Chapter 69: Han Xing's Intent to Kill!

Ten minutes later, they returned to the familiar entrance, where a patch of light appeared before them.

Without a word, Han Xing grabbed Zhang Lianmeng’s wrist and quickened his pace.

Suddenly grabbed by the hand, Zhang Lianmeng’s body instantly tensed up, and she had an almost instinctive urge to pull away.

Yet, the moment she realized it was this man, a strange feeling washed over her.

It was an indescribable sensation—as if, being held by him, a sense of security inexplicably blossomed in her heart.

Feeling the firm grip on her wrist, Zhang Lianmeng’s face flushed crimson.

His hand... is so strong...

Being held by this man actually gave her an unprecedented sense of security.

Neither her fiancé nor her family had ever made her feel this way.

At that moment, the space ahead grew brighter. They stepped out of the valley, and their field of vision suddenly broadened.

Han Xing immediately let go of her hand. Zhang Lianmeng’s fantasy was abruptly shattered, and for a moment, a subtle sense of loss welled up in her heart.

Sensing that something was amiss with her expression, Han Xing asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Zhang Lianmeng hastily replied, "N-nothing, I'm fine."

Her voice carried a trace of guilt and shyness.

Han Xing glanced at her and asked no further questions.

He continued, "Let's go. Let's head back to the territory first."

"Mm..." Zhang Lianmeng lowered her head and whispered in agreement.

...

Twenty minutes later, they returned to their respective territories one after the other.

This cave expedition had yielded nothing, and on top of that, they had fought a pitched battle with a boss-tier monster.

Well, not entirely nothing—at least he had brought back several hundred liters of spirit spring water.

Moreover, through the quest details, Han Xing had also obtained two crucial pieces of information.

The place where these survivors were located was called the Land Forsaken by the Gods, and the indigenous people of this world seemed to avoid this place like the plague.

So much so that even after the monstrous bird committed such a heinous crime, those elves dared not rush into the Land Forsaken by the Gods to pursue it.

The second piece of information was that the map of the Elven Royal Capital might be opened in the future, though Han Xing had no way of knowing when exactly.

While these two pieces of information might sound useless at the moment, they were immensely helpful in expanding Han Xing’s understanding of this unfamiliar world.

At this point, Zhang Lianmeng was still keeping her head lowered, not daring to look him in the eye.

Unsure of what was going on in the woman's mind, Han Xing said, "Tell your man to send his coordinates over. I'll send you there."

"Huh?" Zhang Lianmeng looked somewhat dazed.

Han Xing continued, "According to our agreement, since you accompanied me to finish the quest, I'll send you to find him."

Hearing this, Zhang Lianmeng asked with a puzzled look, "B-but didn't we fail to complete the quest?"

Han Xing nodded. "We didn't complete it, but some twists and turns happened this time. These accidents were beyond our control, so it's not your fault. Though I'm not a particularly good person, I always keep my word."

Zhang Lianmeng still stood in place, somewhat bewildered.

Impelled by a sense of impatience, Han Xing urged, "Hurry up."

A sudden sense of desolation stirred within Zhang Lianmeng's heart.

After a brief internal struggle, she whispered softly, "Alright, let me contact him."

Han Xing nodded and waited quietly.

Two minutes later, Zhang Lianmeng looked at Han Xing nervously. "I... I can't seem to reach him..."

Her expression shifted dramatically as a sudden realization dawned on her.

Earlier that morning, Han Xing had already warned her.

The two-star secret realm that Whispers of the Gods and the others were going to challenge had an extremely high difficulty level, and casualties were bound to happen.

Her heart sank as a heavy wave of foreboding washed over her.

With a trembling voice, she asked, "C-could something have actually happened to him?"

Han Xing shot her a blank look. "You're asking me? How would I know?"

Completely lost and disoriented, tears began to well up in Zhang Lianmeng's eyes.

Looking at Han Xing, she looked so wronged she was on the verge of tears.

Seeing this, Han Xing quickly softened his tone. "Don't cry. Perhaps your man is simply fighting inside the secret realm and doesn't have time to reply. Check again in a little while."

He offered the suggestion, even though he knew the chances of that were slim.

Zhang Lianmeng sobbed softly and then nodded heavily, managing to swallow the grievance in her heart.

Han Xing pressed on, "What are you going to do now? Or should I just drop you off right here? I don't have the time to sit around waiting for your man to reply."

Lifting her delicate chin, a strange and reckless thought inexplicably formed in Zhang Lianmeng's mind.

With tear-blurred eyes, she looked at Han Xing and tentatively asked, "C-can I come with you?"

Taken aback by the request, Han Xing shook his head without hesitation. "In your dreams. You want to follow me just so I can act as your free babysitter?"

Mustering up her courage, Zhang Lianmeng pleaded further, "I... I'm very sensible. I know how to do chores and cook. If we encounter monsters, I can help fight too. I promise I won't hold you back..."

By the end of her sentence, a slight tearful sob had crept back into her voice.

Hearing the conditions the woman offered, Han Xing pondered for a moment before shaking his head once more.

"No."

Han Xing's firm refusal made Zhang Lianmeng feel as though the last shred of hope in her heart had been extinguished. She felt so weak she could barely stand.

"I'm leaving. Take care of yourself. Goodbye, then."

...

Without paying any heed to the forlorn Zhang Lianmeng left behind, Han Xing returned to his floating island territory.

Just as he was about to control the island to depart,

suddenly, a dark shadow came hurtling across the distant sky at breakneck speed.

Moving at an incredible velocity, it crossed several kilometers in mere seconds, appearing directly above Han Xing's territory.

A terrifying rush of wind suddenly swept across the sky overhead.

Before Han Xing could even react,

high up in the sky,

a basin-sized fireball, carrying the destructive might of an impending doom, smashed fiercely toward Han Xing's territory!

Sensing the oppressive aura, Coal Ball instantly bolted out from the castle.

Yet, even with its swiftness, it was already too late.

The next moment, the fireball slammed violently onto the surface of Han Xing's territory and exploded instantly!

BOOM!

The massive shockwave blasted Han Xing flying more than a dozen meters away.

Coal Ball, who had been charging forward, was likewise blown backward by the powerful blast wave.

As for Han Xing's three-tiered territory, the devastating attack blasted a crater more than twenty meters in diameter right into its surface.

A system notification rang out:

[Your territory has been shelled. You have lost 423 square meters of land...]

Shelling? Who was it?

Blankly, Han Xing raised his head to look at the sky.

There, suspended in mid-air, was a completely bald, featherless giant bird.

Currently, the monstrous bird had a massive cannon resting on its shoulder—its surface gleamed with a gilded gold luster, and the muzzle was over forty centimeters in diameter.

However, dense webs of cracks already covered the entirety of the cannon.

With bloodshot eyes, the creature tilted its head back and let out a bizarre, piercing screech, its gaze filled with the sadistic thrill of revenge.

"Caw! Caw!"

"It's... it's that thing..."

Memories flashed in Han Xing's mind.

He remembered seeing in the murals that after this monstrous bird obtained its power, it had massacred an entire town of elves.

In other words, this creature was notoriously vindictive.

Having suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Coal Ball and Han Xing earlier, it had returned to exact its vengeance in an astonishingly short amount of time.

"Bastard!"

Gritting his teeth, Han Xing wished he could chop the monstrous bird into pieces right then and there!

Meanwhile, baring its sharp teeth with a ferocious glare, Coal Ball prepared to leap into the sky and knock the creature down.

Yet, holding a formidable weapon and well aware of Coal Ball's terrifying strength, the monstrous bird reacted instantly.

The cannon muzzle shifted, aiming dead-center at the charging Coal Ball.

"Coal Ball, come back!"

Han Xing cried out in sheer terror.

Given the terrifying lethality of that cannon, a single shot would likely obliterate the creature—or even kill it outright.

Although Coal Ball possessed a 50% evasion chance, what if it failed to trigger this time?

Panic gripped Han Xing; this sudden turn of events had caught him completely off guard.

However, the monstrous bird gave him no time to think.

It pressed a red button on the gilded cannon.

This shot was aimed not only at Coal Ball but also directly at Han Xing below.

The next instant,

another projectile radiating a destructive aura plummeted downward.

At this critical, life-or-death juncture,

Han Xing suddenly noticed that the sky above had grown dark.

A floating island territory spanning over a thousand square meters had positioned itself right above him as a shield.

A territory? Whose?

Before he could even process it, the falling shell collided with the territory hovering overhead.

The next second,

a horrific explosion erupted.

BOOM!

A twenty-meter crater was blasted straight through the center of that floating island.

The devastating blast seemed to have shattered the core of the territory, causing the entire thousand-square-meter landmass to disintegrate and crumble apart in an instant.

A familiar, slender figure fell from the sky above,

crashing heavily right in front of Han Xing.

At that moment, letting out an angry low growl, Coal Ball shot into the sky to engage the monstrous bird in mortal combat.

Deprived of the opportunity, the bird could no longer press the button to fire another shell.

Down below, Han Xing softly uttered the name of the figure lying before him.

"Zhang Lianmeng... why?"

Confusion swirling in his eyes, he hurried to the woman's side and dropped to his knees.

With wide, unblinking eyes, Zhang Lianmeng stared blankly at Han Xing.

Yet, Han Xing could no longer sense any breath or vital signs from her body.

"Dead... she's dead?"

For a moment, Han Xing stood in a daze, feeling as though he were trapped in a dream.

He had never experienced anything like this before.

A living, breathing life extinguished right before his very eyes.

And worse still, she had done it to protect him.

He stood frozen in place.

Then, a massive wave of uncontrollable fury surged violently from the depths of his soul.

The sheer rage swallowed him whole. His eyes turned completely bloodshot as he snapped his head up toward the monstrous bird in the sky, a terrifying murderous intent erupting from within him.

Veins bulged uncontrollably on the hands gripping the Moon-Crown Greatbow.

Never in his life had Han Xing felt such blinding rage.

Gritting his teeth, he spoke in an icy, bone-chilling tone, "Damned monster, I'll tear you to pieces!"

Right at that moment, however, Zhang Lianmeng’s body—which he had thought breathless—suddenly convulsed.

A thin line of crimson blood spilled from the corner of her lips.

Han Xing felt the faintest trace of breath return to the tip of the woman's nose.

In an instant, the rage in Han Xing's heart vanished, replaced by a sudden resurgence of hope.

Dropping his bow instinctively, he hurriedly checked Zhang Lianmeng's injuries.

A moment later, Han Xing let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Phew... her internal organs were only severely rattled by the shockwave of the cannon; she didn't die on the spot."

At that moment, the crushing burden lifting from his shoulders made Han Xing feel an immense sense of relief.

Having one's internal organs severely shaken—such an injury might be nearly impossible to treat in the modern society of Earth, effectively serving as a death sentence.

But here? This was a magical world where science held no sway.

Here, anything was possible.

All it took was a single bottle of Life Secret Elixir to pull her back from the brink of death.

Lifting Zhang Lianmeng up into his arms, Han Xing quickly poured a bottle of Life Secret Elixir between her lips.

Seconds later, a hint of color returned to Zhang Lianmeng's pale face, and her unfocused pupils gradually regained their clarity.

It was as though she had walked through the gates of hell; the moment consciousness returned, she gasped heavily for air.

"Hah..."

Instinctively, she grabbed Han Xing's arm with a desperate grip, her fingernails digging deep into his flesh.

Even so, her body continued to tremble violently and uncontrollably.

A sharp, stinging pain flared up along his arm, but Han Xing didn't pull away, letting the woman grip him tightly.

He knew Zhang Lianmeng was terrified out of her wits.

A fraction closer, and she would have been blasted to atoms; anyone would have been scared out of their mind.

If someone with a weaker mental fortitude had survived this, it might have left them traumatized for life.

Gently patting her shoulder, Han Xing whispered, "It's alright. You're safe now."

*You're safe now.*

The three words seemed to carry a special magic, pulling Zhang Lianmeng instantly out of the profound terror between life and death.

With a pale face, she stared at Han Xing before suddenly burying her face deep into his chest, weeping uncontrollably.

"Sob... wuwuwu..."

Zhang Lianmeng sobbed against Han Xing's chest.

This time, he didn't stop her, simply letting her vent all her lingering panic and grief until his shirt was soaked with her tears.

High above, Coal Ball was still locked in fierce combat with the monstrous bird.

Realizing it was outmatched, the creature attempted to flee once more.

However, Han Xing had already sealed its fate in his mind.

After crying for a while, Zhang Lianmeng drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

Standing up with an icy gaze fixed on the monstrous bird, Han Xing declared, "I wanted to spare your life back in the cave, but since you came running back here looking for death yourself, I'll gladly grant your wish!"

With a single wave of his hand,

a towering metallic giant standing over six meters tall and radiating a cold steel sheen suddenly materialized on the territory.

In the next instant, the Spiritual Energy Puppet shot straight up into the sky.

Skill activated: Seismic Impact!

Though still a bit dazed, the monstrous bird realized the danger the moment the elite puppet appeared.

Flapping its leathery wings, it tried to escape.

Yet, Han Xing had no intention of letting it off the hook. He loosed an Arrow of Chasing Wind straight toward the creature's vital heart.

Coal Ball lunged forward right behind it.

Hampered in its attempt to flee by the incoming attacks, the monstrous bird beat its wings frantically, trying to gain altitude.

By then, however, the Spiritual Energy Puppet had already soared dozens of meters high into the air.

At Han Xing's command, the puppet reached out with two massive steel hands and grabbed the bird by its wings.

Under the creature's despairing gaze, the puppet hoisted it firmly in its grip and slammed it violently downward from the sky!

...