Qiao Xiaoxian’s back silently split open with a noiseless crack—clearly, this was a premeditated sneak attack!
A giant claw stretched out from the fissure, exuding a pressure that didn’t belong to the Beginner Realm at all. It clashed with the realm’s rules, erupting in dazzling sparks.
As lightning flashed again, it illuminated the owner of that enormous eye from before. It was reaching its claw straight toward Qiao Xiaoxian’s back!
Yet Qiao Xiaoxian remained completely unaware!
However, upon seeing Jiang Ke’er’s expression, Qiao Xiaoxian instantly realized something was wrong.
She swept her sleeves and spun, pulling her fist to her waist, half her hand transforming into a dragon’s claw. The claw radiated a mighty, vast dragon’s might as she punched toward the Xubeast’s claw!
Though Qiao Xiaoxian’s palm was still smaller than a single finger of the Xubeast, and her current strength was far inferior, this punch met it as an equal!
With a deafening bang, five or six houses nearby collapsed under the shockwave, leveled to the ground!
Jiang Ke’er surged forward against the wind, her sword striking where Qiao Xiaoxian’s fist landed.
With a thunderous roar, one of the Xubeast’s fingers snapped off!
The sensation from the blade told Jiang Ke’er just how extraordinary the Xubeast’s finger was.
Even after finding its weak spot, it was still incredibly tough.
It had to be a body part of a high-tier Xubeast—if its strength hadn’t been suppressed and weakened by the Beginner Realm, neither she nor Qiao Xiaoxian could have severed it.
She flipped her palm and stowed the thick finger into her inventory, planning to use it for forging or to sell for a good price.
“A Xu Realm Warlord’s finger—now that’s a rare find.” Qiao Xiaoxian glanced over and said, “Let’s go. It’s not safe here anymore. Besides… we’ve been targeted.”
The boundary between the village and the forest had been completely destroyed. Xubeasts could now appear anywhere at any moment—even right behind Jiang Ke’er and the other demons.
Under the control of the Xu Realm Warlord, they would choose dark corners to descend upon, launching surprise attacks on the unsuspecting.
“It’s coming again!”
At that moment, the Xu Realm Warlord, still unwilling to give up, stretched another giant claw across realms, aiming for Qiao Xiaoxian’s back as if determined to drag her into the Void Realm at any cost!
Jiang Ke’er didn’t hesitate, swinging her sword to meet it, her strike landing alongside Qiao Xiaoxian’s heavy blow.
Another finger was severed from the massive Xubeast—out of five, only three remained.
“You saved me again.” Qiao Xiaoxian smiled at Jiang Ke’er, seeming genuinely happy.
“Don’t overthink it. We need your strength right now; I can’t let you die for nothing,” Jiang Ke’er scoffed. “Let’s go! There’s no time!”
At the entrance to the Refuge, the villagers had already made it inside.
Only Jiang Ke’er, Qiao Xiaoxian, Jie Shui, and Ming Ling had yet to enter.
The Refuge’s entrance was left just wide enough for them.
At the doorway, Mu Guoguo and Changsun Qingyue were shouting for them to come hide together.
Spatial tunnels kept ripping open along their path. Xubeasts roared, squeezing out from the narrow tunnels, glaring hungrily at the group, saliva dripping as they converged from all directions—like a rapidly rising tide.
“Stay close!”
Qiao Xiaoxian swept her sleeves to clear the way, while Jiang Ke’er swung her sword to cover the rear.
Amid severed limbs, saliva, and the stench of blood, the group of demons sped toward the Refuge.
Thankfully, Ming Ling pulled Jie Shui with her in a dive, both of them rushing into the Refuge.
Qiao Xiaoxian was just about to enter, when suddenly, another space-time rift tore open right in front of her, blocking her way to the Refuge.
…What’s wrong with this Xu Realm Warlord? Is it really fixated on Qiao Xiaoxian?
This time, the aura of the attack was far stronger than before. One careless move, and she’d be captured.
Qiao Xiaoxian remained calm in the face of danger, responding with all her strength. She dodged immediately, letting the giant claw grab at empty air.
Jiang Ke’er slashed her sword down, striking the claw with a ringing “ding” and a shower of sparks.
Suddenly, her pupils shrank.
A surge of danger raced up her spine like an electric current, sending goosebumps all over her body.
“Boom—crack!”
Lit by lightning, the Xu Realm Warlord’s appearance was clear as day—it was reaching out with both hands.
One hand was the giant, severed-fingered hand in front of Jiang Ke’er and Qiao Xiaoxian, and the other…
Jiang Ke’er felt a tightness at her waist; she didn’t even have time to bring her sword to bear.
The scenery around her spun wildly as her body was forcibly dragged into the Void Realm.
“Ugh—ah!”
By the time Qiao Xiaoxian realized she’d been tricked, it was already too late.
She let out a pained howl from her throat, her sharp dragon claw unleashing power far beyond the Three Talents Realm, slashing fiercely at the Xu Realm Warlord’s hand!
But by then, Jiang Ke’er had already been pulled into the Void Realm. Even though that savage slash severed the Xu Realm Warlord’s hand at the base, Jiang Ke’er could not return.
The spatial tunnel had shrunk so much that Jiang Ke’er could no longer pass through.
Qiao Xiaoxian could only watch helplessly as Jiang Ke’er’s figure faded into the Void Realm.
On the Xu Realm Warlord’s face was a sly, sinister grin.
—From the very start, the target wasn’t Qiao Xiaoxian.
Qiao Xiaoxian never understood why the Xu Realm Warlord kept attacking her.
Now the truth was plain: it was all a diversion, a trick to distract… The Xu Realm Warlord was simply too cunning.
From the start, its true target was Jiang Ke’er, using one hand at a time to divert attention, and when the time was right, it struck with all its might!
Now, the spatial tunnel had shrunk to a mere slit—Jiang Ke’er’s face was no longer even visible.
Gritting her teeth, Qiao Xiaoxian pulled out the Underworld Province Cauldron and hurled it with all her strength into the crack!
“Stupid fox, catch the cauldron!”
She didn’t know if Jiang Ke’er caught the Underworld Province Cauldron, but she’d done all she could.
The Refuge’s gate slowly closed. Qiao Xiaoxian leaned against the wall, her face deathly pale.
“Qingyi, she…” Changsun Qingyue and the others watched as Qiao Xiaoxian entered the Refuge alone, Jiang Ke’er nowhere in sight.
One by one, they froze on the spot.
Qiao Xiaoxian said nothing.
“She stayed behind to cover us…” Ming Ling covered her mouth.
The village guard captain, realizing what had happened, was about to kneel on the spot. “Three Village will never forget your kindness!”
“Enough noise!”
Qiao Xiaoxian was in a foul mood. She didn’t want to take it out on others, but she couldn’t hide the irritation in her tone.
She didn’t want to hear any useless chatter right now.
The Refuge’s door was made of a one-way transparent stone. Those inside could see out, but those outside couldn’t see in.
“Boom—crack!”
Another bolt of lightning flashed, making the Void Realm outside crystal clear for an instant.
Qiao Xiaoxian’s eyes widened, but she couldn’t catch a glimpse of Jiang Ke’er—only the densely packed Xubeasts surging in a single direction, piling up like a small mountain, blocking everything behind them.
Jiang Ke’er… is she still out there?