Run!

"What! This, how is this possible?" The only remaining protector, who was entangled with Tang Xiong, was shocked.

After killing the guard Liang Yong, the three protectors had been quite confident in facing the three Silver Moon Knights, especially since one of them was the relatively weak Si Borong.

But the moment the black-clad youth thrust his spear, the situation changed instantly!

"Die!" The experienced Tang Xiong let out a loud shout. The protector, already inferior in skill and experience to the hundred-and-sixty-year-old Tang Xiong, was being suppressed; now, in his panic, he immediately revealed a flaw. Rip— A short sword flashed, and a red dot appeared between the protector's brows. His eyes widened as he collapsed with a thunderous crash.

"Brother Xueying, what a formidable spear technique," Tang Xiong laughed heartily. "I haven't seen such crisp and clean spearwork in a long time."

Yu Jingqiu also looked at the black-clad youth before her with some astonishment.

"It's a pity Liang Yong was defeated too quickly; I didn't manage to make it in time," Dongbo Xueying shook his head.

"Hmph."

Si Borong stood at the back of the group with a gloomy expression. His guard had been killed, and he had just brushed shoulders with death, yet this Dongbo Xueying from the remote Yi Water City—whom he found quite unpleasant—was actually so powerful.

Suddenly remembering something, Si Borong walked forward and directly removed the arm ring from Liang Yong's severed arm.

Dongbo Xueying, Yu Jingqiu, and Tang Xiong all looked at him.

"Old Liang was my guard; naturally, I must take his belongings back to his family," Si Borong said. "As for his corpse, we still need to continue exploring... leave the body here for now; the people from Dragon Mountain Tower will come to collect it eventually."

Sigh, who knows if this Si Borong will actually return any of the items inside that storage treasure, Tang Xiong sighed inwardly.

He had seen too much of this.

The Si Family was a large, centuries-old clan with many direct descendants, and the quality of their character varied greatly. Although Si Borong had high talent for cultivating battle qi, his character was clearly mediocre. Yet, Tang Xiong did not want to offend or argue with him, because 'petty people' were sometimes the most troublesome and terrifying.

Click, click, click. Yu Jingqiu walked forward, and frost immediately spread from beneath her feet. Countless wisps of cold air instantly surged outward and froze Liang Qiu's entire corpse, encasing him in a layer of ice.

"These three didn't have a single storage treasure on them," Tang Xiong searched the three protectors' corpses with practiced ease. "It's truly strange. Logically, most Silver Moon Knights possess storage artifacts. Hmm, they don't have much gold currency on them either. Lord Borong, do you want these gold notes?"

Si Borong glanced at the gold notes. Since he hadn't contributed to the battle, he still wanted to save some face. "I didn't kill any enemies."

"You and Dongbo Xueying can split them," Yu Jingqiu also said.

"Haha, one for me, two for you," Tang Xiong handed the fifty thousand gold notes to Dongbo Xueying, who did not refuse and casually tucked them away.

"Let's go," Yu Jingqiu said.

"Continuing on."

At this moment, Dongbo Xueying naturally walked to the front of the team, Tang Xiong followed behind Yu Jingqiu, and Si Borong ended up at the very back! Clearly, he was truly a bit frightened, and now that he had no guards left.

The rest of the journey went smoothly; they encountered no more dangerous mechanisms or traps. After searching all eight areas, the team began to head underground, as the inner castle clearly had a basement level.

Following the staircase corridor, they soon saw a massive hall door.

"Everyone, be careful. I sense a trace of evil aura," Yu Jingqiu said cautiously, holding her staff.

"Hmm." Dongbo Xueying also became cautious; after all, this was a branch altar of an evil God or Devil in Qinghe Prefecture.

The hall doors were wide open.

Two ice snakes, now significantly smaller, slithered into the hall one after another, and the four of them stepped inside as well.

"So big," Dongbo Xueying and the others were all somewhat surprised.

The hall was built on a massive scale. Carved onto the walls was the image of an evil devil, radiating a malevolent aura... even just the carved pattern made Dongbo Xueying and the others feel uncomfortable.

At the end of the hall sat a throne.

Lou Hairu, the man they recognized instantly as their target, stood respectfully beside the throne, while a monster-like, burly man sat casually upon it.

"I didn't expect those three protectors to be so useless. Even with the help of the traps, they only managed to kill one of you," Lou Hairu said with a smile. "Under normal circumstances, I would have sensed the danger and fled through a secret passage! With the surveillance and pursuit of Dragon Mountain Tower, my chances of escaping successfully are very, very low. Unfortunately, I don't need to run at all now."

Yu Jingqiu held her staff, while Si Borong and Tang Xiong stared at the monster-like man on the throne.

Each of them felt that the aura radiating from this monster-like man posed a faint but intense threat.

Who is he? Dongbo Xueying also felt the monster-like man's threat was immense. Wasn't it said that the leader of this branch altar was Lou Hairu? Now Lou Hairu is standing respectfully to the side, while this man, who is even more robust than Uncle Tong, sits on the throne. Who is he?

"A Silver Moon Mage."

The monster-like brute suddenly spoke, his voice echoing within his chest. He stroked his beard, which was as hard as iron, and his eyes glowed as he looked at Yu Jingqiu. "And such a young, beautiful female mage—truly a top-tier prize! Haha, I love beautiful female mages the most. I like them even more when they are this young. They say female mages are extremely wise; ravaging you beautiful, intelligent female mages truly excites me."

"You are—" The white-haired elder Tang Xiong, who had been frowning as he watched, suddenly widened his eyes.

He had remembered someone.

A vicious, terrifying existence who had disappeared over eighty years ago.

"Run!" Tang Xiong didn't hesitate to turn and transform into a stream of light, fleeing outward while urgently shouting, "Run! Run away!"

"What?" Si Borong and Yu Jingqiu were both startled. Why were they fleeing before the fight had even started? This made them panic.

"Want to run?"

That deep, resonant voice echoed through the hall, and suddenly the entire space dimmed. An invisible force instantly enveloped every area, as if an invisible giant hand had slammed down! Tang Xiong, who had been fleeing at high speed, felt his body tremble as he was suppressed; his speed plummeted, the surrounding air twisted, and the scene around them began to warp.

"Unity of Heaven and Man!" Si Borong's face turned deathly pale; he was nearly scared to the point of wetting himself.

Yu Jingqiu also revealed a look of terror.

The monster-like brute on the throne casually snapped a piece of metal off the armrest and threw it directly.

Swish!

The metal block transformed into a streak of light, fast as lightning. Tang Xiong, who was fleeing outward, never even saw the metal block behind him; it was traveling at supersonic speeds, and he had no inkling of its approach. With a soft pfft, the metal block pierced straight through Tang Xiong's skull. Tang Xiong's eyes widened, and he continued to run for a dozen paces due to momentum before crashing to the ground.

"Drop." Standing beside the throne, Lu Huairu gently pulled a mechanism on the side of the seat.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Outside the main hall, three massive gates slammed down in succession, completely sealing off the path of escape.

"It's a Title-level existence. How could there be a Title-level existence here?" Si Borong's face turned deathly pale, his mind in total chaos. "How could a Title-level existence appear at a branch altar of an evil god in Qinghe Prefecture?"

"This..." Even the usually calm Yu Jingqiu could not hide her panic. A Title-level existence? Their control over the power of heaven and earth would prevent her from channeling even a sliver of external energy, making it impossible to cast any powerful spells! As for casting spells relying solely on the mana within her body, the power would be reduced by more than a thousandfold! It would be nothing more than a tickle to a Title-level; spells only possess true strength when they draw upon the power of heaven and earth.

"Beautiful mage, stop struggling. I never expected that when this branch altar was exposed, I would encounter a Silver Moon Rank female mage before leaving, and such a young one at that. Tsk tsk tsk... I am truly lucky. You should just obediently come with me; I will cherish you well," the monster-like brute said. "I believe someone as wise as you knows how to make the right choice."

"As for these two men, they are of no use at all. Might as well kill them." As the monster-like brute spoke, he picked up another metal block.

"Spare me."

Covered in cold sweat, Si Borong fell to his knees with a thud and pleaded, "My lord, please spare me! Please, spare my life! This mage, Yu Jingqiu, is only twenty-five years old this year. She is the pride of our Qinghe Prefecture; she will definitely follow you obediently. I am Si Borong, of the Si Family. Please, I beg you to spare my life."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Yu Jingqiu and shouted anxiously, "Jingqiu, you should know how to choose! Following a Title-level existence is no disgrace to you! Besides, if you resist, you will die, and we will all die! Only by staying alive is there hope for everything. Once you are dead, there is nothing left."

"Hmph."

Yu Jingqiu cast a cold glance at Si Borong, then raised her head to look at the monster-like brute on the distant throne.

"When taking on a mission from the Dragon Mountain Tower, everyone knows there is a risk of death. I have long been prepared to die. Since my luck is poor and I have encountered an unexpected Title-level existence, I blame no one; I can only say I am unlucky. But if you want me to serve you, keep dreaming," Yu Jingqiu said. Once one is prepared for death, one naturally becomes composed.

Yet, Yu Jingqiu was truly unwilling to accept this.

She had walked step by step to reach where she was today, analyzing and researching the heavens and earth. She had been full of confidence that she would step into the Title-level in the future, but now, it was all over just like that.

"You truly disappoint me. However, the corpse of a female mage will also make for a fine collection," the monster-like brute said.

Si Borong remained kneeling there, while Yu Jingqiu gripped her staff and stared at the opponent, though her heart was filled with despair.

"I really didn't expect this. What was supposed to be a simple Black Iron-level mission to gain some experience has actually led me to encounter a Title-level existence."

Dongbo Xueying's voice suddenly rang out.