Zhu Qing's eyelashes trembled, her delicate little face turned a slight red, and she was somewhat reluctant to meet Luo Yu's eyes, her red lips parting lightly.
"You... is this your way of confessing?"
"It's a bit too casual, don't you think?"
Luo Yu laughed, "I'm not confessing, weren't you asking me what my purpose in helping you was? This is the reason."
Zhu Qing lifted her head, her watery black eyes filled with confusion.
"Is everything you said true?"
Luo Yu waved his hand dismissively, "It doesn't matter, believe it or not, that's up to you."
Zhu Qing bit her lip and shook her head in refusal, "You can't like me, I already have a fiancé."
Luo Yu asked, "With you being in such danger right now, where is your fiancé? He wouldn't be wining and dining, would he?"
Zhu Qing fell silent, her lips tightly pursed, her small hands clenched together.
After a few breaths, she cast a complex look at Luo Yu, "You're taking risks to help me, I won't forget you for that, but you should leave now. I'll hold her off here."
"If I manage to survive, I'd be very willing to become good friends with you."
"Boring, we're comrades facing life and death, yet just friends?" Luo Yu pouted.
Zhu Qing stomped her foot in exasperation, "Why are you like this? I don't even know you well, and even so, we should get to know each other first, right? It's not like you just come up and confess."
"Are you hinting that I might have a chance in the future?" Luo Yu teased her with a sly smile.
"Hinting my foot, what are you thinking joking at a time like this? Let's just focus on living to escape today.
Right after speaking, she stood firmly in front of Luo Yu with an icy expression, her cold voice directed at Zhu Zhuyun, "Zhu Zhuyun, every score has its debtor; if there's any issue, come at me, this person is innocent."
"Tsk, have you decided who gets to die first?"
"Don't worry, none of you will be leaving today," said Zhu Zhuyun with disdain on her face as she let out a howl and Soul Power erupted, with hundreds of black claw shadows forging an assault.
"I'll hold her off, you run! You're just one soul ring and trying to take the disaster for me, are you silly or something? You really lack experience in the jianghu!!"
Zhu Qing scolded continuously, forcibly pushing Luo Yu away, her beautiful eyes gazed deeply at him as if she wanted to etch his image permanently into her heart, and then unhesitatingly charged toward the sky full of claw shadows.
Zhu Qing, with her 27th level of cultivation, chose not to run but to confront Zhu Zhuyun, a four soul rings Soul Ancestor head on, naturally, she couldn't hold on for long.
After a dozen or so moves, her leather clothing was torn in several places, revealing her snowy skin marked with red claw prints.
Had she not tried her best to dodge, barely avoiding the fierce claw winds, those red marks would have become bloody scars.
"Boom!"
Zhu Qing grunted.
Already exhausted from blocking again and again, her body felt as if it was burdened with a thousand pounds and was getting heavier.
In contrast, Zhu Zhuyun appeared calm and composed.
Her face was filled with mockery as she struck fiercely, toying with her prey.
The incoming cold claw shadows aimed at her face, and Zhu Qing, too weak to defend herself, could only watch the attack come closer.
In an instant, many thoughts flashed through her mind.
That guy must have run away by now.
Such an odd man.
Daring enough to stand up for her with just one soul ring against a four soul rings Soul Ancestor—was he an idiot?
But a man's bravery like that was truly stirring.
There probably won't be a chance to meet again.
Zhu Qing closed her eyes, waiting for death to come.
Aside from the man she'd just encountered, she was quite disappointed with this world.
"Stubborn kitty, you've finally resigned yourself," mocked Zhu Zhuyun.
"Don't worry, sister won't actually kill you. At most, I'll just ruin your looks and cripple your cultivation," said Zhu Zhuyun with a sneer, showing off the winner's posture as her claw swipes headed for Zhu Qing's flawless face.
At the critical moment, a figure moved at her side.
A sword light cleaved through the air.
"Clang!"
The sword radiance shone, the cold light scattering, promptly deflecting the triumphal Zhu Zhuyun.
Zhu Qing's eyes opened wide with bewilderment.
Seeing the crisis averted, a broad and tall figure stood protectively in front of her.
"Why have you come back again!"
Zhu Qing gritted her teeth, her expression one of frustration, feeling her delay had been for nothing.
"I never left from start to finish," replied Luo Yu, turning back with a serene smile, shrugging his shoulders.
Zhu Qing stamped her foot, annoyed, "Are you out of your mind? You have just one soul ring, and she has four; by staying, you're just adding another death, how unworthy."
Luo Yu chuckled, "Are you concerned about me?"
Zhu Qing glared, "I can't believe you, even while the flames are licking at our heels, you're in the mood to joke around."
"Where's the fire? I didn't see any," said Luo Yu as he looked around with his sword drawn, appearing quite relaxed, before finally pointing at Zhu Zhuyun.
"You're not talking about her, are you?"
"This is just a nobody, no need to make it seem like a life-or-death farewell,"
"Who are you calling a nobody?"
Zhu Zhuyun's stunning face clouded with gloom.
She delayed taking action because she was somewhat shocked and uncertain about the sword Luo Yu had just used to force her back.
How did he do that? Could it be that he just happened to spot her flaw from before?
What is she worrying about? A mere one-soul-ring Soul Master couldn't possibly be that formidable, could he?
As Zhu Zhuyun's expression grew increasingly fierce, Zhu Qing hurriedly pushed Luo Yu away.
"You should run, don't try to act strong. You're no match for her."
"You step back, just watch,"
Luo Yu's voice was calm, but brooked no refusal.
As if carrying an inexplicable power of persuasion, the words Zhu Qing had at the tip of her tongue were swallowed back.
She retreated quietly to one side, obediently watching the man.
His wrist flickered as he swept his longsword, facing the ferocious Zhu Zhuyun, he adopted an initial stance.
"Hehe," Zhu Zhuyun sneered coldly, her red tongue licked at her long, dark purple fingernails, like a bloodthirsty leopard in the jungle, her four soul rings orbiting around her.
"I'm really curious about who gave you the confidence. A mere one-soul-ring Soul Master dares to provoke a Soul Ancestor so repeatedly."
"Or… maybe you're just a complete fool."
Luo Yu shook his head, "I advise you to talk less. Although I won't kill a woman, if you keep nagging, I'm afraid I won't be able to help myself from accidentally killing you."
"Ah!!"
Zhu Zhuyun's face instantly twisted, her hair flying wildly as she let out an angry scream.
"Third Soul Skill: Nether Abyss Fall!"
She clapped her hands above her head, and the claw blades on her fingers quickly fused together, forming a blade about a foot long.
After infusing it with Soul Power, a black light blade converged in a straight line, slashing directly down towards Luo Yu's head.
"Dodge quickly! You can't take it head-on," Zhu Qing shouted from the side, alarmed.
Luo Yu neither dodged nor evaded, casually raising his sword.
Zhu Zhuyun scoffed, "Ha, futile resistance, you overestimate yourself. My third soul skill is not so easily taken. Let's see how you get sliced in half."
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing echoed.
The fierce momentum of the black light blade fragmented upon contact, while that simple-looking ancient longsword stayed in mid-air, the man unharmed.
"What?"
"How is that possible???"
Incredulous exclamations sounded simultaneously.
Zhu Qing's mouth hung open in shock, "How… how did he do that?"
Zhu Zhuyun's eyes almost popped out, "That was my third soul skill!"
"Just like that, in an instant…"
"Gone???"
"No, I don't believe it!!"
Zhu Zhuyun's face showed madness, as she unleashed her Soul Power in a frenzy, swooping down with her claws in a rapid dive.
Taking advantage of her swiftly rotating body and the sharp piercing power of her cat claws' attacks, she launched hundreds of strikes at Luo Yu's body in a very short span of time.
But no matter how much she exerted herself, Luo Yu moved with her like a shadow, countering every move.
Zhu Qing's beautiful eyes widened in shock, her palms tightly covering her mouth.
She couldn't believe the scene before her.
What is going on here?
This guy is just a one-soul-ring Master, yet he's exchanging blows with a four-soul-rings Soul Ancestor?
"Rip."
Zhu Zhuyun was thrown off by a sword slash, causing her leather pants to tear, revealing her long, snow-white beautiful legs.
At this moment, however, she had no mind to attend to that; panting heavily, she looked at the man, her heart stirring with tumultuous waves, her eyes now devoid of any contempt—filled with shock and uncertainty.
Luo Yu dusted off his clothes, blowing away a wisp of dust, smirking, "Weren't you acting pretty arrogantly just now? Your scraping service isn't up to par. Can you put a bit more strength into it?"
Zhu Zhuyun gritted her teeth, "Fourth Soul Skill: Nether Void Slash!"
Aggressive qi burst forth, and the gale rushed in.
In the face of the terrifying attack, Luo Yu did not even lift his eyelid, he sighed softly.
"When you are in the jianghu, indeed, you cannot do as you please. Wanting to keep a low profile seems not so easy."
"Now I declare—"
"The game is over!"
"Boom!"
A roaring explosion sounded.
The forest shook, the earth cried, the Thousand Illusion Mask's disguise of the Martial Soul was instantly lifted.
The terrifying aura of explosion surged out from Luo Yu, as if a great river had burst its banks, wildly spilling forth.
The appearance of his ordinary Martial Soul and the yellow, low-quality Soul Ring also began to change drastically...