The moment she caught her breath, Lin Huanhuan immediately took out the pile of strange and exotic poisons she had bought before, pouring them into her palm.
Strangely, the moment the poisons fell into her palm, they seemed to dissolve and vanish—actually, they were being refined into a special spell.
Dong Yun’er stood nearby, quickly regulating her breath. She knew that the enemy wouldn’t give them much time after witnessing such a scene, so she had to seize every second to recover, or else they wouldn’t be able to hold out for ten breaths.
In the next instant, accompanied by a terrifying shout of “Break!”, the small courtyard instantly crumbled and turned to ashes.
The Iron-Faced Man charged in wielding a massive axe, ruthlessly attacking the two of them.
“How is he so fast? What kind of reaction is this?”
Dong Yun’er felt a mix of shock and anger, but when she glanced back and saw Lin Huanhuan still focused on her spell, she could only grit her teeth and face the attack head-on.
“If you surrender now, I’ll still spare your lives. Give up your resistance!”
The Iron-Faced Man swung his axe, shouting at the same time to disturb Dong Yun’er’s judgment. As long as she hesitated even for a split second, she would be killed instantly.
Dong Yun’er ignored him, raising her sword to block. No matter what, she would never surrender.
Earlier, even when the two of them had worked together in perfect sync, they could barely hold off the Iron-Faced Man and his men. Now that she was alone, how could she stand against them? In just a few short exchanges, Dong Yun’er was already slashed several times, fresh blood blooming like crimson plum blossoms on her body—she was in grave danger.
If not for the close-fitting protective armor that Lin Huanhuan had given her, with its impressive defensive power, she likely would have fallen on the spot.
‘This won’t do. I can’t last ten breaths like this. I have to go all out!’
Dong Yun’er made up her mind, abandoning all defense. Every slash of her sword carried a sense of risking her life, determined to trade her own life for the Iron-Faced Man’s.
“Damn lunatic!”
The Iron-Faced Man cursed, but his attacks subconsciously lost some of their ferocity. ‘Victory is already mine, there’s no need to risk my life. Even if I kill her but get badly wounded, that’d be a huge loss!’
With their leader backing off, his underlings naturally followed, forming a shield in front of him.
Relying on this tactic, Dong Yun’er’s injuries worsened, but she truly managed to buy several more breaths of time—nine out of ten breaths had passed, just a few more seconds to hold on.
“Looks like we can hold out!”
At that moment, seeing Dong Yun’er’s desperate struggle, the Iron-Faced Man decided to change his approach. He happened to catch a glimpse of Lin Huanhuan still casting her spell.
“So that’s it! No wonder this maid is stalling with her life—she’s setting up a killer move! Like I’d give you the chance!”
With that thought, the Iron-Faced Man retreated a few steps and waved his hand. “Hold her off. I’ll deal with that one!”
With a flick of his hand, a dagger appeared in his palm. He hurled it forcefully, aiming straight at Lin Huanhuan.
Dong Yun’er wanted to intercept, but she was tightly entangled by the underlings and couldn’t advance at all.
“No!”
Dong Yun’er’s pupils contracted. Her movement technique shifted as she rushed in front of Lin Huanhuan, blocking the attack head-on. Her face went pale, and she quickly swallowed a pill to steady herself.
Lin Huanhuan finished her spell at that very moment. Seeing the slight bulge on Dong Yun’er’s left chest, she hurriedly asked, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Dong Yun’er shook her head.
“In that case, damn Iron-Faced Man, it’s your turn to die!”
“Chasing Soul Mist Lock, go!”
A cold light flashed in Lin Huanhuan’s eyes as she flicked her folding fan. A rainbow-colored mist, interwoven with cyan, green, blue, and red, suddenly appeared and rushed straight for the Iron-Faced Man.
After Dong Yun’er blocked his attack, the Iron-Faced Man was already on guard. When he saw the mist coming, he dodged left and right, but the mist chased after him like a dog’s tail, refusing to let go. He tried flying through the air, but the mist only accelerated, following his every move.
The moment he was caught, he tried to reassure himself: “It shouldn’t be a problem. This mist looks strange, but its damage can’t be that high. I’m already poisoned by cold toxin—adding another won’t make much difference. If she had something stronger, she would’ve used it earlier.”
But in the next instant, his expression changed drastically. “A mixed poison! The most poisonous thing is a woman’s heart—you’re ruthless!”
This Chasing Soul Mist Lock was originally a wind-based support spell, used for tracking and marking targets for pursuit, with little offensive power. Lin Huanhuan had previously thought of adding poisons to boost its lethality, and after some deliberation, she found it feasible. Now, she had added more than twenty types of poison, making it terrifying enough that even a mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator could barely withstand it.
The Iron-Faced Man had already expended much of his strength and was afflicted with cold poison. Now, struck by the mixed toxins, he could no longer hold on.
Seeing this, Lin Huanhuan immediately grabbed Dong Yun’er, riding a magical tool to escape far away—she had just taken the upper hand by a trick, but if she kept fighting, victory wasn’t guaranteed. Better to retreat now. Besides, this poison was bound to give the Iron-Faced Man a “surprise.”
The Iron-Faced Man tried to pursue them, but just as he took a step, the cold poison suddenly flared up, wracking him with pain. He had no choice but to sit and meditate, trying to suppress the toxins, but the mixed poisons inside him seemed to sense a kindred presence and erupted in turn.
In an instant, the Iron-Faced Man’s face turned ashen and his iron mask slipped off. “Damn it, is it over? How can I stop here?”
“Suppress! Suppress! Suppress!”
He formed one suppression seal after another, vainly attempting to subdue the toxins, but it was like trying to extinguish a fire with a cup of water. The terrifying poison engulfed his body in a flash.
In a daze, he seemed to see his entire life: his curiosity had granted him the chance to cultivate, leading him on the path of immortality, and now, also because of curiosity, he failed to ambush the two women in time, leading to this end.
“I haven’t yet climbed to the peak of the immortal road. I still want to become a Golden Core Master, a Nascent Soul Lord, to live a long, unending life… How can I fall here…”
No matter how unwilling he felt, the Iron-Faced Man’s breath grew weaker and weaker until it completely disappeared.
Elsewhere, after flying several hundred miles, Lin Huanhuan and Dong Yun’er finally stopped.
“With that many poisons in him, even if the Iron-Faced Man doesn’t die, he’ll definitely be seriously injured. We should be safe now.”
Lin Huanhuan let out a sigh of relief, then snorted, “Looks like I’ll still have to tie you up and give you a lesson when we get back. Don’t think you’re getting off that easily.”
“Miss, maybe that won’t be necessary—pfft!”
“What do you mean?”
Lin Huanhuan turned around in confusion. Her pupils shrank suddenly as she saw Dong Yun’er spitting a mist of blood, her body going limp like a noodle as she collapsed into Lin Huanhuan’s arms.
The small face, now stained with blood, was stiff with shock. Lin Huanhuan instinctively cradled her, unable to believe what had just happened.
“What’s going on… When did this happen?”
Looking down, she realized Dong Yun’er’s back was already soaked in blood—a dagger had stabbed her from behind. It hadn’t gone clean through only because of the protective armor front and back, and that was why she hadn’t noticed it until now.