Huyan and Ruan Yu didn't seem to hear the system's voice. Their attention was still on how to get Dongli out of Taiping Mountain Path.
Jiang Kai hesitated inside.
The firelight beasts suddenly getting stronger was most likely related to his profession. He just didn't expect his Heaven's Punishment attribute would actually affect the strength of the Lord of Guardians.
Could it be that the Heaven's Punishment trait not only affects him, but also the faction he belongs to?
Jiang Kai hesitated for a moment and didn't tell Huyan and the others about this.
The Lord of Guardians' hunt had already begun. It was too late to notify the military. All Jiang Kai's group could do was wait in place until the right moment.
About two hours later, Dongli said quietly, "The Lord of Guardians has already used the first map descent."
Jiang Kai asked, "Can you sense the situation over there?"
Dongli shook her head. "I am the map boss of Taiping Mountain Path, which also falls under the Lord of Guardians' jurisdiction. When it uses certain skills, we can sense it."
"But I can't accurately know its current battle situation."
Jiang Kai nodded, then asked, "If it launches a beast tide, will you have to join in too?"
"Beast tides also have tiers. At the current stage, map bosses don't participate in beast tides."
Jiang Kai thought for a moment and said, "If the map bosses of every area joined the beast tide attack, Huaxia definitely wouldn't be able to hold."
Huyan said, "Yeah, so the God of War's side has to finish the hunt within a certain time. If they really can't make it, they have to abandon the fight and willingly die in battle. Even if the Lord of Guardians retakes some territory, they must avoid letting it activate a higher level beast tide."
Ruan Yu said, "For battles involving the Lord of Guardians, the military always makes full preparations. Now that we all have the National Soul state, it shouldn't be too much of an issue."
Jiang Kai sighed inside. He hadn't worried before, but now that the boss suddenly has a fifth phase, he couldn't help feeling concerned about the final outcome.
Eight hours later, Dongli suddenly said, "All three map descents have been used!"
The three immediately tensed up.
"Get ready to break out!" Jiang Kai stood up. "Ruan Yu, I open the path, you cover the rear. Huyan, stay beside your wife!"
The three of them and Dongli followed Jiang Kai's arrangement and immediately lined up, rushing toward the edge of the map.
Ruan Yu held his wine jug, but since he still didn't know what awaited them, staying rational might be more important than strength.
The little guy stood on Jiang Kai's shoulder, one claw gripping his collar. Its expression was tense, as if it sensed the team was attempting something dangerous.
Jiang Kai led them closer and closer to the boundary. So far, they hadn't encountered any barrier.
The group hadn't faced any threats yet.
Before long, Jiang Kai had already crossed out of the Taiping Mountain Path map. Behind him, Huyan and Dongli followed closely. Huyan stepped out first, Dongli right beside him.
Just then, suddenly, a bolt of thunder exploded above their heads. The roar shook everything around them.
Pa!
Right after that, a semi-transparent light curtain fell from the sky like a waterfall, crashing down between Jiang Kai and Huyan.
The moment the curtain descended, Huyan, who was closest to Dongli, was struck by an immense force and sent flying out of the curtain's range!
Out of the four, Jiang Kai and Ruan Yu weren't hit by the curtain. Ruan Yu was thrown out of its range, and only Dongli remained inside it.
Now the light curtain carried a fierce power, violently crashing against Dongli's body.
A deep and majestic voice exploded across the sky.
"Fox demon, you have abandoned your post without permission. Do you admit your crime?"
Dongli was continuously battered by the curtain. And inside it seemed to be some kind of gravity that prevented her from escaping. She could only endure the tremendous impact.
Inside the curtain, Dongli's breathtaking face showed hints of fox characteristics. Her eyes were blood-red. Her expression was feral. She roared at the sky, "Right now I refuse to accept fate. What did I do wrong!"
The voice rumbled, "Indeed, you've already gained some nascent soul and developed your own will."
"Now I offer you two choices. One, abandon part of your nascent soul. You will lose ten years of memories and return to how you used to be. You will also return to Taiping Mountain Path and continue fulfilling your duties. If you choose this, I can spare your life."
"If you insist on defying destiny, this barrier will be your grave. You will be reduced to ashes, your soul scattered forever!"
Huyan climbed up from the ground. The damage he took earlier had heavily injured him.
Even Dongli probably hadn't expected the Ghost Star Barrier to be this strong. Someone as powerful as a map boss had absolutely no ability to resist inside it.
In this situation, could they still help her escape?
Huyan couldn't care about his injuries at all. He looked at Dongli, shaken.
Even he didn't know which option he hoped she would choose.
The first. Dongli would still have a chance to live. At least she wouldn't die now. But losing that part of her nascent soul meant she would forget all her memories with him.
The second. She would keep her memories, but she would almost certainly die inside the barrier.
"Dongli…"
Jiang Kai also looked at her anxiously. What would she choose?
Dongli's body was bent slightly under the pressure of the curtain. She looked at Huyan with that half-fox face. A trace of tenderness flashed through her, but then her gaze sharpened again.
"A way to live? What kind of life is that? Just breathing like a walking corpse? Unable to feel love, unable to feel the meaning of being alive. What's the point of that kind of life?"
"A life without my husband, I don't want it!"
"If I had remained ignorant forever, maybe I would have stayed here until I was hunted down. But now that I can see everything clearly, I refuse to accept such a fate!"
"You want me to choose, so I'll tell you now. Even if I am shattered to pieces and my soul is scattered, I will never look back!"
That booming voice burst forth again, furious. "This is your choice. Then perish here!"
The brightness of the sky suddenly intensified. A beam of light several times stronger than before plummeted from thousands of meters above.
Dongli let out a heart-tearing scream. Her entire face had fully turned into a white fox. Her body was also reverting into white fox features.
Seeing this, Huyan's blood-red eyes widened. "Dongli, hold on, I'm coming!"
But the moment he got near the curtain, he was blasted back again.
"Dongli!"
Dongli strained to lift her head and look at him, her eyes softening. "Husband, I'm sorry. Looks like I can't stay with you any longer… Meeting you, Dongli has no regrets in this life…"
"No!" Huyan's roar ripped from his chest.
"Old Hu, don't lose control!" Jiang Kai's brows were locked tight as he stared at the curtain.
"Captain Kai, save Dongli!" Huyan shouted.
Jiang Kai's mind raced. He hadn't expected the barrier to be this overwhelming. Someone as strong as Dongli might not hold out much longer.
"Try attacking the curtain!" Jiang Kai said urgently.
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