Of course, You Su wouldn’t let it go easily and continued the relentless pursuit. The two people and three insects thus began a prolonged chase.
This ghost mite, praised by the Chief Elder for its exceptional stealth and evasion capabilities, was already as fast as You Su, who was carrying Ji Lingruo. Moreover, its slender form was perfect for slipping through all sorts of strange places, causing You Su to lose track of it multiple times.
Thankfully, Ji Lingruo had the compass in her hand. The mother ghost mite, while fleeing for its life, moved in a meandering fashion, allowing You Su to take shortcuts under Ji Lingruo’s guidance, successfully compensating for the delay.
Unbeknownst to them, they had chased it along the Quhuai River to the outskirts of Mo Ye City.
The mother ghost mite seemed to realize that You Su was relentlessly pursuing it. It suddenly stopped moving and spat out two small offspring.
Each of these small ghost mites bore the same golden spots on their bodies, glaringly bright in the night.
The mother ghost mite sensed You Su’s slow approach and realized that her offspring were the reason this human pursued it so relentlessly. Without hesitation, it abandoned the two small ghost mites and burrowed into the reeds by the riverbank.
The land outside the city by the riverbank was fertile, and these untended reeds grew tall, concealing the mother ghost mite’s whereabouts, making it difficult for You Su to see.
"Junior Sister! Guard them here!"
Saying so, You Su swiftly placed Ji Lingruo by the side of the two abandoned small ghost mites. Ignoring Ji Lingruo’s objections, he burst forth with his fastest speed, chasing after the direction where the mother ghost mite had disappeared.
He was so fast that the reed leaves cut painfully against his face, yet You Su was confident that his speed was no slower than the mother ghost mite’s.
You Su had opened his enigmatic dark eyes, yet despite chasing for a long time, he hadn’t seen a trace of the red shadow.
Suddenly, it was as if he realized something, and his expression drastically changed. He immediately turned his ankle and started running back!
The mother ghost mite, after much effort to find her offspring, couldn’t possibly abandon them so easily!
Its true purpose was to lure me away!
And now, the one guarding the two small ghost mites is the junior sister!
Not good!
You Su gritted his teeth, drawing the unsheathed Mo Song Sword, slashing halfway through the reeds along the way and charged back like lightning.
As he expected, when he arrived, Ji Lingruo’s skirt was already torn in many places. She was holding up the sword she had retrieved from her mother’s grave, confronting the mother ghost mite.
In strict terms, this was not the young girl’s task. She could have let the mother ghost mite leave, but for her senior brother, she chose to draw her sword against the mother ghost mite, which had the strength of the Middle Condensed Water Realm.
She was no longer the weak, helpless girl when facing enemies. She was the second young lady of the Snake Race, the third disciple of the Lotus Sword Venerable, and one of only two Yong Sword Inheritors in the world!
Ji Lingruo knew well that her strength was nowhere on the same level as the mother ghost mite, but she had no choice. Even if injured, she had to fight desperately!
Her slender, delicate arms were bleeding. Even though she was swinging her sword extremely fast, the mother ghost mite was even faster!
Its mouthparts suddenly extended with a long jaw tube, spewing a jet of black venom! In the boundless night, the venom seemed to merge with the darkness, making it hard to detect.
Just as Ji Lingruo was about to be hit, a shadow flashed by like a gale — it was You Su!
He wrapped his arms around Ji Lingruo from behind, shielding her with his chest.
In this posture, he blocked the mother ghost mite’s venom, and his back was immediately corroded, leaving a large black hole, exposing the gruesome flesh beneath.
From a distance, Fairy Wangshu’s eyes instantly sharpened. She gripped her sword hilt, ready to rush over and execute the evil herself.
But Zi Yiyi shouted in a low voice:
"Fairy Wangshu! Don’t! He hasn’t lost! This is his test!"
Even though she had already acknowledged You Su in her heart, this matter was of great significance. If You Su couldn’t handle this evil himself, then the test could only be deemed a failure.
Fairy Wangshu turned to look at her, and Zi Yiyi finally understood why the world perceived Fairy Wangshu as cold as winter plum.
After spending a day together, she even thought the world misunderstood. Only now did she realize it was because her junior brothers and sisters surrounded her. In dealing with outsiders, her gaze could become so cold as to make you doubt whether you were facing the eternal icebergs of the Beiao Continent.
However, Fairy Wangshu did not lose her composure. She looked back and continued watching You Su on the opposite bank. She chose to trust her junior brother, but she still tightly gripped her sword hilt, ready to strike at any moment.
"Senior Brother!"
Ji Lingruo immediately realized what had happened. She quickly broke free from You Su’s embrace, looking at his vast injuries with guilt, hating herself for not detecting the venom sooner, causing You Su to rely on his body to withstand it due to the urgency.
"I’m fine."
You Su smiled reassuringly, still reminding Ji Lingruo:
"Don’t let it escape!"
After being nourished by Taisui, You Su’s body’s recovery ability was stronger than he imagined. Though his back was severely injured, it wasn’t painful to the extent that he couldn’t bear it.
In terms of strength, a Middle Condensed Water Realm cultivator’s Profound Qi reserves were more than a Middle Spirit Platform Realm and Spirit Platform Upper Realm combined.
Yet, for some reason, that ghost mite seemed to fear You Su greatly. It turned its head, picked up the small ghost mites, and immediately fled.
At this moment, You Su’s only wish was to swiftly execute the malevolent creature that nearly harmed his junior sister. Taking two steps as three, clad in black, he transformed into a shadowy streak under the moonlight. The equally black sword was already poised at the mother ghost mite’s vital spot.
You Su unleashed his strike without mercy, Don’t Be Afraid Sword Intent fully engaged. The violent Sword Qi, commanding the heavenly Profound Qi like a divine mountain pressing down, sliced the malevolent creature, which had done nothing but flee, into two halves with one blow.
A large pool of blood instantly flowed across the grass, and the two halves of the mother ghost mite’s corpse continue to wriggle, unmoved in its death throes.
Without hesitation, You Su callously delivered a finishing blow, chopping the mother ghost mite into pieces until it dissolved into a pool of blood like other dying malicious entities, merging with the earth.
In the blood pool, only the two small, helpless ghost mites remained, baring their teeth at You Su, yet they seemed no different from silkworms to him.
You Su took out the Exorcism Order, collecting the two small ones to bring back to the Exorcism Bureau for research.
Zi Yiyi, standing on a distant tree trunk, was in disbelief. This malevolent entity, with the strength of the Middle Condensed Water Realm, was utterly powerless in front of You Su, without even a thought of struggle.
She had never encountered such a situation before. Even malevolent creatures stronger than ghost mites hadn’t shown such cowardice when facing the First Seat of Hua Jing. Could this young man truly be the nemesis of all evil spirits?
Zi Yiyi thought the test was concluded. She felt somewhat ashamed for ever questioning You Su. The Exorcism Bureau was on the brink of an unprecedented golden age, possessing both the Divine Maiden and the Divine Son to combat the Evil God.
Perhaps the day to end the Evil God’s prying was in this very era!
In her heart, Zi Yiyi couldn’t help but feel a surge of heroic ambition, calling out:
"Fairy Wangshu, let’s go over there."
But unexpectedly, Fairy Wangshu, who had been eager to move, didn’t make a step. Instead, her eyes were heavy, gazing into the darkness behind her.
Following her gaze, Zi Yiyi saw someone appear unexpectedly in the sky —
It was Miss Cailing!
At this moment, her aura was sinister and alluring, standing in the air, her daring attire exposing her arms and back covered with strange tattoos.
From any angle, this was a formidable evil cultivator!
Zi Yiyi, sensing something amiss, quickly turned to look back at You Su’s direction. Her pupils constricted to the size of beads —
You Su was also suspended in the air, but it wasn’t of his own volition. Rather, he was being held by the throat, lifted by a powerful force!
The ghost mite’s escape was feigned; its true purpose was leading them into an ambush!