"Do you even intend to trouble my friends?" Ju Meiying's voice, laced with fury, resonated from within the cave.
The giants outside flinched. Normally, their Big Sister shielded them; her status within the Ju Clan was peerless. Having just betrayed their heritage to serve the enemy, they were already laden with guilt. Faced with her anger, the group instinctively retreated.
"Brother, the Great Monster Clan is not something you or Big Sister can oppose. Do not throw your life away in vain!" a giant at the Peak of the Seventh Transformation warned meaningfully before leading the others away. However, their gazes remained fixed on the cave entrance.
Lan An and Wu San Niang entered, while Renke and the Shovel stood guard outside.
Inside, the gargantuan Ju Meiying sat in a daze, her beautiful face a canvas of complex emotions. Beside her, Ju Aman lay on the ground, his eyes wide and vacant.
"How do you feel? Disappointed in your kin?" Lan An asked, leaping up to sit on a rocky ledge in the cave wall so he could meet her eyes.
Ju Meiying shook her head, a melancholy smile gracing her ruby-like lips. "At first, I was utterly devastated... furious that they would do this. But after calming down, I realized it might not be such a bad thing."
Lan An and Wu San Niang remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
Ju Meiying let out a fragrant sigh. "By choosing that path, they at least have a chance to survive. The Great Monster Clan's dominance is currently unstoppable. Fighting to the last breath sounds glorious, but if you are dead, who will remember you? You might not even take a single monster with you. As long as the Ju Clan lives, there is hope."
"I know some of them have hidden intentions, feigning submission to Ju Yaotong to wait for a chance to rise. But I cannot do it... To marry Ju Yaotong for a false peace would be to trample the last shred of our dignity into the dirt."
Lan An nodded in understanding. His own mother had once served evil just to survive, committing acts against the innocent. But the world was cruel; sometimes, people were forced onto paths they never wished to walk, driven by their circumstances and the primal urge to live.
"Was what you said earlier true, Young Master?" Ju Meiying looked directly into his eyes. She knew where Lan An came from and believed he truly had the power to help her.
"Of course it's true. If for nothing else, then for Senior Ju Phach Thien. I can take you both back to my world... however..." Lan An trailed off.
"However, to leave, we must strike down my kin outside, correct?" Meiying's voice trembled.
"In truth, there is no need to take their lives. We can leave with the speed of a thunderclap. My only concern is that if you two vanish, Ju Yaotong will vent his fury upon the rest of the Ju Clan," Lan An said honestly.
Logically, having returned the news of Ju Phach Thien and the Eight Inner Gates, he had fulfilled his debt. He didn't need to involve himself in this mess. But Lan An was a man of sentiment; seeing the descendants of the man who had helped him in such a state, he could not stand idly by. Had the Ju Clan stood united to fight, he would have supported them to the end. But since most had chosen submission, he felt it was enough to protect Meiying and Aman.
Ju Meiying felt a surge of gratitude. She knew Lan An owed her nothing, and his offer was more than generous. Furthermore, she felt little resistance to following him. Firstly, she could pay her respects at her father's grave on that star. Secondly, Lan An was essentially her father's successor—making him, in a sense, her Junior Brother.
Most importantly, he was not of the Great Monster Clan; he shared no blood feud with her people. With the Great Monster Clan reigning supreme, the Manhuang Realm no longer had a place for her. She had no choice but to leave, endure, and wait for the day she could return to reclaim everything.
"Do not worry too much about the safety of the clan. I understand Ju Yaotong's character somewhat. He subjugated us to build a loyal following. He won't slaughter the remaining members just because I vanished. On the contrary, he will comfort them and win their hearts to ensure stability. He won't let the loss of one person jeopardize his grand design," Meiying said.
Lan An's expression grew serious. A man like Ju Yaotong—calculated and far-sighted—was a truly formidable opponent.
"A battle before we depart is unavoidable. That monkey-headed Great Monster Elder is still lurking nearby. If we strike him, the rest of the Monster Clan will surely descend upon us..." Wu San Niang said with a faint, cold smile. Ju Yaotong clearly didn't trust the giants entirely and had left an observer.
"Our only advantage is that they don't know we come from another world. If we can leave the Manhuang Star quickly, we will be safe," Lan An added, stroking his chin.
"To do that, we must shatter the cave containing the Teleportation Array. Meiying and Aman are too large; the entrance is too small for them to enter as they are," Wu San Niang noted.
The array was large enough to transport the giants, but the path leading to it was not. To get them through, they would have to destroy the mountain, which would expose the array's location.
"Not only must we break the cave, we must destroy the array after we pass through. In the future, we will have to find another way to return to the Manhuang Realm," Lan An shrugged.
"Then how do we reach the array?" Wu San Niang's eyes flickered with a surging battle intent. Since her breakthrough, she hadn't had much chance to test her strength.
"We charge straight through! I doubt the Great Monster Clan is bored enough to mobilize their entire army to hunt down a few 'nobody' humans like us," Lan An laughed dismissively.
As Ju Meiying watched them discuss the details, she looked at the still-wounded Aman. "Wait a little longer until Aman has recovered half his strength. Then, we shall stake everything on this one move!"
"Every feast must come to an end. Take good care of yourselves," Lan An said, his voice heavy as he patted the shoulders of Renke and the Shovel.
This escape would be perilous. With their current strength, the two of them would likely be crushed. Lan An had no intention of bringing them back to the Yuelong Star. He formally dissolved their master-servant contract and returned their Soul Imprints.
"Master, I will not disappoint you. I am certain we shall meet again in the future!" Unlike the tearful Shovel, Renke spoke with solemn gravity.
"Mmm. Be on your guard. You were seen with me; there's a chance I will become a wanted man across the entire Manhuang Star," Lan An cautioned. This was his main concern—that they would become targets of Ju Yaotong's rage once he realized Meiying was gone.
"Pressure breeds growth!" Renke laughed, grabbing the Shovel's arm. The bond between the two had grown into something akin to brotherhood.
"That may be so, but I have prepared some things for you," Lan An said, producing two spatial rings. He had scoured the Shop for treasures that could hide their identities and defensive artifacts, all of at least the Spirit Grade. He also included a massive hoard of Spirit Stones to support Renke's path of Spirit-Body Dual Cultivation.
"Master... we are leaving!"
Renke pulled the Shovel down to kneel, their foreheads striking the ground with heavy thuds. Their eyes were rimmed with red. Without Lan An, Renke would have died at the hands of his own flock, and the Shovel would have perished in the necropolis. For Lan An to care so much for their safety at the end was a testament to his character. To serve such a man... what regrets could they have?
Lan An accepted their bows calmly. He had a feeling that when they met again, the world would look very different.
"Take care!"
Renke and the Shovel donned pitch-black cloaks to mask their auras. The Golden Shovel began to dig, and within moments, the two vanished into the earth.
Half a month passed in a flash.
Lan An spent his time leisurely, accompanied by Wu San Niang, Man Kieu, and Dan Mengji. They toured the majesty of the Ancient Wilderness Forest, bathed in mountain springs, and roasted meat, acting as if they didn't have a care in the world.
Ju Meiying stayed by Ju Aman's side, occasionally joining Lan An for a walk. During those times, Lan An and Wu San Niang would sit on her shoulders; their bond had grown considerably closer.
Seeing this, the watching giants began to relax. They assumed that their Big Sister simply couldn't bear to leave the clan and was enjoying her final days of freedom before her marriage to Ju Yaotong.
Night fell, and the Ancient Wilderness Forest was swallowed by darkness. The Ju Clan lit bonfires that flickered against the shadows as they feasted on the meat of savage beasts. The rich energy of the meat fueled their body cultivation, and the taste was divine.
BOOM!
Without warning, the sound of space shattering echoed through the night. A massive rift appeared, and the cliffside cave collapsed, sending the giants into a panic.
"Not good! Big Sister is escaping!"
The giants dropped their meat and scrambled to their feet.
"Do not panic! Ju Aman is weak; they cannot travel fast through the void! Anyone at the Eighth Transformation or above, follow me! The rest, report to Young Master Ju Yaotong!" a Ju Clan prodigy at the Early-stage of the Eighth Transformation barked. He lunged into the spatial rift that Wu San Niang had punched open.
ROAR—!
A thunderous draconic hymn shook the heavens. A massive dragon claw, covered in deep blue scales, manifested with overbearing power and struck down at him.
THWACK!
The Eighth Transformation giant had no strength to resist. The draconic claw pierced his skin and flung him backward. His massive body tumbled through the air, crashing into the bonfire and sending sparks flying. The other giants' faces turned ashen.
"After them!" the fallen giant roared, ignoring his injuries. Three other Eighth Transformation giants leaped into the rift in pursuit.
Inside the pitch-black void, Lan An sat on Ju Aman's shoulder while Wu San Niang sat on Ju Meiying's as they hurtled forward.
"We cannot continue to attack within the rift; it's too reckless!" Wu San Niang said, her breath heavy. Lan An's True Dragon Claw had been effective, but the resulting shockwaves had made the void tremble—a dangerous situation for any traveler. The void was full of hidden perils; unless one possessed a Spatial Spiritual Root to govern the rift, fighting here was a suicidal gamble.
Lan An nodded, looking back. The three Eighth Transformation giants were close behind. He wanted to knock them out of the rift but knew it wasn't the time for more tremors.
"Increase the speed!" Ju Meiying gritted her teeth, pulling Aman along.
Aman was the youngest, and his body could not yet withstand the immense pressure of the void, limiting their top speed. This was why their pursuers were able to keep pace.
"We are almost there!" Wu San Niang signaled the coordinates. Their destination was the cave containing the teleportation array back to Yuelong Star.
"Where do you think you're going? Ju Meiying, are you not afraid of the Young Master's wrath?" A majestic voice boomed through the void as a gargantuan, monkey-headed figure appeared. It was the Tenth Transformation Great Monster Elder.
The moment Wu San Niang had shattered space, he had sensed the disturbance.
"As expected, a fight is unavoidable," Wu San Niang smirked.
"Let's reach the Beast Forest first before we engage!" Lan An said darkly. Within his Dantian, his great cauldrons began to spin.
The Great Monster Elder and the three giants also knew the dangers of fighting in the void. They contented themselves with tailing the group, making sure they didn't lose the trail.
As the chase continued, Ju Aman gritted his teeth so hard they bled. He hated his own weakness, hated being a burden to his sister. If not for him, she would have escaped long ago.
"Don't let your mind wander!" Lan An sensed his shifting emotions and cautioned him. "Your safety is the most precious thing to your sister, understand?"
Aman nodded firmly. He swore internally that he would train like a madman, never to be a burden to his kin again.
No one noticed that as Aman made his vow, a trace of a golden aura flickered within his eyes—a gaze of supreme authority that looked down upon all creation, a stark contrast to his usual naive self.
Ju Aman himself was unaware of it, but Jin'er, perched on Lan An's shoulder, saw everything. Her tiny face contorted with a look of profound astonishment.