Chapter 130: Playing with Fire
“There’s nothing wrong, I’ll catch up to Huo Tangsheng right away.” Qu Yiqiu fixated on the tiny figure of Huo Tangsheng standing still, racing swiftly toward him.
Xiao Yan asked curiously, “What is he doing? Why is he just standing there motionless?”
Qu Yiqiu paid no heed to the question. Huo Tangsheng waiting for her in place was actually a boon.
A gust of wind swept past.
Huo Tangsheng’s phoenix-shaped eyes curved with a smile as he laid out a formidable puppet formation.
He watched Qu Yiqiu’s figure drawing nearer and slowly waved his hand to activate the formation.
Several puppet figures flickered like ghosts among the small grove, encircling him in a perfect ring.
“This time, there’s no way you’ll escape.”
His voice deepened, cold yet softly menacing.
The surrounding air brimmed with concealed murderous intent.
Qu Yiqiu remained completely unaware.
But Xiao Yan sensed that something was amiss.
“Master, circle around him; don’t confront him head-on.”
Qu Yiqiu’s hurried steps suddenly halted, then veered sharply, sweeping out a half-circle.
Huo Tangsheng’s eyebrows lifted slightly, a smile playing at his lips as he waved indifferently.
The puppets around silently shifted their positions, closing in on Qu Yiqiu.
At this moment, she was only a hundred meters from him.
A cold smile lingered on Huo Tangsheng’s face.
“You will surely die.”
No one could break free from his puppet formation.
No matter how many divine arts she possessed, she would be crushed to dust within the formation.
He was certain of victory.
The smile on Huo Tangsheng’s lips widened, but his eyes burned with deadly intent.
“Roar—roar—roar—”
Several earth-shattering roars erupted again, the fierce ancient beast glaring angrily at the fleeing black dot.
Damn the humans, escaping time and again right under his nose.
His furious howls seemed to shake the very clouds apart.
Wings flapping, he soared above the forest, his massive body casting a shadow that darkened a vast swathe of trees under the warm light.
***
Only then did Huo Tangsheng notice his appearance, his pupils tightening abruptly.
“This is…the ancient ferocious beast, Taotie!”
Even he, in his exalted state as Divine Sovereign Shen Kunyuan, had never encountered such a renowned ancient beast.
His gaze darted rapidly toward Qu Yiqiu’s fleeing figure. His silver teeth clenched, a sly smile curling his lips.
“She deliberately lured this Taotie here. Does she know I intend to make a move against her?”
Though anger simmered beneath, Huo Tangsheng was furious to be toyed with once more by a woman.
Qu Yiqiu cast a sidelong glance toward Huo Tangsheng’s position, seeing a trace of anger but no intention to flee, she quietly exhaled in relief.
“This person truly has a way to deal with Taotie. We’re saved!”
“Yes, that’s great!” Xiao Yan replied, watching Huo Tangsheng’s movements with curious attention.
Seeing the puppets suddenly emerge around him, Xiao Yan sensed this was why he hadn’t left the area.
Indeed, Xiao Yan’s suspicions were correct.
Due to his limited cultivation, though Huo Tangsheng possessed several high-tier puppets, he could not control them at will.
When he set up this puppet formation, he used himself as the formation’s core, integrating his body into the array to command all the puppets.
Therefore, if he wanted to leave now, he would have to withdraw the entire formation—a process requiring some time.
But Taotie’s speed surpassed the rate at which he could dismantle the formation. Even if he tried retreating now, he couldn’t escape the beast’s jaws.
Huo Tangsheng had never felt so frustrated, watching the instigator vanish before his eyes yet unable to pursue, forced instead to find ways to deal with the Taotie behind him to prevent harm.
His sharp gaze fixed on Taotie, recalling the rumors Qu Yiqiu had spread in the secret realm, his teeth gritting with fury.
Once he subdued the Taotie, he would capture that female cultivator without fail!
Unaware of Huo Tangsheng’s thoughts, Qu Yiqiu had no idea that her words upon entering the secret realm had already spread to every corner, and now everyone knew of Huo Tangsheng’s pursuit and rejection.
“Xiao Yan, take me to find the disciples of the Tianyan Sect,” Qu Yiqiu decided as she saw Taotie shift its devouring gaze toward Huo Tangsheng.
She intended to inform the sect disciples about this and then seek out the secret realm’s spirit.
The awakening of an ancient ferocious beast was no small matter.
Huo Tangsheng alone was utterly incapable of slaying it.
Taotie retracted its furious gaze from Qu Yiqiu and fixed it on Huo Tangsheng, who awaited calmly a short distance ahead.
The proud beast felt deeply scorned.
It sought to reclaim its dignity and swallow this presumptuous human whole!
With a roar to the heavens, its massive wings beat fiercely, stirring dust and rattling branches with a harsh rustle.
In a blink, its enormous form appeared before Huo Tangsheng.
The puppets lurking nearby swayed slightly, resolutely launching blades of sword qi at the approaching Taotie.
***
Taotie slammed a massive palm down, gouging a huge pit marked by five finger imprints, yet no human body was shattered as expected.
Unbeknownst to many, Huo Tangsheng had slipped behind the beast and signaled with one hand.
Several silver-skinned puppets sprang up like ants, clinging to Taotie’s fur.
“Roar—”
Taotie immediately felt an irritating itch on its back.
Irritated, it bellowed loudly and shook its massive body, dislodging several puppets.
One palm after another came crashing down, pulverizing some puppets instantly.
Huo Tangsheng’s expression darkened as he glanced toward Qu Yiqiu’s fleeing direction, then smiled mysteriously.
“Too late. The Xuanyi Sect’s plan has already begun. No one will leave this secret realm.”
…
“Strange, why haven’t we seen many people along the way?” Xiao Yan tilted his head, his eyes full of puzzlement.
Qu Yiqiu suddenly stopped, staring at the deathly silent scenery in amazement.
“There isn’t even a single birdcall here.”
The Feiling Secret Realm was known for its dense forests.
Earlier, when she had fallen onto a tree branch, she had scared away some birds.
How was it now that not a single animal sound could be heard?
“This isn’t right. Something’s wrong in the secret realm!” Qu Yiqiu’s expression changed abruptly.
For some reason, she recalled Xia Changhan’s mysterious actions in the ancient tomb.
Xiao Yan’s face grew tense.
“Master, have you realized something?”
Qu Yiqiu looked around, her nose twitching as she furrowed her brows tightly.
“There’s a rotting stench, very similar to the eerie zombies from the ancient tomb.”
Xiao Yan frowned.
“Could it be that the zombies from the ancient tomb have escaped? What will happen to the master’s companions?”
Qu Yiqiu’s expression grew solemn as she pondered for a moment.
“Let’s find the secret realm’s spirit first. If we encounter other disciples on the way, we’ll inform them about the Taotie.”
“Understood!” Xiao Yan nodded firmly.
In truth, those fellow disciples meant nothing to him.
His only concern was for Qu Yiqiu’s safe departure.
The Feiling Secret Realm remained shrouded in dense mist, making it impossible to see far with spiritual sight.
Led by Xiao Yan, they reached a graveyard cloaked in ominous energy.
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As an aside,
Thank you to the friend who gifted support! I couldn’t find your ID in the backend and searched for a long time without success, but receiving a gift for the first time is truly exciting. Thank you all for your support!
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