Unwilling to give up, Qibao had Yin Mo drive her around Tan City for three more days, yet she still couldn't sense any of the other six Great Demons.
This time, Qibao was finally convinced that the six Great Demons had truly left and gone elsewhere.
Back at the hotel, Qibao spread out two maps—one was the official administrative map of the country from before the apocalypse, and the other was a crude new map drawn by numerous Ability Users exploring the wasteland after the apocalypse.
The terrain on the latter hadn't changed much from pre-apocalypse times, but the cities that had once been densely scattered across the country had almost all become Waste Cities, leaving only seven large city bases the size of Tan City. There were also some small bases established by scattered survivors—those with populations exceeding five thousand were marked as large red dots, while those with fewer than five thousand were small red dots without even names, because such small bases could disband on their own or be wiped out by beast attacks at any moment. The cartographer had listed them merely for reference.
Yin Mo leaned in to analyze with her: "The seven of us are roughly equal in strength. Staying low-key inside a base means we can live comfortably, but staying outside means we could be harassed by high-level Aberrant Beasts at any time. So I'm guessing the other six also went to these big cities, or small bases near them—ruling the roost in small bases when there's no danger, and fleeing to the big cities whenever trouble arises."
Of the seven Great Demons, Yin Mo was the most solitary. Even on the Cultivation Continent, he had no clan—he neither enjoyed mingling among the mortal folk nor liked being approached and flattered by the lesser demons in the mountains day after day. Even so, he had still stayed near Tan City after arriving here. The other six Great Demons were all more fond of excitement than he was; there was no way they'd settle down alone somewhere remote for long.
Qibao thought about the reasons the six Great Demons had been captured and agreed with Yin Mo's reasoning.
So, she moved her finger from Tan City to the nearest Jiang City, then to Qin City in the northwest, tracing a clockwise circle: "Let's search city by city in this order. Hopefully the Crow Demon is in Jiang City—then he can carry us flying to speed things up."
Yin Mo: "…I used to be able to Cloud-Ride Mist-Drive too."
Qibao: "You said 'used to.' I need what you can do now."
Yin Mo's face darkened, and he went off to do the laundry.
.
After stocking up at over a dozen shops in Tan City with enough meals and snacks to last two people a month, Yin Mo finally got back his modified, fully refurbished Cullinan. While he was inspecting the interior at the shop, a delighted cry of "Qibao!" suddenly came from the direction of the shop entrance.
Yin Mo immediately straightened up and turned around—sure enough, he saw Lu Feng and Zhou Yu. He then looked at Qibao, who was smiling at the two of them.
"Qibao, when did you get into the city?" Lu Feng quickened his pace toward her. The A-Rank Ability User, who had previously tried to impress Qibao while maintaining some restraint, had been bothered by not receiving a friend request from her these past few days. Now, with this unexpected reunion, he forgot all about restraint—his eyes held only Qibao in her light green dress.
Qibao: "Same day as you. Have you heard of Li Xin?"
Lu Feng had already stopped beside her. At the mention of Li Xin's name, his expression shifted, and he asked with concern, "Did you run into him? Did he give you any trouble?"
Qibao: "It was fine. I got into a fight with him. He probably hates me now, and since he has an S-Rank father backing him, I was worried about dragging you all into it, so I wanted to keep my distance."
Lu Feng wanted to say he wasn't afraid of being dragged into it, but thinking of the Li father-and-son duo's reputation, and thinking of his teammates and family, the words suddenly stuck in his throat.
The young man who had been so spirited just moments ago now wore a gloomy expression, as if he'd just suffered some great setback.
Yin Mo, as if oblivious, rubbed more salt into Lu Feng's wound: "Since you're afraid of the Li family too, you'd better pretend you don't know us. We're leaving today anyway—it's not worth offending an S-Rank Powerhouse over a beauty you'll never see again."
This was too humiliating for Lu Feng. Zhou Yu glared at Yin Mo and demanded, "And who are you?"
Yin Mo stepped behind Qibao: "She came all the way to Tan City just to find me. What do you think our relationship is?"
In human form, Yin Mo had an extraordinarily handsome face, and those cold, sinister eyes gave him a unique aura that set him apart from ordinary handsome men—unforgettable at first sight.
Noticing Zhou Yu and Lu Feng both staring at him, Yin Mo raised his right hand and casually spun the Cullinan key fob in his palm.
Zhou Yu, outmatched in height, looks, and wealth, wisely looked away.
Seeing that Qibao didn't deny Yin Mo's words, Lu Feng's heart grew even colder, but he still confirmed: "You're really leaving? Never coming back?"
Qibao: "I am leaving. Whether I'll come back is hard to say. Are you here to get your car fixed? You should go."
It was painfully obvious that she didn't value him. Zhou Yu, afraid Lu Feng would keep embarrassing himself in front of Yin Mo, pulled him away.
Lu Feng kept his eyes on Qibao the whole time.
Qibao had watched several movies over the past few nights, and she felt that Lu Feng's gaze was exactly like those male leads forced to part from their heroines—full of reluctance.
She was still observing when a hand suddenly clamped down on the top of her head and turned her tilted face around.
Qibao was about to make a move when Yin Mo shoved the car keys in front of her: "Let's go. Keep staring and he'll think you like him. Human men are that confident—especially the ones who know they're handsome."
Qibao didn't think Lu Feng was that kind of person, but she didn't argue either, and followed Yin Mo into the car.
Yin Mo made a U-turn. Qibao leaned back against the seat and, without meaning to, caught sight of Lu Feng in the side mirror on her side. Zhou Yu was talking to the shop owner, while Lu Feng kept watching their direction until his figure disappeared from the mirror.
.
Qibao didn't feel much for Lu Feng, but when the Cullinan drove out of Tancheng's city gates, a hint of reluctance welled up in her for the city. She loved the variety of delicious meals, snacks, and drinks inside, loved waking up in the morning to the clamor of voices outside the window, and even found the street arguments and cursing of passersby fresh and amusing.
After feeling wistful for a while, Qibao turned on the screen to watch a movie she had downloaded in advance. Besides passing the time, she could also learn more about modern people's customs and habits from the films.
Yin Mo: "So I really did become a chauffeur."
Qibao didn't hear his muttered complaint at all.
Following the pre-apocalypse offline navigation map he had downloaded, Yin Mo carefully compared it against the abandoned buildings outside. After taking a few wrong turns, he finally found the old highway leading to Jiangcheng. Because of the poor road conditions, he kept the speed at twenty to thirty kilometers per hour. If all went smoothly, the two of them would spend one night outside and reach Jiangcheng by tomorrow afternoon.
But barely a few dozen kilometers out, a golden eagle over three meters long suddenly swooped down from the sky ahead, and standing on its back was a man in a black suit.
Yin Mo braked in time and warned Qibao: "That's Li Hongda. S-class chainsaw Spiritual Entity, and he can also launch electric attacks."
He was also puzzled—after getting beaten, Li Xin would definitely complain to his father Li Hongda, so why hadn't Li Hongda come looking for trouble? Turns out he had already planned to make his move outside the base.
Fine, make a move if you want, but why was an old man wearing a suit?
The Ability User in Beast Form with the golden eagle didn't land, flapping its wings to stay at an altitude of twenty to thirty meters. After Qibao and Yin Mo got out of the car, Li Hongda fixed his gaze only on Qibao. Seeing that this woman was indeed as young and beautiful as his son had said, Li Hongda grew more satisfied the longer he looked, and said with a smile: "You're Qibao, right? I'm Li Hongda. I'd like to invite you back to Tancheng for a meal."
Outwardly graceful, but in truth domineering and rude.
Qibao: "I don't want to eat with you. State your purpose directly—don't hold up our journey."
Li Hongda: "Ha, an S-class indeed, full of confidence. Don't want to eat? Then let's spar a bit and see whether your defense is stronger or my attack is stronger."
With that, he gathered a small ball of electricity radiating dazzling white light in one hand and hurled it at Qibao.
The electric ball shot toward Qibao at the speed of light, then vanished the instant it struck the golden pagoda light barrier enveloping both Qibao and Yin Mo, as if absorbed by another space—it didn't even rebound.
Li Hongda, who had already heard his son describe the barrier in detail, still felt amazed. The base also had Ability Users with defensive object-type Spiritual Entities, including his son's hammer, which could both smash opponents with brute force and transform into a giant hammer to block in front as defense—but as long as the opponent's attack was strong enough to break through the hammer, his son could only take the hit with his body.
Li Hongda struck again. This time he condensed two larger electric balls—one to attack the golden light barrier, and one aimed directly at the golden pagoda hovering above the two young people's heads.
The golden light barrier continued to neutralize the electric ball's attack, and the pagoda's own faint golden glow had the same neutralizing effect against these strikes.
Qibao let him attack twice. Taking advantage of Li Hongda's furrowed brow, the pagoda floating above her head suddenly shot toward him.
Yin Mo's gaze followed the pagoda closely, anticipating the sight of Li Hongda being sent flying.
But Li Hongda was, after all, an S-class general who had survived eight years of the apocalypse and fought countless battles. Realizing his attacks were useless against Qibao, he didn't dare underestimate the pagoda that could also ram into people. With a shout of "Dodge!" the A-class golden eagle beneath his feet abruptly soared higher. Seeing the pagoda in hot pursuit, Li Hongda casually released a powerful electric serpent at Qibao!
Qibao recalled the pagoda just in time to defend.
Yin Mo was stunned. Li Hongda, who had been halfway to fleeing, brightened at the sight. He had the golden eagle stop, turned around, and scrutinized Qibao from above: "What, you haven't learned to condense Spiritual Entity clones yet?"
Whether animal-type, plant-type, or object-type Spiritual Entities, as long as one's Psychic Power was strong enough, one could release multiple entities to assist in combat—just like Li Hongda, who could simultaneously release four S-class chainsaws. Beyond four, the combat power of each entity would be severely weakened.
Qibao thought to herself: her pagoda was a one-of-a-kind Magic Treasure, so of course it couldn't conjure up clones. Moreover, this body of hers had no Spells—the pagoda could only fly within the range of her Spiritual Sense, which was just two or three hundred meters. In other words, as long as her opponent was fast enough to escape beyond three hundred meters before the pagoda could ram into them, Qibao would have no recourse.
That was why the Cultivators called it an innate defensive Magic Treasure rather than an offensive one. Directly controlling the pagoda to smash people was Qibao's method of attack, but since every Cultivator could fly, as long as they were slightly prepared, she would miss.
"Let's go. Ignore him."
Since Li Hongda had seen through that weakness, and since he couldn't hurt her even if she failed to smash him, Qibao didn't want to waste any more time.
Yin Mo got into the car with complicated feelings.
Qibao controlled the pagoda to fly above the Cullinan, a golden light shield enveloping the entire vehicle.
The Cullinan continued driving forward in this bold, swaggering manner.
The Golden Eagle Ability User asked the general on his back, "Should we chase?"
Li Hongda: "Chase. I want to see how long she can keep her Spiritual Entity externalized."
Externalizing a Spiritual Entity consumed Psychic Power, and maintaining the special Ability of the Spiritual Entity drained even more. Based on Li Hongda's own experience, Qibao could last at most four or five hours.
Once Qibao could no longer release her Spiritual Entity, Li Hongda would seize the opportunity to capture her, anesthetize her for a while, and get everything done.
Inside the car, Yin Mo poked his head out, saw the giant golden eagle following the vehicle in midair, and his gaze turned cold. He suddenly shot an A-rank water arrow in that direction.
Li Hongda blocked it with his chainsaw, shattering the water arrow with ease.
Yin Mo: "…"
He sat back up straight and glanced at Qibao from the corner of his eye, only to find her watching a drama again, looking not the least bit upset.
Yin Mo: "…You don't seem as powerful as I thought you were?"
Qibao: "No being can hurt me. How much more powerful do you want me to be?"
Yin Mo: "…I want the kind of power where whoever provokes you dies on the spot."
Qibao: "These people only have a paltry hundred-odd years of lifespan. They'll die sooner or later anyway."
Yin Mo: "…Right now they're following us like flies. Aren't you angry?"
Qibao: "We're in the car with air conditioning while they're baking under the scorching sun outside. They're the ones who should be angry and frustrated."
Yin Mo fell silent for a moment, then suddenly turned on the car's audio system and blasted music at full volume.
The golden eagle and Li Hongda in midair: "…"
The music attracted some terrestrial Aberrant Beasts, which dispersed after failing to attack the Cullinan. Gradually, mutated bird flocks also discovered the two Ability Users in the sky. The sky was birds' territory, after all—wave after wave of densely packed mutated birds swarmed around them.
Li Hongda, wanting to show off, imitated Qibao's pagoda and released a ring of electric light shield. Every bird that crashed into it was electrocuted to death.
But the bird flocks continued to charge forward without hesitation, enveloping the two in a dark, dense ball so thick it blocked Li Hongda and his companion's line of sight.
Qibao observed for a while, then asked Yin Mo, "How long is your true body?"
Yin Mo was a Millennial Great Demon after all—even a snake body as thick as a water barrel wasn't his true form.
Yin Mo: "Close to two hundred meters?"
Qibao smiled.
She didn't like flies either, and when there was no other choice, she could only endure. But now…
The black Cullinan had just disappeared when a massive black serpent raised its enormous body toward the high sky. And atop his fortress-like serpent head, Qibao stood steadily holding the pagoda, her hair ribbon and green skirt hem fluttering in the wind.
When the distance was close enough, Qibao raised her hand and tossed the pagoda toward the "bird ball" in the air.
The pagoda soared high into the sky, expanding to over a hundred meters tall. Its sharp spire pierced through the bird flock's encirclement, then once again ignored Li Hongda's electric sphere and stabbed straight through the Golden Eagle Ability User's abdomen!
Whether the Golden Eagle Ability User was dead or not was unclear, but under the excruciating pain, the Ability User lost control and reverted to human form. Immediately after, both figures were sent flying by the pagoda's violent impact.
This time, Qibao didn't hold back her strength. Even someone as powerful as Li Hongda had his internal organs shattered and died on the spot.
Qibao retrieved her pagoda and watched the two corpses plummet rapidly.
The distance wasn't far. Yin Mo kept his lower body still, only moving his upper body to carry Qibao over to the corpse that belonged to Li Hongda.
Worried it might be a trick, Yin Mo fired another water arrow at the corpse.
This time, no chainsaw came out to block it. The water arrow successfully pierced into the body of the man in the suit.
Yin Mo smiled.