Wide-Eyed in Death!!!
Duanmu Yan was momentarily stunned as he looked at the white figure before him. In contrast, Duanmu Cheng was shocked, taking two steps back in fear, only to feel a mix of shame and anger upon realizing what had just happened.
“Stay out of this! Leave now, or else!” Duanmu Cheng shouted at the top of his lungs, though deep down, he was already plotting how to kill this woman who had suddenly appeared in such peculiar armor.
“Annoying,” Nan Gongling muttered indifferently as she moved to surround the remaining eleven men. The battle in armor lacked the flashy spectacle of spellcasting. Slash, stab, thrust—just the most basic sword techniques. Yet, with her extreme speed, even the sole Nascent Soul cultivator was decapitated in a single strike, his soul extinguished. The others fell just as quickly.
In the span of a single breath, all were annihilated.
“You—you—you!” Duanmu Cheng stammered, his rugged face now filled with terror. He opened his mouth, ready to spew threats and offers of power and wealth, but…
Nan Gongling’s figure flashed.
After a series of rapid strikes, Duanmu Cheng was sent flying with a kick, landing right in front of Duanmu Yan.
“I’ve sealed his cultivation. Deal with him yourself,” Nan Gongling said coolly before vanishing as quickly as she had appeared.
She came fast, and she left even faster.
Duanmu Yan stared at the spot where the woman had last stood. That figure was now etched into his memory, and his eyes sparkled with excitement. After a long moment, he exhaled deeply and couldn’t help but marvel, “Such powerful armor! Who is she?”
Her every move was breathtakingly cool! Not only was she strong, but he could also sense the immense energy hidden within that armor. It was undoubtedly extraordinary!
In that instant, a strange idea struck Duanmu Yan. Although the inherited golden dragon bloodline would degrade over generations, what if they could preserve a powerful bloodline in a form similar to this armor? Using the bloodline as a key to activate it, future generations could harness its glory regardless of how diluted their bloodline became.
Of course, more than anything, he wanted to wear it himself! The woman’s armor only partially covered her face—it wasn’t enough. Armor should provide full protection! Moreover, from her fighting style, Duanmu Yan had learned a crucial lesson: speed was invincible! Defense alone wasn’t enough; extreme speed was the key to victory, like a hurricane, impossible to predict!
The more Duanmu Yan thought about it, the more excited he became, until the squirming figure in front of him snapped him back to reality.
He looked down at Duanmu Cheng, who had been scheming against him for years and had now tried to kill him. Noticing Duanmu Yan’s gaze, Duanmu Cheng turned pale and begged, “Your Highness, I—I won’t dare anymore! From now on, I’ll follow your lead!”
Damn it! All his carefully laid plans had been ruined by some random woman! Duanmu Cheng seethed with hatred inside. But for now, he had no choice but to bide his time. As long as he survived, there would be opportunities.
However, Duanmu Yan was utterly unimpressed. Did he look like some kind of pushover?
Drawing his sword, he plunged it steadily into Duanmu Cheng’s heart. Watching the mix of hatred, pain, and disbelief on Duanmu Cheng’s face, Duanmu Yan said calmly, “I can’t be bothered to reason with you. You don’t deserve to hear it.”
A woman dressed in a beast-skin top and a beast-hide skirt, her figure strikingly alluring, darted swiftly through the withered trees. She was no ordinary woman. Her deep blue hair, slightly grayish skin, pointed ears, and two black horns on her forehead set her apart. Her blood-red eyes only added to her otherworldly beauty, a mix of youthful innocence and bewitching allure.
At this moment, her face was filled with relief.
“Finally, I’ve escaped that cage!” she muttered. “I kept saying I didn’t want to choose a husband, but that old fool just wouldn’t listen! They’re all so ugly. Even the thought of having one nearby makes me have nightmares.”
Yes, she was also a blood demon—more precisely, the daughter of the blood demon clan’s chief, Iya. Unlike other female blood demons, she had always had a unique sense of beauty, utterly repulsed by the male blood demons who tried to mask their ugliness with brute strength.
As her coming-of-age ceremony approached, she had begged for permission to remain single forever. But her usually doting father had refused outright, even locking her up and planning to force her to choose a husband during the ceremony.
Fortunately, the once-in-3,000-years collision of the spatial rift had thrown the clan into chaos as they prepared to hunt human cultivators, giving her the chance to escape.
“I never want to go back to that cage!” Iya declared angrily.
But she knew it was just a venting of frustration. This territory had been completely dominated by the blood demon clan for who knew how long. Hiding wouldn’t work for long. The only way out was to take advantage of the spatial rift’s opening and leave this world entirely.
Iya shook her head. The rift was heavily guarded, and her abilities weren’t suited for direct combat. There was no way she could succeed.
Just then, her stomach growled.
Iya gritted her teeth. That old fool had even cut off her food supply!
Lifting her head, she took a deep sniff. Instantly, her already crimson eyes lit up.
She could sense the rich blood within. Her body dissolved into a mist of blood, and she sped toward the source of the scent.
In no time, she caught up to her target.
Behind a massive tree, she silently reformed from the blood mist into her human shape. Peering at the small figure in a light yellow robe walking ahead, Iya was surprised.
Is this a human? So tiny!
But the aura was irresistibly enticing. Iya couldn’t help but lick her crimson lips.
In the next moment, her body was enveloped in blood mist once more. When it dissipated, her horns and pointed ears were gone, her eyes turned pure black, and her skin became as fair as the little girl’s she had seen. Her clothes had also changed, now white but similar in style.
With her transformation complete, she stepped out into the open.