Chapter Twenty: Formless
At this moment, the outcome of the battle in the sky was already clear.
The faces of the three young women had turned pale, their swords wavering in their hands—obviously, they had been gravely injured. Meanwhile, the three men in crimson robes appeared composed and at ease.
The three girls and four men now faced each other in midair.
One of the men sneered, “So this is the renowned Moon Palace? Hardly impressive.”
One of the young women retorted, “You men from the Blazing Fire Sect, don’t push us too far!”
The man laughed coldly, “Push you too far? Today, that’s exactly what we intend to do. We’ve never had the pleasure of toying with girls from the Moon Palace before. Consider yourselves unlucky to have been sent out on your own, so young and inexperienced!”
“You—!” the girl spat, trembling with rage. Raised in the shelter of the Moon Palace, she had never encountered such crude insults and was momentarily at a loss for words.
The man continued, “Enough talk, children. Surrender while you still can!”
With that, the three men each formed a series of hand seals, their lips parting as they spat out swirling masses of fire and wind.
The three surges of flame twisted together in the air, forming the shape of a mighty fire dragon.
Su Xiaomu swung her legs idly, “Looks like these girls are in real trouble~”
Shi Qi did not reply. He could feel the overwhelming pressure radiating from the fire dragon—a force conjured by three Blazing Fire Sect masters of the Golden Core stage, working in unison. Its power was unimaginable.
The fire dragon roared, its body a writhing mass of fire and wind as it barreled down on the three girls.
The young women’s faces drained of color as they frantically tried to channel their inner energy for defense. Yet their spiritual energy was all but spent; they could not cast a protective spell. The scorching heat rushed upon them, and their skin already prickled and burned as if seared by flames.
At that desperate moment, a fourth girl, who had not yet acted, finally moved.
Her movements were slow, almost gentle. She flew forward from the rear, facing the fire dragon head-on, and calmly extended her right hand.
An unbelievable sight unfolded.
The fire dragon collided with her outstretched hand, yet did not burn her. Instead, the beast was drawn into her slender, jade-like palm, vanishing from sight.
Moments later, the fire dragon was gone, swallowed entirely into the girl's hand.
Hovering in the sky, her figure graceful and ethereal like a celestial maiden, she gently raised her hand. A gust of fire and wind shot forth, forming a new fire dragon in the air—a mirror image of the one conjured by the Blazing Fire Sect trio. But this time, the dragon surged toward the three men instead.
Shi Qi was startled. “What secret art is this? She absorbed their spell and turned it back on them!”
Beside him, Su Xiaomu snatched another chicken wing from his hand, her wide, watery eyes fixed on the sky, unable to discern exactly what had happened.
The three Blazing Fire Sect men were shaken to the core. Their combined fire dragon had been neutralized with ease, then sent back at them in a blink.
There was no time to think—they hastily channeled their energy into a defensive formation.
They thought to themselves: At least it’s our own fire dragon. We’ve trained in fire techniques since childhood; our mastery and resistance to fire is second to none. Fire spells should only do half their usual harm.
But as the fire dragon closed in, they realized their mistake—the heat and pain were far more intense than expected.
Boom!
The dragon crashed straight into them, sending them hurtling backward. Their red robes, long hair, and eyebrows were all scorched by the flames. A heavy pressure settled in their chests, and blood welled in their throats, nearly bursting forth.
Clutching his chest, one cried out, “What kind of technique is this?”
The girl in the blue dress responded coolly, “All arts are one. No form, no image.”
One of the Blazing Fire Sect men paled, thinking hard before exclaiming in panic, “The Formless Art! Ranked third among the Ten Great Mystical Arts! Besides the Moon Palace’s leader, I never thought someone of the younger generation would master such a divine technique!”
His companion asked, “Senior brother, what is the Formless Art?”
He replied, “All arts are one, no form, no image. No matter what technique the enemy casts, the Formless Art can redirect its force and turn it back upon the caster.”
The other was stunned. “Such a miraculous art exists?”
The man continued, “Not only that—the spell reflected carries the power of the formless. The fire dragon technique shouldn’t have harmed us so badly, but empowered by the Formless Art, it’s no longer a simple fire spell. That’s why we ended up in such a sorry state.”
With that, he stepped forward and bowed deeply to the girl.
“I am Chou Guangqi of the Blazing Fire Sect. Forgive my offense, holy maidens—I failed to recognize your greatness and beg your pardon.”
Su Xiaomu whispered, “Seriously? They gave in so easily? I haven’t even finished eating!”
The blue-robed girl stood quietly in the wind, her long dress fluttering. She said nothing, but waved her hand, signaling the three to leave.
Chou Guangqi, as if granted amnesty, called out, “Thank you, holy maiden, for your mercy. We take our leave. If fate allows, we shall meet again on Mount Jiuhua. Should you require our help, do not hesitate to call upon Chou Guangqi.”
He turned and whispered urgently to his two disciples, “Let’s go!”
The three immediately mounted fire and flew south.
One girl flew to the side of the blue-dressed maiden and asked, “Sister Leng, why did you let them go?”
The blue-robed girl, called Sister Leng, replied softly, “The legendary treasure on Mount Jiuhua will soon emerge. We must avoid unnecessary conflict. Flies are best just driven away.”
After a brief discussion, the four girls also flew south toward Mount Jiuhua.
Before leaving, the blue-robed girl cast a cold glance back at the peak where Shi Qi stood.
Shi Qi felt the air around him grow colder and couldn’t help but laugh, “That little lady must resent my spectating and chicken-eating. Hey, you! You’re still eating? You’ll finish all the chicken!”
He was speaking to Su Xiaomu.
She seemed not to notice the girl’s icy look. With the show over, she swiftly finished off the last chicken wing, licked her fingers, and smiled at Shi Qi. “Big brother, do you have any more chicken wings?”
Shi Qi replied, “Unless I bought a chicken with more than three wings, I’m afraid… there’s none left!”
Su Xiaomu pouted. “Big brother, let me follow you. If I stay with you, does that mean there’ll be more chicken?”
Shi Qi patted his head. “Who exactly are you, little one? Why are you following me?”
Her mouth moved faster than her mind. “I’m here for chicken—wait, no, I followed the scent!”
Shi Qi thought, Could she truly be a fool? But how could a foolish girl have such remarkable skills? Still, her innocent mind didn’t seem scheming or calculating.
He ignored her, turned, and mounted a wind-riding technique, flying toward Mount Jiuhua.
The girl rose lightly and followed close behind.
After a moment, Shi Qi asked, “Hey, why are you still following me?”
Su Xiaomu pointed at the distant mountains ahead, “Big brother, are you going there?”
“Yes. You know Mount Jiuhua?”
She replied, “No—but… it feels so familiar…”