A ghost emissary was not an ordinary ghost, but an existence recognized by heaven and earth to manage lost and wandering souls. It could be seen as a kind of divine office.
And the young woman before her was exuding the same aura as a ghost emissary.
How could this not shock Nie Xiaoqian? Could it be that this young woman was also a ghost emissary?
For countless days and nights, she had been praying for a ghost emissary to visit this place, because that Tree Grandmother was just too terrifying.
All the people who passed by to seek lodging had died. The entire ground of the backyard was buried with white bones, like a mass grave.
Thinking of this, Nie Xiaoqian fell to her knees with a thump and pleaded, "Lady Emissary, I beg you to save me! That tree demon is too powerful! I have been trapped here for a very long time."
Beside her, Ning Caichen, hearing the young woman's words, rolled his eyes back and fainted dead away. This woman really was a ghost. Before he lost consciousness, this was his only thought.
Looking at the crying female ghost, Hu Tao let out a long sigh. "I'm not a ghost emissary. At most, I do some work sending people on to the afterlife. The longer you have contact with humans, the weaker their yang energy becomes. Over time, they will be plagued by disasters and may even die. The reason I told you to stay away from him was for his own good."
Hearing the young woman's words, Nie Xiaoqian quickly said, "I… I did not absorb his yang energy." As someone favored by the Tree Grandmother, she could choose to selectively absorb a person's yang energy, or she could choose to be the kind of alluring ghost. Although she hadn't killed anyone, she was still an accomplice.
Hu Tao looked at the pitiful female ghost. "A ghost is the extreme of yin and will automatically plunder yang energy. And although there is no resentment on your body, your sins are not few, are they?"
Faced with her words, Nie Xiaoqian bit her lip, tacitly admitting it. If she didn't do so, she would be directly killed by the Tree Grandmother. Even now, her "life bone" was still in the other's grasp. The power of life and death was in the other's hands.
"Forget it. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll spare your life. But only if you can withstand my Soul-Calming Art."
A single butterfly appeared before Nie Xiaoqian and then entered her body.
The scorching power made Nie Xiaoqian feel as if her spiritual body was about to melt. The tearing and painful sensation was something she had never experienced in her life.
Fortunately, this feeling did not last for long. When the butterfly within her body disappeared, Nie Xiaoqian felt an inexplicable sense of lightness. She looked at her own body in surprise and found that the restraints were gone!
"Th-what's going on?" Nie Xiaoqian was incredibly shocked. She was no longer bound by her life bone.
"The Soul-Calming Art can purify everything within a spiritual body. It seems you were being controlled, and you haven't done many wicked things. Alright, I should go and take care of that tree demon now. You should go and be reincarnated. Follow the feeling in your heart and go in peace."
With that, Hu Tao turned瀟洒 to leave, preparing to find the tree demon and carry out her mission.
"Wait!" Nie Xiaoqian, seeing that she was about to leave, quickly said, "Benefactor, the tree demon is in the backyard of the Lanruo Temple! On a rainy night like this, it's better not to go."
"Even if I don't go, she has already come for me!"
BOOM!
Flames transformed into butterflies on Hu Tao's body, burning fiercely. And before her, a tree branch had transformed into a sharp spike, lunging at her.
The scorching flames instantly melted the branch, and the half that fell to the ground was like a tentacle, bleeding and writhing madly.
"Hey, you should leave quickly! This place is about to become a ruin!"
Although Hu Tao didn't have Observation Haki, she could still feel the murderous aura in the air. Then, she vanished from the spot and rushed towards the backyard.
The heavy rain poured down on her body, letting out rolling steam.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Countless tree branches extended from the ground, incredibly agile, trying to besiege Hu Tao from all directions.
"Spirit Soother!"
BOOM!
Her spirit companion was thrown out, and all the branches shattered.
At that moment, a black shadow appeared before her.
"Where did this yellow-haired brat come from, disturbing my good business?"
The figure was hunched over, leaning on a cane, its gaze icy as it stared at Hu Tao. In the light of the flames, she could even see the wood-like wrinkles on its face.
Hu Tao retorted, not to be outdone, "Naturally, I've come to take care of you, you ugly old monster!"
The nearby female ghosts were shocked. Did this girl not know what she was saying? The Tree Grandmother hated it when people called her ugly. As the saying goes, don't hit a person in the face, and don't expose their shortcomings when you curse them. Hu Tao's thoughtless words had completely ignited the Tree Grandmother's anger.
"Damn you, little brat! See if I don't skin you alive! All of you, attack! What are you all watching for?!"
Hearing the Tree Grandmother's command, the female ghosts, as if in a frenzy, rushed towards Hu Tao. Anyone who dared to disobey would face the consequence of being killed.
A sky full of evil ghosts came at her in waves.
But Hu Tao calmly closed her eyes and chanted a divine spell.
A flash of lightning quickly lit up from the palm of her left hand.
"Thunder Art: Palm of Destruction!"
The scorching white lightning exploded in the sky, and hundreds of evil ghosts were instantly vaporized. The female ghosts screamed in terror and fled.
The Tree Grandmother was also very shocked, because in this world, the art of thunder was a power used to suppress evil.
"You… you actually know the art of thunder?"
"So what if I do, old hag? Die!"
Without the female ghosts to cause trouble, Hu Tao was much more at ease. She directly attacked, trying to catch her opponent off guard.
Unfortunately, the Tree Grandmother's reaction was even faster. She had already retreated a step ahead, leaving only some branches to be smashed to pieces by Hu Tao.
"Damn it, she's so fast!" The young woman stomped her foot in frustration and continued to run towards the backyard.
But this temple was very large, and before Hu Tao could even reach the backyard, countless tree roots burst from the ground, transforming into flexible arms and attacking madly.
Hu Tao had no choice but to dodge, but the enemy was even more cunning. The tree roots on the ground appeared endlessly, as if they were free. She smashed one pile, and another appeared. It was as if they were infinite.
"No, if this goes on, my stamina will soon be exhausted."
Hu Tao didn't know how many times she had smashed the tree roots, but she finally understood that this was not working.
And so, she pushed off with her legs and shot towards the sky. If she couldn't break through on the ground, then she would choose the sky.
However, after arriving in the air, Hu Tao heard the Tree Grandmother's triumphant voice.
"What a novice! To think you'd dare to take to the sky! Do you think I don't know how to fight? Sea of Blood, Bury the Heavens!"
Countless sharp leaves, accompanied by a torrential downpour, surged towards Hu Tao. If she were hit, she would definitely be seriously injured.
In the Multiverse Mission Group chat.
Ningguang:This is not good. The gap is too large. The strength of a thousand-year-old demon is indeed far beyond Hu Tao's.
Keqing:That's right. Although I don't want to admit it, the Lanruo Temple has already been turned into an iron fortress.
The ground was covered in tree roots, and the sky was filled with leaves. At the same time, the torrential rain was also summoned by the opponent. What was she supposed to do?
Ganyu:If it keeps raining, a Cryo user would actually have a great advantage. As long as the ground is frozen, those annoying tree roots won't appear.
Beidou:No, Hu Tao is not as stupid as you think. Since she chose to continue fighting in the air, she must have been prepared. I've fought with this child before. Although she's a bit mischievous, her brain is very sharp.
In the video, Hu Tao indeed made a move.
A transparent sphere flew out from her palm. It was actually the Qi of Tri-Unity!
The sphere collided with the leaves and the storm, erupting in a violent explosion. At the same time, the power of the frost also froze the nearby buildings and the tree roots on the ground.
"Phew, it seems the effect is not bad." Hu Tao saw that the situation had been brought under control and let out a sigh of relief.
She hadn't been cultivating the Qi of Tri-Unity for long and had only recently achieved some minor success. She had originally wanted to scare Su Han with it when they sparred, but now it seemed that was no longer possible.
Having temporarily frozen the ground, Hu Tao also had a chance to catch her breath. She did a flip in mid-air and shot straight for the backyard.
However, although she had arrived at the backyard, she had still underestimated the terror of the Tree Grandmother. The moment she landed, a sharp tree root directly broke through her Haki and pierced into her abdomen.
Crimson blood was absorbed by the Tree Grandmother along the root. Then, the sound of her ecstatic laughter came from the large tree in the distance.
"Hahaha! To think you possess spiritual blood! How wonderful! Just one sip of your blood, and my injuries have all recovered! Child, I really have to thank you for coming to my door. If I eat you, I might be able to shed this cursed demon body!"
She had never expected that the young woman who had killed countless of her subordinates would actually possess such precious spiritual blood. A person like this was one in a million. She was truly too lucky.
As for Hu Tao, she was now lying in the ruins of a wall, her fair little face a complete mess. The good news was that the wound on her abdomen had already stopped bleeding and was continuously healing on its own. The ability of the Qi of Tri-Unity was perfectly displayed.
"Although the injury has been dealt with, it really isn't so simple to defeat this tree demon. It seems that when I get back, I'll have to spend some time training properly."
Hu Tao supported herself against the wall and slowly stood up, her plum blossom pupils full of fighting spirit, without the slightest bit of fear.
So what if I'm injured? I'm not a child. I've been injured many times before when I went out to play alone.
But how was she to defeat that big guy? Her normal Soul-Calming Art was no longer enough. She had originally thought of getting close to that large tree and killing it with a single blow of her polearm, but now, thinking about it, without Observation Haki, it was almost impossible. She estimated that before she even got to the tree demon, she would already be covered in wounds, because its tree roots could pierce her Haki.
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