Yet the blood mist did not dissipate. Instead, it coalesced and swept toward the two of them.
Yang Kai's expression shifted slightly. He grabbed Zuo Wuyou and dropped back onto the carriage.
Above, the blood mist seemed to possess a will of its own, retreating swiftly into the distance. From far off, Blood Maiden's voice echoed: "I will tear you to pieces sooner or later!"
The fearsome commander of the Universe Division had fled in such a pathetic state.
Watching the direction she'd vanished, Yang Kai wore a troubled expression. "She's going to be a real pain."
An ordinary person caught in such a sneak attack would have died a dozen times over, yet Blood Maiden had managed to preserve her life. Her methods were truly formidable, forcing Yang Kai to marvel at just how many prodigies and geniuses existed in the world.
Still, through their recent exchange, Yang Kai had gleaned certain insights. Blood Maiden's mastery of the Blood Dao was indeed extraordinary, and her body harbored no flaw whatsoever—even with a blade thrust clean through her heart, she wouldn't die; it would merely cost her some Yuan Qi.
But she had been injured quite severely just now, so her Yuan Qi was undoubtedly heavily depleted. She wouldn't dare come after them again anytime soon.
"No wonder so many of the Church's experts couldn't deal with her—her methods are truly bizarre and unpredictable!" Zuo Wuyou's face was still pale with lingering fear. Recalling everything that had just happened, had the Holy Son not sensed the danger and acted decisively, he and Liu Ji would likely have died without ever knowing how.
He turned to look at Yang Kai, his admiration for this Holy Son deepening even further.
Liu Ji was still driving the roofless carriage, pushing forward in a desperate flight, trailing a plume of dust behind them.
"I'm afraid this journey won't be peaceful," Yang Kai muttered.
Zuo Wuyou said, "Rest assured, Holy Son. I've already sent word ahead. The Church will surely send experts to meet us."
"Good." Yang Kai nodded. Zuo Wuyou was a thorough man—it seemed he had made arrangements back when they'd acquired the carriage in that small town.
A piercing whinny rang out, and the horses pulling the carriage suddenly collapsed to their knees. The rapidly speeding carriage slammed into the horses and flipped into the air.
The instant they sensed something wrong, Yang Kai, Zuo Wuyou, and Liu Ji leapt from the carriage.
The three of them hovered in midair and looked down to see the horses enveloped in a crimson glow. With a series of agonized whinnies, they dissolved into pools of blood, leaving behind nothing but stark white skeletons.
"This…" Zuo Wuyou's face changed. He hadn't even noticed when Blood Maiden had targeted the horses.
Even Yang Kai had failed to detect it. Thinking back now, she must have struck at the very moment she'd been wounded by him and transformed into blood mist to escape his grasp.
"Brother Zuo!" Liu Ji suddenly cried out in alarm.
Yang Kai and Zuo Wuyou turned to look, and both went pale.
Crimson blood-light was emanating from Liu Ji's body. Encased in that bloody glow, his power turned violently chaotic. His flesh began to melt rapidly, like wax under extreme heat.
"Liu Ji!" Zuo Wuyou shouted.
Liu Ji clearly knew what was about to befall him. After a brief moment of panic, his expression turned resolute. "Brother Zuo—you must get the Holy Son back safely!"
With those words, he shot off into the distance. As he flew, strips of flesh sloughed off his body, dissolving into blood. Within moments, all that remained were white bones scattering from the sky.
Zuo Wuyou stared blankly at the scene, speechless for a long while. Then, finally, he threw his head back and let out a roar of anguish, his grief and fury beyond words.
Yang Kai's expression was grim as well. Blood Maiden's methods were truly unfathomable and viciously insidious. When he'd first noticed something wrong with Liu Ji, he had wanted to help, but it was already too late. From the moment the blood-light appeared, it had taken only a handful of breaths before Liu Ji's life was extinguished.
He turned to look at Zuo Wuyou, confirming that he showed no abnormal symptoms. He himself shouldn't have been affected either—otherwise, he would have noticed.
It seemed Blood Maiden hadn't originally intended to take his life, or she would have used this method against him from the start.
Zuo Wuyou had composed himself again, though his eyes were bloodshot and veins bulged at his temples. He wanted nothing more than to seek out Blood Maiden for a battle right then and there, but escorting the Holy Son back to Dawn City was the top priority.
"Holy Son, let's go." Zuo Wuyou called out and took the lead.
The carriage was gone. They had no choice but to fly.
Without a mode of transport, things were considerably more inconvenient. Zuo Wuyou's injuries hadn't healed yet, and not only could he not rest and recuperate, he had to push himself to keep moving.
When night fell, the two of them found a spot in the wilderness to rest.
Zuo Wuyou sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing, while Yang Kai sat quietly nearby, keeping watch.
Cool moonlight spilled across the land. Yang Kai looked up at the full moon, and a torrent of thoughts flooded his mind.
Judging from the intelligence he had gathered so far, this Primordial World was a genuine, real world. Every person in it—whether the three from the Divine Light Church or the Ink Sect members he had encountered—were living, breathing beings!
This wasn't quite what Yang Kai had expected.
This was a world within Mu's River of Spacetime. He had originally assumed everything here was illusory, but it seemed he had underestimated Mu's capabilities.
The Ink Sect and the Divine Light Church stood opposed to each other. The Ink Sect's followers could wield the power of the Ink, while the Divine Light Church's first Holy Maiden had left behind a prophecy.
Everything was shrouded in mystery. He couldn't fathom what contingencies Mu had established in this world. To learn the answers, he would have to meet that Holy Maiden first.
The road ahead was long, arduous, and fraught with obstacles.
Bathed in moonlight, Yang Kai's shadow subtly writhed and twisted.