Chapter 365: The Gorge

The cold wind blew, and no one dared to move or even breathe loudly.

The Great Demon’s eyes shifted, focusing on Bawei.

Being the strongest wizard in the group, Bawei naturally drew the Demon’s attention.

Helag sensed the Demon was still waking up, appearing somewhat groggy.

The Demon stared at Bawei for a while, then sniffed the air.

Catching a scent, its eyes widened, appearing more alert.

The Demon grinned oddly, raising a massive hand from the cliff edge, reaching for Bawei.

Its enormous size made its movements seem slow.

In reality, the Demon’s hand moved swiftly, creating a gust.

Sensing danger, Bawei transformed into flames, vanishing and reappearing a hundred meters away.

The Demon’s hand grasped empty air.

Opening its fist, the Demon glared at its empty palm, then roared angrily at the group.

The sound was piercing, leaving everyone dizzy and disoriented.

Frustrated by its miss, the Demon swiped at a first-level wizard with blinding speed.

The wizard had no time to react.

Before he could gather magic, the giant hand slammed him into the ground.

Lifting its hand, the Demon leaned in to inspect its handiwork.

Seeing a bloody smear, it seemed satisfied.

The wind carried the metallic scent of blood, weighing heavily on the group.

The blood seemed to excite the Demon, which grinned at them.

Meanwhile, Bawei had retreated several hundred meters, flickering like flames.

The Demon glanced at the fleeing Bawei, growling in displeasure.

It remembered him as the one who escaped its grasp, fueling its anger.

With a powerful push, the Demon leaped from the gorge, soaring into the sky.

Its massive form dominated the heavens, obscuring the moonlight.

Helag realized the Demon couldn’t truly fly; it simply jumped incredibly high and far.

From their perspective, it seemed airborne, but it was merely a leap.

The Demon easily cleared the gorge, landing before Bawei.

With a thud, the Demon blocked Bawei’s path.

Seeing this, Helag glanced at the Great Rift Gorge.

After a moment’s thought, he flashed out of the encirclement, sprinting toward the gorge.

Reaching the edge, Helag leaped without hesitation.

His swift escape left the others unable to react or stop him.

Given the situation, the other explorers focused on survival, ignoring Helag.

Helag chose the gorge for a simple reason: the plain offered no cover.

With the Demon’s speed, escaping its sight was nearly impossible.

Bawei might have a chance with special means, but Helag relied on physical strength, outmatched by the Demon.

In speed and power, he was inferior.

Escaping on the plain was unlikely.

But the gorge offered a better chance.

Running along its length could distance him from danger.

For humans, the gorge was wide, but for the Demon, it was narrow and inconvenient.

Helag planned to escape through the gorge, making pursuit difficult for the Demon.

With the Demon occupied with Bawei, Helag seized the chance to flee.

Activating the Feather of Flight, Helag hovered mid-air.

He descended a few hundred meters, avoiding the gorge’s bottom.

Uncertain of what lay below, he avoided the Crawlers he’d dropped earlier.

At this height, Deep Blue’s detection reached the gorge floor.

This allowed Helag to assess the situation without descending fully.

The gorge was cold, much cooler than above.

Helag flew south, quickly distancing himself.

Above, thuds echoed, dislodging rocks from the cliffs.

Helag steered clear of the edges, avoiding falling debris.

Boom!

Another explosion sounded above, likely a spell’s detonation.

The accompanying magic wave indicated its power, likely Bawei’s doing as the only second-level wizard.

“Hang in there.”

Helag silently encouraged Bawei, hoping he’d buy time for his escape.

He felt that if he got far enough, the Demon wouldn’t pursue.

The Demon’s behavior suggested limited intelligence, acting on instinct.

To the Demon, Helag was insignificant; it wouldn’t chase a distant insect.

With Bawei as a more substantial target, the Demon would focus on him.

Understanding this, Helag continued south, ignoring the noise behind.

He focused on the gorge, wary of any surprises.

The gorge floor was littered with Crawlers, many broken from their fall.