Soul Capture and Mind Control

The reason she held none of the Intermediate-Level Mages here in any regard was precisely because her Mind Element magic could render them incapable of casting a single spell.

Who could have known that the girl in the wheelchair would break through her mental attacks again and again? If she could simply unleash Soul Capture and Mind Control directly, this Mind Element Mage — whose cultivation sat a full tier below her own — would pose no threat at all. But right now she was still controlling those Formation members, with no spare attention to unleash that high-level Mind Element magic...

Both the basic and intermediate Mind Element spells would probably be neutralized by that infuriating little wretch!!

"Healing Sprite!"

While Ghost Woman was still scheming over how to deal with Xinxia, Xinxia had already drawn another Star Chart. From within the soft radiance of intertwined milk-white and pale green light, a brilliantly colorful spirit butterfly was born.

The luminous spirit butterfly drifted slowly toward where the Flame Enchantress lay. This peculiar little creature homed in on wounds the way a butterfly seeks pollen, and soon it settled at the spot where the Flame Enchantress's heart had been pierced through.

"Hold on a little longer." Xinxia knew her Healing Sprite couldn't work miracles on a wound this severe, but it could slow the rate at which the Flame Enchantress's life was draining away.

The Flame Enchantress hovered there, half-suspended, her body going stiff. Through the flames still burning across her face, something like a bittersweet smile seemed to surface as she silently expressed her gratitude to Xinxia.

"Healing Sprite!" Without wasting a breath, Xinxia had already begun drawing a second Healing Element Star Chart the moment she finished the first — conjuring yet another intermediate spell.

Milk-white and pale green light intertwined across her slender fingers, and with a gentle cupping gesture, a second Healing Sprite took wing and fluttered off toward Shi Gui, who was locked in a desperate struggle.

Shi Gui had taken injuries fighting the Flame Enchantress earlier, and the healing potions he carried weren't ones he was accustomed to using. Facing several of his own capable subordinates now and unable to bring himself to strike them down, he had long been running on fumes.

What surprised him was that the Mind Element girl turned out to be a Healing Element Mage as well. Judging by her ability to summon two Healing Sprites in succession, Healing Element was clearly her primary discipline.

The Healing Sprite came just in time to ease his crisis. The burns across his body had been throbbing with pain, causing his magic to falter more than once, and the additional strain on his concentration made his Ice Lock technique slip up repeatedly. With a Healing Sprite now tending his wounds and dulling the pain, dealing with these mind-controlled companions of his would be considerably more manageable.

"You little wretch — I should have cursed you into a sleep you'd never wake from for the rest of your life!!" Ghost Woman let out a furious shriek.

One of Xinxia's two Healing Sprites was buying the Flame Enchantress precious time; the other was easing the pressure on Shi Gui's side. Both the Flame Enchantress and Shi Gui posed a severe threat to Ghost Woman. She had planned everything so meticulously, sweeping away every source of danger, and had been on the verge of mopping up the remaining small fry — only to have her feet tangled up by a girl who couldn't even walk.

Ghost Woman was seething. Under the magical barrage from Zhang Xiaohou, Nan Jue, the Mu Household siblings, and Mo Fan — five of them working together — she had no choice but to fall back and play defense.

Still, numbers told. Wind Disk, Blazing Fist, Ice Lock, Thunderbolt, Ice Vine, Lightning Seal, Fire Burst, Demon Vine — a relentless torrent of different elemental forces that even her Earth Element defenses struggled to hold back entirely, not when every one of these Intermediate-Level Mages possessed a Spirit Seed.

Ghost Woman had no Soul Seed, which meant her Stone Wall defense wasn't all that formidable. After absorbing several successive waves of intermediate magic, she was forced to summon her Shield Enchanted Gear.

In the midst of dodging and blocking, Ghost Woman cast a swift glance at Zhao Yulin — still in the grip of her spectral demon, nearly choked to unconsciousness.

She had intended to simply end Zhao Yulin's life outright, but it was clear now that without freeing up her Curse Element magic, she had no hope of clearing everyone out of here.

"Evil Spider Snare!"

Ghost Woman granted Zhao Yulin his miserable life and recalled the dark spectral demon she'd been using to throttle him.

Dark crimson threads materialized across her palm — thin and long as spider silk.

She flicked her hand upward, and directly above Mo Fan's head, an eerie crimson shimmer flickered to life. From within a void that had gone pitch black, a ghostly spider creature came crawling out.

The spider loomed less than ten meters above Mo Fan's head. Its sharp, elongated claws snapped wide open, enveloping him entirely within their spread.

The spider's claws mirrored Ghost Woman's hand movements perfectly. As she gave a sharp yank backward, a dense web of crimson curse-silk materialized all around Mo Fan — as unyielding as steel wire — binding his entire body and soul together at once.

These threads of death fed on life. With his soul seized and his vitality being steadily drawn away, it would not be long before Mo Fan shared the fate of Wang Xiaojun, who had never woken since.

*When did she set this trap around me?* A chill swept through Mo Fan. He had never once noticed Ghost Woman laying these threads anywhere near him.

Evil Spider Snare — an intermediate Curse Element spell — was a trap-type magic. It did not seize its victim without warning; it required advance preparation, lying in wait for the Mage to unknowingly step into the snare.

Mo Fan had never seen Ghost Woman set this death trap. Ice shot down his spine. Her mastery of Curse Element magic had clearly reached a level of consummate, invisible artistry that was simply beyond his ability to detect.

"Brother Fan, don't panic." Xinxia's voice reached him quickly.

Mo Fan knew all too well how terrifying Evil Spider Snare could be. Feeling his life force being siphoned from his very soul, he was already desperately searching for a way to break free.

But the moment he heard Xinxia's voice, he realized he had been letting himself spiral. Mind Element magic could counter Curse Element power — as long as Xinxia erected a Mental Wall inside his soul, it wouldn't matter how tightly those cursed spider threads squeezed. Neither his life nor his soul would be taken.

Xinxia began drawing a Star Chart once more — and it was precisely at that moment that a look of sinister triumph crept across Ghost Woman's face.

"Soul Capture and Mind Control!!"

Ghost Woman's eyes blazed with a sudden, cold malevolence. A terrifying Mental Intent seed — one that could dominate a person's consciousness entirely — was driven straight into Mo Fan's eyes, forcibly seizing control of his mind.

Mo Fan felt his body seize with a sudden, inexplicable spasm. A whisper like a demonic incantation sounded in his ears, telling him that Ghost Woman was right beside him.

He turned his head — and found Ghost Woman standing right there, having materialized in a place she hadn't been a moment before, tracing what appeared to be some kind of sinister Star Chart.

...

"Watch out — she's redirected Soul Capture and Mind Control to a new target!" Shi Gui, driven back some distance from the main fighting, suddenly bellowed across the chaos.

Xinxia had been entirely focused on drawing her Star Chart. It had never crossed her mind that Ghost Woman's real purpose in setting a trap for Mo Fan was to get at her — that she herself was the true target all along.