No wonder such commotion had gone unnoticed.
It appeared these intruders were determined to avoid alerting anyone within the palace.
The woman let out a low, amused laugh. "All you need to know is that I'm here to stop you."
From her words, it seemed she had come to save Yuanjiu.
As she spoke, the woman clenched her right hand into a fist and then opened it again, summoning countless silver threads that flew toward the black-clad intruder.
What kind of power is this?
Yuanjiu widened her eyes in curiosity.
She could see clearly that the threads were not solid but shimmering, ethereal light with the same functionality as real objects.
The silver threads pierced through the black-clad man's barrier!
However, the man was no ordinary opponent.
He suddenly spewed a black mist toward the woman while his right hand shimmered briefly, conjuring a long spear.
The spear swept through the dense array of silver threads, and with a sharp crack, the threads dissipated into vapor, scattering in the air.
The woman swiftly retreated a few steps and pushed out both palms, summoning a watery veil that absorbed the black mist completely.
At that moment, another man stumbled into the room, his face mask already torn away.
His twisted expression was filled with terror as he stammered, "Leader… they… they're not human! They… they just vanished…"
The man addressed as the leader was already at a disadvantage.
Upon hearing these words, his frustration grew, and he bellowed, "Shut up!"
"You were sent here with the claim that if this child isn't killed within five days, there'll be no other opportunity to change their fate, weren't you?"
Both intruders were visibly shocked. "How do you know that? Who are you?"
The woman chuckled softly, wasting no further words.
She stomped her right foot firmly on the ground and shouted, "Rise!"
The black-clad leader's face turned pale as he quickly retreated a few steps, but it was too late.
The earth beneath him came alive, surging with power.
First, his feet were encased in hardened soil, then his calves, thighs, and waist.
Finally, his entire body was tightly bound.
"Let me go! Let me go!" he screamed in panic, but it was futile.
The dirt continued to climb relentlessly, sealing his mouth, which muffled his cries into incoherent sounds.
His eyes widened in horror as the earth crept upward, covering his nose, his eyes, and eventually his entire head, encasing him in a black cocoon that stood upright and unmoving.
The man who had stumbled into the room earlier was paralyzed with fear, trembling uncontrollably as he tried in vain to crawl away.
The woman approached the bed slowly, seemingly unsurprised that Yuanjiu was awake.
With a gentle smile, she reached out to caress Yuanjiu's face with her right hand, her touch warm and tender. "Master, my task is complete. From here on, it's up to you. You must find him…" The warmth of her fingertips lingered only for a moment.
Suddenly, her body began to turn transparent, as did the black cocoon and the man at the door.
The terrified man cried out, "No, no…"