Chapter 41 Could it be her?

Bush, what’s going on, where’s Xiaoyu??

How could such a big Xiaoyu just disappear?

Ling Xiaoyou’s little head almost couldn’t process it for a moment.

She looked at the spot where Xiaoyu had vanished without a trace, then at the distant place where the Devil had also disappeared, deep in thought.

So the red light just now was used to teleport Xiaoyu and the Devil away?

It should be like that, but what’s with that Devil, why was he able to break free from ‘Meimeng,’ and why did he suddenly seem like a completely different person from before?

Could it be…

He really did change to another person.

The Devil was still trapped in the illusion, but his body was temporarily controlled by someone else.

That would explain those two questions from earlier.

Ling Xiaoyou felt that the truth of the matter was pretty close to her guess.

But right now, these things didn’t matter.

After all, Xiaoyu had already been taken by those Devils, so she had to find a way to rescue her.

But…

Looking at the pitch-black, lightless forest, Ling Xiaoyou felt a bit lost.

Where on earth had they been teleported to?!

How was she supposed to find them?!

***

On the other side, inside an underground cavern.

Bai Shuanglian’s sword slashed down, once again carving a gap in the Barrier.

This gap was half again as large as the previous one.

If left unchecked, the Barrier would soon be shattered by Bai Shuanglian.

Anyway, the Devil ‘Heike’ watched this scene with his eyelids twitching, unable to fathom how this Exorcist before him could keep expanding the gap under such heavy restrictions.

This was simply unreasonable!

Suddenly, Bai Shuanglian’s movements paused.

She looked toward the red light that appeared in front of Heike, her elegant brows knitting slightly.

This is…

Space Ripples?

Something was being teleported over?

Seeing Bai Shuanglian finally stop, Heike let out a barely noticeable sigh of relief, then turned to look at the red light.

As the radiance gradually faded, a Devil—charred all over and pitiful in appearance—emerged from within.

And a little girl whose face still held traces of joy, which turned to panic upon seeing Heike.

This is…

Spirit Nurturer?!

Bai Shuanglian was momentarily stunned when she saw the little girl, then rare gravity appeared on her cold, beautiful face.

She didn’t know much about Spirit Nurturers, only that she’d seen introductions to them in ancient books at home.

Spirit Nurturers usually showed extraordinary traits from birth—not because of special powers, but as a gift from their ancestors.

When a powerful cultivator was about to perish, they would bury all their spiritual power in their bloodline, hoping their descendants would inherit it and revive past glory.

And so came the origin of the name Spirit Nurturer.

If a Spirit Nurturer reached adulthood without using that spiritual power, it would pass to a new generation of children, awaiting the day it could be awakened.

Bai Shuanglian glanced at Xiaoyu, who was already scared to tears, then at the Devil baring a sinister grin, her brows tightening.

This child must be a new-generation Spirit Nurturer.

But how did the Devils find her?

What did they want to do with her?

Bai Shuanglian didn’t know what the Devils planned, but she was certain their intentions were sinister.

She couldn’t wait any longer.

Bai Shuanglian looked at the icy blue longsword in her hand.

Originally, she had planned to wait until half of her spiritual power had broken through the suppression before acting, but she hadn’t expected the Devils to capture a Spirit Nurturer.

Now, she could wait no longer.

Hmm…

Only a third?

Bai Shuanglian sensed the spiritual power that had broken through the suppression in her body.

It wasn’t much, but it should be enough to use.

She looked toward the Devil, who was slowly approaching the little girl.

The girl, too frightened, had fallen to the ground, kicking her legs in panic and retreating backward.

In the next instant, the longsword in Bai Shuanglian’s hand rang out, its cold light gleaming!

A moment later, the sword flew on its own, stabbing toward the Devil.

The sword’s edge was fierce, piercing through the Barrier in an instant, striking the Devil’s heart like thunder.

The Devil didn’t even have time to react.

He only felt a chill in his chest.

Looking down, he saw his heart had been pierced—a bowl-sized hole gushing scarlet blood.

“You…”

The Devil stared at Bai Shuanglian in horror.

He barely managed to utter a single word before his body collapsed with a thud, silent forever.

Is it over?

The thought had just risen in Bai Shuanglian’s mind when she immediately extinguished it.

No, it wasn’t over.

She looked at the Devil’s ‘corpse’—a red glow spread across it, and in the next moment, the wound healed instantly.

The once lifeless eyes regained their luster.

Supporting himself with his arms, he rose from the ground.

Blood still flowed from his chest, but the wound had already healed.

Tsk, a recovery technique?

Since leaving home to temper herself, this was the first time Bai Shuanglian had faced such a troublesome foe.

She had never met an enemy as cautious as this Devil.

First traps, then layers of seals, and even countermeasures for sneak attacks.

He was too careful.

What Bai Shuanglian didn’t know was that, if it hadn’t been for her slaughtering other Devils so easily in the past and scaring Heike half to death, he wouldn’t have been so cautious.

“Hiss, good thing I prepared a Blood Crystal in advance, or I really would have died here this time.”

Heike touched his chest, the cold sensation still lingering in his body.

He looked at Bai Shuanglian, a mocking expression rising on his face:

“Did you think that would be enough to kill me? Exorcist!”

“I made plenty of preparations for you! How could I be killed by you so easily!”

Facing the mocking Devil, Bai Shuanglian didn’t respond. Instead, she pondered how to resolve this crisis.

Seeing Bai Shuanglian ignore him, Heike naturally grew furious, but he dared not act against her.

Instead, he vented his anger on Naer, who lay motionless nearby.

“Hey, get up. How long are you planning to sleep?!”

“You’re really useless—even after using the power bestowed by the Master, you still couldn’t defeat a little ghost in the Condensation Stage!”

“Roar, who dares to kick…”

Naer woke up groggily, memories of being toyed with by Ling Xiaoyou flooding back.

He roared in anger, but when he saw the furious Heike, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, and he instantly sobered up.

He quickly jumped to his feet, rubbing his hands and fawning over Heike.

“Sorry, Heike, this time I…”

“Useless fool, enough. Go guard the Spirit Nurturer. I need to prepare the Sacrifice Array.”

Heike kicked Naer, then walked away, muttering incantations under his breath.

Naer winced from the pain, but didn’t dare get angry.

Instead, he forced a smile and nodded repeatedly.

This scene fell into Bai Shuanglian’s eyes, but it didn’t concern her much.

What caught her attention were the words Heike had spoken earlier.

Condensation Stage… little ghost?

Then… could it be her?

Ling Xiaoyou’s delicate, adorable face surfaced in Bai Shuanglian’s mind once more, recalling her angry yet cute expression when she’d been teased.

Bai Shuanglian’s lips curled into a smile before she could stop herself.