Crisis

This was a clash of pure strength, without any technique or flashy tricks—just a contest of raw power.

As a Quasi-Title Douluo, Zhang Lexuan possessed profound reserves. Even without obtaining her ninth Soul Ring, she might still be able to defeat the Thunder Qilin, which Lin Chen had greatly weakened.

More and more lightning gathered around the Thunder Qilin. Drawing upon the power of lightning, it stood in the air. The instant a massive boulder touched even a trace of lightning, it was reduced to dust. One could imagine just how terrifying the Thunder Force gathered by the Thunder Qilin had become.

Could it be Si Kongzhen?

But Lin Chen quickly dismissed that thought.

The lightning around the Thunder Qilin had all taken the form of Thunder Qilins, lined up neatly behind its true body. It looked somewhat like a general leading his army into battle.

Si Kongzhen's Thunder Force would not turn into qilins. His turned into basketballs.

With a wave of Zhang Lexuan's hand, Blood Moon Light transformed into raindrops and shot toward the Thunder Qilin. Unwilling to be outdone, the Thunder Qilin threw back its head and roared. At once, the thousands upon thousands behind it charged toward Zhang Lexuan.

For a moment, the earth shook and the mountains trembled once more. Wherever Blood Rain fell, everything was reduced to nothingness. Wherever lightning reached, everything turned to dust and scattered into the air.

Lin Chen was also blasted away by the pressure and did not dare approach.

The entire sky had been dyed blood-red and blue, each color occupying half of it.

Lin Chen tried to slash a strand of Sword Qi toward the clash between Zhang Lexuan and the Thunder Qilin. The result was predictable. The moment it touched even a trace of Thunder Force, the Sword Qi was instantly torn apart.

"This girl is quite strong," Qian Renxue said.

Just as Lin Chen was about to ask a question, he instantly saw the scene Qian Renxue had sensed. Sister Lexuan had gained the upper hand. No wonder she had earned Qian Renxue's approval.

"Sister Renxue, who do you think will be stronger in the future, me or her?" Now that he had some free time, Lin Chen started chatting with Qian Renxue. It was not yet his turn to act anyway.

"The future is hard to say, but right now, she could slap you to death," Qian Renxue said mercilessly.

"Can you give me some face? I'm a Soul Ancestor with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, after all. You can't find a second one on the entire continent," Lin Chen retorted.

No, there was a second one.

Sure enough, Qian Renxue said, "That Huo Yuhao in your class—doesn't he have a Fierce Beast and a million-year soul beast inside him? The first Soul Rings of his two Martial Souls were provided by those two soul beasts, weren't they?"

Fine, he could not argue with her. But could he be compared to Huo Yuhao? That guy was unquestionably the king of cheats, the Son of Destiny of the Douluo Continent, King Tang's designated future son-in-law, and the object of pursuit for countless girls. When it came to fortuitous encounters, even ten Lin Chens combined probably could not match him.

Lin Chen simply stopped talking and continued sensing the battle between Zhang Lexuan and the Thunder Qilin through Qian Renxue's divine soul.

The clash between Zhang Lexuan's Eighth Soul Skill and the Thunder Qilin was nearing its end. Several bloody holes had appeared on the Thunder Qilin's body. Zhang Lexuan's Eighth Soul Skill had clearly pierced its scales, while Blood Rain had devastated its flesh.

Zhang Lexuan was not doing well either. Her body had suffered several lightning strikes, leaving her seriously injured, but her overall condition was still far better than the Thunder Qilin's.

"Sister Lexuan!" Lin Chen hurriedly flew over and caught the swaying Zhang Lexuan. At the same time, he expanded his Life Domain to its limit, channeling the surrounding life energy into her body.

Seeing that the two humans still had the ability to recover, the Thunder Qilin could no longer afford to care about consuming its life force. It immediately burned its own vitality, sacrificing its lifespan to unleash its strongest attack and finish them both. Although this would cause irreversible damage and leave it unable to survive its next heavenly tribulation, it still chose to do so. Dying later was better than dying now.

All living beings cherished their lives. Humans did, and soul beasts did as well.

Seeing the Thunder Qilin willing to sacrifice its own lifespan just to kill them, Zhang Lexuan's heart went completely cold.

She knew that today, either she would die, or she and Lin Chen would become a pair of doomed lovers.

She gently pushed Lin Chen, a soft expression appearing on her face. "Lin Chen, when I first met you, it was as if I saw my former self. Back then, just like you, my parents were both dead, and I had no one to rely on. But I was far luckier than you. Elder Mu found me and brought me back to Shrek. You were different. You had suffered far more than I had. You had to earn money by helping Soul Masters hunt soul beasts. That was why I decided to give you a recommendation letter—not only because of your outstanding talent, but also because I saw my own reflection in you. Though you always make people worry, you also bring them immense surprises. And your gaze has always been so firm. There must be unfinished matters waiting for you, so go. I will use my last bit of strength to hold him back. If you can return to Shrek, please tell the elders for me that Lexuan is grateful for Shrek's kindness. It is only that, from this day onward, I fear I will no longer be able to repay Shrek for raising me."

Before Lin Chen could react, she struck the back of his neck with her palm. Lin Chen immediately fell unconscious.

Zhang Lexuan violently flung Lin Chen in the direction beyond the Star Dou Great Forest. In an instant, he vanished from sight.

"Do you think he can escape? After I kill you, I will find him, skin him, pull out his tendons, and vent my hatred over you two making it impossible for me to survive my next heavenly tribulation!" the Thunder Qilin said viciously.

"You can try," Zhang Lexuan said calmly.

"A dying person has no need for so many words!"

The Thunder Qilin stopped wasting its breath and unleashed Annihilation Thunder upon Zhang Lexuan once more.

This Annihilation Thunder was an attack launched at the cost of its own lifespan. In Zhang Lexuan's current state, she could not withstand it.

But Zhang Lexuan would not surrender without resistance. She immediately used her Fourth Soul Skill to defend herself. Even if she had to die, she needed to buy more time. The longer she held on, the greater Lin Chen's chance of escaping would be.

Zhang Lexuan had carefully controlled the strength of that strike earlier. Lin Chen would wake up in no more than two minutes. She had to buy him time.

Boom!

Thunder rumbled through the heavens as Annihilation Thunder crashed violently against Zhang Lexuan's Silver Moon Shield. Zhang Lexuan had already been severely wounded. Although Lin Chen's treatment had improved her condition considerably, the gap of more than forty levels of Soul Power was impossible to overcome. To Zhang Lexuan, his healing had been nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

If Lin Chen had been at the same level as her, he might have been able to restore her to seventy percent of her peak condition.

That was the power of the Life Domain. The more abundant and dense the life energy in a place was, the greater the domain's effect became.

At this moment, Zhang Lexuan was already on the verge of collapse beneath Annihilation Thunder. What supported her was nothing more than the belief that Lin Chen had to escape.

Seeing Zhang Lexuan still struggling to hold on, the Thunder Qilin increased its output once again.

Zhang Lexuan finally could not endure any longer. Her Soul Skill shattered, and her entire body crashed toward the ground.

As she watched the lightning descend from the sky, Zhang Lexuan felt no fear. What replaced it was relief.

Am I going to die? Fine. This can be considered a release...

In her daze, she seemed to see the boy's figure again, standing in front of her.