"Why didn't you just wait for him here? With his perception, he wouldn't have been able to detect you," the Night Queen's voice emerged.
"You scared me, Night Queen, you haven't left yet?" Phoenix, startled, playfully patted her ample bosom, coyly chastising the other.
"Don't act coquettish with me; your tricks don't work on me. Divine Punishment, if you don't mind my advice, stay away from Eddie, or you might regret it," the Night Queen's voice was soft, like a gentle breeze over a lake.
"Thanks for the warning. But if you know he's dangerous, why don't you keep your distance?" Phoenix retorted with a seductive smile.
"Because he and our Laura are a pair, and he's essentially my junior. Of course, I have to watch over him and certainly won't let you take him to the Demon Palace."
" And you'd better minimize foolish actions. I could tell your sister was really angry. Divine Punishment, aren't you afraid of being caught and sealed in solitary confinement for a hundred or two hundred years? I remember you were just released not long ago, right? "
"Do you think you've improved enough to challenge your sister?" the Night Queen's voice faded with a light laugh.
"I live freely and happily, not caring about being sealed," Phoenix replied, her face momentarily betraying her concern at the mention of being sealed.
"Keep pretending," the Night Queen chuckled softly, her voice gradually fading as she left the duel space, unseen and soundless.
"No matter what, I've definitely stirred up trouble this time. After all, I've never been one to be liked. Haha, I'm a bad woman, a bad woman indeed, meant to do bad things," Phoenix laughed heartily, her laughter trembling like flowers in the wind, a tear sliding down her delicate cheek.
Still laughing, she drew a rune array, broke through the space, and disappeared without a trace.
After her departure, a faint, barely audible sigh echoed in the duel space.
At Skinny Dog Ridge, the sky was overcast with dense clouds. Although the rain had subsided, water puddled everywhere, creating an uncomfortably damp atmosphere.
Eddie was in agonizing pain, but the thought of rescuing Mother Grace kept him pushing forward. His energy was insufficient to summon the Bloody Queen, but fortunately, Little Wenli, the affectionate and smart loli, had a way to summon her from the Holy Book.
However, Little Wenli pointed him not towards the largest valley of Skinny Dog Ridge, where strange and noisy sounds suggested a battle was underway. Eddie considered investigating several times, but he chose to trust Little Wenli's intuition. She directed him to the back of Skinny Dog Ridge, requiring a detour around several disconnected valleys to reach the right side.
Although the Bloody Queen could carry Eddie in flight, she couldn't sustain it for long. Anxious to save time, Eddie decided to send her ahead. Every second counted.
"Find Mother Grace as quickly as possible. If you can't return immediately, protect her secretly. Understand?"
Knowing that there were no more Innate-level fighters in Skinny Dog Ridge, but wary of smaller forces from the Myriad Demons, Eddie sent off the Bloody Queen while pushing through his exhaustion and pain, following Little Wenli's guidance.
Following her directions, it took Eddie half an hour to reach the back side of Skinny Dog Ridge. There, a massive cliff rose, with jagged rocks protruding halfway up before giving way to towering mountains.
The cliff, known unflatteringly as 'Dog Leg Cliff,' wasn't named for its resemblance to a dog's leg nor its location behind Skinny Dog Ridge.
Legend had it that a treacherous traitor once used this cliff to lead enemies in, ambushing the defending army and causing the downfall of tens of thousands of soldiers. To remember the traitor's deed, the hidden path was named 'Dog Leg Cliff.'
Whether the legend was true or not, Eddie wasn't sure, but he knew there was a path leading into the valley, confirmed by the Warriors' Guild. Otherwise, they wouldn't have marked it on their maps.
With the Bloody Queen nowhere in sight, Eddie, enduring the pain, climbed the cliff that ordinary warriors couldn't scale.
It was then that he discovered a hidden cave within a treacherous path along the cliff, invisible from below.
Even without the keen sense of smell of a gray wolf, Eddie could detect the strong stench of blood emanating from the cave. As he prepared to enter, a dark figure appeared behind him.
He managed to stop his Ashen Demon Blade mere inches from striking the newcomer's head, realizing it was the Dean who had promised to help find his sister.
Still dressed in her original attire with a white veil over her face, she coughed up blood, staining the veil crimson.
Her condition was due to overexertion while using her telepathic talent to help Eddie find Mother Grace. Eddie steadied the trembling Dean and asked softly, "Are you alright?"
"I'm not hurt by anyone, just my old ailment, it's nothing serious," the veiled Dean reassured him.
"Your Mother Grace is safe; Flawless is protecting her secretly, and Jean and Laura are waiting for the right moment to rescue her. I'm weak, so I stayed here to wait for you. Go ahead, now that you're here, I'm relieved."
The Dean's body trembled as she spoke, blood continually staining her white veil.
"Flawless?" Eddie was surprised. Was that the name of the mysterious book-loving woman?
Noticing the Dean's weakened state, Eddie placed his hand on her back, channeling his Qi to heal her.
She resisted weakly, "Don't waste your strength on me. My illness is too advanced; conserve your energy for battle. I couldn't find your sister; the National Teacher must have taken her already... If you see Flawless, don't mention my telepathic call. If she asks, say you haven't seen me..."
Before she could finish, she collapsed.
Eddie quickly caught her, channeling his Qi. He realized her condition was incredibly frail, weaker than even the most bedridden patient.
The most alarming discovery was the strange energy within her, constantly draining her life force.
His Innate Qi was almost entirely absorbed by this energy, barely managing to nourish her organs.
Regaining consciousness, the Dean struggled to get out of Eddie's arms and checked if her veil was still in place.
Seemingly relieved it was untouched, she refused Eddie's help, "Don't waste time on me; go save Mother Grace. I can get home by myself.
I've survived like this for years...
I won't die easily. Did you really not touch my veil?" she asked weakly as she activated a teleportation scroll.
With a fragile voice and a tremble, she inquired before stepping into the scroll, disappearing from the scene.
"No, I didn't," Eddie shook his head.
In truth, he had sneakily glimpsed the Dean's face earlier, discovering a breathtakingly beautiful woman, pale only from illness.
However, Eddie did not recognize her and found her utterly unfamiliar. Initially suspecting she might be the mysterious book-loving woman, he soon dismissed the idea, as their voices, though similar, were slightly different.
The Dean's behavior deeply surprised Eddie. She seemed to have known him for a long time, even selflessly exhausting herself to help find Mother Grace.
He was most puzzled by the connection between the Dean and the mysterious book-loving woman.
Both seemed to know him well and were willing to sacrifice themselves to protect him.
What was their relationship with him and with the 'tragic man'? Or did they know his parents?
Were they related to the 'tragic man'?
"Not knowing is okay. Just be careful," the Dean replied, nearly collapsing again. She tried to leave quickly, but Eddie caught her hand, channeling Qi to heal her while overcoming his hesitation to ask, "Have we met before?"
"No, we didn't know each other before you came to the Ivy Academy," the Dean's answer only added to Eddie's confusion.
He was baffled, yet her sincerity was apparent.
Gently releasing her hand to avoid hurting her fragile body, he watched as she approached the teleportation portal.
Before entering, she turned back and nodded lightly, "I had heard of you before, but never met you. When I heard you were returning to the Yew family castle with your Mother Grace and sister, I was happy for you."
"A man should do that. Go find Mother Grace, don't waste time on me. I have no relation to you..."
Watching the Dean's frail figure disappear, Eddie turned and dashed into the cave.
He couldn't believe she had no connection to him; surely, there must be some link, as well as with the mysterious book-loving woman.
Yet, since they chose not to disclose it, he couldn't force the truth.
"No, I didn't," Eddie shook his head.
Though Eddie had secretly observed the Dean's face earlier and found her to be an exceptionally beautiful woman, he felt no recognition. He initially suspected she might be the mysterious book-loving woman but soon dismissed the idea, as their voices, while similar, differed slightly.
The Dean's behavior puzzled Eddie. She seemed to have known him for a long time, going as far as to overexert herself to help him find Mother Grace.
Eddie wondered about the relationship between her and the book-loving woman, both of whom seemed to know him well and were willing to protect him at great risk. What was their connection to him, the 'tragic man', or possibly his parents?
"Not knowing is okay. Just be careful," the Dean replied, nearly collapsing again.
She attempted to leave quickly, but Eddie held her hand, channeling Qi to heal her.
She struggled slightly, urging him not to waste time on her and to save Mother Grace.
Her frail figure vanished into the teleportation portal after she reassured him that they had never met before and expressed happiness about him returning to the Yew family castle with Mother Grace and his sister.
As Eddie watched her leave, he turned and dashed into the cave. He couldn't shake the feeling that the Dean and the mysterious book-loving woman had some hidden connection to him. But since they remained silent, he couldn't force the truth.
Eddie resolved to ask Mother Grace about the truth once he found her.
Inside the cave, he discovered a large platform littered with bodies and weapons, indicating a fierce battle.
The sight of several branching paths filled him with anxiety. Which way should he go?
Suddenly, the Blood Queen emerged from a small cave, and Eddie was overjoyed.
She gestured towards a river downstream, indicating that Jean had pursued someone in that direction.
Unable to swim and worried Eddie might miss her, the Blood Queen had waited outside. Eddie quickly dove into the frigid river and followed the current.
The underground river led him to a melting cave five kilometers away, where Jean and Laura were fiercely battling numerous enemies.
Their opponents, skilled in water-based war beasts, evaded combat while blocking the way.
Despite their superior strength, Jean and Laura struggled to break through.
Meanwhile, in another part of the cave, the mysterious book-loving woman valiantly resisted two powerful foes, a winged demoness and a gaunt wolf-clawed man. Despite their relentless attacks, her unique abilities, including 'Gentle Breeze Teleportation' and 'Instant Summoning,' kept her adversaries at bay.
At critical moments, a small golden rune array would appear on her forehead, boosting her combat power tenfold and briefly repelling her opponents.
However, the array only emerged in dire situations and lasted for a short duration, limiting her ability to fully defend against the two powerful enemies.
As Eddie swam through the underground river, determined to find and rescue Mother Grace, he pondered the deepening mysteries surrounding the Dean and the book-loving woman and their connections to him and his past.
In the depths of the underground passageway, about ten kilometers from the mysterious book-loving woman, Ina was running with an unconscious Mother Grace on her back.
Her only thought was to endure for just one more minute, believing that if she could hold on, Eddie would catch up and rescue them.
She was certain that the strong warriors of the Yew family would soon follow.
With teeth clenched and lips bleeding, Ina carried Mother Grace, pushing through the darkness without knowing what lay ahead, but determined to keep moving forward.
As Eddie emerged from the underwater river, he found Jean furiously rebuking the enemy. Her efforts to strike with her sword were thwarted by the buoyancy of the water. The enemy had cleverly used a deep lake to neutralize Jean's attacks.
"Eddie, hurry up! We've already rescued Mother Grace... but there's some kind of seal here, similar to the Abandoned Corridor, preventing us from using teleportation scrolls...
Mother Grace is ahead, and the enemy is chasing Ina. We need to move fast! They're not just from the Myriad Demons Sect, there's also a bunch of Wu faction experts. They plan to use Mother Grace as a sacrifice to open the 'Heavenly Ladder'. We have to hurry! Ina is injured and she might not hold on much longer!" Laura said urgently, unable to fully utilize her strength in the current environment.
"Stop talking and come help!" Jean, relieved by Eddie's arrival, felt a wave of relaxation wash over her.
Thank goodness, Eddie had finally arrived!