The female cultivator in the red dress had now removed her mask, revealing her delicate, lovely face.
She wore a simple, elegant pink dress, her glossy black hair falling on either side of her shoulders, with neatly trimmed bangs across her forehead.
The refined bearing of a young lady from a distinguished household shone through naturally.
Her situation, however, was far from good. Two cultivators were attacking her together, and she could only struggle to hold on.
Not far away lay two corpses that had met gruesome ends.
One of the two attacking cultivators wore white and had a sallow complexion.
He controlled a dark, nail-shaped magical artifact about half a foot long and a spear roughly five feet long with a pitch-black tip, attacking without pause.
The other was a tall, burly man clad in black robes.
He wielded a long saber wreathed in black energy, swinging it with fierce, whistling force as he hacked viciously at the woman in red, showing not the slightest tenderness toward her beauty.
The female cultivator in red was named Yan Qun'er, a direct descendant of a Golden Core Lineage within the Primordial Yang Sect.
She had ventured out alone because a close female friend had told her that Beauty-Nourishing Pills might be available at Jiatai Market's underground auction.
She wanted to see some novel sights outside the sect and win the Beauty-Nourishing Pills at auction.
Then she would present them as a gift for her aunt's hundredth birthday.
At this moment, Yan Qun'er controlled a Jade-Green Bracelet and a Blue Orb, struggling to withstand the two men's attacks.
Danger closed in from every side.
Ever since she had begun cultivating, everything had been smooth sailing. When had she ever encountered a situation like this?
Beads of sweat appeared on her fair cheeks, with several strands of black hair clinging to them.
Clear panic and fear flashed in her bright eyes.
Her magical artifacts were all superior-grade, and her cultivation at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining was one layer higher than either enemy's.
Yet Yan Qun'er was being driven into a frantic scramble, unable to fight back.
"I am an inner sect disciple of the Primordial Yang Sect! Stop this at once!"
"Otherwise, when my sect elders arrive, you'll have more trouble than you can stomach!"
Her chest heaving, Yan Qun'er angrily rebuked them in her clear, feminine voice.
Given her current predicament, however, her words inevitably sounded short on confidence.
The moment she was attacked, she had sent a special Voice-Transmitting Talisman to her Lineage.
Because of the distance, however, it would still take quite some time for her elders to arrive.
By now, Yan Qun'er had already exhausted her powerful talismans and other means.
After she suddenly killed two of the enemy cultivators, the remaining pair proved far too experienced and cunning.
They kept harrying and testing her, preventing her from escaping.
"Hehehe~"
Hearing her words, the white-robed cultivator and the burly man in black exchanged a glance and let out a string of strange chuckles.
Then they picked up the pace, their attacks growing fiercer.
Both feared that the girl still possessed more of those immensely powerful talismans.
The other two had been caught off guard by them and lost their lives.
But after tangling with her for so long without seeing her use another, they reckoned she had exhausted her supply.
"Fairy of the Primordial Yang Sect, we Black-and-White Fiends are only after wealth."
"Hand over your magical artifacts and Storage Bag, and we guarantee we won't harm a hair on your head!"
"If you keep resisting, once we capture you, we brothers might just have to enjoy you first."
"When that happens, don't blame us for failing to cherish a delicate flower!"
The Black-and-White Fiends grinned savagely, shouting their threats without restraint.
Meanwhile, Liu Yu watched from concealment and overheard their exchange.
He was slightly surprised that this senior sister had held out until now and even killed two of her attackers.
He guessed that she possessed some immensely powerful trump card and had a more formidable background than he had imagined.
Yet Yan Qun'er's performance in battle made Liu Yu shake his head repeatedly.
This inner sect senior sister clearly had little experience fighting other cultivators.
She panicked when facing enemies and squandered her spiritual power recklessly. If this continued, she probably would not last much longer.
The Black-and-White Fiends had barely reached the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, and their magical artifacts were nothing exceptional.
If she calmed down and faced them composedly, protecting herself would not actually be difficult.
After watching this and thinking it over several times, Liu Yu finally decided to help.
Every one of this senior sister's magical artifacts was a fine specimen. One glance made it clear that she was no ordinary disciple.
She was likely a direct descendant of a prominent Lineage or the personal disciple of a high-ranking cultivator in the sect.
If he saved her life at a critical moment, he might gain something unexpected, opening another path for himself within the sect.
After struggling through both his previous life and this one, he understood deeply how important connections were.
With the strength these Black-and-White Fiends possess, I have more than enough ability to protect myself. Playing the hero who saves the beauty wouldn't hurt.
Besides, I don't need to fight them to the death. I only need to wait for reinforcements.
Weighing the benefits against the risks, Liu Yu made up his mind.
He removed his bamboo hat and veil, restoring his disguised face to its original appearance.
How could he do a good deed like this without leaving his name?
I can't bring out the Golden Dragon Sword this time.
An ordinary outer sect disciple from the Outer Courtyard using a superior-grade magical artifact would be far too unusual.
I'll use the Giant Wood Sword and Black Tortoise Shield.
Those two middle-grade magical artifacts won't attract as much attention.
With these thoughts, Liu Yu watched for the right moment, ready to act at any time.
In the battle, Yan Qun'er's breathing was disordered and her pretty face flushed red. Her situation had already become dire.
Her fair, delicate hands moved incessantly as she frantically formed hand seals.
Clink, clink! Bang!
She controlled the Jade-Green Bracelet to defend against the dark nail and black spear, while directing the Blue Orb to block the black saber's slashes.
While the two men feared Yan Qun'er still had a trump card and dared not use their full strength, she had managed to hold them off.
But as time passed, they saw that she still made no move and appeared increasingly panicked.
They were now seventy or eighty percent certain that she had exhausted her trump cards.
Four or five breaths later, the Black-and-White Fiends exchanged looks and nodded, no longer holding back.
White Fiend brought out a small, fiery-red bow, poured spiritual power into it, and drew the string. A pale-red arrow began to form.
Black Fiend seemed to activate a secret technique. His muscles bulged, bursting his upper garment apart, and his strength multiplied.
Every stroke of his black saber drove the Blue Orb back slightly.
Seeing the pale-red arrow approaching, and with her other magical artifact already damaged in the earlier assault, Yan Qun'er could only hastily cast the Water Shield Technique around herself.
But a first-tier, middle-grade Water Shield Technique clearly could not withstand an all-out strike from a middle-grade magical artifact.
Oh no, this is bad!
Anxiety and panic filled her delicate face.
As the pale-red arrow pierced the Water Shield Technique and was about to strike through her heart, Yan Qun'er closed her eyes in terror.
Yet after a moment, the death she expected did not come.
She still stood where she was, completely unharmed.
"Huh?!"
Cautiously opening her eyes, Yan Qun'er saw an ordinary-looking man standing in front of her.
He wore the gray robes of an outer sect disciple and controlled a small brown shield, steadily blocking the attack.
For some reason, his figure suddenly seemed towering to her. Standing behind him, she felt remarkably safe.
"."
At this thought, a blush quietly spread across Yan Qun'er's fair cheeks.
While she was somewhat dazed, a gentle voice reached her.
"Senior sister, block White Fiend's attacks."
"As for Black Fiend, leave him to me."
His voice was calm and steady, carrying an inexplicable reassurance that made Yan Qun'er follow his instructions without thinking.
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