A dazzling red light burst forth from a corner of the forest, transforming into a sea of flames that enveloped the area! Nathan, protected by a flame shield, charged into the Flame Cloud.
The countless pursuing insects, fearlessly and relentlessly, dove straight into the Flame Cloud.
Under the high temperature, they ignited and scurried around in chaos, emitting crackling explosions that made Nathan's scalp tingle.
Seven or eight Flame Clouds had nearly drained his reserves.
Yet, they afforded him a brief respite from those damned insects, allowing him a moment to catch his breath.
As he looked around, searching for a place to take cover, he saw a milky white column of light suddenly surge from the distant forest, shooting straight into the sky.
Within that column of light, there seemed to be an enlarged, delicate figure of a woman.
Though the figure was magnified, her features were still discernible.
As the column of light ascended, the woman's blue hair flowed like strands of lightning reaching for the heavens!
"Luna?" Nathan was startled by the display.
But what followed shocked him even more.
The sky suddenly filled with a dense swarm of insects.
Countless flying insects all rolled and converged in that direction.
In the blink of an eye, they formed an ancient face that covered half the sky.
Accompanied by the rumbling roar like muffled thunder, a stream of black energy burst from the mouth of the face.
The black stream hit the column of light directly.
Instantly, like boiling water melting snow, the white column of light was shattered by the black stream.
The figure of Luna, standing in mid-air, revealed a look of terror.
The next moment, the giant column disappeared, transforming into a beam of white light that rushed towards Nathan with a dark shadow in hot pursuit behind it.
Nathan timed the last second of the Flame Cloud's disappearance, applying another flame shield to himself.
Taking a deep breath, he sprinted in another direction.
As he emerged, countless insects once again converged, buzzing as they chased after him from behind.
...
Half an hour had passed when Nathan peeked out from a crevice beneath a cliff, casting wary glances into the distance.
After observing for a good while and finally assuring himself that the face in the sky hadn't spotted him, he found a rock to sit on.
"Good thing I ran away in advance. If I had encountered Luna, I would have been done for."
He was in a cave about ten meters deep, where no signs of insect presence could be found.
For safety, he applied the last concealment spell on himself.
This standard-issue scroll from the Inspectorate Bureau, capable of hiding one's form, was fairly effective, though its duration was frustratingly short.
"If only I could stay hidden indefinitely."
Armed with the experience from last time, Nathan's storage space now contained more biscuits and soda water than before.
He took out a biscuit and drank some soda water, slightly easing his fatigue.
Just when Nathan thought he could stay here quietly, perhaps even spend the day unnoticed, he suddenly saw a large swarm of insects flying rapidly towards him from the forest ahead.
Startled, he immediately jumped up from the ground.
"This is really relentless. Don't let me find out who you are!"
Nathan clenched his teeth hard, itching with hatred for the person behind this ordeal.
But at this point, nothing he said could change the situation.
Taking advantage of the remaining moments of silence, he planned to escape along the cliff.
But the next moment, his plan was thwarted.
Luna, trailed by a long swarm of insects, headed straight for the crevice where he was hiding.
"Senior brother Nathan!"
Luna, gasping for air as if she had seen a lifeline, suddenly accelerated and rushed into the cave.
Nathan promptly cast a Flame Cloud, sealing off the entrance to the cave.
However, the pursuing insects, in a frenzy, disregarded their own safety and plunged into the Flame Cloud.
Under the high temperature, they crackled and dropped to the ground.
Meanwhile, more insects crashed against the rocky cliff walls, creating a sound akin to rain falling.
Seeing that the insects were temporarily kept at bay, Nathan finally had the opportunity to closely observe Luna.
At this moment, Luna was completely exhausted and slumped on the ground.
Her face and hands were swollen and reddened, with some areas of her skin showing signs of minor necrosis, as if bitten by something.
There was a wound on her shoulder, possibly from a scratch, tearing through her clothes, with blood seeping out faintly.
Moreover, the blood oozing out emitted a faintly putrid smell, suggesting she might have been poisoned.
It was a wonder how she had survived this long.
Nathan, recalling Luna's usually delicate and quiet demeanor, couldn't help but shake his head.
Although he felt it cruel to abandon such a girl, his own life was at stake.
If she hadn't attracted the attention of that enormous face in the sky, he might have been able to protect her for a short while.
But with that formidable presence above, who knew when it might catch up to them?
If death was inevitable, it was better to face it separately, perhaps prolonging their lives a bit longer.
Seeing that the insects outside were almost completely incinerated by the Flame Cloud, Nathan enveloped himself in a flame shield and prepared to slip away along the edge of the cliff.
"Senior brother Nathan," Luna, in a state of debilitation, opened her eyes to look at Nathan, holding out a scroll.
"An Advanced Healing Spell?" Nathan was astonished.
This was a high-grade item worth thousands of gold coins!
"Is this for me?" Nathan's eyes widened.
Luna glanced at Nathan but quickly lowered her head.
For a moment, Nathan noticed a flicker of desolation in her eyes.
The scroll slipped from her hand to the floor.
Nathan bent down to pick it up, glanced at Luna, and crushed the scroll.
Another beam of white light ascended from him, illuminating the entire cave so brightly that it was hard to keep the eyes open.
Seconds later, the light dispersed.
Nathan saw Luna, restored to her former self.
In that brief moment, her injuries miraculously healed! Nathan was astounded.
Luna moved her limbs, her eyes gradually regaining their sparkle.
"I won't trouble senior brother Nathan anymore." Luna bowed to Nathan and turned to walk out of the cave.
The next second, an angry roar from Anthony suddenly came from outside.
"Luna, it's not too late to regret now. I'll have my master spare you, just eat the Mystic Spirit Pill and promise not to speak of today's events, and I'll let you go."
Through the Flame Cloud, Nathan was startled by what he heard.
But as if Anthony had anticipated this, he spoke again: "Nathan, if you're in there, let her out."
"Our target is you, Luna was just caught in the middle, she's innocent!" Anthony's voice grew closer.
Nathan, forming a compressed fireball in his hand, coldly said, "Anthony, I've done nothing to offend you, why are you targeting me?"
Outside, Anthony approached the cliff cautiously, sneering, "When you're dying, I'll be sure to tell you. For now, if you're a man, let Luna go."
With a wave of his hand forward, a power of curse was unleashed towards the cliff wall.
Instantly, countless insects from the forest surged towards them, swirling around the Flame Cloud.
From the looks of it, once the Flame Cloud's duration ended, a swarm of insects would launch their attack.
Nathan was dumbfounded.
He had thought Anthony, out of love turned to hatred, was targeting Luna, but it turned out he was the actual target.
"Let's make a deal. What do you want to let me go?"
Nathan's dictionary didn't include surrender, but negotiation was indeed a tactic he often employed.
Outside the cave, Anthony scoffed, "Impossible."
"How can you say it's impossible if you won't even state your terms?" Nathan persisted.
"It's not me who wants to kill you. I suggest you resign to your fate," Anthony said very seriously.
Nathan fell silent.
Luna, too, looked thoughtfully at Nathan.
Nathan, struck by an idea, called out, "What exactly is the Mystic Spirit Pill? If Luna takes it, you'll let me go?"
"Ha, you don't even know what Mystic Spirit Pill is and you're trying to negotiate with me using it? Ridiculous," Anthony remained unswayed.
"Ha, what a waste! You just want Luna to fall for you and also ensure she doesn't spill today's secrets, right?" Nathan glanced at Luna, "That can be arranged. Take her, and she'll surely meet both conditions. Come on, be a man about it."
At this, there was sudden silence from outside.
"You..." Luna's eyebrows shot up.
Nathan quickly raised a finger to his lips, gesturing to Luna with his hand to calm her, indicating his words were merely negotiation tactics, not to be taken seriously.