At this moment, the Woman in Black was cursing internally.
Her name was Jiang Qingning, and she had come to Muyun City this time solely to investigate the rumored Celestial Phenomenon. She just hadn't expected to be so unlucky. To think that in such a remote place, she would encounter the woman rumored to be the strongest from over 20 years ago—the Sword Immortal, Frost Sword Fairy.
At first, she had luckily assumed that the other party was just some powerful Ability User. But the bone-chilling cold radiating from her body made even the air freeze; that otherworldly, aloof temperament was like a fairy fallen from the nine heavens, untainted by the mortal world; and that ice-blue sword, like ice congealed in a cold pool, had a faint, ghostly blue light flowing along its blade.
Everything matched the rumors perfectly. Most importantly, her terrifying strength was the best proof. As a First-Level Esper and Dark Strength Martial Artist, Jiang Qingning might not be top-tier in direct combat, but her survival skills were absolutely second to none.
The 'Shadow' Supernatural Ability combined with the movement techniques she had learned over the years complemented each other. They allowed her to be invincible in assassination and even retreat unscathed. But in front of this woman, her prized Supernatural Ability and movement techniques were like a clay ox entering the sea; every dodge was predicted, every counterattack was neutralized. That feeling of being absolutely suppressed made her taste despair for the first time.
Ever since Frost Sword Fairy unfolded this eerie barrier, Jiang Qingning would "die" several times in less than a minute. Her initial plan to try and test her strength directly turned into a desperate need to escape.
"Damn it! If it weren't for this accursed barrier, I would have already run away."
She cursed through gritted teeth in her heart, calling herself extremely unlucky. This "Sword Immortal" who had inexplicably disappeared over twenty years ago had now appeared suddenly, as if it were a trap set specifically for her, as if fate were deliberately trying to crush all her luck.
However, very quickly, Jiang Qingning gritted her teeth and forced that despair back into the depths of her heart. A flash of resolute cold light flickered in her eyes, and she muttered to herself, "I haven't even avenged myself yet; how can I die here so miserably?"
At this moment, Acheron, who had been watching the whole scene from outside the barrier, scanned the events unfolding inside with indifference. After pondering for a moment, she finally let out a soft sigh. She glanced one last time at the Woman in Black, then slowly turned around.
With a sigh of regret, she said, "Good luck."
Although Acheron did not remember who the Woman in Black was, she knew they had met once in the past. But in the end, Acheron was not a passionate girl like Yunli. As someone who had stepped into countless worlds and traveled across the universe, Acheron might not be a person of great sin or evil, but she was not some benevolent Deliverer either.
In this situation, regardless of emotion or reason, she had no right to interfere. At most, she could only remain neutral. Acheron shook her head helplessly, preparing to leave. She had already confirmed what she wanted to know, so there was no need to stay any longer.
However, just as Acheron took a step out and the Frost Sword Fairy slashed out with her sword again, a tiny ray of white light abruptly shone within the barrier. But this tiny light instantly expanded rapidly toward the surroundings.
Whoosh!!!
The three people inside and outside the barrier, who had not reacted at all, were instantly engulfed by this light. The sudden turn of events came quickly and went just as fast. The white light vanished in the blink of an eye, and along with it, Acheron and the other two also disappeared simultaneously.
"Sis, look at this dress, it's so... Huh? Sis, where are you?"
"Holy crap! Bro, look in front, did someone just disappear into thin air a moment ago?!"
"Where? I wasn't paying attention, ask Third Brother... Huh? Where's Third Brother?"
...
On the seemingly normal street, a few passersby vaguely sensed something unusual around them. However, because their thoughts were too shocking, everyone just assumed it was their own illusion. After all, in broad daylight, how could a living person just disappear on the spot? Even if a ghost came, it would have to choose a different time to commit a crime.
"Hmm, where is this?"
Acheron stopped and looked around in confusion. She saw that the bustling, noisy commercial street from a moment ago had vanished without a trace in an instant. The surrounding environment had suddenly transformed into a quiet, wild forest.
This magical phenomenon left Acheron at a loss for a moment. However, after only a moment of surprise, Acheron regained her composure. She began to analyze the current situation methodically.
"Is this instantaneous teleportation, or has the surrounding environment changed?"
"There were no suspicious people nearby just now, which means this probably isn't man-made."
Because Acheron hadn't paid much attention just now, and hadn't sensed any danger, she just happened to be dragged into it.
"Since I'm here, I'll settle in; there will always be a way later," Acheron said softly.
And these words were not meant for Acheron herself, but for the few people in front of her. It turned out that Acheron was not the only one dragged into this strange situation. At this moment, several bewildered ordinary people were standing on the grass in front of Acheron.
Their eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment, clearly not yet having recovered from the sudden, massive change. Perhaps it was also because they didn't want to believe everything before them, adding a sense of absurd emptiness to that confusion.
Immediately after, as expected, the few finally woke up from the chaos, and a glimmer of light reignited in their eyes. However, when their gaze swept over the strange forest scene—towering ancient trees blocking out the sun, vines coiled like giant pythons, and the rustling sounds of unknown creatures coming from afar—fear flooded their reason like a tide.
They screamed, their voices echoing like a tear in the silent forest, as if trying to shatter this eerie reality completely.
"Where is this? Who are you all!"
"Wasn't I just shopping with my bestie? How did I suddenly end up here?"
"Am I still dreaming? Why would I suddenly appear in the wild for survival training in the middle of the day?"
"Who are you? Did you kidnap me here!"
When a person is walking peacefully down the street one day, only to suddenly find themselves in a strange wilderness surrounded by unfamiliar faces, various emotions are bound to emerge. These people unsurprisingly let out successive exclamations, which then turned into angry accusations and questioning of each other.
Some, unable to believe the absurd scene before them, began to pace back and forth on the spot. And others, upon confirming that they had indeed been thrown into this unknown wilderness, immediately collapsed to the ground, their heart-wrenching cries piercing the silence, as if to completely vent this sudden fear and helplessness.
Acheron stood alone on the periphery of the crowd, out of place with this rabble, watching their performance with indifference. But it wasn't long before the crowd's spearhead suddenly turned toward Acheron.