Purple Heart Healing Flower

The golden figure was none other than Lu Chen, who had rushed over.

Meanwhile, Qian Renxue, who had already accepted her fate, abruptly opened her eyes upon hearing the commotion.

When she saw the figure blocking her path, her purple eyes were filled with bewilderment and shock.

Although her physique had reverted to a tender twelve-year-old state just like his, Qian Renxue still recognized his identity at a glance.

He was the very same boy who had accidentally caught her bathing in the Star Dou Great Forest and whom she had pursued relentlessly.

Qian Renxue never expected that the one coming to save her would be this boy.

Hold onto me tight.

The boy's voice sounded beside Qian Renxue's ear.

Before Qian Renxue could react, she saw Lu Chen firmly catch her slender waist, his other hand supporting the back of her knees, and sweep her up into a horizontal carry with clean, decisive movements.

Caught off guard, Qian Renxue let out a soft gasp and instinctively hooked her arms around Lu Chen's neck.

At that moment, Qian Renxue's mind went completely blank. She felt as though she were being scorched by a blazing fire as a wave of intense heat crept up from the tips of her ears across her entire face, blooming a pale, shallow blush over her fair skin.

From childhood until now, she had never had such intimate contact with a member of the opposite sex.

Qian Renxue instinctively wanted to struggle, but immediately after, Lu Chen's words—Don't move around—reached her ears once more.

Qian Renxue had no choice but to shrink back into Lu Chen's arms, her purple eyes darting away in evasion as chaos erupted in the depths of her heart.

Shame, embarrassment, and even a trace of panic that she herself was unwilling to admit—this was Qian Renxue's current state.

The next second, two pairs of golden wings abruptly unfurled behind Lu Chen's back, and holding Qian Renxue, he turned and bolted rapidly toward the depths of the dense forest.

If it were before, he wouldn't have given a ten-thousand-year soul beast a second thought.

But now his strength had been regressed to level 31.

Coupled with the fact that Qian Renxue was injured and could offer little help in combat, running was currently the only option.

Yet Lu Chen still underestimated the speed of the Cockscomb Phoenix Snake.

Hisss-screech—!

Seeing its cooked meal escape, the Cockscomb Phoenix Snake let out an angry, piercing hiss. Its scarlet vertical pupils stared fixedly at the two figures fleeing ahead, its serpentine body weaving through the thickets as if on flat ground, constantly closing the distance between them.

Feeling the foul, stinking wind drawing closer and closer behind her, Qian Renxue finally snapped back to her senses. Forcibly suppressing the surging shame and complex emotions in her heart, and enduring the sharp pain brought by her injuries all over, she said in a weak voice: "Put me down."

"The Cockscomb Phoenix Snake has always been famous for its speed. If you carry me, you'll only be dragged down by me and won't be able to shake it off at all."

"Put me down, and you still have a chance to escape on your own. If this continues, neither of us will survive."

Qian Renxue saw things with absolute clarity.

Her body had been regressed to the appearance of a twelve-year-old, and her strength had fallen back to level 41.

Judging by this boy's appearance, his situation should be identical to her own.

Now that the other party was fleeing under a heavy load while carrying her—someone heavily injured—his soul power consumption would only grow faster and faster, and being caught was simply a matter of time.

Instead of perishing together, it was better to sacrifice herself to grant the other person a glimmer of survival.

Hearing this, Lu Chen lowered his head and glanced at the stubborn-browed, pale-faced young girl in his arms.

Watching her—clearly filled with terror yet still putting on a brave face and willing to die—the corners of his lips curled slightly into an amused arc as a thought suddenly arose in the depths of his mind.

With a fierce, full-strength flap of his twin wings, Lu Chen briefly widened the distance from the Cockscomb Phoenix Snake once more, then spun and landed beneath a thick, sturdy ancient tree, gently and steadily setting Qian Renxue down.

"What you said is right."

Lu Chen spoke indifferently, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

Qian Renxue's figure stiffened slightly, and she paused in a daze.

In the end, was he going to abandon her after all?

A trace of unconcealable disappointment flashed through Qian Renxue's heart, yet she felt not even a shred of resentment.

The other party possessed exceptional talent to begin with, and his future achievements would be limitless; there was truly no need to stake his own life for the sake of an enemy he had merely crossed paths with by chance.

After a brief silence, Qian Renxue raised her gaze to look at Lu Chen, speaking earnestly as she took the initiative to reveal her identity.

"My name is Qian Renxue. I am the young master of Spirit Hall, and the Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong is my mother."

Qian Renxue spoke very candidly, her gaze locked tightly onto Lu Chen, wanting to catch even a trace of shock, wariness, or fear on the other's face.

To her surprise, however, an identity powerful enough to shock the entire soul master world fell upon the other's ears without causing a ripple; there was not the slightest change of expression on his face.

Qian Renxue felt a slight surprise in her heart, then continued to add: "My grandfather is Qian Daoliu, the Angel Douluo, one of the two Limit Douluos on the Douluo Continent."

With that, she raised her hand to retrieve a Spirit Hall-exclusive token engraved with angelic patterns and handed it toward Lu Chen, her tone carrying a trace of entreaty akin to a final entrustment: "If you manage to leave this place alive, please give this token to my grandfather and tell him what happened to me."

She had already made preparations to be buried in the snake's belly.

If she had to name a single regret, it was that she had spent over a decade acting as Xue Qinghe without ever getting to truly be herself.

Yet just as the token was about to be passed into Lu Chen's hand—

Thud!

A muffled, light sound suddenly rang out.

Lu Chen reached out a finger and gave her forehead a gentle tap.

The sudden pain caught Qian Renxue completely off guard. She instinctively furrowed her brows, raised her head to glare at Lu Chen, and demanded with utter incomprehension and grievance: "What are you doing!"

Greeting her eyes, however, was the boy's cheeky face.

What kind of silly things are you saying? Since I saved you, I won't just leave you to your fate.

He had already arrived by the time Qian Renxue and the Cockscomb Phoenix Snake were fighting.

Originally, he hadn't wanted to meddle in the affair, but he couldn't bear to watch Qian Renxue die before his eyes, which was why he had acted on impulse and made the risky move to save her from the Cockscomb Phoenix Snake.

Without any twists of fate, exactly as Qian Renxue had said, if he carried her they would sooner or later be caught by the beast.

Yet heaven always leaves a way out, and just moments ago he had discovered the Deep Blue Dew Grass.

Moreover, possessing intermediate alchemy skills, he was well-versed in the traits of certain herbs; the growth area of Deep Blue Dew Grass was bound to be accompanied by the presence of the Purple Heart Healing Flower.

The Purple Heart Healing Flower was the core ingredient for refining the Huiyuan Pill.

Even if there was no suitable refining environment right now, consuming it raw would still possess a certain degree of effectiveness.

Coupled with the fact that the Angelic Martial Soul itself possessed powerful restorative capabilities, as long as Qian Renxue could recover some combat strength, the two of them joining forces could at least severely injure this ten-thousand-year-old Cockscomb Phoenix Snake.

Having said that, Lu Chen paid Qian Renxue no further mind; the Cockscomb Phoenix Snake was about to catch up.

Time was tight and the task was heavy.

Watching Lu Chen, who seemed to be searching for something, Qian Renxue muttered softly: "So this guy did that on purpose just now?"

Qian Renxue suspected that when the other party spoke like that earlier, he had deliberately wanted to watch her make a fool of herself.

Hahaha, found it!

At that moment, the boy's voice sounded once more.

Following the sound, she saw the boy holding several small purple flowers, smiling as happily as a child.

Afterward, Lu Chen trotted all the way over to stand before Qian Renxue: "This is the Purple Heart Healing Flower. It has the effect of restoring injuries and soul power. Eat this."

Lu Chen handed the several harvested Purple Heart Healing Flowers to Qian Renxue. The light purple petals were glossy and translucent, and upon drawing close one could catch a whiff of a faint, warm medicinal fragrance, wisps of pure energy lingering among the blossoms.

Qian Renxue instinctively raised her hand to take them. Her fingertips brushed the soft petals, a slight ripple stirring in her heart as she lifted her gaze, preparing to open her mouth in thanks.

Yet right at that moment—

BOOM—!!

A piercing whistle of tearing wind abruptly exploded, and a violent gale rose up within the forest, the dense branches and leaves whipped into a frenzy of flying chaos by the ferocious wind.

The Cockscomb Phoenix Snake had pursued them to this very spot.