Huo Qixiao stared warily at the two colossal figures before him, a sense of familiarity tugging at him regarding the giant eagle. But before he could recall where he’d seen it, the two monsters made their move.
The giant eagle suddenly lunged towards him, while the mountain-like, sodden creature emerged from the water.
Good heavens! This thing truly was a monster; otherwise, why would it have so many legs? Huo Qixiao’s face turned ashen with fear. Had he accidentally stumbled into their territory?
Seeing the multi-legged monster lumbering ashore, its shape becoming clearer, Huo Qixiao, his face pale, desperately kicked his legs and fled forward.
However, after running for a while, he realized the surroundings were all open, grassy plains, offering no place to hide.
The eagle and the octopus pursued him at a leisurely pace. The octopus, with a mischievous intent, would occasionally poke Huo Qixiao’s back with its tentacles.
Suddenly touched by something soft and slimy, Huo Qixiao felt his back tingle with a chilling sensation. Terrified, he mustered all his strength, fleeing desperately.
After running for an unknown duration, he finally spotted rows of neat, endless, square structures resembling houses ahead.
Huo Qixiao had no time to ponder who might live there. Survival instinct silenced his thoughts, and he frantically rushed forward, knocking on doors, house by house, begging for help.
“Help! Help! There are monsters, monsters!” Huo Qixiao, his face ghastly pale and drenched in sweat, pounded forcefully on an iron door. His legs felt weak, and his voice, strained from his desperate pleas, was cracking.
Naturally, no one opened the door for Huo Qixiao, and no one came to his rescue. These were Su Muqing’s warehouses, specifically built to store her vast array of supplies and treasures.
After a brief game of chase, the Octopus King lost its patience. Such a fun toy was meant to be held within tentacles and swung around for amusement!
The octopus extended a tentacle and coiled around Huo Qixiao’s waist, yanking him into the air before he could react.
At a considerable height, the octopus released its grip, and just as Huo Qixiao was about to crash onto the ground, it swiftly caught one of his legs, lifting him again.
“Aaaaaah…!” The sudden sensation of weightlessness struck him. Huo Qixiao felt dizzy for a moment, then let out earth-shattering screams.
The octopus repeated the action numerous times. After an indeterminate period, Huo Qixiao, tossed back and forth, was covered in his own vomit. The constant motion had made him purge even his bile.
Once more flung into the air, Huo Qixiao’s head dangled listlessly, his body limp like a corpse, at the mercy of the monster behind him.
Just as Huo Qixiao assumed it would be like before, he felt a powerful grip suddenly seize his waist.
The force and touch were entirely different from the slimy feel of the tentacles. Huo Qixiao felt a surge of hope, thinking someone had come to his rescue.
Gathering the last vestiges of his strength, he slowly lifted his head and saw a vast expanse of greyish-white feathers. His heart felt as if it had frozen solid!
With mechanical movements, he turned his head and saw a gigantic claw on the other side. The claws were long and sharp, glinting with a keen, cold light.
Huo Qixiao realized then that the multi-legged monster had thrown him to the giant eagle in the sky!
For a considerable time thereafter, Huo Qixiao seemed to be perpetually engaged in a free extreme sports challenge, pursued and toyed with daily by the giant eagle and the multi-legged monster.
And each time he felt he couldn't hold on any longer, about to be played to death by the two monsters, they would magnanimously toss him back to the ground, even thoughtfully leaving him some food to ensure he didn't actually die.
With no sun or moon to mark the passage of time, Huo Qixiao had no idea how long he had endured these "thrilling" days.
The initial extreme challenges were harrowing enough, but later, Huo Qixiao discovered they were merely an appetizer. The subsequent series of life-threatening predicaments were the true trials of near-certain death!
Moreover, whenever Huo Qixiao thought he had experienced the most perilous day, a different challenge would await him the next.
In essence, he lived each day in terror and fear. Even in sleep, the suffocating sensation of weightlessness pervaded his surroundings, and his brow was perpetually furrowed.
One day, Huo Qixiao was still lost in a dream, his head feeling fuzzy and his body chilled. Yesterday, he had been immersed in the sea for a long time by the two monsters, surrounded by large fish with sharp teeth, seemingly intent on tearing him apart and devouring him. To survive, Huo Qixiao had to swim frantically towards the shore. From a distance, he saw the multi-legged monster squatting on the bank.
The large fish seemed to fear the multi-legged monster, only lingering outside a certain range. With great effort, Huo Qixiao finally managed to swim to the shore.
However, before his feet could even find solid ground, a tentacle of the multi-legged monster shot towards him with lightning speed.
With a “snap!” the blow landed. Although the force was immense, Huo Qixiao felt no pain.
He glanced back with a flicker of anger, then looked around with fear. He had just reached the shore, only to be pulled back to his original position. The large fish, which had been about to depart, saw his return and swam towards him again, their tails swishing. Huo Qixiao cursed under his breath and changed direction, resignedly swimming towards the shore again.
This cycle repeated itself throughout the day. By the time Huo Qixiao was finally pulled out, he had no strength left and had swallowed several mouthfuls of seawater, eventually losing consciousness.
However, the abundance of spiritual energy within his spatial dimension allowed the fatigue and minor wounds on Huo Qixiao’s body to heal rapidly.
Huo Qixiao groggily opened his eyes and found himself once again deposited somewhere by the two monsters.
The surroundings were a dense forest. The trees were tall and grand, their thick leaves blocking out the blue sky and white clouds, creating a somewhat eerie and frightening atmosphere.