A Prodigy battle was one where every fraction counted.
The moment she saw that purplish-black handprint, a ring of blazing light burst from Jiang Limeng's right leg at the knee.
Her entire lower leg was sliced off by the light and fell from the sky.
A halo flowed through her whole body, driving out the obscure, sinister power within her.
At the same time, a translucent Water Ghost crawled out of the severed piece of her lower leg. The blood spurting from Jiang Limeng's wound drenched it from head to toe.
"Ke ke ke ke."
Blood ran down the Water Ghost's body but could not cling to it at all.
It let out a hideous laugh.
Jiang Limeng instinctively gathered a blazing orb of light, intending to destroy it, but suddenly realized that her Dao Essence was running low!
Her vast reserves of Dao Essence, once surging like a great river, had somehow nearly run dry!
The Water Ghost laughing hideously was no ordinary Water Ghost. It was an Essence-Devouring Water Ghost!
At the very beginning of the fight, Lin Zhengren had already planted the seeds with it. He used the Water Ghost's "feigned death" to let Jiang Limeng lower her guard, while it had actually invaded her body and steadily intensified the drain on her Dao Essence.
Throughout the battle, Lin Zhengren had repeatedly changed tactics, constantly baiting Jiang Limeng into using more powerful arts. He had been waiting for this moment, when her Dao Essence was nearly depleted!
It was easy to be ruthless to others, but hard to be ruthless to yourself.
Jiang Limeng had severed her lower leg at the first opportunity, displaying the decisiveness of a Prodigy faced with an unexpected turn of events.
But it seemed she had still acted too late.
She had