"Cough, cough, cough—"

Pharmacist’s Wish fell from the wall and vomited out crimson blood with a whimper. She had never suffered such severe injuries in her life; it felt less like being punched and more like being struck by an armored cavalry charged to the limit!

Though she knew Helan Jade possessed great strength, it still surpassed her expectations—the barrier of the Bright King Armor shattered instantly. If she weren’t wearing the Vajra Armor, which equaled second-turn defense strength, she feared she would completely lose her ability to fight!

She probably broke one or two ribs; only after consuming two Blood Replenishing Pills did she barely manage to breathe again. Coming to her senses, she felt a wave of dread; she had actually fought against Helan Jade for so long, bragging to her sister, yet Helan Jade almost killed her barehanded.

But as soon as she regained her ability to move, Pharmacist’s Wish immediately gripped the Soul-Breaking Spear, ready to step back onto the battlefield. She knew well she had no real qualification to survive on this battlefield; the only correct choice was to turn around and hope for a miracle.

Even if she was blessed with the abilities of the Third-Turn Messenger of the Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends and could stand alongside the three Great Guardians, she remained feeble as a young wolf compared to the monsters of the Helan Family, at most causing them minor troubles. The main players on this battlefield were the Fake Foundation Establishment Helan Family on one side and the Rabbit Heroine wielding the Calamity on the other; everyone else was but insignificant extras.

Calamity... A shadow crossed Pharmacist’s Wish’s face.

Despite having predicted this outcome, seeing the Rabbit Heroine wield the Seven-Step Chant and Seven-Star Sword through the crowd, mowing them down relentlessly, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of worry.

Just knowing she could forever destroy Secret Realms, it was clear how fearful the family military towns were of the Heir of Calamity. Even if they escaped alive, Pharmacist’s Wish had no idea where to take the Rabbit Heroine unless she was captured or killed; her wanted status would appear everywhere throughout the Three Kingdoms of Central Plains, even the Thief’s House couldn’t compare.

Moreover, her strength had fallen behind the Rabbit Heroine; staying with her would only hinder her further, as previously the Helan Family sought to capture her to threaten the Rabbit Heroine. Pharmacist’s Wish, accustomed to others using her maid as leverage, had never thought she herself would one day be taken hostage.

She could no longer protect the Rabbit Heroine; the only person who might be able to protect her was the brother the Rabbit Heroine often mentioned, Yellow Dog from the Thief’s House.

Pharmacist’s Wish hadn’t changed her opinion of Yellow Dog—heartless, cruel, selfish—sending the Rabbit Heroine miles away to the Demon Path Evil Land for Si Wuxie’s legacy. But when the Rabbit Heroine drew out Bingzi Pepper Forest, she felt she had lost, utterly lost.

Not in terms of strength, but as a sister, the Black Wolf lost to the brother, Yellow Dog.

Yellow Dog dared to lend the Legendary Long Saber Bingzi Pepper Forest to the Rabbit Heroine, aiding her in killing Helan Xun and pursuing Helan Jade, hewing a path out of certain death.

And what had she done? Bathing with her sister, braiding her sister’s hair, tackling Secret Realms with her sister... Yet the one who paid the most inside the Secret Realm was her sister, while she, the elder sister, reaped the most rewards... Always talking about the future, yet she was unworthy of sharing the future with her sister, simply becoming a burden.

In vain, she considered Yellow Dog a degenerate brother, yet she was lesser even than him.

Why then would she back down? She had two lives left—one to repay the Rabbit Heroine’s kindness and the other for a cause that would leave her without regrets; protecting her sister aligned perfectly with both.

Perhaps her sister would want her to save herself? Yet, alas, she couldn’t do it.

Foolishness, recklessness—it was but Pharmacist’s Wish’s pride. To tarnish this pride would mean the end of Pharmacist’s Wish’s very being.

Behind her, came the sound of a wooden stick striking the ground; Pharmacist’s Wish turned to see Beiyou supporting himself with a stick.

Dragging an injured leg, with sweat collecting on his forehead with every step, this Great Guardian had been out of play from the start; whichever way the battle swung, he was but a lamb to the slaughter, unable even to flee. Yet at this moment, a joyful smile spread across his face, as though an eager disabled farmer attending a free performance. Pharmacist’s Wish remembered the Rabbit Heroine calling Beiyou a ’pleasure-seeker,’ and seeing him now, felt the description was spot on.

"Oh, no need to help, almost there." Beiyou waved his hand dismissively, causing Pharmacist’s Wish a slight irritance—she hadn’t intended to help him anyway.

Returning to the open space before the stronghold, Pharmacist’s Wish realized the battle was over; Helan Jade’s headless corpse lay five steps from the stronghold entrance, a mere step for a Third-Turn Messenger.

Helan Jade, dead!

And he perished before his Foundation Establishment Ancestor!

Chased down the entire road, slaughtered like a dog at the end!

Only then did Pharmacist’s Wish grasp the gravity of the terrifying act they’d committed, certain to earn the wrath of Foundation Establishment Zhenren! She shifted her gaze, looking toward the white-haired guest at the stronghold entrance.

Previously, Pharmacist’s Wish had been focused solely on Helan Jade, paying little attention to the Winter Hunting Zhenren at the stronghold entrance. Now, as she looked over, Winter Hunting Zhenren returned her gaze briefly, leaving her breathless, her mind blank, unable to shake the suffocating terror even after averting her eyes.

Though separated by the Taiyin Huagai and a great distance, Pharmacist’s Wish felt Winter Hunting Zhenren need only reach out to crush her, offering no escape—for her, death seemed inevitable! It was like a lone wolf facing a cavalry wall-charge on the prairie; not merely a calamity, it was an insurmountable catastrophe of despair!

What filled Pharmacist’s Wish with even greater fear was that the Rabbit Heroine was searching bodies.

She was crouching five steps away from Winter Hunting Zhenren, searching Helan Jade’s corpse!

She not only killed members of the Helan Family in front of a Foundation Establishment Zhenren but also searched the body right under his nose!

For a moment, Pharmacist’s Wish was speechless. She didn’t know if the Rabbit Heroine was trying to provoke Winter Hunting Zhenren or if she simply refused to waste any spoils of war. She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly turned and ran back to the rear of the mountain stronghold.

"Hahaha!"

Beiyou burst into laughter, tears almost streaming down his face, but then he let out a sharp gasp of pain, pulling at his injured leg. Supporting himself with a wooden stick, he laughed painfully and said to Winter Hunting Zhenren, "A little girl, a Third-Turn little girl, actually kills your clansmen right in front of you, a Foundation Establishment Zhenren, and there’s nothing you can do but watch her loot the bodies. Ah, I can’t take it, I’ve laughed myself into leg pain, no one would believe it if I told them. Helan Shou, you’re competing with Liang Kingdom’s Prison-Suppressing Thunder King for the most disgraceful Foundation Establishment of our time."

Winter Hunting Zhenren wasn’t angered but instead looked at Beiyou with curiosity, "Do you know me?"

The name Helan Shou isn’t something ordinary people would know, and Foundation Establishment information is understood only by a select few among the elite. Common Third-Turns might never see a Foundation Establishment in their lifetime. To know the title of Winter Hunting Zhenren is already quite a feat of knowledge and insight. How does a homeless, stateless Demon Path Third-Turn like Beiyou have such Foundation Establishment insights?

"I once drank with the Helan Family and chatted a bit." Beiyou casually replied, then turned and shouted, "Blood Phase, can’t you see here? Come give me a hand!"

Blood Phase mysteriously appeared in front of Beiyou and kicked away the wooden stick Beiyou was using for support, watching him fall hard to the ground before hiding back behind a rock, avoiding the gaze of the Foundation Establishment Zhenren, a prime example of self-deception.

Beiyou didn’t mind, sitting on the ground and looking at Winter Hunting Zhenren with a smile, "You’re underestimating them too much."

He somehow struck up a conversation with Winter Hunting Zhenren as if he were unaffected by the intimidation of the Foundation Establishment Powerhouse. Surprisingly, Winter Hunting Zhenren replied, "The Heir of Calamity from Si Wuxie, a bit unexpected."

"That’s boring. Are you saying, Winter Hunting Zhenren, that your defeat is more due to the arrangement of another Foundation Establishment Messenger and has little to do with them?" Beiyou shook his head, "But grasping power and daring to use it are two different things. Before today, would you have imagined someone daring to kill your hunting dog right in front of you? Blood almost splattered on you."

He glanced at the Rabbit Heroine removing the Helan Jade Boots, his lips twitching, "Even turning her back to loot your clansmen’s bodies. Seeing such brave young people makes me feel old."

Winter Hunting Zhenren looked at the Rabbit Heroine’s swaying braided hair. Even though his face was expressionless, his hands behind his back clenched into fists. If the Rabbit Heroine jeered at him, questioned him, cursed him, or mocked him like Beiyou, Winter Hunting Zhenren wouldn’t have cared.

A small animal loudly yelling at a hunter only masks its inner fear. Winter Hunting Zhenren saw that Beiyou was very afraid, so he acted ostentatiously, as if by pretending to be fearless, he could truly be fearless.

But the Rabbit Heroine said nothing.

She merely glanced at him before turning to search the body, as if, in her eyes, the Foundation Establishment Messenger was nothing to be concerned with, not worth wasting a bit of effort on, and instead, looting the spoils was more practical.

Silence is the greatest contempt.

Prajna had previously mentioned in intelligence reports that the Rabbit Heroine might have a Foundation Establishment background, which Winter Hunting Zhenren didn’t believe. There are only so many Foundation Establishments in the Three Central Plains Kingdoms; where could they hide? But now, he was gradually leaning toward that suspicion.

Only by relying on a Foundation Establishment would one not fear a Foundation Establishment.

Winter Hunting Zhenren could even see a hint of disdain in her eyes, as if, in her view, he was merely a tombstone she could soon surpass. And she indeed had the qualifications; so young and already at the Third-Turn and an Heir of Calamity, once she reached Foundation Establishment, who in the world could stop her? As he pondered this, a hint of killing intent appeared in his eyes.

Beiyou’s smiling face instantly changed, and he said to the Rabbit Heroine, "Star Rain Heroine, you better start running."

"Uncle, you should take care of yourself first."

The Rabbit Heroine seemed to revert to her cheeky self, only standing up after taking the last token from Helan Jade. At this moment, Pharmacist’s Wish hurriedly returned from the rear of the stronghold, carrying several tokens, which she directly handed to the Rabbit Heroine, "Your spoils."

"Oh!" The Rabbit Heroine took all the tokens, "I’ll split it with you after selling them—oh right, there are still lots of Demonic Messengers’ bodies over there—"

"Watch out!"

Pharmacist’s Wish suddenly grabbed the Rabbit Heroine and shielded her with her own body. Outside the Taiyin Huagai, Winter Hunting Zhenren had pulled out a Withered Wood Longbow, and his fingers were drawing the bowstring!

The sound of the bowstring tightening was like a rope around their throats, tightening little by little!