Are You All Right?

Anyone who could serve as a sub-altar master was undoubtedly a fanatical believer!

Moreover, the Evil Gods and Demon Gods had managed to infiltrate the Xia Clan over its long history, and they still hadn't been completely eradicated. They had many powerful methods at their disposal, such as demon-god oaths and even spacetime contracts... all sorts of means to completely control the core elites among their followers! While alive, they obeyed without question; even after death, their souls went to the Demon Gods and followed them forever!

"Not good." Dongbo Xueying's expression changed as he looked toward Lu Huairu in the distance. Lu Huairu's face was twisted with hysterical madness.

"Boom!!!"

The floor of the massive hall suddenly heaved, then exploded with a deafening roar! One pillar after another toppled, and some shattered under the impact.

Yu Jingqiu and Si Borong, who had been hiding in a corner of the hall, both turned pale.

"Form, form, form!"

Yu Jingqiu had no time to cast any powerful spells. She could only cast a few weaker ones instantly. The Ice Armor on her body was already the strongest defense she could manage; it could even withstand a Silver Moon Knight's attack for a little while. As she cast her spells, sheets of ice appeared in front of her, their surfaces slanted. Yu Jingqiu hid behind the sloping ice.

She was clearly trying to use the sloping ice to disperse as much of the terrifying impact as possible. But as the entire hall erupted with such destructive force, Yu Jingqiu felt a chill of fear. Could it hold?

"No, I can't die. I can't die!" Si Borong's eyes were filled with terror. He crouched down beside her, behind the sloping ice. Seeing Yu Jingqiu completely encased in Ice Armor, he flashed a cold look and grabbed one of her arms, yanking her in front of himself as a shield.

A Silver Moon Rank mage's defenses could absorb a great deal of force, too.

"Si Borong!" Yu Jingqiu stared at him in shock and fury.

"Jing Qiu, you'll just have to sacrifice yourself for me. I'll take good care of your family." Si Borong hid entirely behind Yu Jingqiu, using her as a shield. The Ice Armor automatically dispersed force; otherwise, a knight's blow would have traveled through it and killed a mage. Because it dispersed the impact instead of passing it on, Si Borong thought Yu Jingqiu made the perfect shield.

With Yu Jingqiu in front of him, his chances of surviving increased considerably. As for whether she lived or died, he couldn't care less.

He had pursued Yu Jingqiu for a long time, but only because of her strength and beauty. When his life was on the line, of course he cared more about saving himself. He wasn't ready to die.

"Damn you! Damn you, Si Borong!" Yu Jingqiu was both shocked and enraged. She had been crouching at the base of the sloping ice, with her arms shielding her face. Now that he had grabbed her, she could no longer protect herself properly, and her chances of dying had soared.

She was furious.

But how could a mage like her break free? A Silver Moon Knight was far too strong.

It would be an utter injustice to survive that terrifying Divine Envoy, only to die because of Si Borong.

"Not good."

Dongbo Xueying sensed the ground begin to heave and explode. He immediately willed a black, square shield into his left hand. It was one of the shields in one of the Divine Envoy's two storage rings.

A spear in his right hand, a shield in his left.

Whoosh!

Dongbo Xueying shot toward them like lightning. He had instantly activated his Strength Bloodline, faint reddish currents swirling around his body as his speed surged to a terrifying level. Whoosh! As he raced forward, the hall's floor exploded, sending countless rocks flying. They came in all sizes, each moving at tremendous speed and striking with immense force.

Clang, clang, clang! His shield knocked away some of the rocks, while the Flying Snow Divine Spear swept out again and again, smashing larger stones, crashing walls, and massive pillars aside so he could avoid them as much as possible.

Amid the explosion...

Dongbo Xueying reached Yu Jingqiu and Si Borong, who were hiding behind the sloping ice more than a hundred meters away, almost in an instant. Even with a shield in one hand and the Flying Snow Divine Spear in the other, some rocks still struck him. The blast was everywhere, a dense storm of debris. To reach them as quickly as possible, he had to endure some of it head-on.

But at the peak of the Title-level, with his Strength Bloodline unleashed and Battle Qi protecting him, he would at worst suffer serious injuries from taking the full force of the blast with his body. Only a few rocks had hit him, breaking through his protective Battle Qi and punching small holes in his fairly sturdy clothes. Still, Dongbo Xueying's greatest strength was his body.

His body easily withstood the impact.

"That Si Borong!" Dongbo Xueying charged over and saw that Si Borong was using Yu Jingqiu as a shield. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Shameless!"

"Get lost!"

Dongbo Xue grabbed Yu Jingqiu with one hand and kicked Si Borong hard in the body. Si Borong's eyes widened in shock.

Thud!

How powerful was a kick from Dongbo Xueying? Si Borong curled up and flew backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood! He had been holding Yu Jingqiu by the arm, but the Ice Armor had automatically dispersed the force of his grip, so she hadn't been hurt at all.

Yu Jingqiu stared at Dongbo Xueying, eyes wide.

Without hesitation, Dongbo Xueying put away the Flying Snow Divine Spear and scooped Yu Jingqiu up with one arm, holding her in front of him. He positioned the large square shield he had chosen behind them to block the blast.

Yu Jingqiu had been held in front of Si Borong as a shield. With the explosion already upon them, she had given up hope.

Suddenly, a black-clad young man shot through the blast zone from the distance at a terrifying speed, leaving a string of afterimages. In Yu Jingqiu's eyes, countless images of Dongbo Xueying appeared. He held a shield in one hand and the Flying Snow Divine Spear in the other. His gaze was calm and sharp, without a trace of panic.

The massive rocks and pillars bursting around them, the countless stones flying through the air—nothing could stop him.

At that moment—

Yu Jingqiu felt as though Dongbo Xueying was glowing. He looked like a great hero.

Her heart surged with emotion.

Thud.

He kicked Si Borong away, then immediately grabbed her with one hand and pressed her close, shielding her with his entire chest. Even with the layer of Ice Armor between them, Yu Jingqiu suddenly felt safe against Dongbo Xueying's chest, as if she were back in her father's arms as a little girl.

Dongbo Xueying had no time to think of anything else. He held the shield behind them!

"Rumble~~~"

Countless waves of stone surged in every direction. Because the entire hall was sealed, the blast continued to rebound within it. The rock above them collapsed, the surrounding walls crumbled, and countless stones of every size crushed and battered everything in their path. "No!" A piercing scream rang out. Si Borong clutched his shield and struggled to hold on, but the impact sent him tumbling. Then a flood of stones slammed into him. His protective Battle Qi shattered, and his body was even more fragile. Wounds opened all over him, and his head was struck more than ten times in rapid succession. His vision went black, and he died instantly.

In an explosion within an enclosed space like this, surviving was incredibly difficult. Only someone at the Title-level would have a chance.

"Hmph." Dongbo Xueying crouched down, pressing Yu Jingqiu beneath him and shielding her with his body as completely as he could. His left hand plunged into the ground while he angled the shield to deflect the force.

"Rumble—"

Wave after wave of debris crashed down. The sloping ice collapsed instantly, and countless rocks struck the shield. Some even slammed into Dongbo Xueying's feet.

"Hmph!" He dug his left hand deep into the ground and held on with all his strength, while his right arm strained to keep the shield in place. With his strength fully unleashed, he could withstand the impact.

Yu Jingqiu was safe beneath his protection. She lowered her head and could only see Dongbo Xueying's powerful hand gripping the ground beside her.

The sight of that strong hand filled her with a sense of security.

"Watch out!" a voice suddenly cried, sounding anxious.

Rumble—

The entire hall collapsed, and the massive rocks above came crashing down.

Dongbo Xueying immediately curled around Yu Jingqiu to shield her completely, while raising the shield overhead as much as possible. Rumble~~~ Countless stones fell, and the hall crumbled entirely. In an instant, Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu were buried beneath several meters of rubble.

Gradually, the outside fell quiet.

The shield was above them.

Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu were beneath it. The noise of the explosion slowly faded, leaving them in complete darkness.

"Hmph." Dongbo Xueying furrowed his brows slightly. His right leg was pinned, but his body was strong, and it was only a flesh wound.

"Are you all right?" Yu Jingqiu heard Dongbo Xueying's voice and asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Dongbo Xueying's voice remained calm. He held the shield up with his right arm, bracing against the stones above them, which must have weighed thirty or forty thousand pounds. "Wait a little. I'll break through this rubble, and we'll be able to get out."

**