Life and Death Together, Qian Renxue!

Qian Renxue lowered her head and glanced at their intertwined wrists.

"How much Soul Power do you have left?"

"Half."

"I'll break through his defenses."

She tightened her fingers.

The golden longsword condensed once more.

"You kill him."

Tang Feng withdrew the Life Blue Silver Emperor.

"Alright."

Zhao Wuji had already cleared the destructive power from his arm.

His Martial Soul Avatar charged forward again.

His sixth Spirit Ring lit up.

Earth-yellow Soul Power blanketed dozens of meters around them.

The ground began to cave in.

The six wings behind Qian Renxue spread open.

Her second Spirit Ring lit up as well.

"Void Wings!"

Her body became a golden blur.

The gravitational suppression descended upon her, but it failed to completely restrain the Six-Winged Angel.

Qian Renxue skimmed across the ground.

The Sacred Sword slashed out repeatedly.

Three streaks of golden sword light flew toward Zhao Wuji's chest, waist, and knees.

Zhao Wuji crossed his palms.

The first sword light was shattered with a slap.

The second sword light struck the Martial Soul Avatar.

Large ripples spread across the earth-yellow Soul Power.

The third sword light cut into his right knee.

Zhao Wuji's body sank downward.

Tang Feng's Blue Silver Domain caught that change.

Destruction Vines rose behind Zhao Wuji.

Ultimate Ice erupted in an instant.

Ice spread upward along his legs, freezing them.

Zhao Wuji lifted his foot and shattered the ice.

Qian Renxue had already arrived before him.

Her first yellow Spirit Ring lit up.

"Angel Assault!"

All of her golden Soul Power gathered at the sword tip.

The longsword stabbed toward Zhao Wuji's chest.

The Mighty Vajra Bear Avatar brought its palms together.

Bang!

The blade was caught between two bear paws.

Sacred flames scattered in all directions.

Qian Renxue drove her Soul Power forward.

The sword tip was less than half a foot from Zhao Wuji's chest.

Yet it could advance no farther.

Zhao Wuji squeezed his palms inward.

Cracks appeared across the golden longsword.

"So what if you're a Soul Emperor!"

He raised his right leg, driving his knee toward Qian Renxue's abdomen.

Blue-gold light suddenly swept in from the side.

Tang Feng crashed between them.

He raised his right leg and directly blocked Zhao Wuji's knee strike.

Bang!

The sound of bones breaking rang out.

Tang Feng's right leg bent backward.

The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone protected its foundation, but his flesh and ordinary bones could not withstand a Soul Saint's power.

His body slammed into Qian Renxue's arms.

The two of them flew backward together.

Qian Renxue folded her six wings around him, shielding Tang Feng within them.

They smashed through two large trees before landing again.

Tang Feng leaned against her chest.

Blood continuously flowed from the corner of his mouth.

His right leg could no longer touch the ground.

Qian Renxue held his shoulder.

"Tang Feng!"

"I'm fine."

"Your leg is broken."

"The Soul Bone is still intact."

Tang Feng raised his right hand.

The Life Blue Silver Emperor coiled around his right leg.

Blue-gold light seeped into his flesh.

The misaligned bones slowly began to heal under the pull of life force.

Zhao Wuji did not stop.

His enormous Martial Soul Avatar pressed forward once more.

Qian Renxue wrapped an arm around Tang Feng's waist and carried him into the air.

An earth-yellow palm print followed close behind.

Her six wings continuously shifted direction.

Leaning against her, Tang Feng used his left hand to control Destruction Vines, harassing Zhao Wuji from below.

Their clothes had already been stained red with blood.

Zhao Wuji raised both palms.

Gravitational suppression covered the sky.

Qian Renxue's speed dropped once more.

Earth-yellow palm prints closed in from both sides.

She could not evade both at once.

Tang Feng raised his left hand.

The Ruination Blue Silver Emperor formed a barrier before them.

Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire intertwined over it.

Qian Renxue positioned her six wings as the outermost shield.

Boom!

The palm prints struck at the same time.

All the Destruction Vines shattered.

The golden wings were forcibly knocked open by Soul Power.

Qian Renxue and Tang Feng fell from the sky.

The two crashed into the forest.

A mass of fallen leaves flew in every direction.

Tang Feng rolled over and landed on the ground.

He braced himself with his left arm.

The Life Blue Silver Emperor was still repairing his right leg.

Qian Renxue lay beside him.

Her white dress had been torn in several places.

One wing drooped onto the ground, its golden radiance noticeably dimmer.

She raised a hand and wiped the blood from her lips.

"Can you still stand?"

Tang Feng reached out and took her hand.

"Yes."

Qian Renxue pulled herself up with his help.

She did not release Tang Feng's hand.

Their palms were covered in blood.

Zhao Wuji walked toward them from ahead.

The Mighty Vajra Bear Avatar was covered in quite a few wounds as well.

A charred mark carved by the Sacred Sword remained on its chest.

The destructive power in his right arm was still eroding his meridians.

Yet his Soul Power still surpassed theirs.

"You two truly are strong."

"Unfortunately, the gap in Soul Power isn't something cooperation can make up for."

Zhao Wuji raised a bear paw.

"This time, let's see how you block it."

His seventh and sixth Spirit Rings lit up simultaneously.

The Mighty Vajra Bear Avatar expanded once more.

Earth-yellow Soul Power gathered in its palm.

The entire forest was pressed down by gravity.

Branches snapped without end.

The soil beneath Tang Feng's feet slowly sank.

Qian Renxue stepped half a pace forward, shielding him behind her.

"I can use my sixth soul skill one more time."

"How long do you need?"

"Three breaths."

Tang Feng released her hand.

Dark Blue Vines hung from his palm.

"I'll give them to you."

Qian Renxue glanced at him.

The sixth black Spirit Ring beneath her feet began to glow.

The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul rose into the air.

A vast golden radiance descended from the night sky.

Zhao Wuji immediately sensed the threat.

He thrust a palm forward.

A massive earth-yellow palm print crushed through the forest.

Tang Feng stood alone before it.

The first breath.

His second Spirit Ring lit up.

"Star-Binding Annihilation!"

Nine Destruction Vines rose from the ground.

Dark purple star patterns gathered at the tips of the vines.

The nine main vines twisted together and closed in.

Boom!

The earth-yellow palm print shattered the first vine.

The second vine broke immediately after.

Tang Feng's Soul Power rapidly drained away.

He did not retreat.

The second breath.

The Jeweled Gauntlet lit up.

[Tenfold Soul Skill Critical Hit!]

The remaining seven vines tightened at once.

Dark purple destructive power concentrated at the center of the palm print.

Crack!

Cracks appeared across the surface of the earth-yellow palm print.

Zhao Wuji once again urged his Soul Power.

The cracks swiftly closed.

The giant palm continued forward.

The remaining vines were crushed one after another.

The final vine snapped.

The earth-yellow palm print struck Tang Feng.

The Life Blue Silver Emperor grew from his right hand.

Layers of Blue-Gold Grass leaves wrapped around his body.

Bang!

Tang Feng flew backward.

The flesh on his chest split open.

His right arm hung limply at his side.

He forcibly raised his left hand in midair.

The third breath.

The Destruction Vines remaining underground burst out at once.

These vines did not attack Zhao Wuji.

They wrapped around Tang Feng's waist and dragged him back to the ground.

Zhao Wuji was already before him.

The enormous bear paw slammed down again.

Tang Feng could not dodge.

A golden pillar of light descended from the sky.

"Sixth Soul Skill."

"Angel Descent!"

Qian Renxue's six wings spread wide.

Her long golden hair billowed amid holy Soul Power.

The phantom of the Six-Winged Angel overlapped with her body.

A golden sacred sword dozens of meters long descended from the night sky.

Zhao Wuji immediately changed the direction of his attack.

He raised both bear paws at once.

Boom!

The golden sacred sword struck the Mighty Vajra Bear Avatar.

Zhao Wuji's legs sank into the ground.

Earth-yellow Soul Power continuously crumbled away.

The golden blade gradually cut into the Martial Soul Avatar.

"Get lost!"

Zhao Wuji poured all his Soul Power into his arms.

The sacred sword was forcibly lifted half a foot.

Qian Renxue's face rapidly turned pale.

Her six wings trembled violently.

The glow of her sixth Spirit Ring began to dim.

Tang Feng raised his head.

The Blue Silver Domain locked onto the wound on Zhao Wuji's chest.

That was where Qian Renxue had previously struck him with the Sacred Sword.

The Martial Soul Avatar's defenses had already been breached.

Tang Feng raised his injured left arm.

The last wisp of Soul Power flowed into the Ruination Blue Silver Emperor.

A Dark Blue Vine grew beneath Zhao Wuji's feet.

It clung to the Martial Soul Avatar and climbed upward.

Zhao Wuji was resisting the Angel Sacred Sword and could not spare any power to shake off the vine.

The dark blue grass leaves reached his chest.

Their serrated edges pierced the charred wound.

Destructive power instantly invaded his body.

Zhao Wuji's body abruptly froze.

The Soul Power in his arms faltered.

Qian Renxue drove her final reserves of Soul Power.

The golden sacred sword slashed downward.

Crack!

The Mighty Vajra Bear Avatar split open from the chest.

Holy flames poured into the fissure.

The earth-yellow glow over Zhao Wuji's body completely collapsed.

Tang Feng clenched his five fingers.

The Destruction Vines drilled into Zhao Wuji's chest.

Dark purple star patterns lit up deep within his flesh.

[Jeweled Gauntlet Triggered!]

[Fivefold Soul Skill Critical Hit!]

Zhao Wuji lowered his head to look at his chest.

"You..."

Tang Feng steadied himself against a tree trunk.

"Explode."

Boom!

Destructive power exploded from within Zhao Wuji's body.

Large swaths of dark purple light pierced through his chest.

The golden sacred sword came down at the same time.

Zhao Wuji's Martial Soul Avatar shattered completely.

His massive body returned to normal.

Blood sprayed from his chest.

His seven Spirit Rings dimmed one after another.

Both knees crashed heavily into the ground.

Zhao Wuji raised his head.

Qian Renxue had already landed beside Tang Feng.

She reached out and supported Tang Feng by the waist.

Tang Feng controlled the final vine as it passed through Zhao Wuji's heart.

Dark blue grass leaves emerged from his back.

Zhao Wuji's hand rose halfway.

The Soul Power within his body completely dissipated.

His body toppled forward.

Bang!

Dirt sprayed to both sides.

Zhao Wuji lay facedown on the shattered mountain path, no longer showing any sign of life.

Dead!

The night wind passed through the forest.

Tang Feng withdrew the final vine, and his left arm dropped with it.

Qian Renxue supported his shoulder, her gaze falling to his right leg.

"Don't move yet."

He lowered his head and glanced at it.

Blue-gold light still flowed through the wound. The bone had already been rejoined, but his meridians had not fully recovered.

"There's a pavilion nearby."

Tang Feng raised his hand and pointed to the other side of the mountain path.

"Let's go rest for a while."

She looked in the direction he indicated, then placed his arm over her shoulder.

"You handle the directions."

"I can walk on my own."

Qian Renxue looked at the right foot he had just raised.

Tang Feng paused for a moment, then set his foot back down.

"Go down along the stone steps."

"That was more useful than what you said before."

The two left the broken trees behind and slowly descended the mountain stone steps.

The pavilion stood beside a stream.

A few dead leaves lay on the stone table inside, while half the bench was hidden where the moonlight could not reach.

She helped Tang Feng sit down, then took a seat beside him.

Her six wings dissolved into golden light.

Qian Renxue raised a hand to brace herself against the stone table. Her sleeve slipped down, revealing an unhealed wound on her wrist.

Tang Feng's gaze stopped there.

"Give me your hand."

She did not extend it.

"Take care of yourself first."

"My Spirit Bone is repairing my injuries."

A Life Blue Silver Emperor grew from his palm.

Blue-Gold Grass leaves hung between them, their glow much fainter than before.

Qian Renxue glanced at his pale face.

"Just treat this one spot."

"Mm."

She placed her hand on the stone table.

Tang Feng controlled the grass leaves to cover the wound. Tiny blue-gold motes slowly seeped in along the injury.

Blood no longer seeped out.

She flexed her fingers once, then withdrew her hand.

"That's enough."

"It hasn't fully healed."

"I know."

Qian Renxue took out a clean handkerchief and pressed it over the wound.

"I'll handle the rest myself."

Tang Feng did not insist.

He withdrew his Martial Soul and settled against the pavilion pillar.

The stream flowed past outside the pavilion.

The two sat quietly for a while, neither in a hurry to speak.

Tang Feng looked at the bloodstains on her white dress.

Mud stained the hem, and branches had torn her sleeves. She looked entirely different from when they had met in the tavern.

"Thank you for tonight."

Qian Renxue turned her face toward him.

"You finally remembered?"

"There wasn't an opportunity just now."

She looked at him, a hint of amusement entering her eyes.

"I thought you only planned to have me guide you."

"I was the one who gave the directions."

"I was the one who helped him up."

Tang Feng nodded.

"So you should thank me."

She wrapped the handkerchief around her wrist and tried to tie it one-handed.

One corner of the handkerchief slipped down.

Tang Feng extended his left hand and held it in place for her.

Qian Renxue paused.

"Your hand can still be used?"

"Holding down a handkerchief doesn't require Soul Power."

She did not stop him again and used his hand to tie the knot.

The knot rested on the outside of her wrist, neither too tight nor too loose.

Tang Feng withdrew his hand.

"I'll remember you saving my life."

Qian Renxue lowered her head and adjusted the edge of the handkerchief.

"I haven't forgotten that blow you took for me either."

"Then we'll each remember our own."

She looked up at him.

"You really do keep your accounts clear."

"This isn't something to keep accounts over."

Qian Renxue's movements paused briefly.

She tucked in the last corner of the handkerchief and said nothing more.

A moment later, she took out a water flask from her Storage Soul Tool and held it out to Tang Feng.

"Drink."

Tang Feng accepted the water flask.

The moment his right hand touched the wooden stopper, pain shot through his wound.

Qian Renxue took it back, pulled out the stopper, and placed it in his left hand.

This time, Tang Feng did not force himself to act tough.

He took two drinks and set the flask on the stone table.

"You carry quite a lot with you."

"I can't exactly wait for others to prepare everything every time I go out."

She took out another outer robe and draped it over her shoulders, hiding the torn cuff.

As soon as she smoothed the hem, Qian Renxue noticed Tang Feng was still looking at her.

"What else?"

"Your hair ribbon is loose."

She raised a hand to touch the back of her head.

Only half of the thin ribbon that had bound her long hair remained. The other half had long since disappeared somewhere.

Several strands of golden hair curled around her collar and fell before her shoulder as she moved.

Qian Renxue removed the broken hair ribbon and set it beside the table.

"This will do for now."

Tang Feng took out a thin black cord from his Storage Soul Tool.

She looked at the item in his hand.

"What is it for?"

"To tie your cuffs."

"Is it clean?"

"New."

Qian Renxue accepted it.

She gathered her long hair behind her, wound the cord around it, and tied it again.

The black knot hid amid her golden hair, with only two short ends showing.

Tang Feng glanced at it.

"It won't come loose again."

"You really only notice things like that."

She straightened the outer robe over her shoulders, then pointed at the pavilion pillar.

"Sit properly."

"What you should be doing now is recovering your Soul Power."

Tang Feng closed his eyes.

The blades of the Life Blue Silver Emperor emerged once more, spreading along the edge of the bench.

Qian Renxue did not leave.

She sat on the other side of the stone table and began regulating her breathing as well.

Occasionally, fallen leaves drifted down by the stream.

Moonlight slowly crossed the stone steps, and the sky beyond the pavilion gradually brightened.

Morning.

Tang Feng opened his eyes and tried flexing his right hand.

His wound still tugged painfully, but his fingers could already move normally.

He braced himself against the bench and stood, planting his right foot firmly on the ground.

Qian Renxue, across the stone table, looked over at once.

"How is it?"

"Walking won't be a problem."

"What about fighting?"