Holy relics, everyone wants them.
Xu Mu, breathing in the night breeze, sensed the presence following him from behind. His brows twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Still being tracked."
He clicked his tongue, then deliberately spoke loudly, "This Elven Kingdom is indeed very small. In another two hours, we will reach the teleportation array point to the Dark Elves."
Qiong Qi, hearing this, his eyes flashed with light as he responded,
"Yes, compared to our world, this place is far too small."
"So, they're going to the Dark Elves." Murdoc coldly chuckled from behind. He then took out a communication artifact and spoke,
"That human is heading to the Dark Elves. Ensure he is intercepted before he arrives!"
"They are just one human and one demon, no reinforcements. They can be eliminated in a single encounter!" Murdoc finished reporting and tucked the artifact away.
When he looked up again, however, Xu Mu and Qiong Qi had vanished from his sight.
"Where did they go?"
Murdoc was initially confused, then immediately sensed something was wrong. As he was halfway through activating his magic, a cold sharpness grazed his neck.
"Move again, and you die."
Xu Mu's calm voice was filled with killing intent, making Murdoc's heart tremble.
"No… I wasn't following you. I was also going to the Dark Elves." Murdoc swallowed hard, replying with a glimmer of hope.
Immediately after, he was met with a terrifying kick that snapped his legs, the bones cracking audibly.
*Boom-crack!*
"Ah!!!" Murdoc's pained screams echoed under the night sky. He sprawled on the ground, with Xu Mu's foot pinning him down.
"Last chance. Why were you following me, and who were you talking to?" Xu Mu asked coldly. He had little patience for interrogation. If Murdoc didn't speak, he wouldn't hesitate to turn him into the first elf he had ever killed.
Enduring the pain, Murdoc was about to offer another excuse when he suddenly realized that if he didn't tell the truth now, he would truly die.
"I was contacting our clan leader. Because of the dispute during the day, I wanted him to retaliate against you." Murdoc said through gritted teeth.
*Thump!*
Xu Mu's expression turned icy as he stomped hard on Murdoc's wing. Feathers mixed with blood were pressed into the soil.
"One last chance. Tell the truth, or I'll kill you."
"I… this is the truth! The person I contacted was truly the leader of my Murdoc clan!" Murdoc cried out in terror. The pain in his lower back was excruciating.
The elven race had not experienced warfare for countless ages; they lived in peace and tranquility. He had absolutely no resistance to pain.
"Since you insist, then I can only send you to your death." Xu Mu said, and without hesitation, swung his blade down.
"There are people from other elven clans too!" Murdoc's pupils widened. Staring at the approaching blade, he was so terrified that he wet himself. He could only stammer out the entire truth.
"It's not just me. There are high-ranking officials from various clans who don't want the Elven Kingdom to reveal itself. They all want to kill you!"
"High-ranking officials from various clans? What are their strengths? Specifically, who are they from which clan, and when can they arrive here? Be more precise." Xu Mu's expression suddenly turned grim as he demanded.
"People from the four great elven clans, excluding the Dark Elves, have individuals who want to kill you. They even… they even contacted a dark sorcerer, named Veigar, I think!"
"What!" Xu Mu's heart trembled. These elves would even collude with dark sorcerers to kill him?
"Because they need approval before acting, their speed will be slower. By now, they should have just set off." Murdoc continued to confess.
"Even if they've just set off, the Elven Kingdom is so small, we don't have much time," Qiong Qi said with a grave expression.
"But fortunately, my initial remark misled them." Xu Mu's brows unfurrowed slightly. Murdoc had told them he was heading to the Dark Elf teleportation point, but in reality, he was going to the Boundary Sea.
Although both places were in the same direction, there were still subtle differences, which could buy him some time.
"In that case, there's no time to delay. Let's go quickly." Xu Mu flipped himself over and mounted Qiong Qi. The latter let out a low roar and shot forward instantly, more than twice as fast as before.
Murdoc lay on the ground, a pitiful sight, staring with wide eyes in the direction they had left. Just as he was about to retrieve his communication artifact to say something, a beam of blade light, as thick as a large tree, suddenly flew from the distant horizon.
*Bang!*
With an overbearing slash, Murdoc's body was instantly cut to pieces, losing all life.
...
"If he hadn't caused trouble, would you have killed him?" Qiong Qi asked from within the space.
"How would I know if he was causing trouble or not?" Xu Mu slowly sheathed his blade, his expression calm.
Qiong Qi nodded. This meant that whether he caused trouble or not, he would be killed. That was very much in character for Brother Hao.
"Brother Hao, that elf just mentioned that the Dark Elves were not involved in the assassination attempt, and there are dark sorcerers involved this time. Therefore, we could actually enlist the power of the Dark Elves to resolve this crisis." Qiong Qi analyzed, considering what to do if they couldn't reach the Boundary Sea.
Xu Mu nodded. Among the entire elven race, the only ones he could currently think of were the Wind Elf King Sylph, and the Dark Elves. However, he had no way to contact either of them at the moment.
Unless they turned back immediately, but even if the crisis was resolved, they couldn't bring others to the Boundary Sea to find holy relics. That would be akin to inviting wolves into the house.
"Don't overthink it. They shouldn't be able to catch up." Xu Mu comforted softly. His feet were treading on the symbol of Xun and Qiong Qi, and their speed had reached its peak. Even ordinary domain lords would find it difficult to catch up. In less than an hour, they would reach the Boundary Sea.
Once they reached the Boundary Sea, it would be much safer, as it was a forbidden land for elves, filled with dangers, but they had a map.
"Better safe than sorry," Qiong Qi yawned. Moving rapidly in the darkness, he got a mouthful of wind and clicked his tongue.
"The Elven world is different. Even the wind has a taste," Qiong Qi said, smacking his lips.
"A strong scent, yet damp and cold, slightly bitter… Isn't this the smell of Soul Enchanting Grass?" Xu Mu clicked his tongue and, using knowledge learned from memory, immediately recognized the scent of Soul Enchanting Grass.
Were there Soul Enchanting Grass patches planted everywhere in the Elven Kingdom?
Xu Mu and Qiong Qi exchanged a look, then their bodies stiffened abruptly.
In the next second, countless arrows imbued with the essence of heaven and earth shot from all directions. They moved with extreme speed, carrying frost and flame.
...