C12 Life and Death

Xiao Pei was merely mortal, untrained in any form of martial arts.

As the spike hurtled toward her, she stood no chance of evading it.

Chu Yan's gaze quickly swept the area, noting the intensifying glow of the True Essence talisman. Xiao Pei was moments away from being impaled. With a determined clench of his teeth, he pushed his speed to the limit, reaching Xiao Pei in an instant and tackling her to the ground.

The spike whistled through the air, striking the tree behind them and leaving a bowl-sized crater. Wood chips flew as the tree trunk withered and shrank rapidly.

Xiao Pei was petrified, her complexion deathly pale, her body rigid with fear, unable to move.

Chu Yan breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her unscathed.

Had he chosen to activate the True Essence Charm to stop the soul-stealing attack, disregarding Xiao Pei's life, he would have lived with that regret forever.

Suddenly, Xiao Pei's eyes bulged with alarm, and she shouted, "Your Highness, be careful!"

Chu Yan saw a cyan light, like a furious mist, shooting toward them.

In that critical moment, the delicate girl in his arms summoned an incredible strength, breaking free and positioning herself in front of him, resolute and unwavering, "Your Highness, be careful!"

Chu Yan had never witnessed the true might of the Pulse Condensation Stage, but he understood it to be a force far surpassing the fifth level of the Genuine Force Stage.

The oppressive force of this green light eclipsed any foe Chu Yan had ever faced.

His eyes quickly found a nearby warhorse.

These horses had been ridden by the guards, but in the chaos, some had fled, while others remained, their reins tethering them in place.

Without a moment's hesitation, Chu Yan let out a fierce yell, seized a warhorse, and positioned it as a shield. Simultaneously, he pulled Xiao Pei into his arms and spun away.

BOOM!

In the same instant, a blast of green light struck the warhorse. A mournful neigh pierced the air as the beast burst apart, its flesh and blood scattering in a gruesome display. The blood boiled and steamed, painting a grotesque, splattered bloom across the battlefield.

The air itself seemed to roil like boiling water, surging violently in every direction.

Blood spattered densely on the ground, crackling like rain pattering on banana leaves.

Chu Yan grunted, feeling as though a rampaging rhinoceros had slammed into his back. Pain coursed through his bones, his throat burned with sweetness, and he spat a jet of blood, his body involuntarily flung several yards away.

Xiao Pei, previously cradled in his arms, was thrown to the ground.

Already knocked unconscious by the blast, the girl lay silent.

Chu Yan hit the earth hard, his insides feeling as if they had shifted out of place. Each breath scorched his lungs and throat, his entire body wracked with pain as if immersed in a cauldron of boiling oil, indescribable agony in every inch.

Upon seeing Xiao Pei lying unconscious, a fierce rage and a thirst for vengeance surged in Chu Yan's eyes.

This fiend had stooped to such vile means, even targeting Xiao Pei. He would not be forgiven!

The benefits of the Canghai Cloud Cracking Beast's body tempering and his relentless training were now fully evident.

In the past, such a blow would have left Chu Yan incapacitated, but now, he took a deep breath and pushed himself up from the ground with sheer willpower.

The overwhelming aura of death he had honed on the battlefield now shone through unmistakably.

His blood-soaked form stood defiant, like a deity or demon incarnate.

Even the Soul Stealer, who had approached, found himself frozen in place, his pupils shrinking in terror.

"You... you're still alive!" he gasped, his voice rising to a shrill scream.

The True Essence talisman had failed to kill him; what on earth was this man made of?

"Of course I'm not dead, because I am Chu Yan," Chu Yan retorted with a cold laugh.

Bathed in sunlight, his towering presence loomed like a mountain, his shadow weighing down on the Soul Stealer, leaving him gasping for air.

Having expended nearly two decades of his lifespan to activate the true essence talisman, he was now profoundly weakened and unable to continue battling his adversary.

"I refuse to believe you're unkillable!" In a sudden outburst, Spirit Stealing Roar unleashed a primal scream, releasing a black sphere from his chest. "Heavenly Thunder Pearl! Even if I have to reduce you to smithereens and lack a trophy to present upon my return, I will end you!"

Chu Yan's eyes sharpened at the sight. "So you possess this as well."

The Heavenly Demon Thunder Pearl was not a mere weapon but a devastating siege device used on battlefields, packed with gunpowder and shrapnel, and triggered by a mechanism. Its explosion would obliterate everything within a ten-yard radius, leaving nothing but scorched earth.

"You're too late to stop me now, with your sole weapon, the Cyan Astral Sword, lying far out of reach!" Spirit Stealing cackled malevolently as he activated the Heavenly Demon Thunder Pearl.

Chu Yan had already braced himself against the agony and charged at his foe as the first word left his lips.

Thirty feet!

Twenty-four feet!

Eighteen feet!

Nine feet!

As Spirit Stealing pressed the mechanism, his sinister laughter echoed, eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

In that instant, Chu Yan's arm swung with a burst of black light, a streak shooting out like a bolt of lightning.

With such incredible speed and at such close range, Spirit Stealing, in his weakened state, had no chance of evasion.

Swish!

A gruesome spray of blood erupted from his chest, which had sought to claim another's soul.

Glancing down at the spear tip embedded in his torso, Spirit Stealing blinked, his body turning increasingly cold, shivering as he whispered, "Dragon-Breaking Spear—"

He suddenly recalled that on the battlefield, Chu Yan's infamy was not for wielding the Cyan Astral Sword, but for the Dragon-Breaking Spear.

Even reduced to just a spear tip, it remained lethal.

Chu Yan's advance was not an attempt to stop him but to close the distance, ensuring Spirit Stealing had no chance to dodge the deadly strike.

By the time Spirit Stealing realized this, he was already too weak to cast the Heavenly Fiend Thunder Pearl again.

With a thunderous boom, the ground erupted as if struck by lightning, and a soul-snatching body was violently swept up into the maelstrom of the blast, instantly shredded into a pulp of blood and flesh.

The shockwave from the explosion felt like hundreds of trees being hurled at Chu Yan, propelling him several meters through the air before he slammed against a boulder, finally coming to a halt.

In a matter of seconds, the scene was a gruesome tableau of severed limbs, flesh, scorched trees, and wrecked carriages, all strewn about. The air hung heavy with the acrid stench of blood and the charred odor of burnt remains.

Reeling from the double impact, Chu Yan's body felt as though every bone had shattered. He made several attempts to rise but failed, forcing himself to crawl towards Xiao Pei, fighting through the fatigue and searing pain.

Though the Spiritualist and Soul Stealer had met their end, Chu Yan couldn't be certain that Chu Xing didn't have more contingencies in place. If there were still assassins out there, Chu Yan, in his current condition, was in no shape for another confrontation. He needed to get Xiao Pei to safety without delay.

The distance to Xiao Pei seemed insurmountable as Chu Yan nearly lost consciousness multiple times. Yet, with his indomitable will and resilient physique, he persevered.

Just a few feet from Xiao Pei, Chu Yan sensed something amiss and instinctively looked up.

There, in the distant sky, a radiant orb of seven colors soared towards him, closing the gap with every passing moment.