Versatile Mage: Get the Desert Emperor clone at the start

Chapter 161 Sometimes Death is a Luxury

"Sister Leng Qing, I..."

Leng Qing interrupted Qin Xiaonan, saying, "You don't need to explain anything. Everyone has their own secrets. I'm not someone who likes to pry into the secrets of my close friends. I was able to survive thanks to your rescue this time. I know your feelings, and that's enough." Leng Qing's words were very rational.

Qin Xiaonan nodded.

The group rested there for the night.

The next day, as dawn broke, a violent tremor suddenly came from the distant mountains.

A large number of birds were startled and flew across the sky.

Qin Xiaonan looked up towards the northwest, a cold smile curving her lips—Qing Ning was back.

"boom--!"

A golden streak of light appeared before everyone. As the light faded, Qing Ning's elegant figure gradually became clear.

The object she was pressing down on with her right hand was none other than the demon that had nearly wiped out the entire Inquisition squad—Night Owl.

The owl was no longer as composed as before.

His black robe was tattered, and his mask was half-broken, revealing pale skin underneath. His limbs were completely sealed by crystalline earth, from which sharp thorns grew and pierced deep into his joints.

“Master, I have not failed you.” Qing Ning’s voice was clear and melodious, but it made Night Owl tremble.

Let's go back to last night, to the dark mountain forest where the moonlight was obscured by dark clouds.

Qing Ning moved silently through the forest, her golden pupils gleaming faintly in the darkness. Her fingertips lightly touched the lingering poisonous magic energy on the tree trunks, searching for the other party's trace.

“Found you.”

Qing Ning, a supreme monarch-level being, would have no trouble chasing after Night Owl, who possessed cultivation beyond the highest level.

The owl darted swiftly through the dense forest, its black robe blending seamlessly into the night.

Suddenly, he stopped abruptly, his pupils shrinking sharply.

A graceful figure appeared on the ancient tree branch ahead.

Her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, shimmering with a dreamlike glow under the moonlight.

She was a charming and beautiful woman in a dark green cheongsam, yet she made Night Owl's hair stand on end.

"Good evening." Qing Ning greeted him with a light laugh, but it made Night Owl feel like he was facing a formidable enemy.

The fact that the other party could catch up to him so quickly meant that he was no ordinary person.

Without further ado, Night Owl flicked his black robe: "Poison Domain!"

A dark green poisonous mist erupted instantly, and hundreds of serpentine phantoms condensed within it, flicking their tongues as they lunged at Qing Ning.

Wherever it went, the grass and trees withered.

Qing Ning neither dodged nor evaded; a golden halo appeared before her. The moment the poisonous mist collided with the halo, it was purified completely, like snow meeting the blazing sun, with a hissing sound.

"A trivial skill." She stroked her long hair, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.

Night Owl's expression changed drastically, and he unleashed shadow magic with both hands: "Shadow Escape!" Night Owl was also a high-level shadow mage.

His figure suddenly split into dozens of black shadows, which flew off in different directions.

He didn't want to get entangled with Qing Ning; as an assassin, he had an extremely keen sense of danger.

Qing Ning smiled.

She gracefully raised her right hand, her slender fingertips lightly touching the ground: "Earth Vein Manifestation."

Suddenly, ripples spread across the ground, and all the shadows that touched the ground seemed to have stepped on sticky glue, their speed drastically reduced. Even more terrifying, wherever the Night Owl's true form passed, tiny golden specks of light would appear on the ground.

"Found you." Qing Ning's figure suddenly appeared in front of a dark shadow.

Night Owl was terrified and hastily unleashed his killing move: "Twin Poisonous Shadows." His main body and his shadow simultaneously shot out two poisoned dark blades from tricky angles.

One shot straight for the throat, the other aimed for the heart; their speed was so fast it was imperceptible to the naked eye.

"Ding! Ding!"

With two crisp sounds, the dark blade was blocked by the suddenly appearing golden sand shield just inches away from Qing Ning's skin.

Qing Ning didn't even move her feet.

"Have you had enough fun?" she asked softly, then suddenly opened her red lips and let out a clear, long cry.

"Nine-Tailed Fox - Heavenly Net!"

Nine illusory tail shadows unfolded behind her, instantly transforming into a net of light that blotted out the sun.

The owl's shadow clones were like moths drawn to a spider web, stuck and unable to break free.

Seeing the situation was dire, the Night Owl's true form gritted its teeth and tore open its robes, revealing a hideous snake-shaped tattoo: "Azure Phosphorus Sacrifice - Ten Thousand Poisons."

Before he could even unleash this magic spell, Qing Ning's figure had already appeared in front of him.

Her slender fingers gently pressed against the owl's forehead: "Quiet."

"Crack!"

The space around the owl was suddenly enveloped in golden sand, and countless tiny grains of sand grew wildly from his seven orifices.

He tried to scream, but found his vocal cords were blocked by sand; he tried to struggle, but his limbs were tightly bound by chains formed from quicksand.

Qing Ning looked at her masterpiece with satisfaction—the owl was like an insect encased in amber, its entire body imprisoned except for its eyes, which could still move.

She lifted the completely sealed owl with one hand and vanished into the night as a streak of light.

The mountains and forests returned to silence, with only the gradually dissipating golden sand serving as proof that a crushing battle had taken place here.
-
After being thrown to the ground, Night Owl looked at Qin Xiaonan in front of him, wondering who she was.

Then Leng Qing came out.

An incredulous look appeared in Night Owl's eyes. He knew how serious Leng Qing's injuries were; he was basically doomed.

But now, she stands right in front of me, completely unharmed, even her clothes are spotless.

Upon seeing Night Owl, Qin Xiaonan did not rush to interrogate him. Instead, she gently raised her hand and said, "Qingning, let him have some fun."

Qing Ning nodded in understanding, and loosely clenched her left hand.

In an instant, countless golden grains of sand surged from her palm, shimmering with an eerie light under the moonlight.

The sand grains instantly transformed into hundreds of fine, hair-like golden needles, which precisely pierced the acupoints all over the night owl's body.

Each needle seemed to move like a living thing between his muscles and nerves, bringing indescribable pain.

The owl's limbs convulsed uncontrollably, veins bulging, but because its vocal cords were sealed, it couldn't even let out a scream.

His eyes were bloodshot and almost bulged out of their sockets.

Cold sweat rolled down his forehead, wetting his contorted face.

Those golden needles seemed to have a life of their own, sometimes penetrating deep into the bone marrow, sometimes wandering beneath the skin, precisely controlling the pain at the edge of collapse yet preventing unconsciousness.

Qin Xiaonan walked up to him, squatted down, and said slowly, "We have plenty of time to play now."

"Sometimes death is a luxury, don't you think?"

Qin Xiaonan would show no mercy to the members of the Black Vatican, especially since he had previously severely injured Leng Qing.

As a member of the Tribunal, Leng Qing was well aware of the cruelty of this world, so she did not feel any pity when she saw Qin Xiaonan's behavior, and the other party was also standing up for her.

She was in charge of investigating the Black Vatican and knew a bit about their affairs. When dealing with these beasts, one cannot be soft-hearted.

(End of this chapter)