Astonishing Dragon Fist

Long Haochen's clear azure eyes met the little girl's cold violet gaze in an instant. The chill radiating from her, as though she kept everyone a thousand miles away, made him shudder.

Long Haochen's breathtakingly beautiful face and harmless air put the little girl somewhat at ease. With his support, she stood up again.

"Are you all right, little sister?" Long Haochen asked with concern.

The little girl took one of Long Haochen's hands and wrote on it, "I can't speak. Bad people are chasing me from behind. Sister, save me."

Learning that bad people were pursuing the little girl startled Long Haochen, but the words that followed made several black lines appear across his forehead. This was already the second time he had been mistaken for a girl.

Long Haochen shook his head. "I'm an older brother, not an older sister. Don't worry. As a man, I'll protect you!"

Feng Xiu had once taught Long Haochen that when a girl was in danger, a man should step forward to protect her. Long Haochen remembered every word Feng Xiu had said, so he sincerely wanted to help this girl he had only just met.

"Can I carry you? We'll be able to run faster that way," Long Haochen asked.

The little girl hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she chose to trust Long Haochen and nodded firmly.

Long Haochen picked her up. She was very light, and with his current strength, carrying her for a while would not be a problem.

Without even gathering the wild vegetables, Long Haochen ran wildly toward the forest ahead with the little girl in his arms.

Like a docile little lamb, the girl curled up in Long Haochen's embrace. Warmth seeped from his chest, giving her a sense of security she had never felt before.

So there really are people in this world who genuinely care about me.

The little girl only drifted away for a moment before snapping out of her thoughts. She gently tugged at Long Haochen's collar, then wrote on his back, "Their aura is getting closer and closer. They can smell me, so we can't escape. Leave quickly, or it'll be too late."

Long Haochen shook his head resolutely. "No. I'm a man. I have to protect you!"

Long Haochen stopped and gently set the little girl on the ground. Since they could not escape, there was no need to waste their strength for nothing.

Shielding the little girl behind him, Long Haochen took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and stared intensely at the distant trees.

The little girl sat quietly behind Long Haochen, watching his not-so-tall back with an unusual gaze. The closed, icy chamber of her heart gradually opened beneath the warmth of his actions.

Soon, accompanied by a series of piercing whooshes, a group of black-clothed figures rushed out of the forest and swiftly locked onto Long Haochen and the little girl.

There were eight black-clothed men in all. The leader's face was actually covered in black fur, and his yellow eyes were savage and terrifying, like a wolf ready to choose someone and devour them.

Long Haochen had seen many terrifying-looking members of the Demon Race, so he was not frightened by the black-clothed man's strange appearance.

Taking a deep breath, Long Haochen poured spiritual energy into one fist, then sprang forward and attacked the leading black-clothed man.

The black-clothed man sneered disdainfully and raised just one fist as well. In his eyes, dealing with a little boy like Long Haochen would be effortless.

Just as their fists collided, a glimmer of gold suddenly lit up on Long Haochen's fist. A low dragon's roar sounded, followed by a bang. Long Haochen's punch sent the black-clothed man staggering back five full steps.

Using the recoil, Long Haochen quickly widened the distance between himself and the black-clothed man, gasping heavily.

This punch technique had been adapted by Feng Xiu from Spear Out Like a Dragon, the first form of the Six Golden Dragon Forms. It was called Astonishing Dragon Fist.

This move allowed Long Haochen to instantly unleash an attack twice as powerful as his own spiritual energy. In other words, the force of his punch had reached 100 spiritual energy, equivalent to an attack from a level-ten squire knight.

Yet such an attack had only forced the black-clothed man back five steps. This showed that the man's cultivation was far above Long Haochen's. Realizing this, Long Haochen had widened the distance between them, denying his opponent any chance to close in and counterattack.

Looking at the eight black-clothed men before him, all eager to make a move, Long Haochen's resolute heart finally wavered.

The situation before him had already far exceeded Long Haochen's ability to control. He was absolutely no match for these black-clothed men.

"When trapped in a hopeless situation, a true powerhouse does what he knows cannot be done and never retreats until the very last moment. Even in death, he must die gloriously in battle!"

Feng Xiu's words still echoed in his ears. Long Haochen's spirits rose, and he regained his determination to fight. His face became even more resolute.

Crystal tears rolled down the little girl's cheeks. Even now, Long Haochen still refused to abandon her, and she was deeply moved.

If I can die together with him, that wouldn't be such a bad ending.

The eight black-clothed men swiftly surrounded Long Haochen and the little girl. Just as they were about to strike, an icy voice suddenly rang out from the forest. "This ends here. Since you dared to chase them here, there's no need for you to return."

A crystalline flash lit up in the air. A graceful arc streaked across the eight black-clothed men's necks like lightning, and their bodies immediately stiffened before they all fell to the ground the next moment.

Long Haochen looked up to see a masked figure in white descending from the sky. Countless rays of light burst from his chest, instantly illuminating the surroundings. The brilliance was so blinding that Long Haochen could not keep his eyes open.

When Long Haochen opened his eyes again, he found that the black-clothed men on the ground had all vanished, as though they had never existed. The masked man in white stood quietly before him.

The man in white's eyes held no emotion. Though his irises were black, his pupils were gray. His long black hair was simply tied behind his head, and his plain white fitted clothes bore no ornamentation.

Long Haochen had seen grand scenes before. Although the man in white's entrance was extremely impressive, it did not stir much emotion in him.

Based on Long Haochen's judgment, this man's cultivation was roughly equivalent to that of a fourth-rank member of the Demon Race, far inferior to his grandfather's.

"We should go back," the man in white said coldly.

The little girl struggled to sit up from the ground and used her small, frail body to shield Long Haochen. She stubbornly stared at the man in white and shook her head forcefully.

Seeing the reactions of the man in white and the little girl, Long Haochen vaguely guessed the man's identity.

Judging by the man in white's attire, Long Haochen guessed that he was from the Assassin Temple and seemed to have come to take the little girl away.