince shook the lamp, black mist swirling around his hand, a triumphant yet cruel smile playing on his lips. "Tell me, am I good?"
The lamp trembled slightly as it was corroded by the black mist, and the tiny flame flickered and gradually shrank.
Seeing that the fire was about to go out, Shi Lan frowned slightly, closed her eyes to concentrate, and began to chant.
The fleeting characters then flew up, and upon seeing this, the Ninth Prince immediately jumped far away, muttering a curse under his breath, and waved his palms in all directions, causing black mist to gather from all sides.
As the mist condensed into water droplets, the Ninth Prince gave a sinister smile, turned his palm outward, and slammed it down hard at Shi Lan.
The thick black water droplets, resembling ink, made a hissing sound when poured onto the characters, evaporating instantly and causing the characters to dim considerably.
Shi Lan kept his eyes closed and remained motionless, like a highly accomplished monk with a profound expression.
Seeing that Shi Lan remained unmoved, the Ninth Prince's eyes flashed with ruthlessness as he gathered Yin Sha ghost energy, wearing down the characters until they were almost transparent.
Shi Lan remained unmoved, but her face gradually turned pale, and her figure became somewhat unsteady, no longer as upright and dignified as before.
The Ninth Prince noticed Shi Lan's weakness, and a look of joy appeared on his fierce face. "Shi Lan, if you stop, I will give you a quick death right now."
Shi Lan opened her eyes. She was a little dazed from the exhaustion, but her mind was still clear. "Stop dreaming. I was careless today. I admit defeat. Don't be smug. Someone will come to deal with you later."
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Prince laughed heartily, "Are you talking about that flying zombie up there? Don't count on him, he's too busy taking care of himself right now."
Shi Lan looked at him coldly, her eyes like a cold, ancient well, unfathomable.
The Ninth Prince felt a chill run down his spine as she stared at him, as if he had overlooked something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. So, he made a snap decision, drawing a wisp of shimmering white soul from the lamp wick and forcibly injecting it with Yin energy.
The soul struggled desperately, its refined and handsome face contorted in agony, and the white surrounding it rapidly turned black.
Looking at the familiar face and the white color that symbolizes purity and goodness, Shi Lan suddenly realized that this was the real Zhang Ke.
Seeing the sympathy in Shi Lan's eyes, Zhang Ke felt a glimmer of hope. He glanced at the picture on the stone wall of a woman leaning against the railing with tears in her eyes, then turned to look earnestly at Shi Lan, his mouth moving silently as if he were saying something.
Shi Lan frowned slightly. Although she couldn't hear anything, she clearly heard in her mind that Zhang Ke was begging her to help take the woman in the painting away from here.
The Ninth Prince seemed to sense Zhang Ke's actions, and a sinister smile appeared on his dark face. "Don't even think about it. You are destined to be separated here. Even if I don't want you anymore, your life and death are still in my hands."
Shi Lan sighed silently, showing nothing on her face. She herself was in grave danger; how could she help him save Qin Yi?
Not wanting Zhang Ke to ruin his plans, the Ninth Prince raised his hand and kneaded Zhang Ke into a black mist, then hurled it at the characters surrounding Shi Lan.
The moment the mist touched the characters, it melted like the first snow, disappearing in an instant. Shi Lan couldn't bear to see Zhang Ke vanish like that, so she stopped chanting. The nearly annihilated characters only flashed a few times before disappearing without a trace.
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