Bai Yue Ling was level 19, Shi Qianla was level 40, and facing a terrifying level 50 enemy, they likely had no chance of winning.
The gap between level 40 and 50 might seem like just 10 levels, but it was actually far greater than the gap between level 20 and 40.
“Shi Qianla.”
“What?”
“She’s coming for me. I know you want to protect me, but you can’t beat her,” Bai Yue Ling whispered. “Listen, transform into a small animal and fly out to find Sistana. Only she can handle this one.”
Shi Qianla frowned, hugging her protectively. “What about you in the meantime?”
“Have you forgotten? I’m an Otherworld Traveler. Worst case, I get killed back to level 1,” Bai Yue Ling shrugged. “Compared to those insignificant levels… your safety is what matters most.”
As a player, she could respawn if she died.
But Shi Qianla was an NPC—death was permanent, and she couldn’t stay here.
Shi Qianla was silent for a moment, then gently held Bai Yue Ling’s small hand, saying earnestly, “Alright, but you have to promise me something…”
“What promise?”
“When we get back safe and sound, let me kiss you 100 times!”
“…Get lost already!”
As soon as she spoke, Shi Qianla’s form shifted instantly, transforming into a small bat and flying lightly toward the cave opening above.
At that moment, Jelly suddenly slipped out from the armor, abandoning Bai Yue Ling without hesitation. It morphed into a bat-like form as well, flapping its wings and fleeing.
This was a level 50 enemy, and Jelly had dreams of world conquest—it wasn’t about to stay and die.
“Hmph, trying to escape?”
The Leader of the Black-Clad Figures sneered, raising her guandao high, about to unleash a deadly blade arc aimed at Shi Qianla’s back!
But in the split second before she swung, she suddenly felt a daze, her expression glazing over. A dense wave of charm and sorrow flooded her mind, instantly overwhelming her.
Under this emotional influence, her blade arc lost its aim, crashing into a distant stone wall and shaking down a cascade of rubble.
Seizing the chance, Shi Qianla and Jelly swiftly darted out the cave opening, vanishing from sight.
The Leader of the Black-Clad Figures spun around, glaring at Bai Yue Ling with intense surprise in her eyes.
“Incredible… A mere level 19, and you can affect my mind?”
“Level 50 is a big deal, huh?” Bai Yue Ling twirled her Charm Wound Staff, her face full of mockery. “Whether it’s level 20 or 50, your mental defenses are like paper to me.”
“Is that so?”
The Leader sneered, flicking her guandao upward, unleashing a crescent-shaped blade arc.
Bai Yue Ling’s pupils shrank. By the time she reacted, her left arm had gone numb.
[You have gained the “Disabled” status. Can be removed with Advanced Health Potion, death and respawn, or leveling up.]
[You have gained the “Bleeding” status.]
[Your health has dropped to 50%.]
A wave of intense pain surged like a tide. Bai Yue Ling let out a muffled groan, her face pale.
Destiny World had no pain reduction feature. For an ordinary person, this kind of shock could knock them out.
But Bai Yue Ling could still fight.
“How did someone as weak as you defeat dozens of my subordinates in the Slime Nest?” the Leader said coldly. “Let me guess… Did you keep bombarding the walls with Holy Light Orbs, burying them alive in a cave collapse?”
Bai Yue Ling smirked. “So what if I did?”
The Leader replied indifferently, “You won’t get that chance this time.”
As soon as she spoke, she swung again. Bai Yue Ling instinctively raised her Charm Wound Staff with her right hand to block, but a horrific gash still tore across her chest.
[Your equipment “Charm Wound Staff” has been damaged.]
[Your health has dropped to 25%.]
Looking at the Charm Wound Staff split in two, Bai Yue Ling hurriedly grabbed the Charm Gem gifted by Luoluo Yue, clutching it tightly and stashing it in her inventory.
Equipment could be replaced, but the “love token” from that silly Succubus absolutely couldn’t be lost.
“Priest Hero, you’ve caused our organization a lot of trouble. For that lousy crown, how many of my subordinates died at your hands… About 30, was it?”
The Leader dragged her long guandao, scraping sparks along the ground like the scythe of the Grim Reaper.
“Any one of them was far higher-leveled than you, yet without exception, they all died by your hand. Maybe you have some unique ability to repeatedly escape danger, but this time, I won’t let you keep growing.”
“Growing? I’m not getting any taller,” Bai Yue Ling retorted with a sneer. “I’d like to ask you—what’s your goal in collecting that crown?”
“You don’t get to ask questions,” the Leader sneered viciously. “Hahaha! All you can do is be tortured back to level 1, sliced up until your soul twists and breaks!”
In Destiny World, there were rare cases of players driven to mental collapse by NPCs.
Most were restrained by special NPC items that blocked logout, then tortured back to level 1 with brutal methods until the system forcibly disconnected them due to unbearable mental strain.
Even with prompt hospital treatment, they were left with horrific psychological scars, etched deep into their souls.
If Bai Yue Ling fell into the Leader’s hands, that’d likely be her fate.
Yet, at this moment, Bai Yue Ling showed no fear, advancing instead of retreating.
“Heh, I’ve seen too many weaklings like you who just talk tough.”
Bai Yue Ling stepped right up to the Leader, raising her middle finger with her remaining right hand in mockery.
After the gesture, her body leaned back slightly, as if about to fall into the canyon.
The Leader didn’t stop her, merely pulling out an Otherworld Soul Sealing Stone, her face dripping with scorn.
“Trying to suicide back to town? Don’t dream. You think I’d make such a basic mistake?”
With the Otherworld Soul Sealing Stone, no matter how Bai Yue Ling died, she’d respawn near the black-clad figures.
Bai Yue Ling’s lips curved into a mocking smile.
“I love seeing self-righteous weaklings like you show that shocked expression.”
With that, she spread her arms and plummeted rapidly into the canyon.
The Leader walked to the canyon’s edge, coldly watching Bai Yue Ling vanish into the darkness.
“Fool. You think you can survive jumping down there?”
To her, the canyon was steeped in dense pollution aura, undoubtedly the source.
A level 19 Priest jumping in rashly would either die from the fall or succumb to the overwhelming pollution.
So the Leader waited calmly, expecting Bai Yue Ling to turn into white light and reappear beside her, face full of shock.
But half a minute passed, and nothing happened.
“…Let’s wait a bit. Maybe the canyon’s too deep.”
One minute later, two minutes, three minutes…
The Leader stared into the bottomless canyon, her face growing extremely grim.
“How… is this possible…?”
And then, she recalled what Bai Yue Ling said before falling—
I love seeing self-righteous people like you show that shocked expression.