Chapter 318: Doing a Big Job

Fan Xixi was panting heavily, having used every ounce of his strength just now. He had rolled and crawled, with all his might, actually amusing the War Academy cultivator chasing him so much that he laughed until his stomach hurt and couldn't catch his breath, allowing Fan Xixi to create some distance.

Fan Xixi was now nervously looking back from the corner of the cave entrance, pressing his ear against the cave wall to listen for a while. Hearing no sounds of pursuit, he finally breathed a sigh of relief; he had escaped again...

Ah Xi found himself alone, without Winnie's protection, and finally experienced what it felt like to be in hell.

The sprawling cave was full of dangers—dark creatures, enemies from the War Academy... He encountered several attacks, but unlike those who would recklessly charge in with a bit of confidence or those who always liked to weigh the strength of the enemy first, no matter what he encountered, even if it was just the sound of a drop of water from the cave ceiling, Ah Xi had only one reaction—'run'!

Seeing a dark creature emerge from the ground—run! Hearing someone talking—run! Being spotted—run even faster! Several times, he ran so fast that the people on the other side were left dumbfounded. The War Academy cultivators often didn't even realize Fan Xixi was an enemy before they saw him fleeing madly. What was even more bizarre was that he would run even when he saw Holy Sanctuary disciples.

There was no other way. Ah Xi was very clear about his own capabilities. With his short legs, if he waited to distinguish friend from foe before running, he might not be able to escape. As for encountering someone from Rose, he could smell that unique scent from eight kilometers away, so he would never make a mistake. No matter what, as long as he spotted a living being, his first reaction was to run!

And to be honest, the full-throttle sprint driven by the potential of life, the genuine flight for survival, whether in reaction or speed, was actually first-class, leaving the pursuers somewhat dumbfounded.

This guy... they couldn't be bothered to chase him, and some even suspected it might be a trap.

Being so terrified of death, why did you even come here?

Fan Xixi felt like crying. I didn't want to be in such a sorry state either, but my strength simply doesn't permit it. What can I do? Old Wang, Winnie, Mo Tong, Hei Wukai, where are you? I miss you so much!

Compared to the pitiful Ah Xi, Kela's luck was much better.

Not long after entering the dark cave, she ran into Hei Wukai. Following Hei Wukai, Kela got to experience what it truly meant to be a powerhouse, what true intimidation felt like.

In this place where anyone would feel fear, Hei Wukai's state was completely like taking a stroll in his own backyard.

The journey was smooth and uneventful, and they didn't even have to fight once. There were a few places where it was obvious someone was lying in ambush. In one large cave, as soon as Kela stepped in, her awakened keen senses already felt a faint murderous aura lingering in the air. But the next second, when Hei Wukai followed her in, the faint murderous aura in the air visibly trembled and then instantly disappeared without a trace, as if everyone lying in ambush around them suddenly held their breath and pressed their hearts. In the few minutes that Kela and Hei Wukai leisurely walked through, no one dared to take a breath.

Fight? That didn't exist. The only thing they were worried about was whether Hei Wukai would discover them.

A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. The bloody reputation earned in the first layer was something no one dared to challenge.

Not just people, but even the dark creatures didn't show up alive. Instead, they saw several dead dark creatures along the way. It seemed even such beings could sense Hei Wukai's strength and didn't dare to jump out and provoke him.

This worry-free state continued until they encountered the man dressed in white like snow.

It was in an expansive cave. A simple wooden-handled sword, carrying nothing, Long Feixue seemed to be surveying the terrain. He was about to leave but suddenly stopped as Kela and Hei Wukai appeared before him.

Kela was slightly stunned, and in that moment of distraction, when the gazes of the two men met in the air, the entire cave suddenly froze completely.

The air, the sound, and everything Kela could feel around her—everything seemed to stop in that instant, as if in the vast world, only these two were real existences.

Kela couldn't breathe. She couldn't even move a finger. The silent, terrifying pressure made her feel like she was suffocating.

Thump, thump, thump...

Kela could hear her own heartbeat, and even her heartbeat slowed down!

Her mind went blank, unable to think. A large drop of cold sweat slid unimpeded from her forehead, gathering at her pale chin, growing larger and larger. The sparkling light on the sweat droplet trembled slightly.

Plop...

The sweat droplet fell to the ground with a very soft sound, but it seemed to break the deathly silence.

Kela only felt the pressure around her suddenly dissipate, and a faint smile appeared on both Long Feixue's and Hei Wukai's faces.

Long Feixue lightly tapped his foot and floated towards Hei Wukai and Kela.

In that instant, Kela felt like a rabbit with its ears pinched, her fur standing on end, but completely powerless to resist. She felt that to Long Feixue, she was like an insignificant ant, and he could easily crush her with just a casual flick of his finger.

He was getting closer and closer!

Kela held her breath again, but in the next moment.

"Excuse me."

Long Feixue said lightly, her voice carrying a hint of amusement. A streak of white light passed by, as fleeting as a cloud, drifting past Hei Wukai and Kela, leaving behind a faint breeze and a subtle scent of lavender. In the blink of an eye, she had already disappeared into the cave passage behind them.

But Kela didn’t exhale until Long Feixue’s figure had completely vanished into the distance. Only then did she suddenly exhale deeply.

Her graceful demeanor, ladylike manners, beautiful face, and soft words—for an ordinary woman, this might be the perfect embodiment of "a lady like jade, unparalleled in the world." But for Kela, all she felt was one word: terror!

Even though she was also at the Tiger Peak level and had awakened orc heritage, facing Long Feixue still made her feel like an insignificant ant facing a primordial beast. The overwhelming pressure was even greater than that of the orc prince, whose bloodline naturally suppressed hers. At least, when facing the orc prince, she could retain some sense of resistance.

She couldn’t help but glance at Hei Wukai beside her. Just now, Hei Wukai’s aura was just as strong as Long Feixue’s. If Long Feixue was a monster, then Hei Wukai was one too! And they were two equally matched anomalies. Good grief... what kind of people are these!

"Let’s go." Hei Wukai smacked his lips, still savoring the feeling from earlier. He loved beautiful women, but he loved formidable opponents even more.

"Why didn’t you two fight?" Kela’s legs were still a bit numb. She rubbed them and quickly caught up, but couldn’t help asking.

"Now is not the time," Hei Wukai said with a smile. It’s like savoring fine wine—you take it slow. Chugging it down isn’t savoring; it’s just getting drunk.

What’s more interesting is that the other party clearly had the same idea. This Long Feixue is quite an interesting character! Hmm... though her fragrance is a bit too feminine. A bit of sweat would make her the perfect woman.

While Hei Wukai was lost in thought, Kela had already started to speak.

"Now is not the time? What do you mean?"

She was stunned for a moment but quickly figured it out.

Because these two believed that nothing and no one here could threaten them. They would undoubtedly continue unimpeded.

Then, during their exploration, they would keep accumulating and preparing. And when they had fully explored the illusion and adjusted themselves to their best state, they would have a peak battle worthy of each other at the zenith of the illusion!

"Let’s go, let’s go. Why are you spacing out? We still need to find Old Wang." Hei Wukai waved his hand, chewing on a grass stalk as he walked forward.

Kela’s open mouth suddenly closed.

She understood perfectly that, facing each other’s hundreds of elites and the unpredictable dangers of the illusion, only Hei Wukai and Long Feixue could take all this so naturally. This wasn’t showing off; it was just how things should be.

The weak don’t deserve to talk about confidence, but for the strong, it’s only natural! Love 999

………

"Run, run, run! Damn it, is that guy a ghost? He just won’t let go!" Old Wang was feeling miserable. He and Mapeier had been running for hours, but the guy behind them was still clinging like a leech.

They had managed to hold out this long, but it definitely wasn’t because of speed. Old Wang had already blown up several caves, specifically targeting narrow spots where the collapsed rubble could block Manku’s pursuit path. Although the caves here were interconnected, Old Wang chose 'one-way paths.' Once blocked, it would take a long detour to get back.

Old Wang had been quite confident in this strategy, but the vampires happened to be one of the best tracking races in the world. Old Wang had been slightly injured while protecting Mapeier from the Skyburst Grenade explosion. Though not serious, the small amount of blood left on the ground was enough to serve as a perfect trail for Manku. With just a lick, Manku could lock onto Wang Feng’s position as if by soul tracking. No matter how many caves Wang Feng blew up or how many detours he forced Manku to take, Manku could always accurately relocate Wang Feng and relentlessly pursue him...

This was already bad enough, but what was worse was that as they ventured deeper into the caves, the surroundings began to grow 'taller and wider.' Some areas even had massive caverns hundreds of meters in diameter. These weren’t places that could be blocked with just a few Skyburst Grenades. Besides, the grenades would eventually run out. On top of that, after hours of running, Old Wang’s stamina was no longer enough to keep him going.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Manku caught up. Moreover, it seemed Manku wasn’t even going all out in the chase. He seemed to be deliberately controlling his speed, toying with them and further breaking down their psychological resistance. It appeared Manku was somewhat wary of Wang Feng’s tricks and was using this method to wear them down.

"This way!" Wang Feng was already panting heavily. He pulled Mapeier into a relatively narrow cave.

Mapeier followed closely. The longer they ran, the more complicated her feelings became.

Throughout the escape, Wang Feng had been taking care of her—accommodating her 'level' of stamina, her 'level' of speed. No matter where they went, Wang Feng always took the lead in scouting the path. In such an unknown environment, scouting was clearly dangerous, but Wang Feng never once considered letting his 'combat-inept' junior sister take on the responsibility of scouting...

Wang Feng's hand was slender yet strong, gripping hers firmly, slightly damp. Mapeier felt sweat forming in her palm, her heartbeat accelerating.

She was an orphan, indoctrinated by the Mi Group to believe the empire was supreme and its interests above all else. For the empire's glory, a 'tool' like her was always ready to lay down her life.

She once held this belief unwaveringly and never dared to dream of a life of her own. However, in Aurora City these past few years, Luo Lan's involvement left her with little to do most of the time. The unnaturally calm life began to erode her conviction in this purpose. Lately, she’d been questioning why she lived this way—was it truly just to sacrifice herself for the empire someday, becoming a faceless speck on its grand canvas?

Mapeier had doubted but never considered rebellion or making her own choices. If she betrayed Mi, she might not even get the chance to be a background speck. Such a life would be even more pitiful; she might lose all sense of purpose.

But now... she felt she was no longer just a meaningless tool. Someone cared for her, someone worried about her. This feeling of being cared for was intoxicating, making Mapeier’s heart race and her blood surge uncontrollably whenever she thought of it.

Betraying Mi was death, and loyalty to Mi was also death. Rather than becoming a mindless zombie, why not give herself a choice?

Wang Feng’s words grew sparse as he panted from exhaustion, and Manku seemed to be gaining ground.

"Senior brother!" Mapeier steeled herself. She halted abruptly, unleashing her soul power, and said firmly to Wang Feng, "You go ahead. I’ll hold him off!"

Old Wang was exhausted and didn’t expect Mapeier to say this. He gave a wry smile and said, "Junior sister, have you lost faith in me? Don’t give up now—we’re just warming up. If he catches us, I’ve got plenty of Skyburst Grenades in my pocket!"

"It’s no use, senior brother," Mapeier said calmly, her eyes resolute, no longer the passive person she once was. "Skyburst Grenades won’t work against a top expert like Manku. His Blood Demon Art lets him evade instant energy damage, which is why he’s called the undead vampire... Unless someone can restrain him, even ten or twenty grenades won’t make a difference!"

Old Wang was stunned. The way she unleashed her soul power made her seem suddenly different—fierce, even formidable. If she was still weak like this, it’d be truly blind. Had she been hiding her power all along???

Even so, she was no match for Manku. Tiger Peak, special insect species—if it were a top expert facing him, there might be a fight, but Wang Feng doubted her strength could match his.

Old Wang pursed his lips, then suddenly pinched Mapeier’s cheek. He said helplessly, "Don’t be so intimidating at your age. Frowning doesn’t suit you. We..."

Mapeier stepped back slightly, dodging Wang Feng’s hand. Without a word, she raised her hand, and a transparent thread of soul power shot from her palm, piercing the stone wall like it was tofu.

Crack, crack, crack... A series of faint cracks spread from where the spider silk pierced the wall.

"My soul species is the Red Spider, a rare combat insect species—one in ten thousand. I can fight him!" Mapeier said calmly. "Senior brother, go. Once you’re safe, I’ll find my own way out."

Old Wang’s jaw dropped. ...Damn it! You should’ve said so sooner!

He knew most people here were hiding their strength, but he never expected someone as unassuming as Mapeier to be one of them.

She’d hidden it so well—this was a huge win. He hadn’t underestimated the people here, but they kept shocking him.

The Red Spider, this soul species could rival Yan Ruoyu's Spider King, absolutely awesome! No wonder he had a strange fondness for this junior sister—it turns out they were both insect species. The little girl's sudden and unreserved allegiance was probably related to the natural affinity brought by his Insect God species.

Before Wang Feng could respond in his surprise, Mapeier had already clenched her teeth.

Wang Feng's reaction was normal. Anyone would be a bit unsettled and skeptical when someone they thought was weak suddenly turned out to be strong.

If it were normal times, Mapeier believed that with her meticulousness, she could have fabricated a legitimate reason for why she had to hide her strength for Wang Feng. But at this moment, she had just chosen to betray Mi, and the turmoil in her heart was at its peak. She couldn't even calm down to think carefully whether this was just an impulse, let alone fabricate a perfect lie.

Not lying meant telling the truth, but this truth was so hard to utter. Her heart was in a fierce battle, and the big secret was almost suffocating her.

"Wang, Wang Feng!" She clenched her teeth, hesitated for seven or eight seconds, and finally blurted out, "Actually... I'm a spy for the Nine Gods, I am a..."

Before she could finish, Old Wang had already covered Mapeier's mouth.

Actually, as soon as Mapeier said she was the Red Spider, Old Wang could have guessed it himself. Hiding strength in the Soul Illusion Realm was understandable, but hiding strength in the Judgement Sanctum didn't make sense. The Red Spider was a typical combat soul species. After all, not everyone was as naturally low-key and not fond of showing off as he was. If one had the ability, there was no doubt they could receive greater cultivation and attention from the Holy Sanctuary, something even a fool wouldn't refuse.

The only possibility was that Mapeier, like Luo Lan, was a Mi hidden in Aurora City!

Old Wang had deliberately not pointed it out earlier, as Mapeier's desire to protect herself might have been just a spur-of-the-moment thing. But now, with Mapeier voluntarily revealing her identity as a spy, Wang Feng was genuinely surprised.

He understood perfectly what it meant for Mapeier to confide in him like this. This was no longer an impulse but an unreserved trust, a feeling of completely placing herself in Wang Feng's hands.

"Shh, don't speak so loudly about such things. It's nothing new, just being a spy, right? I'm one too!" Old Wang laughed, patting Mapeier's head. "Identity is just a passing cloud. All I know now is that you're Mapeier, my junior sister. As for the rest, leave it to your senior brother. Don't be afraid!"

Mapeier's mouth opened slightly but quickly closed again.

The tension and anxiety in her heart disappeared in an instant, replaced by an unprecedented sense of calm.

She nodded. Though she didn't speak, her eyes already shone with an unusual light. Suddenly, she felt as if she was no longer afraid of anything. The secret in her heart was finally shared, and more importantly, in this world, there was finally someone she could trust and who trusted her in return.

Old Wang's eyes, however, had already begun to shine. After reassuring Mapeier, the situation now seemed a bit different.

The special soul species, the Red Spider, among the insect species, any that are mutants are never weak. Judging from the soul power reaction and the earlier action of shooting spider silk, Old Wang thought Mapeier might be as strong as Yan Ruoyu, making her a standard top-tier level. But to face Manku alone, it still felt a bit lacking. However...

Old Wang was amused, wasn't he still here?

Damn it, let's go big today!

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