Standing there, Chen Heng thought to himself.
If he just wanted to leave this place, then running away by himself was naturally the fastest option.
Without being dragged down by the ordinary people, he would have a much better chance at escape.
However, if it was in terms of development, that was not the case.
All of these people were the descendants of the Malido Kingdom's nobles, and they all had great potential.
If they could successfully escape together, he would be able to borrow these people's power to develop.
As such, the bonds from getting through a crisis together was quite valuable.
From this perspective, it seemed that the benefits of staying and helping them escape were greater.
It was just that it would be more dangerous.
Strictly speaking, either option was better; the key thing was managing the danger.
Chen Heng thought to himself as he looked out.
At this moment, he had not yet made a decision and looked ahead of him.
There were a few run-down rooms here, and they were made out of wood. They looked like houses that hunters had abandoned in the past.
Not too far away, two girls hid next to a house and sobbed quietly.
The ones who suffered were not just the kingdom but also the individuals.
Chen Heng remembered that these two girls were the daughters of a Viscount. They had lived worry-free lives and spent most of their time attending banquets and reciting poems.
If this had not happened, they would have lived pleasant lives, and their biggest problems would be some trifling matters.
Chen Heng remembered that half a month ago, the two girls developed a crush on a handsome young knight and sighed for their love.
However, now that the Malido Kingdom had been destroyed, the two girls' lives had changed in an instant.
Life in the outer world sprang at them, and it was not as romantic and exciting as they had imagined; instead, it was cruel and merciless.
Before leaving, their group had over 100 people, as many people had brought their servants. In the blink of an eye, there were less than ten people left.
Everyone's hearts were filled with death and swords, and many people had nightmares of being caught up to.
Chen Heng looked away from the two girls towards a Priestess by the side.
The Priestess was also female, but she was somewhat older, about her early twenties.
She was called Ariel and was one of the Moonlight Goddess' Priestesses before the Malido Kingdom had been destroyed. However, she had just been an Apprentice Priestess.
Official Priests or Priestesses needed to have a response from the god and truly awaken divine skills.
This was a power that could not be ignored in the world.
Ordinarily speaking, Priests who had awakened divine skills could rival Knights who had awakened their life power.
Priests belonged to the Divine Hall, while life power belonged to the Knights of noble families.
No matter which it was, both had high standings.
It was a pity that Ariel was just an Apprentice Priestess, or else escaping would have been much easier.
Official Priests could use healing divine skills. If Ariel could use them, fewer people would have died while escaping.
Following this, Chen Heng continued to turn to the side.
In front of the fire, there was a middle-aged man and a young man sitting together.
The middle-aged man was dressed in black armor, which looked quite different from normal armor. He held some bread and slowly chewed at it.
Next to him, the young man held a piece of meat that had just been roasted, and he was earnestly eating it.
As if he sensed Chen Heng's gaze, he looked over and gave a friendly smile, "Come and eat now that you're awake. We still have a lot of travelling to do, so make sure you eat so you have the strength."
The young man smiled, and there was a sense of resolution in his face. Despite their situation, he was not dispirited and instead seemed to be filled with energy.
Hearing his words, Chen Heng walked over and received some bread from him.
"Won't we be discovered if we light a fire?" he asked as he looked at the fire.
Compared to just eating some bread, lighting a fire could draw attention and attract wild beasts.
This was not very suitable to a group of people who were on the run.
"It's fine," the young man said as he shrugged and grinned, "If any wild beasts come over, that will be more food for us. As for the soldiers, it doesn't matter either. After all, no matter what we do, they will still catch up to us."
The god that the Oro Empire worshipped was the Shadow God, who was said to have stolen the Origin Fire.
Apart from controlling shadows, that god was also the god of tracking and thieves.
As such, most followers were proficient in stealth and tracking, and they even had some corresponding skills.
Among the people hunting them down, there were such professionals.
As such, whether they lit a fire or not, they would not be able to avoid these people.
They would have to face them sooner or later, and it was just a matter of when.
Thinking to there, Chen Heng nodded and did not say anything else as he silently ate his bread.
The bread was made of wheat powder. It was very dry and did not taste good, but now was not the time to be picky.
After eating his bread, much of his tiredness and hunger dissipated.
Within Chen Heng's people, some changes were taking place.
After coming to this world, his remaining True Lord energy was slowly helping this body evolve.
Almost every moment, Chen Heng's strength was increasing and recovering.
Even though it was just a bit of remnant energy, it was enough for Chen Heng.
At the very least, from Chen Heng's estimates, after he digested this energy, his strength would be able to rival a true Sorcerer.
That kind of strength would be quite formidable, and it would be enough to face the current crisis.
This was why Chen Heng was able to remain calm and silently sit there, observing the situation.
Apart from the few women and girls, the middle-aged man and the young man had special identities.
Even though they came from the Malido Kingdom, they had never mentioned their identities, as if they did not want to say.
Chen Heng's previous identity had never seen them before either.
The middle-aged man's name was Lamu, and he was very powerful. He was very respectful towards the young man and seemed to be his servant.
The young man was very mysterious. Right now, Chen Heng only knew his name, which was Herdosiri.
However, even though Chen Heng did not know who he was, he was indeed from the Malido Kingdom and just had a mysterious identity.
On the way, it was because of Herdosiri and Lamu's strength that they were able to escape.
Without a doubt, their identities definitely were not ordinary.
The surroundings were quite overgrown, and everything seemed calm.
It seemed that those people would not catch up within a short period of time.
This was not surprising.
Many people had escaped out from the Malido Kingdom, and perhaps the Oro Empire's people were chasing down others.
That was what many people were thinking at the moment.
"From this route, it will take us half a month to leave this plain and reach Kalo. By that time, we will be safe," Herdosiri's voice sounded out.
He looked at the two sobbing girls and comforted them.
Kalo was the Kingdom bordering the Malido Kingdom, and it was continuously getting stronger.
The Oro Empire's people definitely would not enter Kalo's territory.
As such, as long as they could reach that place, they would be safe.
After reaching safety, with the treasures they had brought with them, even if they could not go back to their previous lifestyles, they would be able to live peacefully.
After a while, they got up and continued onwards.
This journey greatly tested people's endurance.
After all, they did not have any carriages, and they could only rely on themselves to walk.
If it was just a few men, it would be fine, but the girls' bodies were not that great and did not have much endurance.
After all, they were daughters of noble families and were weaker than even ordinary women in villages.
Because of this, they progressed quite slowly.
However, Herdosiri did not say anything, nor did he prepare to abandon those girls.
Chen Heng silently observed his words and actions but did not say much.
If he was Herdosiri, he definitely would not bring those burdens with him and would just settle them down somewhere safe.
Then again, strictly speaking, Chen Heng's previous identity had also been a burden.
Before, this body had been heavily injured and unable to move, and it was Herdosiri and Lamu who had carried him to here.
Putting aside practicalities, just in terms of morality, these two people were extremely outstanding.
Time gradually passed.
A few days later, the soldiers still had not caught up to them.
It seemed that they would soon be able to leave this place.
Sensing this, they all let out sighs of relief.
It seemed that these difficult days would be over soon.
On that night, they came to a village.
"This place…"
Walking at the front of the group and looking at the scene ahead, Herdosiri frowned and felt a bit surprised.
Ahead were some normal dwellings made of wood, and the surroundings were painted with red, looking quite bright and colorful.
This place seemed to be quite normal.
However, for some reason, Herdosiri felt a strange feeling.
The surrounding structures looked normal, but this place had a heavy deathly aura, making it seem like a place where no one had lived for a long time.
It was very strange.
"Sir…" Lamu slowly walked up and looked around as he said, "It's nearly night time."
Herdosiri nodded and thought for a moment before leading everyone in.
It was somewhat cool, and it was not too hot or too cold.
However, sleeping outdoors would not be comfortable, especially for the girls.
Since there was housing, it would be a pity not to use them.
As such, he led everyone in.
After going there, he saw the situation within.
Inside, things seemed quite old, and there was dust all over the place; it seemed that no one had lived here in a long time.
This just looked like a normal, abandoned village, and there was not much mystical about it.
"Was it a misconception?" Herdosiri thought to himself.
He checked all the places and found that there was nothing abnormal.
However, just to be safe, he did not let the girls each stay in their own houses and instead had them all stay together.
Chen Heng's house was also by the side, and he was not too far away from everyone else.
