The withered Lamp Realm late-stage monster raised Cang Yu's severed arm with a twisted smirk, licking the blood dripping from the stump. It was clear that its mind was deeply warped.
Zhi Xu leaped down from the building and rushed to Cang Yu's side, tearing off the bandage hanging from her waist to help him bind his wound. Her face was dark and solemn, and she didn’t foolishly charge at the withered monster for revenge. She knew she was no match for it.
Flames surged like a raging sea as Su Ze clashed with the withered monster.
"I need to help…" Cang Yu tried to stand but found his waist unable to straighten. Zhi Xu noticed something was wrong and immediately wrapped her arms around his soft waist.
Yes, soft—because one of his vertebrae was broken.
"Stop messing around! This isn’t the time for jokes!" Cang Yu tried to push his girlfriend away but froze when he realized his right arm, the one that once held his blade, was already gone.
At the same time, he felt a sharp pain as Zhi Xu bit down hard on his other wrist.
Cang Yu winced slightly. He had endured the loss of his arm without a flinch, but now, a bite from Zhi Xu made him react.
Drip, drip. Cang Yu was about to say something but hesitated as he felt the sting of tears falling onto the bite wound on his wrist.
Zhi Xu clung to him fiercely, like a crying puppy holding onto a bone, her teeth gripping his wrist as she looked up at him.
Cang Yu was stunned for a moment. Before him, Zhi Xu’s face was streaked with tears, her delicate and beautiful features marred by sorrow.
Her grip on his wrist slowly loosened and fell away.
"Can you stop being so reckless? Can you stop being so naive and foolish? Can you just know your limits…" Zhi Xu choked out between sobs.
"Shut up! I’m in charge here! I don’t want to hear you talk!" Zhi Xu shouted through her tears, cutting off Cang Yu before he could respond. He obediently closed his mouth.
Cang Yu knew that his impulsive actions earlier might have earned him a beating from Zhi Xu.
But in truth, Zhi Xu wouldn’t hit him. If it weren’t for Cang Yu, the tens of thousands of civilians would have died, as Su Ze wouldn’t have been able to reach the shelter before the withered monster destroyed it.
Still, Cang Yu’s attempt to recklessly support Su Ze had infuriated her. How could she have fallen for such an idiot?
Nearby, Li Zinian clicked his tongue, suppressing the urge to curse. "Three o'clock direction, seven hundred meters."
Zhi Xu drew her blade and darted out like a ghost.
Li Zinian sat down beside Cang Yu. "Hey, man, write a book sometime. I’ll read it on my knees."
"…"
Su Ze, at the early stage of the Lamp Realm, was no match for the withered monster without using his laws. He was covered in wounds and being forced to retreat.
Su Ze turned and drew a long blade from a case on his back. He crouched slightly, his left hand spread like an eagle’s wing, gripping the hilt of a straight blade with the back of the blade pressed against his arm.
His right hand held a Miao Dao, its tip resting low on the ground, angled in front of him.
It was an extremely peculiar stance, seemingly full of openings—and indeed, it was.
But his posture exuded immense offensive power!
As the withered monster charged like lightning, Su Ze’s dual blades swept like a tempest, the long and short blades crossing like scissors. The monster was startled and leaped back a hundred meters.
A lantern burning with blue flames slowly floated out from Su Ze’s body, hovering behind him.
Su Ze decided not to hold back any longer. The blue flames, combined with a trace of law, along with mirror images and illusions, quickly overwhelmed the monotonous attack patterns of the withered monster.
Su Ze masked the fluctuations of his laws, his attacks swift and ferocious.
The withered monster couldn’t understand how Su Ze had suddenly unleashed such power, but it knew it was outmatched and kept trying to create distance.
Its eyes darted around, searching for something it could use.
Suddenly, its gaze fell on Li Zinian and Cang Yu, who was leaning against a wall with a broken spine.
"Cang Yu!"
Su Ze noticed its gaze almost instantly, but it was too late. The withered monster was far faster than him—otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to dodge Su Ze’s relentless attacks.
Li Zinian’s pupils contracted. He reacted quickly, grabbing Cang Yu and trying to flee.
Bang!
A blurry figure flashed by, and Li Zinian’s left arm, along with the wall, was shattered into pieces!
Without hesitation, Li Zinian threw Cang Yu toward the approaching Zhi Xu and drew his straight blade, slashing at the monster’s head.
Bang!
Li Zinian was kicked so hard that he embedded into the wall, coughing violently.
The withered monster, satisfied that Li Zinian was incapacitated, grabbed his head and dangled him in midair.
Su Ze stopped moving, his cold gaze fixed on the monster.
Surprisingly, the monster didn’t fully use Li Zinian as a hostage. Instead, it hurled him like a cannonball!
The force was immense—enough to kill Li Zinian on impact.
Su Ze instinctively caught him, but no one noticed that a black rod, resembling a steel bar, flew out with Li Zinian.
Thud!
The black rod pierced through Li Zinian’s chest, then through a stunned Su Ze, pinning them both to the ground.
At the same time, Uesugi Akizuki, who had been praying, shuddered. She panicked briefly but quickly calmed herself and continued her prayers for Su Ze.
Her prayer was simple, just four words:
"Su Ze, be safe."
Thanks to Su Ze’s catch, Li Zinian was flung dozens of meters, crashing into a wall, his head spinning.
Su Ze tried to pull the black rod out of his abdomen, but it felt as if it were nailed into the void—it wouldn’t budge!
Law!
Su Ze was shocked. The monster actually possessed a trace of law!
Though it was minimal, it was enough to achieve this.
As the withered monster lunged at him, Su Ze didn’t have time to activate his laws. The monster was too fast, closing the distance in an instant.
Just as the monster’s deadly fist was about to strike, a flash of blade light forced it back half a step.
The monster’s fist didn’t retract. Instead, it immediately redirected its attack toward Zhi Xu!
The punch landed, and Zhi Xu’s entire arm exploded into a shower of blood.
A few drops of blood splattered onto Su Ze’s widened eyes.
"I’ll kill you!"
Cang Yu, his eyes bloodshot, charged forward, his movements awkward due to his broken spine.
The withered monster flicked its wrist, and a black rod shot toward Cang Yu. He twisted his body, narrowly avoiding a direct hit to the heart.
But the rod still pierced his abdomen, dragging him and pinning him to the wall behind him.
"Get away from her! Get the hell away!" Cang Yu frantically grabbed the black rod, trying to pull it out, but it didn’t budge. His hands were soon raw and bleeding.
The withered monster seemed to relish Cang Yu’s screams. Its twisted mind didn’t prioritize killing Su Ze. Instead, it aimed another deadly punch at Zhi Xu’s head, wanting to see Cang Yu’s reaction.
"Erase!"
A voice as commanding as an emperor’s decree rang out.
The monster’s fist momentarily flickered, its power greatly diminished. The punch sent Zhi Xu flying backward.