I Will Never Let You Die

"Pathetic fool."

The black-robed man released his Martial Soul Avatar and returned to human form.

He looked down at the two people sprawled on the ground, his voice full of contempt and mockery.

He slowly raised a hand. Black mist swirled in his palm as he aimed it at the caravan mercenaries, who were scattering in panic.

"Since you've seen what you shouldn't have, you can all become part of my power!"

"N-no... please!"

Badly wounded, Ling Luochеn struggled to get up, but could only watch as the black mist became a huge ghostly face and roared toward the crowd!

Horrifying screams rang out one after another, then quickly fell silent.

In barely a dozen breaths.

The entire caravan, including its leader, had become a collection of shriveled corpses, their faces frozen in expressions of utter terror.

The black-robed man had drained every last trace of life from them.

When he was done, the black-robed man let out a satisfied belch.

With a casual wave, he drew the unconscious Ji Xuan and the helpless Ling Luochеn toward him, tucking one under each arm.

"Target secured, plus an interesting little toy."

He cackled, ready to take off and leave.

But just then—

"Roar—"

A dragon's cry, filled with boundless majesty and sacred power, suddenly rang out from the distant horizon.

The black-robed man shuddered as if struck by lightning. The Soul Power in his body instantly went haywire, and he nearly spat up a mouthful of blood.

He jerked his head up and stared in horror toward the sound.

In the distant sky, a massive phantom of a Sacred Dragon, large enough to blot out the heavens, was racing toward him!

Its golden eyes were cold and imposing, fixed firmly on his position!

The Radiant Sacred Dragon!

Mu En!!!

A bone-deep terror seized the black-robed man's heart!

How could he be here?!

Wasn't he supposed to be guarding Shrek Academy, unable to leave the Sea God Pavilion?!

Had the plan been exposed...?

Or had that old bastard Xuanzi betrayed them?!

Countless thoughts raced through his mind, but he had no time to think. His instinct to survive overwhelmed everything else!

Run! He had to run!

Facing one of the strongest people alive, he couldn't even summon the courage to fight!

"You vermin of the Holy Spirit Cult! You're not getting away!"

Mu En's immense, icy voice boomed in the black-robed man's ears like rolling thunder!

The black-robed man was scared witless and no longer dared to hesitate.

The evil Soul Power in his body burned wildly. He turned into a streak of twisted black smoke and fled at the fastest speed of his life!

He didn't even dare look back. All he could do was run! Run! Run!

He had no idea how long he flew or how far he went.

Only when his Soul Power was nearly spent and he was on the verge of falling from the sky did he dare stop. He hid in a dense forest, gasping for breath.

Trembling, he looked back and nervously sensed his surroundings.

Nothing!

That world-shattering pressure had vanished!

Mu En hadn't caught up!

"Phew... phew..."

The black-robed man let out a long breath and collapsed to the ground, as if he'd just been hauled out of the water. His back was already drenched in cold sweat.

Relief at having survived made him want to laugh out loud.

That's me for you. I actually escaped from Mu En!

But when he instinctively looked down to check the "spoils" he'd brought with him, his expression froze.

Empty!

Both his arms were empty!

Ling Luochеn and that strange kid were gone!

When had—

The black-robed man suddenly recalled everything that had just happened, and a thought surfaced in his mind—a thought he couldn't believe, yet couldn't deny.

An illusion!

That dragon's cry, the Radiant Sacred Dragon, Mu En... it had all been an illusion!

It was that kid's Soul Skill!

Even in that situation, he'd managed to create an illusion so lifelike that he'd fooled a Soul Saint like him?!

As the black-robed man grasped what had happened, he stared at the unfamiliar forest around him, with no idea where he was, and at his Soul Power, now drained by his desperate flight.

At last, he couldn't hold back his furious, frantic roar:

"Aaaaaah! You little bastard! I'll tear you limb from limb!"

Meanwhile.

A carriage careened along a wilderness road, bouncing wildly as it sped ahead.

The driver was the caravan leader, who should have been dead.

His face was ashen, and he shook like a leaf, but he didn't dare stop whipping the horses for even a moment.

Inside the carriage, Ling Luochеn was pale, with blood still at the corner of her mouth, but she paid no attention to her own injuries.

Kneeling on the floor, she held a blood-soaked young man tightly against her, resting his head on her lap.

It was Ji Xuan.

Ji Xuan was in a truly dreadful state.

Blood seeped from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. His face was as pale as paper, and his breathing was so faint it seemed he might stop at any moment.

Time rewound to the moment the black-robed man broke through the ice prison.

From Ling Luochеn and the others' perspective, the black-robed man did nothing after breaking through the ice prison.

He simply stood there, dazed for a moment, then laughed coldly a few times.

Then, all of a sudden, he looked as if he'd seen a ghost, his face contorted with sheer terror.

Without looking back, he fled as if possessed.

The bizarre scene left everyone stunned.

But Ling Luochеn was the first to react.

She immediately understood. It was Ji Xuan!

His Soul Skill had worked!

Ling Luochеn seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Summoning all her strength despite her grievous injuries, she pressed an ice spike against the neck of the terrified caravan leader and forced him to drive them away from that place, with the unconscious Ji Xuan.

"Cough... cough, cough..."

Unconscious, Ji Xuan spat up several mouthfuls of blood, staining his clothes.

With Ling Luochеn's Soul Skill aiding him, Mirror Flowers and Moonlit Waters had received an unprecedented boost.

But using a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill at only twenty levels of cultivation to create an illusion capable of deceiving a Soul Saint had placed a devastating burden on his mind and body.

Ling Luochеn lowered her head and looked at the unconscious boy in her arms.

Her thoughts were in turmoil.

She reached out with a trembling hand and gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

The cold touch of his skin made her heart clench.

He had rejected her.

Yet in the end, when life and death were on the line, he had still saved her.

Only now did Ling Luochеn realize that she didn't even know the name of the boy who had saved her three times in one day.

This work-study student, who looked to be only at level twenty, had a courage and skill beyond anything she could imagine.

What kind of person was he?

After an unknown amount of time, the carriage finally rushed into a town.

When it came to a stop, the two horses collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

"We've... we've arrived!"

The leader wore a miserable expression, his face full of the terror of having survived a disaster.

"Talk about bad luck! I got stuck with you two walking calamities!"

"Just go already!"

To the leader's surprise, Ling Luochеn didn't argue.

She firmly strapped Ji Xuan to her back with a cloth band, not caring that his blood stained her clothes.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

"The password for this card is six sixes. I hope it can make up for your losses."

She took the Purple Crystal Card from her Soul Tool and handed it to the leader.

Then she paid no more attention to the stunned driver.

Turning around, she carried the boy, who was a head taller than she was, and walked steadily into the unfamiliar town.

"You still haven't told me your name."

"I will never let you die!"