Xu Tianming had come over in the first place because he wanted to help.
The moment he saw how miserable the young girl looked, his heart softened. Then, when she knelt before him and begged for help, his blood surged, and for a moment he didn't even think to ask her name.
He immediately stepped forward and took hold of her slender arms, helping her up from the ground.
"Calm down first. Tell us exactly what happened, and where your parents are."
Those words were like a warm, life-saving flame to Ye Guyi, who had already fallen into an icy abyss. Before despair could claim her and freeze her to death completely, she had finally found something to hold on to!
Tears of gratitude streamed down her face, but Ye Guyi didn't have time to wipe them away. She nodded firmly, thanked them, then quickly turned and pointed in the direction she had just fled from.
"My mom and dad are up ahead. They're both being attacked by bad people! Please, help them!"
At the same time, Mother Ye had already pushed the burning of her Martial Soul to its limits.
Her Soul Power surged, breaking straight through to level 72. Faced with the coordinated attacks of three seven-ring Evil Soul Masters, she had a simple plan: throw caution to the wind and focus her attacks on one of them!
She knew she wouldn't survive in her current state. If she could take an Evil Soul Master down with her before her Martial Soul burned out, she'd come out ahead. And if she could somehow kill two, she'd be laughing even as she walked the road to the underworld!
Unlike Mother Ye, whose Battle Intent grew stronger by the moment, the three seven-ring Evil Soul Masters felt utterly stifled, trapped in a bitter struggle.
Among all the Evil Soul Masters sent on this mission, the three of them had the lowest cultivation, which was why they'd been assigned to keep watch on the outskirts. Faced with Mother Ye's all-out assault, they could only dodge carefully, not daring to meet her head-on.
They might be Evil Soul Masters, but that didn't mean they didn't care about their lives.
Only madmen would risk their lives by going head-to-head with a crazed woman who clearly wouldn't last much longer.
They could simply keep their distance and wear her down. Once the power of her Martial Soul had burned away and she was utterly spent, they'd still be the winners. There was no need to take a risk.
Once Mother Ye realized what the three Evil Soul Masters were trying to do, she couldn't help growing anxious.
Those three bastards could afford to drag things out, but she couldn't. If she didn't badly wound or kill them within the time she had left, her sacrifice would be utterly meaningless.
After all, even if her daughter, who hadn't yet obtained her First Soul Ring, ran as fast as she could, she could never outrun a Soul Saint.
So Mother Ye attacked even more frantically than before.
But against three seven-ring Evil Soul Masters who were deliberately avoiding a fight, her fists were like punches thrown at a cloud of cotton that wouldn't fight back.
After they had traded blows and dodged for a while, one of the Evil Soul Masters suddenly grinned lewdly.
"I just thought of something. There are three of us, so why do we all have to stay here and wear ourselves out against this madwoman? One of us can go catch her daughter. I refuse to believe that with her daughter in our hands as a hostage, she'll still dare to go berserk like this!"
He said it without the slightest restraint. The other two Evil Soul Masters heard him and looked as if they'd suddenly seen the light, then nodded in agreement.
But Mother Ye had been struck right in her most tender spot, and she instantly lost control of her emotions.
"Bastards! Don't you dare touch my daughter!"
She roared as she attacked wildly, heedless of the toll it took on her.
The three Evil Soul Masters only laughed at the sight.
"Don't touch her? We'll touch her all we want! And we'll do it right in front of you! What can a helpless mother like you do? You can't hurt us, and you can't stop us from going after your daughter. Soon, all you'll be able to do is watch helplessly as the three of us brothers toy with her, unable to stop us, until your Martial Soul burns out completely and you die with your eyes open!"
"If you kneel down and surrender now, maybe the three of us will be gentle with your daughter later. But if you use up all our patience, then every bit of anger the three of us brothers have had to swallow because of you will be poured into your daughter!"
Their shameless, vicious threats left Mother Ye trembling with rage, and despair once again filled her heart.
Just as those bastards had said:
Three against one. Aside from raging helplessly, there seemed to be nothing she could do.
Oh, no. That wasn't quite true.
She could still self-destruct!
She could self-destruct before her Soul Power was completely spent!
If she could get close, those bastards would be badly wounded at the very least—even if they didn't die!
That was the last thing she could do for her daughter.
She only hoped that after she self-destructed, those three bastards would no longer have the strength to pursue her beloved daughter.
At that thought, an unprecedented madness welled up in Mother Ye's eyes. She drove her speed to the limit and charged with all her might at the bastard closest to her!
The three Evil Soul Masters had still been laughing moments before. They froze at the sight, then sensed that familiar aura of madness coming from Mother Ye and gaped in shock.
"Run! That madwoman's going to self-destruct!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, the three Evil Soul Masters darted away in different directions. That way, even if Mother Ye really did self-destruct, she could hurt only one of them at most.
But just as the three of them turned to flee and Mother Ye was about to reach one of them, a sigh, neither joyful nor sorrowful, rang through the night sky. Then, it was as if someone had pressed a pause button on the world. Every person and thing stopped moving.
In the silent night sky, the scene was extraordinarily eerie.
Xu Tianming, who had witnessed it with his own eyes, was taken aback.
He knew his uncle's Martial Soul could control space, but he hadn't expected its effects to be so terrifying.
In an instant, it had immobilized four powerful Soul Saint-level experts, leaving them utterly unable to resist.
Ye Guyi, standing beside him, froze for a moment before anxiously tugging at Xu Tianming's clothes. She pointed to her mother high in the air, her face set with resolve.
"That's my mom! Please, help her!"
Hearing this, Xu Tianming looked at Kong Deming beside him.
Kong Deming nodded. Mother Ye, who had seemed frozen in place, suddenly regained the ability to move. After standing dazed for a moment, she was astonished to discover that the Martial Soul, which had nearly burned out, had abruptly stopped burning.
Though the strain on her Martial Soul Origin was considerable, with enough time to recuperate, there was still a chance she could return to her peak.
Who was it?
Who could extinguish her burning Martial Soul just like that?
But before she could give it much thought, a desperate cry of "Mom!" drew her attention.
Mother Ye's heart gave a violent lurch.
She looked toward the voice and saw her worried daughter waving up at her from below. Beside her stood a young man about her age and an old man whose strength she couldn't begin to gauge.
Confused and unsure what was happening, she was about to speak when Xu Tianming spoke first, wanting to save time and rescue the others as quickly as possible.
"There's no time to explain, Auntie. Your husband is in danger too. If you're still strong enough, follow us."
Before you continue