Doing this was tantamount to suicide. For an ordinary Heavenly Demon, one careless move would result in complete annihilation.
Even though she was the Heavenly Demon leader with exquisite control over soul power, her tiny body now appeared unsteady, almost unable to maintain physical form, frequently dispersing into a cloud of red mist.
The color of that mist was only faintly red, nowhere near as vibrant as the previous crimson glow, clearly showing how severely this action had damaged her.
Having witnessed all this, even though Feng Miaojun stood on humanity’s side, she couldn’t help but give a thumbs up and exclaim: “Remarkable!”
Soul cultivation was far more difficult than physical cultivation. This Heavenly Demon leader must have endured countless hardships to reach the pinnacle of this unique race, yet now she was willing to sacrifice everything she possessed for her people’s freedom!
What makes a hero?
In times of national peril, a hero isn’t just the one who ultimately turns the tide. Willingly sacrificing everything for the benefit of others, facing fear and the unknown—that is the true essence of this great title.
The girl staggered forward two steps. Nearby Heavenly Demons moved to support her, but she waved them away: “Not necessary!”
At this moment, the situation at Yingshui City’s South Gate suddenly changed.
A eunuch arrived with a large contingent of soldiers and engaged in conversation with the Prime Minister’s young master. Both appeared somewhat arrogant as if neither intended to yield to the other.
“Not good! This eunuch is Hao Minghuan’s lackey, surely coming to inspect the barrier,” someone remarked.
“Not necessarily,” the Heavenly Demon leader’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Who knows if this might be a blessing in disguise?”
She turned to face all her tribespeople, speaking aloud, each word distinct: “I hereby swear with my very being. If I can escape alive today, I will lead you all back to the mortal realm in the future. The Haoli Empire is faithless and untrustworthy—I will make it shatter into pieces and ensure the Hao family’s kingdom never sees unification again.”
Her childish voice somehow carried an unmatched ruthlessness, echoing throughout this space: “If I break this oath, may I be scattered to dust and smoke!”
The surrounding Heavenly Demons all knelt.
Feng Miaojun, however, remained standing. The Heavenly Demon leader’s gaze swept across, seemingly looking straight at her.
That gaze was profound, carrying endless meaning.
She suddenly clutched her chest. What was this involuntary trembling from the depths of her soul?
A faint smile appeared at the corners of the Heavenly Demon leader’s lips, then vanished. She suddenly pointed her hand toward the northeast. While others didn’t understand her meaning, she had already withdrawn her gaze, focusing on the commotion at the South Gate below: “The timing is perfect—”
Feng Miaojun watched as the eunuch at the South Gate suddenly swung his sword, beheading the Prime Minister’s son!
The military officer, who had been dividing his attention to monitor the city gate formation, was now stunned and speechless. He and his soldiers stood frozen like wooden chickens—who would spare even a glance toward the city gate now?
Almost simultaneously, the red rhinoceros rammed into the symbol with unprecedented force!
“BOOM—”
The impact created an effect like a comet striking a continent. The entire barrier shook violently, and the red rhinoceros could no longer maintain its form, exploding into red mist with a bang.
The center of the symbol collapsed slightly.
It was only the size of a sesame seed. Had Feng Miaojun not been staring intently at it, she might have missed it entirely.
The Heavenly Demon leader wouldn’t miss this opportunity created by her entire tribe’s desperate effort. As soon as the crack appeared, she pressed the ring in her hand into it!
With a “crack,” the soul-power ring wedged itself in, instantly expanding the fissure. The barrier, as if alive, desperately tried to contract but was firmly held open by the ring.
This was the Heavenly Demon leader’s entire cultivation power opposing the divine force attached to the barrier.
Its owner naturally wouldn’t waste such an opportunity. Transforming into a wisp of smoke, she slipped through cleanly and decisively.
No sooner had her figure disappeared than another Heavenly Demon followed suit, also condensing into red smoke and trying to squeeze through. Others were greatly alarmed: “Are you mad?!”
Its addition would likely make the already unstable fissure even more unpredictable.
Indeed, this wisp of red smoke had barely squeezed halfway through when it was bounced back, causing the entire barrier to tremble. Other Heavenly Demons forcibly pulled it back, only to discover that the symbol had already shattered.
Even though this Heavenly Demon was weak, it was still too powerful for the tiny hole in the symbol—just as an elephant cannot pass through the gaps in a fishing net, ordinary Heavenly Demons couldn’t squeeze through here. Their control over power was far inferior to their leader’s.
Feng Miaojun clenched her fists.
She knew what the Heavenly Demon leader would face next. The passage hadn’t truly opened; the space within the crack was the chaotic flux between the barriers of two realms. Even if an immortal entered, the worst outcome would be being crushed to powder, and the most likely result was losing direction and wandering forever. Even with her soul power intact, the Heavenly Demon leader would face immense dangers, let alone now when she was merely a lone soul.
But Feng Miaojun already knew the outcome of this event—she had successfully passed through the crack.
Sure enough, within a few breaths, a copper talisman on Yingshui City’s South Gate stirred without wind, and then a soul so faint it was barely visible to the naked eye emerged, quickly disappearing into the darkness along the wall corner.
Although its soul body was even dimmer than before, clearly having suffered enormous losses while passing through the barrier, it had successfully made it through.
At this moment, the crowd at the city gate was still immersed in the shocking scene of the eunuch killing the Prime Minister’s son. They remained in shock for a long time and naturally didn’t witness this event.
The Heavenly Demons outside the South Gate involuntarily cheered, then materialized and prostrated themselves in the direction their leader had departed.
They had deep respect and admiration for their tribal leader, never doubting her.
Before she could reflect deeply, a brilliant green light suddenly burst forth from above, spreading across the entire barrier in an instant.
For the first time, she discovered that green light could be so dazzling, forcing her to close her eyes, unable to look directly at it.
However, in the instant before closing her eyes, Feng Miaojun noticed a red light falling toward the northeast.
Suddenly, everything became quiet.
She slowly opened her eyes to find nothing around her.
The Heavenly Demons had vanished. The sky above Yingshui City was completely clear and empty, leaving her all alone.
She stood in place, softly letting out a long breath.
So this was the truth behind the Heavenly Demons’ attack on the city years ago, somehow preserved in this mysterious space-time.
A thought suddenly struck Feng Miaojun: Was the beheading of the Prime Minister’s son an accident, or intentionally arranged by the Heavenly Demon leader?
Perhaps this mystery would never be solved.
She bent down and reached out her hand to touch the barrier. It was still there, but both the symbol inscribed by the Heavenly Demon leader and the blood-colored ring had disappeared. The Heavenly Demons had used their entire tribe’s strength to tear just a tiny opening in the barrier; once the task was complete and they stopped channeling soul power, the barrier automatically repaired itself.
The Heavenly Demons were aware of this point; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been certain that once she failed, she could never return.