With just one glance, Bai Hao realized the woman before him was not human.
Her beauty surpassed human imagination – her skin shimmered like white jade, yet radiated a piercing coldness akin to polar ice.
Her long hair, which seemed to glow with inner fire, writhed and spread like living snakes or scorpions.
Her eyes looked into an endless abyss, revealing pure cruelty.
Her delicate face contorted in pain, her bright red lips pressed tight to hold back cries of agony.
At that moment, the hem of her skirt tore open, exposing an area of severely burned skin.
Her condition was critical – dark blood seeped continuously between her fingers as she clutched her chest.
Even though she was beautiful, Bai Hao felt no urge to admire her.
Based on his recent research and understanding of this world, he knew that besides humans and ordinary creatures, there were also alien races, exotic beasts, and void beings.
When alien races first arrived on Blue Star, they – like other extraterrestrial creatures – entered through secret realm portals.
However, alien races were generally highly intelligent, with cognitive abilities comparable to humans; a small number even possessed superior thinking capacities.
They discovered Earth had a more stable and habitable environment than their home worlds, so they began to settle and thrive here.
Over time, many uninhabited regions – and even areas once belonging to humans – were occupied by these other races.
Furthermore, using secret realm portals as gateways back to their home worlds gave them access to vast resources unavailable on Earth.
As for exotic beasts, no further explanation was needed – they were wild creatures from various mysterious, untamed worlds.
Some came from worlds inhabited by other races, while others originated from realms with no intelligent life whatsoever.
Void beings appeared on Blue Star alongside the secret realms.
Perhaps because the realms connected to different dimensional worlds, spatial pathways had shifted in ways that allowed creatures originally living in the void to accidentally enter Earth through spatial turbulence.
The power of void beings was undeniable – even formidable Spirit Emperor-level beings dared not confront them recklessly.
Bai Hao had no detailed records about them. The only advice for ordinary superhumans who encountered void beings was simple: flee by any means necessary.
Judging by her appearance, the stunning woman who had suddenly appeared before him must belong to the Demon Spirit Clan from the Spirit World.
Even in her critical state, she could not hide the overwhelming pressure she exuded – like a tangible chasm.
The relationship between alien races and humans was fundamentally irreconcilable, like fire and water. Now that she had appeared here, his situation had become extremely dangerous.
Cold sweat instantly soaked through Bai Hao's inner clothing.
His heart pounded so hard it felt like it would leap from his throat.
Yet his mind raced at extraordinary speed under the threat of death!
"We can't just sit here and wait to die!"
Having made his decision, Bai Hao clenched both fists without hesitation, and chaos power immediately condensed around him.
"Strike first, strike hard!"
Boom!
Chaos power gathered in his fist, and the full force of his close-range attack nearly burst his own arm.
Unfortunately, the power gap between them was far too great.
Bai Hao was sent flying and crashed hard into the ground, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. But when the dust settled, the witch's form remained completely unchanged.
If she hadn't been seriously injured when she appeared, she would have felt no impact at all.
Even though he'd expected this outcome, Bai Hao still felt frustrated when reality confirmed it.
"Could this also be part of the combat test for the academy entrance exam?"
Bai Hao immediately dismissed this absurd idea, a bitter, cynical smile twisting his lips.
Even if human authorities were foolish, they would never allow alien races – sworn enemies of humanity – to enter the exam arena.
"Damn it, this is a terrible start."
"I just became a Spirit Master. Can't you cut me some slack?"
Even as countless thoughts raced through his mind, she gave him no time to continue thinking.
Countless thin chains shot out from all directions like tentacles, binding his hands and feet before pulling them tight, completely restraining him.
The witch clutched her chest and stood trembling – clearly severely wounded from the Spirit Emperor's attack.
But as a high-ranking Holy Spirit Realm being, even when desperate and on the brink of death, she was not someone Bai Hao – who had been a Spirit Master for less than two days – could easily exploit.
This was not a world where a mere tiger's roar or domineering aura could trigger some cheat code to reverse the situation.
He had no overpowered system to help him defeat an opponent far stronger than himself.
Even if such systems existed, the level gap was simply too large.
What a shame!
The thought that he hadn't even had time to experience the extraordinary strength and unique life of this world before being tormented by the witch filled Bai Hao with frustration and helplessness.
The witch licked her bloodstained lips, her nimble, slender tongue wiping away the crimson trace at the corner of her mouth.
Escape?
With a human Spirit Emperor pursuing her, escape was nothing but an illusion.
She had long abandoned such foolish fantasies and decided to find another way out.
Especially now that two Spirit Emperors were outside the secret realm – if one pursued her inside and the other waited at the exit, not even flight would save her.
The only chance of survival lay with the human who had awakened Emperor-tier talent.
If she could capture him and use him as a hostage to threaten the two Spirit Emperors, she might have a shot at safety.
She just didn't know if fate would grant her that opportunity.
"Wait a minute!"
The witch's heterochromatic eyes suddenly focused on Bai Hao, and a mischievous smile spread across her lips.
"Hahaha! I never expected this! In human terms, it's like finding a needle in a haystack – and here it is, delivered right to me!"
"A beginner-level spirit practitioner who can launch an attack that surprises even me… he must be an Emperor-tier Spirit Envoy!"
But simply keeping him by her side wasn't enough to guarantee safety. She needed to take steps that would make her pursuers hesitate to act, leaving her with no worries.
"Human boy – do you want to die by my hand, or become my slave?"
In the eyes of Witch Elisa, humans were always cowards afraid of death – especially the weak and easily defeated ones.
As long as he submitted to her, she wouldn't mind implanting a slavery mark (spiritual contract) on him.
The Demon Spirit Clan held strong racial pride, believing only their bloodline was noble, while all other races and creatures were dirty, inferior, and ugly.
Typically, Demon Spirit members avoided making contracts with members of other races – especially those of the opposite sex.
But right now, survival came first. She had to stay alive before she could plan anything else.
She could almost "see" him kneeling and begging for mercy, "hear" him crying as he crawled under her tattered skirt to kiss her toes.
That sense of control was the sweetest nourishment for her soul.
Alyssa's lips curved into a confident, sadistic, yet elegant smile.
She waited for his surrender, like waiting for a lamb to offer its neck to the butcher.
However, Bai Hao's next response took her completely by surprise.
"Then so be it – death is just a bowl-sized scar. In eighteen years, I'll be a warrior again."
After speaking, Bai Hao closed his eyes completely.
Elisa stared at him with a confused expression, utterly bewildered.
???
Why wasn't this child playing by the rules?
If it weren't for the pursuers on her trail and his potential value, she would have killed him long ago!