Mei Qi's reaction was only half a beat slower than Yuwen Ruo's.
The instant those crystalline motes of light entered her body, she sensed that something was wrong. The Heavenly Charm true energy and seductive arts within her instinctively surged, trying to use the fire of desire to dispel that eerie chill.
However, the moment the thought arose and she had only just begun the slightest movement, the chill from the deepest reaches of her consciousness had already swept over her! Her graceful body jolted violently, then froze completely. Her face still bore shock and a faint flush that had just risen as she tried to counterattack, as though she had been frozen in time.
"Th-this is... the long-lost Southern Border 'Spirit Gu Ice Soul'? No... that's not right... it's more like the one from the legends..."
In the final instant before her thoughts completely froze, a vague and terrified notion flashed through Mei Qi's mind, but she never managed to understand it. Qin Ling'er's methods were too ancient and too strange, far beyond the limits of her comprehension.
Subduing the two of them seemed like nothing more than a trivial matter to Qin Ling'er.
She did not even spare the rigid Yuwen Ruo and Mei Qi another glance, as if they were merely two insignificant decorations.
She turned around, her gaze falling once more upon the jade-white Spirit Embryo, whose glow had dimmed beneath the suppression of the golden seal. At this moment, the golden seal formed by the Coiled Dragon Imperial Seal Yuwen Ruo had activated had become illusory and translucent after losing his continued support of true energy and spiritual power. Its might had greatly diminished.
Qin Ling'er extended her small hand and effortlessly passed through the weakened golden seal barrier, gently grasping the palm-sized Spirit Embryo.