The rhino-horse threw the Blacksilver Pawn off its back and quickly trampled it into bits. Unfortunately for it, there were ten more of them surrounding it from all directions. As soon as the Soul Fragment was destroyed Sage sent them all into action. He sent his own minions after hers. They could be smashed to bits but unless the Soul Fragment that powered them was gone, they could just keep regenerating using Sage’s Qi.

At the same time, Sage was using an automatic crossbow to launch a dozen glowing bolts at Hei Bai. This was not one of the cheap Stumblebows he invented for the Jade Horde. It was one that cost tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, firing multiple bolts per second it consumed Spirit Stones to automatically pull back the string and loaded itself from an internal storage space. Even the bolts it was firing were rank 3 mortal tools, using higher level materials and with small array symbols inscribed upon them. They were too small for a full formation, and Sage didn’t invest the time to make them all into full magic tools. Instead their tips burned with a flash of heat, numbing cold, or simply improved piercing ability, empowered for only a few seconds before crumbling to dust.

When they’d tested the Fingerbone necklace, that type of power had completely melted the poor inmate without the victim even realizing that anything was happening until their eyes melted away and they went blind. At the same time, it hadn’t done anything to the cell itself and had been confined to a limited area or it was somehow stopped by the basic formations on the prison cell’s door. These observations led him to believe that power was severely restricted on how it could be used. Combined with the way it was able to destroy his Soul Fragment and Hei Bai’s use of souls, he chose to avoid her strong suit and just throw money at her.

Rather than try to approach her and put himself at risk, he merely retreated. Keeping the witch and her puppet in view while firing a large volume of bolts her way. To her credit, Hei Bai was no slouch. The bone staff in her hand started to spin, showing off she had some martial ability. The glowing green flames in the skull’s eyes formed a wheel shaped light in front of her, the staff spinning at high speed. The staff clashed against the bolts, knocking them aside, but they just kept coming. After a few dozen of them had rained upon her, she finally made a mistake and one of them skipped across her cheek, grazing her skin and drawing a little ribbon of red blood.

While this was going on, Tujiu ran over to Xiezi. There was a burst of flame, and a huge vulture patterned like fire appeared in his place. The bird spoke with a pulse of Spirit Sense, “Climb on!”

He was acting on orders from Sage, the aura coming from Hei Bai was too dangerous. Xiezi didn’t listen and was instead circling around the battlefield and heading towards the giant scorpion. As if he knew she would say that, the huge vulture flapped its wings and slowly ascended into the air. The fiery vulture flew off without making any attempt to stop the girl.

Hei Bai grit her teeth, she was endlessly twirling her staff, being constantly harassed. The weapon she’d chosen for this fight was also completely restricted. That was her Heavenly Material and now it was being used to suppress her! The Blacksilver Pawns surrounded the skeletal rhino horse and constantly wrestled with it, restricted it from moving around and removing its greatest weapon. It reared up and stomped the oily figures, it slashed them in half with its horns, slapped them with a whip of its front hooves and released powerful kicks to its rear. Even so, it could only inflict so much damage at once and by the time it finished smashing a second enemy to bits the first one was nearly recovered. While it focused on defeating them, the tough bones of its body were already being chipped and cracked in many places. It was only a matter of time until it would be defeated.

The old woman was completely on the back foot and forced on guard. Unless she could break this stalemate, her hated enemy was going to kill her with pure exhaustion. There was a vicious light in her eyes, their first battle had been long and grueling. Constant changes had taken place and this vile beast had taken much from her. It wasn’t hard for her to find out that her hated foe had already advanced to the next rank. She knew he was a Nascent Soul now. Hei Bai was no fool. She wouldn’t dare to face down a Nascent Soul without some confidence. He was not the same, but neither was she.

The white skull in her eye shifted, it flashed and turned a bloody crimson. At the same time, she released a loud scream. A spiritual shock wave erupted from her, one that also carried an energetic component. The bolts in mid-air met an astounding wave of heat. The bolts instantly ignited, turning molten and melting as they flew through the air. The Soul Clone that was threatening Hei Bai from behind was struck and blasted away. Luckily, it was keeping its distance so the damage wasn’t great, but her scream made the Soul Clone’s spirit body sizzle.

Sage was instantly burned, his skin sizzling from the attack. That scream she used was familiar to him, but contrary to in the past, the immense wave that splashed through his Spiritual Sea caused him no harm. The fortress of the Infinite Immaterial Seat protected him effortlessly against such a simple assault. It also perfectly protected the Soul Clone on the inside, but the clone had no body to protect it from the heat wave that came along with Hei Bai’s attack. That red color and the heat was also familiar to Sage.

She had called it a Blood Ghost, right? Interesting.

While that scream had interrupted the assault upon her, the bolts were still flying towards her. Despite being melted by the extreme heat, they were still carrying momentum. Molten metals splashed onto her, the spinning staff not quite good enough to be impenetrable even to liquids. Most of the molten metal bolt heads were swept aside, but tiny burning droplets splashed against her, puncturing her skin and causing her black robes to be stained by blood.

Sage backpedaled a bit further, tossing a few things behind some rocks and trees as he moved. Hei Bai traded a few injuries to break the flow of the battle. She finally had a moment to catch her breath and she waved her staff. The green flames in its eyes burned brightly and the green colored ghost flew out of the skeleton she’d animated. The bones immediately fell to the ground, allowing them to be torn apart by the Blacksilver Pawns. The oily black warrior grabbed each of the bones, separating their former foe piece by piece and tossing the bones into different directions.

The green ghost flew back over to Hei Bai and then she opened her mouth and there was a loud suction sound. The ghost wailed with fright and then disappeared into her mouth. The light in the eyes of the staff disappeared, the little green flames snuffed out. She tossed her staff aside and Sage watched in fascination as the old woman’s body grew. Her back straightened and the wrinkles on her face started to fade. The scars on her face shrunk and the weird jowly look they gave her disappeared. The twisted old woman became an attractive middle aged woman in just a few seconds. Despite the transformation, the look on her face was anything but pleased. She seemed quite upset, like she had just made a terrible deal. Her bad eye, the one with the cataract cleared up. It didn’t have a little skull in it like her other eye, but it stared ferociously at Sage. She smiled widely and started laughing.

“You continue to cost me greatly! The Green Flame Ghost has been with me for eighty years, a gift from my Master when I started on the path of cultivation. Who knew that it was carrying the final message from my Master. You’re ruined now!”