C9 Soul Captivation

Without a word, the two figures approached.

A disquieting emotion swiftly spread among the guards present, unsettling them deeply.

The Guard Commander, facing these individuals head-on, felt an unprecedented pressure bearing down on him, causing his body to shiver involuntarily.

At last, when they were about sixty meters away from the group, the stockier one scanned the crowd before his gaze settled on Chu Yan. He declared, "Soulreaper and Soul Stealing are here by command to claim the life of Chu Yan, the sinner of the Southern Yuan Kingdom."

"Soulreaper!"

The guards exclaimed in unison, their faces draining of color.

Even Xiao Pei couldn't suppress a shudder.

It was common knowledge that Soulreaper and Soul Stealing were a notorious duo of assassins in the Southern Yuan Kingdom. No one targeted by them had ever escaped with their life.

This was precisely why their true appearances remained unknown.

Now, to everyone's shock, these harbingers of death had appeared beyond the kingdom's borders, intent on claiming Chu Yan's life.

A mix of surprise, astonishment, fear, and doubt instantly registered on the faces of the guards.

Chu Yan set aside the half-eaten rations in his hand and let out a sigh. "Haven't you realized? These two are Chu Xing's hired killers."

Chu Xing?

The guards blinked in disbelief, then the realization hit them. This was the newly titled crown prince, Chu Yan's half-brother!

What truly stunned the guards was not just that the crown prince had these notorious killers at his disposal, but that a brother would go so far as to send assassins after his own sibling.

"I had my suspicions," Chu Yan continued, picking up the Cyan Astral Sword beside him and rising to his feet. He addressed the guards, "Given Chu Xing's nature, it's surprising he waited this long to act. I know you're not involved in this. Go on, leave. You won't be held accountable by me."

His words caused the guards to catch their breath.

Their feelings towards Chu Yan had always been mixed, admiring his past achievements yet condemning his recent conduct.

At that moment, even the dimmest of minds could have pieced together what was happening.

"Your Highness!" The captain of the guards' eyes bulged with tiger-like ferocity, his teeth clattering from sheer agitation.

"There's no escape for you." The white-robed, portly figure known as Soulreaper sneered, his iron claw whistling from his waist into his grasp with a flick of his wrist.

The black-clad, gaunt man called Soul Stealing remained silent, his cold face unchanging as he stood off to the side, arms crossed.

"By the crown prince's decree, the seventeen knights and the rebel Chu Yan are in collusion and shall be executed without mercy!" As the final word thundered from his lips, Soulreaper charged like a cannonball toward the guard captain.

The captain lifted his spear, thrusting it toward the charging figure in white.

The iron claw caught the spear's tip, and an immense force surged, unbelievably bending the heavy spear. The guard captain's face twisted in shock as he was forced to stumble aside.

With a bellow, Soulreaper swung his arm, the iron claw snatching the spear and hurling it like a javelin, lightning-fast.

Swish!

A streak of black light, and before the nearest guard could react, the spear impaled his chest. His body flew, striking a rock with a sickening crack, the spear pinning him in place.

The guard's eyes remained open in death, blood pouring from the large wound in his chest like a broken bank.

Simultaneously, Soulreaper's corpulent form displayed unexpected agility. In one stride, he was upon the guard captain, his iron claw sweeping in a deadly arc to sever an arm, then crossing over the captain's neck in a lethal embrace.

Swish!

Heads and geysers of blood erupted skyward.

Moments later, the headless body of the guard captain teetered before toppling to the ground.

In a mere flash, two lives were extinguished.

Those chosen as soldiers were far from ordinary. The guards escorting Chu Yan were mostly at the first tier of the Genuine Force Stage, with the captain himself at the second tier.

Before the soul reaper, he was as defenseless as a chick, mercilessly slaughtered without resistance.

The remaining guards, driven by either guilt towards Chu Yan or the hope that their numbers might prevail, charged at the Soulreaper without hesitation, choosing to confront their foe head-on.

In a flash, the air was thick with a rain of blood.

Xiao Pei shivered uncontrollably, her once radiant face now ashen.

Although she had been banished to the secret palace due to past entanglements, she had never witnessed such carnage.

"Your Highness... what do we do now?" Xiao Pei clung to Chu Yan's arm.

"I'll protect you," Chu Yan assured her, patting her shoulder with a calm gaze as he watched the iron claw effortlessly pierce a guard's abdomen, gruesomely spilling his entrails, "That's the power of the Third Stage of Genuine Force, isn't it?"

"But what about them?" Xiao Pei bit her lip, fighting back tears.

"I gave them the chance to leave. They've chosen their path," Chu Yan said, shaking his head.

His experiences on the battlefield had numbed him to the stark reality of life and death and taught him that no one has the right to dictate another's life choices.

The guards had made their decision to face the battle; now they had to accept the consequences, life or death.

A guard commander at the second level of the Genuine Force Stage couldn't last two moves against the Soulreaper, let alone these first-level guards who were as flimsy as paper before him.

In moments, the ground was strewn with disfigured bodies.

One guard, chest hollowed out yet clinging to life, stared at Chu Yan, lips quivering, trying to speak. But blood gushed from his throat, silencing his words.

Chu Yan stepped forward and drove his sword through the man's heart, granting him a swifter end to his suffering.

"Alright, now it's down to just the two of you." Soulreaper flicked the blood from his iron claw with a casual disdain.

Despite having just slain seventeen people, his white garments remained unblemished by blood.

He observed Chu Yan gripping his sword and let out a series of mocking laughs. "Chu Yan, you've lost all your power. At this point, you're barely more than a mere mortal, hardly a match for even those I've dispatched. Why not make it easy and let me take your head? That way, we can finish our task and perhaps even honor your memory. We might burn incense for you on the anniversary of your death each year. You were, after all, once a young hero I greatly admired."

His words dripped with an indescribable mix of cruelty and scorn.

Xiao Pei clenched her jaw, her fingers wrapping tightly around a sharp hairpin concealed in her palm.

She had made up her mind—if Chu Yan met with disaster, she would end her life without hesitation, determined to join him in death.