Some People, Some Things

The Ice Snow Magic Wolf King realized Li Xingluo's target was itself and instinctively spat out several ice spikes to block him.

Li Xingluo used a tree trunk to pause briefly, leveraging the momentum to dodge the ice spikes, which all embedded themselves into the trunk he had just occupied.

Seeing the surrounding bark instantly frozen, Li Xingluo drew a sharp breath; it was indeed far stronger than the Ice Snow Magic Wolves that had been surrounding them.

He swung his sword, the tip aiming straight for the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King's forehead, but it was blocked by a powerful energy less than half a meter away.

There was a crescent-moon-shaped mark on the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King's forehead, and no matter how hard Li Xingluo pushed the Wind Spirit Split-Form Sword, he could not pierce that invisible barrier.

The Ice Snow Magic Wolf King seemed to be gathering strength, its four limbs gripping the ground firmly as an invisible force flowed through its body into the barrier, accompanied by a howl.

The immense force sent Li Xingluo reeling back, and he only managed to land steadily after performing a three-hundred-sixty-degree spin in the air.

Through his close-range observation just now, Li Xingluo realized this Ice Snow Magic Wolf King had not yet advanced to the third rank; it was likely a peak second-rank magical beast.

"Again!"

Li Xingluo dared not delay, as Xiao Yi Xian was struggling to hold on behind him, with Xiao Lan occasionally diving down to scatter the pack of Ice Snow Magic Wolves surrounding her.

"Earth-Splitting Slash!"

As the incantation was uttered, battle qi swirled around his body and converged onto the Wind Spirit Split-Form Sword, forming a phantom blade over the original steel that slowly manifested into a giant sword about five meters long and two or three meters wide.

Gripping the hilt with both hands, he let out a loud shout and slashed down toward the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King, while the black ring on his finger emitted a faint red glow, transforming into a mass of energy that merged into the giant sword of battle qi.

The Ice Snow Magic Wolf King did not dodge or evade; it seemed to sense that Li Xingluo was weaker than itself and relied on its own formidable physique and the energy stored within its body to take the attack head-on.

"Boom—" Dust rose from where the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King stood, accompanied by a deafening roar that echoed through the forest.

The aftermath of their collision swept through like a gale, uprooting small saplings at the center of the explosion, while the swirling dust blinded the eyes and obscured everything around them.

The pack of Ice Snow Magic Wolves surrounding Xiao Yi Xian dug their claws into the ground, halting their assault on her.

As the dust settled, the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King appeared in a wretched state; beyond being covered in dust, its fur was soaked with blood from head to toe.

Li Xingluo stood with his sword, his sharp gaze fixed on the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King. He wondered to himself: Should I hit it one more time?

The Ice Snow Magic Wolf King took two steps before collapsing to the ground with a "thud," its mouth agape as it struggled to breathe.

Li Xingluo walked slowly toward the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King, which struggled to rise but found its body unresponsive, leaving it to watch helplessly as Li Xingluo closed in, no longer able to resist.

Without a word, Li Xingluo thrust his sword into the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King's body. Blood splattered, and the remaining Ice Snow Magic Wolves, seeing this, lingered only for a moment before scattering in all directions.

Seeing the wolf pack retreat, Xiao Yi Xian let out a sigh of relief and sat directly on the ground, the sweat on her forehead already forming a stream that ran down her cheek.

Li Xingluo walked quickly to Xiao Yi Xian's side and reached out to help her up, seeing her drenched in sweat and feeling truly sorry for her ordeal.

"Xiao Yi Xian, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Let's see if these Ice Snow Magic Wolves have any magic cores."

Xiao Yi Xian wiped the sweat from her forehead with a smile, let go of Li Xingluo's hand, and walked over to the corpse of an Ice Snow Magic Wolf.

Seeing her like this, Li Xingluo said nothing more; the fact that she was still thinking about magic cores at a time like this struck him as somewhat incredible.

Seeing Xiao Yi Xian diligently searching for cores, Li Xingluo didn't linger and walked straight to the Ice Snow Magic Wolf King's corpse. He skillfully pried it open and, to his surprise, found a magic core inside.

This was an unexpected joy, and Xiao Yi Xian, seeing this, happily raised the magic core in her hand to signal to Li Xingluo.

However, aside from these two, none of the other Ice Snow Magic Wolves possessed magic cores.

"Why don't we rest for a while before looking for the Red Fire Fruit we need?"

"No need. The sooner we find it, the sooner we can go back; it's not safe here."

Xiao Yi Xian rejected Li Xingluo's suggestion to rest, and unable to sway her, Li Xingluo had no choice but to continue the search.

Fortunately, they didn't have to go far before they discovered the Red Fire Fruit. Li Xingluo told Xiao Yi Xian to stay put while he went to pick it, and this time, she did not refuse.

Li Xingluo approached cautiously, observing his surroundings to ensure there was no danger before he reached out to harvest it.

Having obtained the Red Fire Fruit, the two of them rode Xiao Lan back to the valley, and Xiao Yi Xian went into her room early.

The moment she closed the door, a wave of dizziness washed over Xiao Yi Xian, and her vision blurred. She groped her way forward, trying to reach the bamboo bed, but missed and collapsed as her body refused to obey her.

Li Xingluo, who was just about to return to his own room to refine pills, heard a "thud" from Xiao Yi Xian's room and hurried to her door.

"Xiao Yi Xian, are you alright?"

Xiao Yi Xian lay on the floor, her face twisted in pain as she clutched her stomach, and it was a long time before she replied weakly.

"I'm fine."

Through the thin paper of the window, Li Xingluo saw Xiao Yi Xian curled up on the floor in agony, with purple gas slowly seeping from her body.

Li Xingluo's brows locked tight. Was this the Woeful Poison Body erupting?

Perhaps realizing that Li Xingluo was still outside, Xiao Yi Xian ignored her own pain and used all her remaining strength to shout, "Don't come in, Li Xingluo."

Li Xingluo instinctively stopped; he truly could do nothing at a time like this.

Seeing that he didn't push the door open, Xiao Yi Xian managed a faint smile despite her pain, curled her body up on the floor, and fell into a coma.

Li Xingluo did not leave. The purple gas covered Xiao Yi Xian's entire body, soon filling a third of the room.

Recalling everything that had just happened, she must have been forcing herself to hold on for fear that he would find out. Yes, every time she used her poison arts, the Woeful Poison Body within her could erupt at any moment; while it could kill others, it could also kill her.

As the sun set, a faint ray of twilight shone in through the window. Xiao Yi Xian slowly woke up to find herself lying on the bamboo bed, and a rush of memories flooded her mind. Could it be...

Xiao Yi Xian scanned the room and, finding no sign of Li Xingluo, ignored her physical weakness and rushed outside, where the surroundings were terrifyingly silent.

With a panicked expression, Xiao Yi Xian ran toward the bamboo hut where Li Xingluo resided, but pushing the door open revealed that he was not there either.

Overcome by a sense of foreboding, Xiao Yi Xian searched the vicinity like a madwoman, yet she still could not find a trace of Li Xingluo.

At this moment, Xiao Yi Xian's heart was in turmoil and aching; she recalled the time she had spent with Li Xingluo, days that were wonderful and filled with laughter.

Xiao Yi Xian looked down at her own hands, feeling utterly helpless, as teardrops began to fall with a rhythmic patter, patter.

She kept muttering words of self-reproach: "It's all because of me; I've harmed you. I knew I was born with a Poison Body and that no one could get close to me, yet I met you. In all these years, you were the first person to truly care for me, but what have I done? I killed you with my own hands, I..."

Xiao Yi Xian's tears fell one after another, cascading down like a fringe of tassels.

Just as Xiao Yi Xian was weeping in sorrow, a voice called out "Xiao Yi Xian" from behind her; she slowly turned her head to look, and there stood that familiar figure.