Several hundred meters away, a boy and a girl of about ten were racing along, with five others of roughly the same age hot on their heels, closing the distance.
The boy glanced at the figures pursuing them relentlessly, gritted his teeth, and stopped.
"Sis, I'll hold them off. Run!"
Hearing this, the girl hurriedly stopped, her face full of anxiety. "What nonsense are you talking about? You'll die here!"
"...I got hurt while fighting them just now. I can't run anymore." The boy gave a bitter smile. "So as long as you make it out alive, at least I won't have died for nothing."
With that, the boy advanced toward their pursuers. A Soul Ring rose around him, and he roared, "First Soul Skill, slash!"
Watching him all but march to his death, the girl's eyes filled with tears. At that moment, she could only blame herself for being too weak.
A second later, determination settled into her eyes. She summoned her own Martial Soul as well, a fox's tail appearing behind her and a pair of fox ears sprouting atop her head.
At the sight, the five pursuers looked at the imposing Blade Arc with delight rather than alarm. A Soul Master clad in a Tortoise Shell stepped forward to meet it. The Blade Arc struck him, merely sending him flying and leaving a mark on his shell.
Still, the tremendous force had clearly inflicted considerable internal injuries. The Tortoise Shell Soul Master hurriedly sat down to one side and began regulating his breathing.
The other four activated their Martial Souls and rushed him together. The boy wanted to resist, but he lacked the strength to take on four opponents alone and was soon pinned to the ground.
Their leader walked up to him and laughed. "Xie Yue, I finally caught you. I have to admit, you're strong. You killed two of us in a single exchange, but what good did that do? Even if our Soul Power is one or two ranks below yours, every one of us is useful. Unlike you, dragging around that useless little sister of yours who can barely fight."
Staring at that loathsome face, Xie Yue snarled, "No, she isn't useless! She just hasn't undergone specialized training yet. Give her time, and even all you trash put together won't be enough for her to beat!"
The boy merely shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "Maybe. With her looks, once she grows up, probably very few people will be able to resist her charm ability. Provided she gets out alive, of course."
He crouched, grabbed Xie Yue's head, and pointed at the girl barely ten steps away. "Look. Your sister clearly doesn't appreciate the chance you gave her. In that case, I'll just have to send you both on your way!"
Just as he was about to strike, another voice suddenly sounded nearby.
"Really? Then you'd better try harder."
"Who's there?"
All four started and looked toward the voice, only to discover that their teammate, who had been resting in the shade of a tree, had already had his throat slit and was struggling as he collapsed to the ground.
The newcomer was Leng Xiyue. Although she really did not want to get involved in any of this, she had finally encountered other people. To figure out her current situation, she had no choice but to intervene.
The larger group clearly did not look easy to talk to. By contrast, the siblings being hunted seemed a better choice: the boy looked upright, and the girl was pitifully vulnerable. Learning about the situation from them was undoubtedly her best option.
Besides strengthening her body, Psionic Energy could also conceal some of her presence. Only after getting Xiao Bai's confirmation had she dared to creep closer and use the dagger's sharp edge to kill this thick-skinned defense-type Soul Master outright. Now it was three against four. There shouldn't be much of a problem, right?
"You aren't a Soul Master? How is that possible?" Their leader stared at Leng Xiyue, who did not even have a Soul Ring, utterly shocked. If killing a Soul Master above her level could be attributed to that extraordinary-looking dagger, how had she approached silently without being detected?
They had survived this long by crawling out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Without even that much vigilance, they would surely have died long ago.
"You, deal with her!"
Leng Xiyue's intervention had made the situation unpredictable. A vicious glint flashed through the leader's eyes as he signaled a subordinate to deal with her, while he activated Martial Soul Possession, intending to finish Xie Yue first.
Strange as she was, that little girl was not a Soul Master, after all. As long as they killed the formidable Xie Yue first, the advantage would remain theirs!
Leng Xiyue understood this too. Her Psionic Energy had finished improving, but it still had no combat capabilities and could only enhance her body. She might not even have the advantage in close combat. If her opponent had a ranged Martial Soul, she would be throwing her life away.
At that thought, she did not hesitate. She turned the dagger in her hand point-up, aimed toward the leader, and threw it.
"Catch!"
Knowing how incredibly sharp the dagger was, the Soul Master coming to seize Leng Xiyue could only dodge aside.
The leader also knew it was no ordinary weapon. He shot his subordinates a look, signaling them to act, then turned and gathered his Soul Power to catch the incoming dagger.
At that moment, the girl they had looked down on moved. She charged toward them, the Yellow Soul Ring behind her lighting up. "First Soul Skill, charm!"
A streak of pink light then flew toward the leader.
Charm-type skills depended on the user's appeal and the opponent's state of mind. If the opponent already felt some attraction toward her, the effect would become considerably stronger. Conversely, if he had no interest in women or felt little attraction, its effect would be extremely weak.
Unfortunately, a ten-year-old girl clearly had little charm to speak of. Besides, she had spent who knew how long here and was filthy all over, leaving her with no appeal whatsoever.
Still, it was a mental attack. However weak it might be, it could at least leave someone dazed for a few seconds.
The leader's attention was focused entirely on the flying dagger. He never noticed the attack from behind, and that lapse left him caught by it, frozen in place.
Seeing this, the other two hurriedly brought out their sword-type Martial Souls and thrust toward Xie Yue's heart, while another held him firmly down.
With life and death hanging in the balance, Xie Yue's Soul Power erupted. He struggled and avoided the fatal blow, though his left shoulder was pierced. The girl also sprinted over. While her fighting ability was somewhat lacking, her Soul Power was a little higher than theirs. Relying on that slight advantage, she lunged at the one pinning Xie Yue down and grappled with him.
"Brother, go!"
Everything happened in a flash of lightning and flint. Xie Yue understood that victory now hinged on that dagger. As long as he got it, killing the others with such high-grade equipment would be no problem. He therefore braved another opponent's attack and darted aside to snatch up the dagger that had fallen to the ground.
When their strength was nearly equal, a Soul Master obtaining a weapon of Soul King or Soul Emperor caliber would naturally decide the outcome in an instant.
Though Xie Yue's Moon Blade Martial Soul was powerful, the others were not far behind even if theirs were weaker, and a defense-type Soul Master could counter it. Naturally, he could not overwhelm them.
But things were different now. In a battle at this level, the dagger was undoubtedly a divine weapon. Cutting them down was like slicing melons and chopping vegetables. The leader had only just recovered from the charm and gathered his Soul Power to resist when Xie Yue took his head off with a single stroke.
With a divine weapon in hand, Xie Yue could still fight despite his serious injuries. The other two no longer dared resist and turned to flee.
But the girl still clung desperately to the one she had grappled with. No matter how much it hurt, she refused to let go. Seeing Xie Yue draw closer and closer, the boy panicked completely.
"Let go! Hurry up and let go!"
Xie Yue showed no mercy. He strode forward and finished him with one stroke, then gathered Soul Power in his palm, aimed at the other fleeing boy, and hurled the dagger. With a whistle as it tore through the air, the boy screamed and collapsed, unwilling to accept his fate.
It sounded complicated, but the entire exchange had lasted only a few dozen seconds. The Soul Master sent to kill Leng Xiyue had not even attacked yet when he looked back and discovered all his teammates were dead. At a complete loss, he took to his heels.
Leng Xiyue had been gambling from the start, betting that the siblings would have a chance to turn the tables. If they failed, she could simply run. Losing the dagger that had brought a deadly disaster upon its original owner might not even be a bad thing. She would not regret it in the slightest.
Watching the boy flee, Xie Yue did not pursue him. He merely pulled the dagger from the corpse, then could no longer hold himself up and collapsed.
"Brother!" The girl had taken several blows just now and was injured too. Seeing Xie Yue like this, she ignored her own pain and helped him over to a large rock, letting him lean against it and rest.
"I'm fine. I'm not dying yet. Go see whether our benefactor is hurt, and return this dagger to her." Xie Yue took some medicinal herbs from the Storage Bag at his waist and applied them to his wound as he spoke, forcing himself to endure the pain.
Calling her their lifesaver was certainly accurate. If she had not suddenly come to help, they would probably have been dead already.
"How are you two doing?" Leng Xiyue walked over, accepted the dagger the girl handed her, and asked with concern.
"We're fine. The wounds may look serious, but we gathered some medicinal herbs during our time here. Stopping the bleeding won't be a problem." Some color had returned to Xie Yue's face. Taking his sister's hand, he introduced them to Leng Xiyue. "My name is Xie Yue, and this is my little sister, Hu Liena. Thank you so much for risking yourself to help us. If we ever have the chance, we'll definitely repay you."
Beside him, Hu Liena smiled sweetly at his words, as endearing as the little girl next door.
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