The Northern Winterlands.
Days of continuous blizzards had buried most of the vegetation. At this moment, a solitary figure bypassed the main road of the Winterfell Supply Zone, heading north.
As he walked, he left behind a deep trail of footprints in the snow.
After a long journey, Feng Qi halted, reaching into his backpack and retrieving a tablet device.
As the screen awakened, various environmental parameters flashed before his eyes, including temperature, wind direction, and other data.
Tapping on the "Positioning App", a top-down map emerged on the screen.
Unlike the navigation maps used within the city, this one was a blank white expanse—just two dots, one red and one white, with a dotted line between them indicating the estimated distance.
By this point, his pursuit of the Silvermoon Clan had already lasted for two months.
Starting from Star City, he had crossed the vast mountain ranges of the central region, traveled through the sandstorms of the wastelands, and finally crossed Blue Light Lake, arriving at the Northern Winterlands.
His method of hunting was straightforward.
Each time he caught up with the Silvermoon Clan, he would activate Blood Source Form, slaughter several of them, then pretend his enhancement had run out and retreat.
After the support team delivered concentrated blood energy, he would absorb it, restore his flesh, and resume the pursuit.
To avoid suspicion, he sometimes deliberately fell into traps—pretending to be deceived by the Silvermoon Clan's decoys or led astray by their diversions.
These calculated mistakes ensured that Yin Ling wouldn't grow suspicious of a traitor within her ranks.
If the pursuit was too precise, Yin Ling would inevitably suspect Lin Ran, as he was the only outsider among her people.
Thus, Feng Qi had to make errors—enough to seem believable.
By now, most of the Silvermoon Clan's escapees had been wiped out.
The scripted hunt was nearing its end.
After confirming the distance to his target, Feng Qi stuffed the tablet back into his backpack.
Stepping through the thick snow, he approached a white birch tree and set his pack down.
Pulling out his communicator, he pressed the call button.
"Gu Shu, I'm about to engage."
"Understood. Your coordinates are logged. The team will send a fresh blood supply shortly."
After returning the communicator to his pack, Feng Qi lifted his gaze, staring into the vast expanse of snowy white terrain.
In an instant, his heart began to pound violently.
A surge of blood energy enveloped his body, molten green-black flames igniting around him as his form rapidly expanded.
The snow beneath him evaporated instantly.
Within moments, Feng Qi's height had exceeded four meters.
"Let's go."
With a mighty push, he soared into the distance.
It was time—the hunt begins.
Three kilometers away – White Snow Forest.
Yin Ling sat beneath a snow-laden tree, her gaze sweeping over the exhausted and weary faces of her remaining kin.
A sigh formed deep in her heart.
For the past two months, her people had lived through a nightmare.
Decades of careful planning for the Silvermoon Clan's arrival had collapsed in an instant, and she couldn't even determine the cause.
After fleeing Star City, they had been relentlessly pursued.
But now, she had realized the truth.
The Tiger Soul Research Institute had already fallen under the control of another faction—a mysterious domain force.
The Silvermoon Clan had unknowingly challenged this hidden force, which had led to their current predicament.
And the clearest evidence of this was the blood-colored monster that had been hunting them.
That thing was clearly not human.
It hadn't revealed itself during the city's siege, but the moment they left the city, it had shown its true form.
This only proved that it was a domain creature in disguise, blending into human society and only revealing its true power once outside the city walls.
But there was one thing she couldn't understand.
They had already escaped Star City.
Even if their original plans had disrupted this hidden faction, what was the point of continuing this hunt?
What benefit did it bring to this mysterious force?
The only plausible explanation was that this force wanted to erase the Silvermoon Clan to protect the secrets of the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
For two relentless months, Yin Ling had tried everything.
No matter how many traps she set, the blood-colored demon always escaped unscathed.
She had hoped that fleeing into the sparsely populated north would buy her some breathing room—but the pursuit never stopped.
Now, most of her kin were dead or critically wounded.
A flicker of despair appeared in Yin Ling's eyes.
They were trapped.
The rest of the Silvermoon Clan had not yet descended, and no reinforcements were coming.
How could they possibly escape the blood demon's hunt?
She had no answer.
"Elder Sister, it's coming!"
Yin Xiao's urgent voice rang through the cold air, snapping her back to reality.
Hearing the warning, the remaining Silvermoon warriors immediately stood up, their faces pale with dread.
They turned toward the direction of Yin Xiao's call, unable to hide their fear.
For two months, the blood-colored monster had been their nightmare—always lurking, always hunting.
Each time it arrived, it took more of their kin, leaving only corpses behind.
They had lost count of how many times they had woken from nightmares, drenched in cold sweat, only to realize it was real.
The blood demon was like a countdown to death.
None of them knew who would be next.
"Prepare for battle!"
Yin Ling's voice was icy cold.
At her command, a spatial rune appeared on her forehead, and a silver-white longsword materialized in her grasp.
The remaining Silvermoon warriors fell into formation, their expressions tense as they stared into the snowy forest ahead.
Then came the sound—trees snapping, crashing to the ground.
A tremor rippled through the earth.
Though they hadn't yet seen it, the pressure alone was suffocating.
Every Silvermoon warrior, including Yin Ling, felt their muscles tighten in fear.
Yin Xiao raised his hands, casting a spell—a silver-white longbow began to form.
The hunt was here.
As Yin Xiao's right hand pulled back on the bowstring, countless silver-white light particles from the surroundings began converging toward the center of the string, forming a pure energy arrow.
Twang!
The moment he released his grip, the energy arrow shot forward like a meteor, streaking toward the blood-colored figure in the distance.
The blood demon clenched its fist, a surge of violent blood energy roaring around it as it swung a punch toward the incoming arrow.
Boom!
The instant fist and arrow clashed, a terrifying shockwave exploded outward, knocking down nearby snow-laden trees, while the closest ones were entirely uprooted and hurled away.
Without any suspense, the silver energy arrow melted away in the face of the blood demon's overwhelming force.
Staring at the hideous and menacing figure, a sense of powerlessness took root in the hearts of the remaining Silvermoon warriors.
An indestructible body, earth-shattering strength, terrifying regenerative abilities, and a physique that seemed to nullify elemental damage—this blood demon was a monster without weakness.
For the past two months, their mental defenses had already crumbled under its relentless pursuit.
Most of them couldn't even summon the courage to face it directly anymore.
If not for the fact that the blood demon's transformation only lasted a mere two minutes each time, they wouldn't even have the will to run.
Against a foe like this, they couldn't imagine any possible way to win.
At this point, their escape felt more like a futile struggle.
"Don't be afraid! Once we enter a region with dense domain fields, there's still hope!"
Hearing Yin Ling's rallying cry, the Silvermoon warriors gripped their weapons tighter, forcing themselves to hold on.
At that moment, Yin Xiao fired his second arrow.
The silver energy arrow streaked through the air like a falling star, leaving behind a brilliant energy trail as it raced toward the blood demon.
There was no need for any fancy maneuvers—the blood demon simply raised its fist again.
The dark green flames covering its body roared even higher.
At this point, they could even hear the blood demon's heartbeat, pounding like a war drum.
With a mocking grin, the blood demon's fist, infused with blood energy and green flames, swung forward.
The moment it connected with the arrow, a brief clash of power occurred, before the energy arrow was forcibly repelled, while the fist projection hurtled straight toward Yin Xiao.
Yin Xiao instinctively retreated, his consciousness activating multiple layers of energy barriers in front of him.
The fist projection crashed through each layer, growing weaker with each impact, but it still carried enough force to reach Yin Xiao's spiritual bow.
The moment of impact sent Yin Xiao sliding back dozens of meters.
The silver glow around his body flickered, rapidly dissipating the force before he finally came to a stop.
Huff…
Yin Xiao let out a deep breath before flipping his hand, pulling out a jade flute and pressing it to his lips.
"Sister, let's try killing it again!"
"Alright!" Yin Ling responded without hesitation.
The remaining Silvermoon warriors also prepared themselves, staring down the approaching blood demon.
When the blood demon closed in to within 100 meters, Yin Xiao blew into the jade flute.
A murderous intent surged forth, and within the melody, faint echoes of clashing blades and piercing spears could be heard.
From afar, Feng Qi instantly felt a powerful spiritual disturbance crashing into his mind.
It was as if he had suddenly been transported onto a battlefield, facing a thousand-strong army of elite warriors charging toward him.
Clearly, Yin Xiao was using sound-based spiritual interference against him.
Feng Qi was no stranger to this technique.
Previously, when the Silvermoon Clan ambushed him, Yin Xiao had used a similar sound-based spiritual attack, which had indeed caused him some difficulty.
Fortunately, with the Purple Soul imprint's protection, the damage from these mental assaults was minimal.
Feng Qi pressed forward, ignoring the spiritual interference.
His right fist lashed out, aiming to end Yin Xiao in one blow.
Yin Xiao reacted quickly, drifting backward while the tempo of his flute playing accelerated.
In an instant, illusions filled Feng Qi's vision, making it feel as though the world was spinning drunkenly around him.
Yin Ling and the remaining Silvermoon warriors seized the opportunity, surrounding Feng Qi from all sides and launching a coordinated assault.
A barrage of spells rained down on Feng Qi, their elemental power surging.
But the purple soul markings across Feng Qi's body flowed like living dragons, continuously absorbing and neutralizing the damage.
Even when minor wounds appeared, his terrifying regeneration healed them within seconds.
At this moment, Feng Qi was like an unstoppable raid boss.
Yin Ling and her warriors were like players attempting to take down an elite boss, but they were facing an opponent with both overwhelming attack power and an endless health pool.
With a deep growl, Feng Qi unleashed his Raging Wave ability.
A thunderous soundwave erupted from him, shattering Yin Xiao's sonic illusions in an instant.
As his vision cleared, Feng Qi locked onto a nearby Silvermoon warrior and hurled a punch forward.
Crack!
A massive fist filled the Silvermoon warrior's vision.
Before he could react, his skull was crushed, his consciousness fading into eternal darkness.
Switching between different abilities came at a cost—Feng Qi felt an intense wave of pain surging through his body.
Unlike the main timeline, his sacrifice-line body couldn't seamlessly integrate multiple abilities at once.
Each activation came with serious backlash, requiring careful planning.
If he recklessly switched abilities too often, there was even a risk of self-destruction.
But now was not the time to hesitate.
After eliminating one target, Feng Qi immediately charged toward the next.
Despite the intense pain, he endured.
More spells bombarded his body, their impact delivering sharp jolts of pain, but none of them were lethal.
If anything, they only fueled his bloodlust.
Dashing through the barrage, Feng Qi closed in on a male Silvermoon warrior.
His right fist tore through the layers of spell defenses, striking the man's chest with a thunderous impact.
The warrior didn't even have a chance to retreat—his body exploded into a mist of blood on the spot.
The sheer brutality of Feng Qi's attacks left the Silvermoon warriors visibly shaken.
Yin Ling took a deep breath, attempting to maneuver behind him.
With a silent step, she lunged forward, her sword slashing toward Feng Qi's neck.
Her blade carried waves of energy, and the instant it struck, the impact sent ripples through the air.
However, the blade only managed to cut a mere inch into Feng Qi's neck before stopping dead.
The sheer density of his flesh and muscle prevented further penetration.
Yin Ling's eyes met the blood demon's gaze—those burning dark green flames within its pupils sent a shiver down her spine.
Yin Ling did not hesitate. She immediately retreated, but the next moment, she felt a scorching wave of blood energy surging toward her.
The terrifying punch barely grazed her body, yet the force behind it still sent her flying.
The air crackled with sonic booms as the immense power tore through the atmosphere.
Boom!
Yin Ling's body was flung several meters away, then skidded along the ground for over ten meters before coming to a halt.
At that moment, she felt the breath of death upon her.
She could clearly imagine what would have happened if she had taken that punch head-on—even if it didn't kill her immediately, it would have left her grievously wounded, or worse, paralyzed on the spot.
Planting a hand firmly on the ground, she flipped herself upright and landed steadily.
When she looked up at the blood-colored monster, she saw it casually pull the sword from its own neck. The deep wound began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A deep sense of helplessness surged within her. As she gazed at the nightmarish figure, a trace of fear flickered in her eyes.
How could they possibly defeat this monster?
She found no answer.
Countless thoughts whirled through her mind, but she took a deep breath and made a swift decision.
"Scatter and run!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.
For the past two months, she had tried everything, but none of it worked against the blood-colored monster.
Their numbers kept dwindling.
If they continued fleeing together, they would only suffer more losses, or worse—be completely wiped out in one strike.
At this point, scattering was their best option. Even if it meant they might never see each other again, it was better than dying together.
She didn't want to make this call, but she had no choice.
At the very least, some of them might survive.
Hearing Yin Ling's order, the remaining Silvermoon warriors hesitated for a moment, but they quickly understood her intent.
Without further hesitation, they scattered in all directions.
"Xiao, you need to go too!" Yin Ling turned to Yin Xiao and shouted.
"Sister, I'll stay with you!" Yin Xiao rushed toward Feng Qi, his jade flute glowing as he swung it downward in a desperate strike.
The flute collided with Feng Qi's fist—and shattered instantly.
Yin Xiao was sent flying, his body tumbling through the air.
"That's an order—live!" Yin Ling's voice was unwavering.
Hearing her words, Yin Xiao clenched his teeth, pain flashing in his eyes.
"Xiao, remember your promise to me! You said you would obey my every command. Now, I'm telling you to run!"
As he crashed into the ground, blood-red veins surfaced in Yin Xiao's eyes.
"Go!"
Yin Ling's furious roar shook him to his core.
With a final pained glance, Yin Xiao turned away, his body transforming into a streak of silver light as he sprinted into the distance.
Feng Qi stepped forward, ready to strike Yin Xiao down before he could escape.
But at that moment, a silver-white streak appeared before him—Yin Ling.
She whispered something under her breath, and suddenly, countless silver light particles enveloped her body.
Boom!
Feng Qi's punch landed squarely on her chest.
The protective silver light shattered instantly, and blood gushed from Yin Ling's mouth as she was blasted backward.
"Sister!" Yin Xiao turned his head, eyes filled with panic.
"Run! Don't look back!" Yin Ling yelled coldly.
Yin Xiao's heart wrenched in pain, but in the end, he did not stop running.
Watching her younger brother vanish into the distance, Yin Ling slowly stood up. Though her body swayed, she refused to fall.
She was ready to die—to buy time for her people to escape.
Then, she suddenly noticed Lin Ran standing nearby.
Instead of running, he was forming hand seals, preparing to launch a sneak attack on the blood demon.
To Yin Ling, this was beyond foolish.
Even if he caught the monster off guard, Lin Ran couldn't even scratch its defenses.
At that moment, she thought back to the time they had spent together.
She had once imagined introducing Lin Ran to her parents, bringing him to her homeland.
She had even wondered if she could be with him.
With Lin Ran, she had felt a rare sense of happiness.
Her mother had once told her:
"Happiness is the only thing that matters when choosing a partner."
And Lin Ran had brought her happiness.
She still felt guilt toward him.
Perhaps Tiger Soul Research Institute targeted him because of her.
Now, she didn't want him to die for her.
"Ah Ran, run!" Yin Ling shouted urgently.
Lin Ran heard her, but he didn't stop. Instead, his hand seals quickened.
Golden threads of energy appeared out of thin air, weaving into a binding formation around the blood demon.
But the threads couldn't hold it.
With a single shake of its body, the blood demon broke free effortlessly.
It slowly turned its gaze toward Lin Ran.
The ground trembled, and the monster charged forward like a hunting beast, aiming straight for him.
Yin Ling immediately attacked from behind, trying to stop it.
But just as Lin Ran was about to die, something unexpected happened.
The flesh on the blood demon's body suddenly began peeling away.
The red mist dissipated into the wind, leaving behind only a skeleton.
Seeing this, Yin Ling's eyes widened.
She realized—this was their chance.
Every time the blood demon reverted to a skeletal form, it would immediately retreat.
And just as she hoped, as soon as the last traces of flesh disappeared, the skeletal figure turned around and ran into the distance.
The crisis was over.
Yin Ling let out a deep breath.
Her tense nerves finally relaxed.
And as they did, her vision blurred, and the world spun.
The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Lin Ran kneeling beside her, checking her injuries…
Ten minutes later.
Feng Qi returned to the birch tree where he had left his backpack.
Picking it up, he pulled out a tablet.
Checking the tracking device, he located Lin Ran and Yin Ling's position.
A smile crept onto his lips.
He had expected it to take longer to reach this point in the plan.
But surprisingly, this pursuit had already achieved his goal.
Now, Lin Ran and Yin Ling would be forced to travel together.
The final act of the script was about to unfold.
Just then, the roar of an engine echoed in the distance.
Feng Qi turned toward the sound.
In the distance, a team of snowmobiles appeared, carrying containers of blood plasma.
Everything was falling into place.