A few minutes earlier,

Perhaps because of a girl's unique sixth sense, Mengxi, walking through the Great Winter Forest, braved the biting wind and, as if guided by fate, trudged with difficulty toward the direction where Yumo was.

Looking at the delicate silver-haired girl in the forest,

none of the Abyss Demons wandering nearby obeyed their instincts to devour this weak prey. Instead, they unanimously chose to keep their distance! The moment the silver-haired girl stepped into the forest, all the Abyss Demons, regardless of strength, scattered and widened the gap between themselves and the girl!

Clearly,

every Abyss Demon within the Great Winter Forest had already received Miss Yumo's will. They all knew very well that this seemingly fragile girl was an ancestor-level existence! If they accidentally hurt her, they would probably be beaten into minced meat by their big sister!

Thus, to prevent accidents, the Abyss Demons instinctively kept away from the silver-haired girl.

No demon dared provoke Big Sister!!

It had to be said,

for all the Abyss Demons of the Great Winter Forest to tremble like this, Mengxi was truly the first person in history.

However,

the Great Winter Forest was the most dangerous place on the entire Anqieka Continent! Without question! Besides Abyss Demons, there were countless dangerous terrains, various poisons, and no shortage of magical beasts. Although these magical beasts had been left behind by Yumo to maintain ecological balance or serve as food for the Abyss Demons, the fact that they could survive in the Great Winter Forest naturally meant that none of them were weak!

Now,

with the cold wave arriving and food growing scarce,

countless magical beasts had entered a state of starvation and were desperately searching everywhere for prey.

And at this moment,

this delicate silver-haired girl, who had left the range of the little wooden house and was utterly powerless, undoubtedly became a delicacy in the eyes of these magical beasts.

After all...

they had never received Yumo's orders.

—

Th-That's...

A human?!

A human girl?!

Watching the silver-haired girl slowly approach and sensing the increasingly rich floral fragrance emanating from her—

No!

That was the smell of food...

The Steel Earth Dragon buried beneath the snow, waiting for prey, instantly revealed an excited expression.

Its enormous body slowly began to move.

A human girl?

And such a weak one?!

Suitable food!

Drool involuntarily dripped from the Steel Earth Dragon's mouth.

Having endured hunger for a long time, it desperately needed nourishment.

Although, on the continent, as a mid-stage sixth-tier magical beast, it could already be considered a local tyrant capable of ruling a region. But this was the Great Winter Forest—the territory of the Abyss Demons! As a mere magical beast, it could only tremble in fear and survive by scavenging whatever leftovers the Abyss Demons left behind...

Though it couldn't understand why a human had appeared in the depths of the eastern Great Winter Forest, and one without even the slightest trace of power...

It was also a fact that not a single Abyss Demon aura could be sensed nearby!

Those Abyss Demons had mysteriously withdrawn.

And now that they were gone, it was the strongest magical beast in the area!

Which meant—

No beast could compete with it!

This girl belonged to it!

Food that required no effort to obtain!

Naturally, the Steel Earth Dragon had no intention of letting such a gift from heaven escape!

Thus,

as the silver-haired girl approached—

"BOOM!!"

With a deafening explosion, the earth split and mountains shook!

A giant lizard clad in gray armor suddenly burst out from underground and unleashed a savage roar at Mengxi!

For a moment,

the roar of the magical beast echoed through the valley.

The violent tremors and explosion of magic power abruptly sent the defenseless Mengxi flying dozens of meters away without even the protection of Holy Aura, slamming heavily into a giant tree!

The coat wrapped around her was instantly swept away into the snowstorm by the shockwave.

A streak of blood trickled from the corner of Mengxi's mouth.

"ROOOAAARRRR!!!"

Seeing that its prey was even weaker than expected, the Steel Earth Dragon let out a mocking roar filled with ridicule.

Then,

the starving beast immediately revealed its sharp claws and fangs!

Opening its blood-soaked maw, it roared and charged toward Mengxi!

Against such a monster,

the fragile silver-haired girl seemed utterly incapable of resistance.

Becoming food inside the Steel Earth Dragon's stomach appeared to be an unavoidable fate.

Looking at the rapidly approaching magical beast and feeling that horrifying killing intent, the pale purple eyes of the silver-haired girl were filled with "terror."

Her body seemed frozen in fear as she stood there foolishly, able only to watch helplessly as the abyssal mouth drew closer and closer.

And just as the Steel Earth Dragon's teeth were about to reach her—

a graceful figure surrounded by blood-colored butterflies suddenly shot over from the distance at incredible speed...

The next moment—

"BOOM!!!"

Accompanied by an earth-shattering explosion, crimson Shadow of Silence Power struck the Steel Earth Dragon squarely in the back!

The hard steel armor covering its back instantly shattered!

Along with it, the Steel Earth Dragon's body exploded into countless pieces!

Blood splattered everywhere!

Crimson bodily fluids mixed with the blizzard, transforming into a rain of blood.

Bathed in that bloody rain, Mengxi's beautiful silver hair and peerless face became veiled in a crimson mist...

"Yu... Yumo si-sister?"

Mengxi couldn't help letting out a cry of surprise as she stared in astonishment at the familiar black figure before her.

Well...

Actually,

calling her black might not be entirely appropriate.

Because at this moment, after being bathed in fresh blood from head to toe, the black-haired girl looked like a blood angel returning from the abyss. Coupled with those murderous crimson eyes and the terrifyingly cold aura around her, she was enough to make anyone shudder in fear.

However,

as the killing intent subsided, intense worry and panic emerged within those crimson eyes.

Facing the pitiful Mengxi,

Yumo unconsciously bit through her lip and, for the first time ever, sternly scolded her.

"You stupid girl! What are you doing?! Didn't I tell you not to leave the little wooden house?! It's dangerous outside!!"

"S-Sister?"

Hearing that "sister," the anger and anxiety inside Yumo erupted all at once.

She rushed in front of Mengxi and grabbed her shoulders without mercy.

"Sister? Sister my ass! Do you still treat me as your sister?! You don't even listen to what I say! Are you trying to worry me to death?! What am I supposed to do if something happens to you?!"

Clearly,

after seeing the incredibly important Child of Destiny nearly come to harm, Yumo lost her composure somewhat.

She truly hadn't expected that the previously obedient girl would sneak out during the short time she was away.

As expected,

she should have locked the door!

"S-Sister..."

Like a frightened rabbit, Mengxi curled up under the fury of the black-haired girl and lowered her head pitifully.

"I-I'm sorry... I just saw that Sister Yumo wasn't there, and I wanted to find you..." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

There was even a trace of sobbing in the girl's voice.

However,

within those pale purple eyes, an almost imperceptible complicated emotion flashed by.

—

"......"

On the other side,

looking at the crying girl and hearing Mengxi's pitiful explanation, Yumo forcibly swallowed back the words of reprimand she had been about to say.

"Ah..."

Yumo couldn't help letting out a long sigh while repeatedly chanting the word "calm" in her heart.

Calm...

Calm...

After repeating it for a while, Yumo finally regained her composure.

Looking at the "runaway girl" before her, Yumo abandoned the idea of continuing to scold Mengxi.

After all, the heroine wasn't her own child. Whether she listened or not didn't matter. Soon enough, she would send her back to the Asumos Church anyway...

As long as she was fine.

As long as she was fine...

Right now...

Glancing at the bloodstains on Mengxi's body and the large bruise on her right arm, Yumo frowned.

Besides her injuries,

Mengxi's delicate body was also trembling continuously.

Not only because of Yumo's furious scolding, but because of the weather as well.

The harsh climate and bitter winds of the Great Winter Forest were something Mengxi, who was lightly dressed and temporarily without Holy Aura, simply couldn't withstand.

If this continued, wouldn't Mengxi freeze to death in this icy wasteland?

If the heroine she had finally found and planned to cultivate ended up freezing to death, Yumo felt that she would probably collapse mentally on the spot...

Thinking this,

Yumo silently walked over to Mengxi and pulled out a thick quilt from her spatial ring.

Ignoring Mengxi's continued apologies, she silently wrapped the girl up like a dumpling and held her in her arms...

The next moment,

after confirming that the anti-cold measures were complete, Yumo leaped into the air.

Escorted by blood butterflies, she flew toward the little wooden house.

However,

shortly after taking off, Yumo seemed to remember something and frowned slightly.

Thoughtfully, she glanced behind her—

toward the place where the Steel Earth Dragon's corpse had been.

Her crimson eyes slowly narrowed, and a trace of doubt emerged in her heart.

Come to think of it...

There aren't many magical beasts left around my home anymore, right?

Then...

How did this girl just happen to walk directly onto the Steel Earth Dragon's head?

N-No way...

She didn't do that on purpose, did she...?