"Luo Xiu—!"

Seeing Luo Xiu pierced through the chest with a sword by Luo Ying, Xu Qianqing screamed in horror, running toward him without a second thought.

"Qian Qing, don't come over!"

But Luo Xiu stretched out his hand and waved. An invisible surge of energy suddenly whooshed out, stopping Xu Qianqing's advance.

The Luo Ying before him was the only person he had encountered since descending the mountain who could pose a lethal threat to him. Facing such a powerful enemy, Xu Qianqing would not only be unable to help, but she would also become a distraction.

"Qian Qing, stay back... Quickly!"

With tears in her beautiful eyes, Xu Qianqing bit her lip and retreated into the distance.

Afterward, Luo Xiu endured the pain and gripped the crystalline sword piercing his chest. He pulled it from his torso with one hand, then immediately scooped up Xia Chan by the waist and leaped backward.

"Brother Luo, are you okay?" After landing, Xia Chan asked with concern.

Luo Xiu secretly channeled his Qi to stop the bleeding. "Don't worry, it didn't hit anything vital."

"I told you not to worry about me and just focus on the enemy! Why are you so foolish?" Xia Chan said anxiously, her eyes fixed on the wound on his chest.

"How could I not worry about you?" Luo Xiu turned his head, his gaze gentle as he looked at her. "Even if one of us has to die... it will be me, before you."

Hearing this, Xia Chan froze. She stared blankly at Luo Xiu, a sharp, stabbing pain in her heart.

However, Luo Ying, who only followed orders, gave Luo Xiu no time to breathe. She flashed through the night once again, her aura fully unleashed as she threw a simple, brutal punch! Under her control, the Dragon Drill in her hands transformed into a gauntlet.

Her target was still Xia Chan.

As for Luo Xiu, she ignored him completely.

It seems she is determined to kill Xia Chan!

Cursing inwardly, Luo Xiu knew it was too late to pull Xia Chan away. He had no choice but to leap in front of her and throw a punch at Luo Ying!

BOOM—!

Their fists met, and the very air seemed to shatter! In an instant, violent waves of energy that seemed capable of destroying anything radiated outward in all directions. The ground at the center of the impact repeatedly shattered and collapsed. Wherever the shockwaves passed, trees, dirt, and stone were pulverized.

A moment later, as the energy waves gradually subsided, the ground within a radius of dozens of meters had become a deep pit, swirling with smoke and dust that obscured all sight.

From a distance, Chen Xuanbao watched the battle, his brow slowly furrowing. He muttered to himself, "Seeing him with my own eyes, this Luo Xiu is even stronger than I imagined. He and Luo Ying must have a very deep connection. A terrifying existence like him must be eliminated. Then, I must obtain his corpse!"

BOOM!

Just as he was lost in thought, a loud bang erupted from the deep pit.

Luo Ying shot out backward, her delicate body like an arrow, crashing through several trees before flying far into the distance.

Inside the deep pit, Luo Xiu was bent over, gasping for breath as sweat poured down like rain. His bloody right arm hung limply at his side, so mangled that little more than bone remained, with only scraps of flesh clinging to it.

In that moment of desperation, he had met the Dragon Drill-gauntlet with his bare fist. Although he had shattered it and gained the upper hand, he had paid a heavy price, nearly losing the use of his entire right arm.

He could clearly feel that this Luo Ying was much stronger than the one he had encountered in the underground laboratory. Her own formidable strength, combined with a Magical Treasure like the Dragon Drill that served for both offense and defense, was incredibly difficult to handle. What made it even worse was that she only attacked Xia Chan, forcing him to be constantly on the defensive. Unless he truly abandoned Xia Chan to her fate... But how could he do that? Yet as long as he protected her, he would always be at a disadvantage!

He had already exhausted a great deal of his power when he slaughtered the Ye Family. Now, there were even signs of his old illness flaring up. Facing Luo Ying in this state, he was even more passive and strained.

"Brother Luo..." Standing behind him, completely unharmed, Xia Chan covered her mouth as she stared at his right hand.

CRACK, CRACK...

Suddenly, an eerie sound came from the ground beneath Luo Xiu's feet. The shattered pieces of the Dragon Drill were swiftly reforming, morphing into several slender crystal swords that shot into the air!

"Xiaochan, run!"

Luo Xiu's gaze sharpened. This is bad! He realized the crystal swords were still targeting Xia Chan! Grabbing her with his left hand, he scrambled out of the pit.

BANG!

However, just as he pulled Xia Chan from the pit, Luo Ying flashed before them and sent them flying with a single kick.

After kicking them away, the blood-soaked and mangled Luo Ying sat at the edge of the pit, gasping for breath. It seemed that one kick had exhausted all her strength. But she wasn't finished. She reached a hand toward the empty air, and the crystal swords hanging in the night sky swiveled. Like arrows, they shot forward, still aimed at Xia Chan!

Having just landed, Luo Xiu saw the swords flying toward them. He knew he couldn't dodge in time and quickly turned to shield Xia Chan with his body.

SHINK! SHINK! SHINK!

The next moment, the crystal swords plunged into his back one after another, burying themselves deep in his flesh.

Luo Xiu held Xia Chan tightly, his body trembling from the pain as blood gushed from his mouth and nose.

At this moment, he was at his limit, the flame of his life about to be extinguished. But having reached this point, he had resigned himself to his fate. Still, the thought of everything he had yet to accomplish filled him with bitter unwillingness.

"Xiaochan... go... quickly..."

Luo Xiu clenched his teeth, pushed her away with a great effort, and then collapsed powerlessly to his knees.

But Xia Chan didn't leave. She looked at the swords embedded in his back as memories of their time together flooded her mind, and tears streamed down her face.

"Luo Xiu... I'm sorry," she sobbed. "Why... why are you so foolish?"

At that moment, she felt as if her heart was shattering.

「A short while later.」

Luo Ying floated off the ground and slowly drifted down to land in front of Luo Xiu, her expressionless face looking down at him.

"Don't dawdle! Finish him now!" Chen Xuanbao's voice suddenly shouted from the side.

At Chen Xuanbao's command, Luo Ying slowly raised her right hand. Shards of the Dragon Drill flew in from all directions, converging in her palm to form a long spear, which she thrust mercilessly toward Luo Xiu.

But in the next instant, the spear tip halted abruptly in midair, as if time itself had stopped.

Less than a centimeter from the tip was Xia Chan's forehead.

Xia Chan stood before Luo Xiu with her arms spread wide, her red-rimmed eyes glaring at Luo Ying. "Stand down!"

Expressionless, Luo Ying withdrew the spear and stepped back.

Xia Chan then turned, her furious gaze landing on Chen Xuanbao. "Did you have to resort to such despicable methods?" she bit out.

Chen Xuanbao frowned, surprised. She was just about to succeed. Why would Xia Chan interfere?

"With that boy's strength, even Luo Ying would have a hard time killing him without doing this," Chen Xuanbao said. "If you must blame someone, blame him for being too sentimental—so enchanted by you that it has thrown his Divine Soul into chaos."

"Enough!" Xia Chan cut him off sharply. "Wouldn't it be more valuable to capture him alive?"

Chen Xuanbao's face darkened. After a moment's thought, he replied, "The risk is too great. If he recovers his strength, who among us could possibly subdue him?"

Xia Chan took a deep breath. "If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility!"

Chen Xuanbao snorted and turned to leave. "It seems I was mistaken... It's not him who has been so enchanted by you that his Divine Soul is in chaos, but you who have been enchanted by him! Chu Qingchan, remember your words. If anything goes wrong, you will take full responsibility!"

「A while later.」

After Chen Xuanbao had gone, Xia Chan turned around very, very slowly, as if she were afraid to face Luo Xiu.

And indeed, when she turned, she was met with the very look she had been dreading.

Luo Xiu, his face covered in blood, watched her with a cold indifference, saying nothing.

Feeling the disappointment and anger in his gaze, Xia Chan felt a sharp pain in her heart, and her tears began to fall uncontrollably.

"Luo Xiu, I'm sorry... I lied to you," she whispered. "But at least this way, you'll survive."

...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.