239: ambush

Chi Yu did not move; instead, she raised her hand and pressed it down on her Junior Sister's shoulder.

Her fingertips were slightly cool, but her strength carried an unquestionable steadiness.

"Don't be in a hurry."

The Junior Sister was stunned for a moment. Just as she was about to ask why, she saw Chi Yu's gaze fall upon a dense patch of shrubs not far away.

That patch of shrubs grew extremely lushly with emerald green leaves, looking no different from the surrounding vegetation. However, looking closely, one would discover that the swaying of the branches and leaves was somewhat deliberate—the wind was blowing from the south, yet the branches of those shrubs were swaying toward the north.

More importantly, a faint trace of spiritual energy was hidden in the air, masked by the fresh scent of greenery. Had Chi Yu's spiritual perception not far exceeded that of ordinary people, she wouldn't have noticed it at all.

"Someone is following us."

Chi Yu's voice remained soft, but a wisp of pale blue spiritual energy had already condensed at her fingertips. The spiritual energy circulated in her palm, faintly taking the shape of a flower petal.

The moment she finished speaking, a sharp sound of something piercing the air suddenly attacked!

"Watch out!"

The Junior Sister cried out in alarm and instinctively tried to dodge, but she was gently pulled by Chi Yu, her body instantly floating up.

Chi Yu's toes lightly tapped the ground, her indigo-blue gauze dress drawing a graceful arc in the air, light as willow catkins.

Three crossbow bolts dipped in dark green venom grazed her skirt and flew past, thudding as they nailed into the withered wood behind her.

The moment the arrow tips touched the withered wood, pungent white smoke rose. The bark of the withered wood turned black and rotted at a speed visible to the naked eye, instantly being corroded into three black holes from which black fluid continued to seep.

That Junior Sister was so scared her face turned pale. She hid tightly behind Chi Yu, her hands clutching Chi Yu's sleeves, her voice trembling:

"Who... who is it?"

Chi Yu did not answer. The pale blue spiritual energy at her fingertips had turned pale purple, and the edges of the petal-shaped spiritual energy flickered with a cold, sharp light.

She raised her eyes toward the shrubs, her gaze turning a few degrees colder.

"Cowards who hide their heads but show their tails, you dare to cause trouble in front of a Xihua Sect Disciple?"

"Hahaha! So it's a little lady from the Xihua Sect. You actually have some skill."

A rasping laugh, like a broken gong, came from behind the shrubs. Immediately after, five black shadows leaped out.

The four men in the lead were all dressed in black martial attire with black masks on their faces, revealing only eyes that gleamed with a fierce light. Hanging from their waists were tokens the size of two fingers, carved with a lifelike Gu insect—the symbol of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect of the Southern Border.

The person walking at the very front was tall and held a three-foot-long bone staff. The bone staff was made from the leg bone of some giant beast, its surface covered in eerie patterns. At the head of the staff was a snow-white beast skull, and within its hollow eye sockets, something was vaguely wriggling, making a faint buzzing sound.

He stared at Chi Yu, his gaze sweeping over her bare feet and indigo-blue gauze dress, a flash of greed appearing in his eyes.

"Female Disciples of the Xihua Sect are indeed beautiful. If you're smart, hand over the treasures on your person. If you have no treasures, it doesn't matter; just stay and keep us company for a day!"

After saying this, his gaze swept over Chi Yu's body with ill intent.

The corner of Chi Yu's mouth curved into a faint arc, and the spiritual energy beneath her feet slowly circulated.

Beneath the rotting leaves her bare feet stepped on, tender green vines suddenly burst from the soil. The vines wound and grew along the cracks in the ground with extreme speed, growing to half a person's height in the blink of an eye. The vines also grew sharp purple thorns that flickered with a cold light.

"The methods of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect have become increasingly despicable."

Chi Yu's voice remained soft, yet her tone carried a trace of imperceptible coldness.

"In a struggle between Sects, you actually use poisoned crossbow bolts for a sneak attack. Aren't you afraid of being a laughingstock if word gets out?"

The leading man in black's face darkened, and he shouted harshly:

"Enough nonsense! Move!"

He swung the bone staff in his hand. The beast skull at the head of the staff split open with a 'pfft,' and several pitch-black poison Gu flew out.

Those poison Gu were only the size of a fingernail. Their wings made a buzzing sound as they beat, leaving a black trail in the air as they lunged straight for Chi Yu and her Junior Sister.

Chi Yu flicked her fingers, and those few tender green vines suddenly surged, coiling toward the poison Gu like venomous snakes.

The vines were incredibly fast, instantly entangling three poison Gu, their purple thorns stabbing fiercely into the bodies of the poison Gu.

The poison Gu that were stabbed didn't even have time to struggle before they instantly turned into a pool of black water. As it hit the ground, it continued to corrode the soil, emitting thin wisps of white smoke.

The face of the leading man in black changed drastically—these poison Gu of his were refined from Heart-Rotting Insects, a specialty of the Southern Border. They could even gnaw through the spiritual energy shields of a Golden Core Cultivator. He hadn't expected them to be no match for this woman's vines!

"Impossible!"

He cried out in shock and hurriedly tried to activate his Natal Gu, but just as he was about to raise his hand, he saw Chi Yu's figure appear before him.

Chi Yu's speed was startlingly fast, like a teleportation. The indigo-blue gauze dress flashed before his eyes. He didn't even see her movements clearly before he felt a coldness at his brow.

"Pfft!"

The purple flower petal at Chi Yu's fingertip lightly tapped his brow, and a wisp of pale blue spiritual energy instantly surged into his body.

The man in black let out a muffled groan. The Natal Gu inside his body was instantly shattered by the spiritual energy. A mouthful of black blood sprayed from the corner of his mouth, and he slowly collapsed to the ground.

His eyes were wide and bulging, filled with horror and resentment. After a moment, his breath ceased.

Seeing this, the faces of the remaining four men in black instantly turned deathly pale.

They had originally thought Chi Yu was just a delicate female Disciple of the Xihua Sect. They hadn't expected her to be so formidable that even their Senior Brother couldn't last a single move!

"Run!"

Someone shouted, and the four turned to flee, but how could Chi Yu give them the chance?

Those vines quickly coiled up and bound the four of them. Before they could even use their weapons, they were tied up tight, standing where they were.

A mass of deep blue mist condensed in Chi Yu's palm. The mist swirled in her palm like a living thing, emitting a faint chill.

With a gentle push, the mist instantly flew out like four small blue snakes, coiling around the ankles of three of them.

"Ah—!"

Screams of agony instantly rang out.

The men in black entangled by the mist felt a bone-chilling cold at their ankles. Immediately after, the cold spread through their Meridians to their entire bodies. Their skin turned blue-purple at a visible speed, and the True Essence in their bodies drained rapidly as if being siphoned away. Even their Dantians began to ache faintly.

They tried to struggle, but found their bodies becoming more and more rigid. Finally, with a thud, they fell to the ground, and after a few twitches, their breath was gone.

The last man in black had his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering in terror. Not knowing what method he used to break free from the vines, he didn't even dare to look back as he ran desperately into the depths of the forest.

Chi Yu did not pursue him further. She simply condensed a wisp of pale purple spiritual energy at her fingertip and gave it a gentle flick. The spiritual energy turned into a streak of light, accurately striking the center of his back.

The man in black's body stiffened. He spat out a mouthful of black blood and fell to the ground, motionless.

That little Junior Sister hiding behind Chi Yu watched, dumbstruck.

She had followed Chi Yu for many years, but she had never seen her Senior Sister strike so decisively.

In the past, Chi Yu was always gentle and indifferent, hesitating for a moment even before stepping on an ant. At this moment, however, she exuded an inviolable coldness, as if she had become a different person.