Fire clouds billowed beneath Dragon‑Qilin’s feet as he leapt skyward, sprinting out of the valley. Azurefish Adept sat up and struck out with her palm—thunder roared, lightning coiled like blue dragons, all surging to slash at Dragon‑Qilin.
Suddenly Azurefish Adept spat blood, her hand trembling—the palm thunder veered off course, blasting a hole in the mountain ahead of Dragon‑Qilin.
Quinn’s heart lurched. Even wounded, these Heaven‑Man experts wield terrifying power—if a strike landed, he’d die a gruesome death.
Lucas Lu, Monk Goodheart, and the rest staggered upright, each coughing blood, hearts pounding with lingering dread. They’d underestimated the Bear‑Tyrant Demon God Quinn summoned—its blow had nearly destroyed them. If Withered Leaf Daoist hadn’t interrupted the ritual once, that demon god would have been even stronger, and even if they’d all joined forces, they wouldn’t have survived its wrath.
"Should we keep chasing him?" Lucas Lu asked quietly.
At that moment, Withered Leaf Daoist sat cross‑legged, his breath fading. He gave a bitter smile: "I can’t join you in slaying demons for the Dao any longer. That demon god severed my life force—this old shell is finished…"
A pang of sorrow struck everyone’s heart.
Withered Leaf Daoist softly chanted: "Life is but a withered leaf, falling to the Yellow Springs in its time. Friends, you must kill the Heavenly Demon Cult Master—I want to see him on the road to the underworld. I’ll go ahead…" With that, he passed away.
Lucas Lu wept, bowing deeply. "Brother Daoist, wait for us! We’ll be sure to send this demon to join you!"
Monk Goodheart sighed, palms together in solemn salute. "This life is but a filthy shell; shedding it, we meet the Buddha. Farewell, brother Daoist."
"Farewell!" Azurefish Adept said tearfully.
Luo Sanpo said, "That Dragon‑Qilin runs fast—we have to catch up, or if he summons another demon god, we’re done for!"
Lucas Lu’s eyes flashed with killing intent. "He won’t get the chance! There are even stronger forces ahead, just waiting for him to walk into their trap!"
Despite these words, the group forced down their injuries, swallowed healing pills, and hurried after Quinn Shepherd.
Riding Dragon‑Qilin, Quinn took out a bone altar and tried to summon a second demon god. But the beast’s galloping made the sigil treasures misalign with the idol’s runes—one wrong rune and the whole ritual failed, so he had to give up.
Quinn checked everyone—he was unharmed, Lina the Spirit Fox was fine, and Dragon‑Qilin’s thick hide and dragon scales had kept him safe too. Only the Nethervault Demon King idol was a bit bent out of shape.
Quinn heated the idol’s body with Vermilion Bird yuanqi until it glowed red, then straightened its twisted limbs. The Nethervault Demon King, humiliated and furious, kept silent—being scorned and stomped by the Bear‑Tyrant Demon God was a bitter disgrace.
Quinn checked the geography, took out a map of Everpeace, and compared the surrounding mountains. He breathed a sigh of relief. "We’re very close to the Great Ruins now. With Dragon‑Qilin’s speed, we’ll reach the border in half a day. But there’s no way we can use Mizu Pass."
They’d been chased off course, now far from Mizu Pass and even farther from Yanbian Pass.
"At this point, our only option is the old smuggling route left by the Cult."