The person running toward them was a young woman.
She had long black hair cascading over her shoulders, fair skin, and a voluptuous, fiery figure that seemed far too mature for her age.
Her expression was cold—a pure, heartfelt coldness.
It was Zhu Zhuqing.
God King Tang San sensed that Zhu Zhuqing possessed quite a bit of his essence, and he was surprised. He truly hadn't expected her to have any of his essence at all.
And she had a lot—about a tenth of what Tang San possessed.
Yu Xiaogang, on the other hand, possessed only half as much of Tang San's essence.
Every time Xu Yuan defeated Tang San, he had Xu Yuan slap Yu Xiaogang around, thereby claiming Yu Xiaogang's essence and fortune.
By now, Yu Xiaogang hated Xu Yuan to the bone and wished he could hack him into a thousand pieces.
Xu Yuan had done all those things. They had nothing to do with him, the pure and unsullied God King Tang San.
One thing about Yu Xiaogang had surprised him: Yu Xiaogang possessed quite a bit of fortune.
But Yu Xiaogang's fortune was different from Tang San's. Tang San's could be called the fortune of heaven and earth, while Yu Xiaogang's could be called romantic fortune.
At last, God King Tang San understood why Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong had loved Yu Xiaogang so desperately.
Before, he truly hadn't understood why Liu Erlong and Bibi Dong could have fallen for Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang wasn't especially handsome; at best, he was perfectly average.
He was certainly more knowledgeable than most people, but Bibi Dong had been the saintess of Spirit Hall at the time.
Spirit Hall had plenty of learned people. It was impossible that Bibi Dong had never met any—let alone young, handsome, and learned men.
As for Liu Erlong, perhaps her feelings had grown over time. But for her to have never forgotten Yu Xiaogang—that was very strange.
After all, Yu Xiaogang had run away when they were supposed to get married, leaving Liu Erlong all alone.
Liu Erlong had been heartbroken for a long time because of it, and had even slaughtered a Soul Hunting Forest. Under normal circumstances, she should have hated Yu Xiaogang, or at least lost some of her feelings for him.
But decades had passed without Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong seeing each other, and she still loved him desperately. That was seriously suspicious.
The romantic fortune Yu Xiaogang possessed explained why Liu Erlong and Bibi Dong had loved him so desperately.
Looking at Zhu Zhuqing, a sudden thought came to God King Tang San.
Should he... have Xu Yuan take Zhu Zhuqing too?
He wasn't doing it for himself, but for Zhu Zhuqing's own good.
Tang San still possessed plenty of fortune and essence, but nowhere near as much as before.
There was no chance Tang San would go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Without the help of Immortal Herbs, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing might well be killed by Dai Weisi and the others in the future.
Rather than having Zhu Zhuqing go to Shrek Academy, he might as well have her follow Xu Yuan.
"????"
Hearing God King Tang San's thoughts, Xu Yuan could only think that this was absurd.
No, seriously, are you actually Tang San?
Xu Yuan really felt that this Tang San wasn't the God King Tang San he remembered.
God King Tang San might not have been a good person, but he wouldn't have had designs on his own brother's wife.
These thoughts made Xu Yuan, who had always considered himself shameless, feel thoroughly outclassed.
Seeing Xu Yuan and the others, Zhu Zhuqing seemed to have found hope and hurried toward them.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to rush at the assassins.
First Soul Skill: Life Entanglement
Several jade-colored strands of Blue Silver Emperor burst from the ground, writhing like nimble jade snakes as they coiled around the ankles of the two assassins in front.
Fine golden glimmers shimmered across the Blue Silver Emperor's surface. The moment it touched the assassins, it cinched tight, and tiny white flowers bloomed silently along the vines, giving off a faint fragrance.
The two assassins felt their ankles tighten. Their Soul Power seemed to be drawn away, and their minds grew hazy for no apparent reason. Their steps faltered.
Xu Yuan seized the brief opening, drew his dagger, and closed in.
The assassin bound by the Blue Silver Emperor was still dazed from losing Soul Power when his throat was cut with a precise stroke. Blood sprayed as he crumpled to the ground without even a scream.
The other assassin had just torn himself free of the Blue Silver Emperor when Xu Yuan was already upon him. The dagger plunged into his chest in a swift, clean motion, without the slightest hesitation.
Warm blood splashed across Xu Yuan's sleeve, but he seemed not to notice. He turned to face the assassins charging in behind them.
The two oncoming assassins flashed vicious smiles and unleashed their Soul Skills at the same time.
One's hand transformed into a razor-sharp wolf claw, sweeping toward Xu Yuan's face with a gust of foul wind. The other opened his mouth and spat out several dark green poison needles, sealing off every avenue of retreat.
"Second Soul Skill: Emerald Protection!" Xu Yuan shouted.
A layer of glowing green light suddenly appeared, enveloping his body.
The claws struck the barrier with a dull thud, while the ice spikes shattered against it into wisps of cold that the barrier absorbed completely.
Even stranger, the force of the attacks flowed along the barrier and turned into threads of warmth that entered Xu Yuan's body, sweeping away all the fatigue from the fight.
"What kind of Soul Skill is this?!" the assassin shouted in shock and anger, ready to attack again.
But Xu Yuan blurred and was already right in front of him.
The dagger in his hand gleamed with a chill, tracing a tricky arc in the sunlight.
The assassin with the wolf claws had just drawn back from his attack when his vision blurred, and an icy chill touched his neck.
Warm blood immediately poured down his collar, and a feeling of suffocation seized his throat.
His eyes widened, as though he couldn't believe he was about to die, but his body was already falling backward against his will.
On the other side, the assassin who had spat out the poison needles saw his companion die and hurriedly used his second Soul Skill.
Dark green mist rose around him and surged toward Xu Yuan in a vast wave, filling the air with a pungent, fishy stench.
"Is that all?"
Xu Yuan retreated a few steps and fired a Sleeve Arrow at the assassin's vital point.
The arrow's sharp whistle rang out almost at the same instant as Xu Yuan's words.
The short arrow flew incredibly fast, piercing straight through the dark green mist and striking for the assassin's vital point.
"You..." The assassin tried to say something, but all he managed was a mouthful of black blood.
His body toppled backward. After a few spasms on the ground, he fell silent.
Without Soul Power to sustain it, the dark green mist quickly dispersed, leaving only a scene of utter carnage.
Zhu Zhuqing stared at what had happened, dumbfounded. Xu Yuan was truly formidable.
Xu Yuan came over to Zhu Zhuqing and took out a bottle of medicine. "Apply this. It'll heal your wounds."
Zhu Zhuqing looked down at the cut on her arm, left when an assassin's blade had grazed her. Beads of blood were still slowly seeping out.
"Thank you."
"It was nothing."
Xu Yuan drew back his hand and glanced over the mess around them.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Xu Yuan and introduced herself. "My name is Zhu Zhuqing. What's yours?"
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