In the Shanhai Territory.

Somewhere on Mount Luwu.

In a huge, dust-filled crater, Luo Xiu and Xia Chan faced off, the tension so thick it felt as if the air itself had frozen.

Mu Xueyan walked to Luo Xiu's side and whispered, "Once the fight starts, try to stay as far away as possible."

Hearing this, Luo Xiu felt stifled but was helpless.

"Yang Zhilu is proficient in a movement technique called Animal Stance," Mu Xueyan continued. "Within a hundred meters of her, even I can hardly keep up with her speed."

As she spoke, she glanced at Luo Xiu and added indifferently, "If you're nearby, you'll only get in the way. I'd have to divide my attention to protect you."

Luo Xiu's face darkened. Does this woman have to be so brutally blunt?

"So, you're worried about me?"

Mu Xueyan chuckled, a trace of disdain on her incomparably beautiful face. "I only promised your Third Senior Sister that I would ensure your safety on this trip."

Luo Xiu shrugged and muttered, "You say that as if you could actually beat your Senior Sister even if you weren't distracted by me."

Hearing this, Mu Xueyan's expression sank. Even though she knew Luo Xiu was deliberately trying to provoke her, she still felt indignant.

"Then I'll win just to show you!"

The instant the words left her mouth, her delicate body blurred into an afterimage. The silk ribbon in her hand tautened like a blade, slashing straight toward Yang Zhilu!

"Heh. A sore loser with quite a temper."

Facing the unstoppable Mu Xueyan, Yang Zhilu chuckled. With a flick of her wrist, an elegant, slender woman's sword appeared in her hand to meet the incoming silk ribbon.

With a loud bang, the void trembled, and both women retreated several meters. After steadying themselves, they attacked again in the same instant.

In the next moment, only two flickering afterimages remained in the middle of the crater.

"Sword Pointing to the Netherworld!"

"Cold Snow Freezing Heaven!"

"Hahahaha, marvelous, truly marvelous!"

Dou Dou, who was watching from behind, suddenly burst into laughter. Her petite body flew into the air before she opened her black umbrella to slow her descent.

"How can Dou Dou miss out on something as fun as a fight? Dou Dou wants to join too!"

"Witness Dou Dou's ultimate move… Brave Sword of the Little Hero·Thunderbolt Thousand Swords!"

In the midst of their battle, Mu Xueyan shuddered and hastily shouted, "Dou Dou, don't interfere!"

Dou Dou's ultimate skill was ranked fourth on the Heavenly List. Its name might have been silly, but Mu Xueyan had witnessed its power years ago. It could only be described as "terrifying"!

At her words, Dou Dou stopped gathering her power, her face full of dissatisfaction. "Hey! Dou Dou wants to fight too!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Just then, thunderous booms echoed between heaven and earth. The ground shook so violently that sand and stones leaped into the air. It felt as if tens of thousands of people were beating war drums all around the crater.

In an instant, a suffocating atmosphere enveloped the entire crater, unsettling everyone present.

The two martial sisters, Yang Zhilu and Mu Xueyan, simultaneously stopped fighting. They both retreated, warily scanning their surroundings.

「Elsewhere.」

Luo Xiu was also scanning the area when his gaze suddenly froze, as if he had been startled by something.

At some point, massive dark shadows had appeared around the edge of the crater.

They were giant Exotic Beasts from the Shanhai Territory!

And the heart-stopping rumbles from earlier were the sounds of one of them, an Ancient Earth Elephant, treading the ground.

Chi Sha walked over to Luo Xiu. "Those are Ancient Earth Elephants."

Luo Xiu surveyed the oppressive sea of beasts, his expression growing solemn.

Besides the Ancient Earth Elephants that towered over twenty meters tall, there were countless other Exotic Beasts like wolves, bears, rhinos, and tigers—their numbers were simply incalculable.

The hides of these Exotic Beasts were covered in glowing patterns, and a fierce light shone in their eyes. Just watching them from a distance, one could feel a palpable, ferocious aura that inspired fear.

Luo Xiu then looked up at the sky and saw that it, too, was blotted out by a dark mass of gigantic birds.

Just then, on the other side of the crater, Xue Xiao cried out in alarm, "It must be the aura of the Gu Diao's Inner Core that has attracted the beast tide!"

"Miss, we have to run, now!"

Xia Chan didn't hesitate, turning to flee and disappearing in an instant.

Faced with such a terrifying beast tide, even the Upper Nine Deities would have their hands full.

「In the pit.」

A bitter smile touched Luo Xiu's lips as he looked down at the Gu Diao's Inner Core in his hand. This thing is a real hot potato now.

He could feel that right now, the countless Exotic Beasts from the Shanhai Territory surrounding the crater were all staring at him, as if he were a delicious morsel of meat.

However, Luo Xiu wasn't panicked.

With a faint flicker of light in his left eye, he opened a spatial entrance to the Land of Lawlessness.

"For now, we can only hide in there. Dou Dou, take your Sister Su with you."

"You got it! Dou Dou loves running for her life!"

"..."

「...」

Xia Chan, Xue Xiao, and Yang Zhilu didn't have to run for long to escape the beast tide. In truth, besides a few particularly bloodthirsty creatures, most of the Exotic Beasts didn't pursue them, since the Gu Diao's Inner Core wasn't in their possession.

The trio had taken refuge in the hollow of an ancient tree.

The space inside was spacious, larger than an average room, and filled with colorful mushrooms and green vines laden with strange fruits.

Xia Chan's face was pale. She sat on the ground, breathing softly, looking very weak. When the Gu Diao had self-destructed, she had managed to block the blast with a magical treasure at the critical moment, but she was still badly injured.

With her Grandmaster Realm strength, she could have dominated the human world, where cultivators capable of reaching the Gathering Spirit Realm were exceedingly rare. However, in the Shanhai Territory, a mere Grandmaster was at the very bottom of the food chain!

"Miss, the treasures on the Gu Diao's body weren't just that inner core," Xue Xiao suddenly said into the silence.

Hearing this, Xia Chan frowned slightly and looked up at him, her gaze questioning.

Xue Xiao chuckled and took out a blood-red bead from his Storage Magical Treasure. As soon as the bead appeared, the hollow filled with the thick scent of blood.

"When a powerful demon beast like the Gu Diao self-destructed, it could have taken all of us with it," Xue Xiao said. "Fortunately, the Blood-Spilling Demon Technique I cultivate can counteract it to a certain extent. So, in the end, the Gu Diao didn't truly manage to self-destruct."

Xia Chan nodded. "I owe you my thanks."

"This bead," Xue Xiao explained, "is a blood pearl I condensed in that instant, using a secret technique to extract all of the Gu Diao's essence blood. Its effects are no weaker than the inner core's. Miss, you should absorb it quickly. Once you reach the Gathering Spirit Realm, you'll be able to unleash the true power of the Wicked Tenderness Technique. By then, we'll be on surer footing here in the Shanhai Territory."

「...」

「Two days passed.」

「In the Land of Lawlessness.」

Within the dilapidated Palace of the Dharma King.

Su Shenyun lay on a stone slab, gazing at Luo Xiu resentfully.

"The medicine is so bitter. It wouldn't be if you fed it to me."

Luo Xiu looked at Su Shenyun with gentle eyes. When this stunningly beautiful woman acted coquettishly, she was simply irresistible.

"Speaking of which, are you planning to use this broken-down place when you get married?"

Luo Xiu rubbed his nose and retorted, "Doesn't your Sun Family do real estate? Maybe you could come in and develop the place later?"

Su Shenyun suddenly frowned and hissed.

"HISS... That hurts. It's even worse than my period cramps."

Luo Xiu reached out and gently massaged her. "Don't move. Your bones have only just been set."

"Mmm... it doesn't hurt now."

Su Shenyun squinted, a blissful look on her face. She loved this feeling of being cared for and cherished by Luo Xiu.

Luo Xiu watched her helplessly, his tone reproachful. "You silly woman. If something like this happens again, you just worry about yourself, you hear? Don't mind me."

Su Shenyun just smiled without a word. She didn't know why, but in that moment, her body had moved on its own. All she could think about was protecting him, keeping him from harm.

Luo Xiu reached out and pinched her nose, feigning a fierce expression. "You silly woman. I ought to screw you all day long until your eyes roll back, just to make sure you never forget this! You listen to me. If you face danger again, you are only allowed to hide in my arms, not behind me."

"Oh, don't be angry. I'll listen to you, I promise." Su Shenyun began to act coquettishly again.

Luo Xiu sighed, then took the Gu Diao's Inner Core from the Holy Lotus Jade Pendant and handed it to her. "Come on, Nine-Tailed Fox, absorb it."

"..."

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