Chapter 361
At the sound of the voice, Yian instinctively looked up.
A massive phoenix soared across the sky, its crimson wings blotting out the sunlight. Perched upon its back was a breathtakingly beautiful young woman.
Behind her flew an entire formation of phoenixes, golden dragons, and black eagles.
A large group of land-dwelling beastmen raced across the ground below, keeping pace with the aerial force overhead.
The eagle warriors had been brought by Lanhong and his companions.
Yian’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Nina. She had actually come back.
A complicated emotion stirred within him as he stared at her.
Had she truly returned to save that foolish brat?
Had she never intended to abandon Setan at all?
Until now, Yian had assumed Setan’s constant defense of her was nothing more than blind devotion. He had believed the young man was desperately trying to protect a female who wasn’t worth the sacrifice.
Only now did he realize he had been wrong.
The one who had tried to shoulder everything alone was Setan.
He had hidden the truth because he didn’t want Nina dragged into the consequences of his choices.
What surprised Yian even more was spotting several familiar faces among the newcomers.
Ming and the others.
Why were they here?
Did they know Nina?
Just who was this female?
The last time Yian had gone searching for Nina, Ming and the others had been away handling other matters, so their paths had never crossed.
For the first time in days, a flicker of hope ignited inside him.
If these people were willing to help, perhaps there was still a chance to save Setan.
Inside the Ice Thunder Cavern, Setan slowly forced his eyes open.
The moment he recognized the figure in the sky, anxiety flooded his heart.
Why had Nina come back?
This was Blazing Flame City’s territory.
Returning here placed her in enormous danger.
Desperately, he tried to speak.
His lips moved, but only the faintest whisper escaped.
Panic clawed at him.
His body was too weak. He could barely breathe, much less shout a warning.
How was he supposed to tell her to leave?
At the same time, from another direction, Yuna and Maya finally arrived.
Because Yian had not returned, they had grown increasingly worried about Setan’s condition and decided to investigate for themselves.
The instant they saw the sky filled with dragons and phoenixes, shock flashed across their faces.
It was her.
Nina had really returned for Setan.
Meanwhile, Freen and the assembled elders were equally startled.
Their expressions darkened as they stared at the approaching force.
Where had all these beastmen come from?
And more importantly, why were members of the powerful Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan among them?
When their eyes landed on Nina, many of them visibly froze.
Even the elders could not hide their amazement.
Freen’s gaze settled on the female seated atop Odian’s back.
The voice that had challenged him moments ago belonged to her?
Could this be the female who had taken their sacred relic?
A mocking smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
How convenient.
They had not even begun searching for her, yet she had delivered herself directly to their doorstep.
At least she possessed some capability.
Not everyone could command the loyalty of so many powerful males.
Then again, with beauty like hers, perhaps it wasn’t surprising.
Even Setan had fallen completely under her spell.
Unfortunately for her, this was Blazing Flame City.
No matter how many followers she brought, they were still standing on the elders’ territory.
Nina lightly patted Odian’s back.
The phoenix immediately descended.
A moment later, she landed before the entrance to the cavern.
Freen stepped forward.
“So you’re the female who conspired with Setan to steal our sacred relic p>
Nina’s gaze was ice cold.
“Release Setan immediately p>
“You can have him back once you return the sacred relic p>
“I said release him p>
The temperature around her seemed to plummet.
Her sharp eyes locked onto Freen.
She had recognized him immediately.
He was the one who had threatened to intensify Setan’s punishment.
Freen remained planted in front of the cavern entrance.
Anger flashed across his face.
“Hand over the relic first p>
Nina’s expression turned even colder.
“You think you can stop me p>
The moment the words left her lips, a deafening explosion echoed through the area.
A colossal vine whipped through the air like a divine weapon.
Before Freen could react, the strike slammed into him with devastating force.
His body shot across the clearing and crashed violently into a nearby cliff wall.
Stone shattered on impact.
Cracks spread across the rock face as chunks of debris rained to the ground.
A collective gasp swept through the crowd.
The elders.
The warriors of Blazing Flame City.
Every single one of them stared in stunned disbelief.
Such terrifying power.
Freen coughed violently, a mouthful of blood spraying from his lips.
His face turned pale with horror.
How could she be this strong?
His trembling fingers reached into his robes and pulled out a shattered crystal.
Fear washed over him.
Had the High Priest not gifted him a life-saving crystal beforehand, that single strike might have killed him on the spot.
Only now did he truly understand the overwhelming aura he had sensed from Nina moments earlier.
A dark, vicious glint flickered through his eyes.
Without hesitation, he activated a signal and sent it soaring toward the city.
So what if she was powerful?
Could one person really stand against an entire city?
Yian’s pupils contracted sharply.
This female was terrifyingly powerful.
His gaze flicked toward Freen before a wave of relief washed over him.
Thankfully, that foolish brat had dragged them away back then.
Otherwise, he might have ended up in the exact same condition as Freen.
From the overwhelming aura radiating from Nina, Yian could tell that the gap between them wasn’t small. It was enormous.
Nina turned to Odian.
“Odian, what kind of formation is that? Can you stop it p>
Odian studied the cavern for a moment before answering calmly.
“It’s an Ice Thunder Formation. There’s no need to disable it. You can simply use your vines to pull Setan out p>
With Nina’s current strength, a formation of this level posed no threat to her at all.
His gaze briefly swept over Setan.
Though the formation couldn’t harm Nina, the lion had clearly suffered immensely.
Nina nodded.
Her greatest concern had been triggering some kind of backlash while attempting a rescue. If the formation reacted violently, Setan could end up suffering even more damage.
Now that she had Odian’s assurance, she no longer hesitated.
Moments later, countless vines surged into the cavern.
They twisted and coiled around Setan’s battered body, creating a protective cocoon that shielded him from every bolt of ice and lightning still raging within the formation.
The vines carefully lifted him from the ground and carried him outside.
As soon as he emerged, Nina rushed forward and caught him in her arms.
“Setan, how are you feeling p>
Without delay, she fed him a Recovery Pill and immediately began channeling healing energy into his body.
The moment her abilities probed his condition, her heart clenched.
His injuries were catastrophic.
He was hanging onto life by the thinnest thread imaginable.
A complicated storm of emotions surged through her chest.
How could he be this foolish?
He had stolen the sacred relic for her sake, convinced her it had been obtained through a legitimate exchange, sent her away to safety, and then stayed behind to bear every consequence alone.
If she hadn’t seen that dream p>
If she hadn’t returned in time p>
The thought sent a chill through her.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips.
Another hopeless idiot.
Warm, soothing healing energy flowed through Setan’s body.
Gradually, strength returned to his limbs.
His eyes opened slightly, and he reached out to grip Nina’s hand.
“Leave,” he said urgently. “Nina, you need to go now. The city’s warriors will be here soon p>
He had heard the summoning signal earlier.
Nina was powerful, but facing an entire city was another matter altogether.
“Stop worrying about that p>
She continued healing him without even looking up.
“Right now, I’m treating your injuries p>
“But p>
Setan tried to protest.
Nina immediately shot him a glare.
“Be quiet p>
The man was practically at death’s door and still worrying about her.
At this rate, she was more concerned that he might stop breathing before she could finish healing him.
Setan instantly fell silent.
Fine.
Rather than wasting energy arguing, he would focus on recovering.
If he regained enough strength, perhaps he could help her later.
At that moment, Yian hurried over.
His eyes drifted toward Nina as he secretly observed her.
The female truly was extraordinary.
Even the Ice Thunder Formation had been unable to damage her vines.
At the same time, gratitude filled his heart.
Fortunately, she was strong enough to rescue Setan quickly.
Otherwise, he wasn’t sure how much longer the brat could have endured.
Soon afterward, Yuna and the others arrived as well.
Yian blinked in surprise.
“My Lady, why are you here p>
Yuna frowned.
“You never came back. I was worried p>
She had feared Yian might not be able to save Setan alone, so she had sought out Maya and brought Bran along for support.
A trace of guilt crossed Yian’s face.
“Sorry for making you worry p>
Yuna immediately turned toward her mate.
“How is Setan p>
Neither she nor Maya possessed abilities that would allow them to sense energy fluctuations, so they had no idea Nina was actively healing him.
Nor did they realize she had been the one to save him.
Yian scratched his head.
“He probably won’t die p>
He glanced toward Nina.
“That little female is treating him p>
Yuna rolled her eyes.
“What kind of father talks about his own son like that p>
Both she and Maya looked surprised.
Neither had expected Nina to possess healing abilities capable of treating Setan’s condition.
Nearby, Bran narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
This female was far from ordinary.
Nina continued pouring healing energy into Setan.
Unfortunately, his injuries were simply too severe.
Although she had stabilized him and restored some strength, fully healing him would take much longer.
Just then, she felt a faint tremor beneath her feet.
Her eyes lifted.
In the distance, countless figures were rushing toward them.
The vibration intensified.
Within moments, wave after wave of beastmen flooded the area.
The ground shook beneath the weight of their numbers.
Before long, an enormous army had completely surrounded Nina and her companions from every direction.
Freen stood among them, one hand pressed against his injury.
Hatred burned in his eyes as he stared at Nina.
Today, no matter what happened, he would make this female pay for what she had done.