Yu Ci understood at once. When battling heavenly demons, the first rule was to keep one's heart still as water, without the slightest ripple. Otherwise, any flicker of emotion could be exploited by the heavenly demons, chiseling open the defenses of the heart until disaster brewed.
Everyone actually knew this. Zhai Que'er had spoken to him alone in such a mysterious manner because she had discovered that someone's emotions were not quite right.
Yu Ci had sensed it as well.
Even as the two spoke, the rain curtain at the perimeter tore apart with a crash. A figure charged through the splashing water like a stampeding bull—a member of the Heavenly Demon Kin. Yet before it reached them, a thick, gnarled branch lashed it apart, shattering its bones and sinews and leaving it twitching on the ground.
Duanmu Senqiu was the one who struck.
This prominent figure of the Qionglu Society had just lost face, and he was exerting himself with particular force now. The Heavenly Demon Kin shattered by his gnarled branches shriveled all over, then suddenly sprouted branches and buds, shooting upward joint by joint. In the blink of an eye, seven long, slender vines had grown forth, waving back and forth like nimble serpents.
As they waved, one vine suddenly stretched sideways and dragged over the corpse of a Heavenly Demon Kin previously slain by Dao Hua True Man. The tip of the vine had already pierced into its body, and in the next instant, the same "sprouting branches and buds" phenomenon appeared on the corpse.
This time, only two vines emerged, but the previous seven all thickened by two full circles. As they swung about, they made a mournful whistling sound.
"Corpse Blood Vine? Not a bad move!"
Zhai Que'er praised him. Duanmu Senqiu felt that