The timing of the four attackers was impeccable. Lu Zheng was absent, the yin energy had dissipated, and even though their strength gave them an edge, they chose the moment when Shen Ying was at her weakest.
However, Shen Ying had the Eighteen Heavenly Maidens and the home advantage of the old peach tree. The maidens had formed a formation, and the old peach tree had accumulated an abundance of incense energy, its reserves formidable.
If that were all, even with their skill, the four wouldn’t have gained the upper hand so quickly, pressuring Shen Ying.
The main reason was…
Beyond their individual techniques, each of the four continuously directed cursed seals toward a wooden plaque floating at their centre.
This plaque glowed, emitting a mental fluctuation that tugged at Shen Ying’s soul, pulling it toward the plaque in waves.
The plaque’s pull on her soul and true spirit was immense. If not for the Eighteen Heavenly Maidens working together to share the burden, Shen Ying might not have held out this long.
The enemy had clearly come prepared!
…
Shen Ying stood at the centre, hovering before the old peach tree, resisting the plaque’s soul-tearing force while gently waving her sleeves. Endless peach blossom curses filled the front courtyard, spreading far and wide.
In the middle were the four attackers, jointly powering the plaque while each unleashed their techniques, relentlessly besieging Shen Ying.
On the outer perimeter, the Eighteen Heavenly Maidens’ formation linked their souls with Shen Ying’s, helping her resist the plaque’s pull while countering the four’s conventional attacks.
The three groups formed a formation within a formation, but the range was gradually shrinking.
…
“Shen Furen, stop resisting. Mother Superior has taken a liking to you, that’s your blessing. Come with us obediently and join Mother Superior’s embrace!”
“This Four Extremes God-Locking Plaque, we’ve refined together for a whole month, with Mother Superior’s blessing. You can’t hold out. Why keep struggling and wasting so much incense energy?”
“Your lover’s not here. No one’s coming to save you. Give up!”
“Mother Superior has a thousand years of cultivation. If you merge with her, with *Peach Blossom* as your foundation, you could achieve longevity, dominate the world, and become a sect ancestor in the southern borderlands. Isn’t that better than being a minor land deity in Great Jing?”
Shen Ying sneered, not bothering to respond, focusing her true spirit and mana to protect herself and guard her soul.
This Four Extremes God-Locking Plaque was indeed extraordinary, enhanced by that thousand-year-old peach tree spirit, catching her off guard and causing her trouble.
But with the Eighteen Heavenly Maidens’ support, and her soul refined through the *Taiyin Supreme Soul-Cleansing Scripture* and tempered by incense energy, pure and robust, it wasn’t so easily subdued.
As time dragged on…
Shen Ying’s peach-blossom eyes, lined with pink shadow, glinted with ferocity, her gaze toward the four filled with lethal intent.
“None of you will leave!”
“Peach Blossom Fairy, is your soul faltering, confused?” the middle-aged man by the peach tree laughed.
“We won’t leave until we take your soul,” the man releasing rancid peach miasma grinned.
“Don’t count on your lover. We checked the city last night. He’s not there,” the one casting curses said, attacking her resolve.
“Surrender now, and your eighteen vassal spirits might have a chance to live. Otherwise, I’ll make sure they all die!” said the one controlling the peachwood swords.
“Noisy!”
“Insolent!”
“Four heretics with impure techniques and mixed qi, daring to boast?”
“What wild demon or southern border witch god dares to covet our fairy?”
“Wait till Young Master Lu arrives. You’ll know despair!”
Peach Zhen, Peach Zhi, Peach Hui, and other fiery-tempered maidens snapped back, their hands unrelenting, each wielding their techniques to attack the four.
Though the Eighteen Heavenly Maidens were now incense ghosts following the path of divine incense, they hadn’t abandoned their old skills, many of which they could still use.
For instance, Peach Yue, once a sword cultivator, wielded a pair of mother-and-child flying swords with unmatched skill. Shen Ying had gifted her a pair of peachwood flying swords, one long, one short, now weaving and slashing through curses, piercing with formidable power.
Peach Sui, a spirit of a hundred beings, softly hummed, sending endless musical notes into the four’s ears, aiming to disrupt their souls and minds.
Peach Zhen, a martial cultivator, brandished a long spear, shadowing the sword-wielding attacker, keeping him from nearing Shen Ying.
Peach Xin, Peach Rui, Peach Qing, Peach Rong, and the others were no pushovers either, hurling various curses that annoyed the four, making them feel hampered.
“Where did you find these women, and you call us heretics?”
The middle-aged man by the peach tree was speechless. Ordinary incense ghosts didn’t have such diverse techniques. These eighteen maidens had thwarted their plan to subdue Shen Ying in one fell swoop.
He felt fortunate they’d discovered this Peach Blossom Fairy in time. If they’d come a year or two later, after her strength and her maidens’ had grown further, even the four divine envoys of Peach Mother Sacred Mountain together might not have succeeded.
So…
This was their only chance!
“Open!”
With a sharp cry, he formed hand seals. The peach tree behind him swayed, its trunk thickening, while the ground of Peach Blossom Manor trembled more violently.
Peach tree roots burst from the soil, tangling and striking wildly.
The Western Envoy’s sudden outburst was matched by the other three, who pushed harder, charging toward Shen Ying at the centre.
The rancid peach miasma grew thicker, the six peachwood swords carved sharp arcs of sword qi, circling the Southern Envoy, who forced Peach Zhen back, darting among the protruding roots, seeking Shen Ying’s weakness.
Shen Ying could resist the Four Extremes God-Locking Plaque because she was uninjured, her soul stable.
As they say, a dam of a thousand miles falls to an ant’s nest. If they could find one flaw and wound her, the rest would follow like a landslide.
At the centre of the courtyard, Shen Ying hovered expressionlessly before the old peach tree.
She knew Lu Zheng sometimes vanished, so she wasn’t surprised by his delay.
Even if he didn’t come, she was confident she could repel these four ill-intentioned foes herself, though it would cost her essence, a last resort she’d rather avoid. So, she bided her time.
After all, time was on her side.
Sure enough, as the Western Envoy erupted, Shen Ying’s eyes flickered.
Lu Zheng’s signal had arrived!
But she showed no change, continuing to guard herself without attacking.
…
Moments later, as the four envoys pressed their assault.
With a slight smile, Shen Ying flicked her fingers, sending peach blossom curses to block the rancid miasma, cursed lights, and peachwood swords. The old peach tree’s roots thrashed wildly, extending miles out, enveloping all of Peach Blossom Flat.
“Last gasp!”
“All show, no substance!”
“She’s breaking!”
“Four Extremes God-Locking Curse, activate!”
The four envoys, overjoyed, poured their true qi into the central plaque, aiming to end it in one strike.
“None of you will leave!” Shen Ying’s eyes narrowed, her voice a menacing laugh.
“None of you will leave!”
A man’s voice suddenly echoed in their ears.
“Golden Palace Heart Sword, slash!”
