Guinaifen was the first to break the suffocating silence, her voice slightly raised due to nervousness.
"Hey hey! I say, Lady Judge, what you just said is really quite interesting!"
She put her hands on her hips, her willow-like eyebrows shooting upwards, her tone carrying obvious annoyance.
"What do you mean, 'desires in that area' are strong? In your eyes, Judge Xueyi, do Sponsor Daddy and I just look like people whose minds are full of dirty thoughts?"
Hearing this, a barely perceptible fluctuation flickered in Xueyi's icy gaze. She turned her head slightly and stated unhurriedly:
"According to the Ten-Lords Commission's records, Miss Guinaifen, you seem to make a living through borderline livestreaming. This information shouldn't be incorrect, right?"
Xueyi's voice was calm and certain, as if merely stating an objective fact.
But to Guinaifen's ears, it instantly made her bristle. Her voice jumped an octave, filled with grievance and protest.
"Injustice! Judge, this is a terrible injustice! My streams on Guinaifen's channel are wholesome, pure green! What borderline this or that? It simply doesn't exist! How is wearing black stockings while doing splits on stream borderline? This is fashion! It's art! It's what the broad masses love to see!"
She paused, seemingly struck by a thought, then immediately shifted the blame towards Huohuo nearby. "Besides, there are clearly three of us here! Judge Xueyi, why didn't you consider the possibility that the Heliobus possessed Huohuo? Why are you so certain it's one of us two?"
Hearing Guinaifen's words, Xueyi shook her head and explained with conviction:
"Huohuo is already a Judge of our Ten-Lords Commission; she possesses the means to deal with evil spirits. Furthermore, a single body can only host one Heliobus; there's absolutely no situation where two Heliobus can possess someone simultaneously. What you're suggesting is fundamentally impossible."
Tail, hearing Guinaifen's suggestion, seemed annoyed and couldn't resist interjecting.
"Outworlder brat, what nonsense are you spouting? With Laozi here holding down the fort, would any other Heliobus dare to possess anyone nearby? Laozi would swallow it whole in one bite!"
Hearing Xueyi and Tail's back-and-forth exchange, Guinaifen instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, her fiery attitude vanishing completely.
She turned her head to look at Daziel, her previously slightly hopeful gaze now filled with dejection and unease.
"It's over, Sponsor Daddy. Based on this, the one possessed by the Heliobus is definitely one of us."
Her voice was low, tinged with a tremor. "I don't dare suspect you, after all, you look like such a good person, so proper... so... rich. So I think... I think I'm the one who got possessed..."
Guinaifen bit her lip tightly, her confidence dwindling as she spoke, her voice becoming smaller and smaller until it was almost inaudible.
Daziel looked at Guinaifen's tearful appearance and sighed inwardly.
After pondering for a moment, Daziel still nodded and said with certainty, "Your suspicion is correct. That Heliobus should be inside you; you just don't realize it yourself."
After all, Phantylia is still attached to me. If I were truly possessed by a Heliobus, it's impossible I wouldn't have noticed.
Hearing Daziel's confirmation, Guinaifen felt as if the last straw had broken.
She clutched her forehead, let out a wail, and then abruptly shut her eyes, her body twisting into an extremely bizarre angle.
If an ordinary person attempted this posture carelessly, they would likely have dislocated joints already. Fortunately, Guinaifen was trained, her body as flexible as if she had no bones, allowing her to perform this movement so easily.
In just an instant, Guinaifen snapped her eyes open.
Her originally clear and bright eyes were now clouded with an eerie glow. Her gaze turned sinister and cold, as if she had become a completely different person.
"Eh, discovered so quickly? How boring."
Her voice was starkly different from Guinaifen's usual lively and playful tone; it was sharp and piercing.
"I thought I could borrow this body and walk out of Fyxestroll Garden undetected. Unexpectedly, unexpectedly, your Ten-Lords Commission's methods have improved so much compared to a thousand years ago... It seems I underestimated you."
Qiluo's voice held a faint trace of regret, seemingly disappointed that her plan had failed.
Xueyi's eyes sharpened, her aura instantly becoming piercingly intense.
She let out a cold snort, her tone icy and full of deterrence. "Hmph, even if you had luckily walked out of Fyxestroll Garden and escaped to any corner of the Xianzhou, the Judges of the Ten-Lords Commission would definitely send you back to the Fiend-Extinguishing Chariot! There will be no mercy!"
Before her words faded, Xueyi's form suddenly tensed like a drawn bowstring. In her hands, somehow, were now two peculiarly shaped short blades.
The blades were long, narrow, and sharp, glinting chillingly in the dim light of Fyxestroll Garden.
These were the standard weapons of the Ten-Lords Commission Judges—the Demon-Breaking Awls, specifically created for vanquishing evil and exorcising demons.
"Little girl, fine then."
The Heliobus possessing Guinaifen, or rather, Qiluo, let out a sharp, grating laugh. The sound was like metal scraping against metal, making one's scalp tingle and feel uncomfortable all over.
"Let me see properly just how much progress you so-called Judges have made compared to a thousand years ago!"
As Qiluo finished speaking, an eerie pink mist erupted violently from Guinaifen's body, instantly spreading outwards.
The mist enveloped the group, carrying a cloyingly sweet yet nauseating odor. It was sickening to smell, yet after taking a few more breaths, strangely intoxicating.
When the pink mist dissipated, the Guinaifen who had been standing there was gone.
In her place floated a ghostly creature mid-air, similar in form to the Cirrus from the original plot, yet distinctly different.
This ghostly being was entirely a bizarre pink color, as if dyed with rouge, bewitching and eerie. At the center of its body was not Cirrus's signature giant eye, but rather a gaunt, ghostly hand. Its fingers were long and thin, the knuckles distinct and bony, clashing with the creature's overall form, creating a discordant aesthetic beauty.
What was most chilling was that the ghostly hand's long fingernails were also a vivid pink, as if painted with bright nail polish, appearing exceptionally eerie and conspicuous in the dim environment of Fyxestroll Garden.
However, looking at the pink claw, Daziel inexplicably recalled a drink from his past life—the Pink Monster Claw energy drink, supposedly beloved by 'Jirai Kei' girls...
The ghostly hand opened slightly, and from within came a sharp, piercing sound, identical to the voice emitted when possessing Guinaifen, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Qiluo."
Qiluo's voice echoed in the empty Fyxestroll Garden, carrying a heart-pounding pressure. The pink ghostly hand danced slowly in the air, its long nails flashing eerily in the dim light. The nauseatingly sweet scent thickened in the air.
A battle was clearly about to erupt!
Xueyi stared gravely at the ghostly creature Qiluo before her, the Demon-Breaking Awls held tightly in her hands, their blades pointed directly at Qiluo's bizarre pink ghostly hand. Her aura was as sharp and cold as winter.
"Qiluo, Fyxestroll Garden is not a place for you to run wild! Since you've shown yourself, surrender obediently and get inside my Moon-Concealing Gourd!"
Qiluo let out a sharp laugh, her voice filled with disdain and mockery.
"Surrender? Judge Xueyi, you overestimate yourself far too much."
Her pink ghostly hand suddenly waved fiercely. A strong wave of pink energy instantly spread out, seeming to distort the very air, carrying a suffocating pressure.
Deep within Fyxestroll Garden, the yin energy grew denser, almost condensing into tangible substance, making it difficult to breathe, causing tightness in the chest.
The oppression was quickly broken.
Heavy footsteps, like the beating of war drums, approached, shaking the ground of Fyxestroll Garden and pounding against everyone's hearts.
Dozens of figures emerged like ghosts from the dark corners in all directions, instantly filling the area.
Underworld Martial Officers clad in armor moved with stiff, slow steps. The eyes visible behind their masks were lifeless, like soulless zombies, hollow and dazed, staring straight ahead.
Black-clad Jinren Soul-Reavers were also mixed among the officers. Their bodies were inscribed with the Ten Kings Martial Sutra, and they held soul-reaving tokens that emitted an eerie cold light. Behind their iron masks emanated an even more intense killing aura than the officers, intimidating to behold.
An unsettling, cold aura filled the air.
Huohuo's small body trembled slightly. She cried out, her clear voice carrying an irrepressible tremor.
"These officers... their faces look terrifying, something's wrong!"
Tail, seeing Huohuo like this, spoke in his rough, helpless voice.
"Silly girl, can't you even see this? They're being controlled by the Heliobus!"
Xueyi's already grave face darkened further, as if about to drip water. Her heart sank abruptly.
"I originally planned to gather the Ten-Lords Commission's officers and Jinren Soul-Reavers to form an encirclement and annihilate the Heliobus Qiluo in one fell swoop."
Xueyi muttered lowly, her tone laced with regret and self-blame. "I never expected this Heliobus Qiluo to be so cunning, managing to control them first and turn the tables!"
The meticulously planned encirclement vanished in an instant. What were thought to be reinforcements had, in the blink of an eye, become obstacles.
Xueyi quickly turned her head, her gaze falling on the slightly panicked Huohuo beside her. Her eyes held a hint of worry, but her tone was firm and decisive.
"Huohuo, you've only been a Judge for a short time, you lack practical combat experience, and you're not skilled in direct confrontation. The situation here is complex and dangerous. You should retreat first and wait somewhere safe. Leave this... to me to handle."
Although Huohuo's face was full of worry for Xueyi, she clearly understood that with her current abilities, staying here would not only be unhelpful but might even make her a burden to Xueyi.
"Understood, Lady Xueyi."
Weighing the options, she could only bite her lip and follow Xueyi's arrangement, retreating while glancing back repeatedly.
Daziel sighed, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes. He tightened his grip on the baseball bat in his hand, the sound of the bat rubbing against his palm muffled. Then, without hesitation, he stepped forward to stand beside Xueyi, shoulder to shoulder.
"I'll help too."
His voice was steady and calm, quiet yet capable of providing a sense of security.
Xueyi turned her head slightly, looking at Daziel with some surprise, the cool moonlight illuminating her delicate profile.
She asked, slightly puzzled, "You wish to intervene in this matter? This is fundamentally the duty of the Ten-Lords Commission, unrelated to you..."
"No, Judge Xueyi, you're mistaken."
Daziel's gaze swept over the surrounding pale-faced Underworld Martial Officers and Jinren Soul-Reavers as he spoke righteously, "Everyone here, including any innocent people within Fyxestroll Garden, could be affected. Since innocents are involved, I cannot stand idly by."
Of course, this was just for Xueyi's benefit. Although Daziel was willing to be the partner of justice, he also had his own agenda.
After all, Qiluo is currently possessing Guinaifen's body. Phantylia is too weak right now to directly devour other Heliobus. I have to weaken Qiluo's power first.
But Xueyi obviously wouldn't know this.
She took a deep look at the man before her, a hint of admiration in her eyes.
"Truly worthy of being the Xianzhou's ally. In that case... my thanks in advance!"
No more words were needed. A tacit understanding was reached between them, their eyes filled with fearless determination.
Qiluo's sharp, grating laughter echoed once more through the empty Fyxestroll Garden, making the oppressive atmosphere even thicker.
"Just the two of you? You presume to think you can block my path? Truly... overestimating yourselves!"
Qiluo's voice was filled with disdain and mockery, each word like a cold knife scraping against the eardrums, utterly chilling.
"I will climb step by step by step by step by step to the very highest! I will become the new 'Conflagration'!"
The battle erupted suddenly!
The Underworld Martial Officers attacked first, letting out low growls. Their serrated blades, carrying a suffocating aura of death, slashed down brutally.
The Jinren Soul-Reavers followed closely behind, the soul-reaving tokens around them flashing ominously, weaving an invisible net of death that completely sealed off all escape routes, leaving no chance for survival.
"Daziel, be careful of those Jinren Soul-Reavers! Consecutive hits from them can cause temporary stunning! Also, if possible... please show mercy to those officers who have fallen under Qiluo's control!"
Xueyi cried out sharply, her cool voice cutting through the murderous air. Her figure moved faster than lightning, resolutely meeting the charge of the death-defying officers.
The Demon-Breaking Awls in her hands bloomed with a chilling light, like meteors streaking across the night sky. Their trajectories were tricky and deadly, accurately striking the officers and knocking them unconscious.
"Got it! I'll be careful!"
Daziel responded to Xueyi while tightly gripping his baseball bat.
His aura surged abruptly. He swung the baseball bat in his hand, sweeping through the enemies like clearing a thousand troops, repelling all the officers swarming towards him.
The shadow of the bat flew, each swing carrying a deafening sound of displaced air.
However, the coordination of the Jinren Soul-Reavers was unexpectedly seamless. Skyfall, Judgment, Soul-Reaving Token—various insidious and vicious skills rained down continuously like a torrential storm.
Flesh and blood are easily bound by the suffering of the Five Skandhas, only metal remains unmoved in its heart, faithfully executing the Edicts of the Ten Kings.
These were the law-enforcing Jinren. The slightest carelessness meant falling into their trap.
Daziel relied on his astonishing agility, weaving and dodging between the Jinren, time and time again narrowly avoiding potentially fatal attacks.
His sharp gaze remained locked on the Qiluo entity protected heavily in the rear, trying to find a breakthrough point to attack the source directly, but he was blocked layer upon layer by the officers and Jinren, like hitting a wall of bronze and iron, unable to advance an inch.
Xueyi's figure was light and swift, like a fluttering snow swallow. The Demon-Breaking Awls danced in her hands like nimble vipers as she weaved effortlessly through the crowd of officers.
She calmly analyzed the battlefield situation, spotted a fleeting opportunity, and suddenly leaped into mid-air. The twin awls in her hands abruptly merged into one, erupting with unprecedented power.
"Heavenly Punishment Pierce! By the Ten Kings'..."
Xueyi shouted clearly, her voice solemn and majestic, carrying an inviolable sacred authority, as if the Ten Kings themselves had descended to pass judgment on all evil in the world.
The Demon-Breaking Awl shone brilliantly, instantly expanding several times, transforming into a dazzling stream of light. Chains clanked along its body, extending outwards, carrying a destructive force as it shot forward.
"...Descent into Mara, shall be purged!"
Xueyi roared fiercely, her voice echoing like thunder throughout Fyxestroll Garden, filled with unparalleled determination and killing intent.
Heavenly Punishment Pierce struck like lightning, unstoppable, instantly shattering the defensive formation jointly established by several Jinren Soul-Reavers.
Before the Jinren could even make a sound, they collapsed like broken bellows, their hard bodies cracking inch by inch. The eerie light quickly dissipated, leaving behind piles of scrap metal.
The Underworld Martial Officers also collapsed like puppets whose strings had been cut, falling limply to the ground, their serrated blades sliding uselessly from their grasp with dull thuds.
The tide of battle seemed to have been completely turned in that single moment.
Daziel and Xueyi exchanged a glance, their tense nerves relaxing slightly. They simultaneously let out long sighs, their furrowed brows easing somewhat.
However, they still didn't dare let their guard down in the slightest. The chilling aura permeating the air remained unsettling.
Qiluo's sharp, grating laughter echoed eerily again, like a phantom in the empty Fyxestroll Garden, carrying a chilling mockery and disdain that instantly froze the momentarily eased atmosphere.
"The Judges nowadays only have this much skill? Truly disappointing."
Before the words finished, an eerie pink light spread rapidly like a plague, enveloping the fallen officers and Jinren.
An unbelievable scene occurred: the Jinren Soul-Reavers, who had clearly fallen, began to stagger unsteadily back to their feet.
Their hollow eyes glinted with an even more frenzied and bloodthirsty light. Their auras were stronger than before, filled with violence and madness.
Xueyi's slightly relaxed expression instantly stiffened. For the first time, shock appeared in her cool eyes, and her exquisite face was clouded with an unbelievable shadow.
Just as Xueyi was stunned, one of the Jinren Soul-Reavers, previously broken apart, suddenly lunged forward like a reanimated corpse. The soul-reaving token in its hand flared with unprecedented eerie light, carrying a sinister and terrifying aura as it launched a vicious sneak attack towards the unprepared Xueyi.
"Bang!"
A deafening explosion erupted. The soul-reaving token struck Xueyi's puppet body squarely. The powerful impact instantly sent Xueyi's figure flying backward like a kite with a broken string.
This sudden turn of events threw the seemingly clear situation back into chaos, instantly plunging it into an even more critical state.
Daziel's pupils contracted sharply into pinpricks, his heart feeling as if squeezed tightly by an invisible hand. He spun around abruptly, wanting to rescue her—
But it was already too late. He could only watch helplessly as the exquisite puppet body shattered into pieces in mid-air, scattering across the ground.
Fortunately, Daziel knew that Xueyi herself was not in mortal danger; only her puppet body was destroyed, her soul remained unharmed.
Qiluo's chilling laughter grew even sharper and more grating, echoing endlessly in the empty Fyxestroll Garden, each sound seeping into the bone marrow, sending shivers down the spine.
"Hahahaha, shattered, shattered into pieces!"
Qiluo's voice was filled with undisguised glee.
"Lady Xueyi!"
Huohuo let out a choked cry, her small figure wanting to rush forward, but she was stopped by the steady Tail.
"Huohuo, don't go over there,"
Tail's voice was low and grave, carrying an unquestionable seriousness.
"Going now will only cause trouble."
Daziel watched the scene unfold before him, clenching his jaw tightly. He gripped the baseball bat in his hand fiercely, his gaze locked onto the gloating Qiluo in the distance.
He knew very well what a battle of attrition meant...
Qiluo had devoured too many of her own kind, incomparable to ordinary Heliobus. If they continued to wear each other down like this, there was absolutely no chance of victory.
Moreover, Xueyi's puppet body was completely destroyed, rendering her combat-incapable. Now, he was left alone...
The situation was even worse than he had anticipated!
Daziel knew profoundly that his strongest points in combat were likely the poker's special attack against ice attributes and its special attack against women...
Against an enemy like Qiluo, these two abilities were clearly useless.
"Wuwu, what do we do, what do we do..."
Huohuo's tearful voice sounded, trembling, despair spreading rapidly like a plague.
"The law-enforcing Jinren controlled by this bad guy... seem like they can... fight endlessly..."
Her small body trembled, as if already foreseeing the most terrifying outcome.
"We... we're doomed..."
...
"Useless thing!"
Tail looked contemptuously at Huohuo, his roar echoing with a sense of disappointment, like 'hating iron for not becoming steel'.
"Tail, I... what should I do?"
Huohuo asked helplessly, tears glistening in her clear eyes, ready to spill at any moment.
"Don't you still have... still have me?"
Tail's voice suddenly softened slightly, carrying an almost imperceptible tenderness.
A faint green light flickered on Huohuo's tail, as if, in that moment, it had made some crucial decision.
"Tail, you...?"
Huohuo didn't quite understand Tail's meaning. She stared blankly at the tail, yet deep inside, a strong sense of ominous foreboding began to rise.
"Alright, stop hesitating!"
Tail's tone became firm and urgent, even carrying an unquestionable command.
"Huohuo, you know what to do! Hesitate any longer, and both you and that kid will die here!"
Huohuo's small body jolted fiercely. Tail's words struck her like a sharp blow, shocking her instantly awake.
She bit her soft lip tightly, trembling as she reached out her small hand towards the seal talisman that had always been on her tail.
The instant her fingertips touched the cold surface of the talisman, Huohuo's body twitched violently.
"..."
Huohuo's voice was choked with sobs. She wanted to say something more, but Tail cut her off sharply again.
"No nonsense! Hesitate again, and you both die here!" Tail roared fiercely.
Tears finally spilled from Huohuo's eyes, streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto the cold ground.
She shut her eyes tightly, her small body trembling slightly. Gritting her teeth fiercely, she used all her strength and ripped off the talisman from her tail.
"Sssshla—"
The moment the talisman was torn off, a dazzling, brilliant green light erupted from the tail, instantly illuminating the entire dim and cold Fyxestroll Garden.
Accompanied by an earth-shattering, deafening wolf howl, an enormous wolf spirit, entirely emerald green, suddenly materialized behind Huohuo's petite figure.
The wolf spirit's body was majestic, its fur translucent like emerald.
Its eyes were sharp as blades, primal, wild, and heart-poundingly fierce.
"Go quickly! I can only hold it off for a short while, maybe it won't be long before it eats me!"
It threw its head back and howled to the sky, the sound shaking the clouds. A powerful spiritual pressure spread out like a tangible force, instantly sweeping through the entire Fyxestroll Garden, making the very air tremble.
"Goodbye, Huohuo. Don't be so timid in the future."
Speaking here, Tail's tone shifted, carrying a hint of sorrow.
"Tail...!"
Huohuo cried uncontrollably, her heart-wrenching sobs echoing in Fyxestroll Garden. She stumbled, wanting to grab Tail, but could only watch helplessly as the dazzling green light moved further away.
"Alright, you two troublesome brats, hurry up and scram!"
Tail roared hoarsely, using the last of his strength. His voice carried a sense of finality, reluctance, and a deeply hidden tenderness and care.
"Scram!"
After saying this, Tail spun around abruptly and charged unhesitatingly towards the Jinren controlled by Qiluo.
His body burst forward with astonishing speed, a green afterimage weaving frantically among the Jinren, trying to use his last life to buy a sliver of hope for Huohuo and Daziel to escape.
Tail struggled fiercely under the frenzied siege of the Jinren. With each impact, each block, the green light around him dimmed slightly.
Like a candle flame flickering in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any moment, he let out agonized roars but showed no sign of retreat.
The Jinren's attacks poured down like a torrential storm—serrated blades, soul-reaving tokens, Skyfall, Judgment...
Various insidious and vicious attacks rained down relentlessly, mercilessly upon Tail's Heliobus body.
The green light grew weaker and fainter. Tail's body swayed precariously, looking as if it might completely dissipate on this cold ground at any moment.
Huohuo's eyes were blurred with tears, her small figure seemingly nailed to the spot, unwilling and unable to leave. She just sobbed, calling out again and again—
"Tail..."
Her voice was broken and desperate, filled with helplessness and sorrow.
Daziel watched the scene unfold before him with a grave expression.
In the original plot, Tail had exploited the weakness of a Heliobus immediately after it had devoured its kin (an unstable foothold), used a fusion technique, and forcefully self-destructed along with Cirrus, thereby managing to turn defeat into victory.
Even though Tail temporarily exited the scene, Huohuo found him again afterwards.
But this Qiluo was entirely different from Cirrus. It had devoured numerous Heliobus long ago; its power was already extremely stable.
Tail charging forward now, resolute and determined, was no different from a moth flying into a flame. Besides being completely devoured, there was likely no other outcome.
Watching Huohuo heartbroken and utterly devastated, Daziel clenched his jaw tightly, his heart filled with unwillingness.
Yet his thoughts were tangled like a messy ball of yarn. For a moment, he couldn't find any way to break through the desperate situation before them.
Just at this moment of suffocating despair, the abrupt system prompt sounded like a cold, emotionless machine suddenly ringing in Daziel's mind—
"Ah!"
[Scan complete!]
[New Target Added: Xueyi]
[Corruption Value: 0%]
[Mission: Raise Xueyi's Corruption Value to 50%]
[Mission Reward: Spirit Dash]
[Spirit Dash: Can attack the opponent's spiritual level, has extra special effects against non-corporeal enemies.]
Daziel's heart jolted violently. He almost couldn't resist cursing out loud.
This broken system only prompts this NOW? What was it doing earlier?!
Daziel's gaze subconsciously shifted towards Xueyi. Her exquisite puppet body lay shattered, scattered like the pieces of a broken porcelain doll.
Is Xueyi's soul even still attached to the puppet...?
And how am I supposed to grind this Corruption Value?
Daziel felt a wave of profound confusion.
However, as his gaze unintentionally swept over the remains of Xueyi's puppet body, Daziel suddenly noticed that even though her body was shattered, the hip section remained surprisingly intact, its curve full and round...
A crazy, bold, even utterly inconceivable thought suddenly sliced through Daziel's chaotic thoughts.
__
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