Is It Really Him?

If this were a pursuit, they should have sent stronger people after the first group died.

Yet after so many days, they were still only low-level soul masters. Even if their strength varied, the difference was never significant.

If this were training, however, these people had truly been trying to kill her.

With the situation unclear and no answer in sight, Huo Yuhao could only follow her anxiously.

At the very least, he had to make sure Zhu Zhuqing was safe.

Leaving aside the care she had shown him when he had first ascended to the God Realm, Zhu Zhuqing's protection of his mother, Huo Yun'er, at the end was already a kindness he could not ignore.

Zhu Zhuqing's breathing was faint. Seemingly sensing something, she looked in a certain direction, but still discovered nothing.

She had always felt that someone had been following her these past few days, yet she had never found any trace of them. She could only continue meditating to regulate her breath.

By the time she finished resting, dawn was close.

Zhu Zhuqing stopped meditating, ate some dry rations, and looked in that direction again. Finding nothing once more, she could only continue toward the Heaven Dou Empire.

When Huo Yuhao saw her leave, he waited a while before following in that direction as well.

After traveling for more than two hours, Huo Yuhao took a large step and pressed himself against the trunk of the nearest large tree.

His Spirit Eyes stared intently into the sky. Sure enough, a winged figure circled overhead, seemingly searching for something.

Judging by his aura, he was clearly a Soul King.

Just as Huo Yuhao was about to pursue him, his heart tightened, and he looked in another direction. He could sense an even stronger aura lurking in the shadows!

Zhu Zhuqing had already been running at full speed, but before long, she discovered that a powerful aura had locked onto her.

Then several feathered arrows sealed off her path forward.

Looking up, she saw a man flying in the air, looking down at her from above.

Two yellow and three purple soul rings slowly revolved around him.

"Second Miss, why are you being so disobedient?" The man's tone was teasing, as though he truly found Zhu Zhuqing regrettable.

Yet his gaze searched everywhere with Zhu Zhuqing at its center.

The pampered young miss of a ducal household might have the heart to kill, but she could not possibly possess such clean and efficient methods. The only person who would help Zhu Zhuqing near the Heaven Dou Empire was that one person.

He truly was useless—he did not dare show himself openly and could only hide along the border.

"..." Zhu Zhuqing pressed her lips together, her heart sinking. She had seen this man before. His name was Ling Feng, and he served at Dai Weisi's side. She had not expected him to have broken through to Soul King.

If only she had been given a little more time. Just a little more, and she would have reached the Heaven Dou Empire. Was her fate truly already decided?!

No! She did not believe in fate. Even if she had to die, she would fight for it!

As she thought, her martial soul possession was already complete, and she was ready to strike at any moment.

"If that is the case, then this subordinate can only offend you. Second Soul Skill—Rending Wind Claw." As Ling Feng spoke, his second soul ring flashed. His right hand transformed into an eagle claw, and he dove from the sky toward Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing did not dare let down her guard and focused completely on evading him.

But the gap between two rings and five rings was simply too great. Before two exchanges had passed, Zhu Zhuqing was already wounded—and that was without her opponent taking things seriously.

Like a cat toying with a mouse, Ling Feng occasionally added another wound to Zhu Zhuqing's body. Before long, he lost his patience. Zhu Zhuqing had never been his target.

"Third Prince, you've followed us for so many days and killed so many of our men. Are you still going to keep hiding?" Ling Feng flew back into the air, his voice carrying far into the distance.

Pain wracked Zhu Zhuqing's body, but she froze upon hearing those words. She had always felt that someone was protecting her in secret these past few days. Could it really have not been her imagination? Was it truly Dai Mubai?! Had he really come back for her?!

The situation immediately reached a stalemate. Huo Yuhao was rather bewildered. Who was this Third Prince? Although he was that man's third son, he was not the Third Prince. Could the person hiding in the shadows be this so-called Third Prince?

Was he protecting Zhu Zhuqing too?

The person in hiding was also waiting. What kind of fortunate encounter had the Third Prince obtained in the Heaven Dou Empire that they had failed to discover his traces for so many days?

It seemed the outcome of the future battle had not yet been decided.

But second after second passed, and not a single figure appeared.

Ling Feng finally could not endure it any longer. Killing Zhu Zhuqing would count as crippling Dai Mubai. With that thought, Ling Feng's third soul ring lit up.

Two streams of cyan light immediately emerged along the edges of his wings.

They formed a cross-shaped blade aura and slashed toward Zhu Zhuqing.

The powerful blade aura swept toward her. Facing the threat of death, Zhu Zhuqing could not help doubting her earlier guess, her eyes filled with terror.

Just then, a blood-red sword shadow flashed through the air, instantly shattering the cross-shaped blade aura with overwhelming force.

Zhu Zhuqing's expression was still frozen in fear when a young figure appeared in front of her.

The youth knelt on one knee. His silver-white hair was tied back with a coarse cloth band, a long ponytail falling behind him. The blood-red sword shadow from before had come from the longsword in his hand.

What shocked Zhu Zhuqing most was... this person was not Dai Mubai.

"Finally, you've shown yourself." Ling Feng looked coldly at the figure below, his eyes scrutinizing him. Silver hair and blue eyes—he did not possess the Dai family's distinctive evil eyes.

"What a pity. You're not the Third Prince after all."

"To be able to break my third soul skill, you're someone capable. Since you're a genius, I'll make my move quick and clean." Ling Feng spoke with undisguised regret, his words brimming with jealousy.

As he spoke, his fourth soul ring lit up. Countless feathers flew from his wings, transforming into a rain of arrows that shot toward the two of them.

Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes. The Slaughter God Domain condensed in a single direction and directly enveloped Ling Feng in the air.

An invisible ripple spread outward. Ling Feng, who was flying overhead, instantly felt a slight sluggishness in the circulation of his soul power. Even releasing his soul skills became stuttered.

Seizing the opportunity, Huo Yuhao sent several golden threads flying from his fingertips, aiming directly for his opponent's vital points.

In the blink of an eye, the golden threads pierced several major acupoints across Ling Feng's body.

Then walnut-sized bulges appeared across the surface of his body.

Ling Feng only felt searing pain erupt from several places where his soul power flowed most violently.

His soul power circulation was cut off, and Ling Feng fell straight from the sky.

Huo Yuhao lunged forward, his longsword pointing directly at Ling Feng's throat.

But at that moment, a black radiance abruptly appeared, directly preventing Huo Yuhao's sword from striking down.

A wave of pressure descended, pinning Zhu Zhuqing in place so completely that she could not move.

"Kid, you've crossed the line."

In that brief moment, Ling Feng had already endured the pain and escaped Huo Yuhao's attack range.

Huo Yuhao looked up to see a two-meter-tall burly man appear before them. Two yellow, two purple, and one black soul ring shone around him.

Shi Yue looked at the youth before him, a trace of appreciation flashing through his eyes—but only a trace.

Talent was the most important thing in a soul master's cultivation. At this age, he did not even have one ring. His future would amount to nothing more than this.