The elbow of Huo Qixiao drooped powerlessly, and a bone-gnawing pain shot through his back. His consciousness began to scatter, his lips moving soundlessly.
"Enough... I won't run anymore... Eat me if you want... I should have died long ago... Death is liberation..."
As Huo Qixiao's head swayed unconsciously, blood trickled down his lips, nose, and ears, flowing into his mouth, his neck, and even his hair.
He didn't know what he had been struggling for all this time, or what he had been fantasizing about. Wasn't it better to die sooner and find release?
Then he wouldn't have to live each day not knowing what kind of thrilling and dangerous experiences awaited him, nor would his body and mind endure such pain and torment!
Now it was good! Huo Qixiao had finally figured it out! He wouldn't hold onto illusions anymore!
He had encountered a fortuitous encounter once, and if his luck was good, it was that one time, and he had used up all his luck. Everything he had experienced during this period was not a test for him, but torment.
Huo Qixiao braced himself mentally. With newfound clarity, he opened his eyes and stared at the sky. Seeing the blue sky and white clouds above, free from the panic and suffocating feeling of the dense forest, he felt much more comfortable, both in body and soul.
He didn't know how long had passed. Huo Qixiao felt as if he was about to fall asleep, but the expected pain never came.
In a daze, he thought he saw something flash before his eyes, and then he passed out.
Zhang Haiwang extended his tentacles and whipped the tigers and wolves, causing them to retract their claws and scatter into the dense forest with lightning speed, no longer daring to emerge.
The octopus prodded the unconscious Huo Qixiao with a tentacle. The round head had two large, inky eyes, and it kept spitting out white foam.
This got out of hand! What if he had accidentally played this guy to death? That wouldn't do! Su Muqing had given instructions, and he was still useful.
That woman was so cruel. If he accidentally killed this man, Su Muqing would surely turn him into a specimen!
The octopus quickly coiled Huo Qixiao with its tentacles and carried him back to the grassy clearing. It squeezed some root and stem juice from plants cultivated with spiritual spring water into his mouth, then retreated back into the sea, exposing only its head to observe covertly.
Huo Qixiao didn't know how long he had been unconscious. When he woke up with a throbbing headache, he saw the same blue sky and white clouds. Was he still not dead?
He sat up somewhat confused, finding himself back in the grassy clearing. Many small animals were quietly resting around him.
"What's going on?" Huo Qixiao raised his hand and looked at it. It was clear, very clear. His eyesight seemed to have recovered.
Could it be that everything that had just happened was just a nightmare? Huo Qixiao carefully got up from the ground. The next moment, he felt a dull ache on his body.
He suddenly looked down and saw that the bloody claw marks left by the tigers and wolves were still starkly staining his clothes.
Huo Qixiao's trembling hand lifted some of his torn clothes that were still stained with blood. He saw that his body was covered with some yellow-green juice, which had already dried. On the skin covered by the yellow-green, there were several wounds that had not yet healed, but they did not hurt.
Huo Qixiao knew he hadn't died again!
He had experienced this before. Several times he thought he was going to die, but after a short while, he would wake up in another place. Moreover, the injuries and discomfort on his body would always be alleviated and treated to some extent.
This was why Huo Qixiao had initially misunderstood, thinking he had encountered another fortuitous encounter! Or met some immortal being, and everything here was perhaps a series of trials set up by the immortal to train him!
Of course, after facing death so many times and wandering back from the brink of hell dozens of times, Huo Qixiao no longer thought that way, nor did he dare to think that way anymore.
Even if he had encountered some fortuitous encounter or an immortal being, that person must have been trying to torment him.
Su Muqing: Congratulations, you've hit the nail on the head!
Back in the grassy clearing, Huo Qixiao felt both thirsty and hungry. He hadn't reached the time to eat today, but he had been thrown into that dense forest.
Later, he had to escape and climb trees, and he was already starving. However, the situation had been so tense at the time that he had temporarily suppressed his hunger to save his life. Now, he could no longer suppress it.
Especially when Huo Qixiao saw the little rabbits behind him quietly eating grass. The rumbling in his stomach was as loud as thunder.
After surviving yet another ordeal, Huo Qixiao suddenly didn't want to continue living like before. He had come to understand something now: no matter how the people or gods behind him tormented him, they didn't want him to die, at least not now. Since that was the case, he was no longer going to be so timid. They had their way of playing, and he had his way of enjoying it for a day, so he shouldn't mistreat himself.
Huo Qixiao licked his lips. Even though he knew that everything around him might be an illusion, he still nervously glanced around to see if anyone was watching.
After confirming that there were no other people around, he cautiously walked towards the rabbits.
Soon, Huo Qixiao discovered that all his previous preparations were unnecessary. These little rabbits were all incredibly foolish. Only after he had grabbed them by their ears did they start to struggle fiercely.
He thought fiercely, "You stupid fools, you're so slow to escape. If I don't eat you, who will?"
Huo Qixiao grabbed a rabbit and was troubled. He looked around, finding no materials for starting a fire. How could he roast rabbit meat without fire?
After pacing around in annoyance, the hunger in his stomach grew more intense. Huo Qixiao cast a cold, dark glance at the soft, white little rabbit in his hand.
Since there was no fire to roast it, he would bite it to death and skin it to eat it raw! After a moment of hesitation, Huo Qixiao raised the rabbit and brought it directly to his mouth...
Just as Huo Qixiao's teeth were about to touch the little rabbit's neck, a sharp eagle's cry pierced the sky.
"Jiu~"
As the sound fell, a giant eagle swooped down from above.