Chapter 491: Chapter 57: Ghost Soldier Pattern
"Kid, where do you think you’re running," Luo Yun was so angry that smoke might as well be coming out of his seven orifices. Ignoring Bo Xiyu’s attempts to stop him, he directly entered the Transmission Array as well.
"Ximing, you stay behind and take care of the Goddess. Song Mu, follow me into the array," Zong Shaoqing glanced indifferently at Ximing and at Guo Ziyu, who was hesitating about whether to follow Xie Yu into the array.
The people from the Divine Court immediately entered the Transmission Array too.
Seeing that the Divine Court and the July Mercenary Team were also going through the array one after another, Jin Nuo was unwilling to be outdone and followed suit.
In just a moment, the inside of the Dragon Court was nearly empty, leaving only a Divine Court Array Master and Sha Xi’s Ximing, among others.
Bo Xiyu, who arrived a bit later, saw that Qin Dongting also went through the Transmission Array and followed in with a spear in hand.
"I recognize you," Sha Xi was left behind, feeling displeased, and glanced at Guo Ziyu, "You are that traitor’s woman."
Ximing lowered his head and said no more, avoiding eye contact with Guo Ziyu.
Facing Guo Ziyu, he felt guilty, longing to explain, but thinking about the matter of the Chaos Mantis, the words that reached his lips were forced back down again.
Guo Ziyu looked at Ximing’s injured face with distress, having seen all of Sha Xi’s actions just now.
"Ximing, didn’t you say you wanted to return to the Divine Court? Now is the opportunity to show your loyalty. This female assassin intends to harm me; kill her," Sha Xi’s eyes glinted with malicious intent,
"Everyone says the Divine Court is full of mercy and benevolence, but seeing today, the so-called Goddess is nothing more than a venomous woman with a scorpion’s heart," Guo Ziyu’s hand flashed, and her fingernails grew explosively, with a green light flickering at her fingertips. She had already developed a murderous intent towards Sha Xi. Ximing, who was injured beside her, suddenly stiffened upon hearing Sha Xi’s words, closed his eyes in agony, clenched his hand into a fist and then released it weakly.
"Divine Goddess, I..." Ximing, overwhelmed with grief, shook his head.
"Can’t bring yourself to do it, huh? The Divine Court has no use for Judgement Envoys who are swayed by emotions. If you can’t do it, then let me help you," Sha Xi pursed her lips, laughing eerily, "Mother was right, only the Divine Runes are the infallible method for ensuring unwavering loyalty."
She held a tattoo needle in her hand, and with a flick, it struck right into the Ghost Soldier Pattern on Ximing’s arm.
Stimulated by the tattoo needle, the Ghost Soldier Pattern on Ximing’s arm, which had been carved from blue-green beast blood, came to life.
With its ghastly mouth grimacing, it revealed two sharp fangs that clamped down tightly on Ximing’s arm, and from its maw, it spewed out streams of green smoke.
That green smoke was as thin as a strand of hair, but as soon as it touched Ximing’s flesh, it turned into black and green meridians, spreading rapidly like withered vines of an old tree that had found water,
As the number of black and green smoky meridians increased, changes began to occur in both Ximing’s face and body. His forehead and glabella, already injured, started gathering a dark Qi.
This dark Qi formed the character for "ghost," and Ximing, realizing he was losing control of his divine body, knew his greatest fear had come to pass. With a sad cry, he called out, "Ziyu, go."
As the dark Qi accumulated further, Ximing’s appearance underwent a complete transformation.
Guo Ziyu’s heart quivered with a mixture of sorrow and anger, and with a fierce shout, her fingers swept like the wind towards Sha Xi.
But Sha Xi just smiled, waved her fingertip, and Ximing lunged towards Guo Ziyu.
Ximing, with his palms as blades, had already lost his humanity after becoming a Ghost Soldier; his moves were both ruthless and precise. But Guo Ziyu, unwilling to hurt her beloved, kept giving ground. The two were originally evenly matched in Cultivation, and with this, Guo Ziyu was put at an increasing disadvantage, narrowly avoiding injury by Ximing time and again.
"How amusing, truly amusing. Just wait until after this traitor has killed you. I’ll personally tell him that you were slain by his own hands. He will surely be devastated, preferring death over living. Don’t worry, you can’t be together in life, but in death, I will fulfill your wish and let you share a grave," Sha Xi was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, clapping and cheering from time to time.
Guo Ziyu was pushed to the brink and activated the Summoning Bracelet in her hand.
A Fur Spider the size of a calf appeared before her, spraying a stream of sticky Spider Liquid, wrapping Ximing tightly in its hold.
Guo Ziyu turned to attack Sha Xi, but Sha Xi refused to concede and engaged in a fight with her.
"Clang--" A dull strike resounded as Guo Ziyu hit the Rao Ri Armor, sparks scattered, and Sha Xi bent down to see his body unharmed, his heart filled with joy.
It was at this moment that the Fur Spider behind let out a miserable cry, Ximing, transformed into a Ghost Soldier, was ferocious and actually tore the Fur Spider into two halves.
With the blocking Fur Spider removed, Ximing viciously pounced towards Guo Ziyu, from whose eyes torrents of tears rolled down; she could not bring herself to strike him down, even though he had completely lost his will and no longer recognized her.
Just as Ximing’s palm aimed for Guo Ziyu’s face, Sha Xi suddenly spoke out, "Stop."
Ximing’s hand was barely an inch away from Guo Ziyu as his eyes glinted with a beastly light, slowly turning his head.
What caused Sha Xi to suddenly speak and stop, however, was a mantis that had appeared behind her.
The Chaos Mantis, with its silvery-white wings fluttering, had stealthily infiltrated the Dragon Court at some unknown time.
Nobody expected that hiding in the shadows was not only Xie Yu; in fact, the first to enter the Dragon Court was this very mantis.
It looked on with its beautiful sad eyes at Guo Ziyu, who was closed her eyes awaiting death, then at Ximing who had long lost his humanity, the two Mantis Blades in its hands now pressed against Sha Xi’s fair neck.
Ximing was not prepared that the one who came to rescue her would be the Chaos Mantis that had been missing for many days.
"Human Race, do you wish to save him?" The Chaos Mantis, ignoring Sha Xi’s struggling beneath its hands, its silvery-white belly eyes sizing up Guo Ziyu.
Its eyes no longer held the original fierceness but carried a hint of human-like compassion.
It felt sorry for her, understanding that Ximing was its only kin in the world, and it too knew they were both victims of Divine Court.
Guo Ziyu drew in a sharp breath, she hadn’t anticipated that the Chaos Mantis, which had only recently emerged from its cocoon, would possess such profound intelligence.
In just over a month, it had not only learned human speech but also knew how to tail others into the Sky Dragon Palace when it was weak against powerful enemies, and then secretly hide away.
It had been waiting, waiting for the moment everyone’s guard was down to strike.
"I, I want to save him, by whatever means necessary," Guo Ziyu said sorrowfully, looking at Ximing who was crawling on the ground, fallen into madness.
If possible, she was even willing to exchange her own life to save Ximing.
"The Mantis Clan has an ancient Gu Curse that can help him, but that curse will take your life. Knowing this, do you still want to save him?" the Chaos Mantis asked softly.
"Tell me, that spell," Guo Ziyu nodded.
The Chaos Mantis let out a sigh, much like that of a human.