The giant snake, having lost its eyes, let out a mournful howl, blood splattering all around. But instead of a swift end, it was met with torment.
The phantom-like figure of the young man did not pause.
This was nothing less than a one-sided slaughter.
Even with the protective shield, the spreading scent of blood was overwhelming, making Wen Ran's face turn even paler.
Finally stopping, Shen Wu pointed at the severed body parts on the ground, counting them one by one. Then, he turned to look at Wen Ran, a pure and friendly smile appearing on his face. "Ranran, it's eight pieces."
His white robe had already turned red from blood, the scent was intense, yet he didn't mind at all. Even though he was someone who loved cleanliness and would wipe his hands after touching anyone else, his indifference now could only mean he was still immersed in excitement, leaving no room for other concerns.
Those few drops of blood accented his flawless face, adding a touch of allure.
Amidst a ground filled with severed limbs and innards, the head of the Snake Demon remained intact, breathing slightly, still alive, looking at its shattered body, living in fear.
Wen Ran forced a smile, "You worked hard."
After receiving her response, Shen Wu was satisfied. As he lifted his knife to walk towards Wen Ran, he suddenly remembered something, turned back, eyes bending with a smile: "Almost forgot, still need to grind the bones to dust."
With a snap of his fingers, the broken body parts on the ground ignited with blue flames.
"S-spare me..."
The snake head managed to utter a few words, but the young man already stepped hard on its head. With a crunching sound, the head shattered.
Wen Ran covered her mouth and turned away, barely suppressing the urge to vomit.
So she did not see Shen Wu crouch down, reaching into the pile of mutilated flesh to retrieve a green bead, the Demon Core.
He seemed quite pleased with the Great Demon's core, pocketing it easily. Then he stood up, while the blue flames consumed all of the Snake Demon's body parts until only invisible ashes remained after they extinguished.
Only the bloodstains on the ground testified to the bloody scene that had just unfolded.
Shen Wu flicked his horizontal knife, shaking off the bloodstains on the blade, and as the long knife vanished from his hand, he walked with a light step towards Wen Ran, noting her pale face, he asked with concern, "Scared you again?"
Though he said it with concern, his face clearly displayed joy.
Because he had just lost control, blood had splattered all over this empty place, staining every stone wall with blood flowers, including himself, like a madman who had just walked out of a blood-red Asura's battlefield.
Only the area with Wen Ran at its center was immaculate, like a patch of pure land in this battlefield.
Wen Ran took a moment to compose herself, adjusting her mood slightly. She knew what to ask and what not to ask, knowing too many secrets wouldn't benefit her, so she only flattered him with a simple, "Senior Brother, you're amazing."
He seemed slightly amused, revealing a hint of pride with the innocence of a child, "I already told you I'm strong. Ranran won't tell anyone what you saw, right?"
Before Wen Ran could reply, he laughed again, "Even if you did, no one would believe you."
Wen Ran's eyebrows twitched.
Convincing others that the righteous and noble Senior Brother was actually a maniac when fighting was more challenging than convincing them that Wen Ran had lost her mind. Even Wen Ran wouldn't have believed it before she saw Shen Wu in action herself.
Why was Shen Wu able to move so freely in the dark? Why did he have a knife as a weapon, and why was his Sword Skill so good…? She consciously avoided thinking about these questions. It was obvious he held many dangerous secrets.
Wen Ran smiled, "Senior Brother just killed a few Demons ordinarily. Besides that, could there have been any other special occurrences?"
Though her strength was lacking, she would try harder to be smart, to live longer.
Shen Wu squinted his eyes in a smile, "Ranran is right. The Forbidden Land is so dangerous, I'll kill a few more Demons to protect you better."
For the first time, Wen Ran felt a sense of concern for those Demons.
Stones began falling from above, with a crackling sound; as the stones grew larger, the noise increased.
Wen Ran looked up, noticing the stone walls above had cracks appearing. "This place is collapsing!"
Glancing back at the path they came from, it was already blocked by a fallen boulder.
Frantically, Wen Ran looked around, surrounded by stone walls with no way out except the blocked path.
Finally, her eyes landed on the water's surface. Without any other option, she decided to take a chance.
She walked towards the water but realized something felt off, quickly returning. "What are you standing there doing nothing?"
"Tired, taking a break."
How could he be resting at a time like this!
The thought process of a madman is incomprehensible to a normal person.
Wen Ran didn't have time to argue with him, heading towards the water on her own. However, she encountered a problem—she couldn't swim!
Once again, she looked back at the person there, Shen Wu, in his once-white-now-blood-stained robe, stood silently, more obedient than when he could irritate people to death on other occasions.
For some reason, his calm demeanor reminded Wen Ran of certain men who enter a state of contemplation after self-indulgence.
Although what Shen Wu did just now was entirely different from those private acts, the meaning was the same; he felt excitement, and after the excitement, he felt an empty sense of blandness.
She glanced at her own clean dress, then at Shen Wu's blood-stained clothes, grit her teeth, and went over to grasp his hand.
Shen Wu seemed to snap back, lowering his eyes to look at the hand she was holding, slowly blinking.
Wen Ran pulled him forward, "We have no other way now, we can only try to see if there's a way out in the water."
Shen Wu didn't respond, merely raised his hand to catch a stone about to fall on her head, casually tossing it aside.
Wen Ran didn't notice his small action, and they arrived by the water. She pointed at the surface, "Senior Brother, jump in."
"No."
Wen Ran was shocked, turning to face him, "This is our only way!"
Yet the young man who a moment ago was immersed in slaughter now resembled a sulking child, "The water is dirty, I don't want to jump."