Chapter 35: System-chan, You’re Finally Useful!

Although Ling Xiaoyou hadn’t expected the combination of Nether Spring Water and Guo Huo to delay the Devil for long, wasn’t this a bit too fast?!

She hadn’t even run that far yet!

Couldn’t it at least wait until she’d made it to the other side of New Sea City before chasing after her?!

With these complaints in her heart, Ling Xiaoyou didn’t stop moving.

She gripped Xiaoyu’s small hand even tighter.

She lowered her little head and reminded Xiaoyu,

“Xiaoyu, hold on tight. I’m going to speed up!”

Xiaoyu had also heard the roar just now and naturally understood why Ling Xiaoyou needed to accelerate.

She nodded seriously like a little adult, tightening her arms around Ling Xiaoyou’s neck.

“Mm, I understand, Pen Fairy Sister.”

Feeling the little girl’s tense grip, Ling Xiaoyou took a deep breath.

Then, her small feet, still pounding against the ground, suddenly became blurry, as if shrouded in mist.

In an instant, Ling Xiaoyou’s speed surged again, leaving behind only a faint afterimage!

And almost at the same time as Ling Xiaoyou accelerated, the owner of those crimson eyes in the distance closed in, arriving at her previous position in moments, then continuing the pursuit in her direction.

No, isn’t this speed a bit much?!

In the end, are you the speed specialist, or am I the speed specialist?!

Listening to the increasingly close footsteps behind her, Ling Xiaoyou felt utterly speechless.

Why did she keep encountering people these past few days whose speed matched or even surpassed hers?!

First it was Bai Shuanglian, now this Devil…

Was she some kind of Lightning Man, claiming to be the fastest but always finding someone faster every season?!

As Ling Xiaoyou thought this, she also understood why she couldn’t outrun her pursuer.

After all, she was carrying Xiaoyu right now, so even if she ran at full power, she’d be much slower than usual.

And the Devil had nothing to consider—he only needed to chase her, so his speed was naturally much higher.

Hearing the relentless, thunderous footsteps behind her, Ling Xiaoyou turned her head, catching a glimpse of the Devil’s silhouette growing clearer in the distance.

The Devil now was a horrific sight, his flesh burned and rotting as if he’d fallen into a pool of acid and then been roasted by flames, his body covered in scorched, festering flesh melded by the Nether Spring Water, impossible to peel away under the searing Guo Huo.

His charred eyes glowed with a ghostly red light, locking onto them.

All in all, he looked as disgusting as possible!

After one glance, Ling Xiaoyou didn’t have the courage for a second.

She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to eat for days!

The footsteps grew ever closer.

Ling Xiaoyou had to admit—the Devil was truly intimidating now.

It was hard not to feel pressure when even a Devil looked like that.

She had to keep running!

But if my speed can’t match his, I can’t escape.

What should I do?

That’s right, System-chan!

She could have it boost her speed!

Then she could definitely outrun the Devil!

Ling Xiaoyou had completely forgotten her vow to ignore System-chan for a while.

At this moment, she just wanted to win this race and prove she was the fastest… little loli!

Her face lit up, and she was about to open the System Panel to add points when a soul-shaking roar sounded again from behind.

In an instant, Ling Xiaoyou felt dizzy, her spirit trembling.

Not good!

The moment she heard the roar, she realized it was a spell meant to shake the mind.

Even if it only stunned her for a moment, that was enough time for the Devil to act.

As expected, the Devil behind her, sensing his spell had hit, let out a villainous laugh:

“Keh keh keh, it seems I’m the superior one after all, little ghost.”

As he spoke, the Devil produced something from somewhere—a glimmering object resembling a Red Thread of yarn.

“Go, Miss Wang. Bind your daughter.”

Then, the end of the ‘Red Thread’ shot forward, reaching Ling Xiaoyou in a flash and touching Xiaoyu.

The rest of the ‘threads’ followed, binding the still-dizzy Ling Xiaoyou and Xiaoyu together in an instant.

“This is… blood?!”

Snapping out of her dizziness, Ling Xiaoyou shook her head and looked at the ‘red threads’ wrapped around her and Xiaoyu, a strong scent of blood assaulting her nose.

Ling Xiaoyou tried to break free, but found that the ‘red threads’ looked delicate yet were incredibly tough, impossible to tear apart.

Tch, what on earth is this thing?!

“Hehehe… don’t waste your strength, little ghost. This is the purest form of a mother’s love for her child. If you could break free so easily, she wouldn’t deserve to be a mother.”

Heavy footsteps approached.

Ling Xiaoyou’s face stiffened as she looked at the three-meter-tall, red-and-black Devil emerging from the woods.

The moment he appeared, Ling Xiaoyou could smell the stench of burnt flesh from his body.

Ling Xiaoyou: “……”

Thanks, but I don’t want to breathe anymore.

Luckily, Ling Xiaoyou was a Ghost and didn’t need to breathe, so she just switched her auto-breathing mode to manual.

“What did you mean by that just now?”

The foul smell vanished instantly.

Ling Xiaoyou quietly sighed in relief, but her expression remained stern as she glared at the Devil.

“What do I mean? Naturally, the literal meaning!”

The Devil seemed to enjoy the thrill of tormenting his prey.

He made no move to kill Ling Xiaoyou or take Xiaoyu, instead standing arrogantly as he explained his methods.

“That’s a thread formed from a mother’s blood and a Soul Fragment, able to precisely locate her child’s position.”

“In urgent situations, it can even bind her child… Or, perhaps ‘embrace’ is a better word.”

The Devil glanced at the ‘red threads’ entwining Ling Xiaoyou and Xiaoyu, then looked with amusement at the pale Xiaoyu.

“That’s right. The materials came from your mother. Without her guidance, I might never have found you.”

Ling Xiaoyou: …But I’m not her child, so why did it wrap me up too?!

Grumbling internally, Ling Xiaoyou surreptitiously glanced at the System Panel that had suddenly appeared before her.

[Instant Mission]——Break free from the ‘Blood Navel’ and defeat the Devil.

Reward:

All attributes +2, one spell raised to Mastery level.

System-chan, you’re finally useful!