Once they slipped into the wilderness, the power of the human cities was no longer a threat.
Well, for Hao Ren and Lily, even those old soldiers in the city weren't much of a threat... But without the two of them, a group of witches with limited magic and mortal bodies would still have been in some danger.
After leaving the city, the witch Helen summoned a Shadow Steed. The gloomy weather, with barely any sunlight, did the witches a great favor. The power of shadow remained quite strong even during the day, allowing them to escape the city's sphere of control at top speed and avoid the eyes of any church exorcists who might be watching. After half a day of galloping at full speed, they returned to the witches' base in the area, Misty Cemetery, just as the sun was setting.
The never-dissipating fog seemed like an obvious anomaly, but in reality, without the witches' magical guidance, ordinary people could never approach the edge of the mist. At least until the Demon Hunters found this place, the cemetery was still a fairly safe base.
Madam Mary decided that they would rest briefly at the base before leaving. Their depleted spell materials and mental strength both needed replenishing.
Well, they still hadn't realized that their glorious rescue operation had caused a huge mess. Heiserana understood the bigger picture. Although she had cursed loudly when the witches first appeared, she had remained quiet while fleeing. Now that the witches had stopped to rest, she had found a place to sit calmly by herself, her face dark as she waited for the first unlucky fool to come looking for trouble.
"Are you all right?" After dismounting, Hao Ren didn't bother with Heiserana for the moment. Instead, he went straight to Lily.