Chapter 1286: The Girl Child

Under the combined assault of four demonic beasts, Anyuan City was completely reduced to ruins.

Only a small number of mortals managed to escape under the protection of a few body refiners, charging through the horde of beasts. The majority, however, perished within the monstrous tide.

Yet, the beast horde ravaged Anyuan City for merely three or four days before abruptly retreating.

Only then did the beast tide officially come to an end.

Though it was just a small city that suffered total destruction, such incidents were rare after the establishment of the Three Realms by humans. Eventually, the high-level cultivators of Tianyuan City were alerted, dispatching a large number of personnel to investigate the exact reason behind the city’s fall.

Of course, all of this was a matter for later.

Two days after the beast horde’s retreat, spiritual light flickered on the horizon as several cultivators descended from the sky, soon arriving at the massive breach in Anyuan City’s walls where the city had been breached.

The light dimmed, revealing three male and female cultivators—none other than the three from the Golden Jade Sect. The leader was the Qin-clan cultivator in embroidered robes.

Their gazes swept across the ruins below, as if searching for something.

“That man is most likely dead. The combined strike of those leopard-winged beasts was devastating—Senior Brother witnessed it himself that day. Why would you still think he had a chance of survival?” The young male cultivator among the pair couldn’t help but ask the robed man after a brief glance.

“Junior Brother, you don’t understand. The Vajra Art is fundamentally different from ordinary body-refining techniques. The third layer alone can cleanse a mortal’s marrow and meridians. At full power, the body can withstand a full-force strike from a low-grade spiritual artifact. Though the leopard-winged beasts’ attack was formidable, if he had activated his technique beforehand, severe injury would be unavoidable, but his chances of survival would still be high. And what we’re about to undertake requires the assistance of a mortal with such resilience. If only we hadn’t been too far away to intervene that day, I would have saved him without hesitation.” The robed man shook his head, his expression unusually grim.

Hearing his senior brother’s words, the young male cultivator, though skeptical, refrained from further comment.

The beautiful young woman, however, spoke up with a glint in her eyes: “Even if that man had survived initially, after being in this place ravaged by beasts for so long, he would’ve surely been devoured. How could he still be alive?”

“That’s possible too! But I came here holding onto a sliver of hope. Suitable candidates are hard to come by. I’ll expend some spiritual sense to search the area.” The robed man forced a bitter smile, his lips twitching.

“Oh? I wonder what task requires Han’s assistance, to the point that Immortal Qin holds me in such regard.”

A calm voice suddenly emerged from the rubble below, followed by a thunderous explosion as rocks scattered in all directions. Two figures—one tall, one short—emerged from the dust.

“Han Li!” The three in the sky were startled, but the robed man quickly exclaimed in delight.

The taller figure was none other than Han Li, who had been missing for days. The shorter one was a girl of about four or five years old. Though her clothes were dirty, their original elegance was still discernible.

The girl’s face was soft and fair, exceptionally adorable, but her large dark eyes betrayed fear as she clung tightly to Han Li’s robes, refusing to leave his side.

“Brother Han is unharmed—what a relief! I’ve been deeply concerned for your safety and came specifically to rescue you. But who is this little one?” The Qin-clan man smiled warmly, signaling for the other two to descend slowly.

“I don’t know much about her. When the city fell, she and a few body refiners fled nearby but were surrounded by wolf beasts. The others perished, but I couldn’t bear to leave such a young child, so I saved her.” Han Li glanced back at the girl trailing behind him, sighing helplessly.

Though he had endured the strike from the mist-like demonic bird, he had shattered the city wall beforehand, causing him to fall before the full force of the attack could land. Thus, he only suffered a fraction of the damage. With the fourth layer of the Vajra Art protecting him, he emerged with only minor injuries.

Strangely, the immense pressure from that strike unexpectedly broke through the bottleneck that had stalled his progress at the fourth layer.

Back in the human realm, his Vajra Art had been stuck at the fourth layer precisely because of this bottleneck.

Now, with just half a year of dedicated cultivation, he could truly advance to the fifth layer.

So he had hidden beneath the rubble, quietly consolidating his breakthrough. It was then that he encountered the girl and her group, ultimately saving her out of pity.

Of course, the situation wasn’t as simple as he made it sound.

To avoid exposing his hiding place, he had slaughtered every beast within a hundred paces before returning to the rubble with the girl—a task that had taken considerable effort.

Had it not been for the girl being a burden, he could have left days ago. Alone, he was confident in evading the beasts, but with a child in tow, it became far more complicated.

The girl’s presence was like a beacon in the night—impossible to conceal.

Thus, staying hidden until the beasts retreated was the wiser choice. The lingering mortal aura of the ruined city was strong enough to mask her presence.

Today, just as he deemed it safe to emerge, the Golden Jade Sect trio arrived. With his sharp senses, he overheard their conversation.

Seizing the moment, he burst from the rubble, startling the three cultivators.

From his appearance, Han Li showed no signs of injury—contrary to their expectations. While Qin was overjoyed, he couldn’t help but feel a hint of wariness, treating Han Li with newfound respect.

“Brother Han, I didn’t take you for such a compassionate soul. But if this child had body refiners escorting her, she must be of some importance. Have you inquired about her background?” The robed man stepped forward, examining the girl with interest.

“Aside from calling herself ‘Dai’er,’ she refuses to say anything else.” Han Li sighed, seemingly exasperated.

“Haha, in that case, her family must have instructed her to stay silent. No matter—once we find the surviving officials of Anyuan City, someone will surely recognize her. But Brother Han, you continue to surprise me. To remain unscathed through the beast tide is no small feat.” Qin’s eyes gleamed as he spoke with admiration.

“Just luck. But Immortal Qin still hasn’t answered my question—what danger requires someone as ‘thick-skinned’ as me?” Han Li’s lips curled slightly as he noticed Qin’s evasiveness.

“We’ll discuss it in due time, but this isn’t the place. Let’s leave first. Your employer and the others are currently sheltered in a safe location some distance away. Shall I escort you there? Other survivors from Anyuan City are gathered there as well.” Qin replied solemnly after a brief pause.

“Very well. Perhaps we’ll find this child’s family there.” Han Li nodded thoughtfully.

“Excellent. Let’s depart at once. I’ll carry Brother Han on my artifact, while Junior Sister takes the girl.” Qin said cheerfully, issuing instructions.

The young female cultivator complied, stepping forward with a friendly smile as she reached for the girl named “Dai’er.”

Seeing the child’s chubby, adorable face, she couldn’t help but feel fondness.

Yet the moment the girl noticed the woman’s approach, fear flashed across her face. She shrank back, darting to the other side of Han Li as if desperate to avoid her.

The young woman froze, visibly embarrassed.

Han Li frowned slightly.

“Never mind. I’ll take them both on my artifact. The child seems too traumatized and only trusts Brother Han.” Qin chuckled awkwardly.

Han Li gave a noncommittal nod.

Reaching down, he effortlessly lifted the girl onto his shoulders.

Qin summoned a small sword, which expanded to several zhang in length, hovering just above the ground.

He stepped onto it gracefully, about to turn and call for Han Li when a voice spoke right behind him:

“If your artifact has a protective barrier, could you activate it slightly? The child is too young to endure the wind during flight.”

Startled, Qin whirled around to find Han Li already standing behind him—having boarded the sword without him noticing.

“So, Fellow Daoist is also skilled in concealment techniques. My apologies for underestimating you.” Qin forced a smile after a moment of unease.

“A petty trick, unworthy of Immortal Qin’s attention.” Han Li replied indifferently.

Qin studied him for a long moment before turning back. With a hand seal, yellow light flared from the sword, enveloping the three in a faint barrier before shooting into the distance.

The other two cultivators followed closely on their own artifacts.

Soon, the three streaks of light vanished from sight.

Several hours later, the lights reappeared over a stretch of rolling hills, descending toward a sprawling settlement of tents and makeshift wooden huts spanning several li.

“Senior Brother Qin, you’ve returned! Ah, you actually found Brother Han!” A blue-robed youth waiting outside one of the huts rushed forward, his face alight with joy as the group landed.

“Indeed, the trip wasn’t in vain. Is my wife still inside?” Qin asked casually with a faint smile.