The Tall Back

Beibei arrived at Tang Ya's side, his face etched with anxiety; his hands trembled slightly as he tore at the spider silk, driven by sheer desperation.

Tang Ya looked at Beibei before her, her eyes gradually welling up with tears as she cursed him with a sobbing voice.

"I told you to run!"

Yet Beibei ignored her, continuing to claw at the web.

"I will never abandon you. If you want to punish me, we can do that after we get back!"

The Earth Cave Demon Spider would not grant the pair any extra time. In a blink, it reached them, extended a spider leg, and smashed it down fiercely toward Beibei.

"Watch out!"

Seeing this, Tang Ya hurriedly warned him, her voice trembling with panic.

Beibei whipped his head around; the descending leg was already inches away. Given Beibei's strength, he could have dodged at this distance, but if he moved, the leg would pierce directly through the immobilized Tang Ya.

Gritting his teeth, Beibei immediately activated Martial Soul Possession, preparing to take the heavy, powerful blow head-on.

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he roared, "Second Soul Skill—Thunder Fury!"

Powerful blue currents flooded his entire body, boosting all his attributes significantly. Arcs of electricity danced around him, crackling as they collided with the air.

However, Beibei was only a Soul Elder in his thirties; he was still no match for the attack of a ten-thousand-year Earth Cave Demon Spider.

The spider leg crashed down, sending Beibei flying and slamming him heavily into a large tree. A mouthful of blood instantly spewed from his lips.

Agonizing pain surged through his body, but ignoring his injuries, Beibei forced himself up, ready to fight again!

Tang Ya watched helplessly as Beibei suffered such a brutal beating, yet she could do nothing. It reminded her of the helplessness she felt when her sect was destroyed.

Her Blue Silver Grass martial soul surged from her hands, faintly marked with black veins.

Even Tang Ya did not notice that as soon as the Blue Silver Grass appeared, it began to devour the soul power on the spider web.

The Earth Cave Demon Spider ignored Tang Ya struggling in the web and charged straight toward the still-mobile Beibei.

Beibei, stubborn to the end, channeled his soul power and prepared to fight once more!

Just as the spider claw was about to descend again, Ye Guchen finally arrived.

A fiery red giant bird with a wingspan of nearly six meters dove down, slamming into the unprepared Earth Cave Demon Spider and sending it flying dozens of meters away, shattering the trees along its path.

The fire bird gave it no time to react, immediately unleashing several fireballs at the Earth Cave Demon Spider before it could even flip over.

Ye Guchen followed up by releasing a mental shock.

Taking advantage of the Earth Cave Demon Spider's dazed and defenseless state, Ye Guchen beckoned with his right hand, and several fire feathers appeared out of thin air.

Channeling all his soul power, Ye Guchen threw the fire feathers with all his might.

The burning feathers pierced straight into the joints of the Earth Cave Demon Spider's legs, cleanly severing all eight of them!

Seeing that the Earth Cave Demon Spider was no longer a threat, Ye Guchen leaped.

A tall figure jumped off the back of the fire bird and landed directly in front of Beibei.

Beibei felt that this back was incredibly imposing, yet carried a sense of familiarity.

"Senior Guchen!"

As soon as Beibei finished speaking, the tall figure turned around.

Under the glow of the fire, a handsome face appeared in Beibei's eyes—it was indeed Ye Guchen.

"Beibei, are you alright?"

Ye Guchen's voice was as calm as if he had just swatted a mosquito rather than repelled a ten-thousand-year soul beast.

"Senior Guchen... how are you here?" Beibei stared blankly at the youth who was the same age as him, feeling momentarily dazed.

They were both fifteen, yet the ten-thousand-year Earth Cave Demon Spider that he had struggled with all his might to resist was like an ant before Ye Guchen, easily crushed.

What Beibei did not know was that Ye Guchen wanted to keep a low profile; his age had been falsified by the academy, and he was actually only fourteen.

Just then, the sound of the spider web shattering came from behind.

Tang Ya tumbled out of the broken web, her legs giving way as she started to collapse.

Beibei ignored his own pain, lunging forward to catch her steadily.

"Xiao Ya! Xiao Ya, are you okay?" Beibei's voice trembled with the relief of surviving a disaster.

Tang Ya threw herself into Beibei's arms, her tears finally uncontrollable as they streamed down her face.

Clutching his lapels, she cried and laughed at the same time, her voice broken:

"You idiot... why didn't you run when I told you to... do you know you almost died..."

Beibei gently patted her back, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, though it made him wince as it pulled at his wounds:

"Didn't I say? I would never abandon you."

"Don't you dare say that!" Tang Ya punched him hard, but after the blow, she tenderly touched the spot she had hit, her tears falling even harder.

The two held each other like this for a long while before finally calming down.

Tang Ya looked up at Ye Guchen, who was inspecting the carcass of the Earth Cave Demon Spider not far away. Her eyes were still red, and her voice carried heartfelt gratitude:

"Senior Ye Guchen... thank you. If you hadn't arrived in time, Beibei and I would have..."

Ye Guchen waved his hand, casually delivering the final blow to the Earth Cave Demon Spider, his tone remaining indifferent: "I happened to be in the area for some business. I detected that you were in trouble and rushed over."

He spoke lightly, as if he had merely done something trivial in passing, though he felt a bit guilty inside; after all, strictly speaking, he was the one who had lured this soul beast here.

Beibei helped Tang Ya stand up, gazing at Ye Guchen's back as a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

A peer.

He and Ye Guchen were clearly the same age.

Yet, while he was still struggling to break through to level thirty-seven and toiling away in the outer courtyard, Ye Guchen had already used his absolute strength to enter the inner courtyard, becoming a figure looked up to by all outer courtyard students.

Four rings, soul power nearing level fifty—that was a height he simply could not reach at the moment.

Beibei had always believed his own talent was outstanding enough, possessing level thirty-seven soul power at just fifteen years old.

But today's battle, the sense of powerlessness when facing a ten-thousand-year soul beast, and the way Ye Guchen had crushed it with such overwhelming force made him clearly see the gap between himself and a true genius.

Yet, this gap did not make Beibei feel discouraged; instead, it ignited a sense of heartfelt admiration within him.

It was not jealousy, nor inferiority, but a yearning, a realization that "this is what a powerhouse should look like."

Ye Guchen took out a healing pill and handed it to Beibei.

"Here, take this quickly. Fortunately, your foundation wasn't damaged. Although it looks frightening, these are just flesh wounds. After taking the pill and resting for a few days, you will fully recover."

Beibei took the pill, offered his thanks, and swallowed it in one gulp before sitting cross-legged to absorb its medicinal power.

Tang Ya stood guard nearby, her eyes filled with anxiety, her hands clenched so tightly that faint traces of blood appeared.

Ye Guchen noticed that Tang Ya's state seemed a bit off, so he stepped forward to console her.

"Don't worry, I already said that Beibei only has flesh wounds."

But Tang Ya didn't seem to hear him at all; she simply broke down, sobbing as she wailed to Ye Guchen.

"Senior Ye Guchen, am I useless? Am I just a burden?"

"It was the same now, and it was the same three years ago!"