This Time, I'll Protect You!

East Sea, Aolai City.

Outside Red Mountain Academy.

Lu Chuan wore tattered clothes with a smudge of dirt on his face, squatting by the roadside with his chin in his hands.

His attire looked somewhat like a beggar's.

Yet, it couldn't hide Lu Chuan's Yanzu-level good looks.

From young girls to married women, anyone passing by couldn't help but stop and linger for a glance.

Time slipped away in the blink of an eye.

Before he knew it, evening had arrived.

As the sun set, groups of Red Mountain Academy students began to file out.

Most were accompanied by their parents, with only a few exceptions, but Lu Chuan had yet to see a trace of Tang Wuyue.

Could he have been waiting at the wrong school gate?

Just as Lu Chuan was feeling suspicious, he suddenly heard a faint voice, laced with cowardice and terror.

"Go... go away!"

The voice was unfamiliar, yet it tugged directly at Lu Chuan's heartstrings.

It was as if, if he didn't intervene, he would lose something incredibly important!

At Lu Chuan's level, intuition was, at times, a prophecy!

Therefore, without a second thought, Lu Chuan followed the direction of the sound, enveloping the area with his divine sense.

Before long, Lu Chuan found the source of the voice.

It was a cute little girl.

She had silver hair and skin as fair as fine porcelain, paired with cheeks that held a hint of baby fat, making her look like a carved jade figurine that stirred a strong desire to protect her.

Her purple eyes were as clear as crystal, and her long, curled eyelashes gave her a look of innate innocence when she gazed at someone.

She looked like a little dazed creature.

Due to the connection of their bloodlines, Lu Chuan recognized the girl at a glance.

It was the person he had been waiting for, Tang Wuyue!

At this moment, she was curled up in the corner of an alley, with nowhere left to retreat!

Standing before her were three figures—one fat, one thin, and one with yellow hair—

blocking every path like greedy hyenas.

The fat youth had a lecherous expression, his tiny eyes licking stickily over Tang Wuyue's body. He rubbed his hands together, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"A top-tier prize. Even her cries for help are so melodious; she's truly pitiful. Those old devils in the underground black market will definitely love her!"

The scrawny youth wore a lewd grin, his deep, dark eye sockets making him look like he was on the verge of death.

"I'd love her too, hehe... This trip was worth it. She should fetch a lot of money, enough for us to live it up for quite a while!"

"Tsk, restrain yourselves. Look at how pathetic you both are!"

The yellow-haired youth twisted his mouth, smiling wickedly.

"If you scare our cash cow, how will you pay for it?"

Having said that, He reached out toward Tang Wuyue, intending to cover her mouth, knock her unconscious, and drag her away.

However, Tang Wuyue instinctively swatted his hand away.

At this moment, Tang Wuyue had already awakened her martial soul, and coupled with the Silver Dragon King bloodline flowing through her, she possessed innate divine strength. With just a light tap, the yellow-haired youth's hand was struck with a sharp, piercing pain!

"Well now, who would've thought the little beauty had such a fiery temper!"

The yellow-haired youth looked at Tang Wuyue in surprise, then glanced at the thin and fat youths.

As their gazes met, they all saw the same look of pleasant surprise in each other's eyes.

After all, merchandise with a fiery temper was even more sought after in the black market than the exotic people from the other two continents!

The price was several times higher!

For a moment, all three of them couldn't help but burst into unbridled laughter!

Yet, they were unaware that a demon had already crossed Red Mountain Academy and arrived at the entrance of the alley!

Lu Chuan had arrived, harboring the resolve to kill all three of them!

Looking at them as if they were already dead, he asked coldly, "Hey, you lot, what are you so happy about?"

Having their misdeeds interrupted, the three were startled, but upon turning around to see it was just a brat, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, a surge of anger welled up in their hearts.

The yellow-haired youth shoved his hands into his pockets, shaking his head with a cocky air as he approached Lu Chuan, then lifted his leg to deliver a kick, cursing as he did so: "You little brat, you scared the hell out of me! If you don't want to die, get lost..."

But before he could finish his sentence, his leg was caught by Lu Chuan!

In an instant, the yellow-haired youth's ferocity solidified into a comical look of terror.

He stared into Lu Chuan's eyes, and those were not the eyes of a human at all—they were cold, majestic, and ruthless, as if a beast that had slumbered since the dawn of time had opened its eyes in this moment, looking down upon a few insects that didn't know the meaning of death!

A fear stemming from the very instinct of life surged from the depths of his heart. He wanted to beg for mercy, but Lu Chuan gave him no chance at all!

The power of destruction surged into the yellow-haired youth's body, and in a single instant, both his physical form and his soul were completely annihilated!

The entire person evaporated from the world completely!

For ordinary people, even a mere wisp of Lu Chuan's Power of Destruction left them with no room to resist whatsoever!

"He... he vanished!" the lean youth swallowed hard, stammering.

Seeing such a bizarre scene, the fat man's jowls twitched stiffly, his throat feeling parched.

Anyone would be terrified to see a person disappear into thin air. But he had been running the streets since he was young and had seen too much bloodshed. He was used to this kind of dirty work and knew that in life-or-death moments, one had to strike first to seize control of the situation; when two enemies meet on a narrow path, the brave one prevails!

He pulled the short dagger tucked into the back of his waistband and charged forward with a roar, "Where did this brat come from, playing god and daring to ruin my business! Hand over the blond kid and get lost!"

However, in just a single exchange, the short dagger in his hand was already in Lu Chuan's grip.

Immediately after, Lu Chuan turned toward Tang Wuyue, who was huddled in the corner, and offered a gentle smile, "Little sister, close your eyes. It might get a bit bloody next."

Hearing this, Tang Wuyue nodded and closed her beautiful eyes.

And the very second she closed them, half of the fat man's head vanished!

This time, Lu Chuan did not let the fat man die immediately, but instead let the lean youth witness the entire process of his disappearance!

"He... he killed someone!" Seeing the blond youth and the fat youth vanish one after another, not even leaving bones behind, the lean youth shrieked in terror.

He hurriedly turned to run, only to find himself trapped in a dead end. There was nowhere to escape!

"Thud!" The lean youth's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground. Watching Lu Chuan walk toward him step by step, with snot and tears streaming down his face, he begged in terror, "Please, I beg you... don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

However, how could Lu Chuan possibly let him go?

"I imagine you've heard many such pleas yourself, haven't you? Did you ever let them go?" Lu Chuan looked at the lean youth coldly.

The lean youth's expression stiffened at these words.

In his mind, the pleas of countless children he had sold into the black market suddenly rang out.

Today's fruit is born of yesterday's cause. The Way of Heaven has its cycles; has my turn finally come today?

The lean young man gave a bitter smile.

Lu Chuan's hand was already resting on his head.

Agonizing pain instantly tore through his entire body.

He could clearly feel his internal organs and every bone in his limbs vanishing one by one.

The sensation was as if someone were using a blade to carve out his organs and bones while he was still alive!

If there is a next life, I will definitely be a good person!

This was the lean young man's final thought.

Unfortunately, he was not the protagonist, and the [If] rule was useless on him.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the trio of evildoers had all been executed.

Whether in his past life as a human or his current existence as the God of Soul Beasts, in Lu Chuan's eyes, human traffickers deserved to die a thousand deaths.

"Brother... you killed someone."

A soft, sweet voice suddenly rang out. Tang Wuyue had opened her eyes at some point.

In an instant, the murderous aura surrounding Lu Chuan vanished completely. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he looked at Tang Wuyue with a grin.

"That's right, Brother killed someone. So, what should we do?"

Tang Wuyue met Lu Chuan's gaze and said very earnestly, "Run!"

"Brother, you just need to run away!"

"Mom said that killing people leads to jail time."

"But you need witnesses and evidence."

"Brother, hurry and run home. Once you're home, you'll be fine. There are no cameras here, and I won't tell the police officer uncle either!"

After speaking, Tang Wuyue patted her chest to show she was reliable.

Seeing this little girl, who had been so timid just moments ago, now boldly helping him cover up a crime, Lu Chuan felt as if something had struck his heart.

He pinched Tang Wuyue's small cheek and asked with a smile, "How do you know so much? Don't you know that the status of a Soul Master is very noble? As long as you reveal your identity as a Soul Master, they wouldn't dare to bully you!"

"I know, Mom told me, but... I only have level 3 soul power. I'm not as strong as you, so I don't count as a Soul Master." Tang Wuyue lowered her head, her pretty face flushing red as her voice grew quieter.

Lu Chuan understood instantly; it was the little girl's pride getting in the way.

She wasn't thick-skinned enough yet.

However, Lu Chuan could understand.

It was like a test out of a hundred points where you scored thirty; even if most people scored zero, as long as there were people scoring eighty or ninety, it was hard to admit to a thirty.

Being human is truly troublesome sometimes.

Not only must one grow stronger, but one must also constantly compare oneself to peers.

It is nothing like the life of soul beasts, where whoever is strongest is the boss, with no regard for age whatsoever.

A ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear could beat the living daylights out of other thirty-thousand or fifty-thousand-year-old fierce beasts, and it would simply be the king of that territory!

Lu Chuan felt a wave of emotion wash over him.

Tang Wuyue saw him standing there and grew anxious.

"Brother... stop just standing there, hurry home!"

"If the police officers catch you, you'll have to go to jail!"

Lu Chuan pointed to his tattered clothes. "Little sister, do I look like someone who has a home?"

Tang Wuyue looked Lu Chuan up and down.

She realized the little brother before her really did look like a beggar.

"Alright, you go home now. I'll just wait here for the officers. If I end up in jail, at least I'll have a place to keep out of the wind and rain! I'll take responsibility for my own actions!"

Lu Chuan patted Tang Wuyue's head, making a joke.

Not to mention, he had left no traces after killing those men; it was impossible for him to be discovered.

Even if he were, Di Tian was no pushover.

In the worst-case scenario, if Di Tian dropped the ball again, spending some time in jail wouldn't be the end of the world.

Back then, the Silver Dragon King had protected him while he was locked in the Divine Prison.

Now that he was protecting her, why shouldn't he spend a stint in the Mortal Prison?

Tens of thousands of years had passed.

This time, it was his turn to protect her!