Jiang Xu sprinted through the forest, her figure vanishing in a flash.
Having spent nearly three months searching for the Glaze Fruit, she had practically turned the entire mountain range upside down. As a result, she was thoroughly familiar with the terrain, and combined with her cultivation and movement techniques, shaking them off was quite simple.
However, as she ran, she noticed the number of people pursuing her growing steadily. They wore the same attire, and their demonic aura felt similar, yet they were not the previous group.
Remembering the Young Master mentioned by that earlier group, Jiang Xu wondered if they were from the same faction.
Judging by the current situation, there were at least a hundred of them. Moreover, their clothing was uniform and their combat coordination was seamless, clearly indicating they had not been hastily assembled.
All of this for a single Glaze Fruit? Jiang Xu felt a tinge of doubt. Was it really worth it?
“Do not underestimate the Glaze Fruit. It is an exceptionally rare heavenly treasure that humans, demons, and members of the demon race can all consume directly. Consuming it raises one’s cultivation level by at least two realms,” Ming Yuan explained earnestly.
“Furthermore, the conditions for its growth are extremely harsh, and sometimes thousands of years pass before a single fruit is borne.”
“The tree you saw earlier is called the Glaze Tree. Rooted in rock, it takes five hundred years just to accumulate the spiritual energy required to bear fruit. All the vitality of the tree is concentrated within a single fruit; once picked, the tree withers and dies.”
“That powerful?” Jiang Xu pressed her lips together, somewhat taken aback.
“Indeed. Most importantly, the Glaze Tree possesses the ability to seek advantages, avoid harm, and conceal heavenly secrets. Ordinarily, outsiders have no way of knowing where it is located or when it will bear fruit.”
“Therefore, the Young Master those people spoke of is no ordinary figure.”
Jiang Xu glanced at Ming Yuan, wanting to ask: Since the Glaze Tree is so mysterious and hard to find, how did you know about it?
After a moment of thought, she decided not to voice the question.
“Let’s get going then.” The fewer troubles, the better; Jiang Xu had no desire to make enemies right after arriving in the Demon Realm.
Her red figure continued to bound forward, flashing past to shake off another small squad, only to encounter yet another ahead.
“There she is!”
“Pursue her! Don’t let her escape!”
Catching sight of Jiang Xu, the squad members gritted their teeth and gave fierce chase, brimming with animosity.
As if losing the Glaze Fruit wasn’t enough, this woman kept leading them around in circles, treating them like dogs on a leash!
Plagued by enemies before and behind, Jiang Xu instead felt a long-absent smile tugging at her lips. This feeling? It wasn’t half bad!
With a playful smile, she cast a provocative glance back, then tapped her toes lightly against the crown of one demon’s head before leaping onto the shoulders of another. Gathering her breath, she vaulted cleanly over two squads attempting to form a pincer movement ahead and behind her.
A corner of her mouth curved upward as Jiang Xu left behind a brilliant smile, her expressive brows radiating unmatched charm and elegance. She sped away once more, her retreating figure utterly unconstrained and dashing.
Anxious to capture Jiang Xu, the two remaining squads had both channeled their full demon essence to travel at maximum speed.
With Jiang Xu abruptly breaking out of their encirclement, the two squads collided head-on. Those at the front were knocked down by the impact, rising afterward to stare at one another in blank dismay.
Having broken through the encirclement, Jiang Xu did not stop. After a few more flying strides to put some distance between them, she finally slowed her pace. The smile in her eyes was bright and clear, her entire being radiating the freedom of the wind. Clad in vibrant red, she possessed an unspeakably breathtaking allure.
Jiang Xu looked toward Ming Yuan with an elevated posture and an undisguised look of triumph in her eyes.
Ming Yuan returned her gaze, feeling both amazed and delighted.
A Jiang Xu so uninhibited and high-spirited formed a stark contrast to the blood-stained, utterly despairing woman she had first encountered, yet this version of her was exceptionally endearing, filling Ming Yuan with a sense of pride.
It was much like a treasured sword, long buried under dust, finally revealing its sharp edge, radiating sword qi and bursting with brilliant light, stunning the entire world and letting everyone witness a peerless grace.
And since she had discovered such a treasured sword herself, it made things all the more interesting.
Clap, clap, clap. A round of applause rang out, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet space.
The applause drew closer, and a woman approached Jiang Xu, halting not far away.
“What fine movement techniques the young lady has. You’ve sent these hundred or so guards of mine running in circles.”
The woman wore a lake-blue robe, topped with a silver, phoenix-shaped hair crown. Her brows were like distant mountains, her gaze carried coldness, and her thin lips held a slight smile, embodying a look of high-born, chilling aloofness.
She stood not far away, watching Jiang Xu. Though she had merely spoken, an undercurrent of killing intent accompanied her words, bringing an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Jiang Xu felt her surrounding vital energy subtly restricted, her retreat routes already sealed off by the woman’s few spoken words.
In that case, there was only one option left: fight!
Uninterested in exchanging words, Jiang Xu balled her fist and struck forward with her full strength, carrying a desperate, do-or-die momentum. Her punch sliced through the air with a sharp tearing sound, causing the surrounding atmosphere to moan softly.
The woman raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised that someone with such low cultivation could unleash a blow of this caliber. Then, she extended her right hand and casually intercepted the punch.
With her other hand formed into a palm, she struck the ground, jarring Jiang Xu’s footing, before lightly pushing forward with her right hand.
Jiang Xu was sent staggering dozens of meters back. Swaying on her feet, she choked down a breath and stubbornly refused to fall, knowing that doing so would make her look utterly pathetic.
Straightening her posture once more with slightly trembling lower limbs, she bit down hard on her lips to hold back the blood rising in her throat, though a crimson trail still spilled from the corner of her mouth.
She couldn’t even block a single move! She couldn’t block a single casual blow from the woman before her, and she had sustained injuries, quite heavy ones at that.
Jiang Xu’s previous triumph vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of defeat in her chest.
She was no match for this woman; she couldn’t beat her, nor could she even hope to escape.
A fierce, ruthless look entered Jiang Xu’s eyes. Life had been far too difficult to come by; she wasn’t about to let anyone just take it away! Even if they wanted it, they would have to pay a price.
“A half-demon? And quite stubborn at that.”
The woman stood in place without moving her feet, radiating arrogance and wild bravado. Sensing the aura leaking from Jiang Xu, she spoke softly, her tone devoid of the disdain and contempt Jiang Xu had grown numb to since childhood, stating the fact with utter calm.
Seeing that Jiang Xu did not reply, the woman did not mind, speaking again in a cold tone: “Hand over the Glaze Fruit, leave an arm behind, and you may leave.”
Hidden within her words was a private appreciation; this half-demon possessed stubbornness and backbone, making her worthy of being spared.
“Sever an arm!” Jiang Xu muttered under her breath. She was willing to spare her life?
She gave the woman a long look, channeled her spiritual energy, and prepared to sever her own left arm.
Compared to staying alive, pride and dignity could all be cast aside, as long as she survived.
As for whether the woman would break her promise, Jiang Xu did not even consider it.
The woman’s cultivation far outstripped her own; even if she wanted her dead, Jiang Xu had no capacity to resist.
The weak had no right to speak!
“Jiang Xu, what are you doing? Have you forgotten about me?” Ming Yuan spoke up, feeling rather exasperated.
She hadn’t expected the protagonist to completely discount her existence at the crucial moment, ready to sever her own arm the second someone asked. Truly, she was utterly decisive.
Eh? Who is speaking? Oh, it’s Ming Yuan. But wait, aren’t you just a soul? How can you help me with a fight?
Jiang Xu didn’t speak aloud, but the look in her eyes clearly telegraphed her thoughts.
Ming Yuan was tickled to the point of anger. Who was it that had been clinging to her earlier, begging to come along and harvest the Glaze Fruit!
“Empty your mind, don’t think about anything else, trust me!” Ming Yuan looked at her, then transformed into a ray of light and entered Jiang Xu’s glabella.
Following Ming Yuan’s instructions, Jiang Xu emptied her mind. The next moment, she felt as though she were sealed within a boundless, snowy white space, while her physical body straightened up slightly.
Is that Ming Yuan? She always seems so mysterious. Every time I think she is strong enough, all-knowing, and omnipotent, she refreshes my understanding once again.
So, is there anything about you that I don’t know yet?
Taking over Jiang Xu’s body, Ming Yuan straightened up, felt the long-missed sense of corporeal presence, and flexed her wrists.
It had been so long since she had felt this grounded; she had floated around for too long and almost forgotten how to walk!
She then looked toward the blue-robed woman, meeting the chilling gaze with absolute calm and stillness.
It was this woman who had shattered Jiang Xu’s high spirits. Ming Yuan recalled the triumphant smiles and unconstrained freedom in Jiang Xu’s eyes right before the woman appeared.
Thinking further of the frustration, depression, and desperate defiance Jiang Xu felt after being defeated in a single blow, pushed to the brink of severing her own arm just to survive, she felt a quiet chill.
In the blue-robed woman’s eyes, the girl in red, who moments ago couldn’t even block a single move of hers, had straightened up once more. The desperate defiance in her eyes was gone, replaced by a profound calm concealing an unfathomable mystery.
Her demeanor was casual, yet it made the woman feel an intense wave of wariness. The girl had become dangerous, posing a threat to her life.
The woman in red simply stood there, relaxed, yet she felt like an ancient fierce beast hovering nearby, ready to pounce and devour its prey.
In an instant, the woman made her decision: strike first to gain the upper hand. This time, she would take the initiative.
Clenching her right hand into a fist, the woman adopted the exact same stance Jiang Xu had used and punched forward. However, her momentum was a hundred times stronger, her power infinitely amplified, causing the clouds in the sky to scatter in all directions.
Simultaneously, her left hand struck out with a palm strike while a kick swept through the air. This was her full-strength attack; it had been a very long time since anyone had forced her to treat them as such a formidable enemy.
Unflustered, Ming Yuan shifted her gaze slightly and simply pointed a single finger forward.
In an instant, all the attacks disintegrated into nothingness, and that single finger struck straight toward the opponent’s heart.
The woman’s pupils constricted. Sidestepping to protect her vital points, she recalled all her attacks and took the finger-strike head-on, stumbling backward before crashing heavily to the ground.
While the onslaught was far more ferocious than Jiang Xu’s, Ming Yuan’s counter-response had been far more effortless than the woman’s earlier move. With just a single finger, her left hand still hanging casually at her side, she stood in place without moving an inch.
In mere seconds, the roles had completely reversed.
“Leave an arm behind, and I’ll grant you your life,” Ming Yuan said softly, her voice still calm, yet carrying an unshakeable determination and danger.
This time, it was the blue-robed woman’s turn to be pushed to the desperate brink of defeat, unable to block even a single move!