Chapter 117

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Chapter 117: Puppet Army

Princess Shunde's arrival was much faster than they anticipated.

The sky outside burned a blood-red.

Kongming frowned and immediately went out the door, Luo Jinsang following closely behind.

Soon after, countless demon masters and demons in the city floated up with the wind, assembled in the air, and headed for the southern border.

Ji Yunhe watched them through the window as Lin Haoqing snickered, "Worried? This attack was made by Shunde from a hundred miles away."

She grew even more sullen. "She's still a hundred miles away?"

"She saw me through Siyu, so naturally I saw her too," answered Lin Haoqing. "But during the time of us talking just now, she is probably already a few dozen miles closer. The art of wind manipulation is much stronger for those who train in wood magic."

Ji Yunhe glanced at the objects scattered in the house, then her gaze fell on Changyi. "Shunde's power is even more unpredictable than we thought. I have to go to the border and guard the boundary. If she breaks through, I will lure her to the thunderfire cave. Help me protect Changyi until he wakes up."

Lin Haoqing spoke as she turned to leave.

"Don't gamble with your life."

It sounded like something that family would say.

Ji Yunhe smiled. "Okay," she replied.

Nine black fox tails appeared as she stepped out and soared across the sky, merging into the crowd heading south.

Lin Haoqing went to the side of the bed where Changyi was. Even though the jiaoren still had his eyes closed, his fingers started to quiver.

Lin Haoqing reassured him, "She will be fine."

The trembling fingertips calmed.

...

When Ji Yunhe arrived at the border, she saw a giant puppet army emitting an eerie green glow as far as the eye could see. The refugees had all disappeared.

The expressions on the puppet soldiers were hollow and dull, and each one of them had a green thread attached to their forehead, leading to a point in the distant south. Like senseless ants marching forward at their queen's command.

And they were incinerated as soon as they touched the fire of the boundary, filling the air with burnt stench and flying ash.

Ji Yunhe stood on top of the city wall and peered into the distance. A person dressed in bright red sat barefoot on a giant sedan chair, carried by dozens of people.

This suddenly reminded Ji Yunhe of the first time she saw Princess Shunde back in the Demon Valley.

Arrogant, detached, and wanted to control everyone's life and death.

But she looked much crazier now. She drank some wine, then casually threw the wine jug after she finished, seemingly at random. The jug flew through the air and crashed into the fire boundary with a loud boom.

The tiny wine jug smashed a big hole into the boundary, shaking up the entire wall. Luckily the flames below quickly burned up again and mended itself.

But the people within the boundary were shocked.

Shunde laughed hysterically. The wind carried her laughter across the northern city, shaking up everyone inside.

Her sedan chair stopped a hundred feet away from the boundary, and she flipped her hand holding the green threads.

The puppets below flashed green and accelerated their steps, eventually running into the boundary like mad. One by one, they hit the fire and burned like moths to a flame. Ash and dust rose up and covered the sky.

The boundary successfully kept all of the dust and chaos from entering, but this desperate assault looked beyond terrifying.

Even though the demon masters and demons of the north were no strangers to blood and gore, they still could not help but feel chills.

They were facing an army that seeked death over life.

Gradually, the corpses and ashes accumulated and built up layer by layer into a mountain outside the boundary.

Its height now matched that of the black iron city wall.

"If they want to die, then let them come," said Ji Yunhe as she waved her hand.

Smoke rose up behind dozens of city gates across the border where Ji Yunhe had laid down her foundations, and black fox fire burned up into the sky like giant pillars.

Ji Yunhe made a gesture, and the formation under her feet flashed brightly then entered the earth below.

Two whips formed out of black fire swept across the boundary outside like giant hands, smoothing away the piles of corpses and ash that had built up.

And Ji Yunhe's spell casting gave her position to Shunde.

From a hundred feet away, Shunde's eyebrows sank.

She stood up on top of the huge sedan chair and gently grabbed a feathered arrow from the back of a puppet beside her, then smiled. It flew into the wind without a bow or a string.

Faster than lightning and not giving people any time to react, the arrow pierced through the bodies of countless puppet soldiers and headed straight for Ji Yunhe.

Black flames under the wall rolled over to block the arrow, but they were pushed away by the wind that came with it.

Princess Shunde smiled arrogantly.

The tip of the feathered arrow shattered together with the fire boundary in front of Ji Yunhe.

The entire wall trembled, and flying ash outside flew in through the breach.

Puppets immediately swarmed up the wall and climbed through the hole. The demon masters next to Ji Yunhe charged forth and began fighting off the invaders. Although Princess Shunde's arrow was powerful, it did not shake the foundation of the boundary, and the flames quickly burned up again in self repair.

"The boundary can't stop her," Ji Yunhe said to Kongming next to her. "These puppets were born from her magic. If Shunde dies, her army will disappear."

Kongming turned his head to look at Ji Yunhe. "What are you going to do?"

"Create a hole and let her come after me. I'll lure her to the cave with the thunderfire lava. You guys just do your best to hold back the puppet army, and do not let them enter the city."

"No problem."

Shunde threw three more feathered arrows, landing on the flame boundary in front of Ji Yunhe.

The boundary broke with a loud roar, and a battle between the two armies was set in motion.

Shunde raised her hand a third time and threw nine feathered arrows. Puppets flooded through the breach.

Ji Yunhe flew through one of the openings without further delay. Standing in mid air, her black fox tails were far more eye-catching than anyone else.

Shunde naturally saw her.

She channeled her power into some arrows and fiercely hurled them at Ji Yunhe.

Ji Yunhe did not dodge them. Nine tails whipped behind and a loud cackle was heard, as if lightning had struck.

Before Shunde had the time to smile, the arrows shot back at her, now wrapped in black fox fire.

The fire grazed Shunde's ear and scorched the puppets carrying her sedan chair. The flames then spread down onto the ground and incinerated all the puppet soldiers along its path.

Shunde looked at the scorched earth behind her. When she looked back again, her gaze was full of murderous rage.

Ji Yunhe's strike had boosted the morale of the northern army. They shouted out in cheer, raised their weapons, and fought bravely against the enemy force.

Ji Yunhe stared back at Princess Shunde.

Sure enough, her move provoked the princess just as she had expected. With the surging wind, Shunde's body flew forward at a blinding speed, and Ji Yunhe was knocked backward against the boundary.

Although the flame of the boundary did not hurt Ji Yunhe, some blood trickled down the corner of her mouth from the force of the impact.

"Who do you think you are?" Shunde hovered in the air with her body wrapped in green aura. She floated in the middle of the boundary fire, but the flames did not hurt her in the least bit.

On top of the city walls, people's faces all changed. Kongming subconsciously pulled Luo Jinsang over to his side in order to protect her, but with a turn of the head, Luo Jinsang vanished from sight. Kongming did not have the time to go find her, and just cautiously stared at Princess Shunde.

The powers of the Grand Master and Qing Ji were too strong. In front of Shunde, their efforts of laying down a boundary had turned into a joke.

Her hair danced wildly in the wind like an evil ghost from hell. "I should have killed you long ago."

Ji Yunhe smiled as she stood up. "It's just a pity that you were never able to, and you still can't."

Shunde grew even more furious. As she summoned the wind and blasted out another strike, Ji Yunhe turned around and ran.

"Trying to escape?" Shunde followed in pursuit, all the way to the snowy mountains in the north.

And the puppet soldiers rushed in through the boundary left broken by Shunde's passage.

The battle turned chaotic.

"Luo Jinsang!" Kongming called out her name. He had told her not to follow him to the border. She was already injured from back in the side hall, how much help could she possibly be?

"You will just cause more trouble!" Kongming grumbled with frustration when a sword suddenly came at him from behind. He turned around and raised his hand to block it, but when he saw the attacker, he froze.

Ji Chengyu...

His brother.

He had not seen him for so many years. When he left the Grand Master's house a decade ago, he guessed that they might one day be on opposite sides of the fence, but he never thought it would be like this -- facing an already dead and manipulated Ji Chengyu.

Ji Chengyu abruptly made a move while Kongming stood there frozen, his speed was faster than the monk could react. Just as the sword was about to enter Kongming's chest, it stopped.

Kongming looked at the sword, and saw a few drops of blood inexplicably seep out of its tip, slowly dripping to the ground by his feet.

And a person faded into view.

It was the invisible Luo Jinsang...

"I... I did not cause more trouble."

The black fox fire on the edge of the city wall swept through and scattered all the puppets around them. Kongming took her into his arms and lowered her to the ground while pressing against the wound on her chest.

"Shut up."

He held her tightly.

"I was going to go help Yunhe, but she is smarter than you, so I'll save you first..." Luo Jinsang did not shut up. "I'm your savior now, you have to be reasonable and repay me... Promise your body to me."

Kongming lost what little bit of calm he had. "You shut up!"

She had a hole in her chest, she should not be talking.

"Are you going to promise me? If you don't, then I will just die like this. If you do, I will try to hang on a little. I..." Luo Jinsang still refused to shut up.

Kongming pressed tightly against her wound. "Your chest has a hole in it! Will you shut up and stop talking?! I promise! Now shut up!"

Luo Jinsang grinned, "Remember your promise… When the battle is over, you will marry me..." Her voice gradually faded and her eyes closed.

Kongming felt his throat tighten and every breath turned into a struggle.

He held Luo Jinsang's wrist to feel her pulse...

Weak...

But fortunately, it was still there.

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