In the dim twilight, Zong Yajuan carefully inspected the Chains at the sealing point.
Her sharp gaze swept over the interwoven metal links one by one, confirming they were still sturdy and showed no signs of erosion.
Even in the face of such solid defenses, an inexplicable anxiety churned within her.
It was a woman's intuition.
She turned, her gaze piercing the dusk as she looked into the distance.
That was the area Yu Kailin was responsible for.
Somehow, an ominous premonition welled up in Zong Yajuan's heart. An indescribable gloom was quietly gathering.
She shook her head lightly, trying to dispel the baseless worry.
After all, from the moment the Time Girl Group arrived, the entire Demon Cave had been inspected from every possible angle by the sharp eyes of twelve King-level experts.
Even the slightest anomaly could never have escaped such scrutiny.
After confirming the seal on her side was intact, Zong Yajuan walked in Yu Kailin's direction.
As she drew closer, a thick, sinister chill washed over her. The air was laced with intense malice and cold, like the aura of an Evil Spirit emerging from the netherworld.
Zong Yajuan's heart sank, her sense of unease growing stronger.
She rapidly circulated the Elemental Power in her body and charged at astonishing speed toward the woods shrouded in the sinister aura.
The moment Zong Yajuan rushed into the woods, the scene before her left her stunned.
The area was in complete disarray. Trees had been sliced in half by sharp Sword Qi, and broken branches and leaves littered the ground.
Her gaze swept across the ground, and she suddenly spotted pools of blood, scattered fragments of a Lolita dress, a small leather shoe buried in the dirt, and a white sock, torn in half.
The presence of these items undoubtedly pointed to one cruel fact:
Something had happened to Yu Kailin!
A terrifying thought flashed through Zong Yajuan's mind.
Yu Kailin—that lively and active, though inexperienced, King-level expert—was likely dead.
Not daring to delay another moment, she immediately turned and retreated from the sinister woods, her heart pounding like a drum.
Zong Yajuan couldn't imagine how helpless and desperate Yu Kailin must have been when she was attacked.
'If there truly is an Evil Spirit here capable of silently annihilating a King-level expert, what kind of disaster would that bring upon the entire Time Girl Group?'
'I have to get back to the rest area as quickly as possible, tell the others, and get them ready to respond.'
After Zong Yajuan hurried away,
a sinister voice echoed from deep within the woods. "Gyeheheh... Devouring a fresh, tender King-level human expert has already healed thirty to forty percent of my injuries.
Just a few more, and I'll be able to completely tear apart the seal on this Demon Cave and release all of you."
Along with the laughter, gusts of cold wind blew through.
"Gyeheheheheh..."
As the sinister voice continued to echo, the surrounding soil seemed to come alive, squirming and decaying.
As if imbued with life, it swallowed the scattered bloodstains, clothing fragments, and other items on the ground.
And with that, the last trace of Yu Kailin in this world vanished completely.
...
At the summit of the mountain range, on the peak of a towering mountain that pierced the clouds,
the members of the Time Girl Group had used their extraordinary Elemental Power to forcibly clear a flat plaza, like a natural stage in the sky.
At this moment, the aroma of barbecue filled the plaza. Blue smoke curled upwards, weaving with the mountain mist to create a moving picture.
Laughter and cheerful chatter rose and fell, echoing across the open summit.
On the other side, the reporters from various major platforms were also relaxed. They had originally thought this follow-along filming mission in the Demon Cave would be fraught with danger.
They never expected the inside of the Demon Cave to be so peaceful.
After getting over their initial terror, they had gradually let go of their fear and begun to enjoy this rare moment of peace and beauty.
Most of the reporters were men, and spending their days with the beautiful, fair-skinned members of the Time Girl Group was, naturally, a special experience for them.
Some of the male reporters even began to deliberately groom themselves, hoping for a romantic encounter among these dazzling stars.
Just then, Zong Yajuan rushed over.
The complex emotions that should have been on her face—anger, fear, shock, worry, and grief—were instantly hidden the moment she noticed the reporters.
She strode quickly toward the other members of the Time Girl Group who were barbecuing. "Everyone, to my room."
The ten members of the Time Girl Group, who had been immersed in joy, vaguely sensed the unusual atmosphere in the air.
They all put down what they were doing and tacitly followed Zong Yajuan into the room.
"Leader, did something happen?"
Gao Yimin, the second-in-command of the Time Girl Group, was the first to break the silence.
Her tone was filled with concern and worry.
Zong Yajuan's voice trembled as she said, "Something's happened to Yu Kailin. It's very likely she's... dead."
She tried to keep her voice calm, but its heavy weight pressed down on everyone's heart like a boulder.
"At the final sealing point, I discovered an extremely dense aura left behind by an Evil Spirit's activity.
If I'm not mistaken, Yu Kailin must have encountered an Evil Spirit and was silently eliminated."
Zong Yajuan continued, "The clothes she was wearing were torn to shreds, and the longsword she used was corroded by the Evil Spirit.
I suspect... Yu Kailin was violated by the Evil Spirit before she died."
At these words, the faces of the ten Time Girl Group members changed drastically.
Their expressions were filled with shock and disbelief.
"But we checked this place top to bottom when we first arrived at the Demon Cave! We didn't find any trace of an Evil Spirit's activity at all!" one member said in confusion.
"Yeah, and haven't we been checking in teams every day since? If there were signs of an Evil Spirit, it shouldn't have been so sudden!" Gao Yimin chimed in.
"And weren't you with Yu Kailin, Leader?" another member asked curiously.
Hearing this, a flash of self-blame and regret crossed Zong Yajuan's face. She said grimly, "I made a grave mistake.
When there were only two sealing points left, Yu Kailin suggested we split up to finish the task quickly and get back for the barbecue.
I didn't stop her, and that's what led to this tragedy."
After saying this, Zong Yajuan added, "The question now is, should we report this to our superiors?"
Her gaze swept over each of their faces, waiting for their answers.
Gao Yimin was the first to speak. "I don't think we should report it."