0114 The heart does not die, the soul does not perish

Nourished by the blood it drew, the Dragon’s Fang finally began to function as intended. The crimson blade, initially forced into activation by Huanluo’s killing intent, grew increasingly bloodthirsty and chilling. Traumatized by the loss of her loved ones and reeling from severe injuries, Huanluo surrendered to the influence of the blade’s murderous aura. Her mind was consumed by visions of slaughter and vengeance; her gaze grew vacant, and every shred of reason or restraint vanished in an instant. No longer feeling pain or exhaustion, she became a mere instrument of death, hacking away at everything in her path, driven solely by the blade’s deep-seated resentment.

The demonic beasts, however, were no mere paper dolls waiting to be slaughtered. They feigned weakness to lure Huanluo toward a specific path, guiding her onto a straight, open road. Just as Huanluo swung her blade to strike a limping beast before her, the creature—suddenly agile—sprouted a pair of small wings from its back, beat them against the ground, and vanished into thin air.

Before Huanluo could give chase, a blast of scorching air hit her. Straight ahead, a massive tornado of fire bore down on her—a destructive engine of death conjured by the collaboration of the Gale-Beast, master of wind magic, and the Flame Monarch, master of fire. It was a vortex of fire that moved at high speed, scouring the earth bare. The beasts surrounding the tornado had already retreated, leaving only scorched earth and exposed stone in the wake of the searing, wind-whipped inferno.

Even in her berserk state, Huanluo sensed the danger, but she could not outrun the gale. Within moments, she was swept into the heart of the storm. As tongues of flame licked at her cheeks, even the formidable, rampaging Huanluo was forced to close her eyes, resigned to her fate.

Yet, at that very moment, a strange power emerged from behind her.

A pale golden magical aura enveloped Huanluo, forming a sturdy shield that perfectly repelled the onslaught of the wind. Staggering as she was forced toward the fire, Huanluo used this surge of power to steady herself. The firestorm continued its path, roaring as it engulfed her, but while the pale golden earth elemental shield thinned under the relentless heat and pressure, Huanluo remained unscathed within its protection.

"Go!" At this timely command, Huanluo braced herself for battle. The earth-elemental shield surrounding her detonated in that instant, the violent explosion scattering the fire and wind elements of the tornado. Seizing the opening, Huanluo leapt from the center of the storm and lunged at the beasts with the Dragon’s Fang.

The beasts, however, were no longer focused solely on Huanluo. They stared, trembling, at the red-haired girl slowly rising from a pile of corpses behind her. Like Huanluo, the girl kept her head bowed, her long hair shielding her face. Her robes were shredded, and blood seeped from deep wounds on her arms, trickling down to stain the broken staff in her hand.

The fractured staff was wreathed in a pale, golden light.

The red-haired girl slowly raised her head, her crimson eyes flashing with the cold sharpness of ice blades. Fragmented, whispered incantations spilled from her lips. Behind her, a massive earth-elemental magic circle had been etched into the ground. As her chant drew to a close, the circle flared with blinding brilliance, filling every inch with pale golden energy.

With a thunderous roar, the ground beneath the beasts shook violently, as if in the grip of an earthquake. Trees and grass in the forest were uprooted; even ancient trees that had stood for centuries snapped at their roots, toppling onto the beasts. The creatures tried to evade the falling timber, only to find their feet anchored to the earth by the pale golden magic. They were stuck fast, unable to move without tearing away their own flesh.

As the beasts struggled in vain, they failed to notice the girl with the Dragon’s Fang closing in. The sticky, enchanted earth did not hinder her advance. Left with no choice, the beasts stood their ground, raising their claws to parry, but the cursed golden magic clung to their limbs, slowing their movements to a crawl. Compared to Huanluo’s clean, decisive strikes, the difference in speed was like comparing a stagnant crawl to a blur of motion.

The closest beast barely managed a final roar before Huanluo ruthlessly severed its head. Blood sprayed, yet its body remained standing, held upright by the inexorable pull of the earth magic.

The dark forest echoed with screams, howls, and the metallic clash of blades against claws. Huanluo harvested lives without fatigue, while Moumou desperately searched for Lance amidst the carnage.

In the moment the beasts had pounced, Moumou had truly believed she would die. The agony of the tearing bites left her with no consciousness beyond pure pain. The beasts had vented their malice, carving wounds deep and shallow into her flesh, until one finally drove a claw through her chest, bringing the assault to an end.

There was much to do on the battlefield, and the beasts had no desire to waste time on a corpse. Seeing Moumou pierced through the chest, they grew bored and turned toward their next target. But by a twist of fate, Moumou’s heart lay just slightly above the point of impact. Though her ribs were shattered and her lungs damaged, her heart continued to beat.

In the darkness, a line from the diary the old man had given her suddenly flickered in her mind: *The path of the four-element mage is arduous; only through destruction and rebirth can one grasp the true essence—the heart does not die, and the soul remains undying.*

Then, weakened by blood loss and grave injury, Moumou’s head slumped, and she slipped into unconsciousness.