Sensing the icy aura rushing from behind, Wang Yuyao's expression shifted.
The Xuanshui Ring on her finger flared, and she tapped her flying sword beneath her feet.
The Perfect Yunshui Cold Light Sword shot out instantly.
Clang!
The next moment, the Yunshui Cold Light Sword was knocked back.
Wang Yuyao groaned, blood spilling from her lips. Her already pale face turned even whiter, devoid of any trace of color.
Yet, borrowing the recoil of the strike, she once again widened the gap between herself and her pursuers.
She stuffed a Rejuvenation Pill and a Spirit-Restoring Pill into her mouth, then bolted forward.
In this condition, she clearly couldn't afford to split her focus to refine the medicinal power.
Taking pills like this was extremely wasteful—over eighty percent of the potency would be lost.
Of course, she knew this. But at this moment, she had no choice.
Her injuries and spiritual power had nearly reached their limit.
If not for the constant support of pills, she would have already been cut down.
Before entering the secret realm, Senior Brother Wang had given her ten Spirit-Restoring Pills, ten Rejuvenation Pills, and one Blood-Bursting Pill.
Now, she had already used up nine of each.
Once her supply of these two medicines ran out, she would no longer be able to endure.
Was she going to have to use the Blood-Bursting Pill?
The backlash of that pill was enormous.
Once taken, if the crisis wasn't resolved quickly, death was guaranteed.
And that was under normal circumstances.
In her current fragile state, taking it might cause her body to collapse outright.
But she had already been forced to the edge. There was no other choice.
Her hand trembled as she pulled the Blood-Bursting Pill out, preparing to swallow it—
When suddenly, the bracelet on her wrist began to glow faintly.
"Senior Brother Wang is nearby!"
Her eyes lit up.
This bracelet was also a gift from him.
It came in a pair—he wore the other one.
As long as they were within ten li of each other, the bracelets allowed them to sense one another's location.
Now, she could faintly feel his position.
And it seemed he had sensed hers as well—he was already rushing toward her.
Thinking of this, she flipped her hand and stowed away the Blood-Bursting Pill.
Clenching her teeth, she flew in his direction.
Others might not know, but she was certain that Senior Brother Wang was not the useless waste the outside world thought him to be.
On the contrary, she had always believed his strength was unfathomable.
As long as she could reunite with him, the danger behind her would be easily dealt with.
…
High above.
As Wang Jianqiang sped forward, his brows were already tightly furrowed.
Moments ago, he had sensed Wang Yuyao's position through the Silverlight Bracelet, so he rushed toward it.
But gradually, he realized something was wrong.
Her speed was frantic.
This wasn't traveling—it was fleeing!
The thought made his heart sink, and he instantly exploded with full speed.
…
Pfft~
Wang Yuyao spat blood, sent tumbling again.
She shoved two pills into her mouth.
"These are the last ones!"
Her expression grew anxious.
Her medicine was completely exhausted, yet she still sensed a gap of about five li between her and Senior Brother Wang.
In her state, could she hold out?
Four li~
Five li~
Three li~
…
Moments later.
In the distance, a hazy figure flickered in and out.
Though his face wasn't visible, Wang Yuyao knew without doubt—it was Senior Brother Wang.
Yet her face showed no joy, only helplessness.
It was too late.
The pursuers had already caught up, launching another attack.
A wave of icy aura surged at her.
The cold cleared her mind.
She gritted her teeth and swallowed the Blood-Bursting Pill.
At once, her blood boiled like scalding water.
Crimson qi surged from her veins, infusing her spiritual power, dyeing it blood-red.
Her once gentle spiritual force instantly turned violent.
At the same time—
Her appearance transformed drastically.
Her black hair turned scarlet, and her pupils gleamed with bloodlight.
She flicked her finger.
The Yunshui Cold Light Sword, cloaked in bloodlight, clashed with the icy bird swooping at her from behind.
Boom!
The icebird shattered, while the blood glow around the Yunshui Sword faded.
"Oh?"
"A strength-boosting pill? You sure have a lot of good things on you."
A woman in white appeared less than ten zhang away.
She looked no older than twenty, with exquisite features and a tall, graceful figure.
Her beautiful eyes blinked in surprise as she looked at Wang Yuyao.
Then she smiled. "But it seems the side effects are no joke. In this state, you can't last long, can you?"
Wang Yuyao said nothing, turning to flee again.
She knew full well what was happening inside her body.
The rampaging blood qi was tearing apart her tendons, flesh, and even bones wherever it passed.
Already severely wounded, if she couldn't end this state soon, she would surely die.
"Trying to run?"
The woman chuckled, flicking her finger.
A burst of force shot toward her.
Wang Yuyao was forced to turn and block.
Whoosh~
A faint whistling sound came—suddenly, the woman was standing in front of her.
She turned to glance at the distant figure.
That shadow was drawing nearer.
"You want to meet him?"
"You think that once you reach him, you'll escape danger?"
Wang Yuyao glared coldly, saying nothing.
The woman smiled, shaking her head.
"I'd like to know why he gives you so much confidence. But I won't risk any surprises."
"So…please die."
Her words fell, and she pointed.
A vicious flying sword shot forth.
Wang Yuyao summoned her own, channeling the Xuanshui Ring's power as it flew out.
Clang!
The swords clashed.
Wang Yuyao spat blood, thrown back.
But she had blocked the strike.
"To think the boost was this great. That pill is truly extraordinary."
The woman sighed in admiration, then sent her sword slashing again.
Wang Yuyao gritted her teeth and resisted.
The impact struck like a mountain, shattering her blood-imbued power and hurling her limp body away.
By now, Wang Jianqiang was less than one li from the battlefield. He could clearly see everything.
"It's over!"
The woman raised her head toward him, a mocking smile on her flawless face.
As if to say—you're too late.
She waved her hand, her flying sword stabbing once more.
Seeing this—
Wang Jianqiang's eyes turned ice-cold.
Green light flared beneath his feet.
With a burst of force, a whirlwind wrapped around him.
In an instant, he crossed a full li.
At the very moment the sword was about to pierce Wang Yuyao, he appeared in front of her.
"Get out!"
His icy voice rang out.
The flying sword recoiled violently.