Chapter 721 - 188: Is This a Human or an Ancient Fierce Beast?

Chapter 721: Chapter 188: Is This a Human or an Ancient Fierce Beast?

"And what’s in it for me?" Hong Mei’Er replied with a radiant smile. Though captivatingly beautiful, it carried a bone-chilling coldness.

"You and I both know."

Xia Qiu fell silent.

’If Sword Heart Island knows about Burial Immortal Valley, why wouldn’t the Emotional Silk Sect?’

It seemed none of the factions entering the Profound Origin Secret Realm this time had come for the Purifying Nightmare Spirit Crystals or the Clear and Muddy Spirit Source.

They were all here for Burial Immortal Valley!

’But if Hong Mei’Er kills me today, does she really think that’s one less competitor?’

’She’s the only one from the Emotional Silk Sect who entered the Secret Realm this time. How can she possibly contend with the powerful Zhang Family?’

’And how can she possibly stand against the Demon Suppression Bureau and Prince Zhennan’s Mansion?’

Xia Qiu coughed violently. The sharp pain in his chest made his vision go black, but he still couldn’t figure out the key to the puzzle.

He saw Hong Mei’Er gently shake the red thread in her hand, flicking off the blood droplets. She spoke softly, "You’re useful to me. Your blood, your Sword Intent, even the fear in your heart right now... all of it is extremely ’useful’ to me. Do you understand?"

"Why don’t you offer yourself to me willingly?"

’This is bad...’ Xia Qiu’s heart sank as a sense of dread washed over him.

Just as Hong Mei’Er finished speaking, the absurd thought of "offering himself" had uncontrollably risen in his mind!

’This damned Emotional Silk... it’s this terrifying!’

It was worse than the most potent poison in the world!

Even with the resilient mind he had forged through years of arduous cultivation, his mental defenses had been easily breached by this Evil Technique...

"Xia Qiu, tell me, why won’t you offer yourself to me? I feel so... hurt..."

As Hong Mei’Er spoke, her eyes reddened and she looked to be on the verge of tears. She was the very picture of a pitifully lovely maiden scolding her unfaithful lover.

At that moment, an indescribable sense of guilt truly did well up in Xia Qiu’s heart...

’This bitch...’

Xia Qiu viciously bit his tongue. The sharp pain cleared his mind somewhat, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

He looked up and saw that within Hong Mei’Er’s eyes, once as clear as Qiushui, there now flickered a heart-stoppingly cruel light.

It wasn’t just cold killing intent, but a perverse pleasure that emanated from the very marrow of her bones!

This woman seemed to regard slaughtering and torturing others as the ultimate enjoyment!

Her appearance was bewitchingly charming and delicately fragile, but in reality, she was vicious, ruthless, and utterly merciless—a complete madwoman!

Watching Hong Mei’Er approach step by step with an elegant gait, the shadow of death washed over his heart like a tide. Xia Qiu let out a reluctant sigh.

He was proud, but not foolish, and he had no desire to throw his life away for nothing out of sheer bravado.

The core objective for entering the Profound Origin Secret Realm was the opportunity within Burial Immortal Valley. This matter concerned the future fate of Sword Heart Island.

If he were to perish here with this madwoman, or simply die in vain, the loss would far outweigh any gain.

’It seems I have no choice but to use one of the precious Talismans given to me by a sect elder.’

With an extremely subtle flick of his wrist, Xia Qiu stealthily clasped a Yellow Talisman inscribed with ancient patterns in his left palm.

Immediately, his Body Essence Qi silently poured into it. The Yellow Talisman flashed with light and emitted a faint fluctuation.

WHOOSH—!

A thick cloud of black mist suddenly erupted, completely enveloping Xia Qiu’s figure and hiding him from view.

Immediately after, countless incomparably sharp sword phantoms shot out from the black mist, slashing toward Hong Mei’Er like a torrential downpour in a terrifyingly powerful display!

Hong Mei’Er’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Although she had the absolute upper hand, she wasn’t the least bit careless. The red threads in her hand instantly intertwined, cautiously forming a Pink Shield as thin yet tough as a peach blossom petal.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!

The sword phantoms struck the Pink Shield one after another, but instead of the expected sound of solid impact, they dissipated instantly like illusory bubbles.

The swarm of sword phantoms filling the sky were all just deceptive feints!

’A Blinding Technique?’

By the time the sword phantoms vanished, the thick black mist had also gradually dispersed with the chilling wind. Xia Qiu, who had been leaning against a Stone, was long gone.

Only a shocking pool of dark red blood remained, proving he had once been there.

"Did he escape?"

Hong Mei’Er gazed at the empty space before her, not the least bit annoyed. She didn’t even make a move to pursue him.

She tilted her lovely head slightly, a strange smile playing on her lips. She stuck out her tongue and licked the Emotional Silk, which was stained with Xia Qiu’s blood.

"Hehehehe... You can’t escape... None of you can escape..."

Her chilling laughter echoed endlessly throughout the deathly silent Stone Forest, rising and falling.

The sound made one’s hair stand on end, as if haunted by a vengeful ghost, filling the listener with unease.

...

If the Wind-Eroded Bone Forest was a land of violent death, then the Silent Forest was an abyss of suffocating silence.

This was widely acknowledged as the strangest forbidden zone in the Profound Origin Secret Realm.

Here, there was no sigh of the wind, no chirp of insects.

Even when leaves rustled down from the trees, the sound seemed to be forcibly stolen away by some Law.

This was a green purgatory of absolute silence...

Any living creature that set foot in this place would be suppressed by a bizarre Law, gradually losing their ability to speak. It was as if an invisible hand was squeezing their throat, making it impossible to utter a single sound.

In the center of the forest was a river with water so clear you could see the bottom. Yet, it defied the laws of nature, flowing from a low point to a higher one.

The current was swift, yet it made no sound, like a scene from a bizarre silent film.

In the past, when the Profound Origin Secret Realm opened, experts from the major sects and Noble Families had formed teams to explore this forest, hoping to solve the mystery of the "silence." In the end, they found nothing, only bringing back a profound terror of this deathly quiet.

At this moment, two extremely fast Residual Images were weaving through the Silent Forest like phantoms.

The figure in front moved with an agile Body Technique, his toes tapping on leaves as lightly as a dragonfly on water. It was none other than Lin Xiao of Prince Zhennan’s Mansion.

The one in relentless pursuit behind him, dressed in white with Sword Qi that shot to the heavens, was the peerless prodigy of Celestial Sword Mountain—Sword Traceless!

In this strange forest, neither of them could speak.

There were no curses, no taunts.

In complete silence, a life-and-death chase was unfolding.

One pursued, one fled, both moving at astonishing speeds.

They left only ripples in the air, which dissipated among the trees.

As he sped along, Lin Xiao tilted his head slightly, glancing behind him from the corner of his eye.

The white figure clung to him like a shadow, refusing to let up.