Grace sped away towards the direction where they placed their stables in hopes that passing caravans may help them in their plight. Glancing behind her, she slowed her breathing and silenced her footsteps by running using her toes.
Though the pain of using such a running technique seared through her entire feet. She gritted her teeth and continued on. Little did she know that inside the vegetations behind her, numerous figures clad in ragged clothes could be seen with their weapons unveiled.
No matter how much Grace heightened her senses, it would be impossible for a mortal like her to perceive those cultivators that wanted to hide from her sight. With a false sense of relief in her heart, she went on and ran.
"Boss, our scouts found that she's heading for the only road in this forest, should we hasten our pursuit?" A bandit mumbled towards another bandit whose figure clad in a jet-black robe. The robe enveloped his entire body, revealing only his eyes and an ominous air constantly swirled around him.
This bandit was the strongest fighter when it comes to Stealth attacks. His sharp senses and his precise attacks made him a nightmare for archers.
"No need to worry about that, just let her run and leave her to me..."
"Leave her to you? But Boss, Captain told us that we should capture her together..." The man who spoke first revealed an awkward expression, scratching his head, he mumbled in a wronged voice.
The man in black robes lifted his head, his eyes flashed in a crimson light before saying, "Are you telling me that I am incapable of capturing that mortal woman on my own?" He coldly snorted and departed away, heading for the direction of Grace.
The men who were left behind wryly smiled at each other before shaking their heads. Though they felt indignant, they didn't dare to raise their voices of objections as they turned around and returned to their squad.
The luxurious carriage still stood at the place where the two left it behind. Unfortunately, there was no horse so Grace couldn't escape on her own and ask for help. Walking into the carriage, she hid there as the veil of the night enveloped everything.
Cold winds swept past her body and only chirpings of birds could be heard in the area. Huddling in a corner, Grace held a yellow-blue paper in her hands, her face pale and the slight trembling of her body indicated her fears.
Nevertheless, she gritted her teeth and endured. What was fear? Compared to the horrors that she experienced inside the Slum Area of Kalur, this kind of suffering wasn't much.
However, the reason why she looked so pale was that of her worries about Dan's well-being. Holding the yellow-blue paper in her hands, she stared at the starry skies and said, "Come back soon, Dan..." She mumbled before placing her head in between her knees.
The Great Forest of Manzur possessed numerous lucky chances along with dangers. However, due to human intervention, the dangers at the outer border of the Forest, greatly lessened. But still, the Forest in its entirety was still dangerous.
Grace knew about these dangers and she didn't dare to move. But suddenly, a banging sound echoed in front of the carriage.
Bang!
Grace's expression flickered and her figure shivered in surprise. Holding her breath, she tightly gripped the yellow-blue paper and chanted in her mind, "Please don't find me, please don't find me, please don't find me..." She murmured inside her heart.
Outside the carriage, a jet-black robed man could be seen observing the carriage. With his senses, he knew that there was someone inside it and most likely, it was his target.
In each time he hunted his target, he would never kill them until they felt the utmost sensation of despair. Only when his targets crumbled down in fear and hopelessness could he absorb their negative energies and increase his cultivation.
In other words, his Divine Art feeds on the negative energies of his enemies. At first, he wasn't such a murderous psychopath. But ever since he discovered the pleasure of cornering his enemies and watching them beg for their lives. He relished on that sensation and never looked back.
His decades of experience when it comes to mental torture enabled him to quickly simulate the best method in subduing Grace's mind. Staring at the carriage, he licked his lips and utilized his plan.
Inside the carriage, Grace lifted her head and stared around her. Because she ripped all the decorations inside, the walls looked dry and dull, paired with the fact that the two windows didn't give her any visual information about the outside world. She quickly became apprehensive towards the unknown.
Trickle~ Trickle~ Trickle~
Dripping sounds of water striking the wooden floor of the carriage was the only sound that Grace could hear inside the carriage. Biting her lips, she endured the sense of fear and imminent danger and held on. Unbeknownst to her, a black mist swirled and enveloped her body.
Suddenly, deep footsteps reverberated in the area.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The footsteps were strong enough that it rocked the entire carriage, forcing Grace to clench the yellow-blue paper even tighter in preparation for activating it. However, contrary to her expectations, the footsteps vanished when it neared the doors of the carriage as if it never existed in the first place.
This bizarre phenomenon made her even more anxious about what's going on in the outside world. Her countenance looked paler and her breathing disarrayed along with her furiously trembling body.
Whissshhh~
A faint sound of rustling clothes echoed out, followed by the appearance of a blackish apparition that floated in the air. Grace lifted her head and her eyes widened in shock and terror when she saw the appearance of the apparition.
It was the owner of the company that she embezzled and bankrupted.
"Grace...I will take revenge, I will take revenge..." The man's facial appearance was riddled with blisters and pimples. Paired with his rotting nose and lips and his emptied eye sockets, Grace's fear and agitation skyrocketed.
"No, don't come near me, don't come near me!" She lifted her body and struggled in the corner. The apparition lifted his arms and stretched it towards the helpless Grace's neck.
"Stop, don't touch me...Don't touch me!" The cold sensation on her neck made her shiver and squirm. But no matter how much she struggled, she found herself unable to move and froze in fear.
"Grace..."
"Grace..."
"Grace..."
"How dare you do this to us...You're the one who killed us all..."
These tormenting words rang out along with the appearance of four other apparitions that slowly floated towards Grace's figure. The young maiden felt so terrified that her grip of the defensive talisman, loosened.
Grace's pleading and sobbing cries fell into deaf ears and she soon floated in the air, held by the apparition whose expression distorted into an excited one. Grace slowly closed her eyes in resignation and regret, she felt regret that she was unable to overcome her fears.
Staring at the dark ceiling of the carriage, she remembered the image of the smiling young man who painstakingly trained her resolve and body. The familiar sensation of the collar on her neck made her smile give a small smile as she mumbled,
"That's right, young master rescued me from that place and my life belongs to her. I cannot die without his permission..." A light smile decorated her lips as she took a small orb from the Spatial Ring that Dan bestowed upon her.
The small orb looked unassuming, but judging from Dan's solemn expression and serious tone when explaining the power of this small orb, Grace was reassured.
Gripping the small orb in her palms, she sent her wishes as a resplendent light exploded inside the carriage. The burst of pure white light destroyed the carriage along with the apparitions that miserably shrieked as they turned into dust.
A warm breeze enveloped Grace's body, protecting her from the cold. Surrounded by numerous wisps of light that protected her from all sides, Grace looked like a Goddess that descended from the skies.
The robed man that hid in the darkness was revealed and his expression revealed his shock, "That's impossible! How could you escape my Divine Domain?!" His eyes darted at the small orb that floated before the young maiden's figure.
His shock deepened even further when he realized the identity of the small orb.
"A Heaven Grade Defensive Artifact?! Fucking hell!" He stomped his foot and dashed towards the opposite direction. Though he had the strongest piercing power in his squad, as an Assassin, he was at his weakest when he was revealed.
His quick mind made him retreat, dashing towards the Forest, he made use of the trees as cover.
Grace knitted her eyebrows, her gaze landed on the jet-black robed man. Staring at his retreating figure, she was convinced that the man was part of the group that hunted her earlier. Lifting her arms, a volley of offensive talismans floated in the air before being ignited by her.
In a flash, bright lights illuminated the dark forest and the man who continued his retreat realized his plight. Looking behind him, his mind told him that the attack couldn't be evaded and he could only try and minimize the damage.
Facing the array of talismans heading for his way. He took a brace position with his arms crossed before him and his knees, slightly bent. Infusing Spiritual Qi on the soles of his feet, a deafening bang followed by the force of impact battered his figure.
A blood arrow sprouted from his mouth, and he struck down dozens of trees before he could stop his body.
"Impossible..."
Lifting his head, his eyes shone in a light of disbelief before his body crumbled on the ground, losing all signs of life.