Witch Redemption

"Sizzle—sizzle—"

The demonic head emitted strange sounds, the meaning of which was incomprehensible. It was grinning maliciously, greedily trying to devour everything Li Lan had.

Although she had expected this, she didn't expect the scene to be so exciting. Li Lan shook her head and, after giving herself another boost of "courage," became fearless.

With their quill pens, they continued to write furiously, composing a verse of their hopes.

"After 24:00 on June 15, 10003 (Gregorian calendar), Karen Elf, Lana Sivir, Lorina Euphemia, Della Bertie, Peggy, Sherry Nancy, and Matilda von Sils were killed by the Abyss Monster. Their watcher was also killed by the Abyss Monster, which then escaped."

Within three minutes, all the black characters written on this blank space seemed to writhe like blood, rapidly seeping into the blank space of the Book of Fate's Judgment, until the final stroke.

As the last words seeped into the sealed artifact, Li Lan felt the eerie book in her hand begin to tremble violently. In an instant, the entire world before her eyes seemed to collapse as if mountains were crumbling and the earth were splitting apart. Behind that collapse, endless darkness surged forth like a raging sea...

"I have received your request!"

Li Lan heard the blood-red ghostly figure in front of her utter mutterings like boiling water. Immediately afterward, the boundless, terrifying darkness suddenly dissipated, and in that instant, the world seemed to fall into a strange distortion that lasted only a moment.

Unbeknownst to them, immediately after this distortion, the "Codex of Causality" in the hands of the Imperial Witch Cult Warden suddenly underwent a new change: "Witch Code 001, Code 002, Code 013, Code 040, Code 027, Code 035, causality severed, cause of death..."

"In return, you must offer me a delicious soul. I demand that the true name of this soul must be Lana Sivir, or Lorina Euphemia, or Della Bertie!"

The ghostly figure that had pierced Li Lan's heart with a sharp claw suddenly leaned forward with a greedy grin, as if possessing him and stabbing into Li Lan's body. Then he only felt an extremely disgusting, sticky sensation on his back, and a large number of blood-red phantom threads connected his body with the Book of Judgment in his hand. Moreover, he didn't know when, but the strange book in his hand had changed color.

Its color was as pale as deathly white skin, and the numerous silver veins had transformed into horrifying blood vessels...

This is spiritual pollution! This is absolutely spiritual pollution!

Li Lan took a deep breath and calmly put away the Book of Fate's Judgment. Just then, he noticed that the six pitiful witches around him had all stood up and were looking at him blankly.

"Karen, what were you doing just now..." Lana wanted to ask Li Lan why she was suddenly spacing out, but she quickly noticed that Li Lan's expression was strange, and she looked away as if she was avoiding something.

"I'm fine. Let's go. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

Li Lan immediately shouted at the slime that had transformed into an abyss monster and the Starry Night series maids, "Little ones, come here!"

He had already devised an excellent way to travel...

Two minutes later, the seven witches crowded behind the slime, and Li Lan began to use "First Aid" to quickly treat the wounds of these seriously injured witches.

Since the slime's predecessor was an abyssal monster, when she transforms into the abyssal monster Hati, she can directly use this guy's complete form, transforming into this huge icefield wolf and possessing all the abilities of the icefield wolf.

At this moment, the slime used the "Advanced Transformation" talent to turn some of its fur into a fence on its back, just enough to trap Li Lan and the other seven in a relatively flat area on their backs. Then, it was rushing north at a terrifying speed, and all the surrounding forest scenery turned into a fast-moving phantom.

With the boost of "divine speed," the slime's speed far surpassed that of the witches, reaching unimaginable speeds.

"Finish!"

After spending about four minutes treating Lana and the others' wounds, Li Lan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They succeeded! They escaped successfully!

...... ...... ......

The torrent of crimson night continued, and countless black resentments that surged from the ground transformed into thousands of strange beasts, rushing towards Mori City.

The corpse of the abyss monster Hati is now stored separately in Li Lan's spatial backpack.

After treating his companions' wounds, he began to plot against the dead abyssal monster, extracting its magical core from its heart and then storing its blood in several pre-prepared empty bottles.

Blood activation requires a special catalyst, which Li Lan and her companions had been informed of back when Witch No. 47 was still alive. Li Lan, a witch so weak she had to use blood traps to hunt down the Chaos-mimicking witches, had initially prepared quite a bit, and this proved invaluable at this moment.

"If this blood can be stored for a long time, it will become the slime's strongest trump card in the future, and at the very least, it can keep them safe."

While pondering, Li Lan glanced at her natal magic book out of the corner of her eye. The open "Survey" interface on it indicated their current location on the map.

By this point, the high-speed slime had been sprinting for thirty minutes, exceeding the limit that Li Lan and the others could achieve in a day, completely beyond their expectations.

Originally, they planned to part ways at the edge of the Mori Defense Forest, but they changed their minds and, with the help of the transformed slime, crossed three monster areas and arrived at a relatively desolate gray stone forest, where there were eroded stone pillars resembling basalt everywhere.

Directly north of Mori City on the border of the Empire, beyond the Mori Defense Forest, the Dawn City Hills, and the Nasha Great Forest, lies the so-called Hazan Stone Forest, a vast area filled with a large number of crystal-type monsters. Since there are no ancient temples in this area, the danger is significantly increased.

Originally, I planned to continue using slimes to advance, but unfortunately, the time it takes for slimes to transform using the blood of abyssal monsters is limited, and it is impossible for this to continue indefinitely.

In contrast, the ten constellations, from constellation one to constellation ten, could only last for five minutes before they gave up. In order not to hold them back, they had to be recalled to the grimoire.

The fact that a slime can last for half an hour is truly terrifying.

"I'm sorry, my lord..."

Finally unable to hold on any longer, the slime stopped on the empty stone plain. After reverting to its original form, it staggered several steps with a pale face, coughing up a large amount of sea-blue liquid.

This is the blood of the slime, symbolizing her life force.

Using "advanced transformation" to transform into different species of abyssal monsters would put a great strain on her body. It's safe to say that now that she has regained her original form, the slime will probably need to rest for several days before she can return to her peak condition.

"Thanks for your hard work!"

Li Lan helped her follower up with a touch of heartache, then turned her gaze to the six witches with different expressions. "My lords, the time for parting has come. Let us separate here and not worry about anyone."

"Karen, are you really planning to...?"

Lana's words were filled with reluctance and even worry.

"It was agreed from the beginning that the Empire would not let us escape. If we gather together, we might be wiped out. Besides, you've seen how strong the slimes are, haven't you? I might have been the weakest before, but after tonight, I might be the strongest."

Li Lan was optimistic. He concealed all his negative emotions, and his hazy gaze seemed to want to forever etch the images of his accomplices into his heart.

Before they fled, Li Lan had already told all the witches present that after tonight, they must escape in different directions.

Even if they deceived the Empire using the Book of Fate, the Empire might still suspect they were alive and would certainly take countermeasures. Lacking sufficient intelligence, they would never know the extent of the Empire's intelligence network. To be on the safe side, they could only try to act separately to increase their chances of survival.

Furthermore, now that they have advanced to the Silver Magic Tome, they can easily deal with mid-level monsters, so separating is not necessarily a bad thing.

Li Lan knew that Lana and the others wanted to recruit him to join their escape team, mainly because they were concerned about his shortcomings as a "priest." However, Li Lan had his own unspeakable difficulties and could only avoid them.

“Sigh, indeed…” Lana shook her head, ultimately not insisting. “Then I’ll go in this direction, alone. Also, let’s agree on a meeting place and time.”

Lana opened her grimoire and paused for a moment to confirm. "Whoever it is, once they obtain a Gold Grimoire, how about we gather at the Desolate Ruins, the border between the Eastern and Northern Continents? That area is a neutral zone that many powerful nations find difficult to penetrate; perhaps we witches can find peace there..."

Lana didn't know how long it would take for the witches present to advance to the Gold Magic Book and become stronger, but she didn't want to never see these former comrades again.

The thought that one day all the witches present might be swallowed up by this terrible world filled him with inexplicable fear and even a profound sense of loneliness.

Sadness permeated the surroundings as Lana spoke.

Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Lorina's eyes, but she was a strong-willed "die-hard otaku" who was always simple and optimistic. "Then it's a promise. I will advance to the Gold Magic Tome before you, and I will wait for you in the Ruins of Annihilation. Don't die!"

Lorina's destination is the northern "wild lands," meaning that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, she will be the first witch among them to set foot there.

Peggy, Sherry, and Matilda, being true adults, possessed strong mental fortitude. At this moment, they only felt a slight lump in their throats, but they managed to suppress all their negative emotions well. "Farewell, everyone. No matter how many years pass, we will definitely reach the Ruins of Annihilation alive. Take care!"

As the backbone of another witch team, Peggy knew very well that they couldn't afford to waste a moment here. So after saying her last words, she gestured to Sherry and Matilda. The three of them etched Li Lan's image into their hearts forever, and then turned and walked away.

The three witches' figures quickly disappeared in the southeast direction, swiftly and decisively, without any hesitation.

Inspired by their decisiveness, Lana took one last look at Li Lan and said, "Gentlemen, you must live! I will always wait for you, and we will go home together in the future!"

Lana didn't hesitate any longer, and her tall figure disappeared from sight.

"Karen, they've already said everything they needed to say. I'll always be waiting for you!"

Luo Lina couldn't help but give Li Lan a warm hug. She hid her sadness and forced out an ugly smile at this moment of parting.

She had always known that her future was destined to end in death, but the appearance of her best friend Karen Elf changed everything. She gained hope and companionship, and she could no longer afford to lose them.

Goodbye, Karen; goodbye, Della!

Reluctantly letting go of the warmth in her hands, Lolina turned around and gave the taciturn Della a hug before resolutely sprinting northward.

In the blink of an eye, only Della and Li Lan remained on the scene.

Codenamed 013 Della went from initial hostility to being accepted by Li Lan and the others, and finally opening her heart to them. Now, as she was about to leave, she was also feeling pain and loss. She was afraid that her companions would one day follow in Britney's footsteps.

More than her own life or death, she cared about the safety of her companions, especially the witch who had saved her from hell.

"Karen..." Della's voice was unusually choked with sobs, and she was on the verge of emotional collapse.

Upon hearing this, Li Lan simply patted her shoulder and said, "Go ahead. Everyone has made a pact to remember that place. I will definitely make it there alive."

With a smile, Li Lan bid farewell to her comrades with a smile from beginning to end, just like the former No. 47, giving them her final support with her actions.

No matter how cruel the road ahead may be, they will walk on without regret and will not compromise on their lives.

Unfortunately, Li Lan knew that she would probably have to break her promise.

Della felt that Li Lan was hiding something, but the witch she respected showed a reassuring smile, and under that smile, even the most terrifying darkness seemed to become bright.

"You must keep your strength in your own hands. When I am no longer able to help you in the future, please take good care of yourself!"

After giving her final words of advice, Li Lan watched Della walk further and further away until her figure disappeared in the northwest, completely fading into the darkness...

Chapter 144 A Noble Soul

Ten minutes after the deaths of the two Imperial Major Generals, the seven priests of the Witch's Abode finally rushed to the bloody scene.

Everywhere you looked was a scene of devastation, and the stench of blood in the air was so strong it was suffocating.

"here!"

The old woman, Monica, hurried to the two large pools of rotten flesh, only to find that Major General Eisen and Major General Geno were beyond dead, and even collecting their bodies had become a problem.

"Their deaths were all caused by the wind-type abilities of the Icefield Dire Wolves. Judging from the injuries caused by this attack, the attacker was indeed an Abyss Monster, and its strength was even close to that of a Super Abyss Monster! Could the culprit really be Hati, the Icefield Dire Wolf and servant of the Sixth Apostle, Karamit?"

Priestess Monica couldn't understand it at all. The Sixth Apostle, Kalamiti, had a cooperative relationship with the Empire, and there had never been any accidents in the thousands of years of cooperation. Why was this happening this year?

"Priestess Monica, don't you think this murderer's abilities are a bit strange?"

One of the older women, bending down, frowned as she assessed the cause of death of the two Imperial Major Generals.

“It’s really strange. The Icefield Wolf Hati visited the Empire before. Judging from its strength, it’s not much stronger than the two Imperial Major Generals. If the two Imperial Major Generals insisted on escaping, this Abyss Monster would not have been able to stop them, let alone kill them like this.”

Monica bent down and picked up Eisen's broken eyeball. Soon, Monica's magic transformed into pure white flames, which burned fiercely.

The next second, pure white flames recreated the scene the eyeball had seen before its death based on the stored information in the eyeball, but this illusion only lasted for a second.

In the final second of his life, from Major General Eisen's perspective, all he could see was the world shattering. A massive, silvery-white claw ripped through his body with unstoppable force, and then a terrifying storm transformed into a crisscrossing, enormous net, tearing Major General Eisen apart from head to toe.

awful!

That's horrible!

"Overwhelming power, this is overwhelming power! And the one who killed them was the abyssal demon Hati!"

Monica's expression turned extremely solemn. She even gasped, suspecting that the abyss monster Hati had concealed its strength when it came to the Empire.

The other priests who also witnessed the magical transformation exclaimed in shock, "This violates the eternal oath! Does the Sixth Apostle intend to be an enemy of our empire?"

"Who knows? The Sixth Apostle is already in dire straits himself. It was already anticipated that this year would likely be the last time they cooperated, so it wouldn't be surprising if something went wrong..."