After several bouts, the snake demon gradually lost ground. In a moment of carelessness, its head was clamped by Mu Jige's two spears. Mu Jige immediately transformed the spears into whips, manifesting two water serpents that tightly coiled around the spearheads, crushing them. Within seconds, the silver-ringed snake was choking, and the spear bodies suddenly softened, reverting to their original form. The boss, in a bid to save its "pet weapon," immediately conceded defeat.
Mu Jige also withdrew in time, retracting the two water serpents.
The silver-ringed snake fell to the ground, rolled a few times, and finally regained consciousness. It slowly crawled back to the snake demon boss's feet and slithered into her pant leg. As for where it ultimately hid within the boss's body, I couldn't say. Perhaps it was the waistband, or maybe some other concealed spot?
In any case, the three demons, along with Old Eight, had all lost. The four demons stood aside, their heads turning in unison towards Jiuxian Cave.
"Are they waiting for the other four?" Zheng Bingbing asked in a small voice.
"Probably," I replied.
"I'm worried Yao Yao can't hold on. Look at her, she can barely stand steady," Zheng Bingbing whispered.
I looked at Mu Jige. Indeed, her cheeks, exposed by the mask, and her neck were beaded with a fine sheen of sweat. She had deliberately dug her feet into the mud of the shallow water area, halfway up her calves. She was likely using the mud to steady herself, yet her legs were still trembling.
I suspected that the energy I had infused her with in the car's back seat was insufficient. While it was essence, the total amount was limited. Even at a ten-to-one ratio, it was far from the 4710 milliliters of human blood.
I prepared to stand up and ask her if she needed a recharge. I was fine; my physical condition was good, and my cooldown period for this ability was twenty minutes. It had just ended, so I could do it again.
Just as I was about to step out of the water, I heard the sound of car engines from the road.
"Old Eight, go and meet them," the tiger demon said.
Old Eight put on his clothes and zipped into the cornfield.
Not long after, a black car drove down the small road.
It was an Audi sedan with a Fucheng license plate.
The car stopped, and Shen Xingyue emerged from the driver's seat. From the passenger seat and the back seat, four more beautiful women descended. Judging by the color of their pupils, none of them were human.
These must be the remaining four demons.
Second, the deer demon; Fifth, the eagle demon; Sixth, the fox demon; and Seventh, the sable demon.
Although they weren't wearing masks, they all stood on the side of the car. Because the Audi had its high beams on, I couldn't see their faces clearly, only four pairs of bright eyes, each more luminous than the last.
Shen Xingyue stepped forward alone. Seeing the boss and the others standing aside, she asked with dissatisfaction, "Why haven't you taken her down yet?"
"We couldn't beat her," Xiong Xiaomeng said innocently.
Shen Xingyue glared at her, then looked at Mu Jige in the water and at the scattered water splashes on the shore from the earlier fight. She chuckled coldly, "So your primary element is water."
"So what?" Mu Jige asked coldly. Her attitude towards Shen Xingyue was markedly different from her demeanor towards the demons. Her voice was chillingly cold, inspiring fear.
"Coincidentally, my element is earth. Earth counters water. I counter you!" Shen Xingyue declared. Then, whether she knew I was present or not, she began to undress.
Zheng Bingbing, not wanting me to miss out, helpfully reminded her, "Hey, hey, Sister Xingyue! We're right here!"
They already knew each other, as Shen Xingyue had visited the library to borrow books from Zheng Bingbing. After my explanations over the past couple of days, Bingbing understood Shen Xingyue's identity better, recognizing her as the leader of this group of demons – at least, that's how I defined her.
"I saw you long ago," Shen Xingyue replied as she continued to remove her clothes, indicating that her undressing had a purpose.
Indeed, after she finished, she suddenly dived down, and her body vanished completely into the ground!
"Where did she go?" Bingbing exclaimed in surprise.
With a splash, a "mud dragon" emerged from the ground by the shore and rushed towards Mu Jige!
No wonder she had to undress first. Otherwise, wouldn't her clothes get dirty after going underground? Shen Xingyue's outfit was quite expensive.
This must be the legendary "Earth Evasion," I thought.
It was Sun Tiansun's signature move in the Investiture of the Gods.
Mu Jige reacted hastily, unleashing several water arrows towards the "mud dragon." But as soon as the water met the earth, it instantly disintegrated, unable to penetrate the ground. Soon, the mud dragon burrowed beneath Mu Jige and disappeared.
A mere second later, with a boom! A column of muddy water erupted from directly beneath Mu Jige, launching her body four or five meters into the air. She crashed heavily onto the shore.