Chapter Sixty-Three: The Chance to Break Free

Although this approach was slow, Nangong Lingyue had no other choice. If she were discovered now, before finding Lin Qingyun, and was hunted down in this small world, even with the power bestowed by her father, she would have hardly any chance of survival.

At this moment, she silently calculated the time, keeping a close eye on her surroundings. Once she finally slipped into the mountains, she urged the unicorn to speed up. Only after dashing dozens of miles further did Nangong Lingyue finally emerge from its belly.

Her father had once explained to her that in these small worlds of ruins where humans do not inhabit, one must never let others discover their human identity. Thus, she controlled her flying wings to transform into feathered appendages on her back, shrouding herself in a mist of flower petals, making her appear as a rare butterfly demon.

Having passed the first hurdle, Nangong Lingyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though she dared not relax—she had already wasted a fair amount of time and now had to hurry.

Following the direction her father had indicated, Nangong Lingyue moved quickly. The path was not difficult to find, and it was wide and clear, since most of the beasts and demons had already gathered at the entrance to the passage.

“Hm?”

With her rich experience, Nangong Lingyue soon sensed that something was amiss—a massive horde of beasts was hunting down prey.

At this distance from the passage entrance, how could there still be such a large beast horde? By her estimation, their numbers ran into the thousands at least…

“Lin Qingyun, you bastard, I’ve risked my life to enter these ruins for you. You’d better not die on me. If you do, I’ll never be able to explain it to my father…”

Worried that Lin Qingyun might perish before she could reach him, Nangong Lingyue’s heart was heavy. Yet, just ten minutes later, she realized she’d been overly concerned—and was shocked by what she saw.

In a low-lying forest glade, wolf corpses were strewn everywhere within several hundred meters, some piled over ten meters high.

When Nangong Lingyue arrived, it happened to be the moment Lin Qingyun seized the chance to kill the White Wolf King. With its death, the wolf demon horde fell into chaos and scattered.

Though these wolf demons were not individually strong, their sheer numbers startled even Nangong Lingyue. If she hadn’t been able to fly away early or evade them, but had been forced into a direct confrontation, she doubted she could have achieved such a result.

She might have been able to save her own life, but to slay so many wolf demons head-on, especially the White Wolf King, was beyond her capabilities.

“Why is it you?” At this moment, Lin Qingyun also noticed Nangong Lingyue. He had expected Nangong Aoshi to try to rescue him, but hadn’t imagined he would send Nangong Lingyue herself.

“There’s no time to explain. Come with me quickly. If the passage closes, it’ll be at least a year before it can be reopened. Hurry—if we’re trapped here, it’ll be a disaster. In this small world, any powerful being left behind will be on the verge of madness from the restrictions…”

Nangong Lingyue had no time for further discussion, even though she was curious about Lin Qingyun’s situation. She rushed forward, grabbed him, and sped back toward the entrance.

At the passage entrance, under the command of several great monarchs, countless beasts and demons surged out desperately. They were not trying to break the blockade—amidst the chaos, some managed to glimpse the outside and return with intelligence.

This finally gave Zhen, the Ice Flood Dragon, the Nine-Tailed Lynx, and the others some understanding of what lay beyond the passage.

Outside, there were several humans as powerful as great demon lords—and one whose presence even surpassed them. They were blocking the exit.

This revelation made them tremble with excitement. That was the true great world of ancient legend, the world they yearned for. But now, with the passage about to close, they had to seize every opportunity to escape.

They needed to create a chance and break through. Only by escaping in the presence of those superlative powerhouses would they have a future in the world beyond.

After all, this was a small world of ruins. With preparation, beings like the Nine-Tailed Lynx and Zhen had their own special methods, allowing them to unleash power beyond normal limits.

They understood that in such a narrow space, it didn’t matter how many beasts charged the exit. This was a case of a single warrior holding back ten thousand; they knew this well.

It was not the same as dispersing—if a million beasts scattered, even the strongest could not exterminate them all at once.

Now, they were mobilizing all the resources of the small world, determined to carve a path to survival from the depths of despair.

But, as the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, these apex beings of the small world had not expected that humans from the great world would be at their backs.

Nangong Lingyue, with Lin Qingyun, hid carefully on a mountain some distance from the passage, observing the distant scene.

In the sky, flocks of flying demons passed by, while on the ground, countless beasts and demons gathered.

Many of them, evidently following orders, were ferrying all sorts of things.

“There’s about thirty minutes left before the passage closes. We have to break through before that happens or we’ll be trapped in this world. Even if my father and the government try to help, it’ll be another year before we have a chance,” Nangong Lingyue checked the time and reminded Lin Qingyun.

“If we show ourselves, we’ll be targeted by all. We must wait for the right moment. Although I have the power my father bestowed, my body can’t sustain the strength near the peak of the Soaring Cloud realm for long…”

She couldn’t deny her nerves. Even someone of her background, with all her combat experience and cool demeanor, was tense now.

It was far different from being sent in by her father, where only courage was needed.

Now, she had to rely on herself, leading Lin Qingyun through a passage guarded by millions of beasts.

She scanned the land and sky—everywhere, there were demons and beasts, many times more than before, and far stronger.

Even hiding at the rear, she could sense those towering auras—the very peak of this small world.

Compared to her father, perhaps they were nothing, but in this world, even someone at the first or second level of the Radiant Sun realm might be helpless before them.

Now, she had to face all of this, to break through under their very noses. It was impossible not to be nervous.

But as she spoke, she suddenly discovered that Lin Qingyun, who should have been at her side, had vanished.

Damn!

Nangong Lingyue’s heart lurched. She frantically searched, only to find him some dozens of meters away, not watching the passage entrance, but gazing instead at the distant sky.

“What are you doing at a time like this? Don’t you know a single careless mistake could get us both killed here…” she stormed over in a fury.

“Don’t worry. There’s nothing to study over there—it’s just brute force. Once you use your father’s power to reach half a step into the Radiant Sun realm, we won’t be able to hide anyway. What good does it do for me to watch? When the time comes, do you really think you’ll need my help?” Lin Qingyun remained focused on the distance, his tone calm despite her anxious urgency.

Many things seem trivial in hindsight, if only one could see both before and after.

Of course, few could achieve such foresight.

But at critical moments, keeping one’s composure was already half the victory.

Lin Qingyun’s calm words and demeanor unexpectedly steadied Nangong Lingyue, who, beneath her icy surface, was under immense pressure.

Thinking back on his words, she realized he might have a point.

If she really did unleash her father’s power to break through, what could Lin Qingyun possibly contribute?

“Time is running out—what are you looking at?” Once she’d composed herself, she shifted the subject.

“Look at all those birds and demons transporting things. At a time like this, even those at the pinnacle of this world must know the passage is closing. They probably have no experience or knowledge about such passages—so, to them, this might be their only chance.”

Though they’d clashed in the past, Nangong Lingyue had come to save him, so Lin Qingyun did not make things difficult. He pointed to the distant convoys for her.

“In such circumstances, it’s like a mortal emperor finally glimpsing the path to immortality—the promise of longevity, of breakthroughs, of boundless horizons. What do you think he’d do?”

“Risk everything to seize it,” Nangong Lingyue immediately understood.

“We don’t know the exact situation at the passage, so there’s no point watching it. Breaking through in the end will just be a head-on charge no matter what.”

“But look at this side…” Lin Qingyun gestured at the dense flocks and demons. “They’re clearly desperate to escape, so why are all their flying forces busy transporting things?”

“Isn’t it obvious? They’re preparing some great move. The earlier attacks were just a feint—they’re gathering all the power and resources of the small world for a final gamble.”

“You mean we should wait for their move, then act to create chaos and use it to escape?” Nangong Lingyue’s eyes lit up.

Lin Qingyun smiled at her. “Sabotage? Are you really worried that Lord Feng, Minister Feng, or General Qin can’t handle whatever they throw at them? All we need to do is slip out with the crowd at the last moment, once these top beings are gone. Our chances will be much better then.”

Nangong Lingyue had only said it out of habit—she hardly doubted her father’s ability to handle things, no matter how much trouble these creatures caused.

“We just need to keep our eyes on this side—hmm, something interesting over there. Come, let’s go take a look…” Lin Qingyun, having planned only to observe, suddenly seemed to notice something and called Nangong Lingyue to follow him dozens of miles away.

“You… I…” Nangong Lingyue longed to stop him, to remind him that she had come to save him, and he should be listening to her…