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Translator's note: Shen Lingxue has finally come into use. She was actually a very powerful psychic. Hope the author can give her more chances.
ED Note: She gets to show off her power but then someone stronger appears. It's not a good day to be Shen Lingxue.
In the last encounter surrounded by Specter Slaves, Fang Xiu had no intention of fighting back hard, as the real Specter hadn't appeared, and fighting would have been useless, unable to harm them at all. But now, things were different; the mastermind behind the scenes had shown up, and Fang Xiu was ready for a full release of his powers.
As the Specter Slaves drew closer, Fang Xiu finally pulled out his scalpel and slashed at Liu Shuai.
"Ah! What are you doing!" Liu Shuai cried out, clutching his bleeding hand.
"Take this," Fang Xiu said, passing him a bronze candlestick.
Catching it reflexively, Liu Shuai asked, "What is this?"
Shen Lingxue, standing beside them, suddenly realized, "This is a Specter Gadget!"
"This Specter Gadget uses blood containing Spiritual Energy as fuel. Once lit, it can defend against Specters. Liu Shuai, you're a big guy. You have more blood, so you'll hold it," explained Fang Xiu.
"This is why you suddenly cut me?" Liu Shuai was astonished.
Despite his complaint, he gripped the bronze candlestick with his bloodied left hand. As soon as his blood touched the candlestick, it seemed to come to life. The bronze patterns began to move slowly, twisting into an ugly mouth that greedily sucked the blood from his hand, startling him.
As his blood continued to flow, the candlestick ignited without flame, casting a sinister green light that enveloped them all. The light was chilling to the bone.
By now, hundreds of Specter Slaves had rushed up to them. Zhao Hao, terrified, hid behind Liu Shuai.
"It's all on you now!" they encouraged him.
Liu Shuai, trembling and pale with fear, was speechless. He gripped the candlestick so tightly his veins bulged.
The moment the Specter Slaves entered the green light, a sizzling noise filled the air. The green light, like acid, corroded their bodies, causing their hair to twist, deform, and emit black smoke. Their movements slowed down significantly within the light, showing the damage it caused.
Shen Lingxue and the others were overjoyed at the effectiveness of the candlestick. However, Liu Shuai couldn't share in their happiness as his face visibly paled, his plump lips losing color.
"Be quick. I can't hold on much longer," he urged.
With a flash of silver, Fang Xiu cut down the head of a Specter Slave with a swift, clean cut. Shen Lingxue also sprang into action, her hands conjuring intense flames to bombard the Specter Slaves.
This time, the battle was much easier for Fang Xiu and the others, thanks to the bronze candlestick. Under its influence, the Specter Slaves were not only slow, but also their hair, which they used as a weapon, became less resilient, turning them into easy targets.
The Specter Slaves tried to unleash their abilities, manipulating their hair to attack as they had done before, with a blanket of hair assaults. However, under the effect of the bronze candlestick, the hair, which normally defied gravity, started to erode as soon as it left their bodies, making their attacks ineffective.
The group steadily advanced toward the silver-haired woman. But their ease was short-lived as Liu Shuai's blood was draining at a terrifying rate.
The candlestick's nature was such that the stronger the Specter, the greater the energy consumed. Although the individual Specter Slaves weren't very powerful, their sheer number was overwhelming.
Liu Shuai felt as if he had donated blood many times in an hour, feeling dizzy and seeing black spots. At this moment, Zhao Hao cut his own palm and took over the bronze candlestick, telling Liu Shuai to rest.
Fang Xiu, noticing their predicament, ordered Shen Lingxue to clear the path. Although she didn't know what Fang Xiu planned to do, her only option was to trust and follow his lead. With a fierce expression, she spread her hands, and the temperature around her rose dramatically. They felt like they were in a furnace.
In the next second, she conjured two immense balls of fire in her hands, which rose and merged above her head into a giant fireball resembling a mini sun. The inferno around her made her look like a goddess of fire, her delicate features shining brilliantly in the dark night.
Holding the mini sun in one hand, she turned to Fang Xiu and said, "This is all I can do. Whatever you're planning next, it has to work!"
Just as she was about to hurl the mini sun, shouting, "You damned Specters, take this," a torrent of cold water poured from the sky, extinguishing her fireball and chilling her to the core.
Caught off guard, Shen Lingxue was slammed to the ground by the unexpected pouring water. Her once flowing hair now hung limply, her white sportswear stained with mud, and her delicate makeup smeared. Worst of all, she fell face-first into the dirt, which, mixed with water, turned to mud, smearing her face as if she had applied a seaweed mud mask.
It was then that the silver-haired woman spoke up in a dark tone, "You damned bitch, how dare you ignore me?" It seemed her ugliness made her particularly hostile toward Shen Lingxue.
There's a saying about water and fire being opposites, but whether water overcomes fire or fire overcomes water depends on which is stronger. Clearly, the silver-haired woman, a second-tier psychic, was more powerful than Shen Lingxue. And because the woman was a psychic, the bronze candlestick couldn't block her attacks.
"How… How dare you!" Shen Lingxue, furious and humiliated like never before, struggled to rise from the muddy water.
SPLASH!
Another ton of water descended from above, pinning her back down. The scene almost seemed comical for a moment.
"I will kill—" she started.
SPLASH!
Once more, she was interrupted and damped by a torrent of water.