Then, a pair of long, slender, and delicate legs appeared before Xin Ci.
There was actually a woman bathing in the river here!
And a beautiful one at that.
Mu Qingqing, in the space of consciousness, saw this scene and couldn't help but tease the male lead.
"Xin Ci, you truly live up to being the male lead. You meet pretty girls everywhere."
Outside the consciousness space, Xin Ci was stunned at first.
He quickly retreated several steps, looking at the river in surprise.
Because he realized this woman was very unusual. Her left eye was bandaged, while her right eye was clear and bright.
Her wet white hair cascaded casually around her.
Although Xin Ci only stared at her face and avoided looking at her naked body,
As he retreated, he noticed multiple stitched marks on the white-haired woman's body.
Xin Ci immediately used the Four Seasons Art, Winter's Annihilation.
An ice wall formed between him and the white-haired woman, obscuring her body.
"Apologies, I meant no offense. May I explain?"
Xin Ci didn't want to be mistaken for a pervert.
Strangely, the white-haired woman did not scream as a normal person would.
Instead, she walked out of the water without any hesitation and said coldly, "Scram."
The white-haired woman's voice was soft, yet it contained a terrifying pressure.
Suddenly, two spider-shaped puppets flew out of the river.
The two puppets protected the white-haired woman from both sides.
They instantly shattered the ice wall and charged directly at Xin Ci.
Xin Ci immediately used Skyward Crossing, pushing his speed to the limit.
He dodged the spider puppets' attacks.
However, these two spider puppets were extremely peculiar, unlike any he had encountered before.
Their limbs seemed to be controlled by pale white threads, and they moved freely.
While dodging, Xin Ci discovered that the spider puppets could execute martial skills.
He quickly struck the head of a spider puppet with his palm.
With a "boom," the spider puppet was repelled.
But it quickly charged forward again, continuing its relentless assault on Xin Ci.
Their movements were agile, as if they were actual spider demons.
It was a world of difference from the puppets in Nalan Wuxia's hands.
Watching the white-haired woman manipulate the spider puppets with spiritual energy threads,
Mu Qingqing, from the consciousness space, recognized the white-haired woman's identity.
She was a puppeteer.
In the original story, this was a profession only found in the Central Continent. She never expected to encounter one in the Eastern Continent.
Elder Han, like Mu Qingqing, recognized the white-haired woman's abilities and transmitted his voice to warn Xin Ci, "Xin Ci, this white-haired woman is a puppeteer. Be careful."
"She is using puppet arts, and she has reached a certain level. Ordinary puppeteers cannot control puppets like these."
Hearing Elder Han's words, Xin Ci was inwardly shocked.
He hadn't expected this white-haired woman to possess such powerful abilities.
Looking at the white-haired woman again, he noticed that she was now entirely wrapped in white bandages.
She looked like a mummy, appearing extremely eerie.
A chill emanated from her, making it impossible to approach.
"Since you have seen my body, I cannot let you live!" Her voice remained icy.
For some reason, the white-haired woman was extremely sensitive about her body.
But Xin Ci could tell that, more than being seen naked, this woman was more concerned about the strange stitching marks on her body.
Although he didn't understand the white-haired woman's physical condition, Xin Ci wouldn't willingly hand over his life.
His spiritual artifact, the Cross Lock, had been destroyed during the Tiankeng Secret Realm.
Now, he could only rely on his martial skills to deal with this white-haired puppeteer.
The white-haired puppeteer gently raised her hand, and another spirit snake puppet flew out from her spatial ring.
Now, he had to face three puppets simultaneously, each as powerful as a peak Heavenly realm cultivator.
"Controlling three puppets at once, and this spiritual energy thread manipulation, it's so similar to the puppet arts of the Puppet Sect!"
Elder Han frowned upon seeing this.
Puppet arts had been lost for many years, and the Puppet Sect had disappeared even longer ago.
If this woman truly came from the Puppet Sect, Xin Ci would be in trouble.
The cultivation method for puppet arts was incredibly complex, requiring immense comprehension and powerful soul force.
The Puppet Sect had reached unparalleled heights in the cultivation of puppet arts; they were considered the grandmasters of puppet manipulation on the Eternal Continent.
True puppeteers could often fight against ten, or even a hundred, martial artists of the same level.
The white-haired woman's puppets were incredibly resilient. Even Xin Ci's top-tier spiritual-grade martial skill, the Four Seasons Art, could not inflict damage, showcasing their terrifying defense.
His spiritual energy was being constantly depleted, and the white-haired woman, with just three puppets, could suppress him.
Xin Ci now understood the terror of a puppeteer, as the white-haired woman's spiritual energy threads consumed very little spiritual energy.
If this continued, he would surely be defeated.
"This white-haired puppeteer is indeed extraordinary. The male lead might be in trouble."
Mu Qingqing thought to herself.
She couldn't help Xin Ci at the moment, nor did she intend to.
Because while the white-haired puppeteer was eerie, her strength was only at the Heavenly realm.
Xin Ci, with his abilities, should be able to handle it.
Xin Ci also noticed the white-haired puppeteer's peculiar spiritual energy thread manipulation and immediately devised a countermeasure.
The Undying Phoenix Flame instantly condensed between Xin Ci's fingers.
"Go!"
Xin Ci uttered a low cry.
Flames erupted from his fingertips, surging towards the white-haired woman's puppets.
"Hmph! A mere parlor trick!"
The white-haired woman's eyes were filled with disdain as she saw the flames Xin Ci unleashed.
The puppets crafted by the Puppet Sect were no ordinary puppets; they possessed extreme fire resistance.
No matter how fiercely Xin Ci's flames burned, they would have little effect on them.
But in the next second, the white-haired woman's face was slapped.
Xin Ci's flames pierced directly through the puppets and spread to their bodies, directly incinerating the spiritual energy threads within.
With its spiritual energy burned away, the puppet immediately stopped moving.
Even the spiritual energy threads the white-haired woman used for control were incinerated.
"This is... Heavenly Spiritual Fire!"
She stood frozen, looking at Xin Ci coldly.
She hadn't expected the young man before her to possess Heavenly Spiritual Fire.
No wonder it could even burn away her spiritual energy.
Having dealt with the white-haired woman's puppets, Xin Ci decided not to prolong the fight.
Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, he used his movement technique to escape.
Watching Xin Ci's receding back, the white-haired woman gritted her teeth, her face filled with fury.
"I will never let you go, never!"
Her eyes were filled with hatred.
...
Xin Ci ran swiftly.
Although with his abilities, Xin Ci was confident he could defeat the white-haired puppeteer,
He was in the wrong this time, having accidentally stumbled upon her bathing.
Explaining would be troublesome, so it was better to leave directly.
"First, I need to find a way to get to Hao Xing City!"