I, who was turned into a woman by the Jade Maiden Master, want to rebel against the Heavenly Gang.

Chapter 153 The Enchanting Shadow of the Red Lotus Under the Moon

This bleeding is outrageous!

Faced with this situation, Xia Jinghong had only one word in her mind: "Run!"

However, based on her years of experience traveling to the mortal realm, she knew that to catch someone, one must feign weakness; if they wanted to escape... one had to attack first.

So she drew her silver dragon spear and thrust it forward with a silver piercing strike.

However, the opponent reacted very quickly, crouching down to dodge the gunfire.

This was not unexpected for Xia Jinghong. This strange woman was blocking her way back to Qingyuefang. If she couldn't get around her, no matter which direction she fled, she would only get further and further away from Qingyuefang.

If the opponent dodges the thrust, I can easily slip away.

However, to Xia Jinghong's surprise, the opponent did not only dodge... a gaping maw rushed towards her!

If this mouth is like a chrysanthemum, then those petals... are like rings of sharp teeth.

It is said that a spear strikes like a dragon, and Xia Jinghong also gained some insights from the Jade Tree Golden Snake Body Technique that Qin Rufeng taught her.

The spear flashes like a dragon, the body moves like a python...

Using the force of the bent gun barrel, she tilted her body and performed a python somersault, dodging the gaping maw that lunged at her.

However, his waist was also slashed twice by the outermost teeth of that enormous mouth. Blood instantly stained his clothes...

Only then did Xia Jinghong realize that what was attacking him was... the woman's "tail".

The tail resembled a red tentacle, its surface slimy, appearing both soft and tough. And it possessed considerable strength.

Judging from the degree of its twisting and bending, it doesn't seem to have bones. Therefore, this thing is probably not a continuation of the coccyx.

In other words, this thing is not a natural tail but rather it crawls out of the body, just like a parasite.

terrible……

Xia Jinghong took off running. She didn't have any flying gear, but her agility was definitely among the best of those with the same cultivation level.

The woman whose tail emerged from her belly used both hands and feet to scale walls and leap across rooftops, relentlessly pursuing him.

Dark clouds obscured the moon, and the streets were pitch black, with only the dim lights of distant buildings flickering intermittently.

Xia Jinghong leaped across the clouds and rode the wind, using all the escape skills she had learned in her life to run wildly towards the direction of the lights.

However, she knew very well that the woman with the long tail was more powerful and faster than her.

Realizing she couldn't reach Qingyuefang, Xia Jinghong muttered to herself, "Fairy... Jinghong probably can't go back. Cangyun City isn't safe, you must be careful."

Just then, a gap appeared in the clouds. The bright moonlight shone through the gap, illuminating a graceful figure on the eaves of a building in the distance.

It was a woman in red...

She wore a strapless dress, revealing her fair shoulders and cleavage.

The lines of her shoulders and neck resembled those of a swan spreading its wings in the twilight. Her delicate skin shimmered with a translucent, porcelain-like sheen under the hazy moonlight.

Amidst the undulating peaks and deep ravines, a flame-shaped pattern stands out prominently.

Her leather belt was tightly fastened, showing off her slender waist.

Although the skirt was long, it had a side slit that reached the waist, and with just a gentle breeze in the night, it revealed her snow-white waist and hips and her graceful, long legs.

Under the moonlight, her face was obscured; only her long hair was visible.

She had a sword hanging at her waist and a folding fan in her hand.

Xia Jinghong didn't know whether he was friend or foe, but it didn't matter anymore. She shouted loudly at the man, "Fellow Daoist, save me!"

She popped open her folding fan to cover her face. Instantly, a swarm of fire butterflies appeared around her.

Her bright eyes reflected the flames, and she suddenly exclaimed, "Jump!"

Xia Jinghong knew she was being spoken to, and without hesitation, she leaped up. But the woman following behind her also jumped up.

Just then, Xia Jinghong saw countless fire butterflies rushing towards her. They then swept past her, transforming into shooting stars that hurtled towards the tailed woman behind her.

The fire butterfly pounced on the woman and instantly burst into flames, then rolled on the ground and burned into a fireball.

But the woman's tail quickly gushed out a large amount of blood from her chrysanthemum-like mouth, extinguishing the flames on her body.

Although it was only for a short time, the woman's body was already burned beyond recognition. In some places, it was charred black and exposed to the bone.

You could even see a mollusk-like body peeking out from under her shattered skin... She was definitely being parasitized by something horrible!

The power of this fire butterfly was truly astonishing. However, the woman with the tail... seemed to feel no pain at all.

No, she was burned beyond recognition. She had become a complete monster.

The woman in red on the rooftop said to Xia Jinghong, "Aren't you leaving?"

“I cannot leave,” Xia Jinghong said. “Fellow Daoist, you are a complete stranger to me, yet you have come to my rescue. If I win, I will bow three times and kowtow nine times to express my gratitude for saving my life. If I cannot win, I will share the burden with you. How can I possibly run away?”

The woman in red chuckled, "Hmph, your fairy certainly knows how to choose people. Your cultivation is just as low as hers, but your character is quite good."

As they were speaking, the monster with tentacles and a tail struggled and lunged at Xia Jinghong again.

"Step back." The woman in red gave a soft shout and swooped down from the roof like a hawk.

However, instead of charging straight at the tailed monster, she rushed towards the stone wall to the side.

Upon seeing this, the monster pounced towards the direction where she landed.

The woman in red lightly stepped on the stone wall, and a crimson lotus bloomed beneath her feet.

Using the recoil, she flipped in mid-air, the monster's chrysanthemum-shaped mouthparts at the end of its tail just grazing the hem of her dress, its fangs shattering into sparks like maple leaves.

The woman in red dodged the attack and performed a somersault in mid-air, her long legs already wrapped around the monster's neck.

Xia Jinghong didn't even see what happened...

"Get up!" With a soft shout, her snow-white legs suddenly tightened, and the muscles in her thighs taut out a beautiful arch.

As the monster struggled, its thrashing tail was about to bite the woman in red's back when it collided with a sudden burst of orange-red flames.

The woman in red's clothes billowed in the heat like a burning sunset, and the flame emblem on her chest suddenly burst forth with intense light.

It was as if the monster with the tentacle was pulled up from the ground; it was flung into the air.

Xia Jinghong never expected that those beautiful legs would be so strong and powerful.

Immediately afterwards, the woman in red drew a whirlwind of flames with her toes, and her bandaged right leg drew a semicircle, with flames spiraling up along the curve of her leg before bursting into bloom in the night sky like fireworks.

The sharp teeth that tried to bite turned to smoke in the flames. The bright flames made the woman's full breasts appear like the undulating waves of the sea under the moonlight.

The tentacles and tails, shattered by the raging flames, were incredibly tenacious, still twisting and grotesque as they tore at each other with their broken mouthparts.

However, the woman in red had already taken the upper hand. She put the folding fan in her mouth, and with a flick of her right hand, she drew the sword from her waist and slashed out with a fiery crescent, cleanly severing the monster's tentacle tail.

With his left hand pressed against the monster's chest, he unleashed a powerful, concentrated firestorm. With a deafening roar, the pitch-black night was instantly illuminated as bright as day.

The tentacle monster was burned to ashes...

Chapter 154 Naturally, treasures attract covetous eyes.

With the crisis averted, Xia Jinghong quickly bowed and thanked the woman in red.

The woman in red took out a scroll and handed it to her, saying, "No need for thanks. I have a favor to ask you. Give this to your fairy."

Xia Jinghong took the scroll and asked, "May I ask your honorable name, benefactor?"

The woman in red shook her head and did not answer.

Xia Jinghong then asked, "What if the fairy asks who gave this scroll?"

The woman in red thought for a moment and said, "I'll say it... I've been captivated by her ever since I heard her play the zither, and I've admired her for a long time."

"This..." Xia Jinghong hadn't expected that the woman in red would express her admiration for the fairy so directly.

Xia Jinghong really wanted to say that since that was the case, he could take her to see the fairy... but when he thought of the meeting fee set by Qingyuefang, he immediately understood the other party's predicament.

At this moment, the woman in red said to Jinghong, "Why aren't you going back? The danger isn't completely over yet. I'll be watching you from afar until you return to Qingyuefang."

Xia Jinghong, fearing that Qin Rufeng would worry, thanked her benefactor again and quickly left.

At this very moment, on the rooftop of a side room in Qingyuefang, two figures witnessed everything…

One of them was Zeng Yuzhen, and the other was the Crimson Moon Saintess.

Zeng Yuzhen watched Xia Jinghong's hurried figure and said unwillingly, "Are we just going to let her go like this? Once she runs back to Qingyuefang, we won't be able to do anything to her."

"This damned servant is that bitch Liu Ruyan's right-hand woman; I can't quell my hatred until she's killed."

The Crimson Moon Saintess said, "That person in the distance hasn't left yet."

"That woman in red isn't very powerful, is she?" Zeng Yuzhen glanced at the Crimson Moon Saintess and said, "Could it be that the Saintess is also wary of something?"

The Crimson Moon Saintess sneered, "That woman's cultivation level is similar to that of the host we used this time, both at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Perhaps she's even lower, maybe only at the early stage."

"But she can easily kill the host who has received divine favor."

"From the raging flames, one can tell that this person's spiritual power is pure, and although their cultivation level is not very high, it is very solid. They must have excellent spiritual root talent. Therefore, they are definitely not a rogue cultivator without any support; they may have someone backing them. Making any rash moves could cause trouble."

"Moreover, her moves are too flashy and high-profile. This commotion has probably already attracted attention. It's not appropriate for us to intervene."

Zeng Yuzhen knew that the Crimson Moon Saintess was right. But she was still unwilling to accept it. It wasn't that Xia Jinghong had offended her; it was simply that she disliked Qin Rufeng and therefore hated him because of him.

At this moment, a phoenix descended from the sky and transformed into human form beside Xia Jinghong. It was Qin Rufeng who, unable to wait for Xia Jinghong's return and fearing something had happened to her, sent Fenghua out to search for her.

Only after seeing Feng Hua did Zeng Yuzhen finally give up completely.

The Crimson Moon Saintess said from the side, "Let's get this straight: we want Liu Ruyan alive."

"If you hate her, you can rest assured. Her fate will be worse than death."

"She will become the magical artifact I teach, a top-grade furnace... Her womb will continuously nurture a mysterious infant, from which she will be unable to escape for all eternity."

"The Mother Goddess's Touch of Grace can implant and seed within her body if divine grace is bestowed upon her. Once she becomes pregnant, she will no longer be able to stay in Qingyuefang."

As she spoke, the Crimson Moon Saintess taught Zeng Yuzhen a wriggling tentacle the size of a thumb, "Use it carefully. Find a suitable host and implant the seed of divine grace into their body."

"If you do it yourself, the host will obey your commands after divine grace is manifested."

"If what you say is true, then Liu Ruyan is like the shopkeeper's exquisite doll. She has no way to resist."

"Choose a time when the demon clan isn't around. Even if Shangguan Qingxue tries to stop us, she won't be able to handle the Touch of Divine Grace."

“Very good.” Zeng Yuzhen revealed a sinister smile.

Meanwhile, Xia Jinghong had already returned to Ruyan Pavilion. Qin Rufeng was relieved to see her finally back.

She thought that Jinghong would send Cang Shuyun out of the city, but this time the return was taking too long.

Before they could even ask her anything, they discovered that Xia Jinghong was injured, and their hearts, which had just settled down, were thrown into turmoil again.

Qin Rufeng personally examined and treated Jinghong's injuries, and only felt completely relieved after confirming that there was nothing seriously wrong.

After Xia Jinghong recounted her experience, everyone was still shaken.

Feng Hua frowned and said, "Have those tentacle hosts already appeared on the streets of Cangyun City?"

Qin Rufeng asked, "Have you seen it before?"

“I’ve seen more than one,” Feng Hua said. “This is a phenomenon caused by the Blood Cloud Infection. I saw several tentacles in the spirit stone mine before.”

Qin Rufeng: "What exactly is going on?"

"It's the same thing as the Crimson Moon Blood Slaves. They're all parasites living inside the body."

"But this [touchworm]... is much bigger than ticks and wasps."

"This thing will reside in a person's internal organs. It enters the mouth, pharynx, throat, heart, lungs, connects to the dantian (lower abdomen), connects to the stomach and intestines, and its tentacles emerge from the back. It completely occupies the host's internal organs and connects to the spinal cord to control the limbs."

"This thing doesn't invade the brain. That is to say, the host is completely conscious, but has no way of controlling his or her becoming a puppet."

"That's terrifying..." Xia Jinghong kept shaking her head.

Qin Rufeng looked at her and continued to ask, "Who was the person who saved you?"

"She didn't want to reveal her name. She only said... only that she fell in love at first sight after hearing the fairy's music, and had admired the fairy for a long time."

"Huh?" Feng Hua frowned. "He doesn't sound like a good person. Did he say anything else?"

"She also has this to offer to the fairy." As she spoke, Xia Jinghong took out the scroll.

"Don't move!" Feng Hua immediately tensed up. "Don't open it easily; it might be imbued with some kind of magic."

Qin Rufeng: "But we can't keep it closed forever. After all, they saved Jinghong, they shouldn't have any ill intentions, right?"