Deep within Lava Rift Valley, the night was black as ink. Only the dark red glow of the underground lava river cast twisted shadows across the jagged rocks.
The air was scorching, thick with the stench of sulfur and blood. The massive corpse of the Hellhound lay sprawled across the ground, proclaiming the brutality of the battle that had just taken place.
Li Qingchan stood rooted to the spot. Cool moonlight filtered through the narrow fissure above the rift, coating her pale, lovely face in a silvery glow.
She looked at Mo Lin in the distance, bracing himself against the rock wall. His breathing was ragged, his clothes tattered, yet he still forced himself to remain standing. Then she looked at the enormous beast's corpse, which still radiated a lingering ferocious aura. The emotions churning within her were impossibly complicated.
In the end, all those emotions turned into a crushing guilt that nearly overwhelmed her.
"I... I'm sorry... Mo Lin..." Her voice trembled uncontrollably, colder than the night wind yet burning with regret.
She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms. The pain was sharp, but it was nothing compared to the remorse in her heart. "It was all my fault... If I hadn't lost control of my emotions during the day and leaked my aura, attracting that Scarlet Imp King... none of this would have happened... You wouldn't have had to save me, and you wouldn't have been hunted by the Scarlet Imp King's older brother, this Hellhound... You wouldn't... wouldn't have been hurt so badly..."
Her words caught in her throat, filled with profound helplessness. After battling the Scarlet Imp King during the day, she had thought she had merely killed a Ferocious Beast. She never imagined that the Scarlet Imp King would be