Whoosh!
As the greatsword swept toward him in a killing thrust, its powerful edge disrupted the surrounding air, and Chu Tiannan's hair whipped in the fierce wind.
But he was not so terrified of death that he lost his nerve. After all, Chu Tiannan's soul was incomparably powerful, and when he had set out on the path of the strong,
he had already put life and death out of his mind!
Though that was somewhat extreme, someone who clung to life and feared death
would never become the strongest!
Hum!
All of this seemed slow, but it happened within a single thought for Chu Tiannan. In an instant, he felt the sharp sword edge suddenly stop before him once again.
The turbulent air left a shallow sword mark in the ground behind the young man!
If the greatsword advanced just a fraction farther, Chu Tiannan's head would surely fall.
Yet it never happened, leaving Chu Tiannan puzzled for a moment.
"So annoying!" This time, it was Luo'er, the sword-wielding girl, who spoke.
Her delicate brows were tightly knitted, as though she was wrestling with something, but she still did not deliver that final strike.
Chu Tiannan gazed calmly at her. Of course he did not want to die.
But the power over his life and death now lay in Luo'er's hands. Whether he lived or died depended entirely on a word from her.
But what was that power she unleashed at the end, which could utterly overwhelm me? What puzzled Chu Tiannan most at present was naturally Luo'er's strength.
They were clearly both advanced martial artists, yet the power they unleashed was worlds apart.
Naturally, that displeased Chu Tiannan.
Unfortunately, my Heaven-Deriving Sword is still in its trial state, with only the innate secret art, Devour. If it were activated, perhaps it would be stronger! That was what Chu Tiannan was thinking at that moment.
The innate secret art, Devour... an innate secret art?
That's right!
Chu Tiannan suddenly understood. The reason Luo'er could unleash power he could not resist had to be a special skill similar to an innate secret art.
If I also had a sufficiently powerful background, I could learn more secret arts too, and even more powerful martial artist skills...
But despite his secret delight, Chu Tiannan knew that whether he could survive was still uncertain. He laughed at himself inwardly and thought no further.
Swish!
The next second, with Luo'er's delicate brows still tightly knitted, the glow of the red greatsword vanished, leaving only a black sword hilt in her small, pale hand.
Clearly, Luo'er had actually chosen not to take Chu Tiannan's life.
Though puzzled by this little tyrant's whims, Chu Tiannan still chose to remain silent.
If he talked too much and made her change her mind again, he would become a joke.
"Though I really want to kill you, I can't bring myself to do it!" Luo'er said irritably, looking at Chu Tiannan.
"Since I'm not killing you, you're mine from now on."
"Yours? Then just do it!" At her words, Chu Tiannan's mouth twitched violently, and he put on an air of righteous resolve that made the girl grit her teeth.
What kind of joke was that? Become hers? Wouldn't that mean putting up with her strange temper every day?
He, Chu Tiannan, could be killed, but never humiliated!
"You..." Clearly, Luo'er did not know what to say either. She simply glared fiercely at Chu Tiannan, recalling how he had saved her life before, unable to summon any killing intent at all.
Had it been ten days earlier, Luo'er might still have firmly believed she could kill him.
But over these ten days of chasing each other, both of them had their share of victories and defeats.
Luo'er also understood that Chu Tiannan had been fully capable of killing her back then, yet had let her go in the end.
All of this seemed natural, but precisely because of that, without her noticing, Chu Tiannan's place in her heart no longer seemed quite so low.
It was like an invisible web of silkworm threads. At first, one could charge about unhindered, but once deeply entangled,
one would discover there was no way to break free!
"But I can't just let you go so easily, either. I risked a backlash to defeat you." Luo'er looked so adorable as she pondered that even Chu Tiannan had to admit
he rather liked seeing that earnest little look of hers.
"Then be my partner!" After a long while, Luo'er finally uttered those words, leaving Chu Tiannan stunned.
"Partner?"
"Yes!" Luo'er took a step forward, bringing them extremely close. Her bright eyes gazed at Chu Tiannan, making him a little uncomfortable, as she said earnestly,
"I can trust you with my back. Can you let me believe in you?"
"Or rather, can you believe in me and entrust your back to me?"
"I promise, as long as I, Luo'er, haven't fallen, there will be an utterly steadfast shield behind you!"
"To block every open blade and hidden arrow for you!"