"Mom, why did we leave Dad behind and run?"
Ye Guyi was being carried on her mother's back. Her heart was still innocent, and she had no idea what the Holy Spirit Cult or Evil Soul Masters were. So when she asked, she felt more curious than afraid.
But her mother had no time to answer. With only six rings, she was already pushing her Soul Power to its absolute limit.
Though she was running fast, though she had already covered some distance, she still didn't dare slow down even a little.
She knew just how terrifying those Evil Soul Masters were.
And she knew this rare chance to survive had been bought for them by her beloved husband, who had risked his life. She couldn't afford to waste it.
After waiting a while and seeing that her mother had no intention of answering, Ye Guyi couldn't help asking again.
Mother Ye drew a deep breath and gritted her teeth.
"Guyi, remember this: your Martial Soul is the Angel Martial Soul. From the day it awakened, you took on a destiny that was set in stone..."
Just as Mother Ye was about to continue, to explain the true nature of Evil Soul Masters to her daughter, a chilling voice suddenly reached her ears.
"Well, isn't this something! An eight-ring and seven seven-ring fighters went hunting together, and these two little rats still managed to slip away!"
"Hey, who cares? Take a good look. These two little rats are rather pretty. Why don't we have some fun with them first?"
"Have some fun? Damn right! A little beauty like this is a rare catch. I've never had a taste of one before!"
As the words fell, three figures in black cloaks appeared in an instant. They wordlessly formed a triangle, cutting off every escape route for the mother and daughter.
The moment she heard them, Mother Ye's heart sank. When she saw the three figures and felt the auras radiating from them, she fell into utter despair.
Why?
Why were three more seven-ring Evil Soul Masters blocking their way?
Was heaven truly determined to wipe the Angel Martial Soul from the world?
The outskirts of the Evil Demon Forest were vast, but these three Soul Saint-level Evil Soul Masters had happened to take up positions on the roads closest to the forest's exit. When one of them sensed the mother and daughter, he called the other two over to prevent any accidents.
Mother Ye took several deep breaths. Though despair still gripped her, she had made up her mind to fight to the death.
She knew that begging for mercy from Evil Soul Masters would only end with them devouring her whole. Their only chance was to fight with their backs to the wall.
She and her husband could both make the sacrifice, as long as their daughter survived and managed to escape. Then their sacrifice would be worth it.
With that thought, she forced herself to stay absolutely calm and quickly whispered into Ye Guyi's ear.
"Guyi, when I set you down, don't worry about anything. Don't look back. Just keep running until you get out of the Evil Demon Forest. Then go to Ming Capital and find your uncle. Don't ask why. Remember what I told you!"
Ye Guyi didn't understand much, but one of her best qualities was that she always listened to her parents.
Seeing how serious her mother was, Ye Guyi nodded despite her curiosity.
"Okay, Mom. I'll remember."
The mother and daughter had spoken quickly, but the three Evil Soul Masters had clearly noticed them whispering.
"Oh, still have time to whisper? What are you saying? Speak up! You're about to become our women, so what could you possibly say that we can't hear?"
At the Evil Soul Master's words, the other two joined in with lecherous laughter.
A deep loathing flashed in Mother Ye's eyes as the three men desecrated them. She was about to set Ye Guyi down and burn up her Martial Soul to fight for her life.
But just then, a mournful wolf's howl carried over from far away.
The sound wasn't very loud, but everyone present heard it clearly.
One of the more experienced Evil Soul Masters frowned.
"That sound... It seems like that ten-thousand-year-old Magic Flame Wolf. But why does it sound like it's howling in pain? Was it hunted?"
The other man replied in a low voice.
"Most likely. There must be someone else nearby. We don't know how strong they are, but we'd better avoid any more trouble. Let's knock out this pretty mother and daughter first. Once we take them back to headquarters, we can do whatever we like with them."
The other two nodded in agreement, not taking the mother and daughter seriously at all.
After all, in their eyes, a Six-Ring Soul Emperor and a little girl who hadn't even obtained her First Soul Ring were no different from two lambs facing three seven-ring Soul Saints. They stood no chance of fighting back.
But Mother Ye took advantage of the moment to hurl Ye Guyi away from her.
She had reconsidered. Having her daughter run on her own carried too much risk. It would be safer to throw her as far away as possible.
Ye Guyi had been ready for it and didn't panic.
She spun gracefully twice in the air and landed steadily. Without a moment's hesitation, she obeyed her mother's instructions and sprinted at full speed toward the edge of the Evil Demon Forest.
The three Evil Soul Masters froze for a moment. Once they realized what had happened, they didn't immediately give chase. Instead, they watched Ye Guyi's rapidly receding figure with amusement.
After all, no matter how fast an underage lamb ran, how could it outrun three grown wolves?
If the little girl wanted to run, they could let her go a little farther. Once she was tired, she'd be much easier to catch.
For now, they could focus on her beautiful mother!
Just as the same thought crossed all three men's minds, Mother Ye summoned her Ice Feather Crane Martial Soul.
As she watched Ye Guyi's figure grow smaller in the distance, the last trace of tenderness flickered in Mother Ye's eyes. In a voice only she could hear, she said, "Guyi, Mom will love you forever." Then tenderness gave way to a madness she had never felt before.
At first, the three men didn't think much of it. But soon, their expressions shifted from surprise to caution.
They could sense Mother Ye's Soul Power shooting straight upward. In the blink of an eye, it surged from level 63 to level 66, and it was still rising.
"Shit! That crazy woman's burning up her Martial Soul. She wants to fight us to the death!"
"That bitch has lost her mind! Attack together! Stop her!"
Ye Guyi still didn't understand what was happening, but the faint curses coming from behind her made one thing clear.
Her mother was in grave danger.
What should she do?
What could she do?
She didn't want anything to happen to her parents, but with her strength right now, she couldn't do a thing.
Should she just obey her mother and run out of the forest without looking back?
Ye Guyi searched her heart. She couldn't do it. But she also didn't want to get in her mother's way and make things harder for her...
As she wrestled with herself, she suddenly remembered something one of the Evil Soul Masters had said moments ago.
There seemed to be other people in the direction the wolf's howl had come from.
She didn't know whether they were good or bad, but young Ye Guyi couldn't afford to hesitate any longer.
She could only hope those people were kindhearted, that they would answer her plea for help and save her parents.
If they were willing to help, she would agree to any condition!