Su Xiaobai circled the entity slowly, every movement deliberate, the predator now fully in control of its prey.
"That spiritual pond you're eyeing? It's yours. I have no need for such trifles. Consider it a gift from a true cultivator. I have feasted on treasures far beyond your comprehension. So stay here, grow fat and content on the scraps I leave behind."
Su Xiaobai's eyes glinted with malice, his smirk growing even more twisted. "And while you fester here, I'll bring you something more appropriate to devour—a cultivator filled to the brim with pristine qi, seasoned over centuries. Trust me, I've tasted them, and they'll suit your feeble palate far better than I would. After all, I wouldn't want to see you choke on power beyond your understanding."
His steps led him ever closer to the Void Crack, but his arrogance only grew as he moved further away from the threat. "You know, I've been thinking," he said, his tone shifting, still dripping with mockery but now with a touch of wicked amusement.
"I've always considered giving up the whole cultivation business. The mortal life has its appeal. Simple pleasures, you know? The good ol' life of raising chickens, enjoying a busty wife—far, far away from ancient death traps and the endless struggle for supremacy."
He laughed, the sound sharp and cutting, as though the very idea of him settling for such a life was the ultimate mockery of the world itself. "But of course, that would be too easy, wouldn't it? Still, there's a certain charm to it. A charm someone like you will never know, scraping and clawing for scraps in the dark."
He was at the edge of the Void Crack now, his eyes flicking back to the ominous cloud, the bloodlust in the air thick as iron.
Su Xiaobai smiled—cold, cruel, and utterly unconcerned. "So here's your chance. Stay in this little corner of pathetic existence, feast on the pond, and wait for my return. Or don't, and try your luck with me now." His voice turned low, a dangerous whisper. "But let me warn you—touch me, and your pathetic existence will end before it's even begun. A creature like you isn't worthy of devouring someone as filled with righteousness and virtue as myself. You'd choke on the first bite, and your entire existence would vanish like smoke in the wind."
With that, he turned his back on the creature, his steps casual, unhurried, already halfway through the Void Crack. "Remember this, insect: you're alive only because I allow it. Don't squander that gift."
The eyes didn't move. But neither did the cloud.
Su Xiaobai wasted no time either.
Whoosh!!
Without even bothering to check whether the Immortal Fetus was following, Su Xiaobai leapt into the Void Crack. His heart pounded like a war drum, blood roaring in his ears.
He didn't care where the void took him—anywhere was better than facing down some newborn demonic fetus that probably considered him an appetizer.
Run!
And so he ran.
He bolted through the Void Cracks like his life depended on it (which it definitely did), slipping from one to the next, not stopping until he found the familiar sight of the stairs leading back to the first chamber.
His mind was blank—survival was the only thing keeping him going.
Before he knew it, he was sprinting through the second chamber, his footsteps echoing loudly in the dark, his breath ragged but determined. He didn't stop until he reached the entrance of the cave.
But fate wasn't done screwing him over yet.
"Oh, for fuc—" he gasped as he skidded to a halt.
The entrance was blocked. Not just blocked—sealed off by massive boulders. Huge, immovable, and very much in the way.
Su Xiaobai bent over, hands on his knees, panting like a dog. "You've gotta be... shitting me," he muttered through gritted teeth. "I finally escape that demon child only to be sealed in this death trap! Great!"
He stood there, glaring at the boulders, catching his breath. He could still feel the eerie presence of the Immortal Fetus behind him, and the last thing he wanted was to be trapped in a cave with it.
"What kind of righteous cultivator ends up in these situations?!" he yelled, hands thrown up in frustration. "I mean, I'm out here, doing Heaven's work, spreading justice, and what do I get in return? Boulders! That's what!"
He slapped the rock in front of him, his frustration boiling over. "How the fuck am I supposed to leave this cave now?!"
His head tilted back, eyes rolling as he let out an exaggerated sigh. "So much for my grand exit! All I needed was a quiet breakthrough, but noooo, instead I get a murderous Immortal Fetus and a goddamn rockslide!"
As he stood there fuming, Su Xiaobai's thoughts raced, trying to figure out his next move.
If he didn't find a way out soon, he'd be stuck between a rock and, well... an actual bloody demon baby.
"No... no... no!" Su Xiaobai clenched his fists, shutting his eyes tightly as frustration surged through him.
Why… why does this always happen
Everything was supposed to fall into place—he was supposed to form his golden core, escape this hellhole, infiltrate some sects, plunder their treasures, cuck their wives, and be on his merry way to another land of opportunity!
But here he was, running for his life—again.
And the reason?
He growled under his breath.
Fucking lack of strength!
There was no time to wallow in his inadequacies. His keen senses screamed in alarm as he saw two glowing red orbs closing in on him, accompanied by a wave of bloodlust so thick it made his skin crawl.
Su Xiaobai swore he had never felt such overwhelming killing intent from any living entity before.
Face it? Hah, I'd rather walk straight into the jaws of an ancient dragon!
He knew better. Even back in his world, the infants of Immortals were a terrifying force, more powerful than the so-called star guardians that had once ruled the skies.
Here, in this wretched existence, beings like them lorded over realms, while star guardians? They weren't even worth being slaves in the Four Heavens—too weak to mine even the dirt beneath their feet.
Kings and emperors? Hah! They wouldn't even qualify to wipe the boots
Suddenly, there was no more time for thoughts or regrets.
BAM!
The demon child rocketed toward him, its twisted form glowing, shrouded in an aura of bloodthirst so dense it swallowed everything around it.
Su Xiaobai's vision darkened, save for those eerie red eyes, now searing into his soul.
Going against that? Not a fucking chance!
"Immortal Domain!" Su Xiaobai growled through gritted teeth, forced to rely on the most absurd thing in his arsenal—his infuriatingly inconsistent plot armor.
That ridiculous ability, which had saved his life countless times before, even when he had no clue how or why it worked.
Would it save him this time?
He had no idea. At best, it might fling him like a ragdoll to safety, smashing him into the cave entrance and propelling him into the sky like some kind of deranged human rocket.
As the demon child hurtled toward him, Su Xiaobai's mind raced with wild fantasies of survival, his imagination conjuring up a thousand ways he could escape unscathed.
Yet, despite the bloodlust, the expected crash never came.
Instead, the world exploded around him.
BOOOOOOM!