Qian Renxue in Peril, Owing a Favor (Seeking Reads, Seeking Support)

Gu Yena's silver hair flowed with a cold luster amidst the interplay of light and shadow in the Star Dou Great Forest, though she deliberately suppressed the pressure belonging to the Silver Dragon King.

Her soul power fluctuations were also kept strictly at the level of a Soul King.

Yang Teng walked beside her, his hands tucked casually into his pockets. A faint, playful arc hung at the corners of his mouth as his gaze swept lazily across the surroundings.

To think the dignified Silver Dragon King would actually suppress her aura and compress her strength to a mere Soul King!

Yang Teng felt a secret joy in his heart; as long as they spent enough time together, he could melt even a block of ice.

Just as he was thinking this, Gu Yena's eyes flickered slightly.

From the depths of the dense forest ahead, a sudden, rapid sound of air being torn apart erupted, accompanied by the sharp, buzzing drone characteristic of bee-type soul beasts.

Both of them stopped in their tracks. A figure in white stumbled out, her golden hair disheveled and flying in the air. Her dress was torn in many places, revealing patches of striking, snow-white skin at her waist, shoulders, and thighs.

Behind her, a massive, dark-gold bee-type soul beast with hideous, sharp stingers on its abdomen and tail was in hot pursuit.

"A Stinger King with over thirty thousand years of cultivation, and this girl is only at level sixty."

Gu Yena's gaze narrowed, though her tone remained calm.

"This woman won't be able to hold on much longer."

Yang Teng, however, squinted, the playful arc at his lips deepening abruptly.

"Isn't this the famous beauty of the Douluo Continent, Qian Renxue? How did she end up in such a sorry state?"

If I act righteously and save her now, given Qian Renxue's temperament, she will never forget this massive favor.

Qian Renxue's breathing was ragged, and the light of the Angel Holy Sword she had manifested was dim.

She tried to dodge to the side, but the Stinger King's tail stinger followed like a shadow, thrusting directly toward her heart with corrosive venom.

Gu Yena looked at Yang Teng.

"Are you going to intervene?"

Yang Teng shrugged, his gaze sweeping over the skin exposed beneath Qian Renxue's tattered robes before quickly shifting away. His tone was languid.

"The strong prey on the weak; it happens every day in the Star Dou Great Forest. Can you really manage it all?"

He paused, casting a meaningful glance at Gu Yena.

"You go to a nearby city first! I'll catch up with you later!"

Gu Yena maintained her cold, aloof demeanor. The law of the world was that the strong preyed on the weak; in the past, soul beasts ate humans, and now humans had their own ways of fighting back.

Moreover, she still needed to rely on the son of the Lord of the God Star to realize her grand ambition of allowing soul beasts to ascend and become gods.

She knew Yang Teng was trying to send her away to avoid seeing her kin die.

In the next moment, Gu Yena vanished.

The space around Yang Teng suddenly distorted. The next instant, he appeared like a ghost in the high air directly above the Stinger King and pressed his right hand downward.

"Space Lock!"

Invisible spatial force contracted like a cage, binding the Stinger King—which was just about to strike—tightly in mid-air.

The Stinger King hissed in fury, its dark-gold carapace struggling violently, but its wings stopped, and it plummeted to the ground.

Qian Renxue snapped back to reality. Though she did not know who this man who had suddenly appeared was, her instinct for survival in the face of death made her seize this fleeting opportunity without hesitation.

Her Angel Martial Soul bloomed fully behind her, and the Six-Winged Angel radiated brilliant light. She poured all the remaining soul power in her body into the blade, causing the Holy Sword to hum.

"Fifth Soul Skill: Holy Sword Judgment!"

The sword tip pierced with pinpoint accuracy into the gap in the carapace where the Stinger King's head met its torso—the most vulnerable vital point on its entire body.

Sword light erupted. Accompanied by the Stinger King's shrill, desperate shriek, its massive dark-gold body convulsed violently before finally going still.

A deep black soul ring slowly emerged from the corpse, its energy fluctuations surging endlessly.

Qian Renxue leaned on her sword, panting heavily as fine beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

She managed to steady her breathing, looked up at Yang Teng, who had also landed while catching his breath, and moved her lips.

"Thank you..."

Before she could finish the word, she choked.

Yang Teng was stroking his chin, his gaze wandering over her without the slightest restraint—from the slender waist exposed by her tattered white clothes to her rounded shoulders, and down to her long, snow-white legs, still stained with dust.

He looked as if he were admiring a slightly damaged but still precious painting.

A surge of indignation at being offended flared up in Qian Renxue's heart. Her pretty face turned frosty, golden light flashed in her eyes, and she raised her Holy Sword once more.

"Presumptuous! You..."

"Catch."

A large man's outer robe was suddenly thrown over her head, covering most of her body and interrupting the soul power she had been gathering.

Qian Renxue froze, instinctively grabbing the robe; the fabric felt dry and warm to the touch.

Yang Teng had already turned around, his back to her. He waved his hand casually, his voice carrying that same lazy tone.

"Put it on quickly! Hurry up and absorb the soul ring; we can talk about thanks later."

He paused, then added, "The Stinger King's spirit ring energy is violent; I will guard you."

All of Qian Renxue's words were stuck in her throat.

She looked down at the high-quality men's outer robe in her hands, then looked up at the back turned toward her—seemingly casual, yet standing perfectly straight.

A breeze blew through the forest, ruffling his slightly messy golden hair. The shame and anger she had felt just moments ago at being spied upon suddenly seemed ridiculous; the other party had even thoughtfully tossed her a garment, yet she had assumed...

A rare trace of embarrassment stained the tips of Qian Renxue's ears.

Qian Renxue bit her lip, ultimately saying nothing more, and quickly wrapped the oversized robe around herself.

The robe carried a faint, refreshing masculine scent that was not unpleasant. She took a deep breath and bowed slightly toward Yang Teng's back.

"I leave it to you."

With that, she hesitated no longer, sitting cross-legged beside the Stinger King's corpse, focusing her mind and spirit to draw in the pitch-black ten-thousand-year spirit ring.

The moment the spirit ring's energy entered her body, the violent impact made her grunt, cold sweat seeping from her temples, but she immediately steadied her mind and channeled her spirit power with all her might to begin the fusion and absorption.

Hearing the steady and deepening fluctuations of spirit power from behind him, Yang Teng, standing with his back to her, slowly curled the corners of his lips. His smile was full of triumph, tinged with the slyness of a scheme successfully executed.

"Gotcha."

He moved his lips silently, his eyes curving into crescents, bright with radiance.

The grace of saving a life combined with the favor of guarding her—this debt of gratitude is huge. I truly am as witty as they come!

Miss Qian Renxue!

Time slipped away bit by bit. Qian Renxue's aura, which had fluctuated violently at first, gradually stabilized; her fusion with the black spirit ring had clearly entered the right track.

Yang Teng stretched, tilted his head to look at the sky through the gaps in the dense foliage, and hummed an off-key tune, looking entirely relaxed and carefree.

Yang Teng was thinking to himself at that moment.

Gu Yena was perhaps already in the nearest city, silently observing the bustle of the human world with those cold, clear eyes, her heart surely filled with a complex mix of emotions.

And he, meanwhile, was here, guarding a future powerhouse who had just incurred a debt of gratitude to him.

"This is simply fate!"

"I just lured Gu Yena away from the Star Dou Great Forest, and not long after, I run into the future Angel God—and a famous beauty on the continent at that!"

Yang Teng wore a wicked grin, his mind wandering to who knows what; if Qian Renxue weren't currently absorbing a spirit ring, her impression of him would surely have plummeted once again.

Could this man even be considered a good person!