Evelyn approached them and asked. "Yasenia, any idea where Li Chenfang went?"
Yasenia looked down from Andrea's arms and communicated mentally. 'The Sect Master? Why?'
Evelyn frowned. "Well, after Valeria hit him into the rock, he has yet to appear anywhere. There are a few top executives of the sect that we have yet to confirm the death of."
Yasenia nodded. 'Well, let's search the area. We have to make an in-depth sweep either way to kill any stragglers. The existence of secret exits might be possible.'
The electric-blue-haired girl blinked her pretty violet eyes and asked. "Are you not worried?"
The dragoness tilted her head. 'About what?'
Evelyn smiled. Seeing Yasenia not speak but still make her gestures were quite cute. "About him hiding away and coming to kill us eventually? You've killed his family, so he has nothing to lose. An enemy like that is quite dangerous, is it not?"
Yasenia nodded. 'You are right. However, escaping is almost impossible. First of all, where are Valeria and Kali?'
Evelyn turned and said. "They are- Hm? Where are they?"
The dragoness smiled and asked. 'Now, where is Flora?'
Evelyn blinked and asked. "Have they gone to hunt him down?"
The dragoness shrugged. 'Probably. I haven't been informed, but it is most likely. Moreover, remember who is at the entrance of this place.'
Evelyn muttered. "Selena and… Oh, Doriel." The girl smirked. "No wonder you are not worried. With Valeria at his heels and Doriel blocking the entrance… Heh."
Meanwhile, in one of the secret passages, a deer man shrouded in shadows was traversing several complicated passways and intersections. "Yasenia Dravory, your mistake was letting me go. I'll hunt you or someone you hold dear down even if it takes me millennia."
Even when hidden, one could imagine that his current facial expression was terrifying and full of anger. Everything his ancestors had built was gone in a few days.
His family, dead.
His legacy, lost.
His influence, destroyed.
'I've lost everything because of you. So, I'll make you lose everything because of me.'
His face was determined and filled with hatred.
Turning around a few corners, he finally approached one of the secret exits that connected with the main entrance.
As Yasenia had guessed, the Silent Fang Sect didn't have additional exits. While some might think that this was not a clever design, in truth, if one wanted to keep secrecy and complete control over a bunch of assassins that could go rogue at any moment, strong supervision was needed.
Therefore, with just one exit and a bunch of traps that needed to be carefully dodged, the chances of spies fleeing were minimal.
This was what kept the Silent Fang Assassin Sect sitting on the top of all assassin sects for millennia. However, this time, it would become the sect's downfall.
A double-edged sword that finally pointed at the user.
As Li Chenfang approached the exit, he suddenly felt an aura behind him, making his face change to one of surprise. 'What? How are they keeping track of me?'
The deer man thought and remembered the palm strike he received that made him change his mind and flee. 'Did that woman place something on me when she struck me?'
Li Chenfang was the Sect Master of the most prominent assassin sect, so he was ruthless. Thinking that some kind of substance might have contaminated his skin, he grew his nails and grabbed the side of his face and ripped off his skin.
He used his skills to avoid a burst of blood staining everything. Then, the skin of his face was stripped off. Finally, he disintegrated that skin patch and hair with one of his skills, making it disappear.
Naturally, his skin didn't grow again. This was not a no-consequence action. Even as a high-level Epoch Core, his regeneration was not fast enough to regenerate the facial skin and hair instantly. It would take a while.
However, now sure that he had thrown off his pursuers, Li Chenfang silently and stealthily exited from the front entrance. He could instantly see that there were battle signs here, making him alert. However, he didn't dare stop to analyze them.
Right now, his priority was escaping. 'I am outside. Now, catching me should be almost impossible. [Silent Shadow Deer Movement].'
This skill allowed him to merge with the ground; his presence dissipated to nothingness, and his body shifted through the rocks. Detecting him would be impossible if we were not talking about Doriel and Valeria.
Doriel was the strongest assassin maid under Yasenia's command below the Transcendence Realm. She was also an expert in curses, but before that, her assassin arts were incredibly deep and powerful. She would put to shame even most assassins back in the Sky Continent, not to mention a backward place like Distancia.
The second Li Chenfang exited and merged with the ground, Doriel's entirely black eyes locked onto his figure. 'Hm. That's the sect master, right? Young Miss ordered me to eliminate all creatures that try to flee. I would love to capture him for Young Miss, but that's going against her orders. I can't do that.'
Selena was also attentive to her surroundings, so she noticed a fluctuation. While she had a bit of a problem detecting him, she managed to do it a few moments after Doriel. 'Doriel, will you capture him?'
Doriel spoke coldly. 'Young Miss's orders are to bring death to everyone.'
Selena hummed as she saw Li Chenfang trying to scurry away. Her voice was relaxed as if it was impossible to flee. 'But Young Miss might have her uses for him, right? Like Fu Lang Zu, which is now a prime experimentation subject for Lady Tatyana and Madam Kali.'
Doriel shook her head. 'Follow orders.'
Selena sighed but didn't oppose her anymore. She flipped her hand, and the entire place was illuminated as a gigantic formation spread around. "[Bird Cage Formation]."
Li Chenfang, who thought he was getting away, suddenly slammed against a solid wall of nothingness.
Bang!
This stunned him for a fraction of a second. 'What? What is this?'
Only then did he realize that he was inside a formation set up by someone. 'Tsk, were they prepared for this as well? I didn't really want to use this thing, but I have no choice.'
He took out a talisman and broke it. It was a spatial shift talisman. One at the high-level Heaven Rank as well.
However, sadly for him, Angel had placed an anti-spatial travel formation even before they started diving down. Even if Angel hadn't done that, Selena's [Bird Cage Formation] was quite a famous and popular formation back in the Sky Continent. Its strength, if used with good enough materials, could become enough even to trap low-level Transcendent Realm cultivators.
A little High-level Epoch Core was nothing but, as the formation said, a bird in a cage. Unless he had a strong transcendent ranked formation breaker and spatial life-saving treasure, Li Chenfang couldn't escape.
Selena looked his way and commented. "Well, Li Chenfang, this is your end. I wanted to capture you, but my coworker here is too serious and follows Young Miss's orders to perfection. Young Miss ordered us to kill everything and everyone that comes out, and, well, you've fulfilled those conditions."
Doriel walked in Li Chenfang's direction and spat. "Too much talk."
Selena grinned and hissed with her serpentine tongue in amusement. "Sshho sssherious~."
Li Chenfang was quick to see the situation he had fallen into, and when he saw Doriel approaching with calm steps, he rushed at her and slashed her.
His sword was exceptionally swift, approaching Doriel's neck and slicing through. His eyes shone with victory as the head and body of the woman separated. "The one talking too much is you."
However, when he blinked, he found himself in his previous position, with Doriel still walking at him with calm steps. "Huh?"
With a frown, he tried again, and the same situation occurred: He was able to decapitate Doriel. However, when he blinked, he was back at his initial position.
This was abnormal, so he shouted at Doriel. "What did you do!?"
Doriel's expression didn't even change as she approached. Her pair of obsidian eyes locked on Li Chenfang and exuded an ominous aura.
The distance between them was enough for Doriel to cross instantly, around 200 meters. However, she didn't.
Selena looked from behind with a raised eyebrow. "Poor man. This will be quite a nasty way to die."
Meanwhile, Doriel kept walking forward as if she wasn't fighting a high-level Epoch Core but a helpless man. The skill she had used was a powerful curse that made all the thoughts of the person become reality until they achieved it. Then, it would force their minds back to the starting point.
To escape this curse, Li Chenfang needed to use his soul and shatter the curse afflicting it. However, Doriel was a Half-step Dantian Spiritualization Assassin.
How could he break her curse? On the contrary, as time went by, he fell deeper and deeper into it.
With such a description, the curse didn't feel malicious enough. However, once you realize that each step Doriel took was only completed when one of his fantasized success stories was completed, the insidiousness of this curse starts to show.
Time mattered not. A few months had gone by in those iterations for Li Chenfang. After escaping with a hidden technique, he was hiding deep in the forest and finally found Yasenia alone for once. With quick motions, he captured her and then used blackmail to make Yasenia suffer, as she saw many of her closest people suffer.
Once he succeeded and a face full of glee appeared on his face, he blinked and saw Doriel again, taking one more step toward him. 'W-What?'
The feeling of success twisted in pure disbelief that quickly became despair. 'A-An illusion!? It can't be!?'
He looked inside, and then he saw a curse on him. With a powerful aura burst, the curse broke, liberating him, and then he used a technique and managed to escape again.
This time, he took more time to look around and first heal himself and his soul. Eventually, though, he managed to complete his cherished wish for revenge.
"Finally, I did-" However, he blinked and saw Doriel once more, taking another step toward him.
His mind almost crumbled as incomprehension and despair filled his body.
Selena observed that with each step Doriel took, the skinless facial expression of the deer man twisted severely, and many emotions clashed in them. "Truly, that skill that uses the innate power of your eyes is truly scary. It was called… Ah, right, your innate skill [Malevolent Gaze: Limbo Arts]. A state where the opponent will fall into an infinite illusion as long as they don't manage to get free of your curse…"
Selena could see, as time went by, the clarity in the deer-man eyes vanished as a crazed light started appearing. Suddenly, she realized something and asked. "Oh? Did you change your mind about not killing him?"
Doriel didn't answer and continued taking one step after another. For her to reach him, she would need around 180 more steps.
One hundred eighty more lives to live.
One hundred eighty more times that hope and despair would interlock.
One hundred eighty more times, Li Chenfang would spiral down the stairs of madness.
Selena smiled as she heard steps in the distance. From the entrance, Flora, Kali, and Valeria appeared. Kali looked around, and as soon as she saw Doriel walking toward Li Chenfang, or who she guessed was Li Chenfang, she shouted. "Wait, Doriel! Don't kill him!"
Selena grinned. "Call Yasenia if you want her to stop. She only follows her orders."
Kali blinked. "But, with Doriel's speed… Doriel's speed? Huh? Why isn't she finishing him off?"
Selena laughed. "You have 174 steps left until he actually dies. So go call Young Miss quickly."
Flora understood what was happening and said. "Lady Kali, please wait here. I will carry Young Miss and the rest over before Doriel takes the 174 steps."
Kali nodded, still confused.
Selena laughed. 'Well, she can't go against her orders, but she can delay the orders as long as they don't compromise the mission. Right now, a thought from Doriel is all that she needs to kill that man. So, no one can save him. She can wait and play around until Young Miss arrives and gives new orders.'