Chapter 50 — The Mystic Fire Mirror
劍問蒼天 · Page 4 of 6
Especially after Zhang Qingyue summoned the black iron staff—her expression grew stranger still, as if glad, yet somewhat worried, and seemingly hesitant besides; her face shifted from light to dark.
Zhou Yixuan looked twice and said, "That woman has taken a fancy to the black iron staff. What are you gawking at, girl?"
Xiaowan said, puzzled, "What black iron staff?"
Zhou Yixuan said, "The one the youth has."
Xiaowan, unconvinced, said, "Strange. Why is it that she may fancy the youth, but I may not even look?"
Zhou Yixuan glared at her, about to give this disobedient and precocious granddaughter a proper scolding, when he heard a fresh commotion in the clearing. He hurriedly turned to look and paid Xiaowan no more mind.
In the clearing, Zhang Qingyue saw the demon fox falling back—too good a chance to miss. In an instant he had closed in, the black iron staff whistling toward her. The three-tailed demon fox knit her brows; her face seemed to pale another shade.
As Zhang Qingyue came charging, the night deepened and the wind grew shriller. On that soft, alluring face, two faint, graceful brows seemed to lock together. She gave a light cry, sleeves flying, her jade-white fingers stretching and curling, joined like a blade, and slashed down through the air.
"Ya!"
A shriek like a mountain falling, sudden and abrupt, piercing everyone's ears like needles.
From the pitch-black woods countless faint glimmers suddenly burst forth. Looking closely, they poured like a tide from the darkness behind the woman—numberless demons, screaming without cease, their faces hideous, charging at Zhang Qingyue.
In an instant Zhang Qingyue was all but buried under them.
The onlookers paled—but a moment later they saw Zhang Qingyue, amid that black press of demons, moving with his staff, breaking out through the swarm. Where the green light of the black iron staff passed, only a few larger demons that seemed to have some cultivation dared resist; the rest did not dare come near.
At this the crowd was all the more shaken. But as Zhang Qingyue threw his full strength into his arts, a bitterness suddenly rose in his heart: this "Soul-Stealer" was forged by burning the dark spirits and fierce souls of demons. Seeing how these demons now feared the black iron staff by instinct, he feared that most of what Wan Rengui had said was true.
The three-tailed demon fox, seeing that even this countless horde of demons could not seem to stop Zhang Qingyue, grew paler still. Just then, from a little farther off, Shi Tou roared; golden light flashed, solemn and majestic, and from afar he seemed to become a mighty金刚 of demon-subduing power, eyes glaring wide, leaping up, and thrusting the Demon-Breaking Staff into the earth once more.
With a "boom," golden light splashed in all directions. This time the ground around collapsed over a still greater span, nearly three zhang, and the demon-quelling golden light that shot forth was more dazzling and more numerous still, like lightning and thunder.
Amid wails of anguish, half the demons surrounding Shi Tou were in an instant reduced to nothing, and most of the rest, in their terror, fled.
Shi Tou came down to earth, and no sooner had his huge frame steadied than he was gasping for breath—plainly such a mighty spell drained his body and cultivation greatly. But his constitution was sturdy after all, and in a moment he seemed to catch his breath. Still somewhat winded, he glanced around and charged toward Zhang Qingyue.
The three-tailed demon fox caught sight of Shi Tou charging from the corner of her eye; Zhang Qingyue before her was already close. She stamped her foot, about to slip away into the darkness behind her.
But at that very moment, a white light flashed in the dark, and a vast drift of white flying blossoms suddenly flew out, the wind sharp and fierce. The three-tailed demon fox was startled and for a moment dared not move, and could only stand her ground.