The Curse of the Stone Sword

Dry Cage Snow Mountain rose and fell across several miles, stretching along the southern side of the Tundra Hinterland. It was an excellent "Natural Barrier" blocking Nagano's enforcers from heading north. But after tonight's purge, the main force would march mightily across this barrier.

At this moment, however, a silent yet heart-stopping "crucial pursuit" was unfolding in the snow mountain's depths.

The out-of-control Taotie was fleeing desperately toward the northern part of Dry Cage.

He no longer cared where he would ultimately escape to... What mattered was whether he could survive tonight.

Though an out-of-control person's Mental Sea was in extreme disorder,

some "instincts" still remained.

The oppressive aura of a Title had stripped away the last shreds of his reason.

Taotie knew that the person chasing him from behind... was someone he had no way of fighting, just like the old man who had thrown him into the Snow Cage all those years ago.

Only this time was worse.

If he were caught, he would not be captured and imprisoned again. He would be killed on the spot!

"Run!"

"Run!!"

Taotie's eyes were bloodshot. That was his only thought.

His Mental Sea was on the verge of collapse, countless chaotic thoughts tangling in his mind... until a gentle, calm voice struck his heart, instantly quieting his knotted thoughts for a brief moment.

"I can save you."

Taotie froze.

That calm voice appeared only once.

And it said only one sentence.

It was like an illusion.

Given his current mental state, it truly did seem like an illusion.

But... after those words, a path seemed to genuinely appear within his Mental Sea.

A safe path, one leading toward "survival."

As if possessed, he changed direction and darted toward the place hidden within the boundless snow.

"Changed direction?"

Gao