I Will Protect You for a Lifetime

In the mountains.

Su Mo, carrying Xi'er on his back, weaved rapidly through the dense forest.

A hundred meters behind them, a group of black-clad figures were in hot pursuit.

Su Mo pushed his movement technique to its limit, but only managed to widen the distance slightly.

The Phantom Steps Su Mo practiced were a close-combat movement technique, making them far less effective for covering long distances.

Of course, the main reason was the dense forest, with its high mountains and thickets, preventing him from fully utilizing his technique.

Furthermore, Su Mo was carrying Xi'er on his back.

"Su Mo, you can't escape!"

A shout came from the black-clad middle-aged man behind them.

Su Mo let out a disdainful laugh. If it weren't for Xi'er's safety, it was anyone's guess who would be running!

"Brother Su Mo, I'm begging you, please let me down!"

Xi'er's voice came from his back.

"Xi'er, don't say that. Unless I die, I will never abandon you!"

Su Mo said firmly.

Hearing Su Mo's words, Xi'er's body trembled, and the softest part of her heart was deeply touched.

Su Mo continued to run with Xi'er on his back. The strenuous activity caused his wounds to bleed profusely.

"This won't do!"

Su Mo frowned. If he kept bleeding, his body would only grow weaker.

"I've got it!"

Immediately, Su Mo had an idea. He changed direction and fled in another direction.

A moment later, a small cave appeared in his sight.

This cave was the very same one where he had obtained the Purple Spirit Fruit.

Carrying Xi'er, Su Mo darted into the cave.

After entering the cave, Su Mo quickly scanned his surroundings. There was nothing else in the cave. The bodies of Wei Long and the other man he had killed were already eaten by demonic beasts, leaving only tattered rags.

"Xi'er, wait for me here. I'll go out and eliminate these scoundrels."

Su Mo gently set Xi'er down.

"Brother Su Mo!"

Xi'er tightly gripped Su Mo's hand, her face full of worry.

"Don't worry! I still have to protect you for the rest of my life! I won't die so easily!"

Su Mo smiled as he squeezed Xi'er's delicate hand, giving her a reassuring smile.

Then, he turned and left.

Xi'er was stunned, standing there blankly.

I still have to protect you for the rest of my life!

Feeling the residual warmth on her hand, Su Mo's words echoed in her mind.

Xi'er cried!

Tears streamed down her face!

However, a blissful smile appeared on her lips.

As Su Mo walked out of the cave, he saw several black-clad figures surrounding the entrance.

At this moment, Su Mo stood at the cave mouth, blocking it, ensuring Xi'er's safety inside.

Without Xi'er on his back, he could now unleash his full power.

"Su Mo, let's see where you can run this time?"

The black-clad middle-aged man sneered. He hadn't expected Su Mo to be so foolish as to hide in a cave.

Now, he was like a turtle in a jar.

"Who said I was going to run? You're the ones who should be running!"

Su Mo sneered. The thought of these few people wanting to kill him was laughable!

"You're still so defiant when death is upon you!"

The black-clad middle-aged man disdained him, then shouted, "Attack."

With that, he took the lead, charging forward, his long saber swinging and slashing.

Buzz!

The steel sword in Su Mo's hand disappeared, replaced by a gleaming silver long sword.

This sword is named Spirit Severing.

"You're asking for death!"

Su Mo roared, not dodging or evading, and charged towards the opponent's long saber.

"Divine Wind Kill!"

Su Mo unleashed his strongest move right from the start.

This person was the leader of the enemy; if he could kill this person, the others would be no threat.

Matchless sword light, like dazzling starlight, shot up into the sky, tearing through space.

The next moment, the saber and the sword clashed fiercely.

Boom!

Fierce energy exploded and scattered.

Crack!

The black-clothed middle-aged man's long saber snapped. The sword light paused only slightly before continuing its unstoppable trajectory towards the black-clothed middle-aged man's face.

"What?"

The black-clothed middle-aged man was greatly alarmed. He had no time to dodge and could only twist his body as much as possible to avoid a fatal blow.

Swoosh!

The sword light flashed, and a perfectly good arm flew through the air. Bright red blood sprayed out, like a rain of blood.

"Ah!!"

The black-clothed middle-aged man let out a scream of agony. The intense pain contorted his face.

He quickly retreated, creating distance between himself and Su Mo.

Su Mo did not pursue. He spun around, his long sword slashing, and attacked the other black-clothed men.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A cold, sharp light flashed in Su Mo's eyes. His figure flickered continuously, leaving behind a series of afterimages as his long sword struck out relentlessly.

"Gale Edge!"

"Wind Sweeps Clouds!"

"Wind Howls Nine Heavens!"

These black-clothed men were only at Qi Cultivation Level Seven. Their strength was inferior to Wei Liang's back then, and they were no match for the current Su Mo.

Wielding the Spirit Severing Sword, Su Mo's strength had surged. He killed one person with each step, ten people with ten steps.

In the blink of an eye, the remaining black-clothed men were all slain by him.

"This..."

The injured black-clothed middle-aged man was greatly alarmed, his gaze towards Su Mo filled with terror.

He knew it was impossible to kill Su Mo today. The black-clothed middle-aged man did not hesitate, turned, and fled.

Swish!

Su Mo suddenly lunged forward, blocking his path.

"Do you really think you can escape today?"

Su Mo's expression was cold and indifferent.

"Su Mo, you... you let me go."

The black-clothed middle-aged man's arm was severed, and he had lost a large amount of blood, his face as pale as paper.

"Oh, tell me who you are and why you wanted to kill me, and I might consider letting you go."

Su Mo's face held a mocking expression.

"We are guards from the City Lord's Mansion. The Young City Lord wants to kill you! And he wants to seize Miss Xi'er."

The black-clothed middle-aged man did not conceal anything and told Su Mo everything.

He was precisely the City Lord's Mansion guard who had previously reported Su Mo's whereabouts to Lin Xiao.

He knew he had failed his mission and lost an arm, making it impossible to return to the City Lord's Mansion. Returning would mean certain death.

Therefore, he had no intention of hiding anything.

Whoosh!

As soon as the middle-aged man finished speaking, seeing Su Mo lost in thought, he turned and fled.

He had seen Su Mo kill several people in an instant before and knew Su Mo was decisive. He didn't believe Su Mo would let him go.

Whoosh!

He had only taken a few steps when a sharp sword light shot out, instantly piercing his heart.

A cold glint flashed in Su Mo's eyes. He showed no mercy to his enemies.

"Lin Xiao? You will pay the price in blood for what you did today."

Su Mo murmured to himself.

With everyone else slaughtered, Su Mo hurried towards the cave.

He saw Xi'er had already emerged from the cave and was standing gracefully at its entrance, gazing at him.

"Xi'er!"

Su Mo called out.

"Brother Su Mo!"

Xi'er suddenly ran towards Su Mo and hugged him tightly.

A faint, elegant fragrance entered his nostrils, and feeling the softness in his arms, Su Mo's heart quickly calmed.

"Xi'er, don't be afraid! It's alright now! I've killed them all."

Gently patting Xi'er's back, Su Mo comforted her.

After a while, Xi'er emerged from Su Mo's embrace, a faint blush on her small face.

"Xi'er, aren't you curious why demonic beasts turn into dried husks after I kill them?"

Su Mo suddenly said to Xi'er, "Actually, it's the same for people. Wait for me for a moment, I'm going to devour their vital blood now."

Su Mo walked to the pile of corpses, sat down cross-legged, and released his Martial Soul.