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Although his gaze was heavy, Tang Chuan's heart remained steady, and his mind quickly ran through every possible escape route. He focused on his spirit ability, Simulation. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. "The Crimson King?!" he thought.
Just as the several thousand-year spirit beasts leaped up, their sharp claws tearing through the air and pouncing toward Qian Renxue, a violent roar erupted. A crimson, lightning-like figure plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily in front of Qian Renxue. The moment it landed, a wave of fire swept across the ground, the earth cracked, and dust flew, scaring the spirit beasts back.
Roar! With a soul-shaking roar, the crimson figure became clear. It was a three-headed, lion-shaped vicious beast, its entire body blood-red and burning with red flames. Its pupils were filled with endless majesty and rage. It was the Crimson King, one of the Ten Vicious Beastsâthe Three-Headed Crimson Demonic Mastiff!
The Crimson King suddenly lifted one of its heads, its eyes like torches, sweeping its gaze around with monstrous fury. The thousand-year spirit beasts that had been eager to attack instantly froze under its gaze. Another furious roar emanated, and their massive bodies began to tremble, retreating repeatedly. Some even turned and fled, vanishing into the forest like mice seeing a cat.
"What's going on? Why is this guy saving me?" Qian Renxue stood stunned, her face filled with confusion. For a moment, she forgot about resisting or fleeing.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion watched the spirit beasts scatter and the Crimson King appear to save the human. Its face froze, and it spoke in a clear female voice, "Crimson King? What are you doing?" The next second, its golden pupils narrowed, and the vertical eye on its forehead abruptly opened, emitting an eerie crimson glow as it probed for something. "No, you are not the Crimson King!" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion murmured, its voice filled with anger and shock.
Roar! "You're courting death!" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion roared again. The surrounding forest seemed to tremble, and massive spirit power fluctuations erupted like a volcanic eruption. It leaped up, golden flames gushing from its claws, pouncing directly toward the Crimson King to tear this imposter to shreds.
Meanwhile, the Crimson King's figure suddenly trembled. Its blood-red exterior began to twist and shrink, its crimson fur, muscles, and sharp claws rapidly retracting. In an instant, it transformed into a young man in blue attireâit was Tang Chuan!
"As expected, I was seen through!" Tang Chuan cursed under his breath. The next second, his body rapidly retreated. He knelt down and scooped up the dying Qian Renxue, muttering to himself, "This woman is truly foolish, daring to covet the Emperor Ruishou."
Just as he pulled Qian Renxue into his arms, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's massive body rapidly approached. Tang Chuan was already prepared. While holding Qian Renxue, the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone erupted with a blazing blue-gold light. With the infusion of spirit power, his body suddenly rose, transforming into a golden streak that shot straight up and suspended him dozens of meters in the air. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's sharp claws missed him by a hair's breadth.
"What! He can actually fly?" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion roared upward, its vertical eye swirling with demonic light and raging in impotent fury.
Suspended in mid-air, Tang Chuan looked down at the somewhat unconscious Qian Renxue in his arms. After feeling her faint but steady breathing, he let out a soft sigh. "This is really troublesome," he said. He raised his head, his gaze once again falling upon the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. The Emperor Ruishou was glaring up at him, its vertical eye swirling with demonic light, golden flames burning fiercely beneath its four limbs.
A chilling pressure pressed upward, as if it would leap into the air and tear Tang Chuan to shreds. But the Three-Eyed Golden Lion couldn't fly at all. It was continuously pawing at the ground in front of it, looking very angry. It had been able to intercept Qian Renxue by summoning flying spirit beasts from nearby, but those had been scared away by the roar of the Crimson King that Tang Chuan had just simulated.
Looking at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, which resembled a difficult-to-pacify puppy when angry, Tang Chuan's expression remained unchanged. He even smiled and waved gently at it. "Auspicious Beast, goodbye. Don't be angry; being angry is bad for your health. I was just passing by, hehe." His tone was relaxed, and the moment his words fell, the blue-gold light beneath his feet suddenly exploded.
Swish! The next second, Tang Chuan shot through the air like an arrow, his figure tracing an extreme arc above the sea of trees, and in the blink of an eye, he had vanished into the distant verdant sky.
"Ah!!!" "Damn human, don't let me see you again, or I will tear you to pieces!" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion roared to the sky, and the golden light on its body scattered like a tide, shattering and toppling several surrounding hundred-year-old trees. The ground cracked inch by inch.
A few hours later, on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, night slowly descended. The only sounds were the chirping of insects and the occasional wind rustling through the dense trees. Above the sky, stars twinkled, casting a faint silver glow through the leaves. In a clearing, a crackling bonfire burned, its warm light illuminating the surroundings. Not far from the bonfire, beneath an ancient tree, a blonde man lay quietly. He was handsome, but at the moment, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his complexion was a little pale, though his breathing was steady.
Hmm... He stirred, then slowly opened his eyes. Qian Renxue's pupils flickered in the firelight. A moment later, she coughed softly and raised a hand to touch her chest. Her fingertips touched a layer of scabbed bloodstains. The intense pain had subsided, clearly indicating very meticulous treatment.
Sitting up with a slight effort, Qian Renxue cautiously scanned her surroundings. When her gaze fell upon the young man's back by the bonfire, she couldn't help but be startled. The blue-clad youth was half-crouching by the fire, his hands tending to a cleaned Soft Bones Rabbit. The rabbit meat slowly roasted to a golden brown, and its aroma wafted everywhere. The young man's movements were composed, his expression focused, as if he had anticipated her waking up, yet he did not turn his head.
Qian Renxue's voice was still weak. "Was it you... who saved me?"
Tang Chuan did not turn his head. "It's not really saving, just a matter of convenience," he said indifferently.
"Thank you!"
"No need to thank me," the young man replied softly, still not turning his head. In a commanding tone, he said, "Since you're awake, don't move around. Your injury isn't fully healed yet."
Qian Renxue was silent for a moment, then looked down at the robe she was wearing, which had been cleaned, and her wounds were all properly bandaged. A complex look flashed across her golden pupils. She slowly sat up again, her gaze falling on the young man's back. Her voice was faint but had a hint of inquiry. "What is your name?"
"Tang Chuan," he responded indifferently without turning his head.
"Tang Chuan?" Qian Renxue murmured softly, then her eyes flickered. "My name is... Xue He." Her tone was slightly hesitant. As she was still disguised as Xue Qinghe, it was not suitable to expose her identity. The name Xue He could justify itself and not be too abrupt.
Upon hearing this, Tang Chuan finally turned to look at him. His gaze swept over the golden short hair and handsome but slightly weak face. "Xue He? That's quite an elegant name," he said casually. In his mind, he was thinking, "You're quite good at pretending! If I hadn't read Tang Clan Continent, I might have actually been fooled by you." After speaking, Tang Chuan turned back to focus on roasting the rabbit.
"What is the origin of this young man?" Qian Renxue secretly pondered. As the heir of Spirit Hall, her vigilance was naturally very strong. With her judgment, she knew that unless one was a flying spirit master, even a Spirit Douluo couldn't float in the air like that. But this young man named Tang Chuan could not only fly but also at an extremely fast speed. When he escaped with her from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's encirclement, it was as if he was teleporting. And he could also transform into a spirit beast. The more Qian Renxue thought about it, the more surprised she became.
Even if she were dumb, she would know this young man was full of secrets, but he had saved her life. She couldn't possibly repay kindness with enmity. Coveting the other party's spirit bone and saying, "You are eating a rabbit, you already have a Dao to death!" Qian Renxue couldn't do such a shameless thing. As long as the other party didn't harm her and didn't oppose Spirit Hall, then he was a friend.
Just then, her stomach rumbled. She was startled, and a hint of shyness appeared on her face. Tang Chuan raised an eyebrow at the sound, glanced at her sideways, and seeing her somewhat unnatural expression, he smiled as if nothing had happened.
"Hungry?" Tang Chuan casually tore off a whole hind leg from the roasted rabbit, along with some crispy skin and meat, and handed it to Qian Renxue.
"Thank you, Brother Tang Chuan!" Qian Renxue looked at the rabbit leg. She was silent for a moment but ultimately reached out and took it.
"Be my brother!?" Tang Chuan's face showed a hint of awkwardness. Looking at Qian Renxue, who was disguised as a man, he smiled noncommittally and suddenly remembered a line from Peerless Tang Sect: A true brother is someone who becomes your woman when you need a woman!