Chapter 364: Chapter 181: The Manghuang Race
At that, even Mo Ling’Er had to know she’d been tricked.
"You bastard! You tricked me again!"
"How... how dare you..."
Mo Ling’Er’s pretty face flushed crimson with anger, yet there was also a hint of unnatural bashfulness in her expression.
Seeing Zhao Rui getting away, she quickly pointed at the Phoenix Hairpin by her side. The hairpin instantly transformed into the phantom of a Golden Phoenix, carrying her at top speed in pursuit of Zhao Rui.
The Golden Phoenix was incredibly fast, and it wasn’t long before she spotted Zhao Rui’s figure in the distance.
"How did you break my Witchcraft? If you tell me, I’ll call it even between us."
Mo Ling’Er demanded loudly.
She truly couldn’t understand it. This technique of hers, a Side Path of the Witchcraft Dao, was a Secret Technique of her tribe.
It was split into two parts, an upper and a lower formula, which controlled a pair of Phoenix Hairpins—one male, one female.
Beyond its ability to control the Witch’s Phoenix Hairpin, the Secret Technique’s greatest function was, in fact, to control people.
Specifically, to control one’s "sweetheart."
The female part was dominant. In her tribe, the women would learn the complete set of Witchcraft, while the men learned only a portion of the lower formula.
Once a man learned the lower formula, he would be controlled by the upper formula, completely subject to the user’s will.
Of course, not just anyone could use this technique. Within the tribe, it was reserved for restraining unruly sweethearts.
Mo Ling’Er had been so thoroughly infuriated by Zhao Rui that she’d racked her brain before coming up with such a treacherous scheme.
’As long as Zhao Rui learned it...’
’Not only could I escape this predicament, I could also gain complete control over Zhao Rui. Then, I could make him kneel or crawl on command.’
But she never would have imagined that even though Zhao Rui had learned it, he was somehow not under her control.
’How is that possible?!’
"You mean it?"
Hearing her voice, Zhao Rui halted. He stood facing the wind, his dashing posture possessing a certain roguish charm.
"Of course I keep my word!"
Mo Ling’Er pouted slightly, her expression a mixture of one part willfulness, one part defiance, and one part confusion.
The final part was a playful indignation she herself wasn’t even aware of.
Hearing this, Zhao Rui nodded. He formed a Magic Technique with his hand and pointed at the Phoenix Hairpin. The hairpin, which had been beneath Mo Ling’Er’s feet, immediately reverted from the phoenix phantom back to its original form and flew straight into Zhao Rui’s hand.
"That’s... how is that possible?"
Mo Ling’Er was stunned. She hastily formed the Hand Formulas to command the Phoenix Hairpin, but it didn’t react at all.
"You... You actually..."
"A promise is a promise. Our score is settled, and you’re not allowed to chase me anymore!"
With that, Zhao Rui descended toward the deserted island below.
’Even though I’m in a completely unfamiliar place, Mo Ling’Er is definitely more familiar with this environment than I am.’
’But I can’t take that risk.’
’I can’t bet on her not trying to pull some trick. Rather than constantly worrying about her stabbing me in the back, it’s better to explore on my own.’
’Since this is Gui Xu, I’m bound to find people from the various Sects who never returned to the Central Plains.’
’Then, I can find a way back to Blue Star.’
"You..."
Mo Ling’Er hadn’t expected Zhao Rui to just up and leave. The way he acted as if she were nothing, clearly unwilling to get any more involved with her, instantly infuriated her.
"Damn bastard! I refuse to believe you won’t come begging for my help. This isn’t your home turf, you know."
Mo Ling’Er huffed, following Zhao Rui from a distance but not getting too close, just waiting to watch him make a fool of himself.
In the vast, boundless sea, giant beasts would occasionally leap from the depths, snatching enormous birds from the sky in a single bite before dragging them beneath the waves.
It had the feel of a prehistoric, Jurassic world, but these behemoths were far larger and more fantastical than any dinosaur.
Zhao Rui landed cautiously on a massive green tree. It somewhat resembled a coconut palm, with plump, round fruits hanging from its branches.
Zhao Rui scanned his surroundings. The island was at least as large as Lin City, stretching out as far as the eye could see.
The island was densely packed with all kinds of trees, from towering giants that blotted out the sun to strange, dandelion-like plants that floated on the breeze.
"That damn woman!"
The person Zhao Rui hated most right now was Mo Ling’Er. Damn it, he’d been enjoying a perfectly good life in the city, and she had to drag him into this primeval forest.
No peanuts, no beer, no stir-fries, no...
’Hmm, there should be barbecue, though.’
Zhao Rui looked up at the distant silhouettes of the giant beasts, and the corners of his mouth began to water.
’The only question is, can I take them down?’
Zhao Rui looked at the fruits beneath him. With a point of his finger, he sent a blast of energy that pierced one of them clean through.
A viscous liquid, mixed with several hard pits, immediately began to ooze out.
It looked a bit like a dragon fruit that had turned to snot.
Zhao Rui felt a wave of revulsion.
’And I thought it was some kind of coconut.’
Just as Zhao Rui was about to leap to another spot to inspect other trees, a small beast that had been lingering below suddenly jumped up, opened its wide mouth, and began to lap up the oozing liquid.
As the small beast drank the liquid, its tiny eyes began to glow.
It was as if it were drinking some kind of divine nectar.
’Could it be... that it’s actually delicious?’
Zhao Rui hesitated for a moment, but one more look at the snot-like substance was enough for him to resist the impulse to try it.
He turned and leaped away, beginning to run swiftly across the tree trunks.
Along the way, various Exotic Beasts attacked him, but none were particularly large; the biggest was only about the size of an elephant from his past life.
He dispatched them easily with a strike of his palm.
The corpses of these Exotic Beasts were quickly devoured by others, leaving nothing behind.
The chaotic jungle and the desolate, uninhabited environment made Zhao Rui’s heart sink.
He wasn’t afraid of facing a forest of powerful enemies. He wouldn’t even be afraid of walking right into the stronghold of the Gui Xu people.
If it came to a fight, he would give it his all. Whether he lived or died would depend entirely on his own abilities.
What he feared most was this kind of desolate, primitive wilderness.
’Am I going to have to spend the rest of my life living with these beasts?’
’Am I supposed to end up like Xiaoyin, messing around with lizards all day?’
