A swirl of blood, flesh and wood debris scattered throughout the atmosphere as Zi Yao's storm of sword force reduced Huo Jin into nothing. Even his Nascent Soul couldn't escape. Clearly, while she benefitted from her blood poison incapacitating her foe, Zi Yao had been concealing her strength. Otherwise, Huo Jin's exceedingly resilient body couldn't have collapsed so easily.
'We've been tricked.' The Sacrificial Knives realized, and immediately attempted to contact their Nascent Soul superiors. Alas, blocked by formless barriers, their Spiritual Senses didn't travel—another proof that from the start, they'd been playing in the palm of the White Immortal sect's hands. More specifically, Zi Yao and Lord Hanxing's.
Enjoy!