"Hurry!"
Sheng Mobai shouted with effort.
Jiang Yiling also completed the last stroke and quickly formed a hand seal.
Yan Jiaojiao drew her sword and blocked in front, severing the demonic threads that were attacking Jiang Yiling one by one.
Finally, Jiang Yiling performed the last movement. The formation activated, emitting a crimson and gold light that dispelled all surrounding darkness. The Night Ghost Demon was enveloped, instantly losing its ability to attack. All its sharp demonic threads fell limply, and it writhed in pain.
"Go quickly."
Yan Jiaojiao said. Sheng Mobai and Jiang Yiling immediately leaped into the air, escaping through a gap on the left. Then, they both turned back, extending their index and ring fingers, respectively. Using their fingertips as brushes and channeling spiritual energy, they quickly sealed the formation, completely trapping the Night Ghost Demon within.
The net began to shrink.
Normally, once the demonic creature was confined and shrunk to the size of a ping-pong ball, it could no longer escape, only waiting to be refined into a Mingzhu Pill.
But this was no ordinary demonic creature. The Night Ghost Demon twisted within the crimson and gold Eight Trigrams formation, angrily lashing out at the formation lines with its demonic threads, screaming, "You want to trap me again? You want to trap me! Damn it, you want to trap me to death!"
The voice was extremely shrill, piercing the ears.
"Sheng Mobai, do you have any more talismans? Hurry and use them all!" Yan Jiaojiao said urgently. With the Night Ghost Demon's current ferocity, this formation wouldn't hold for long.
Sheng Mobai had initially believed the Celestial Net formation could handle the Night Ghost Demon. Now, witnessing the precarious state of the net, he panicked. Ignoring the demonic threads still growing on his body, he reached into his Qiankun bag and took out all his talismans. He waved his hand, sending them out, each landing precisely in its designated spot on the formation.
The crimson and gold light dimmed slightly, but with the reinforcement of the new talismans, it brightened again.
However, this was still no match for the Night Ghost Demon.
"Sheng Mobai, go back to Ge Nan Academy and fetch reinforcements," Yan Jiaojiao said coldly, her gaze unwavering as she stared at the Night Ghost Demon within the net.
Sheng Mobai frowned. "If anyone's going back for people, it's you. Jiang Yiling and I will hold the line here."
Yan Jiaojiao's gaze swept over him, stern and unquestionable. "You've already been infected by demonic threads. If you stay, you'll only be assimilated by the Night Ghost Demon and become its pawn. Go back now and have the leader of the Wood Sect treat you. Only then can you be saved. Otherwise, if demonic nature enters your heart, you'll find it difficult to achieve immortality."
"Is it that serious?" Sheng Mobai had never heard such a thing. Even Jiang Yiling was unaware of the consequences of being infected by demonic threads. After all, they were still very young, unlike the more experienced Yan Jiaojiao, who was over three thousand years old.
"Is this the time for jokes?" Yan Jiaojiao said. "This formation won't hold it for much longer. Hurry!"
This was the first time Sheng Mobai had seen Yan Jiaojiao so serious. A flicker of struggle crossed his eyes, and finally, he gritted his teeth, summoned his sword from his waist, and rode the wind towards Ge Nan Academy.
The formation had already been torn by the Night Ghost Demon's demonic threads, creating a small opening.
Jiang Yiling's heart jolted, and he looked at Yan Jiaojiao in disbelief. "It really can't hold it!"
Time was of the essence. Yan Jiaojiao only said to Jiang Yiling, "Senior Brother, you're fast. Go and disperse the people around here. There will be a major battle soon, so try to minimize casualties."
Jiang Yiling naturally worried about Yan Jiaojiao staying alone, but Yan Jiaojiao added, "It will probably take another quarter of an hour to break out. If it breaks out early, I will shout for you to come back and save me."
What Yan Jiaojiao said was already the best arrangement. Jiang Yiling had no choice but to obey. He flew towards the homes of nearby residents, channeling spiritual energy and loudly warning them to evacuate as soon as possible.
While no one was paying attention, Yan Jiaojiao formed complex hand seals. Her internal spiritual energy was insufficient to sustain this ancient formation. Enduring immense pain, Yan Jiaojiao drew upon the stagnant spiritual energy in her meridians, a little at a time, to complete the killing blow.
A complex purple formation appeared from Yan Jiaojiao's palm and then roared towards the demon, which was on the verge of breaking through the Celestial Net. The powerful spiritual energy made the Night Ghost Demon instinctively look over. Before it could even let out a cry, the formation imprinted itself on its body, spreading throughout its entire being, permeating its countless demonic threads little by little!
The Night Ghost Demon let out a painful, shrill howl. "Damn it, women deserve to die!"
Yan Jiaojiao, drained, collapsed to the ground. She had exerted all her strength, managing only to form this Purple Star formation to suppress its demonic nature, but it was far from enough to kill the Night Ghost Demon.
Even if the sect leader and the others arrived at full speed, Sheng Mobai would still need half an hour to return to Ge Nan Academy. This formation wouldn't hold that long. If the Night Ghost Demon broke free, the nearly immobile Yan Jiaojiao would become its food.
In her desperation, and for her own safety, Yan Jiaojiao no longer cared about anything else. With a thought, she summoned the Water Spirit from her Jade Space.
Because the water-attribute spiritual energy in the space was always less abundant than outside, the Water Spirit had been in a dormant state of cultivation. Woken abruptly, it rubbed its eyes sleepily.
When it opened its eyes and saw the trapped Night Ghost Demon, its lazy demeanor vanished instantly.
"Water Spirit, I can't move right now. I can only rely on you to hold on until the reinforcements arrive," Yan Jiaojiao said weakly, cursing the heavens in her heart. This body was truly weak!
This was the Water Spirit's first time receiving a mission in a crisis, and it felt a strong sense of responsibility. It nodded resolutely and raised a finger, forming a soft, water-made cushion beneath Yan Jiaojiao, lifting her to a more comfortable resting position.
However, no sooner had it finished this task than the Night Ghost Demon behind them had already broken free of the Celestial Net formation. Demonic threads instantly shot out, piercing directly through the Water Spirit's body!
"Water Spirit!"
Yan Jiaojiao cried out. The Water Spirit, pierced through, made a dripping sound and then, like spilled water, "splash!" fell to the ground, leaving only a wet imprint.
Yan Jiaojiao's eyes widened in disbelief. The Water Spirit she had nurtured for so long was gone. Just as pain began to well up in her heart, she saw a transparent figure re-coalesce behind the Night Ghost Demon.
It was the Water Spirit!
Yan Jiaojiao felt a mix of joy and helplessness. This Water Spirit was always mischievous. If it were to return to nature alone in the future, it would likely cause a lot of trouble.
At this moment, the Water Spirit raised its hand towards the Night Ghost Demon, and a stream of water sprayed out, engulfing the entire demon in an instant.
Now it looked even more like a pile of dirty, messy hair being washed. Yan Jiaojiao, who was being oppressed, truly felt that way and said with disgust, "A ball of dirty hair!"