The silver-white dagger had no patterns on it. Sunlight glinted off its blade, giving it a cold, eerie sheen.
The entire scene fell silent. Even Lin Yan was stunned!
But when he saw Ning Rongrong's resolute expression right before his eyes, he quickly figured things out.
"Fine! If we die, we die together."
"If they dare touch me, I'll kill you!"
With that, Lin Yan took the dagger and laid it across Ning Rongrong's neck.
The icy blade pressed against her skin, making the girl tense up. Even so, she didn't try to dodge. Instead, she lifted her chin and turned to face the others, ready to share life and death with Lin Yan.
Bone Douluo's aura surged in fury. He used Martial Soul Possession, and his yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black Soul Rings whipped around like mood lights.
The full pressure of a level 95 Titled Douluo bore down on them, yet it didn't affect Lin Yan in the slightest.
Because Ning Rongrong stood in front of him...
"You..."
"You beast! You really dared to put a knife to Rongrong's neck?"
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
Gu Rong was beside himself with rage. The dagger's tip had already cut Ning Rongrong's skin, and blood was trickling from the wound. He could only hate himself for being powerless to stop it!
Sword Douluo was no different. His usually cold, lifeless eyes were wide open, and his sharp brows and starry eyes had twisted into the face of an Asura!
Seven Kill appeared in the world. Countless sword phantoms took shape in an instant, every blade pointed at Lin Yan.
"Boy, I'll give you three breaths. Let Rongrong go, or die!"
Sword Douluo's threat was blunt.
He was ninety percent certain he could save Ning Rongrong from Lin Yan. Even if her throat was pierced, he and Gu Rong could fly at full speed and use Soul Power to stop the bleeding. They would surely reach the Nine Heart Begonia lineage in Heaven Dou City before her life ebbed away.
So he was ready to burn his boats.
The dignity of the Upper Three Sects would never tolerate a commoner Soul Master challenging them.
"You think using Rongrong's life as a hostage will let you keep your secret today?"
"Foolish! You've underestimated the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and you've underestimated Titled Douluo."
Chen Xin's meaning was clear: the three of them weren't afraid of this kind of threat. If anything, it would only fan their fury.
He believed Lin Yan was smart enough to realize that.
And he was right. Lin Yan soon saw that this trick was probably useless against two Titled Douluo and a Soul Saint.
Never mind that he couldn't bring himself to hurt Ning Rongrong. Even if he truly reached the point of burning his boats, the two Titled Douluo would surely find a way to save her. In the end, he'd be the only one cornered.
Damn it! Was he really going to end up as fish on the chopping board today?
Bitterness showed in Lin Yan's eyes.
In the end, all his careful planning couldn't hold a candle to fate's casual stroke.
He'd never imagined that, after gaining a system, two top-tier Martial Souls, a God-Given Soul Ring, and an External Soul Bone...
He'd still meet his end at the very beginning of his wonderful life. It was hard to imagine what the days ahead would be like.
Ning Fengzhi and those two old geezers would torture him to death...
Sigh~
He'd thought he could use Ning Rongrong's life to turn the tables, but he'd still underestimated their resolve.
His right hand, still gripping the dagger, lowered slightly. Since Ning Rongrong couldn't help him turn things around, he shouldn't keep the blade against her.
At that moment, he didn't hate Ning Rongrong or Ning Fengzhi. He only hated himself for not being careful enough...
"Phew~"
"At least you know what's good for you!"
Gu Rong let out a long breath of relief. But in the next instant, he flashed right in front of Lin Yan.
He wanted to snatch the dagger from Lin Yan's hand, but...
"Who dares touch him?"
"If any of you lay a finger on Lin Yan today, I'll kill myself!"
Ning Rongrong snatched the dagger from Lin Yan without the slightest hesitation and plunged it into her own neck.
Bright red blood gushed down the blade. That stab had clearly gone deep...
"Rongrong!"
Gu Rong was horrified. Sword Douluo was so startled that his Martial Soul shrank back, and even Lin Yan felt a chill run down his spine!
He hurriedly used the life energy of the Blue Silver Emperor to heal Ning Rongrong.
"Don't push it in any farther. If you cut an artery, even I might not be able to save you."
"Stay out of it!"
Ning Rongrong saw that the bleeding had stopped, then pressed the blade in a little harder. Blood began to flow again, more heavily than before.
She looked at Ning Fengzhi.
"Father, Lin Yan's gift to me comes with all kinds of restrictions. It can't be used by the sect. You can give up on that idea."
"Grandpa Sword, Grandpa Bone! If you keep forcing Lin Yan, I'll die right in front of you."
Clearly, Ning Rongrong knew who was really in charge of this situation.
She knew Ning Fengzhi cared about the sect's interests, and that Sword and Bone Douluo cared about her life.
Who said Ning Rongrong was stupid? Wasn't she clever after all?
Just when the mountains and rivers seemed to leave no way forward, a willow-darkened flower revealed a village.
A situation that had looked certain to end in death had been turned around by Ning Rongrong, that silly girl!
Lin Yan was overjoyed. The despair he'd felt moments ago vanished.
At the same time, he secretly gave Ning Rongrong a huge thumbs-up. What was wrong with being love-struck? Being love-struck was fantastic!
"Rongrong, well done!"
"All these days, I haven't spoiled you for nothing."
At that, Ning Rongrong seemed to have had a sudden inspiration.
"Right! Lin Yan and I have already done the deed. I'm carrying his child."
"If you kill him, the child in my belly will have no father."
"Uh~"
Lin Yan was a little speechless.
"You didn't need to tell that kind lie. Those two Titled Douluo can tell whether you're pregnant or not, can't they?"
Ning Rongrong froze. "Huh? They can tell?"
She turned to Sword and Bone Douluo, only to see that both their faces had gone black as the bottom of a pot.
Their little princess, whom two Titled Douluo had doted on for twelve years, had gotten together with some blond-haired outsider after only three months. She'd even used her own life and a made-up child as leverage. Was this still the Douluo Continent?
Even if they racked their brains, they never would've imagined Ning Rongrong could go this far!
The situation, which had been so favorable, had turned around once again. With Ning Rongrong acting like this, who would dare touch Lin Yan now?
Even if Ning Fengzhi still cared only about the sect's interests, Sword and Bone Douluo were at least normal people...
Under the sunlight, Lin Yan held Ning Rongrong, both hands supporting her bottom, and smiled at the others.
He'd won big this time! Hahaha~
Unable to contain his excitement, he leaned in and gave the girl a light peck on her soft lips.
Smack~
Sword and Bone Douluo were completely petrified!
As for Ning Fengzhi... after a long silence, he finally spoke slowly.
"Lin Yan, my young friend, we came here today simply as Rongrong's parents, to meet her boyfriend. We meant no harm beyond that. There's no need to make things so ugly, is there?"
Before you continue