Ling Feng's sharp eyes spotted her from afar, and sure enough, the faint tremor in his little finger confirmed it—she was nearby.
Jiang Biyi, currently besieged by enemies, suddenly felt her own finger twitch in response. Her heart leapt with joy as she caught sight of Ling Feng in the distance. Immediately, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Bad guy! Hurry up and save me!"
The sheer absurdity of her choice of words nearly made Ling Feng choke on his own breath.
This damn girl—even in a life-or-death situation, she still can't call me something nicer?
Right then, Jiang Biyi was alone—even Ye Xingnan was nowhere to be seen. With her meager skills, there was no way she could hold her own against those demonic geniuses. Luckily, she was loaded with treasures, including a Treasure of Heaven and Earth that had activated an absolute defense barrier. Without it, she'd have been dead long ago.
The moment Jiang Biyi shouted, Du Lang and Zi She snapped their attention toward Ling Feng. When they saw Xue Ji—barely clinging to life—dangling from his grip, their faces twisted with fury.
Ling Feng tightened his hold on Xue Ji's collar and gestured lazily at the two demons. "These your friends?"
Xue Ji didn't dare disobey. In her eyes, Ling Feng had long since become a devil in human skin!
"Seems like Demonic Jiao Prince hasn't returned yet."
Ling Feng rubbed his nose just as Du Lang, unable to contain his rage any longer, lunged forward with a roar. "Damn human! Let Xue Ji go!"
Xue Ji mustered the last of her strength and screamed, "Forget about me! Run! Find the prince!"
Du Lang's pupils shrank. His gaze swept the area—no sign of Hei Xiong. Seeing Xue Ji in such a wretched state, he understood. Hei Xiong was already dead.
"Still causing trouble even now?"
Ling Feng tossed Xue Ji carelessly behind him, then said to Wang Chuanjia and the others, "Watch her. If she tries anything, kill her on the spot."
Wang Chuanjia and the others responded immediately. Despite his youth, General Ling was ruthless when it mattered. Beauty meant nothing to him—only results.
Du Lang's veins bulged as he watched Ling Feng treat Xue Ji like trash. "You dare—!"
"Yeah? What about it?"
Ling Feng floated up, meeting Du Lang at eye level with an infuriatingly calm smirk. "What exactly are you gonna do?"
Du Lang's glare could have burned holes through steel. He was far stronger than Xue Ji and Hei Xiong, and if he teamed up with Zi She, they could at least hold out until the Demonic Jiao Prince returned. Once that happened, this brat was dead!
Meanwhile, from atop the hill, Jiang Biyi wailed again, tears streaming down her face. "Bad guy! Hurry up! My Qianyuan[1] Heavenly Barrier's about to break!"
Ling Feng’s face darkened. Is the sacred land seriously sending someone like her to the Wuji Cave Heaven?
It’s fine if you can’t hold on, but why announce it? Are you trying to give the demons the idea to take you hostage?
Right on cue, the white barrier around her flickered violently—then shattered.
Jiang Biyi plopped onto her butt, gasping for air. Maintaining a Treasure of Heaven and Earth for so long had drained her completely.
Zi She, ever the opportunist, slithered forward in a flash. His arm stretched unnaturally—like a serpent—and coiled around Jiang Biyi in an inescapable grip.
"Human! Release Xue Ji, or your little friend dies!"
Zi She grinned, his forked tongue flicking out, making Jiang Biyi shriek.
"Eek! Get away! Go away!"
She squirmed, but with her measly Pulse Formation Realm strength, breaking free from a Spiritual Element Realm demon was impossible.
"Do whatever you want with her." Ling Feng shrugged, utterly indifferent. "Haven't you heard her calling me 'bad guy' this whole time? We're not exactly comrades."
"What?!" Zi She's eyes widened. He'd expected Ling Feng to hesitate, but this guy didn't even blink.
"You rotten jerk! You bad guy!" Jiang Biyi burst into fresh tears. "I'll haunt you forever if I die! Waaah—!"
Ling Feng rolled his eyes. Of course he wasn't going to abandon her—but this troublemaker needed to sweat a little. Consider it payback for all the headaches she'd caused him.
Ling Feng summoned the Eradicator of Realms and—without a second glance at Jiang Biyi—swung straight at Du Lang.
Du Lang's instincts screamed as the blade's edge radiated a terrifying conscious realm intent—pure, unrestrained killing aura. The sheer pressure froze him for a split second.
And that was all Ling Feng needed.
In a blink, he'd bypassed Du Lang and redirected his slash toward Zi She.
Only then did Du Lang realize—Ling Feng's real target was the girl!
Zi She's pupils shrank to pinpricks. "You think you can save her?!"
Ling Feng's sword flashed as he roared, "Reincarnation Unyielding Slash!"
The blade came down right toward Jiang Biyi's head, making her shriek.
"Hey! Watch where you're swinging! Are you trying to kill me?! Aah!"
She'd just started to cheer up, thinking Ling Feng was rescuing her—only for him to apparently try decapitating her instead.
As the sword descended, Jiang Biyi squeezed her eyes shut, too terrified to look. Zi She, equally stunned, never expected Ling Feng to attack his own ally.
But at the last moment—
The Ling Feng in front of them? Just an afterimage!
Had Ye Nanfeng been present, he'd have recognized this move—the sky-tier movement art, Soaring Twin Phoenix!
Zi She barely had time to process the trick before a chilling sense of doom gripped him. He tried to retreat—
A cold gleam pierced his forehead, carving out a chunk of flesh. The essence blood from his brow—prime material for the Eight Desolations Body Refinement Art—coalesced in Ling Feng's palm before surging into his veins.
Zi She's body went limp, collapsing into nothing more than a dead snake.
Freed from his coils, Jiang Biyi's legs gave out—but Ling Feng caught her by the shoulders before she could hit the ground.
Still squeezing her eyes shut, convinced she was about to die, she instead heard a calm voice by her ear.
Jiang Biyi cracked one eye open to see Ling Feng looking down at her, that infuriating half-smirk on his face.
"YOU BAD GUY! WAAAH—!"
The emotional whiplash was too much. She pounded her tiny fists against his chest before burying her face in his robes, bawling like a child.
1. 乾元 (qián yuán) direct translate = Heavenly Origin / Primordial Heaven / Supreme Origin ☜