Riding the 'Little Horse' Pearl!

Despite the excruciating pain of her body being torn apart, You Su gazed firmly into Bai Ze's eyes, which were gradually regaining their Qingming Festival.

He knew full well that this was a desperate gamble, and only by sacrificing himself could he save Bai Ze from the control of the evil spirits.

"Bai Ze, wake up!"

You Su's voice trembled with pain, yet it still struggled to penetrate the pervasive stench of blood and evil.

Bai Ze's consciousness struggled in chaos, You Su's blood flowed into its mouth, as if a mysterious and fiery power was surging within its body.

In an instant, a strange light flashed in Bai Ze's eyes. What helped it drive away those evil bloodlines was not its stubborn will, but the blood of the true master flowing in You Su's body.

You Su knew very well that most of the plots in storybooks where people could be awakened by Evil Demon alone were unrealistic. Therefore, in order to save Bai Ze as soon as possible, he needed a more efficient and effective method! It was also the only method he could think of in a short time!

Previously, he had only used his power on humans; this was the first time he had used it on a beast, and he only hoped it would truly work. Fortunately, he could clearly sense that the soul bond between him and Bai Ze, which was stronger than any Evil Demon control, was growing wildly. While he was gratified, a deeper sense of guilt also arose within him. This was a true Spirit of the Snow Mountain, born of heaven and earth, and he had corrupted it.

However, there was no time to indulge in this faint sense of relief and guilt at this moment— You Su suddenly turned around and happened to meet those huge pupils in three eyes!

The enormous evil eye seemed to see through everything, and the surging sense of oppression pressed down on him like a tidal wave.

In the dark, crimson world, countless blood vessels dangling from the eyeballs bared their fangs and claws, like ferocious serpents.

Bai Ze slowly awoke, the remaining blood-red in its eyes completely gone, restoring their former liveliness and clarity. It groggily called out:

"Ding Zhen..."

Hearing the call, You Su felt a warmth in his heart, but there was no time for reminiscing. He was extremely anxious, looking up at the giant eye hanging high like a blood moon, its blood vessels already rushing towards him!

He shouted, "Run!"

Then he grabbed Bai Ze by the neck, as if to take it away from this dangerous place.

However, Bai Ze was still in the midst of his emotional rollercoaster and hadn't recovered, so You Su couldn't budge the enormous Bai Ze at all.

Just then, the giant eye's attack came in quick succession! Several lines of blood, like dense arrows, ripped through the dark space, shooting in with a chilling whistling sound.

You Su reacted extremely quickly, his figure flashing like a ghost. At the same time, he drew his Ink Pine Sword, and a sharp Sword Qi instantly erupted from the blade, attempting to block these relentless attacks.

However, the area covered by these blood lines even exceeded the reach of his Sword Qi. Seeing that these blood lines, which bypassed him, were about to rush towards Bai Ze, who had not yet figured out the situation, he had no choice but to leap forward and use his body to block them.

"Puff puff puff."

Like the sound of a sharp arrow piercing flesh, You Su's body was pierced in many places by the blood lines, his skin torn and blood gushing out, splashing onto Bai Ze's face.

Bai Ze's pupils contracted, and it wasn't until it saw You Su's miserable state before it fully regained its senses.

"You... what are you doing here...?"

You Su was suspended in mid-air by the bloodline manipulated by the giant eye. He groaned in pain, but gritted his teeth and answered with sheer willpower:

"Silly cat, I've come to find my pearl..."

Bai Ze's eyes gleamed, and his massive tiger head trembled slightly.

It didn't actually know what a pearl was; it just thought the name sounded nice. You Su had joked with it before, saying that "pearl" meant "really a pig," to make it forget the names Ding Zhen and Pearl, which he had made up on the spot.

It grieved secretly for a long time, but later, unwilling to give up, it secretly asked the Flower Daoist and learned that pearls were very precious, symbolizing treasures worth cherishing. Therefore, the beautiful name You Su gave it gained an even more special meaning, and it made up its mind to call itself Pearl from now on. It angrily scratched the neck of the Flower Daoist had been complaining about how old-fashioned the name was.

That's why it was so heartbroken after You Su explicitly stated that he didn't like the name Ding Zhen.

But now it understands that he simply doesn't like being called Ding Zhen, while he truly sees it as a pearl. It's not just a name, but a treasure worth cherishing.

"Run!"

Blood gushed from You Su's mouth as he murmured softly, and more and more blood lines crisscrossed his body.

Bai Ze clearly recalled the feeling of almost biting You Su to pieces, and at this moment he no longer cared about You Su blaming him.

It ignored You Su's command and instead roared angrily at the giant eye hanging in the sky, its voice seemingly capable of piercing the clouds and splitting rocks. Then it suddenly ran behind You Su, bit off all the blood threads, and carefully carried You Su in its mouth, as if afraid of hurting him.

At this moment, You Su was indeed extremely weak. The continuous use of Shadow Flow Technique had already left him in a state of depletion, and now he had suffered repeated serious injuries, leaving him with countless holes in his body, which caused his eyelids to droop slightly.

The wildly dancing blood trails relentlessly pursued them, while Bai Ze, carrying You Su, charged left and right through the darkness. The surrounding space seemed to be distorted by the power of the giant eye; sometimes huge rocks fell from the cave ceiling, and sometimes the ground suddenly cracked open, from which thick, towering red veins emerged.

The situation was extremely dangerous. Just as Bai Ze was about to step into thin air, a piece of exquisite ice appeared out of nowhere under Bai Ze's foreleg, allowing it to stabilize itself and cross the cliff-like crevice.

You Su was surprised to discover that Bai Ze was radiating a layer of pure white fluorescence—it had actually recovered its Mystic Qi! It was no longer the white tiger that could only rely on its physical strength to fight!

But the giant eye's pursuit was relentless, seemingly endless, as if it would chase them to the ends of the earth.

Bai Ze grew increasingly impatient. Even though it was agile and incredibly fast, and had been fleeing in this strange space for a long time, it still couldn't shake off the pursuit of the giant eye with its blood-red lines. Gradually, it became exhausted. It gasped for breath, the fluorescence on its body dimmed, and its dodging movements became even more dangerous.

You Su, lying in Bai Ze's mouth, was equally anxious. If things continued like this, they would all be unable to escape the clutches of this giant eye.

Given Bai Ze's speed, he should have covered a considerable distance in such a long run. Logically, even the most powerful evil spirit should have its limits. How could the giant eye's bloodline traverse such a vast distance, relentlessly pursuing him like a shadow?

Is this some kind of virtual space?!

But You Su felt something was wrong. He could sense that all of this was real, and the giant eye had no power to bewitch. It was clearly an evil spirit Flesh and Blood Type.

What happened...?

Just as he was getting anxious, he was surprised to find a piece of ice extending from the edge of the cliff in the middle of the rift in front of him!

This was clearly the first piece of ice that allowed him to discover that Bai Ze had restored his Mystic Qi!

He forced himself to turn over in Bai Ze's mouth despite the excruciating pain, and quickly looked back, which soon confirmed his suspicions.

Despite their desperate escape and the apparent distance from the giant eye, its size remained unchanged in their field of vision.

They actually kept circling around this giant eye!

"Bai Ze! We've been going in circles! Run straight!" You Su shouted, enduring the pain.

Upon hearing You Su's reminder, Bai Ze, while dodging the blood lines, responded with heavy breaths:

"I... I was just running in a straight line!!"

Because it was holding You Su in its mouth, it spoke haltingly, as if it had a lisp, and its tone carried a hint of complaint, as if it were saying that You Su was trying to misunderstand it again.

You Su was surprised to hear this. He knew that Bai Ze was Spirit of the Snow Mountain and was perfectly at home in the snow. But the snow was all white, so a sense of direction should be one of Bai Ze's innate talents. Therefore, it was impossible for it to claim it was going in a straight line when it took a detour...

Illusion? Restriction? What exactly is keeping us going in circles?!

You Su Suqiang roused himself, pulling out the remaining broken blood vessels from his body while giving instructions:

"I know you're running forward! But we've been turning left! Now run to the right, whichever you think is right!"

Bai Ze trusted You Su's command without a doubt. It immediately turned around and ran towards what it thought was the right side.

However, because they kept turning to the left, the seemingly relentless trail of blood was actually not directly behind them, but rather to their right rear!

If Bai Ze wants to run to the right, he must pass through these ever-present webs of blood-red threads!

Bai Ze mustered its courage and bravely faced the dense network of blood vessels. It used all its strength, skillfully dodging most of the attacks with its regenerated power.

However, the battlefield situation changes rapidly. After all, it had only just recovered some of its Mystic Qi. Even though Bai Ze tried its best, it still accidentally tripped over a cunning blood thread on its ankle.

With a thud, Bai Ze's massive body crashed to the ground. You Su was spat out just in time, preventing him from being crushed by its sharp teeth. But it still caused You Su to slam heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, and rolling several times before coming to a stop.

Bai Ze was filled with remorse, its eyes reddening. In a fit of rage, it tore apart the blood thread that had just tripped it up, then opened its tiger's mouth and roared. From its mouth surged icy blue air, which actually condensed into a fragile ice barrier, temporarily stopping the surging tide of blood threads.

When You Su slammed his head to the ground, he twisted his body to avoid being hit by a head, eventually landing on both knees. However, the impact was too great, causing his legs to become numb and unresponsive, making it impossible for him to stand up.

Seeing You Su anxiously and relentlessly pounding his own legs, Bai Ze could no longer hold back his tears, which rolled to the ground along with the blood You Su had left on his face. His voice trembled as he murmured:

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... It's all my fault... I'm a useless Bai Ze!"

"I am not worthy of being called Divine Beast... What those people say is all lies! I have no understanding of the feelings of all things, nor do I know anything about ghosts and gods! I can do nothing but talk!"

You Su stopped massaging his legs. He turned his head, his face as pale as paper. Although his face was unrecognizable and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, his eyes were incredibly firm.

He dragged his broken legs to the drooping beast head of Bai Ze, gently stroking its head with a voice softer than ever before:

"No, they're telling the truth, do you know why?"

Bai Ze slowly raised his eyes and said in a trembling voice:

"Why...?"

You Su paused, took a deep breath, and spoke in a firm and powerful voice:

"Because I know who the sage is. If there truly is a sage in this world, it can only be me!"

"An ancient book says, 'When a sage possesses virtue, his wisdom shines even in the most obscure places, and the Bai Ze (a mythical creature) will appear!' But I have only encountered you, a Bai Ze! Therefore, our meeting is no accident, but destiny! I am incredibly fortunate to have been born alongside a sage! Now... I need your help! Let's go together and kill this evil spirit!"

Bai Ze stared blankly into You Su's dark eyes. You Su's words seemed to have injected a strange power into its body, instantly dispelling the gloom in Bai Ze's heart.

It felt an unprecedented sense of trust and encouragement, as if all its fatigue and fear had been swept away by this power. It regained its spirit, and the burning fire of fighting spirit rekindled in its eyes!

"Um!!"

The child's voice was innocent, yet exceptionally firm.

It picked up You Su and then tried its best to turn its head so that You Su could climb up its head onto its back.

You Su grabbed the soft, silky fur on Bai Ze's back, pulled hard, and flew onto Bai Ze's back perfectly.

Despite his many sweet talk, You Su had never actually ridden Bai Ze even once, because he knew very well that this silly, clumsy cat also had its own principles. But now, it had willingly placed You Su on its back!

From the moment You Su first saw Bai Ze, he was deeply impressed by the divine beauty of this half-deer, half-tiger Divine Beast. Although its fur was dull and its eyes were lifeless at the time, You Su was still amazed by it at first glance—because even when it was thin and haggard, it still possessed a breathtaking elegance.

This stems from its incredibly smooth spine lines, which undulate like the softest clouds on the horizon or the most winding stream in the mountains, with every curve revealing the most exquisite hand of nature.

In the Northern Ao Continent, Bai Ze's image is profound and sacred. In this barren land that yearns for redemption, Bai Ze is portrayed as a mentor and friend of the saints in the stories associated with them.

In reality, however, outside the story, You Su became the first person to use Bai Ze as a mount!

You Su pulled out the last three broken blood vessels on her side, further solidifying her resolve.

Without exception, they all pierced through his body from the front, becoming lifeless after breaking. But now, after limpning, the heads with suction cups seemed to be alive, all facing to the left!

This is clearly illogical! The only explanation is that something is pulling them to the left!

Cracks had appeared in the ice barrier, and Bai Ze anxiously stamped its hooves, urging You Su on its back to guide it.

You Su tugged at the long velvet on Bai Ze's left shoulder and said in a deep voice:

"This space is distorting to the left! It's all because of that giant eye! So we're running further to the left and back! We need to follow its power back, and then—"

The ice barrier shattered, and the tide of blood surged forth from behind.

"Kill Him with His power!"

With a sudden burst of power from its forehooves, the muscles in Bai Ze's strong legs tensed, and its forebody leaped high into the air. Its posture was elegant yet full of power. It raised its head and let out a long howl, a clear and stirring sound that echoed endlessly.

Immediately, it pushed off with its hind legs, and a silver trail shot past!

The man and the beast charged toward the giant eye like arrows released from a bow!

I spent two days in bed recovering from the flu, and I'm feeling incredibly tired and weak. I come home from get off work and immediately start writing, while also worrying about the content and the timeline. I have very little time to relax, and I feel like my health is deteriorating. Everyone should take better care of themselves.