"My name is Ning Beichen. I'm not a disciple of any sect, and I don't belong to any faction," Ning Beichen replied.
"You have no faction? Then how did you get in here?" the girl asked him curiously.
"I just walked in. No one stopped me," Ning Beichen said.
"Impossible! You're lying! This place is a forbidden zone. Outsiders cannot enter without permission!" the girl said sternly to Ning Beichen.
Ning Beichen's eyebrows twitched. He looked at the girl, suddenly thought of something, and then said to her.
"I'm not lying to you, miss. May I ask if you've been here for a long time?"
"What do you mean?" the woman asked Ning Beichen.
"I just wanted to ask if you have been here for a very long time?" Ning Beichen asked her this because he suspected she might not have been trapped here recently, but for a very, very long time.
This was because Ning Beichen hadn't sensed any life aura from her before. It was only when he walked in that she woke up, or rather, came to life.
"I don't remember," the girl said, holding her head. Whenever she tried to recall something, her head would buzz, as if something was trying to burst out.
"Outside... outside is actually different now. When I came in, I saw ruins everywhere. Nothing was intact. Everything had decayed, including the buildings. So, I think you might have been trapped here for a very, very long time. Do you remember what happened here?" Ning Beichen said to her.
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" the girl roared, holding her head. She unleashed an extremely powerful force that pushed Ning Beichen back a few steps.
"Miss, please calm down, miss..." Ning Beichen quickly said to her, while cautiously retreating. This woman was crazy and he couldn't afford to provoke her.
"Don't go!" As Ning Beichen was about to exit the vortex, the woman commanded him fiercely.
Ning Beichen immediately froze, standing in place and looking at her.
"Is what you said true?" the woman asked Ning Beichen, seemingly having calmed down.
"Of course it's true. I have no reason to lie. You can just step outside and see for yourself if it's true or not," Ning Beichen said to her.
The woman fell silent. Ning Beichen dared not speak either. He was inwardly calculating how much of a chance he would have if the woman turned hostile, and what his chances of escape would be.
However, Ning Beichen knew too little about the woman's strength, so he couldn't arrive at any conclusion after much deliberation.
Still, the woman gave Ning Beichen an incredibly powerful feeling, making him feel a chill down his spine. If she were to make a move, his chances of winning would be very slim.
"Fine, I believe you. Now, take me out. If you haven't lied, I'll spare your life," the woman said after an unknown period of silence.
Now it was Ning Beichen's turn to hesitate. Taking her out was not a problem, but the question was whether this woman would truly keep her promise. He feared that the moment they stepped out, she would kill him. Even if she didn't kill him, he couldn't accept becoming her slave.
Moreover, Yan Xiong and the few ordinary people like Susu were still outside. If this woman were to go mad, the consequences would be unimaginable.
This was why Ning Beichen hesitated.
But now there was a problem: the woman asked him to take her out, which implied she couldn't get out herself. If this were true, he could use it to his advantage, as Ning Beichen didn't want to bring a ticking time bomb out with him, who might end up killing him.
With this thought, Ning Beichen made up his mind. However, before executing it, he needed to confirm whether the woman truly couldn't leave, or if it was just his assumption.
"Alright, miss. I have companions waiting for me outside. I'll go inform them and return immediately to escort you out," Ning Beichen said. After that, he turned and ran as if his backside was on fire. However, before he could run a few steps, a powerful force suppressed him in place.
"As expected, this woman isn't that simple." Ning Beichen dismissed his wishful thinking and turned to face her.
"Miss, I'm just going to find my companions. I'll be right back." While Ning Beichen was saying this, his bronze ancient sword had, at some point, been sheathed.
With his intelligence, he naturally knew he couldn't escape this way, nor did he intend to. His goal was to prove whether the woman could leave the vortex.
After Ning Beichen sheathed his bronze ancient sword, the black, asphalt-like substances that had previously moved away from him reappeared. They not only surrounded Ning Beichen but also began to creep towards the girl.
Upon seeing these things, the girl let out a startled cry and quickly dodged.
However, the vortex was filled with these substances, and there was nowhere to hide. Ning Beichen was already entangled by these black things. But he was not flustered at all, because he knew he was not in danger.
The girl, meanwhile, was desperately dodging, seemingly terrified of these substances and not daring to let them get close. The reason she was trapped here was precisely because of these things.
Ning Beichen was unaware of this. He only vaguely guessed that the girl was trapped in the vortex for a reason, and now it seemed to be the case.
Ning Beichen's body was entangled by these mysterious substances, and he was gradually completely covered. Just as Ning Beichen was preparing to slip away, the girl desperately rushed to his side and began to tear at the black substances with her hands.
"Damn you, let him go!" the girl roared, pulling at the black substances. She saw blue arcs of electricity appear on her fingers, and these arcs seemed capable of temporarily repelling the black substances.
"Miss, you should leave quickly and don't worry about me. I'm afraid I'm finished," Ning Beichen said pitifully to her.
"No, I won't let you die! Get away!" The girl's body, not just her fingers, began to emit arcs of electricity, clearing away the black substances that were缠绕 Ning Beichen.
Ning Beichen was helpless. He had finally thought of a plan, only for this foolish woman to save him. Or perhaps, she wasn't thinking of saving him, but what did it matter? To Ning Beichen, ultimately, this woman wasn't as detestable as he had imagined.
Not long after, the mysterious black substances on Ning Beichen were ripped away by her, but their situation did not improve. Furthermore, what the girl did next moved Ning Beichen.