No wonder only Hai Bodong remained

The beautiful woman in the red dress laughed prettily. "Lord Fei, with the three of us here, we can simply take him down. Why waste words?"

The black-robed man sighed. "In a struggle between empires, attacking the heart comes first. If he truly believes we'll spare his life, that means he's shown fear and will no longer be willing to fight to the death. Taking care of him will then be as easy as turning over a hand-"

Hearing this, the beautiful woman paused. "You certainly live up to your position, my lord. But as long as we work well together, taking care of him should be just as easy."

The man holding the enormous axe grinned. "Great minds think alike."

After a brief silence, the burly man pointed at Xiao Chen and Xiao Yi Xian inside the grotto while keeping his eyes fixed on the black-robed man. "Let them go. I promise I won't run."

He had underestimated their determination.

This Fei Jiamu was a Six-Star Dou Emperor, while the other two were a Four-Star Dou Emperor and a Five-Star Dou Emperor.

Had it been only those other two, Kong Ruonan was confident he could keep the two young people in the grotto safe.

But now, he feared he could not.

Just as his opponent had said, he could barely protect himself.

"Oh my, you can barely save yourself, yet you're still showing such boundless compassion. You've certainly made me see you in a new light." The woman in red teased him with a smile.

The black-robed man sighed deeply. "What does it mean for disaster to fall from the sky? This is what it means."

"You're the one who dragged them into this storm, Kong Ruonan. If they die, their deaths can only be laid at your door."

Kong Ruonan's expression turned ugly at those words.

"We can keep that little beauty alive for now. I like her."

The man beside the woman in red raised his axe and pointed at Xiao Yi Xian, speaking with a leering chuckle, his eyes burning with desire.

His gaze roamed over Xiao Yi Xian before finally settling on her willow-slender waist, bound with a green sash and too slender to fill a hand. A trace of wonder flashed through his eyes.

How could a beauty like this fail to stir a man's heart?

Xiao Yi Xian had intended to watch the spectacle just like Xiao Chen, but those words sent a wave of revulsion through her.

She wished she could tear out his tendons, peel off his skin, grind his bones to dust, and scatter his ashes!

Kong Ruonan turned around, shame on his face, and cupped his fists. "My young friends, I've wronged you. If fighting breaks out, I'll carve a path to survival for you both, even at the cost of my life!"

Xiao Yi Xian looked slightly taken aback.

This fellow did take responsibility.

Xiao Chen turned his head toward him. "They said you were once one of the Jia Ma Empire's Ten Great Experts, on par with Hai Bodong?"

Kong Ruonan froze, then pride appeared on his face. "That's right!"

In the distance, the black-robed man and his companions burst out laughing.

"This kid really is something. Has he met his idol on death's doorstep?"

The beautiful woman in red laughed. "He's rather adorable. I'm almost reluctant to let him die."

"Drop the act. You think I don't know what you're after?"

The man holding the enormous axe sneered.

"Enough. Let's deal with Kong first."

As the black-robed man spoke, he was already charging over with an ink-black spear in hand.

Boom!

The aura of a Six-Star Dou Emperor erupted without restraint.

Xiao Yi Xian's beautiful eyes sharpened.

For such powerful experts to appear in this remote wilderness was truly inconceivable.

Clang!

Kong Ruonan drew the heavy purple saber from his back, and his entire bearing abruptly changed. His Six-Star Dou Emperor aura likewise pierced the clouds.

He cleaved through the air.

Clang!

Amid the clash, Kong Ruonan shouted, "Whether you resent me or not, I'll carve you a path to survival today, even if I die doing it! Please seize the opening and escape!"

His voice was still echoing as he strode out of the grotto to attack.

Rain poured down as though the Heavenly River had burst its banks, madly scouring the land.

Bean-sized raindrops struck the ground and rocks, splashing muddy water a foot high.

The entire world was shrouded in roaring rain and a gray curtain of water, blurring everything from view.

Yet within this raging curtain of rain, two irresistible storms of energy collided fiercely, forcibly shutting the torrential downpour out of their battle!

"Boom!"

"Clang-!"

A deafening clash of metal, accompanied by an explosion of energy, tore through the sound of the rain.

It was the heavy purple saber in Kong Ruonan's hands, clashing head-on with the black-robed man's ink-black spear.

An almost crazed resolve filled Kong Ruonan's face.

He gripped the heavy purple saber in both hands, pouring all his strength into every slash, his sweeping strikes holding nothing back.

His saber carried a fierce, overbearing brutality that would shatter jade and stone alike!

Their figures became two streaks of light moving at tremendous speed through the torrential rain, purple and black Dou Qi erupting violently as they collided again and again.

Terrifying Dou Emperor energy burst forth without restraint.

Several yards from their bodies, the dense streaks of rain falling from the sky were shattered by an invisible energy barrier, becoming an even finer white mist before the churning air swept it outward.

The center of the battle seemed enclosed within an enormous invisible sphere, a storm of destruction inside and a chaotic downpour outside, blasted into reverse.

Boom!

Lightning flashed across the heavens, illuminating Kong Ruonan's towering figure.

Soon, the black-robed man was forced back repeatedly and even began suffering injuries.

It was entirely because Kong Ruonan was fighting with his life on the line, facing death as though returning home.

The black-robed man, however, had no desire to be dragged into the grave with him.

"Let's attack together."

The beautiful woman in red raised her hand, produced a blood-red longsword, and swept through the air toward Kong Ruonan.

Boom!

The last man also charged straight in with a pair of enormous axes, swinging them down with unmatched ferocity.

"Four-Star Dou Emperor, Five-Star Dou Emperor-" Xiao Yi Xian's gaze flickered.

Although she had already suspected as much, she was still deeply shocked when the two fully unleashed their cultivation auras.

After all, there were only a handful of Dou Huang experts in the Jia Ma Empire.

In the past, such experts had been existences far beyond her reach.

Yet now, on this rain-lashed night, four Dou Emperors were fighting before her!

Boom!

The rain grew heavier, thunder rolling.

Before the grotto, Kong Ruonan fought three opponents alone, the heavy purple saber in his hands unleashing astonishing ferocity.

But his opponents were, after all, three Dou Emperors whose cultivation levels were not far from his own.

The black-robed man's cultivation alone matched his, and he had a Four-Star Dou Emperor and a Five-Star Dou Emperor helping him.

Kong Ruonan's situation had become exceedingly perilous.

Before long, wounds covered his body.

"Go!"

Kong Ruonan roared into the rainy night.

He was now fighting with utter disregard for his life, actually holding all three opponents in check through his strength alone!

All so Xiao Chen and Xiao Yi Xian could escape as quickly as possible.

Xiao Yi Xian could not help turning to Xiao Chen.

Yet she saw him sitting there, looking thoughtful.

"No wonder the original story only mentioned Hai Bodong in the end."

"There were two Dou Huang experts as renowned as him."

"One was Duan Chenfei's father, Duan Ruifeng."

"The other was this Kong Ruonan outside."

Both men had died during this period.

That was why neither had appeared later in the story.

So that was it.

"You fools!"

Noticing that Xiao Chen and Xiao Yi Xian had failed to seize the opening to leave, Kong Ruonan was both anxious and furious.

"At a time like this, you're still worrying about whether others live or die!"

The black-robed man snorted coldly.

Clang!

Amid an earth-shaking collision, the heavy purple saber flew from Kong Ruonan's hand, and he staggered.

Before he could dodge, the blood-red blade in the woman's hand had already pierced his back.