Wang Zhu didn't answer. Her grip tightened around her sword.
The woman sighed.
"I expected as much."
With a flick of her wrist, translucent threads shimmered into existence, weaving through the warehouse like an intricate web.
Wang Zhu's eyes narrowed.
Binding Magic.
The same kind that had controlled those young demon.
The woman tilted her head, the threads pulsing faintly as they tightened like a noose.
"Shall we dance, then?"
Wang Zhu didn't hesitate. In the blink of an eye, she lunged forward, blade flashing—but before their weapons could clash, she slipped a signal flare from her sleeve and pressed it.
A burst of crimson fire shot into the sky like fireworks.
The woman's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Oh, I love it," she whispered, laughter bubbling to the surface.
She laugh like a maniac.
The woman's laughter echoed through the place, a sharp contrast to the suffocating silence that followed.
Wang Zhu kept her blade raised, her stance firm, but she could feel the invisible threads tightening around her like unseen chains.
The signal flare had been her best chance at drawing backup. Now, all she had to do was hold her ground until reinforcements arrived.
The woman's silver robes fluttered as she raised a hand, fingers curling like a puppeteer tugging on unseen strings. In response, the threads woven throughout the warehouse shimmered faintly, shifting as if alive.
Wang Zhu barely had a moment to react before the second attack came.
A dozen razor-thin strands lashed toward her like whips, slicing through the air with lethal precision.
She twisted mid-air to evade them, but one managed to graze her cheek, leaving a shallow cut that stung more than it should have.
Poisoned? No, something worse.
Her limbs felt heavier, her movements sluggish. The woman chuckled knowingly.
"You're quick," she mused, eyes gleaming behind her mask.
"But you won't last long. My threads don't just cut, they drain."
Wang Zhu clenched her jaw, forcing her body to move despite the numbing sensation creeping through her veins. She couldn't afford to hesitate.
Not with an enemy who clearly enjoyed toying with her prey.
With a sudden burst of speed, she surged forward, feinting left before slashing right, aiming for the woman's exposed side.
But the silver-robed figure barely shifted, her fingers twitching just slightly, just enough for her threads to weave into a near-invisible shield.
Wang Zhu's sword clashed against the barrier, sparks flying, but she was already moving again, pivoting to strike from another angle.
The woman's amusement only grew.
"Oh, this is fun."
Wang Zhu ignored the taunts. She needed to find an opening-
A sudden, sharp tug at her wrist.
She glanced down and internally cursed, realizing too late that a single thread had coiled around her arm like a snake.
Before she could cut it loose, it yanked her backward with inhuman strength, slamming her against a wooden crate.
The impact rattled her bones, but she rolled away, quickly returning to Zui's side before another strike could land.
Damn it.
She gritted her teeth. She couldn't keep this up much longer. The threads were everywhere, limiting her movement, and the longer she fought, the more they drained her strength.
The woman took a slow step forward, tilting her head.
"You're holding back. Why?"
Wang Zhu's breath was ragged, but her glare remained steady.
"You reek. My sword is too precious to be tainted by your filth."
A delighted laugh spilled from the woman's lips.
"Bold words from someone trapped."
Then the threads tightened all at once, aiming to ensnare her completely.
A whistle sliced through the air.
In the next instant, the threads recoiled violently, severed mid-motion by a streak of steel.
A dagger embedded itself in the wooden crate beside Wang Zhu, humming with residual energy.
The woman's expression darkened.
"Tch!"
A figure landed on the warehouse rafters above, crouched like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"Didn't anyone teach you not to pick on someone outnumbered?" a man voice drawled.
Wang Zhu exhaled sharply, relief flickering in her gaze. Reinforcements had arrived.
The woman clicked her tongue, her amusement finally waning.
"I see. So the Mowei Sect finally decides to show itself."
A second figure joined the first, stepping into the sunlight, the unmistakable insignia of the Mowei Sect embroidered on their sky-blue robes.
"I don't believe someone as low as you is worthy of speaking our sect's name," the second disciple spoke, his voice steady but firm.
Seeing them occupied, Wang Zhu didn't waste any more time. She carried Zui into her arms once again and mouthed something before they slowly shimmered out and vanished.
The woman noticed too late. She lunged forward, but they were already gone.
"Cursed it!" She spun on her heel, ready to give chase, but the two Mowei Sect disciples moved like shadows, cutting off her path.
Their strikes came swift and precise, forcing her to parry and step back. The air between them crackled with tension.
"Not so fast," one of them said.
"We haven't even started. Why so eager to capture those two? What do they have that's so valuable?"
The woman tilted her head, as if weighing his words. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, she raised her hand once more. The threads around the warehouse trembled, vibrating with energy.
"You want to know?" Her voice dropped to a whisper, a sly smile curving beneath her mask.
"Why not find out for yourselves?"
Then, in a blur of motion, she darted upward, vanishing into the air.
The two Mowei Sect disciples exchanged a glance before launching into pursuit, their expressions tinged with amusement as they disappeared into the wind after her.
Zui was jolted awake by the sensation of a cool droplet landing on his face. Instinctively, he wiped it away with his left hand.
Then, as if a switch had been flipped in his mind, the memory of what had happened struck him-Wang Zhu had smacked him on the neck.
His body tensed. His heart pounded as he shot up, his eyes darting around in search of her presence.
But there was no one.
Instead, his gaze fell upon a place unlike anything he had ever seen.
The flowers shimmered, releasing a silver-white dust that glowed softly in the air.
The grass beneath him swayed as if caressed by an unseen breeze, its ethereal glow unnatural yet mesmerizing.
And above him loomed a massive tree, its roots sprawling across the ground like ancient veins.
This place... it didn't feel real.
"Where am I...? Don't tell me that woman actually killed me, and I ended up-eei!"
A sudden clap of thunder boomed behind him, making him jolt in surprise.
He turned sharply, and about twenty steps away, he saw what appeared to be an ocean. But something was off.
The waves crashed violently, restless and chaotic, as if the sea itself was enraged. Above it, the sky churned with dark clouds, rain pouring down in a furious storm.
Yet, strangely, the tempest remained confined to that one spot. The clouds did not drift, and the rain did not spread.
Where he stood, the ground remained dry, bathed in an almost unnatural light.
His stomach twisted.
What is this place?