The monster leader, hearing the slight tremble in Gu An's voice, chuckled and quickly dodged. "Copying my words, you really are something."
"...." Gu An had no time to reply, quickly turning towards the monster leader's position and charging forward, engaging him in a fight.
Not far away.
The little boy looked at Gu An, who was fighting alongside them, with a look of astonishment. He hastily pulled away a monster's claw and said anxiously, "Master."
"She is your master."
"None of your business." The little boy glared fiercely at the monster, turned, and ran towards Gu An.
This time, the monster did not pursue. Instead, he prepared himself to watch the show.
Half an hour later.
Gu An, covered in wounds and panting, glared at the monsters. She then glanced back at the little boy, who was holding four inner cores, and said, "Hide well and don't move."
The little boy nodded, his face filled with fear, as he stood behind a tree.
Immediately, Gu An charged out once more.
The little boy quickly hid behind the tree, trembling as he watched the monsters attacking Gu An with their claws. He said anxiously, "Xu Lan, hurry, hurry."
In the air.
Xu Lan pushed aside the clouds, heard the little boy's faint cry for help, and increased his speed.
Thus, Gu An used her remaining strength to fight the monsters from morning until night.
The little boy curled up in front of the tree, looking up at the darkened sky. He then looked down at the eight inner cores in his arms and said, "Master, what exactly are you trying to do?"
As he was wondering, Gu An was surrounded by them.
Then, Gu An, completely exhausted, surveyed the red-eyed monsters and smiled, "Only two more needed." With that, she raised her sword again.
The future monster leader stood on the tree, looking down at Gu An's defiant posture below, then at the little boy hiding behind the tree. His eyes narrowed, and he jumped down from the tree.
At that moment.
Just as the little boy steeled himself to help Gu An, the future monster leader landed in front of him. "She is your master," he said, bending down and pulling the little boy up.
The little boy's body trembled, and his eyes widened. "What do you want?"
Ever since the little boy appeared, Gu An had been protecting him.
For this reason alone, the monster leader was convinced that this little fellow before him was Gu An's weakness.
To prevent more monsters from dying, he decided to use the little boy to distract Gu An.
"Nothing," he said, forcibly pulling the little boy towards Gu An.
Then, the other monsters parted ways.
At that moment, the monster leader pulled the little boy to face Gu An. "Surrender now."
Seeing this, Gu An's eyes widened. "Let him go."
"I'll let him go if you don't fight back."
"You?"
"If you don't fight back, we'll let him go."
Hearing the monster leader's repeated threats, Gu An's eyes darkened. "Alright, I promise you, I won't fight back."
"Master!" the little boy shouted.
"...." The monster leader chuckled, pulled the little boy back a few steps, and said, "Begin."
Before coming here, Gu An had already anticipated that she would be dealt with upon her return, so she had prepared herself mentally.
However, she had not foreseen the current situation. Looking at them, her heart began to feel uneasy.
The little boy, standing on the periphery and watching the monsters surround Gu An one by one, suddenly turned and struck the monster leader in the stomach. "You're forcing me," he said.
The monster leader, not expecting the little boy to be so strong, widened his eyes and quickly retreated a few steps, saying, "You know sorcery."
"...." The little boy glared at the monster leader, then shouted to Gu An, "Master, I can protect myself. You continue, don't listen to him."
Hearing the little boy's words, Gu An's heart stirred. She then turned her head slightly, raised her sword, and continued to fight them.
The little boy and the monster leader fought alone.
By midnight, Gu An could no longer persist and fell to the ground.
The little boy, with his legs injured by the monster leader, lay on the ground, looking up at the red-eyed monster leader. "You are not allowed to hurt my master," he said, grabbing the monster leader's foot.
The monster leader kicked the little boy away, walked gracefully to Gu An's side, and asked, "She will die, won't she?"
"Yes."
"That's good." The monster leader chuckled, squatted down, and placed the eight inner cores beside Gu An, saying, "You can be buried with them."
Gu An, her face covered in blood, squinted and looked indistinctly at the monster leader's monstrous face. "Hand over your inner cores, and I... can still continue." As she spoke, she was about to get up when the monster leader reached out and pressed down on her forehead.
"Continue what? Go die," he said, glaring at Gu An's face with disgust.
Gu An: "...."
"Before you die, tell me, what is your name?"
"My name is Gu An. Remember it."
Gu An knew that Shen Xian would avenge her, so she deliberately revealed her name.
"Very good. I will kill all the demons related to you," the monster leader said sinisterly.
"...." Gu An closed her eyes.
The monster leader, seeing that Gu An was no longer defiant, laughed. "I thought you were so powerful, but it turns out you're just like this." With that, he grabbed Gu An by the neck.
At the same time, a gust of wind blew.
Then, the other monsters paused for a moment before running away one by one.
The monster leader, however, did not notice the reactions of the other monsters. Instead, he released his grip, checked her breathing, and said, "She's dead. Very good."
Hearing the monster leader's words, the little boy shouted angrily, "I'll kill you."
Upon hearing this, the monster leader stood up, turned to look at the little boy, and said, "Next, it's your turn." With that, he walked gracefully to the little boy's side and swung his claws forcefully at him. The little boy closed his eyes and transformed back into a blood lantern.
"In the end, just a lantern," he said, deliberately tearing the blood lantern in half, and then left.
After an unknown period of time.
Xu Lan arrived at the demonic forest. The moment he saw Gu An, he paused. Just as he was about to step forward, he accidentally noticed the blood lantern at his feet, torn in two but still emitting a faint red glow. He exclaimed, "It's you."
The next second, the red light transformed into a transparent human form, saying, "They've left. Hurry and save Master."
"What happened to you?"
"Thank you for giving me a second life. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep it. I have to go."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to enter Master's body to support her. You must help find a way to save my Master." With that, he transformed back into red light and rushed into Gu An's body.