Half an hour later.
Scarlett the catgirl leaned against the wall, panting heavily. Her expression was utterly despairing, and her pair of white cat ears had drooped from their alert pricked posture flat against her head.
Clearly, she had bats to track Yu Xian's movements at all times, but no matter how she ran, Yu Xian was able to pinpoint her location with flawless precision and stroll leisurely in her direction.
The dungeon labyrinth was so vast, yet Scarlett was gripped by the suffocating feeling that there was nowhere to hide.
At first, she had suspected Yu Xian was a pursuer dispatched by that corpulent, fat-eared noble. But after seeing Yu Xian obliterate the Skeleton General on the second floor with a single punch through her bat's eyes, she had thrown that assumption out the window.
There was a tier system for supernatural power in this world.
Deities were without question the mightiest beings. Below deities were Legends, below Legends were Tier-9 Transcendents, followed by Tier-8 Transcendents, and so on.
For instance, the Holy Dragon Gabriel had been a Legend-tier dragon in his prime, having even brushed against the threshold of the divine domain.
As for the current Hero Party, the Hero was at Tier-5 while the rest were Tier-4, and the Six-Eyed Flying Fish killed by the Cheering Robot had been Tier-8.
As for the Calamity Demonic Dragon, it was an off-the-charts Legend; its attributes and physiology were so extraordinary that even weaker deities could be slain by it, putting it in a league of its own—truly Demon King caliber.
The monsters in the dungeon were mostly Tier-1 to Tier-3 on the first floor, though an elite monster capable of reaching Tier-4 lurked among them.
The second floor's monsters ranged from Tier-2 to Tier-4, but it harbored the Skeleton General, who possessed Tier-5 strength.
According to the intelligence Scarlett had gathered, the strongest pursuer sent by that grand noble—the captain—was only Tier-5. There was no way he could instantly kill a Skeleton General.
Furthermore, her scout bat had observed with great care this time: Yu Xian's fist hadn't even physically touched the Skeleton General. He had merely punched empty air, triggering a violent atmospheric shockwave that blasted the Skeleton General into dust on the spot.
This was vastly more difficult—and vastly more terrifying—than physically striking the Skeleton General.
That grand noble couldn't possibly dispatch such an elite expert to hunt her down. After all, she was just a Tier-3 nobody. Without her, the noble could simply buy another—a Scar-lite, a Scar-ling, or even a Scar-belle.
"Tier-7? Or Tier-8? But why is he chasing me?"
Scarlett wiped away beads of sweat, her mind buzzing with confusion. Suddenly, a voice drifted around the corner: "Why am I chasing you? Because I need to urgently... whatever, let's not quote commercials!"
Even as he spoke, Yu Xian's large hand pressed down on Scarlett's forehead, freezing her completely in place.
Her scout bat was clearly still monitoring Yu Xian down the corridor, so what was with the Yu Xian standing right behind her?
Were there two of him? Were they twins?
"Hello? Earth to catgirl?"
"Snap out of it. Shouldn't you puff up your fur, leap backward, stick your tail straight up, and bare your fangs at me right about now?"
Seeing no reaction from Scarlett, Yu Xian waved a hand before her eyes and helpfully reminded her.
His words, however, only made Scarlett realize that resistance was utterly futile. She asked, "Wh-who are you? Why are you chasing me?"
"Have some milk tea!"
Yu Xian was in no rush to answer her question.
Instead, he shoved a cup of milk tea into Scarlett's hands. Scarlett stared hesitantly at the cup, her head swimming with question marks. She couldn't predict his behavior in the slightest. What was the point of randomly thrusting this cup of strange liquid into her hands?
"Don't be nervous. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Newton, known in the pugilistic world as the Bull Demon King. In my life, I have three passions and three pet peeves. My three passions are sleeping well, eating well, and having fun. My three pet peeves are women, women, and women. Any woman who likes me, I dislike. So keep that in mind—don't fall for Old Bull. There's no future for us, no happy ending." Yu Xian raised his massive bull head, gazing up toward the ceiling at a melancholic forty-five-degree angle as he spoke.
Cradling the milk tea, Scarlett looked up at Yu Xian's giant bull head, her mouth slightly ajar, utterly dumbfounded by his speech.
With a giant bull head like that, who besides a female minotaur could possibly find him attractive?!
"As for why I was chasing you, the reason is very simple: I was bored with nothing better to do," Yu Xian added.
At that moment, if glares could kill, Scarlett would have slain Yu Xian on the spot. Chasing down a girl just because you're bored? Are you out of your mind?!
"Besides, I know a Hero Party currently on their way to subjugate the Calamity Demonic Dragon. Their leader is Luo Wei, who saved you from being hammered. That holy light back then burst forth because Luo Wei drew the Holy Sword. If not for Luo Wei, that grand noble would definitely have hammered you by now. So, I'd like you to join the Hero Party," Yu Xian continued.
"..."
Scarlett's face flushed crimson. Yu Xian's phrasing was far too crass—what in the world was 'saving you from being hammered'?!
Yet Yu Xian's words made her realize who her savior truly was. Hearing that Yu Xian wanted her to join the Hero Party, and now knowing her benefactor's identity, she felt much less resistant—in fact, she felt a faint prickle of anticipation.
"Looks like you agree. Let's go, then."
Reading Scarlett's thoughts, Yu Xian turned and walked toward the stairs leading from the second floor up to the first.
Along the way, Scarlett reasoned that since Yu Xian was a friend of the Hero, he was probably a good person. And since he was a good person, the drink he gave her was probably safe to drink.
And so she cautiously took a sip of the milk tea. Her eyes instantly lit up. Sucking down the milk tea, she trotted along behind Yu Xian.
"Remember to pay for the milk tea," Yu Xian reminded her the moment he saw she had caved.
Scarlett's ears shot straight up. "Didn't you treat me to it?" she gasped.
"That's right, my treat, but you pay," Yu Xian nodded earnestly.
Scarlett ground her teeth, silently cursing him as a swindler before asking, "Then how much is it?"
"Not expensive at all. This is the very first cup of milk tea in this world, infused with the Heavenly Dao's karmic merit. A mere one hundred million gold coins will suffice," Yu Xian babbled with a straight face.
Scarlett reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her fur instantly standing on end. "One hundred million gold coins?!"
"You actually believed that?" Yu Xian looked at Scarlett, genuine surprise on his face. Were catgirls nowadays really this gullible?
With her reason returning, Scarlett gritted her teeth. "Not a word out of your mouth is true! Now I'm starting to wonder if anything you told me before was real."
"I have video evidence!"
Yu Xian pulled out a smartphone and tapped to play a video.
On the screen, Scarlett was tied to a bed in flimsy clothes while a fat, greasy noble crept onto the mattress with a lecherous sneer. Scarlett struggled frantically, but to no avail.
Right then, a blinding radiant light shone through the window. The noble, previously brimming with wicked lust, suddenly looked like an enlightened monk, his soul thoroughly cleansed and purified.
The view followed the holy light outward, finally landing on Luo Wei. With snot dangling from his nose, Luo Wei was staring in dazed shock at the Holy Sword in his hands, completely stupefied.
"..."
Scarlett stared at the phone screen, her face burning bright red.
To have the most humiliating moment of her life replayed through this alchemical artifact—how could she ever show her face again?!
Gritting her teeth, she lunged to snatch it, but Yu Xian was faster. In a flash, he pocketed the phone, gave a mischievous chuckle, and bolted forward. The catgirl chased after him with gnashing teeth.
"Catch me if you can! If you catch me, I'll let you hehehe..."
Yu Xian ran ahead, laughing teasingly, which caused Scarlett's fur to puff up even more as she accelerated after him.
Chapter 673