That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

To kill that man-eating demon, you must kill its heart.

So, how do you kill such a puppet?

"The long needle I just inserted into the puppet's brow was originally intended as a method to break a living puppet. I wanted to sever the connection between the host and the puppet's consciousness, but this method failed. Perhaps the connection between them is closer than I imagined."

Fang Zhiyi spoke slowly, her gaze fixed on Jiang Jingming, a subtle smile playing on her lips.

As Jiang Jingming was being stared at like that, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Before he could think it through, Ah Qing suddenly pressed down on his shoulder, making him lower his head.

A bloodthirsty blade flashed past his head, and the puppet with its blue face and fangs grinned menacingly.

Aqing pressed forward, and their blades clashed with a sharp clang.

Three moves had passed in an instant. Ah Qing retreated and stood with her sword drawn.

These three moves are correct. If we were just struggling with how to kill the puppet, now everyone present faces a different problem.

How can I survive the clutches of these seven puppets?

Jiang Jingming suppressed his surprise and forced himself to calm down.

Now it seems that the fact that the puppets were killed so easily by them was more like a provocation, to let them know that resistance was futile.

Now that the real battle has begun, the advantages of the living puppets over the iron puppets have become fully apparent.

Without the constraints of silk threads, it surpasses ordinary people in both speed and strength.

Ah Qing's speed was already unmatched, but when she fought the puppet, she was completely outmatched.

Furthermore, puppets do not need to worry about getting hurt or avoid vital points, but humans will lose their ability to fight if they are injured, and will die if they are killed.

A strong wind swept across the blades in their hands, making a mournful sound.

After a brief silence, Xie Yunqi drew his sword and leaped to their side, first performing a beautiful sword flourish.

"Never mind! I'll help you!"

Jiang Jingming really wanted to say, "Miss, you should protect yourself first... With your skills, you'd be lucky to even withstand one or two of those moves..."

But Xie Yunqi suddenly tilted his head and looked at him very seriously.

"doing what?"

Jiang Jingming gave a wry smile.

Being stared at by the young lady's bright eyes, even in this desperate situation, one couldn't help but feel a little moved.

"Don't be afraid, I won't let you die."

Xie Yunqi stared at him intently, each word distinct and deliberate.

"..."

Jiang Jingming didn't know where this young lady's confidence came from, but she seemed to be serious.

What's even stranger is that he found himself unconsciously wanting to believe her.

Xie Yunqi blinked, then seemed a little embarrassed by his words and turned his face away.

Jiang Jingming noticed a red string on the back of her fair neck, connected to a white jade pendant on her chest.

The jade pendant appears to be of excellent quality, with several strands of blood-red marrow entwined within the white jade, giving it a priceless beauty.

"How did a piece of jade suddenly appear?"

Jiang Jingming leaned closer and asked curiously.

"oops!"

Xie Yunqi hurriedly stuffed the jade pendant back into his clothes and glared at him:

"Don't look around! This is something my mother got for me from the temple to keep me safe."

"Young Miss, you're not hoping this jade pendant will protect us, are you?"

Jiang Jingming still managed a helpless, bitter smile:

Will Buddha appear to grant his wishes?

"Not at all!"

Xie Yunqi shoved him and angrily drew his Frost Sword.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way, don't interfere with my fight!"

"Yes Yes Yes."

Jiang Jingming sighed and exchanged a glance with Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao nodded, understanding perfectly.

The young lady is all show and no substance; he has to keep a close eye on her and cover her retreat.

Chen Sha stepped forward, pushed with his palm, and unleashed the Cloud Piercing Arrow from his waist.

With a sharp whooshing sound, the hidden Divine Capital Guards appeared and knelt beside him.

"I will follow Vice Envoy Chen's instructions!"

"One team will stay behind to protect Chief Secretary Wen and Miss Fang. The rest of you, join me and fight to the last moment!"

Chen Sha paused slightly, focused his energy in his dantian, and spoke in a booming voice:

"Today! The Divine Capital Guard and those demons and monsters will fight to the death!"

"A fight to the death!"

The shouts of the Divine Capital Guards shook the heavens, and for a moment the sky seemed to brighten a bit.

They seemed to accept the reality that "they might die here today" in just a moment.

Jiang Jingming was slightly taken aback. The people around him were all very young, and perhaps they hadn't even had time to find a reason to draw their swords, but they were all willing to die.

It was the duty of the Divine Capital Guard to eradicate evil, and it was because their general had set an example by standing in front of them all.

As if in response to their imposing manner, the puppets hidden among the shadows also let out a sharp, sinister laugh, like the cawing of crows and owls, sending chills down one's spine and causing unease.

The world fell silent for a moment, followed by the crisp sound of swords clashing.

"kill!"

Someone shouted, and the battle finally began, with the Shadows and the Divine Guards clashing together.

But this is a very difficult battle to win, because the swords of the Divine Capital Guards mostly strike the shadows, while the puppets hidden in the shadows strike, killing living people.

Jiang Jingming ran through the crowd with his knife in hand, having already made his decision.

He had been wondering if there was any connection between the living puppet and the Raven Feather clone.

Now he suddenly understood that Raven Feather was the puppet's clone, and the puppet was the clone of the real body.

Fang Zhiyi's methods cannot kill the puppet because the person behind the scenes uses living puppets to imitate the art of the Corpse Demon. Therefore, he will share his life force with the puppet, sharing life and death with it.

This is the secret to why puppets are unkillable: they share the same lifeline.

Chapter 144 Feigned Attack

Either kill all the puppets.

Either sever the link between their lifelines.

Having figured this out, Jiang Jingming still drew his sword, and wherever the blade passed, it cleaved the shadowy figures in two at the waist.

This trick might confuse and hinder others, but it can't fool him.

Aqing stayed a few steps away from him, and wherever the two passed, the shadows receded, allowing the person behind them to catch their breath briefly.

Such a fighting distance and method were not suitable for using a hidden blade, so Aqing kicked up a longsword left behind by someone else on the ground and weighed it in her hand.

She had actually studied swordsmanship for a while, but she learned it from Madam Song.

Song Niangzi's sword is a soft sword, which she usually wears around her waist like a long whip. Unlike ordinary long swords, its attack method is not a straight thrust or slash, but a curved thrust.

Aqing twirled her sword and frowned slightly.

Jiang Jingming caught a glimpse of her expression out of the corner of his eye and said with a smile:

“With your martial arts talent, Ah Qing, any weapon will do.”

"Ok?"

Aqing clearly didn't understand what he meant and looked up.

Jiang Jingming looked into her eyes and suddenly remembered Gu Tinghan and Jiang Wuwang's evaluation of him when he was a child. They both said that he had more than enough comprehension, but his innate conditions were not good enough and his physique was too weak.

Song Niangzi complained that in the eyes of these two picky guys, everyone who came would receive the same evaluation.

However, both of them unanimously acknowledged Aqing's talent.

Gu Tinghan sighed and said it was a pity that he couldn't teach Aqing what she wanted to learn, as if he really wanted to switch students with Shen Zhuo.

Jiang Wuwang watched a fight between young Aqing and a wolf, and he rarely praised her so highly that he slapped the table, saying that this girl was different from others from the inside out and would definitely be extraordinary in the future.

As long as her core values ​​remain unchanged, she is destined to succeed in whatever she wants to learn.

Ah Qing has now proven that Jiang Wuwang's judgment was correct. Jiang Jingming thought of the demon clapping and laughing, and for a moment he also smiled.

"Use it as you please, Aqing. Weapons cannot restrict you."

“Aqing understands.”

Ah Qing nodded slowly, then thrust out her long sword. The sword energy was like a rainbow, and several black shadows turned to ashes in an instant.

"..."

Xie Yunqi followed behind the two, watching in astonishment.

She incredulously tugged at Jiang Jingming's sleeve and shook it back and forth:

"Hey, Jingming, Aqing must have learned swordsmanship before, right? She must have, right?"

"Even though she hasn't studied it, you know she uses a knife."

Jiang Jingming shrugged.

"Then what was with that cool 'Lone Goose Reflecting its Shadow' move just now?! You're not going to tell me it was just a casual flick of the wrist?!"

Xie Yunqi was clutching his face with both hands, looking like he was on the verge of collapse.

"Although I don't know exactly what happened, it seems like it was just a casual wave of the hand."

Jiang Jingming smirked, but before he could finish speaking, he saw Miss Xie stumble and fall, her heart filled with despair.

Clearly, his Dao heart has been shattered.

Just as I was finding it a bit funny, I saw another fellow with a broken heart walking over from the other side.

Lu Zhao, sword in hand, patted his shoulder weakly:

"That's all for now, brother. Once we get back to the capital, I'll abandon martial arts and pursue a literary career."

That's a pity.

Jiang Jingming smiled, watching A Qing in the distance wield her long sword, creating a dazzling display of light that seemed to scatter shooting stars.

"Why should I even bother learning swordsmanship? I think the level of swordsmanship is predetermined from birth! Alas, what a tragedy!"

Lu Zhao sighed, then drew his sword and charged into the crowd.

Jiang Jingming's gaze swept through the fighting crowd, searching for his true target.

In the distance, Fang Zhiyi and Wen Fuxiao, one old and one young, both dressed in white, stood in the raging wind.

Neither of them showed any sign of panic; one was solemn, while the other was relaxed.

......

A member of the Imperial Guard plunged his sword into the back of the dark figure, the scattering raven feathers instantly obscuring his vision.

He stumbled forward two steps, regained his balance, and felt as if the sword in his hand weighed a ton.

This battle is different from the past. Defeating an enemy brings not fighting spirit, but a new wave of despair.

Ultimately, they had no idea what they were fighting—an evil being? A demon?