Song Wanníng quickly received a signal from Xiao Jin, knowing that Jiang Cen had arrived. A glint of malice flickered in her eyes.
She gauged the timing, then abruptly retracted her domain, stretching her figure to its limit and shooting toward the outside at full speed.
Jiang Cen had just stepped inside when a dense mass of demonic energy rushed straight at her. Startled, she dodged to the side in haste.
Fortunately, that mass of demonic energy ignored her and sped away. She frowned, thoughts churning, when a terrifying roar suddenly shook the air. Looking up, her gaze met the blood-red eyes of a raging beast.
!!!!
Jiang Cen's heart sank. Her first instinct was to run.
But the beast was already in a frenzy. The fear it had endured inside the domain had been magnified to its limits, and now, finding the box it guarded missing, it had lost all reason.
It lashed out wildly in all directions, ice blades shooting through the air like a storm.
Jiang Cen, unlucky from the start, was caught in the barrage. Her protective treasure shattered almost instantly. In mere moments, several massive holes were punched through her body by the icy blades. Blood poured from the wounds, her face turning ashen, twisting with pain.
But when the box was taken away, the restriction on spiritual energy had also lifted. Sensing this, she hastily pulled out a treasure and struck back at the beast. Her strength now, however, was no match for it. Within moments, she was beaten black and blue, collapsing to the ground with a constant stream of groans.
The beast's frenzy showed no sign of stopping.
Jiang Cen glanced at the now-empty altar, then thought back to the departing mass of demonic energy she had seen moments earlier. Realization dawned.
Someone else had beaten her to it.
Impossible!
In the original events, even the female lead Zhang Shuning hadn't obtained such a treasure—so how could someone else have snatched it?
And how had a demon cultivator even managed to sneak into this place, where only elite sect disciples had entered?
Her mind was filled with questions, but before she could think further, another ice blade punched into her thigh.
Blood ran down her leg, cold and searing at once.
She hurriedly swallowed a pill and pulled out the Ten Thousand Demons Banner. She had taken it off a demon cultivator she killed on a recent trip. People said demon cultivators slaughtered without mercy—yet were righteous cultivators any different?
She felt no hesitation in keeping such a weapon for herself. It had served her well before. Now it would be perfect for this beast.
But she didn't know the beast had already been pushed to the brink of collapse by that demon cultivator in the domain. Now, sensing demonic energy again, the last shred of its reason snapped.
It charged at her with suicidal fury.
"Ah—!"
Jiang Cen was kicked into the air. She scrambled to ready a counterattack, but the beast closed the distance instantly, smashing down on her.
Puff—
Blood burst from her mouth like a fountain, the blow rattling her organs.
Still, the beast didn't relent. Fists and claws pummeled her, sending her into a dizzy, near-death haze. Hands trembling, she fumbled a Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talisman from her storage ring, but before she could activate it, the beast swatted her aside.
Bang—
Her body slammed into the wall with a sickening thud. Stars burst in her vision, and for a heartbeat she felt she might actually die.
Bile rose in her throat as pain engulfed her.
Clenching her jaw, she crushed the talisman, forcing it to activate.
A flash of light, and her figure vanished from the underground palace.
The beast, mid-swing, froze as its target disappeared. A breath later, it roared even louder and charged for the exit. One human bullying it was bad enough—now another? Did they all think it was weak and easy prey?
It was infuriated beyond reason.
Outside the valley, Song Wanníng had already slipped away.
Flying at speed, she watched through the Three Lives Mirror. When she saw Jiang Cen battered half to death and fleeing in panic, her lips curved in satisfaction.
But that was still not enough.
She released the trace of red lotus aura she had left clinging to Jiang Cen, leaving a thread of energy the beast could track.
Even a teleportation talisman wouldn't save her now. The beast could still find her.
"Sister, will the beast chase after us?" Xiao Jin's voice carried a hint of wariness. He had heard even his sister could not easily kill it.
"Not for now. If it really wanted to chase us, it wouldn't have bothered with Jiang Cen just now."
Most likely, it had been too shaken inside the domain, so when she escaped, it vented its rage on Jiang Cen instead.
And perhaps it didn't value the box as much as she thought.
A flicker of thought passed through Song Wanníng's eyes. Her curiosity about the box grew stronger.
She needed to find a safe place before inspecting its contents.
…
Elsewhere, Jiang Cen had barely escaped with the talisman. She collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
"Dammit! Which bastard not only stole the treasure but also set me up?!"
Her teeth ground together in rage. She had thought herself on the verge of a grand transformation, ready to slap the faces of all who looked down on her.
Yet everything had turned to dust.
Hatred boiled in her heart. If she could find the culprit, she would swallow them whole. She downed a handful of pills, and her injuries began to knit back together. Color returned to her face.
For now, she had to figure out who that demon cultivator was. No one would take her treasure from her. But just as determination rose within her, reality struck again.
Not far away, a figure was rapidly closing in. Its overwhelming aura clung to her like a shadow.
A chill shot up her spine. Without hesitation, she mounted her flying treasure. She burned top-grade spirit stones to push its speed to the limit. Because chasing her—was the same beast from the underground palace. The one that had beaten her to a pulp.
"How is this possible? The Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talisman sends you to a random place! Even I didn't know where I'd end up—so how can it find me?"
Her face darkened further with every thought. Her flying treasure sped away, but the beast, sensing her aura growing distant, only grew more enraged, bellowing as it pursued.
It clearly had no intention of stopping.
Soon, many cultivators witnessed the chase.
"Isn't that Jiang Zūnzhě's daughter? What did she provoke?"
"By the heavens, that beast's cultivation is at the Divine Soul stage…"
Many silently lit a candle for her, but none moved to help. Even fellow disciples from Guhan Sect pretended not to see. Her reputation was so foul that everyone wanted to avoid her.
While Jiang Cen was being hunted through the secret realm, Song Wanníng had already found a safe cave.
She set the box before her.