How to Be the Perfect Junior Sister to a Reborn Villain - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 

Snowflakes fluttered down endlessly, blanketing the world in a soft, silvery white.

The first snow of winter came at the worst possible time, deepening the already tense and frigid atmosphere into something heavy, suffocating.

The cold wind slashed across faces like icy blades, making everyone waiting in anxious silence shudder from the bone-piercing chill.

Then.

A blur of white streaked across the sky like lightning, carrying with it an overwhelming, razor-sharp aura that could freeze the marrow.

Wherever it passed, moisture in the air crystallized instantly, and whirlwinds of ice and snow spun around its body, forming a moving halo of frost.

Before anyone could react, the white flash streaked past and landed outside the walls of Yunxiao Sect.

It was a Seventh-Rank Snow Soul Fox, a creature whose strength rivaled that of a human cultivator at the late Core Formation stage.

Its form was massive, fur pure and radiant as new snow. Across its back ran a deep crimson gash, bl00d seeping from the wound and freezing into glittering scarlet crystals upon the ground.

The sect’s concealment and protection arrays activated silently. When the Snow Soul Fox drew near, it slammed into an invisible barrier.

It paused, dazed, then began to pace restlessly outside the formation, agitation radiating from its every movement.

Its sharp claws, as keen as blades, raked the ground with each careless swipe, carving deep grooves into the frozen earth, sending shards of ice and dirt flying.

The sheer pressure rolling off the beast was suffocating.
Lin Shanlai’s pupils contracted in horror.

A monster of this level, none of them, even combined, stood a chance.

Thankfully, the barrier separated them from it. As long as they didn’t step out, the fox shouldn’t be able to detect them.

He clenched the talisman tool in his hand, knuckles whitening.

No matter what, he had to protect his disciples.

The wounded Snow Soul Fox’s icy blue eyes flickered with both pain and vigilance.

It could sense a faint trace of vitality, a thread of something that promised salvation.

But no matter how it searched, that lifeline had vanished as if it never existed, leaving only emptiness and confusion.

Frustration and unease churned within it.

Suddenly, it threw back its head and let out a piercing screech.
The sound split the sky, stabbing through eardrums, making heads throb and thoughts blur.

With that cry, the blizzards swirling around its body erupted outward like an avalanche, rolling violently in every direction.

A deafening boom followed several towering trees snapped clean in half and crashed down, sending snow and ice flying into the air.

Outside Yunxiao Sect’s walls, the defensive array shuddered under the impact, two layers collapsing in quick succession.

Still, the fox refused to retreat.
It was here for a reason. Something within the sect had been drawing it all along.

It hurled itself again and again at the unseen barrier, desperate to claw open its path to survival.

The ground quaked beneath its onslaught, and even the air seemed to tremble.
Inside, hearts pounded wildly, sweat slicked palms, breaths held tight.

The defensive formation cracked and splintered layer by layer. Before long, only the final barrier remained, flickering weakly.

If the beast continued, the consequences would be disastrous.

Yan Jiuzhi’s expression remained calm and composed amid the chaos. His hands moved swiftly, weaving new seals to activate the interconnected formation systems, hoping to divert the fox’s attention.

Streaks of light flashed between his fingers, merging into the array’s structure.
He adjusted its rhythm carefully, mind racing through contingencies.

The beast was here for a reason.
It must have been lured by something inside the Yunxiao Sect.

It could not be allowed in.

Yan Jiuzhi reached into his storage pouch and retrieved a luminous herb that glowed with soft white light.

It was a Beast-Luring Grass, something spirit beasts adored and found nearly impossible to resist.

He placed it into a special vessel and tossed it into the illusionary trapping array, channeling the formation’s energy to spread the herb’s fragrance through the air.

The Snow Soul Fox immediately twitched its nose, sensing the faint yet tantalizing scent. Its nostrils flared as it greedily drew in the fragrance, blue eyes flickering with unrestrained desire.

Still, it didn’t rush forward.
It lingered, wary, scanning its surroundings, one paw lifted mid-step in hesitation.

But instinct soon won over caution.
The enormous creature began to move toward the scent slowly, deliberately, each step cautious but determined.

Inside the array, Yan Jiuzhi and his three companions barely dared to breathe.

Lin Shanlai gripped the formation controller so tightly his palms were slick with sweat, silently praying for the plan to work.

When the Snow Soul Fox came within reach of the herb.
Lin Shanlai acted without hesitation.

A flash of light burst out as the trapping array roared to life, its power engulfing the beast in an instant.

The fox howled and thrashed, struggling to escape, but it was already too late.

Yan Jiuzhi finally exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Now there were two choices.

The first: exhaust the beast through the array, wearing it down little by little.
He could force a breakthrough beyond his current cultivation to kill it in one strike—but the backlash from that secret art would cripple his spiritual power and divine sense for a time.

The second: stall for as long as possible.
Until the people from the Tai Xian Sect, those bastards, arrived.

After all, it was they who had wounded the Snow Soul Fox and driven it here.

Yan Jiuzhi was not a fool blinded by pride.

Any method that could be used to his advantage, he would use it, without hesitation.
He would not waste even the smallest chance to turn the situation in his favor.

Compared to the lives of his master and fellow disciples, everything else was insignificant.

No matter which plan he chose.
Both required one thing time.

He had also set up a hidden binding and attack subarray within the main formation.

The moment he forced open the limits of his spiritual sense, that array would activate, striking together to help him slay the Snow Soul Fox in one decisive blow.

Inside the formation, the trapped beast paced restlessly.

It didn’t understand. A moment ago, it had still been surrounded by endless snowfields—so why had everything suddenly turned into grassland?

Confused, it ran back and forth, the wound on its back still bleeding, leaving behind a trail of crimson blossoms in the snow.

Seizing the moment while the fox remained lost in illusion, Lin Ruo hefted a large bundle and began hurling handfuls of talismans into the array without pause.

The charms fluttered through the air, glowing faintly.

They were all Wind Blade and Fireball Talismans, low-grade, yes, but there were a lot of them.

Each one that struck the fox caused a brief disruption to its movements, and even the wound on its back seemed to widen under the barrage.

Yan Jiuzhi’s entire being blazed with fighting intent, murderous energy radiating from him. His sword slashed through the air, sending invisible blades of energy crashing toward the Snow Soul Fox, carving fresh gashes into its snowy fur.

But a Seventh-Rank peak beast was no ordinary foe; its power was immense, and illusions could only restrain it for so long.

Before long, the haze over its mind cleared.

Their attacks began to lose effect.

Lin Ruo’s talismans could no longer even get close; each one was torn apart midair by the beast’s aura.

Elder Gao tossed poison pills into the formation, each exploding in a puff of viridian smoke that spread in twisting clouds.

The relentless waves of attacks only enraged the Snow Soul Fox further.
More and more wounds appeared on its body, bl00d freezing into glittering shards.

Its agitation mounted. A fierce, ruthless light flashed in its icy blue eyes.

 The power of ice and snow around it spiked violently, and shards of ice exploded in every direction.

A thunderous boom shook the heavens. The ground split open with jagged fissures, trembling as if the sky itself were collapsing. Stones and snow blasted outward like shrapnel.

For a heartbeat, the formation shattered, then barely knitted itself back together, trembling under the strain.

Lin Shanlai gripped the control talisman with bulging veins, spiritual energy roaring through his meridians like a storm. He forcibly pressed it down, keeping the formation intact by sheer will.

He was a Core Formation cultivator strong enough to withstand the shock, but Lin Ruo, still only in the Qi Refining stage, was flung like a broken kite, crashing to the ground.

Bl00d gushed from her lips. She went limp, unconscious.

Elder Gao’s face was ashen, his breathing uneven, bl00d streaming from his nose and mouth.

He didn’t even have time to check on Lin Ruo; he simply shoved handfuls of pills into his mouth, swallowing them along with his bl00d, forcing his spiritual energy to circulate faster in desperate recovery.

Yan Jiuzhi had used his divine sense to form a protective barrier, barely blocking the blast. His internal organs throbbed with pain, spiritual energy churning chaotically inside him.

But he could still move.

He leapt to Lin Ruo’s side, lifted her carefully, and fed her two healing pills before carrying her farther back. There, he quickly set up a temporary protection array around her unconscious form.

Only then did he rush back to his master and Elder Gao. Seeing that both were still standing, barely,  he turned his gaze back toward the Snow Soul Fox within the array.

The beast was highly intelligent. It knew exactly what was happening. These despicable humans had wounded it, trapped it, and it could sense just how dire its situation had become.

A ruthless light glinted in its sapphire eyes. Ignoring its injuries, it threw itself madly at the barrier.

Once. Twice. Thrice.

Within moments, it had slammed into the walls dozens of times. The formation trembled, its stability hanging by a thread.

Lin Shanlai poured every drop of spiritual power into the control artifact, his face flushed crimson from strain.

He could not retreat.
Not while his dearest friend, his beloved disciple, and the people of Ang City stood behind him.

Even if it cost him his life, he would not take a single step back.

The violent shaking of the earth, the echoing explosions like the end of the world.
Even those atop the city walls, Li Xi and the others, trembled.

From afar, they could see the flashes of formation light and hear the endless rumbling. The battle was fierce beyond imagination.

The City Lord and his entourage were also gathered on the wall. The lord himself  a mere fifth-level Qi Refiner, was drenched in cold sweat, his wrinkled face pale with fear.

The entire city was made up of mortals.
They could do nothing. All they could do was place every shred of hope on the cultivators of the Yunxiao Sect.

Within the city, no one dared step outside their homes.
They prayed in silence.

Li Xi’s eyes brimmed with tears as her body trembled uncontrollably, hands clasped together in prayer.

For her master, Elder Gao, and her senior brothers and sisters to return safely.

The other disciples beside her did the same, joining her in silent devotion.

For the first time in their lives, they prayed with true sincerity.
Pleading with heaven to protect the ones they loved.