"Shit! Damn of the Abyss!"
Shirley was stunned, her half-ghoulish face twisting with frustration and disbelief. She cursed.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
When they’d clashed earlier, Lordi’s footwork art had been agile, yes—devilishly quick in bursts. But this?
This was a slaughterhouse sprint.
The young man’s crimson blur was faster than her Blood Burning Technique-enhanced pursuit. He’d left her choking on his dust, her Ninth-Layer cultivation mocked by the couple’s fleeting form.
"That’s no Outer Sect martial technique," she hissed, the realization slicing through her like a blade.
Her delicate fingers clenched around the bronze shield, knuckles whitening.
The Blood Burning technique had surged her strength to terrifying heights, but its fire was fleeting—a candle burning at both ends. When it guttered out, weakness would claim her, leaving her vulnerable, exposed.
That fucking young bastard was built for endurance.
If she chased now, she’d be the one hunted when her power faded.
The word curdled in her throat, bitter and unthinkable. For the first time, Shirley Quinn hesitated, her gaze darting to the shimmering edge of the grand defense array in the distance.
Lordi Payne clutched Ruru Rosa tightly against his chest, his Blood Spectre Footwork Art burning through the last dregs of his spirit power. The world blurred past in a haze of blossoms, each step a desperate lunge toward freedom, yet the forest refused to yield. It was an ethereal prison, its beauty a cruel lie that mocked their flight.
Lordi’s breath came in ragged gasps, his muscles screaming as his energy dwindled. "Senior Sister," he rasped, his voice taut with strain, "my spirit power’s nearly spent. Use your lantern now, or Shirley’ll carve us up when she catches us!"
Ruru, battered and pale, coughed weakly, blood speckling her lips. Her torn robes clung to her delicate frame, but her eyes burned with defiance. With trembling hands, she summoned her Dao Artifact lantern, its jade surface pulsing faintly with inner light. "Hold on," she whispered, her voice hoarse but resolute.
Lordi held Ruru by the waist, supporting her as they leaped together into the lantern’s shimmering interior. With a flick of her hand, the seals ignited, and the lantern surged skyward, cutting through the night like a blazing comet.
"Lordi-kun..." Ruru’s voice was soft, her eyes glistening with gratitude despite the pain. His grip around her remained firm, unyielding. "You saved me. Again." She exhaled shakily. "We’ll head straight for the holy sect—leave this cursed place behind."
Relief flashed through Lordi, sharp but fleeting. He had feared Ruru’s obsession with the Cosmic Path Foundation Establishment would chain them to the Hanz Estate’s ruin. Yet here she was, choosing escape—a crack in her ironclad resolve he hadn’t dared expect. But that’s just fantastic!
However, weird things happened. As the lantern climbed higher, the world below refused to shift. An endless sea of cherry blossoms stretched in every direction, their petals glowing unnaturally beneath the cold moonlight. Lordi’s jaw tightened, unease coiling in his gut.
This forest... it wasn’t this vast before.
Ruru, still leaning into the warmth of his arm, stiffened at his words. Her delicate brow furrowed as she adjusted the lantern’s seals, veering sharply—left, then right, then doubling back. Yet the blossoms remained, an unbroken expanse of pale pink.
"Something’s wrong," she whispered, her voice trembling with dread.
Then, as they hovered, desperate to find their bearings, Ruru’s breath caught. "Look—" Her finger shook as she pointed toward the trees ahead.
There, half-veiled by the swaying blossoms, a weathered gatehouse loomed, its crumbling stone radiating a sinister silence. Above it hung a crooked plaque, its gilt long faded, but the two ancient characters carved into it were unmistakable:
Ruru’s face drained of color, her eyes wide with horror. "We never left," she whispered, her voice barely audible, as if speaking louder would summon the nightmare closer. "The Gloomwater Phantom Lily Array—it’s still active."
The grand defensive array’s reach was far vaster than they’d realized, its illusion weaving a labyrinth of blossoms that trapped them in its heart. They hadn’t escaped. They’d been running in circles, ensnared by the array’s cruel deception.
Lordi’s expression darkened as he supported Ruru with one hand, his fingers brushing silently against the Hundred-Mile Evasion Dao Fulu tucked in his sleeve. A gift from Kinson Wexford—a piece of life-saver reward for his previous Inner Sect mission. The Bloodline Lord had given it to him for emergencies, a lifeline should the Ice Pith Fire mission turn deadly.
But Joanie had arrived at the critical moment, rendering this Dao Fulu unnecessary. Senior Brother Wexford seemed to forget about it, he never asked for it back, leaving it unused in Lordi’s possession. Now, it burned in Lordi’s sleeve like a faint ember of hope.
Earlier, in the mountain estate, he hadn’t dared to activate it. The grand defensive array’s interference could have crippled its power, trapping him instead of saving him.
Now, beyond the Twin Peak Hill, he’d hoped the Dao Fulu would serve as his final trump card—a swift escape if all else failed. He’d pinned his escape on it—a final trump card to outrun Shirley’s wrath and the haunted estate.
Yet the Gloomwater Phantom Lily Array stretched farther than he’d imagined, its phantom blossoms stretching far beyond his calculations, its vastness mocking his plans, caging them in a labyrinth of beauty and deceit.
After a tense pause, Lordi met Ruru’s gaze, his voice low but firm. "Senior Sister Ruru... do you trust me?"
The question caught her off guard. Memories flashed through her mind—this man pulling her from danger, his grip steady on her palm, his presence a shield. Warmth bloomed in her chest, tangled with something unfamiliar, something bittersweet.
She didn’t understand why he asked, but she nodded, her voice softer than intended. "I... I do, Lordi-kun—no, Junior Brother." Her throat tightened as she added, "Especially since... you’re close to Kim Simona..." The name left a strange ache in her chest. Was it the blood in her mouth? The metallic tang of pain? Or something else? She swallowed hard. "You’ve saved me twice. Of course I trust you."
"Good." Lordi’s voice was steady, mistaking her hesitation for exhaustion. "Then tell me every cultivation technique and martial spell you know. I have a way to get us out of here."