Escape

Having shaken off the stone apes and vicious beasts, Qin Sang was even more cautious than before. However, these stone spirits hid underground, indistinguishable from mountain rock when stationary. Not only could divine consciousness fail to detect them, but even the Heavenly Eye Butterfly could not perceive anything amiss, making it extremely difficult to discover them in advance. Qin Sang glanced back at the chaotic mountain forest and did not linger, flying straight toward the body of water he had spotted earlier. Before long, Qin Sang flew across several mountain ranges in succession. His field of view abruptly opened up. Stretched out before him was an endless expanse of marshy waters, not the small mountain lake he had imagined. Seeing this scene, Qin Sang faintly guessed a few things. "This is very likely the border between the Wutu Region and the Lingshui Region. Following the border will lead to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, but which way should I go?" The four great regions were situated in the four cardinal directions: east, west, south, and north. Wutu lay in the west, and the Lingshui Region lay in the north. He only needed to head southwest to reach the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. With a flash of his figure, Qin Sang appeared on the shore. The entire Lingshui Region was a watery marsh. Supposedly, it also harbored beings similar to the stone apes—a kind of water spirit shaped like a three-legged golden toad, called the spirit water toad. Naturally, the waters also had no shortage of vicious beasts. Flying into the bounds of the marshy waters, Qin Sang found the surroundings exceptionally quiet. Seeing no spirit water toads here, he did not pause for a moment and continued flying deeper into the Lingshui Region. Before long, waves suddenly rose from beneath the water without any wind. Then, accompanied by an unsettling chorus of croaks, transparent spirit water toads the size of calves burst out of the water's surface without warning. The spirit water toads opened their wide maws, instantly drawing the surrounding waves into their bellies. Pumping their cheeks, they spouted jets of water that transformed into volleys of ice arrows shooting forth. *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* Undaunted by the danger, Qin Sang enveloped his body in sword radiance, shattering the ice arrows before him. Without waiting for the beasts to form an encirclement, he repeated his old trick—relying on his superb movement arts to leave the enemies far behind. At this moment, delight showed on Qin Sang's face. Just now, when the spirit water toads attacked, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had noticed the anomaly ahead of time. From the moment a spirit water toad was disturbed to the moment it condensed and took form, a faint ripple would appear beneath the water's surface, difficult to discern with the naked eye. As long as the Heavenly Eye Butterfly could capture that ripple, Qin Sang could respond in time. Traveling through the Lingshui Region was undoubtedly far easier than crossing the land. Qin Sang hesitated no further. Ordering the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to keep a close watch on the water's surface, he rode his sword and flew toward the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. *** The Trial Realm. Yellow sand rolled across the expanses. The air above the yellow sand shimmered with heat, and even the wind here was scorching. Sand dunes bulged from time to time, revealing vicious beasts moving underneath. In the boundless desert, amidst a deserted stretch of land, a sudden fluctuation rippled through the air, followed by the figure of a woman appearing out of nowhere. This woman was none other than Su Nü. Like Qin Sang, she did not dare act rashly upon first appearing. She surveyed the desert below, and only after confirming there was no danger did she land on a large sand dune to take in her surroundings. "This is the Tianhuo Region." Su Nü's understanding of the Trial Realm far surpassed Qin Sang's. In a single glance, she recognized her location, quickly discerning the direction and determining the position of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. "None of those fellows are here. We've been separated. This might be my only chance to escape. As long as I can reach the Hundred Treasures Pavilion before they arrive and take a treasure, I can be teleported out of the Trial Realm, temporarily breaking free from the Dongji Alliance's control. Then I will crack the bloodline imprint inside this token, and when the Inner Hall is about to close, take the opportunity to slip out, and I'll be free..." Su Nü's expression grew stern as she murmured softly to herself. She had never given up hope. Yet her enemies were despairingly powerful. In the Foundation Establishment stage, the one controlling her had been Immortal Aunt Yue; now, having broken through to late Core Formation, she had to face the Dongji Alliance Leader and the other Nascent Souls of the Business Alliance. Su Nü could only endure, feigning innocence and ignorance until she found an opportunity like this. She did not know what the Dongji Alliance wanted to do, nor did she have the slightest interest in the Soul-Cleansing Liquid. She only wanted to escape from their demonic clutches as quickly as possible. Ever since she learned that the Dongji Alliance Leader intended to bring her into the Hall of Seven Kills, an uneasy feeling had lingered in her heart, and now that unease was growing ever stronger. She opened her palm, revealing two items. One was the token that clung to her like a maggot on a rotting bone, guiding the others toward her. The other was a square black seal carved with a ghost head. The seal was only the size of a thumb and pitch-black all over, the ghost head vividly lifelike and extraordinarily sinister. "I hope it doesn't come to that." Su Nü sighed softly, murmuring with a touch of despair, "But if it does... who can I trust?" Flipping her palm, she put the two items away. Su Nü hesitated no longer. Spurring her demonic wings, she sped toward the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Unexpectedly, just as she crossed a sand dune, the dune split open without the slightest warning. Immediately afterward, a scorching breath surged forth, carrying a faint crimson hue like a pillar of fire. The crimson breath soared into the sky, rushing straight toward Su Nü. Her expression shifted slightly. Rapidly flapping her demonic wings, she tilted her body slightly and dodged aside. The crimson breath struck empty air, but the attack did not cease. Mid-air, the breath came to an abrupt halt, its form shifting continuously until it transformed into humanoid fire spirits. The fire spirits had drifting, insubstantial forms that did not appear solid, but their strength was by no means weak. Like the stone apes and spirit water toads Qin Sang had encountered, they were guardian beasts of the Tianhuo Region. *I did my best to conceal my aura, yet I still couldn't hide from them. It seems that old bastard was right—these fire spirits have extremely sharp perception...* Su Nü's heart sank. Her wishful thinking had come to naught. The fire spirits hid deep within the sand dunes, blending seamlessly with the subterranean flames. It was impossible to detect them in advance. She could only carve her way through step by step, which would inevitably slow her down. Her hopes of reaching the Hundred Treasures Pavilion before the others were slim now. *Thump! Thump! Thump!* Mounds of varying sizes bulged across the surrounding sandy ground. Even as the fire spirits lunged at Su Nü, they opened their mouths and emitted silent signals, awakening the vicious beasts lurking underground. The situation was even direr than she had imagined. Even so, Su Nü still did not give up. Spurring her demonic wings, she turned into a streak of black light, lunging toward one of the fire spirits and striking out with a wave of demonic light from her palm. *Poof!* The fire spirit shattered into light smoke and drifted back underground, quickly re-condensing. By this time, Su Nü had already broken out of the fire spirits' encirclement, swinging her demonic blade to slay several vicious beasts and fleeing before they could encircle her. Though she had resolved the crisis, Su Nü's expression remained strained. Her premonition had come true; she suffered wave after wave of attacks along the way. Her movement arts were inferior to Qin Sang's, making it impossible to evade dangers in advance, forcing her to push through every assault with brute force. To save time, she rarely stopped to meditate, and her true essence was steadily depleted. She did not know how far she had pushed forward. Nor did Su Nü know how much longer it would take to reach the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Just as she was charging forward regardless of the cost, the sound of tearing air suddenly came from the distance. Then, a streak of light sped over, trailing several fire spirits behind it. "Junior Sister, come over quickly! Junior Sister Hong is here too. What a coincidence—all three of us landed in the Tianhuo Region!" The newcomer shouted in an aged voice. Su Nü's eyes darkened.