Behind the shield, Hai Shuixing, Mu Zimo, and Shui Rou'er stood in a triangular formation. Their faces were pale, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths. Clearly, blocking that blow had left them with serious internal injuries.
Even so, they remained planted in front of that man, refusing to retreat a single step.
"Why... why..." Chang Gongwei's fingers dug deep into the hard cracks between the stones, dripping blood, yet he felt nothing. He only roared in despair, "Even now, you still want to protect him?! Even if you die... you want to die with him?!"
In that instant, had he not seen Shui Rou'er recklessly trying to block his fist with her body at the last moment and forcibly withdrawn thirty percent of his strength, suffering an even more devastating backlash himself, these three women would likely have already perished, their fragrance scattered and their jade shattered.
Yet his softheartedness had earned him only their unhesitating, desperate protection of the enemy who had destroyed everything he had.
"Clap, clap, clap."
A series of crisp, leisurely claps abruptly rang out through the ruins.
The three women trembled, then immediately stepped respectfully aside, revealing the figure still seated languidly behind them.
Bai Qinchen leisurely brushed a trace of dust from his sleeve. Not even a strand of his hair was out of place.
He looked down at Chang Gongwei, who lay collapsed in a pool of blood, and spoke teasingly, his lips curved in mockery.
"What a deeply moving scene, Child of Light."
"You burned your life for that blow, yet in the end, you would rather suffer the backlash yourself than hurt them in the slightest." Bai Qinchen clicked his tongue in admiration before changing tack, his tone becoming utterly mocking. "Unfortunately, in their eyes, your devotion is nothing