Deep within the Barren depths, black mist surged.

Bai Xi fled desperately forward.

The snowy-white gauze dress on her was already disheveled and torn, its hem stained with mud and blood. Her originally delicate hair bun had mostly unraveled, and a few strands of damp hair clung to both sides of her cheeks, looking utterly wretched.

Yet she did not dare to stop, much less look back.

That scene from just moments ago kept flashing through her mind.

The fire-spitting iron pipe in Yu Wantang's hand, and the frozen terror in the pupils of those fox clan members as they fell to the ground.

It was too terrifying.

She had never imagined that woman actually possessed such a method.

Bai Xi gritted her teeth, a fierce look welling up in the depths of her eyes.

She could not die here.

The black mist ahead grew thicker and thicker, and the surrounding temperature plummeted to a bone-chilling degree. However, Bai Xi's footsteps did not stop; instead, she accelerated and charged right in.

Because she recognized this place.

The deepest part of the Barren Forbidden Ground. A place where an ancient grand monster had been suppressed since primeval times, where no Immortal Lord had dared to approach for tens of thousands of years.

As long as she lured Yu Wantang in...

The corners of Bai Xi's mouth slowly curled up, a crazy light flickering in her eyes.

"Yu Wantang."

"This time, let's see how you can still act so arrogantly."

...

Swoosh!

A streak of light tore through the firmament.

The deepest part of the Barren Forbidden Ground.

The sky was pressed extremely low by thick dark clouds, and the earth split open with bottomless ravines. Magma surged slowly underground, and scorching heat steamed upward from the fissures.

The surrounding peaks had long been eroded by demonic qi to pitch-black like charcoal, and the air was filled with an ancient coercion that made one's soul tremble.

A moment later, Yu Wantang descended from the air.

Her skirt remained untainted by dust, her expression composed.

She glanced around at the surroundings, then looked at Bai Xi's wretched state ahead, raising an eyebrow.

"You really know how to run, huh."

"Elder Sister, why do you insist on killing me? How on earth have I offended you? Why must you treat me like this?"

"Bai Xi."

Yu Wantang tilted her head.

"When you brought a dozen or so of the fox clan to surround and assassinate me just now, you already sealed your own doom."

Bai Xi's expression stiffened. "I was just joking with you..."

"Whether it's a joke depends on whether the person being joked with is willing."

Yu Wantang took a step forward. "Clearly, I am not willing."

Rumble!

The entire valley suddenly began to collapse violently, and countless boulders rolled down from the cliff walls, smashing into the surging magma and stirring up soaring heat waves.

"How many years has it been..."

A voice came from deep underground, carrying an ancient coercion that seemed capable of crushing souls.

"Finally, someone has stepped foot here once more..."

A massive figure slowly rose from underground.

That was a gigantic beast covered entirely in black scale armor, every single scale engraved with ancient runes. Its four giant claws were deeply embedded into the earth, and a pair of scarlet, vertical pupils suddenly snapped open.

The spiritual qi between heaven and earth instantly became chaotic, and the air was pressed so heavily it almost solidified.

Bai Xi's entire body stiffened.

Even though she was mentally prepared, the moment she truly stood before it, fear surged up from the depths of her soul, almost swallowing her whole.

Too strong.

This was simply not an existence that ordinary Immortal Lords could contend against.

The grand monster lowered its head, its scarlet gaze sweeping across the two of them, its voice as deep as muffled thunder: "Barging into my territory without authorization, the two of you... how do you want to die?"

Bai Xi abruptly pointed at Yu Wantang.

"My Lord, calm your anger! It's her! She is the one who broke into your territory, and this junior was forced by her! If Senior is willing to strike and kill her, this junior will definitely reward you handsomely!"

Yu Wantang turned her head to look at Bai Xi.

Being able to bend and stretch to this extent, she truly was a ruthless person.

The grand monster glanced at Bai Xi, then looked toward Yu Wantang.

"Interesting, but..." It slowly parted its mouth, revealing a mouthful of bone-white fangs.

"Since you've come, neither of you is leaving."

"Starting today, both of you are my slaves."

Bai Xi's body stiffened.

She hadn't expected the grand monster to want to keep both of them.

But she stiffened for only a split second before lowering her head, a trace of calculation quickly flashing across the depths of her eyes.

"This junior... is willing."

She was, after all, the God of War's woman.

Once Cang Wu found this place, could a suppressed monstrosity really turn the world upside down?

"Sorry."

Yu Wantang loosened her wrists.

"I have no interest in playing slave games with you."

The grand monster's gaze abruptly turned cold.

"What did you say?"

"I said, I don't want to."

"Ants! Under magical suppression, you still dare to be so audacious!"

Yu Wantang sighed, raised her right hand, and her ring flashed with light.

The grand monster roared and howled as spiritual power between heaven and earth converged frantically. It opened its giant mouth, and a beam of ink-black demonic light was condensing in its throat—a fatal strike sufficient to raze the entire valley to the ground.

Then.

Without even aiming, Yu Wantang casually raised the muzzle of her gun.

She pulled the trigger.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—"

The first bullet drilled straight into the grand monster's wide-open mouth and exploded inside.

The grand monster's half-charged demonic light was instantly detonated, backfiring from within its throat and causing its body to burst apart. Its black scales peeled off piece by piece, revealing the charred flesh beneath.

Then it collapsed with a crash.

The entire valley fell silent.

Bai Xi stood frozen on the spot, her eyes wide enough to split, her mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.

An ancient grand monster.

Tens of thousands of years of mighty reputation.

Just like that, it was gone?

Bai Xi's face was as pale as paper: "You... you can't kill me, Brother Cang Wu will not let you go! He is the God of War of the Immortal Realm!"

She turned and ran.

She simply stood in place, resting the muzzle crookedly against her left arm, squinting one eye at Bai Xi's fleeing back.

Bang.

The bullet pierced through Bai Xi's left shoulder from behind, and the immense impact flipped her entire body forward, sending her face-planting into the muddy ground and sliding three or four zhang away, leaving a long bloody streak behind.

Struggling, she propped up her upper body with her elbows, spat out a mouthful of blood, and looked back at Yu Wantang, her eyes filled entirely with terror and pleas for mercy.

"No... don't... I beg you."

Yu Wantang walked over. When passing by her, her footsteps didn't pause for even a split second.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't aim properly just now."

Bang.

The second shot.

A small hole appeared between Bai Xi's eyebrows. Lying flat on the ground, her body twitched one last time before losing all signs of life completely, not even having time to close her eyes.

Yu Wantang walked over and removed the storage ring from her hand.

Her divine sense probed inside.

The next second, she fell silent.

"Just this?"

"Cang Wu is stingy enough; he doesn't even bear to stuff a single top-grade spirit stone when raising a woman. Is this really the female lead? So poor."

The system popped up: "Host, Bai Xi's fortuitous encounter was originally right here in this forbidden ground. In the original plot, she was supposed to obtain the grand monster's legacy and undergo a complete rebirth..."

Yu Wantang lowered her head and glanced at the pile of things on the ground that could barely still resemble their original shapes.

"So her great fortuitous encounter got rat-tat-tatted by me?"

"...Yes."

She stood up and patted her hands.

"Then who can she blame? She just had to try acting clever right on my head."

As soon as those words fell,

a black-and-gold figure tore through the air from the horizon.

It was precisely Cang Wu, the God of War of the Immortal Realm. His battle armor was stained with undried blood and demonic qi, clearly having rushed over right after extricating himself from some battlefield.

He saw the grand monster's remains scattered all over the ground.

His pupils shrank.

His gaze shifted downward, landing on Bai Xi, who was lying flat on the ground.

That slender figure was motionless, a large patch of dark red seeping out beneath her.

He turned his head, his pair of black eyes locking firmly onto Yu Wantang, and said word by word:

"Yu Wantang."

"Did you kill her?"

————

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