After Transmigrating into a Book as Cannon Fodder, I Pampered the Villain - Chapter 79

Chapter 79: The Embrace

She fell defenseless into someone’s arms.

Fierce gods and malevolent ghosts clashed on both sides. After a few seconds of tense standoff, they tore into each other. The impact of their combined power felt like the very heavens were collapsing and the earth was rending asunder.

The “slime-blob” was currently clinging to what remained of her mountain—or rather, the half of it that hadn’t been obliterated. As a deep chasm was carved through the center of the peak, Yu Yingxia dangled precariously from a jutting branch over a newly formed abyss, swaying in the shockwaves.

She really wanted to curse. She had been planning to move house quietly, but these entities had unceremoniously sliced her temporary residence in half.

The battle grew more violent. While the wind might not move a soul, the literal tides of spiritual energy tossed Yu Yingxia back and forth. I have to get out of here. She watched a stray spell blow a hole through a distant mountain. There was no “safe” spot near this battlefield.

Fine. While they’re busy, I’m making a run for it.

She began to creep away, moving as stealthily as a floating orb could.

On the other side, the vengeful spirits were starting to lose. Their earlier advantage had been purely numerical; now that three high-level soul-reapers (underworld bailiffs) had joined the fray, the tide had turned.

Yu Yingxia had almost reached the far side of the cliff when a sharp whistle of air cut through the space behind her. She instinctively hopped backward. A split second later, a black figure smashed into the path she had been about to take.

It was one of the spirits, hurled into the rock wall with such force that its soul nearly shattered. The reaper who had thrown it wasn’t letting up. The impact fractured the cliffside, leaving Yu Yingxia exposed.

The spirit scrambled out of the rock, its eyes landing directly on her. For a hungry, wounded ghost, a concentrated soul-blob looked like the ultimate healing snack.

“…” Run!

Yu Yingxia unleashed every escape technique she knew. The landscape blurred as she pushed herself to the limit. For the first time, she realized she wasn’t just fast because of “potential”—she was fast because her internal power had reached a staggering new height.

The spirit pursued her. She estimated it had strength comparable to a Master; if she were caught, it would be the end. She wove through the crags and forests, trying to lose it, but the thing was gaining on her.

“Roar!” The spirit let out a piercing shriek—a signal.

Suddenly, a second ghost appeared directly in her path. They’re actually detaching units from the main fight just to catch me? I’m not that delicious!

She couldn’t stop in time. Gritting her teeth, she decided to use her momentum as a weapon. She assumed the ghost was stronger than her, so she expected to be repelled. Instead, she slammed into it like a cannonball, punching a massive hole through the center of its chest.

Wait, what?

She flew out the other side, looking back at the heavily wounded ghost in shock. Did I do that? Are they… weaker than I thought?

Her moment of doubt was short-lived. The first spirit shrieked again, and suddenly, several powerful auras began converging on her location. A pack of spirits was hunting her like wolves, with the three reapers following close behind!

Too many! Definitely too many!

She summoned her brush her Natal Artifact. She thanked the heavens it wasn’t tucked away in a storage bag she no longer had. Glancing at the Karmic Fire churning in the nearby rifts, she channeled that imagery.

I need a fire that can drown them. A tsunami of flame!

Red fire bloomed from her brush tip. In an instant, a sea of flames erupted, surging toward the pursuing ghosts. The heat wave nearly knocked Yu Yingxia over, but the effect was devastating. The closer spirits were scorched and tattered.

The downside? The massive output of spiritual energy left her feeling drained and dizzy.

The reapers, however, were largely unaffected by the fire. They pushed through, their primary targets still being the spirits, but the spirits themselves seemed possessed by a singular obsession. Despite their injuries, they began to merge.

Dozens of ghosts melted into one another, forming a giant, flickering shadow of black flame—a silhouette terrifyingly similar to Yan Zheng.

What the hell are these things?!

The merged spirit was faster and stronger. It lashed out with a whip of soul-fire. Yu Yingxia raised a barrier, but it shattered instantly under the second strike. The whip grazed her soul.

Agh! That hurt infinitely more than a physical strike.

As she retreated, the merged entity grew more frantic, its movements blurring. Even the reapers were struggling to contain it. The spirit began to burn its own soul to boost its power.

They’re insane! Why are they going this far for me?

Then, she heard it a garbled, collective whisper: “Master… Master… we… will save you…”

They thought Yan Zheng was trapped inside her. They weren’t trying to eat her; they were trying to “rescue” him by tearing her apart.

The spirit swung a massive sword of soul-fire. Yu Yingxia poured her remaining strength into a final shield.

CLANG!

The shield buckled. Her little soul-blob form trembled violently. The sword ground against her defenses, inching closer. She looked to the reapers, hoping they would distract the beast, but the merged spirit didn’t care it allowed the reapers’ weapons to pierce its body just so it could maintain its focus on killing her.

CRASH!

Her barrier shattered. A shockwave sent her flying. Then came a second strike—a giant axe falling from the sky. She was hammered into a crevice in the ground.

She looked up, dazed, to see a twisted, flickering face looming over her. The final killing blow was prepared. A cold dread washed over her.

BOOM!

Yu Yingxia closed her eyes, waiting for the end. But the pain never came.

She opened her eyes to see a soul-reaper standing over her, taking the blow meant for her. The other two reapers moved in, hacking at the merged spirit from both sides.

Confusion swirled in her mind. Why would an underworld bailiff protect me?

Then, she saw it a flash of a crimson hem.

Her descent stopped. She didn’t hit the cold, hard ground. Instead, she fell defenseless into a warm, blood-scented embrace.

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