Cai'er: Don't Touch Him

The wild instincts of the Devil Beasts sensed the aura of death emanating from the blood-soaked youth.

This was no prey; it was a predator more terrifying than them!

In just a few dozen breaths, over twenty Demon wolf corpses lay on the ground.

The remaining Demon wolves' attacks became hesitant. They began to circle the periphery, no longer daring to charge forward easily.

Long Xuanye leaned on his broken Dagger, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for air.

Excessive blood loss caused his vision to darken intermittently.

Yet, he revealed a smile.

He charged towards the beast pack!

The wolf pack stirred and retreated step by step!

Puchi!

Long Xuanye used his Left Arm to drive the broken Dagger into the throat of the last Demon wolf that lunged at him.

Warm wolf blood splattered his face.

He didn't wipe it off. He merely grinned, revealing a mouth stained red with blood, and smiled.

The laughter was hoarse, manic, like the wail of a demon crawling out of hell.

There was almost no intact flesh on his body. He looked like a tattered sack soaked in blood, only able to remain standing by the half-weapon in his hand.

But his eyes shone terrifyingly.

The remaining dozen or so Demon wolves faltered.

For the first time, their eerie green Pupils showed an emotion called "Fear."

This human youth before them was not prey.

He was a Monster! A madman!

They hunted to fill their stomachs, to survive.

But this youth was enjoying the battle, enjoying the bloodshed of trading life for life!

"Awooo..."

The Alpha Wolf let out a low whimper, tucked its tail, and was the first to choose retreat.

With a leader, the remaining demon wolves seemed to be granted amnesty. They all turned around, dragging the corpses of their injured companions, and fled in a panic into the depths of the dense forest, not daring to look back.

The beast horde had retreated.

Long Xuanye's taut nerves finally relaxed, and agony surged through his body like a tide.

[Host is detected to be at the brink of exhaustion and has completed the choice. Do you wish to immediately claim your reward and awaken?]

A line of light-gold text appeared in his mind.

[Warning: Host's current condition is extremely poor. Forced awakening may cause damage to the foundation. It is recommended to awaken at an opportune moment.]

Long Xuanye's consciousness swept over the warning, and without the slightest hesitation, he chose no.

Thus, his Innate Inner Spiritual Power, representing his Talent, remained at the number "99".

He slowly turned around and looked at the figure curled up under the tree not far away.

Saint Cai'er was using all her strength, dragging her extremely weak body, and crawling towards him bit by bit.

Her knees and palms were already ground bloody by the rough ground, but she was oblivious.

Her gray eyes were fixed on him, and tears fell like broken strings of pearls, carving two clear tear tracks on her dusty little face.

Finally, she crawled in front of him.

Her small hand trembled as she raised it, wanting to touch his blood-stained cheek, but she was afraid of hurting him.

Long Xuanye looked at her. His weakness had reached its peak, and the world before his eyes was spinning.

But a thought popped into his mind.

I've worked so hard to get to this point, and if I just weakly say 'I can't do it' at the end, wouldn't that be foolish? What's the point of acting cool then?

He forcibly suppressed the sweet, metallic taste rising in his throat and forced out a gentle smile.

He extended the hand that was still relatively intact and gently stroked Saint Cai'er's head.

"It's alright now."

"I'm here."

These six words struck Saint Cai'er's heart.

She froze completely.

She wanted to cry, but her tear ducts had long since dried up. She could only open her small mouth and let out two dry "heh-heh" sounds, unable to shed a single tear.

She desperately clawed at her throat, wanting to say something, even just one word.

But the curse of muteness was like an invisible shackle, tightly strangling her voice.

Before awakening her Inner Spiritual Power, her life was happy and fulfilling; she was the pearl in everyone's palm.

After awakening, she lost everything, was abandoned, was exiled, and the world became nothing but gray.

But today.

Through the dappled tree shadows, she saw a young man.

A young man covered in blood, as disheveled as herself.

Yet he was smiling, and he gave her a hug.

It pierced through her bleak world.

Long Xuanye could no longer hold on. His vision went black, and his body fell straight backward.

Saint Cai'er instinctively lunged forward, using her frail body as a cushion.

She tightly hugged the unconscious young man in her arms, using her last ounce of strength.

Her small face was dirty, and the hem of her skirt was tattered, but in her gray eyes reflecting the young man's face, there was a kind of broken beauty.

She could only hold him, weeping silently.

Just then.

A faint sigh echoed through the forest.

The White-robed figure landed beside them silently, like a ghost.

The White-robed figure lowered his gaze, looking at the young man in the pool of blood, his expression complex.

At his feet lay the corpses of dozens of Demon wolves, each fatal wound terrifyingly precise.

This was no mere battle; it was a slaughter where life was risked for life.

That combat Technique, that fearless madness, and the steadfast will to maintain combat effectiveness even when on the brink of death...

The White-robed figure had lived for hundreds of years and had never seen such a terrifying Talent.

This kid hadn't even awakened his Inner Spiritual Power yet.

As long as his Talent wasn't too poor, in the future, he would undoubtedly be the sharpest sword in the great cause of the Human Race counter-attacking the Devil Race!

As his thoughts were Surging, a pure and immense aura erupted from his side without warning.

He abruptly turned his head.

A faint silver radiance emanated from Saint Cai'er, and a sacred, majestic aura surged towards the heavens.

Holding Long Xuanye in her arms, tears and gratitude intertwined, she had unconsciously achieved a deeper resonance with the legendary Reincarnation Sacred Sword.

"This... this is..."

The white-robed figure's breath hitched, and his eyes erupted with ecstatic light.

"Saintess Your Highness! You..."

He stepped forward excitedly, bowing. "Your Highness, please set this young man down first. You bear a heavy responsibility, and I must treat you."

Upon hearing this, Saint Cai'er's frail body trembled violently, and she held Long Xuanye tighter.

She raised her head, and in her gray eyes, something was shattering, while something else was coalescing.

A layer of hazy gray mist quietly enveloped her pupils, and the world before her eyes rapidly lost its color and light.

She opened her mouth, and a pained, hissing sound emerged from her throat, like sandpaper grinding her vocal cords.

But she still used all her strength to squeeze out three words from her cursed and bound throat.

"Don't~ touch~ him."

The white-robed figure froze.

Immediately after, Saint Cai'er's gaze turned completely to a dead, silent gray. She stared intently at the white-robed figure, enunciating each word.

"You are not allowed to touch him!"