The Ending Was Pretty Good

Fortunately, Li Xingluo hadn't hit Song Yu hard. Song Yu had only temporarily lost consciousness.

After Song Ping checked that Song Yu was unharmed, he ordered the guards to take good care of him, then thanked Li Xingluo.

"Thank you for showing mercy, sir."

Li Xingluo smiled and patted his leg, saying with some self-mockery, "Looks like I still need more practice. But I don't want this to happen again. Otherwise, no matter who it is, I won't show mercy."

Song Ping clearly saw a flash of murderous intent in Li Xingluo's eyes. He understood that if not for Song Xue's sake, Song Yu would have already been separated from his head.

Half a month later, at the Song Clan, Li Xingluo stood with his hands behind his back. He had learned yesterday that Old Master Song could already get out of bed and walk, and that the poison in Song Ping's body had been mostly cleared. As for Song Yu, only after experiencing it firsthand had he learned the truth of what happened back then. The Song Clan had returned to normal.

"Big Brother Luo Xing, are you... leaving?"

Song Xue's eyes were full of reluctance, and her voice carried a hint of dejection.

Li Xingluo glanced at Song Xue. He knew exactly what the girl was thinking, but unfortunately, it would all soon be in the past.

"Yes."

"Big Brother Luo Xing, will we meet again?"

"Perhaps. Until we meet again." Li Xingluo bid farewell to the Song Clan's people and left.

Song Xue's expression dimmed as she stared in the direction Li Xingluo had gone, unable to come back to herself for a long time. Seeing this, Song Ping couldn't help shaking his head. Some people were destined to be just passersby. Thinking of the person Li Xingluo had asked her to keep an eye out for, her heart sank even further.

After leaving the city, Li Xingluo thought about how nearly a month had passed without a single word from Xiao Yi Xian.

By rights, Xiao Yi Xian should have reached Ink Cloud City before him, yet that wasn't what had happened. Li Xingluo couldn't help feeling uneasy.

Taking the map Song Xue had given him, he headed west out of Ink Cloud City. A little over three hundred miles away lay the Nether Poison Swamp.

After examining the map, Li Xingluo put it into his Storage Ring and hurried on. With the Flying Dou Technique, he could travel faster.

As he rounded a mountain, the sounds of fighting reached him from up ahead. Li Xingluo slowly descended and stood on a cliff, looking down.

A dozen or so people surrounded a girl in a purple dress. The man leading them wore an expression full of anger and lechery.

"Little girl, you're quite something. You killed so many of our people and still thought you could just leave? Did you really think the Mo Poison Mercenary Group was made of mud?"

The girl coughed softly. From the sound of it, she was badly injured.

She clutched her chest for a moment, then slowly shifted her body, completely unafraid as she kept watch on the people surrounding her.

As the girl slowly turned around, her face came into view. Li Xingluo couldn't help being stunned. He whispered, "Xiao Yi Xian."

"Looks like you're unwilling. Brothers, take her down! I'd like to see how tough her bones are."

At his command, everyone rushed at Xiao Yi Xian. Seeing them close in, she was already struggling to hold them off because of her injuries. Yet even so, not a trace of fear showed in her eyes.

At that critical moment, a rain of swords fell from the sky. The Mo Poison Mercenary Group members, caught completely off guard, fell beneath the storm of blades.

In the blink of an eye, every member of the Mo Poison Mercenary Group was dead except for the man who had given the orders.

"Who's there? Come out if you've got the guts! Don't hide like a coward." Seeing the scene before him, the leader was utterly shocked. He backed away while scanning his surroundings, alert to every sound and movement.

Xiao Yi Xian was just as astonished. Who had struck? She searched the area too.

The next moment, a sword force wrapped in powerful Dou Qi surged toward the last man from the Mo Poison Mercenary Group. The leader hurriedly raised his weapon and circulated his Dou Qi, forming a barrier.

Unfortunately, he had greatly underestimated the sword force's power. A crisp sound like shattering glass rang out, and the leader was sent flying before crashing to the ground, spitting out mouthfuls of blood.

The instant he fell, a long sword pressed against his throat. As the dust settled, he saw the face of the person holding it: a handsome face wreathed in a thick killing intent, utterly at odds with his appearance.

"Who are you? Do you know I'm the Mo Poison Mercenary Group's third commander? If you kill me, I'll make sure you don't leave this region alive."

"Enough noise!" Li Xingluo answered with just two words. Then his sword flicked across the man's throat. Clutching his neck, the leader stammered out a few broken words.

Without even looking back, Li Xingluo returned his sword to his Storage Ring and rushed toward Xiao Yi Xian.

When Xiao Yi Xian saw that the person who had arrived was Li Xingluo, she finally relaxed, despite her injuries. Her body crumpled, but Li Xingluo was quick enough to catch her.

"You're here!" Her voice was weak and sweet. With those three simple words and a smile, Xiao Yi Xian fainted.

When Xiao Yi Xian awoke, she looked around. A familiar face came into view, and she struggled to sit up.

Hearing the movement, Li Xingluo immediately got to his feet and came to her side, asking with concern, "How are you?"

Xiao Yi Xian smiled and shook her head, speaking softly. "I'm fine."

"Why did you come here by yourself? Didn't I tell you to wait for me in Ink Cloud City?"

Although Xiao Yi Xian thought Li Xingluo sounded as if he were scolding her, she could tell that he was mostly worried about her.

Seeing Xiao Yi Xian gaze at him blankly without answering, Li Xingluo felt helpless.

"Did something happen along the way?"

Xiao Yi Xian told him what had happened after they parted, and Li Xingluo listened with a deep frown.

"I didn't..." The words he wanted to say caught in his throat. Li Xingluo understood that Xiao Yi Xian had done this because she was worried about him.

"Don't do that again." Li Xingluo's eyes were full of concern. Xiao Yi Xian felt warm inside. Everything she had done had been worth it.

The next day, Xiao Yi Xian wanted to enter the Nether Poison Swamp with Li Xingluo, but he refused. After several days of recuperation, Xiao Yi Xian had recovered completely. Only after confirming that her injuries had fully healed did they decide to brave the Nether Poison Swamp together.

Guided by the map, the two easily found the entrance to the Nether Poison Swamp. They looked toward the woods ahead, where thick green miasma filled the air.

"It's just ahead. Stay close to me once we're inside."

Li Xingluo didn't want Xiao Yi Xian to get caught up in this mess. He had originally planned to leave her outside and go in alone.

Xiao Yi Xian disagreed, leaving Li Xingluo no choice but to give in. He knew that once this girl made up her mind, it was hard to change it.

Xiao Yi Xian nodded slightly. The two took Poison Pills and entered the woods one after the other.

With each step through the miasma-filled woods, their vision grew less clear. Beneath their feet, dead branches and leaves snapped and crackled.

"Careful!"

Xiao Yi Xian called out a warning and swung her hand at the same time. A streak of purple Dou Qi shot out, striking toward the left.

They heard the flap of wings, followed by something hitting the ground.

Li Xingluo looked up. At some point, many strange-looking birds had appeared around them. They resembled crows, but were larger, with longer, sharper beaks.

Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian stood back-to-back, wary of the unknown creatures.

He drew the Wind Spirit Split-Form Sword, on guard as the flock glared at them, poised to attack.

The birds shrieked and plunged down from the trees. Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian each used their own skills to kill the birds attacking them.

They came one after another, seemingly unafraid of death. Like madmen, they launched wave after wave of attacks at Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian.