Anwen’s face was pale, the demonic aura around him had dimmed significantly, clearly indicating a great expenditure of energy. Bai Kongzhao’s small face, on the other hand, was flushed with an unusual redness, almost as if she was being dragged by Anwen while barely keeping up.
Her greatest advantage in movement was her ability to remain hidden and to utilize any terrain available to her. Tracing her was akin to reaching for the stars. Qian Ye had tried multiple times to track her down over long distances, but ultimately failed, and others were even less capable. In truth, her absolute speed was not particularly fast; at least, she could not match Qian Ye, Li Kuanglan, or even Anwen.
The roaring behind them grew louder, ancient trees toppled in all directions, and from the dust, that terrifying presence drew closer.
“This won’t work, it will catch up to us!” Anwen shouted.
“What should we do?”
“Discard it!”
“What?”
“The thing in your hand!”
“No.”
“If you don’t, we will both die!”
Bai Kongzhao clutched a small branch tightly, which turned out to be a ginkgo branch, with its dense leaves still bearing two tiny, unripe fruits, still green. After some thought, she bit down on the branch and pulled out a large saber from behind her, throwing it into the air.
The saber spun, tracing a high arc and landing precisely in the billowing dust behind them.
A pained howl immediately echoed from the dust, followed by enraged roars, and the pace increased even more.
Anwen’s face fell, and he said bitterly, “My lady, at this point, why provoke it?”
His expression bitter, he roared, and a faint black demonic aura rose from his head, increasing their speed, gradually distancing themselves from the pursuer.
“I can’t hold on much longer, you must throw it away,” Anwen shouted again.
But Bai Kongzhao was unwilling. She considered, then seemed about to put the branch in her mouth.
Anwen was shocked, “No!!! It will follow you, and then it will cut open your stomach! Even if it’s just a fragment, it will take back the holy branch.”
Seeing his strong reaction, the girl hesitated and asked, “How do you know?”
“From how it keeps chasing us! Do I need to think about it? Such beings are like that.” Anwen was already panting as he spoke while running at high speed.
The girl was still hesitating.
Anwen did not persuade her further, only running madly. His meaning was clear: if the girl was truly reluctant to part with the branch, then they would run until they dropped, and both would die. Perhaps he could hold out until the beast behind them was exhausted. But given the unabated power of the creature, this possibility was very low.
At that moment, Bai Kongzhao finally let go, and the branch flew high, floating into the sky.
A large hand suddenly reached out from the rolling dust, grabbing the branch mid-air. The hand was incredibly strong yet moved with exceptional gentleness. When it opened, the branch lay in its palm, not a single leaf creased.
As the dust dissipated, a towering figure appeared. Its face bore the features of a native, but with sharp brows and electric eyes, exuding an imposing aura. It stood over six meters tall with six thick arms, adding to its intimidating presence. Behind its shoulder, Bai Kongzhao’s large saber was embedded, with the blade partly in the flesh.
One of its rear arms pulled out the saber, looked at it briefly, and tossed it aside.
Though the girl’s saber was large, the six-armed general was even larger. This injury was nothing to it.
It glanced in the direction where Anwen and Bai Kongzhao had fled, seemingly pondering something, and did not pursue, instead turning away.
Despite the creature not chasing, Anwen did not dare to stop. He ran wildly for a while, collapsing to the ground when he could no longer hear anything behind him, gasping, “Help… watch… I need… to… take medicine.”
Bai Kongzhao reached out, gesturing for a weapon. Anwen moved his hand, and a two-meter-long sword appeared on the ground. The girl picked up the sword, swinging it clumsily. She was small, and the sword was much taller than she was, making it hard to wield. However, after a while, she managed to make her movements smoother.
Anwen, not paying attention, took out a vial, inhaling the demonic energy inside. After a long time, his face began to look a bit better.
He opened his eyes, watching Bai Kongzhao play with the large sword, and said, “It doesn’t suit you.”
Bai Kongzhao thought for a moment and returned the sword to Anwen.
Anwen put away the sword, sighing, “Such bad luck, to run into such a creature. We can’t think about raiding the natives’ stone forts anymore. Sigh, that was my last recovery potion. If we encounter such danger again, we can only leave it to fate.”
Bai Kongzhao, chin in hand, seemed lost in thought.
Anwen roused himself and stood up, saying, “Let’s go. We need to leave this cursed place as soon as possible, the farther from that creature, the better.”
The girl suddenly asked, “How can we kill it?”
“Kill it?” Anwen shook his head, “Forget it. Even if all of our kind here gathered, we wouldn’t be enough to kill it. Unless the Demoness comes. But she is still recovering, so she can’t come.”
Bai Kongzhao nodded, deep in thought, as if still mulling over the same question.
Anwen said, “Don’t think too much. We should leave. Let’s get out of this cursed place quickly.”
The girl suddenly said, “We have a chance to kill it.”
Anwen was taken aback, interested, “How?”
The girl had a terrifying talent in combat, often coming up with unconventional battle plans and keenly identifying weaknesses. Anwen wanted to know how the six-armed general, who had nearly trapped them, could be killed.
The girl slowly said, “First, you need to attract its attention. Then, give me that sword… never mind, forget it.”
Seeing her get up and follow, Anwen felt a hint of emotion.
The girl was usually cold and heartless, not very understanding of human emotions. In her mind, the term “care” did not exist. For her, defeating a powerful enemy was everything. If she suggested a plan, she must have been confident. The reason for abandoning it was likely because Anwen no longer had a proper weapon, and luring the enemy might mean certain death.
The two continued to run towards the low-gravity zone, and the girl asked, “Is the Demoness really not coming?”
“Of course not, she’s seriously injured!” Anwen said, with a hint of schadenfreude in his tone.
In the depths of the void, a pair of eyes slowly opened. These were indescribable eyes, with no iris or pupil, just a constant churning of chaos, sometimes gray, sometimes black, with no discernible pattern, yet not entirely without order.
As the eyes opened, several demon offspring sensed it and flew over, stopping far away and asking, “Your Highness, why have you awakened so early?”
A hollow, indifferent voice replied, “The Great Vortex has opened, and I feel the call.”
The demons were hesitant, and one, gathering courage, looked up and saw the eyes. He instantly noticed that the color changes in the eyes seemed to follow a certain pattern, one that could answer some of his long-standing questions about magical cultivation.
This thought made him look again, and he found himself entranced by the swirling colors, each time on the verge of insight, only to lose it, as if one more glimpse of the pattern would bring a breakthrough.
Unconsciously, the demon sped up his thoughts, suddenly feeling a splitting headache, and cried out, almost losing control of his demonic energy.
The other demons hurriedly supported him, covering his eyes, “How dare you look at the Demoness’s eyes?! Don’t you want to live?”
The demon trembled, trying to control the chaotic energy within him, unable to speak.
The Demoness’s hollow voice sounded again, “I’ve just awakened, and my power is still unstable. As for my injury, it has mostly healed and won’t affect my actions.”
The demons were uncertain, and one said, “Your Highness, Eternal Flame ordered you to fully recover before leaving. We should report this to him first.”
The Demoness said coolly, “No need. Unless the Emperor personally commands it, Eternal Flame cannot order me. He should take care of his own young ones first, lest they be killed.”
The demons exchanged glances, and one said, “Your Highness, if you wish to leave, you must have permission. That is the Emperor’s wish.”
The Demoness seemed surprised, “So much concern for me? Fine, I will see the Emperor.”
A demon marquis couldn’t help but advise, “Your Highness, you only need a few more years to fully recover. Why not wait a little longer? By the time you’re rested, the Great Vortex will reopen.”
“I can sense that the person who injured me is in the Great Vortex. Also, if I rest for much longer, those fools in our clan will think they can match me. I think it’s time to show them the world again.”
The demons didn’t know how to respond. They knew the Demoness’s temper well, and what she meant by “showing the world” to her peers and elders.
The eyes slowly closed, and the demons breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the Demoness had decided to rest. But after a moment, they felt something was amiss. One dared to look up, and was shocked to find the Demoness gone.
In the Great Vortex, Zhao Yuying, holding a hand cannon, watched ahead. She was camouflaged with branches and leaves, undetectable even to experienced hunters. This camouflage was easy to learn but hard to master, simple enough for anyone, but achieving a natural blend with the surroundings was not everyone’s forte.
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