Boom!

Under the night sky, Sword Qi brilliantly struck down the forest, severing the trees it crossed at the waist, and shattered the woods and undergrowth at the point of impact into broken debris. The soil and rock on the ground exploded into powder, with scattered pebbles issuing a mournful rustle.

As the Sword Light appeared, Ren Suo immediately activated Ghostly Rapid Step, holding Qiao Muyi as he moved away from the spot. But behind them was a jungle with complex terrain and numerous obstacles, so Ren Suo had no choice but to carry Qiao Muyi towards the relatively flat area of broken rocks to escape.

Still shocked, Qiao Muyi instinctively clutched the arm that Ren Suo had wrapped around her waist. Then, she heard a distasteful title coming from a distance—

"Demon King, Qiao Muyi!"

Qiao Muyi looked up and saw several Transcendents emerge from the southern edge of the forest at the rocky plain.

Her vision was excellent, her memory was good, and the moonlight was clear that day, so she could clearly recognize those unfavorable faces.

From Mysterious Country, the River Monk of the Yellow River Troops, led by You Jiu known as 'Two Thousand Five Hundred Miles.'

From the South American Union, the Natural Warrior of the Iron Sun, led by 'Shadow' Dai Ze.

From Russia, the Winter Guard of Winter Castle, led by 'Thunder Bear' Ursa.

From the European Union, the Wizard of the Wizard Council, led by 'Lone Wolf' Kadell.

From Flourishing Sakura, the Samurai of the Martial Soul Hall, led by 'Gun Supreme' Sakura Kyoko.

From the Federation, the Watcher of the Watcher Troops, led by 'End Sword User' Bright.

The red-haired girl Sakura Kyoko, holding a three-meter-long gun, bit off the last piece of an apple, casually threw the core on the ground, and loudly said, "Demon King, this is where you will be buried. If you surrender quietly, I can grant you a swift demise."

Dai Ze, holding the Crystal Skull Staff, planted the staff heavily on the ground, glanced at You Jiu nearby, and sternly said in Mandarin, "Your wickedness is boundless. Now is the time for you to pay for your sins!"

Ursa clenched his fists together, and the steel-toothed gloves he wore emitted a tooth-gritting reverberation as the steel teeth sparkled with blue electrical light.

Kadell opened his cello case, took out a futuristic heavy sniper rifle, yet his eyes were fixed on Qiao Muyi in the distance, unblinking.

Bright sighed softly, his fingers pressing against the still-glowing blade of the sword, resonating a sound of sympathy.

At that moment, You Jiu stepped forward, moving ahead of everyone else.

He straightened his back, raised his head, and pulled his hands out of his pants pockets, gazing distantly at Qiao Muyi.

His voice unhurried and tone calm, as if discussing what to eat for supper, he said, "If you surrender now, I guarantee you won't die and will bring you back to Mysterious Country for a fair trial."

The others immediately changed their expressions, subtly shifted their positions, maintaining some distance from the people of Mysterious Country, and encircled them, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

You Jiu was completely indifferent to their subtle actions and did nothing else, simply waiting for Qiao Muyi's response.

Seeing the enemy outnumbering them a hundred to one, Qiao Muyi unexpectedly felt at ease.

Knowing that bad things were about to happen, waiting was the hardest part, but when it indeed happened, there was a relief—finally, it came. This was the journey's end.

She felt both regret and relief: just as a terminally ill patient lives one day at a time, delaying this journey until now felt like she had won countless rounds against Fate.

However, she only needed to lose once, and there would be no chance of turning the tide.

Now, she had only one chip left, while Fate had almost an infinite number of chips.

Six Fourth-Tier Rank Cultivators alone were already beyond her ability to contend with, not to mention the over a hundred armed Cultivators...

Even Ren Suo, who could see the future, probably couldn't do anything under such an overwhelming difference in combat power, right?

Qiao Muyi loosened her grip on Ren Suo's arm and whispered, "Let go of me, Xiao Suo, you should leave."

"We should leave, indeed. Young Master will go with me," Ren Suo obediently loosened his hand from Qiao Muyi's slender waist, whispering behind her ear—Heaven knows if the Transcendents opposite had the ability to hear long distances; better to keep the voice down.

However, his breath as he spoke made Qiao Muyi's ears turn red.

Qiao Muyi took a deep breath and said, "I'm just a little short, missing one decisive piece of evidence... I know where it is. You go. I can handle what comes next alone."

"You know, my intuition is very accurate. I can help you."

"No, you can't, and there's no need," Qiao Muyi said as she looked at the restless Transcendents. "The battle ahead is mine."

"It is necessary. If I were to leave and, Young Master, you failed and died, then wouldn't all my efforts have been in vain?" Ren Suo spoke with a tone devoid of tension, instead carrying his signature lazy smile. "And if I were to abandon this halfway, after I go back, Cheng Ling definitely wouldn't let me off. I've said that I want to bring you back with me."

"But going forward, I'm not even sure if I can come out unscathed, let alone protect you..."

"That's all the more reason I can't leave," Ren Suo spoke with a tone filled with absolute determination and fearless naivety. "I won't let you get hurt. Trust me. Just do your best; I will give it my all."

Qiao Muyi was stunned.

You still want to protect me?

You still can protect me?

You, so keen on avoiding death and such a weakling, are willing to risk your life to protect me?

At that moment, since he couldn't hear Qiao Muyi's response, You Jiu sighed lightly and returned to his slouched posture, hands in his pockets, seemingly giving up on persuading. Seeing his action, other powerhouses seemed to get the signal and began to approach Qiao Muyi.

As the enemies drew closer, Qiao Muyi let out a soft breath and showed a bright, sweet smile. "In that case, you have to agree to three conditions."

—Sorry, Cheng Ling, I've let down your trust, because occasionally I think... maybe I want to be a bit selfish.

"I agree to your terms," Ren Suo said.

"Of course, I am your protagonist," Qiao Muyi said softly. "Listen carefully. First, you have to stick close to me, do not stray away from me, not even ten feet."

—Don't leave me.

"Second, before I get hurt, you cannot take any damage, not even lose a single hair."

—Don't let me see anything heart-wrenching.

"Third, as long as I'm not dead, you absolutely cannot die either, not even a minute or a second early."

—Don't make me hate myself.

Ren Suo laughed softly. "Such strict orders..."

Qiao Muyi gently elbowed him in the abdomen, saying, "Shut up, don't question it, don't defy it. If you violate one rule, I'll beat you to death; break two, I'll fiercely beat you to death; disobey three, and Cheng Ling and I will both beat you to death!"

Ren Suo twitched the corners of his mouth. Really, the conversation is just like in the games, but isn't the outcome of violation always death?

Just then, Qiao Muyi suddenly said, "And one more, the fourth..."

"I thought it was three conditions?"

"It's normal for a girl to say three conditions but have four, right?" Qiao Muyi said matter-of-factly. "Remember well, you must, absolutely must..."

"...not remember any unflattering sights of me."

Just then, the Transcendents had already reached a suitable shooting distance and, one after another, raised their firearms, aiming at Qiao Muyi and Ren Suo!

...

...

Boom!

Lianjiang City, Heavenly Lotus Academy, Battlefield Training Grounds.

The vast training ground had now turned into a mess; buildings in the green zone were shattered, trees in the forest zone ignited with green flames, and human-animal creatures in the biological zone were covered in frost. Two figures engaged in a fierce battle within, everywhere they went enveloped in dense fog!

Suddenly, densely packed ice flowers forming an icy ring burst open in the air, ejecting sharp Ice Spires like a torrential rain of pear blossoms, creating a 360° attack with no dead angles!

"Your ice is too small, short, and soft. What kind of service is this, number one technician Bai Ji?"

An intense red flame instantly condensed in front, and all the Ice Spires that hit the fiery shield immediately turned into steaming fog, while Yu Kuangtu, behind the shield with only his tactical vest remaining on, was completely unharmed!

"As you wish."

In the thick white fog, two deep blue ice birds surged in silently, causing Yu Kuangtu to raise his eyebrows and shout loudly, erupting like a volcano and releasing rings of fire that turned the ice birds into steam!

However, within the ice birds, there were pure white Ice Crystals, which the flames couldn't burn, and the impact couldn't stop their charge!

Ice Phoenix · Crimson Heart!

Yu Kuangtu knew something was bad and instantly burst flames from the soles of his feet, propelling himself backward. At that moment, he sensed someone approaching from his left and without thinking, stretched his hand in that direction!

Flames surged into a ferocious beast's mouth with sharp teeth, voraciously swallowing everything in front of it!

Flame Dragon · Taotie!

"All show, no go," Bai Ji said coldly.

The crackling sound of ice shattering echoed in the fog as the all-consuming flames were instantly blown out by the Ice Spires! The Ice Spires continued to consolidate and formed into a huge ice phoenix statue in the fog, crashing heavily to the ground!

Ice Phoenix · Stunning City!

"Don't think you win just because it got bigger and harder…" Yu Kuangtu sneered, his body's flames receding while only his hands glowed with a red-hot iron glow, as if wearing a pair of Flame Gauntlets!

Facing the rapidly falling ice phoenix statue, Yu Kuangtu neither dodged nor evaded but struck it directly with his bare hands!

The moment the Flame Gauntlets touched the ice statue, they burst out with a fiery aurora piercing through the fog, completely incinerating the huge ice sculpture!

Flame Dragon · Yanyu!

Li Dan, who had been standing in the corner watching the fight, thought to himself that Yu Kuangtu's trash talk was getting more extreme, wondering whom he had been learning from...

Moments later, the two combatants stopped and walked to the deliberately preserved resting area to drink water and rest.

Sitting down, Yu Kuangtu picked up a towel and wiped the sweat off his body, saying, "I thought, Bai Ji, that you mostly spent your time thinking about love affairs at the academy, not having much chance to train in combat. I didn't expect you've kept up with your combat training; you're not weaker than me."

Li Dan, glancing at Yu Kuangtu, said, "Did you think everyone is like you, always dreaming of being sweet and intimate with the one you like? How could Teacher Bai be like that, right?"

While drinking water, Bai Ji's eyes darted; then he turned and chuckled awkwardly, "Yeah..."

"In Lianjiang, only you can train in combat with me," Yu Kuangtu said with a sigh. "With others, I always have to hold back, afraid to exert my full strength..."

While talking, he glanced at Li Dan leaning against the wall. Li Dan naturally noticed and said, "I'm advancing to the third turn in a few days."

"Congratulations," Yu Kuangtu said. "Make sure to come to work quickly after your promotion."

After chatting for a while, as Yu Kuangtu changed his clothes (most of which had been burned) and prepared to leave, he suddenly said to Bai Ji, "You're actually not with Ren Suo, are you?"

Bai Ji was slightly taken aback, his cheeks reddening. He murmured softly, "Not at the moment."

Yu Kuangtu snorted. "I knew it... He must have gone to Qiao Muyi. Dong Chengling and you were lying together."

Bai Ji blinked, then simply closed his mouth, admitting Yu Kuangtu's accusation with his silence. Yu Kuangtu took this as acknowledgment that he had uncovered the lie between Dong Chengling and Bai Ji, making Bai Ji too embarrassed to speak.

However, what Yu Kuangtu didn't notice, didn't mean Li Dan didn't notice.

Li Dan, glancing at Bai Ji from the corner of his eye, thought to himself that he just came to watch a spar between Third-turn Cultivators and didn't expect to hear such explosive news! He wasn't here for gossip!

But, being able to keenly perceive details around him made Li Dan exceptionally reputable at the Lian River Countermeasure Bureau; he naturally kept this secret to himself, living by his life principle of 'seeing without telling.'

Unless Bai Ji and Dong Chengling's disagreement turned into them beating each other's brains out, Li Dan would absolutely keep his lips sealed.

"But it's also fine…" Yu Kuangtu sighed and said, "If Ren Suo is with Qiao Muyi, at least it means they won't end up in any danger."

Bai Ji asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Ren Suo is like a cat that's even afraid of mice; he wouldn't fight unless he's sure of winning," Yu Kuangtu said. "The reason he dared to challenge Zhao Huo alone is that he must have had Insight into Zhao Huo's weaknesses... if it was me challenging him, he'd never dare to face it, definitely because he's afraid I'd beat him up."

"Oh~?" Bai Ji glanced at Yu Kuangtu, thoughtfully responding.

"Such a person would avoid all kinds of combat, finding ways to gather evidence with Qiao Muyi to prove her innocence," Yu Kuangtu stated, arms crossed. "These days, I haven't heard any combat information about Qiao Muyi. It seems Ren Suo is really good at hiding."

Bai Ji sighed slightly. "It would be better if they could avoid battles."

"Given Ren Suo's temperament, if they must fight, it would either be a situation where they can crush their opponents without any pressure or… a life-and-death battle they cannot escape," Yu Kuangtu said.

Li Dan said, "I'm curious to see what Ren Suo would look like in a life-or-death battle."

Yu Kuangtu thought for a moment and shook his head. "I can't imagine it, but it's definitely not as splendid as my fights."

"If only I could go there and help them," Bai Ji sighed and said to Yu Kuangtu, "If you want some combat training, I'm always ready to accompany you."

"Really?" Yu Kuangtu stroked his chin. "I really can't find any opponents, and it's hard even to break a sweat…"

"Don't worry, I will continue to advance my combat Cultivation, ensuring you enjoy every battle…" Bai Ji said with a smile.

Li Dan noticed the malicious look in Bai Ji's eyes and realized Bai Ji had harbored a killing intent towards Yu Kuangtu.

He felt some sympathy for Yu Kuangtu, thinking, Why did you have to say you wanted to beat up Ren Suo? See, you've offended someone now.

Should I warn Yu Kuangtu…

"That's good… Ah, I'm going to meet a friend to hang out. Li Dan, you can take a taxi on your own. I'll drive the Countermeasure Bureau's car, and oh, I'll take a day off tomorrow… You should be able to hail a cab around here. Goodbye!"

Yu Kuangtu walked toward the Heavenly Lotus Academy dormitory area like the wind, leaving Li Dan looking utterly exasperated.

Forget it. To hell with him.

But...

Li Dan looked up at the moon, wondering what Ren Suo was doing at that moment.

Was he resting in a warm room with Qiao Muyi? Was he organizing investigation clues? Or was he doing something that would get him killed by Dong Chengling?

...

...

Facing the first wave of long-range attacks, Ren Suo used all his expertise according to Xiao Suo's Secret Diary!

He widened his eyes and his ears twitched as he fully activated Insight into the Mortal World, observing the distribution of the firepower to find the best defensive direction!

Then, Ren Suo clapped his hands together and slapped the ground hard, activating Ice Age. He caused a thick Ice Wall to rise twenty meters away and five thinner but larger Ice Walls five meters away!

He bellowed, activating Flame Overlord. His fists ignited in fiery red flames and he shouted, demolishing the five weaker Ice Walls in front with two fiery punches, creating a dreamlike white fog!

The Ice Walls blocked the concentrated gunfire in a small area, while the white mist obscured visibility over a wider range!

At that moment, far away, 'Lone Wolf' Kadell, who had just loaded his gun and found the perfect sniping spot, hammered the ground and took a piece of gum from his pocket to chew.

After completing these two steps, Ren Suo immediately escaped up the mountain with Qiao Muyi using Ghostly Rapid Step.

Qiao Muyi was surprised by Ren Suo's ability to use both ice and fire spells, but it clearly wasn't the time to ask questions. Instead, she activated her Movement Spell and pulled Ren Suo along at a faster speed!

"Don't think you can escape!"

"The Demon King's head is mine!"

"AAAAAAH—"

The fastest in terms of movement speed were naturally the Fourth-Tier Rank Transcendents!

Martial Soul Hall's 'Gun Supreme' Sakura Kyoko, Iron Sun's 'Shadow' Dai Ze, and Winter Castle's 'Thunder Bear' Ursa were the first to charge out of the white fog.

The diminutive Sakura Kyoko leapt easily on flat ground, Dai Ze seemed to sprint over shadows, and Ursa charged like a giant bear on all fours!

The three exchanged glances and looked back, appearing to reach a consensus.

Although there was still some distance between them and Qiao Muyi and Ren Suo, the three simultaneously used their unique skills, trying to intercept or even kill the Demon King and his attendant!

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