Though Roy was awestruck by the woman before him, in the eyes of others, even if she were as beautiful as a celestial being, what arose in their hearts was fear—fear that only deepened because of her loveliness.
Roy exhaled, steadying his mind. The woman's beauty had stirred in him the hazy emotions of first love, yet the coldness and detachment in her wine-red eyes reminded him that they were still on opposing sides.
"If you retreat now, miss, we can pretend we never met. What do you say?"
For some reason, Roy couldn't bear the thought of harming her. It was as if they were destined to meet, their fates already intertwined. Even the idea of so much as grazing a strand of her hair or leaving a scratch on her snow-white skin pained him.
The woman's delicate brows, like distant mountains, furrowed slightly. Her cool gaze held a trace of doubt and wariness as she looked at Roy. His earlier strike, which had cleaved through her blood tide, had also calmed her agitated heart.
'Perhaps I should leave now. Any further and I'd step into human society.'
The divine maiden thought this not out of any great kindness or reluctance to harm humans, but because her heart had grown distant from them. She wanted no contact with humanity.
All she desired was to return to the mountain springs and waterfalls, to greet the dawn with birdsong and bid farewell to the setting sun. To live leisurely in the southern mountains, content in solitude, free from the baseness, anger, and resentment humans directed at her.
Her jade-like feet, so fair they invited the urge to touch, slowly retreated. Slender fingers wiped the blood from the corner of her lips. Having killed so many earlier, the rage in her heart had already subsided.
Just then, the fleeing daoist priests suddenly cried out, "General, you mustn't let this demoness escape! We mobilized countless forces to track her down, only for her to slaughter so many during the siege—my senior brother... my junior brother, they all died by her hand!"
"General, now that the demon is weakened, her strength diminished, this is our only chance to capture her! If she retreats to the mountains to recover and returns to wreak havoc, it'll be a catastrophe for humanity! For the sake of the people, for the hundred thousand souls of Kuaiji Commandery, General, do not be swayed by her beauty!"
Seeing Roy's intent to let the woman leave, the men panicked. One of them shouted desperately, his voice mournful, as if he were truly some righteous hero.
When they saw Roy cleave the boundless sea of blood with a single halberd strike, their first thought wasn't that Roy was extraordinary, but rather that this demoness's power had been nearly exhausted after chasing them all night. Had they not been running low on magical energy themselves during the escape, these men would likely have tried to capture her again before Roy could even speak.
Now seeing such a formidable warrior as Roy here, along with two thousand daoist priests, they believed this was truly the best opportunity to capture this 'blood-sucking monster'. If they could take her back for research or even alchemy, perhaps these daoist priests might finally unlock the secret of immortality.
Hearing the daoist priests' words, Roy felt a surge of anger and immediately knew this wouldn't sit well with the woman.
His original intention had been to let the woman leave. Having met once, the 'connection' had already been established. With the numerous magical arts and occult techniques at Roy's disposal, finding this woman again in the mountains wouldn't be difficult. But these idiot priests had completely disrupted his plans.
Sure enough, upon hearing the priests' words, the fairy maiden immediately abandoned any thought of retreat. Her temper flared up again - she'd never entertained notions of temporary retreat or delayed vengeance. Human tactics and military strategies were completely foreign to her. In her mind, there was only one approach: charge forward and slaughter her way through.
"Seeking death!!"
The woman's face darkened with killing intent, like an angered celestial being. Her rosebud lips parted slightly, revealing pearly white teeth, with a pair of sharp canines glinting coldly. The sight was as adorable as a bristling kitten, yet carried the chilling menace of a female leopard.
Wow, she's really a fiery beauty!
Roy thought to himself, though inwardly he sighed.
Since she'd made her choice, there was nothing he could do. He cared little for the daoist priests' lives - in fact, he'd already developed murderous intentions toward them. But if he let this hot-tempered lady rampage here, who knew how many of his two thousand priests would survive?
They thought the fairy maiden had been weakened from exhaustion when Roy split her blood sea, but the truth was Roy simply possessed greater strength.
"What a pity that one so fair should turn to villainy!"
Roy sighed, though it wasn't clear whether he meant these words for the beautiful woman before him or those infuriating occultists.
"Since it must be so, I must beg your pardon!"
"Hyah—"
"Neighhh—"
Roy spurred his steed Wuzhui, that immortal creation the First Emperor had obtained from the Kunlun Paradise. The horse's snow-white hooves pounded forward with storm-like momentum. Though alone, Roy charged with the force of an entire army.
The fairy maiden felt a chill - she knew Roy wouldn't be an easy opponent. Her delicate hands clenched suddenly, and two blood-red swords materialized in her palms.
'Huh? Those swords are about the same color as my Judgment Sword. We really are a perfect match!'
Roy still found room for humor, mainly because he could tell this non-human woman before him had serious physical limitations preventing her from using her full power. Had she been at full strength, Roy would still be unafraid, but would need to take her seriously.
'First I'll capture her, then see if she's connected to this world's Human Order.'
The magical energy within his body synchronized with the divine steed Wuzhui beneath him, Roy had completely achieved the state of 'man and horse as one.' Without realizing it, he had swapped his halberd for a long spear.
The fairy maiden's delicate brows furrowed as she noticed that Roy didn't seem as formidable as she had imagined. Though his aura was terrifying, the actual power behind it was meager—hardly a threat to her immortal body. Yet, how had he managed to cleave through the blood wave she had conjured earlier?
...
'I can't afford to tangle with him!'
The fairy maiden gritted her silver teeth in frustration. Her anger was directed at those greedy alchemists, not Roy. She had no intention of wasting time here, but seeing Roy come to kill her simply because of their words filled her with an inexplicable sorrow.
Even a hero among men like him would still seek to slay her, to trample upon her, all because of a few words from those covetous humans.
Though the world was vast, there was no place for her to belong.
For a moment, her heart ached with desolation, and she felt a sudden weariness, tempted to simply leave.
In that brief lapse of focus, Roy had already closed the distance between them, shouting, "...Distraction before battle is a fatal mistake!"
With those words, his spear darted like a viper, striking at an angle toward the maiden's fair wrist.
Startled, the fairy maiden hadn't expected Roy's martial skills to be so refined. Her momentary distraction had cost her the initiative, and in her haste, the tip of Roy's spear knocked against the hilt of her blood-red sword, sending the weapon—forged from her own blood—flying through the air.
Just as everyone assumed Roy would next use his spear to impale the maiden, he instead discarded the weapon and leaped from his horse, closing in on her.
'That spear isn't ordinary!'
The maiden caught sight of the blood-red spear Roy had thrown aside—it carried a sinister, demonic aura.
Then, in the next instant, she felt as though a battering ram had struck her stomach. Her mind went blank, and consciousness slipped away.
Before succumbing to darkness, a fleeting thought crossed her mind: Had her body truly weakened to such an extent that a single punch could render her unconscious?
Her enchanting form, as if sculpted by the finest artistry of nature, went limp. Roy effortlessly caught her, cradling her alluring figure in his arms.