: [Yang Zhou]

Looking at his eroded palm, Wu An was confused:

"Could it be that the cloud curtain's perception wasn't wrong? Actually, the direction I was heading was correct, but that world was hidden behind the winds of decay, which is why it encountered me first."

Wu An quickly figured out the situation, but he stood there, not knowing what to do.

The reason is simple. According to Yunmu, the wind of degeneration is not a single wisp of wind that can be blocked, but a collective entity. Wu'an had only opened a crack, allowing a wisp of the wind of degeneration to leak out.

Behind these purple agars, there may well be more trends of decay and deterioration.

And so... it encompassed the entire world behind it.

Anxiety arose involuntarily in his mind, causing Wu An to furrow his brow and break out in a sweat.

"Sister..." Yunmu called out.

"What's wrong?" Wu An replied in a deep voice.

Is it possible that the area affected by the deteriorating winds ahead wasn't large, and since your limbs passed through that area without being eroded, it means there must be a safe zone, or at least the coverage area of ​​the deteriorating winds was definitely not large?

Wu An thought about it for a moment and realized that this made sense. Based on the speed at which that thing eroded the body and its persistent nature, as long as it touched even a trace of the body, one would have to resort to the method of severing an arm to survive, otherwise the magic power would definitely be completely eroded. And now, that severed limb still retained its vitality.

But... this doesn't represent a clear path forward. Wu'an's magic power is almost depleted; she can't even fully recover her limbs. Wu'an dares not gamble; she doesn't have the chance to bet that there won't be any setbacks along the way... If she fails, it will be certain death.

She couldn't help but turn around, only to find that the road behind her was completely covered in agar, and the way she had come was gone.

The magic power has also been greatly depleted compared to before... making it completely impossible to return to Biyue Star.

Is it possible to return to the "normal world" via "time travel"?

A thought popped into her head, causing her eyes to twitch and her vision to blur—she might very well have died in the Boundary Sea.

The remaining magic was insufficient to support her leap back to the normal world, let alone help her return to her home planet, Azure Water Star.

As expected, it was too much of a stretch for someone at the fifth level to set foot in the Boundary Sea; one wrong move and he was trapped in a dead end.

Previously, fifth-tier beings could traverse the boundary sea without being hindered by the chief's mental energy. Moreover, they had maps and coordinates between different worlds, allowing them to transfer and rest... much like a ship sailing on a sea whose every inch had been thoroughly explored.

Although storms may occasionally capsize boats, accidents are far less frequent than usual.

But Wu An was different. She had arrived in completely unfamiliar waters, and her supplies were pitifully scarce. It was a pipe dream to think she could drift across in a small boat.

Of course... there are ways to ensure safety, even for those without a bottom line.

Yunmu seemed to sense her surging emotions and held her breath as well. Yunmu had never objected to becoming a witch, after all, witches were more powerful, but seeing her master's belief, which she had held onto for so long, being defeated like this was still somewhat painful.

"call--"

Under the watchful gaze of the clouds, Wu An let out a long breath, seemingly having made up his mind. The clouds also breathed a sigh of relief, finally... no longer bound by the constraints of his identity.

Wu An reached into his heart, but what he pulled out wasn't the Flower of the Heart, but... a rabbit pocket watch?!

Before Yunmu could react, Wu'an had already erased the time originally marked in the [Normal World] and imprinted it in the [Present].

Sister, what's wrong with you?

Click!

The pocket watch cover was opened, but instead of a normal mechanical watch face, it transformed into an electronic watch face.

tick-tock-

Wu An's current state was recorded by the clock, and then the numbers on the dial displaying [0000000] began to jump.

Ding-a-ling—

Please visit [website address] to see the latest chapter! Address: dEqixs.oRg Time started increasing in milliseconds, quickly surpassing minutes, but then stopped there.

【07:25】

Seven minutes and twenty-five seconds—this is the duration of the [Jump] that Wu An's current magic power can sustain, and it is also the duration of her next action.

Wu An prepared to use time travel to traverse the remaining distance. Even if he encountered the Degenerate Wind, he would not be harmed because the two were not in the same time period.

【elder sister!】

Seeing this, Yunmu couldn't help but shout.

If you exhaust your magic power during the leap, you will even lose the chance to transform into a witch!

"Don't be afraid, luck is on my side. Good luck has led me to choose this side," Wu An said softly.

Her tone was calm, but Yun Mu could clearly see the veins bulging on her knuckles as she gripped the watch face; Wu An was clearly not as confident as she claimed.

There are two paths ahead: one is a sunny road, and the other is a narrow bridge, which could collapse at any moment. Just because of so-called luck, should we choose the narrow bridge?!

"You absolutely...can't become a witch? I remember you weren't that kind of person..." Yunmu asked in a deep voice.

"..." [No one will blame you...]

"What others think doesn't matter at all; what matters is what I think, and that's all I think."

Wu An spoke calmly, yet his words were so resolute that no one knew how to refute them.

Other people's opinions are important, but their importance doesn't stem from their wisdom or foresight, but from your own belief in their importance. If someone truly wants to avoid all pitfalls in the world, then any wise advice is utter nonsense to them.

Whether it's important or not depends entirely on oneself.

Wu An wanted to go back openly and honestly. If he were lucky enough to look back on this past, he could feel fear, he could feel at peace, and even he could feel regret and remorse. But that was for the future, not now.

Before she truly becomes a witch, she doesn't intend to think like one.

She tried her best not to have any regrets. She was a magical girl now, and from a magical girl's perspective, transforming into a witch now would leave her with regrets in the future. So she didn't want to consider becoming a witch anymore—she didn't want to treat transforming into a witch as a backup option.

Too many rejections had already made her drop "Transformation Witch" from her options, so much so that when she chose to take out the [White Rabbit's Clock], her mind didn't waver much.

Wu An took a deep breath, exhaled, pursed her lips, and finally uttered only one sentence: "When you become a witch, your thoughts become unclear. I am a magical girl, and if my thoughts are not clear, I cannot be a good magical girl."

"And... don't forget, magical girls are supposed to believe in miracles..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu An began to move, wriggling forward, his body entering a time-travel state, proving that there was no turning back. 'If you truly believe in miracles, why rely on "good luck," why undergo "time travel"...?'

Yunmu could tell that Wu'an didn't believe in miracles, but rather that he had no other choice but to believe in them. After all, he had used everything he could. If he didn't believe in miracles, what else could he believe in?

She watched Wu An move forward, feeling the weak body wriggling, and didn't know what to say. This was something she couldn't understand at all. In fact, in terms of preferences, she should be closer to Qian Huan than the other two seniors.

It is incomprehensible why the Azure Star would accompany the weak.

The law of the jungle is the fundamental law of the world, an instinct we are born with. It is only natural for the strong to join and the weak to exploit. Weakness is undoubtedly the original sin—a truth that even the weak agree with. Otherwise, how could there be a saying that killing one person makes you a bandit, while killing ten thousand makes you a king?

Once you become powerful, even the weak who have been slaughtered and oppressed will stand up for you and defend you.

If one is powerful enough, one can even distort the mindset of the victims, making them feel that being killed is an honor, something worth pursuing.

At that time, can murder still be called evil?

Yunmu couldn't understand why Wu'an was unwilling to change her mindset even a little. The right path was right beside her, and she had countless opportunities to take it before, but she didn't. Now it was her last chance, and she still didn't take it—if she didn't take it, she would be shattered to pieces.

Why would someone who clearly hates uncertainty choose a path filled with uncertainty?

【05: 47】

Sensing the countdown to his death, Yunmu suppressed all other emotions, focusing only on the bewildered Wu'an as he moved forward. Whoosh—

When Wu An arrived at a certain location, a few lonely winds blew up, and Yun Mu's face turned pale. The worst-case scenario had still occurred—they had entered an area where the winds of decay remained.

Although the wind can't hurt Wu'an now, the damage is accumulating over time. If she doesn't escape before time runs out, she will die on the spot, and her chance to become a witch will really be gone.

Wu An continued forward, the wind growing stronger and stronger. The wind of decay was not a wisp, but a massive storm that lingered over this area.

Seeing this, Wu An was not afraid at all. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had activated [Time Leap], otherwise he would have died here.

【03: 25】

Death has already fallen; now all that remains is the execution, and Wu'an remains within the realm of demotion.

Wu An simply kept crawling, ignoring the wind around her, because her body's senses didn't lie; she felt she was getting closer and closer to that severed limb—it was just a short distance away.

【02: 32】

For some reason, after walking for about a minute, I couldn't feel the connection amplify; it was as if I had been standing still.

"..." Wu An's expression darkened slightly, but he still persisted in crawling in the direction from which his senses were returning.

"?!"

But less than half a minute later, something happened that made Wu An shrink back – the sensation transmitted back from the severed limbs was decreasing and weakening at an extremely fast speed. In just two or three seconds, the sensations from the severed limbs and Wu An were reduced to a level that was almost imperceptible.

Wu An stood frozen in place, wondering, "Did I go to the wrong place?"

But the next second, she started to move. Not only did she move, but she also slightly changed direction and angled downwards, crawling forward with all her might.

His purple eyes widened involuntarily, and his jaw clenched tightly, not out of nervousness, but out of excitement.

The weakening of the sensation from the severed limb was not a bad thing; on the contrary, it helped her verify one thing—that the severed limb did indeed exist in a "living place," a place that was not enveloped by the chief's mental energy!

What was previously just a deduction has now been confirmed. The sensation has only weakened, not disappeared!

【00: 37】

Finally, they escaped the area shrouded by the "Wind of Degeneration," and the cloud curtain breathed a slight sigh of relief.

With only half a minute left, Wu'an couldn't help but feel nervous. After all, she crawled very slowly and didn't have enough magic to fly. She could only move forward at her "fastest speed" at a very slow pace, and she didn't know if she could reach the destination before the time limit.

[Sister...] Seeing her crawling desperately, Yunmu felt a pang of heartache.

Even though they look extremely weak, they don't feel the urge to bully them or think that the other person deserves it.

She couldn't help but hope for some miracle to happen, not wanting to disappoint Wu'an.

But in this cold and desolate sea, such a thing does not exist. Prayers are useless; one can only rely on oneself.

But time waits for no one.

【00: 07】

【00: 06】

【00: 05】

As the countdown gradually reached zero, Yunmu let out a long breath. He felt anxious about death, but more than anything, he felt a sense of relief, as if a stone had been lifted from his shoulders.

Witnessing Wu'an's death was very meaningful to Yunmu—although he couldn't explain why, he just felt it was good. Perhaps this was the nature of the Holy Spirit; even if he died, as long as he was with the strong, it wouldn't be a problem.

【00: 03】

【00:02】Wu An is still swimming desperately, and the less time he has, the harder he swims.

【00: 01】

【00: 00】

Time reset to zero, and Wu An's figure exited the state of [Time Leap], surrounded by a purple agarwood.

She failed to swim out; her magic was depleted, leaving her unable to protect herself from the erosion of the Boundary Sea. The extreme cold and vacuum of the magic realm, along with the corrosive effects on her body, all attacked at once.

"Well--"

Her body convulsed violently, and she clutched her throat with one hand, trying to open her mouth to breathe, but the moment she opened her mouth, her throat and airway froze.

Even the witch factor couldn't be mobilized. The severed limbs began to bleed uncontrollably, and her body continued to fall. However, unlike other creatures that could be sealed by mental energy, the chief's mental energy could not freeze her. He could only let her body fall, continuously melting the agar and falling.

With only one arm remaining, his body twitched and twisted incessantly, appearing to be in extreme pain. Tears even welled up in his eyes, but before they could fall, his entire eyeball froze.

Whoosh!!

The wind blew, but Wu'an had no time to pay attention. The pain all over her body made her unable to think, and she even wanted to die quickly to end this suffering.

To call a swift death is indeed a form of mercy. It's just a pity that in the vast ocean, there is no other living being to act as her second.

bump!

He bumped into something on his back, and Wu An's body rolled over. In the midst of the dizzying spin, he could see nothing at all.

bump!

It seemed like it had bumped into something again, this time from its only remaining arm. The arm, which had been frozen solid, shattered into pieces of varying sizes like porcelain after the impact. After rolling around a few more times, Wu An's consciousness sank into chaos.

Through Wu An's body, Yun Mu looked at the scene before him, his heart trembling. It seemed that luck had truly favored them, and favored Wu An.

The cloud curtain revealed its form, and with just a slight movement of the surrounding air, endless filthy magical power rushed towards their location.

Drawn by the cloud curtain, the filthy magic flowed into Wu'an's body, half of which was converted into pure magic, filling Wu'an's body.

Thump! Thump! Thump—

Soon, with the support of magic, the heart began to pump powerfully, and strands of magic spontaneously flowed from the flower of the heart, covering the wound again, stopping the bleeding, and maintaining the vitality of the organs... The rate of magic generation finally exceeded the rate of consumption.

Wu An was still unconscious. Yun Mu looked at the world in front of her, then at Wu An, and sighed inwardly. She wondered if it was luck or if her sister's will was strong enough to reverse reality. At this moment, they were in a world in which countless fragments of continents floated in a ring around a giant, extinguished, furnace-like creation.

It wasn't some obscure little world, nor was it the long-awaited Mad Alliance, but rather one of the thirteen worlds—[Yangzhou]! The cloud curtain's previous sensing was indeed correct, but the outer part of Yangzhou was covered by the Degenerate Wind, which blocked them.