Far to the south, atop a low dune.
Xu Lingxi stood frozen.
She stared at the towering monstrosity that had somehow appeared directly behind her.
『When… when did it get there?』
Her mind reeled.
『I've cleared most of the fiend beasts in this quadrant. Where did this thing come from? I can't sense its aura at all… and it can speak?』
Before the thought could fully form—
"MY LADY, WATCH OUT!!"
Auntie Chuyan's desperate scream broke the silence.
Xu Lingxi blinked and the world became water.
A torrential blast of compressed liquid lanced straight toward her chest like a divine punishment spear.
She reacted on instinct and swung her sword with every ounce of strength in her body.
The blade met the water torrent in a deafening crash.
Spiritual energy flared.
She managed to redirect the majority of the force sideways but the sheer impact still hurled her back several zhang as her boots carved deep furrows in the sand.
She steadied herself and looked up.
