The defenses had barely been set up when the blue orb was already upon White Fiend, leaving him no time to think.
Like a falling meteor, it slammed into the golden barrier with astonishing force.
"Boom!"
With a deafening crash, the golden barrier shattered like glass before it could hold out for even half a breath.
Specks of golden light dissolved into pure spiritual energy and dispersed into the air.
"Clang!"
The blue orb's radiance dimmed only slightly as it continued onward, striking the tip of the small umbrella magical artifact.
The initial impact alone drove it back a foot.
At the sight, a chill ran down White Fiend's back, and cold sweat poured from him.
Still, the small umbrella was a defensive magical artifact, after all. The blue orb could not break through it quickly, and the two remained locked in a stalemate.
Seeing things take a turn for the worse, White Fiend realized that this little lass from the Primordial Yang Sect was probably dead set on taking his life.
He gritted his teeth and made a decision.
"Cough."
White Fiend tapped several acupoints on his chest, bit the tip of his tongue, and forced two drops of blood essence from his mouth, spraying them onto the small umbrella magical artifact.
At the same time, his hands rapidly formed spell seals, and he uttered several indistinct syllables.
With this reinforcement, the small umbrella magical artifact blazed with blood-red light, its power surging.
"Clang!"
In that burst of power, it actually sent the blue orb, which was a full grade higher, flying back.
Without a doubt, this was a secret art that consumed the user's blood essence to increase a magical artifact's power.
Every cultivator had only a limited amount of blood essence within their body.
If they lost too much and failed to replenish it in time, the consequences were severe: at best, their cultivation realm would become unstable; at worst, their foundation would be damaged.
Thus, unless driven into an utterly desperate situation, no cultivator would use such a secret art that sacrificed eight thousand of their own.
Although White Fiend had blocked the attack, alarm gripped his heart as he realized how bad the situation had become.
With reinforcements here, this little lass has suddenly become fierce. I can't even take her down on my own.
I saw her send out a Voice-Transmitting Talisman earlier. If this drags on, her elders could arrive at any moment.
When that happens, I'll probably leave my life here!
At that thought, he could not help considering retreat.
White Fiend weighed the pros and cons. Seeing that Black Fiend was also trapped in a stalemate, he inwardly cursed him as useless. He could not even handle a boy at middle Qi refining!
"Things are getting hot! Pull out!"
White Fiend signaled Black Fiend to retreat. The two gathered together, watching Liu Yu and Yan Qun'er as they slowly backed away.
Only after withdrawing to a safe enough distance did they ride their magical artifacts and speed away.
Soon, the figures of the Black-and-White Fiends vanished into the darkness.
"Hmph!"
Seeing the Black-and-White Fiends, who had nearly taken her life, trying to retreat, Yan Qun'er raised her delicate brows, her eyes brimming with anger.
She stepped forward, ready to give chase.
"Senior Sister, don't pursue a cornered enemy!"
Seeing that his novice senior sister still wanted to chase them, Liu Yu hurriedly caught her arm and stopped her.
He was still injured, and the Black Tortoise Shield's power had been severely diminished. It needed to be refined anew, and he really did not want another fight.
Soft, smooth, and faintly cool.
It felt like a piece of supple jade, wonderfully pleasant to the touch!
That was Liu Yu's first impression upon touching Yan Qun'er's arm. Then he came to his senses and hurriedly let go.
This world resembled the ancient times of his previous life, with strict boundaries between men and women.
Touching a young woman's body without permission was terribly improper.
Yan Qun'er had originally wanted to give chase and teach those cultivators who meant her harm a lesson.
But her junior brother was unwilling, her own magical power was nearly exhausted, and she was no match for them alone, so she could only give up.
She pouted, feeling an inexplicable sense of grievance.
Then Yan Qun'er noticed that her hand was being held by this junior brother.
"..."
Her angry expression quickly faded. A blush gradually crept up her cheeks, her gaze flickering as her heartbeat quickened.
In all her life, Yan Qun'er had never been this close to a man outside her family!
Yet, because it was this brave junior brother, she surprisingly felt no aversion!
At the same time, a peculiar feeling stirred within her, strange beyond description.
"Senior Sister, be careful of a trap. Don't chase them!"
Liu Yu released her arm and repeated his warning to cover his embarrassment.
Attitude was the mask of the heart. From her attitude, he knew that his "hero rescuing a beauty" act had been a great success.
"Mm!"
Her face slightly flushed, Yan Qun'er answered softly.
Her cheeks felt hot, and she could not help lowering her head, not daring to look directly at this junior brother.
"Junior Brother, thank goodness you helped me today. Otherwise, things would have gone terribly wrong!"
After a while, remembering that she was his senior sister, she gathered her courage and raised her head to speak, her chest rising and falling slightly.
Seeing the girl's shy expression, Liu Yu felt faint ripples spreading across the lake of his heart for some unknown reason.
"I hardly deserve such praise."
"I'm sure that even without me, Heaven would have watched over someone as fortunate as you, Senior Sister, and you would have been safe!"
But he soon remembered his purpose in intervening and forcibly smoothed those ripples away, answering with a smile.
Afterward, he offered a few encouraging words to comfort the girl.
"My name is Liu Yu, and my cave abode is on Greenwood Peak. May I ask your name, Senior Sister?"
Once her emotions had settled, Liu Yu took the initiative to ask.
"My name is Yan Qun'er. You can call me Senior Sister Yan, or you can call me Qun'er."
"Mm, I'm currently cultivating with my aunt on Green Elegance Peak."
Although she did not know where Greenwood Peak was and had only heard its name, Yan Qun'er still answered softly.
A highly gifted daughter of a lineage's direct branch like her had cultivated beside her elders since childhood, receiving guidance whenever she needed it.
Whenever she had questions about cultivation, she could frequently ask her elders for answers as well.
Such people generally cultivated to late Qi refining before joining the sect directly as inner disciples. Having never spent time in the outer sect, she naturally did not know where Greenwood Peak was.
She did not need to let outer-sect chores delay her cultivation, nor did she need to worry about cultivation resources.
At her words, the information Liu Yu knew about Green Elegance Peak flashed through his mind.
Green Elegance Peak was one of the sect's renowned spiritual mountains, with a Spirit Vein of the third tier. Anyone who governed a third-tier spiritual mountain was undoubtedly a Golden Core Cultivator.
From the looks of it, the one governing Green Elegance Peak should be the Yan lineage's Golden Core Cultivator.
"Senior Sister, how did you run into those villains?"
Liu Yu was rather curious about why she had come out alone to buy a Beauty-Nourishing Pill, so he asked.
Clearly, Yan Qun'er had not recognized him as the cultivator who had sat beside her during the underground auction.
"I came to Jiatai Market this time to attend the auction."
"I wanted to win the Beauty-Nourishing Pill as a gift for my aunt's hundredth birthday."
Simple-hearted and hardly wary of Liu Yu, Yan Qun'er explained the entire story.
But when she mentioned sneaking out, she pouted again, her face turning bright red with embarrassment.
Silence fell for a moment, and Liu Yu did not know what to say either.
"Junior Brother, I've already sent a Voice-Transmitting Talisman. My aunt should arrive before long."
"Let's wait here, then."
After two or three breaths of silence, Yan Qun'er spoke quietly.
Her head was lowered, and there was no telling what she was thinking.
"All right."
Liu Yu had no objection.
He then gathered a few dry branches into a pile and lit them with a flame from his fingertip, driving away the surrounding darkness.
This was a remote wilderness, more than a hundred li from even the nearest market, Jiatai Market.
Apart from the Black-and-White Fiends who had left, cultivators would not normally pass through here.
Even if one or two rogue cultivators happened by, the current Liu Yu would not consider them a threat, especially since he was not alone.
Yan Qun'er had been chased all the way here from Jiatai Market. After fighting for so long, her magical power was already depleted.
After letting him know, she took out a pill and sat to one side to recover her magical power.
We've only met once, and she trusts me this much?
At the sight, Liu Yu felt something stir within him. Then he shook his head slightly and stopped dwelling on it.
He sat cross-legged beside the fire and closed his eyes to rest for a while, though his divine sense swept through the surrounding darkness, remaining alert in case the enemies returned.
He guarded this patch of light within the darkness.
Thanks to Love Left and the Wind Stopped, Book Friend Under Heaven 160, I Love Reading Cultivation, Farming, and Space Stories Most, 9149*.qdcn, May the World Treat You Gently pi, Xiao Jinling, and all the other readers who cast recommendation votes!
Every vote of support motivates the author to keep updating! Changting bows in thanks!