Chapter 703: Where Are You Running?

"Leader of the Azure God Path... I welcome the Red Dust Lord's return."

Yao Qing did not state his name.

He stood there quietly, head bowed deeply, not daring to even glance up at Su Zhiwei. He was struggling to control himself, afraid that if their eyes met, he might reveal something he shouldn't.

So, he simply gazed at his broken reflection on the water's surface, appearing respectful and humble.

He was so old.

For the past three hundred years, Yao Qing had seen Su Zhiwei every day. Yet, Su Zhiwei's impression of him was still of the vigorous young man he had been three centuries ago, around twenty years old and full of spirit.

But what about now?

His face was covered in wrinkles, his body marred by age spots, and gruesome bloodied holes pierced him, making him look like a repulsive monster. This version of him was unworthy of being "Yao Qing."

Rather than letting Su Zhiwei see him like this, it was better for "Yao Qing" to remain a memory, preserved in her mind as the perfect image of the past.

As for himself...

After all, he was dying soon anyway.

"Leader of the Azure God Path..." Su Zhiwei murmured, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

She sensed that though the old man before her was clearly at death's door, the aura he emitted was undoubtedly demigod-level. Could it be that even in this era, the Azure God Path had produced a demigod?

Su Zhiwei scrutinized the old man, attempting to make out his face, but his back became increasingly stooped, preventing her from getting a clear view.

"Red Dust Lord," the aged figure suddenly spoke, his voice raspy.

"The Boundless Lord, leading the Sorcery Association, forcibly attacked the Red Dust Realm. He sought to eliminate you prematurely in your sleep, and he used millions of my Red Dust Realm citizens to forge a Philosopher's Stone in pursuit of his own immortality...

Now, I am gravely wounded and dying, unable to fight. Red Dust Lord... please avenge us."

"Lou Yu?!"

At his words, Su Zhiwei paused, then, as if a memory clicked, fury ignited in her eyes.

She surveyed her surroundings, seeing nothing but burning houses and collapsed ruins as far as her eyes could reach. She had just been wondering what calamity had struck the Red Dust Realm, never imagining it was the Boundless Lord's doing.

He tried to kill me?!

"It was him... I knew it, it had to be him!!"

A memory of the nuclear strike against her over three hundred years ago flashed through Su Zhiwei's mind. Long-held suspicions were confirmed, and her Nine Lords-level killing intent almost solidified, radiating outwards. A terrifying pressure enveloped the entire street!

Puddles rippled, pale strands of hair swayed gently in the wind, and the stooped old man, after a long silence, spoke again:

"He is now likely attempting to flee the Red Dust Realm. He is certain you will not leave this place..."

"Red Dust Lord, you must go."

Su Zhiwei's fists slowly clenched. She turned her head, her gaze fixed on the direction of the Boundless Lord's escape.

"I know," cold killing intent emanated from Su Zhiwei's lips. Her voice, like a whisper from the underworld, declared, "He is certainly not getting away today."

"Please take care of yourself, my Lord. This old man... must depart."

The old man took a deep breath, and his stooped body slowly turned. Just before he left, he lifted his head, gave Su Zhiwei a soft glance, and then stumbled away in the opposite direction.

Beneath the ink-black clouds, the aged figure, like withered grass in the wind, walked alone towards an empty, desolate place.

Su Zhiwei froze, wondering if it was an illusion. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw tears welling in the old man's eyes. That fleeting glance, lasting only a second, seemed to hold a world of meaning.

Su Zhiwei's brow furrowed unconsciously. Without dwelling on it, she took a step and set off in the direction the Boundless Lord had fled.

But just as she took that step, she suddenly halted.

For some reason, the previous scene suddenly replayed in her mind: the old man bowing deeply with cupped hands. Despite his wrinkled skin, the joints of his long, slender fingers were hardened with thick calluses.

Those calluses were in an unusual place, one where ordinary people rarely developed them. Yet, she knew someone whose hands bore the exact same marks.

Su Zhiwei's pupils constricted slightly!

"Yao Qing...?"

She murmured, uncertainly, then sharply turned her head to look back. The ruined street was now utterly empty, leaving behind only desolation and solitude.

Su Zhiwei was stunned. A conjecture had formed in her mind, yet she dared not believe it. And now, she had no idea where the old man had gone. Ultimately, her gaze returned to the direction the Boundless Lord had fled.

She knew how to confirm her suspicion.

"Lou Yu...!!"

Su Zhiwei's fists clenched tightly. She took a deep breath.

The next moment, dense ripples spread out from beneath her. Her entire being seemed to melt into nothingness, transforming into a handful of moonlight-like energy before vanishing into thin air.

A silver light, akin to lightning, streaked across the ground!

Where the silver light passed, a long silver trail was left on the earth, as if the ground itself had been converted into a highly magnetic substance. Meanwhile, the Boundless Lord's body glowed faintly white, almost skimming the ground as he whistled past, resembling a high-speed maglev train.

His speed was incredible, even breaking the sound barrier. A visible air curtain extended from his sides, and in a single breath, he had traversed more than half of the Red Dust Realm.

Even at such extreme speeds, the Boundless Lord's body remained unaffected. His eyes, too, had transformed into an unknown material, glowing like faint blue crystals. In the reflection of these crystalline eyes, the edge of the Red Dust Realm rapidly approached.

He was on the verge of leaving Su Zhiwei's domain!

The Boundless Lord's eyes narrowed. His blue-glowing pupils erupted with an even more dazzling light, and his speed surged once more!

One second, two seconds, three seconds... ten seconds!

The Boundless Lord had pushed his current speed to its absolute limit, yet the edge of the Red Dust Realm seemed to maintain its distance, hovering like a static image no matter how fast he moved.

The Boundless Lord's brows furrowed tightly. He keenly sensed that something was amiss and sharply looked up at the sky!

An incomparably colossal hand slowly rose from the sky. Behind it was a serene yet furious face, like a cosmic Buddha gazing down at Earth, capable of flicking a marble-sized planet into fragments with the slightest lift of a hand!

The Boundless Lord's pupils suddenly constricted!

The Red Dust Lord couldn't possibly be that massive, nor could she destroy a planet with a flick of her hand, so...

The Boundless Lord seemed to grasp something, his eyes widening in bewildered surprise as he surveyed his surroundings. Unbeknownst to him, the vast land he occupied was gradually curling up, like a petal drifting in the air.

Trapped within, the Boundless Lord was like Sun Wukong in the palm of the Buddha, utterly unable to escape!

Both he and the Red Dust Realm had been forcibly elevated to a higher dimension...

No, that's not it!

It was the Red Dust Lord... who had descended in dimension herself!

Not just this area, but even the other major regions of the Red Dust Realm gradually rose and folded in, like layers of petals intertwining and dancing in the boundless void.

It was a red flower.

This red flower drifted gently in the air, finally settling into Su Zhiwei's slender palm, swaying silently. A whole realm, cradled in her hand.

"Lou Yu," the Red Dust Lord murmured, looking down at the sand-grain-sized Boundless Lord.

"Where... can you possibly run?"