"did you feel that?" Zanhui asked the demon guard, "That was my crimson half-moon that cut you. You've lost, demon."

The demon guard reached down to touch the wound, and as he thought, his hand came back covered in blood. The injury itself didn't look deep, so it wasn't life-threatening, but due to the poisonous crimson half-moon, even this kind of wound could be fatal.

"This one was a little careless, but you're wrong, human-scum. This one hasn't lost yet!" With that, the demon guard activated the effect of the energy-ball that had previously hit Zanhui.

If it had been a real-life or death fight, this attack would have killed old-man Zanhui, but because the demon guard needed him alive, he used one of the non-lethal balls instead.

"What's happening?! I can't see!" Zanhui cried out in alarm.

"What, you liked causing others blindness, but you can't take the same treatment?" the demon mocked, "this one is fine for now, so the poison you used must be slow acting. This one will force you to give the antidote now."

Zanhui cursed silently before he pulled out a second artifact, "I haven't used this one in a long while," he said, "but I guess I have no choice but to use it now."

"I won't let you use anything!" The demon guard rushed at the blind cultivator and aimed for the small pearl in his hand, "this ends now!"

Yet the moment the demon guard snatched the pearl away from old man Zanhui, something strange happened. The pearl melted in his hand, and turned to black, sticky goo that tried to devour the demon, "what is this thing?!"

"I knew you wouldn't let me use another artifact, so I took out Jealous-Pearl. This treasure activates the moment someone other than its' owner touches it," Zanhui explains while he directs his Kii to heal the damage the energy-ball did to his eyes.

"Jealous-Pearl is great with protecting treasures since its' primary function is restraining thieves. Apparently, it can also restrain demon guards." Old man-Zanhui shook his head and moved closer to the demon, "Well, honestly, Jealous-Pearl wouldn't have been able to restrain you for long had I not paralyzed you before with my crimson half-moon. It would have given me a few seconds, but you would have escaped its hold very quickly."

"This fight isn't over!" The demon guard hissed, "As long as one of us is alive, this fight will never end!"

Old man Zanhui sighed, and passed his hands through his long white beard, "too bad that my fellow masters and I need you alive for now, we may continue this fight after we get the answers that we want."

"Now, be silent."