The instant Lu Mian saw the White-Dressed Woman, every hair on his body stood on end.
He raised his hand, about to slap himself across the face.
The thought formed in a flash, only to vanish a moment later.
The tension and panic disappeared from Lu Mian's eyes, replaced by fascination and admiration.
He thought the White-Dressed Woman danced beautifully, and he became completely absorbed in her movements.
The longer he watched, the more entranced he became, until his body was about to imitate her of its own accord.
Suddenly, Lu Mian began rejecting his own thoughts.
"What kind of dance is this? It's hideous!"
"It makes me sick!"
Lu Mian's gaze filled with utter disgust.
At that moment, every movement she made looked unbearably ugly to him, to the point that he felt like vomiting.
No Truth!
This supernatural ability had originated from the old monk's collapse of faith.
Now, Lu Mian used it on himself, directly rejecting his own thoughts.
It could deny even the existence of the Buddha, let alone her dancing.
"Stop dancing!"
Lu Mian roared in irritation and charged toward the White-Dressed Woman with long strides.
Black Tiger Descends the Mountain!
Lu Mian raised the Great Cleaver high and used the momentum of his charge to unleash a fierce, overbearing slash.
Whoosh!
The White-Dressed Woman, whose face remained indistinct, shifted lightly and dodged with effortless grace. At the same time, she slipped eerily close to Lu Mian, her soft, seemingly boneless hand reaching for his face as though caressing a lover.
In that instant, a chill of terror swept through Lu Mian. He used the movements of the Tortoise-Snake Fist to dart backward.
The White-Dressed Woman followed closely, her arms scattering a flurry of afterimages like a celestial maiden strewing flowers.
At such close quarters, Lu Mian felt thoroughly stifled. He had no room to use the Five Tigers Soul-Chasing Blade and could only keep defending and dodging.
The White-Dressed Woman's attacks were also bizarre and unpredictable, shifting without warning.
And her relentless close-range assault gave Lu Mian no chance to escape.
"Damn it!"
"I'll take you on!"
A ruthless look flashed through Lu Mian's eyes, and he threw away the Great Cleaver in his hand.
He knew how to fight with his fists, too!
"Tortoise Locks the River!"
Lu Mian growled and shot his large hand toward the White-Dressed Woman's shoulder!
It was a grappling technique.
The White-Dressed Woman clearly had not expected Lu Mian to change tactics so suddenly, and he seized her!
Cold!
Clammy and slippery!
Like a block of ice.
Tortoise-Snake Force erupted as Lu Mian tightened his grip.
But the White-Dressed Woman was too slippery. With a slight shake of her shoulder, she broke free of his hold. At the same time, her hand stabbed silently toward Lu Mian's throat like a cold, sharp blade.
Whoosh!
Lu Mian raised his left hand to block, knocking her arm aside, while his left leg flicked up without warning toward her knee.
The instant Lu Mian moved, the White-Dressed Woman floated lightly upward, evading the strike.
Bang, bang, bang!
The two figures continued exchanging rapid blows on the dark street.
Yet if anyone else had been there, they would have found the sight strangely disorienting.
The two looked as though they were dancing together in perfect harmony.
Only Lu Mian knew how much pressure he was under.
Her attacks were too strange to predict. He could only hold his ground by meeting offense with offense.
While the two remained locked in their stalemate-
A white-clad figure appeared at the end of the street.
"Hmm..."
Xu Yi looked surprised to see Lu Mian entangled with the White-Dressed Woman.
A Falcon Guard had managed to hold out against a Fierce Spirit for this long?
Clang!
He drew the sword from his back.
It was a White Jade Sword, its surface revealing a dense web of fine patterns beneath the moonlight.
Whoosh!
Xu Yi's figure flashed as he leaped up like an immortal descending from beyond the heavens, thrusting straight at the White-Dressed Woman.
The patterns on the White Jade Long Sword turned scarlet, radiating scorching heat.
Facing Xu Yi's attack, the White-Dressed Woman swayed lightly and evaded it.
But Xu Yi merely smiled and flicked his wrist.
The White Jade Long Sword traced a circle in the air, forming a scarlet ring of fire that turned into a streak of red light and swept toward the White-Dressed Woman.
Whoosh!
The White-Dressed Woman used her ghostly footwork to dodge again.
"Explode!"
Xu Yi channeled a trace of his Mystic Qi.
Boom!
The scarlet ring exploded in an instant, unleashing a surging wave of flames.
This time, the White-Dressed Woman could no longer dodge. The wave of flames engulfed her, setting her entire body ablaze.
"Fire Falcon!"
Xu Yi swung the White Jade Sword in his right hand and thrust straight forward.
The sword moved with incredible speed, like a falcon streaking across the sky, and pierced the White-Dressed Woman between the brows.
"Uhh... uhh... uhh..."
The White-Dressed Woman let out an infant-like babble as her body turned to ash within the scarlet flames.
"Dissipating weird evil power detected. Spend thirty years of lifespan to absorb it?"
Lu Mian heard the system prompt.
A supernatural ability that cost thirty years of lifespan... So far, Lu Mian had only one: No Truth.
He currently had thirty-five years of lifespan remaining, just enough to absorb this weird evil power.
Lu Mian began to wrestle with the decision.
It was not that he begrudged those thirty years of lifespan.
He simply felt that the White-Dressed Woman's supernatural ability had something to do with dancing, which did not suit him very well.
Besides, there was bound to be more than one Fierce Spirit in the Flying Cloud County Seat.
If he spent thirty years of lifespan now and later encountered a supernatural ability better suited to him, he could only watch helplessly, unable to absorb it.
In the end, Lu Mian chose the riskier option. He gave up on absorbing it, gambling that he would encounter a better supernatural ability later.
"What's your name, brother?"
"You actually managed to hold out against a Fierce Spirit for so long."
Xu Yi put away the White Jade Long Sword and asked amiably, showing none of the arrogance common among scions of prominent families.
"My name is Lu Mian."
Lu Mian was also somewhat surprised by Xu Yi's attitude.
"Lu Mian... I'll remember you."
"I'll come find you for a drink next time."
Xu Yi laughed heartily, then darted away down the street.
So this was the strength of the Demon Extermination Palace's greatest prodigy...
He really was impressive.
This time, Lu Mian had finally witnessed the power of a cultivator.
Against the White-Dressed Woman, he had needed No Truth just to break free of her influence. Otherwise, he would have ended up much like those twisted corpses from earlier.
Even in the fight afterward, he had held no advantage.
Yet once Xu Yi appeared, he dispatched the White-Dressed Woman in just a few moves.
Lu Mian had to admit that this prodigy of the Demon Extermination Palace truly deserved his reputation.
Lu Mian took a deep breath. After steadying his breathing, he picked up the Great Cleaver and disappeared into the dark street.
During the latter half of the night, Lu Mian encountered several more resentful souls. They were nowhere near as terrifying as the Fierce Spirit, and he dealt with them easily.
Before he knew it, the sky had begun to brighten.
After a night of intense fighting, even someone with Lu Mian's physical constitution felt somewhat weary.
He picked an empty room at random to rest in.
Without even clearing away the dust, Lu Mian took out two strips of dried meat, chewed them up in large bites, and swallowed them.
Once he felt warmth spreading from his stomach, he took the waterskin from his waist and gulped down a mouthful.
"Whew..."
"Let's see how I did last night."
Lu Mian took out the Evil-Sensing Talisman he had been carrying.
After a single night, quite a few black dots had appeared on the Evil-Sensing Talisman.
Lu Mian counted them carefully and found thirteen.
"Thirteen hundred taels of silver in one night."
"Not bad."
Lu Mian was quite satisfied.
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