"That's..."
Gui Muyang's pupils contracted sharply at the sight of the purple crystal Lu Ren had suddenly brought out. Shock surged through him.
Then he stared at Lu Ren in disbelief.
That purple crystal was the Immortal Slaying Soldier treasure Xu Tianji had used months ago to drive back Shi Nuyuan and the other three.
Which meant Lu Ren was Xu Tianji, and Xu Tianji was Lu Ren.
They had been the same person all along.
Realizing this, Gui Muyang immediately withdrew most of his power. His palm strike still struck Lu Ren and sent him flying.
Lu Ren steadied himself and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Xing Xuan, hurry and break through! I'll protect you!"
Lu Ren's words stirred Xing Xuan deeply. He was only at Three Tribulation Transcendence.
How could he possibly protect her?
But she dared not waste another moment. Only by breaking through could she hope to defeat Gui Muyang.
Whoosh!
Ignoring her injuries, Xing Xuan leaped into the Blood Nether Thunder Calamity.
"Lu Ren. To think you've been posing as Xu Tianji all this time!"
Gui Muyang fixed Lu Ren with a hard stare.
"I never expected you to protect me back then, either. Emperor Lord Guiyi must have set his sights on me. That's why you guarded me in secret!"
Lu Ren's voice was calm.
Gui Muyang nodded frankly. "That's right. Emperor Lord Guiyi has set his sights on you. So I'll protect you as you grow, then refine you when the emperor lord descends and returns!"
"You're so sure Emperor Lord Guiyi can refine me? What if I kill him instead?"
Lu Ren gave a cold laugh.
Gui Muyang shook his head. "No matter how gifted you are, you're only a chess piece before the emperor lord. Move aside. I won't kill