Half a quarter-hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Ning Yuechan opened her eyes and heard Gongsun Zhi speaking.
Gongsun Zhi said, "As soon as we got back, we sent out a Communication Talisman asking for help."
Gu Qingshan said, "That's strange. I've been at the Military Camp for days, but I never saw any Human Race troops pass by."
Gongsun Zhi sighed. "It's not that strange. During this investigation, we happened to discover that there was a traitor among the Human Race's upper ranks."
"I see!"
Gu Qingshan suddenly understood.
No wonder two legendary figures had fought for their lives while surrounded by the Demon Army, yet no Human Race troops had come to their rescue.
The traitor must have intercepted their Communication Talisman long ago, so nobody knew they were in danger.
It was even possible that the traitor had diverted the Human Race army, allowing the Demon Army to act without hindrance.
It seemed the three of them were truly in danger.
Gongsun Zhi sized up Gu Qingshan, then suddenly asked, "Have you joined any sect, boy?"
Gu Qingshan said, "I'm a Wandering Cultivator. If I make it back alive this time, I'll take the Yearly Examination at the beginning of next year."
Gongsun Zhi said, "When you take the Yearly Examination, apply directly to Saint Dao Sect and give them my name."
Ning Yuechan glanced at him in surprise.
What had this kid done to deserve it? Gongsun Zhi had actually taken a liking to him.
The two men noticed that she was awake and turned to look at her, their faces full of questions.
Ning Yuechan said, "The poison is gone, and my injuries are healing."
Gongsun Zhi was delighted. "Good!"
As long as the poison was no longer a concern, with Ning Yuechan's cultivation and the Python Demon Gall's flesh-regenerating effects, she would recover completely in no time.
Ning Yuechan slowly stood and gave Gu Qingshan a solemn bow. "Thank you for saving my life!"
In such a desperate situation, being able to purge the poison and gradually mend her injuries was no different from gaining another life.
Gu Qingshan hurriedly waved a hand. "We can talk later. We need to move now."
"Should we consider using a flying boat?" Gongsun Zhi suggested.
"No," Ning Yuechan said. "The moment we take off, every Demon Army soldier will see us. We're their main targets right now. It'll be even harder to escape then."
Gu Qingshan cut in. "Elder Gongsun, you're General Dingyuan and a Great Grandmaster of formations in the Human Race. Surely there are other places we can ask for help besides the allied forces."
Gongsun Zhi glanced at Ning Yuechan, hesitating. "It hasn't come to that yet, has it? We do have a reliable Communication Talisman, but we can't use it lightly. Saintess, what do you think?"
Ning Yuechan was about to speak when the earth suddenly shook beneath them.
Gongsun Zhi swept his wide sleeve, and the scene outside came into view.
Two dreadful feet were slowly approaching from far away. They were all the three of them could see moving across the land; the body above the legs was completely lost in the thick clouds, its true form hidden from sight.
The Faceless Giant!
So that was how it was!
Damn it, how could I have been so stupid? Why had I only figured it out now?
At last, Gu Qingshan cleared the mist and saw the truth.
Gu Qingshan's expression changed abruptly. "Elder Gongsun, send a Communication Talisman for help, quickly! Once the Faceless Giant arrives, the talisman won't be able to fly out!"
Gongsun Zhi asked in surprise, "Why wouldn't it be able to fly out?"
As they spoke, those enormous feet drew closer and closer.
Gu Qingshan shouted urgently, "Trust me this once! Send it now!"
Gongsun Zhi was still hesitating when Ning Yuechan suddenly patted her Storage Bag and took out a Communication Talisman wreathed in mist. She spoke a few words into it.
"This is Ning Yuechan of Heavenly Peak Sect. I have obtained the names of the spies within the Human Race allied forces and successfully located the Divine Martial World. I humbly beseech a Saint to come to our aid."
When she finished, she released the talisman, and it rose from her hand.
Seeing this, Gongsun Zhi sighed. "If we rashly disturb a Saint, our sects will surely have plenty to say about it."
A Saint was the most powerful cultivator in the world.
Cultivators' realms were divided into Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divine Transformation, and Saint Sealing. Anyone who broke through all these realms and reached the final Saint Sealing Realm was recognized by the entire world as a Saint.
There were only three such cultivators among the entire Human Race, collectively known as the Three Saints.
Under normal circumstances, only a very small number of people had the right to contact a Saint.
Gongsun Zhi and Ning Yuechan each had a Communication Talisman belonging to a Saint. The two great sects behind them had paid for them with three hundred years of accumulated resources.
Their sects had entrusted the talismans to them to ensure their safety on this deep foray into the Demon Army's territory.
The Sect Leaders of both sects had repeatedly warned them: unless something earth-shattering happened, they absolutely must not use them.
Ning Yuechan stared at Gu Qingshan. "I'll take full responsibility."
Gu Qingshan still couldn't breathe easy. He stared at the talisman as it rose into the sky and was about to fly away.
But deep in the clouds above it, a shadow appeared, blotting out the sky and sun.
The next second, the shadow crashed down and slapped the talisman back from midair.
It was the Faceless Giant's hand.
Gu Qingshan charged forward without a second thought and caught the talisman in midair.
Its spiritual light had dimmed. It flickered a few times, then shattered with a snap into fluttering scraps of paper.
It was over. Gu Qingshan's mind went blank.
Behind him, Ning Yuechan and Gongsun Zhi both turned pale.
"How could this happen? That was a Saint's Communication Talisman!" Gongsun Zhi said.
"The Faceless Giant devours everything that contains Spiritual Power. The moment the Communication Talisman rose into the air, it drained its Spiritual Power and turned it into wastepaper."
He let out a long sigh. "I'm afraid we're not getting away."
There was not only a traitor among the Human Race's upper ranks; the demons had also sent the Faceless Giant to stop them from calling for help. No wonder they couldn't escape.
The harder they struggled, the tighter the net around them would close.
Their situation had deteriorated to the brink of life and death.
Had history merely taken a slight turn, only to soon return to its original course?
No, I have to do something. But I've only been reborn for a short while, and I'm so weak. What can I possibly do?
Gu Qingshan racked his brain.
Gongsun Zhi suddenly understood. "So that's why. No wonder my Five Elements Array had little effect when I used it against the giant earlier."
Ning Yuechan slowly rose and stood shoulder to shoulder with the two men. "If we can't escape, then we'll just have to fight it again."
Ning Yuechan suddenly patted her Storage Bag and took out a longbow, holding it out to Gu Qingshan.
She said, "Your Military Bow is too poor. Take this one."
Gu Qingshan was stunned. "Why are you giving it to me?"
Ning Yuechan said solemnly, "You killed the Demon Army's Messenger and gave me the Snake Gall to heal my injuries. This bow is a small token of my gratitude."
Gu Qingshan looked down. The bow was half an arm longer than his Military Bow, plain and unadorned, with nothing about it to reveal its worth.
But the more he looked, the more serious his expression became.
The longbow was utterly unassuming, its killing intent completely reined in, without a single flaw.
At a glance, he couldn't sense even the slightest trace of its aura, as if it didn't exist at all.
Anyone attacked with this bow would never sense the killing intent.
This bow had reached the realm of a divine treasure concealing its own brilliance. Compared to the Military Bow he had brought from the Military Camp, the difference was like heaven and earth.
At such a perilous moment, Gu Qingshan would never refuse a bow offered to him.
Ning Yuechan knew how to repay others, and she had given him something that was just what he needed. She was both thoughtful and considerate.
This girl was someone worth befriending.
Thinking this, Gu Qingshan accepted the longbow and said earnestly, "Thank you."
Ning Yuechan watched him quietly. He didn't pretend to refuse, nor did he act overjoyed. Instead, he remained calm and composed, thanking her with sincere gratitude.
Ning Yuechan nodded inwardly, her opinion of him rising another notch.
Her voice softened. "This bow is called Night Rain. My father passed it down to me. I hope you'll put it to good use."
Before you continue