“No transcendent aura, no trace of life activity in the target area.”

“Continue scanning, entering the next area.”

Amidst the vast snow mountains, a red figure, clad in heavy bamboo armor, walked slowly through the snow. His pace wasn't fast, but the depth of each step was consistent.

This was quite extraordinary.

Anyone following behind the red figure would have noticed.

The depth of the footprints he left on the snow layer didn't change in the slightest.

Due to the entry of transcendents from the Five Continents, this snow mountain had undergone a dramatic transformation. The Storm Church mined black silver ore, the Source Tower excavated the entrance to the snow mountain, and the Eastern and Northern Continents conducted geological surveys... There was also a massive avalanche here.

At this moment, the red figure returned to the place where the Storm Church had been annihilated.

He crouched down and examined the "corpses" of the dead one by one…

He gutted those corpses, chopped them into pieces of flesh, and scattered them in every corner of the snow mountain. No one would want to look at them again, but he didn't mind the trouble and checked them all.

He was checking the items carried by these transcendents of the Storm Church.

Those unspent, strongly logical bullets, those sealed objects containing source power, and those transcendent robes with a certain defensive power.

The pale mask occasionally emitted a red light.

He had no "eyes."

This red light was like his "eyes."

The red figure continued on his way, not even the great battle between Long Qi and Gu Shen attracting his attention.

He was extremely focused, meticulously picking through the pile of Storm Church corpses, selecting those useless, discarded scraps.

This tedious and boring task only ended when he found a very flat patch of snow next to a deep forest near the snowfield… This patch of snow was originally unremarkable, but when the red light shone on it, a row of small, deep footprints appeared on the snow.

Someone had been here.

Judging from the footprints, it was a very small girl.

The visitor was very cautious, wiping away all traces of her passage with her mental power.

Unfortunately…

She was still revealed by the "red light."

“Traces of ‘target’ found, initiate trace search?”

“Submitting data, requesting feedback, please wait patiently.”

The red figure quietly squatted in front of the footprints for several seconds.

“Please wait patiently… Please wait patiently…”

The mechanical loading sound echoed continuously in his cranial sea.

“Feedback result: Search.”

The affirmative answer surfaced in his cranial sea. The red figure suddenly stood up, pressed his hand on his long saber, and started to jog quickly.

…

…

“I’ve erased my tracks and concealed my mental aura all the way. I shouldn’t be discovered, right?”

Gu Xiaoman crossed mountains and ridges, not daring to look back.

She had actually heard the great commotion of Long Qi summoning the gods earlier.

At that time, she had only been traveling for a short time, and was located on the top of a snow mountain. She could even see the huge divine form of light that filled half of the snowfield's sky… That scene was very shocking. She knew that the transcendents of Guang Ming City were fighting, but she didn't know who they were fighting with.

If it was that terrifying red figure.

She hoped that Guang Ming City could win…

Although she had only met him once, the red figure gave off a very strong sense of oppression. He didn't say a word and drew his saber to kill!

“No, something still feels wrong.”

Gu Xiaoman took a deep breath and rubbed her cheeks.

Mental-type transcendents have a keen intuition!

But that was the problem—

Her reason told her that this trip was very dangerous, but her heart lake hadn't given a danger warning!

When things go against the norm, there must be something strange.

She would rather her heart lake be shaking violently at this moment, so that she could be sure of her true situation.

“Could he already have caught up?”

The little girl glanced back unintentionally.

It would have been better if she hadn’t looked.

As soon as she looked…

She saw a fatal flash of red, flashing through the mountains and forests behind her.

“What the hell…”

Gu Xiaoman’s little face turned pale. She felt the real existence of the word "unlucky" for the first time, and it was enveloping her!

What she feared came to pass!

After she turned her head, the red figure’s speed visibly increased!

Seconds later, a scalp-numbing sound of rushing wind rang out behind Gu Xiaoman!

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

The red figure shot out of the forest, pressed his hand on his long saber, and ran straight towards Gu Xiaoman!

“If I still had the Thunderclap Hand Beads, that would be great!”

Gu Xiaoman's heart was filled with pressure. She was now regretting throwing out all five of Bai Xiu’s Thunderclap Beads when she encountered Xidaer and Dongse Yue.

With her strength, there were actually other ways to escape at that time.

It would just have meant suffering more injuries!

In a battle between those of the same rank, she wasn't afraid of Xidaer or Dongse Yue. Even if they joined forces, she wouldn't be afraid at all.

It was just that there were too many reinforcements at that time, so she could only seize the time to run!

But now…

She would rather be an enemy of more than a hundred law enforcers from the entire Source Tower than face this red figure. This was simply not an existence that she could contend with at her current stage!

“Annihilation Dream! Go!”

From the moment she glanced back and saw the red figure, Gu Xiaoman had been gathering power.

She had seen the scene of the red figure suppressing Zhongyuan Weicheng and shattering the two-continent alliance, and knew that this guy's melee combat ability was unparalleled.

So she directly gave up on close combat.

She knew very well that if she got caught, she would only be able to withstand one or two strikes at most!

Her only chance to escape was [Annihilation Dream]!

Three seconds of gathering power caused hundreds of cracks to appear in the void. Accompanied by Gu Xiaoman's angry roar, a patch of dark cracks suddenly appeared in front of the red figure—

Reality and dream reversed!

Gu Xiaoman's greatest hope was to use [Annihilation Dream] to delay the red figure. If she could drag the other party's spirit into the dream, she could at least run another distance!

This was a solution that was not a solution.

The rapidly sprinting red figure held his saber without drawing it. Seeing the cracks torn out by [Annihilation Dream], he didn't dodge or turn. Instead, he accelerated in a straight line and crashed directly into it. Before Gu Xiaoman could rejoice, the red figure shattered the void cracks created by [Annihilation Dream]. He didn't encounter the slightest obstruction!

Gu Xiaoman looked shocked.

Her greatest hope was shattered in an instant!

In desperation, she gave up running, put on her Hundred-Blast Knuckle Dusters, and punched the high-speed rushing red figure!

If she had to die—

She would rather die standing up!

“Boom!”

The Hundred-Blast Knuckle Dusters shattered the wind and snow, and shook out a circle of ripples, like a tiger's roar!

At this moment, Gu Xiaoman saw a scene that was beyond her expectations…

The red figure, who had been rushing forward quickly with his saber, actually took a step back and retreated the moment she threw her punch!

Her strength was at the third level.

Counting transcendency, she could barely fight with someone at the ninth level of the Deep Sea.

This punch, even if it contained the will to die, could only unleash so much power.

Whether she was a genius or the Master of Wine, before she grew up, she only had so much strength—

Any powerhouse beyond the fourth level wouldn't retreat in the face of this punch.

But the red figure retreated.

And he retreated decisively, cleanly and neatly.

The whole set of movements was as smooth as flowing water!

This was also the reason why the red figure gave people a great sense of oppression before. Those powerhouses dispatched from the Five Continents were suppressed by his ghostly movements and couldn't breathe.

This red figure advanced and retreated in an orderly manner, without any loopholes, and was very methodical. He hardly made any mistakes in the duel.

Advance, look for opportunities, and wait for the opportunity to draw his saber!

Retreat, was because he had detected danger and didn't give any chance to take advantage of!

But at this moment, Gu Xiaoman realized that something was wrong.

This didn't seem like a fighting style that a "person" would adopt… If she had to say, it was more like a mechanically set program, a program for a harmless duel.

And what confirmed her idea was the phenomenon that the red figure had passed through [Annihilation Dream] unscathed!

No matter what level of transcendent, this phenomenon wouldn't occur as long as they touched [Annihilation Dream].

Those super powerhouses, when they touched [Annihilation Dream], could easily break it!

And those who weren't so strong would either be pulled by [Annihilation Dream], or fall completely into the dream!

Being unaffected, this was unreasonable.

Unless… this red figure didn't have a heart lake.

A "transcendent life" without a heart, of course, wouldn't be affected by mental attacks!

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Gu Xiaoman's mind. She felt that she had touched the behind-the-scenes truth of this [Ice Sea Relic], but the red figure took a step back and then stepped forward to draw his saber, as clean and neat as ever, making people suffocate.

After the snow-white saber light was unsheathed, its momentum was astonishing, like a long rainbow piercing the sun, covering all her vision!

Gu Xiaoman's face was pale, and she subconsciously closed her eyes.

…

…

“Sizzle!”

On the snowfield, there was a dull sound of the saber's light tearing through flesh and blood.

After that, there was silence for dozens of seconds.

The red figure tilted his head in confusion, and the red light permeating from the mask fell on the man who was faster than him. He didn't understand how this guy had appeared… and the long saber had cut into flesh, which was enough to cut anyone else in half, but why was it only able to cut in less than ten centimeters before it could no longer be pushed forward.

“Chi!”

Countless brilliant flames burned on the man’s shoulder flesh.

The red figure withdrew his saber and retreated.

The broken wound was instantly condensed and covered by flames… After a dozen seconds, it became unscathed, and not even a scar could be seen.

The red figure's brain was temporarily down.

The red light scanned Gu Shen up and down.

This was the only time that he hadn't received any useful information from the "scan."

“Warning: Target individual, cannot be spied on.”

“Repeat warning: Target individual, cannot be spied on.”

…

…

Gu Xiaoman closed her eyes, her mind was empty, a black void.

She heard the sound of the blade entering flesh.

But she didn't feel any pain.

“Heh…”

Surrounded by the biting snow wind, she felt a long-lost warmth. Someone gently exhaled a breath, his voice still carrying a smile, but more of it was relief and liberation.

The moment the sound rang out.

The little girl blankly opened her eyes.

She stared blankly at the thin figure who opened his arms, facing her with his back to the saber.

Five years apart.

The man's face was thin, his hair was disheveled, and his features had become somewhat unfamiliar.

But she still recognized him at a glance.

“Gu Shen…”

“Gu Shen?!”

She murmured in disbelief, thinking it was a dream.

Until the latter also smiled at her and nodded.

Gu Xiaoman realized.

This was real… this was real!

She suddenly jumped into Gu Shen's arms.

Gu Xiaoman, who had suffered countless bullying for five years and hadn't shed a single tear, burst into tears at this moment.

Only at this moment.

Could she take off the disguises on her body, what Red Dragon Inheritor, what Master of Wine…

She could give them all up!

If she could exchange those for Gu Shen, then she wouldn't hesitate for a second!

She had suffered so much grievance these years.

Bai Xiu asked her, but she refused to say.

But Gu Shen was different from Bai Xiu. If she didn't say anything when she saw Gu Shen, then she really had no one to talk to.

“……”

Gu Shen's eyes were extremely complicated.

He looked at the little girl who jumped into his arms and smiled in a hoarse voice.

“Xiaoman, I finally found you.”

…

…

Author: Selling newspaper guys