Archon of Death

Although Ronova could not appear in person to clear the obstacles from her path, her vast, smoke-like spiritual power, born from her Demon God status, was like the most precise radar, silently covering the broad surrounding area.

Any potential danger—whether deadly venomous insects disguised through mimicry, man-eating plants lying in wait, or powerful Soul Beasts whose mere trace of Soul Power fluctuation could make one's soul tremble—had nowhere to hide from Ronova's senses.

For the past few days, Yin Chen had been dancing on a knife's edge.

Only with Ronova's guidance had Yin Chen been able to move like a wraith, repeatedly skimming past the borders of territories belonging to thousand-year Soul Beasts, and even Soul Beasts with far deeper, more terrifying auras, brushing shoulders with death each time.

Every successful escape left her nerves even more taut, because she knew all too well that luck would not favor her forever.

"We have to leave this place as soon as possible."

Yin Chen murmured under her breath, urgency and worry gathering heavily in her amethyst-like eyes.

Through her soul connection with her distant original body, she vaguely knew that she was currently within the territory of the Sun Moon Empire.

However, the empire was vast, and Soul Beast forests dotted the land. Apart from those perilous regions renowned across the continent, there were countless small and medium-sized Soul Beast gathering grounds.

She was like a tiny dot trapped on an enormous maze-like map, utterly unable to determine her exact location, much less find a way out.

In this forest shrouded in strangeness and silence, every inch of shadow could conceal a deadly threat, constantly testing her nerves.

This Chrysos Heirs body of Castorice's truly possessed extraordinary traits, being naturally attuned to the laws of death.

She vividly remembered how an unwise ten-year Bone-Eroding Rat had roared and pounced at her. In her panic, she had merely raised a hand to block it. The instant her fingertips touched it, the vicious Soul Beast had not even managed a cry of agony before its body scattered like a sand sculpture blown apart by the wind, its life force instantly extinguished as it turned into a pinch of ash.

That power was incomparably tyrannical, the manifestation of a law that brought death upon contact—a miracle, by all accounts.

Yet the limitations of this authority over death were just as deadly.

First, it made no distinction between friend and foe. Yin Chen had to constantly restrain her urge to touch things and exercise extreme caution in every movement, lest she accidentally erase some harmless little animal or ordinary plant, exposing her presence and bringing even greater trouble upon herself.

Second, and most fatal at present—this authority over death could not grant her any tangible defensive power or boost to her speed.

Against a hundred-year Soul Beast, she might still be able to rely on Ronova's warning and her own agility, gambling her life on getting close enough to touch it and seeking mutual destruction.

But the more likely outcome was that she would be torn to pieces by the Soul Beast's swift attacks before she succeeded.

As for thousand-year Soul Beasts?

They often possessed long-range attacks or powerful area-of-effect soul skills. She could not even get close to them; the aftershock of an attack alone would be enough to completely destroy her fragile body.

In the end, she possessed a Martial Soul and special physique that surpassed the mundane, yet she had not even obtained the most basic Soul Ring.

Without a Soul Ring, her Soul Power Level could not rise, and powerful soul skills were out of the question.

The basic qualities of this Chrysos Heirs body might have surpassed those of an ordinary six-year-old human child, but in strength, speed, and defense, compared to Soul Beasts capable of shattering rocks and tearing apart the earth with ease, it was still as fragile as thin ice, ready to break at a touch.

"Ronova, which direction has the fewest Soul Beast auras? Or rather, which way might lead to an area of human activity?"

Yin Chen asked inwardly once more. This was her only hope at the moment.

After a brief silence within her sea of consciousness, that cold, majestic voice rang out again, giving her a clear direction along with a warning:

"To the north. At the edge in that direction, there are traces of human activity. However, their auras... are somewhat strange, entwined with sinister and chaotic fluctuations. Whether it is fortune or disaster remains unknown. Weigh it yourself."

Yin Chen took a deep breath. The complex scent of the forest, a mixture of rotting leaves and some peculiar floral fragrance, filled her lungs with a faint chill.

She understood that remaining in this perilous forest any longer would be no different from slow suicide.

Even with Ronova's warnings, there was no guarantee that she could turn danger into safety every time.

Staying where she was meant certain death. Heading north, at least, offered a sliver of hope.

She had to take this gamble.

"Let's go."

Yin Chen rose resolutely, carefully dusting the dirt and withered grass from her dress. Her gaze passed through layer after layer of bizarre trees and fixed firmly on the north Ronova had indicated.

No matter what, they were human.

As long as they were human, there was a possibility of communication and negotiation. That was far better than facing those vicious Soul Beasts that followed nothing but instinct.

Moreover, her current appearance—silver hair, purple eyes, delicate as a doll, yet possessing the harmless fragility unique to a child—could greatly lower other people's guard.

Perhaps it could win her a precious chance, even if she had to rely on lies and acting to seize it.

"Even in the worst-case scenario..."

She encouraged herself inwardly, even forcing out a faintly self-mocking thought.

"At worst, I die. But don't forget, Ronova—you're a Demon God who governs death, and Castorice is a demigod who symbolizes death. I've taken advantage of you both; how could I really die so easily?"

That thought, carrying a measure of helplessness and open-mindedness, supported her as she began walking, cautiously advancing toward that unknown human settlement wreathed in sinister auras.

Relying on Ronova's guidance in her mind, Yin Chen moved like an imperceptible shadow through the forest, carefully weaving through its countless dangers.

She avoided bizarre flowers that emitted a cloying fragrance yet could corrode flesh in an instant, detoured around a terrifying crocodile lurking in a swamp whose aura rivaled that of a thousand-year Soul Beast, and even held her breath as she silently slipped past the edge of a giant spider-like Soul Beast's nest while it slept soundly.

After several hours of arduous travel, she pushed aside a cluster of drooping vines with a metallic sheen, and the sight before her suddenly opened up.

Several grimly styled buildings, dominated by black and dark red, stood in a clearing that had been artificially cleared.

The presence of humans in the air had indeed become clearer, but the sinister sensation Ronova had warned her about now struck her head-on as though it had substance—a nauseating stench mixed with bloodlust and resentment.

"So this is the place?"

Yin Chen's heart sank slightly. That aura instinctively made her feel uneasy and wary.

Yet what shook her even more was the strange emblems she saw displayed prominently on those buildings and on the black robes worn by some of the patrolmen.