198: Chapter 198: Brother, hang in there!

Su Qinghan's face flushed red, as if it were on fire.

She pushed him away abruptly, her voice changing pitch: "You... you're shameless!"

Xiao Ran spread his hands, looking innocent.

"How am I shameless? I save you and you repay me; it's only natural."

"Besides, it's not our first time."

Su Qinghan lowered her head, twisting the corner of her clothes with her fingers until her knuckles turned white.

"That time... that time was because I was under a Love Curse."

Xiao Ran shrugged: "The result is the same."

Su Qinghan fell silent.

Xiao Ran turned around, making a move to leave.

"Then there's nothing to talk about. Anyway, Li Changsheng's death would benefit me too."

"With one less competitor, my life will be much easier."

His pace was neither fast nor slow, as if he were taking a stroll.

Su Qinghan looked at his back and shouted through gritted teeth.

"Wait!"

Su Qinghan knew Xiao Ran was right; currently, no one but Xiao Ran could save Li Changsheng.

And saving Li Changsheng required paying a price.

Xiao Ran stopped but didn't look back.

But a successful smile clearly played on the corners of his mouth.

"What? You agree?"

Su Qinghan lowered her head, her voice as small as a mosquito's buzz.

"You... you go save him first. We'll talk when you get back."

Xiao Ran turned back to look at her.

At this moment, Su Qinghan's face was buried in shadow, making her expression unreadable.

"No, what if you go back on your word? Agree first, and then I'll go."

Su Qinghan took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"Fine, I agree."

"But you must guarantee to bring him back alive."

Xiao Ran's scheme had finally succeeded.

"Deal."

He started taking off his clothes on the spot.

Su Qinghan was startled, her voice shrill: "What are you doing?"

Xiao Ran said matter-of-factly, his hands not stopping.

"Didn't you agree? I'm just collecting some interest first."

His outer robe was already untied, revealing his lean, strong chest.

Su Qinghan hurried to stop him, pressing her hand against his.

"No, there's not enough time! You go save him first!"

Xiao Ran thought for a moment and nodded: "Makes sense."

Each time he did it, it took several hours; by then, Li Changsheng's body would be cold.

Xiao Ran didn't continue undressing, but he didn't put it back on either.

His outer robe hung open, revealing his collarbones and chest muscles.

"Then kiss me once first, as a deposit."

Su Qinghan glared at him, fire in her eyes.

"You..."

Xiao Ran said nothing, simply pointing to his cheek.

"No kiss? Then I'm leaving."

"Anyway, Li Changsheng won't last much longer."

He turned to leave again.

Su Qinghan bit her lip and grabbed him.

She stood on her tiptoes and quickly kissed him on the cheek.

Her lips touched his skin—cool and soft.

"Is that enough?"

Su Qinghan took a step back.

Xiao Ran touched the spot where he had been kissed.

Comfortable!

"More than enough."

He turned and immediately charged toward the beast tide.

His gray robe flapped in the wind, and he soon disappeared into the twilight.

Su Qinghan watched his back, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She touched her lips; his warmth still lingered on them.

"Bastard."

Su Qinghan cursed softly.

On the other side.

Xiao Ran was on his way to save Li Changsheng.

Through the Soul Link, Li Changsheng's voice came through, filled with anxiety and anger.

"Xiao Ran! Where the hell are you when I need saving?"

"That big bug has its eyes on me! You woman-chasing jerk, come save me quickly!"

His voice was mixed with the sound of Sword Qi cutting through the air and the roars of Yao Beasts; the background noise was a mess.

Xiao Ran replied while running.

"I had a bit of an accident. I'll be there soon."

"You hold on a little longer, don't die."

Xiao Ran's tone was a bit guilty. If Li Changsheng knew he was being used as a bargaining chip...

Wouldn't Li Changsheng hack him to pieces?

Li Changsheng continued to roar: "If you don't come soon, I'm really going to die! This big bug is like it's on drugs, it won't stop chasing me!"

Xiao Ran: "Just hold on a bit more. Where's your One Sword Breaks All Laws?"

Li Changsheng cursed.

"Break your ass! My spiritual power is almost exhausted! Hurry up!"

Xiao Ran sped up.

He dashed through wave after wave of the beast tide, heading toward Li Changsheng.

...

Meanwhile.

At the center of the beast tide.

Li Changsheng was fighting desperately.

His green robe was shredded into strips, hanging on him like a tattered flag.

He was covered in wounds, the deepest one on his left shoulder, where white bone was visible.

However, he continued to fight. Clear Qi transformed into countless Sword Qi, raining down in all directions and slaying the pouncing Yao Beasts one by one.

But there were too many Yao Beasts; they were endless.

He killed one, and two more came.

He killed two, and four more came.

...

That wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that the Insectoid Demon Venerable had targeted him.

It kicked off the ground with its six legs and leaped in front of Li Changsheng, smashing a large crater into the earth.

A pair of massive pincer-like mouthparts opened, with green venom flowing within.

The venom dripped onto the ground, making a sizzling corrosive sound.

It spat at Li Changsheng, moving as fast as a bolt of purple lightning.

Li Changsheng dodged, the venom nearly grazing him.

The venom hit a large tree, which instantly snapped in two, wood chips flying everywhere.

Li Changsheng took a sharp breath.

If he were hit by that, he’d be crippled if not dead.

So, while fighting, he frantically called out to Xiao Ran through the Soul Link.

But Xiao Ran hadn't replied; there was only a busy signal.

"Damn it! Did this guy really go off to pick up girls?"

He cursed in his heart, decisively putting some distance between them and splitting a pouncing Venomous Scorpion in half with a single sword strike.

The Insectoid Demon Venerable lunged again, its mouthparts spitting out a stream of green venom.

The venom shot toward Li Changsheng like an arrow.

Li Changsheng couldn't dodge in time, and the venom splashed onto his left arm.

His sleeve was instantly corroded, and black patterns appeared on his skin, moving like little snakes beneath the surface.

He let out a muffled groan and quickly used Clear Qi to protect his left arm, preventing the toxin from spreading.

The Clear Qi formed a thin protective barrier over his left arm, like a layer of transparent plastic wrap.

"This can't go on."

Li Changsheng gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging.

If this continued, it was a question whether he could even last until Xiao Ran arrived to save the day.

"Fuck!"

"That dog must be flirting with some girl!"

Li Changsheng cursed angrily.

Then he looked up at the Insectoid Demon Venerable.

This dead bug's carapace was very hard; ordinary Sword Qi couldn't pierce it.

To hold out until Xiao Ran arrived, he had to find its weakness.

From then on, Li Changsheng stopped making ineffective attacks. He simply dodged and observed, not letting any detail escape him.

Suddenly, he noticed a patch of soft flesh at the base of the Insectoid Demon Venerable's mouthparts that wasn't covered by carapace.

The bug was intentionally or unintentionally protecting that spot.

"Self-deception."

Li Changsheng instantly understood that was its weakness.

Now that he knew the weakness, it was naturally time to strike while it was vulnerable.

Li Changsheng immediately took a deep breath, circulating his Clear Qi to its full potential.

His Innate Dao Embryo resonated with the world, and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surged frantically, condensing into a ten-foot-long sword of Clear Qi in his hand.

Runes flowed on the sword's blade, emitting a blinding light.

"One Sword Breaks All Laws!"

He charged forward abruptly, as fast as a bolt of green lightning.

The sword of Clear Qi pierced directly into the base of the Insectoid Demon Venerable's mouthparts.

The Insectoid Demon Venerable sensed the danger and tried to dodge, but Li Changsheng was too fast.

The sword of Clear Qi pierced the soft flesh in an instant. The Insectoid Demon Venerable let out a shrill screech, a sound as sharp as nails scraping across a blackboard.

It struggled frantically, its six legs kicking wildly.

Li Changsheng was suddenly thrown back, slamming heavily into the ground and coughing up blood.

"Despicable human!"

The usually silent Insectoid Demon Venerable spoke in human tongue for the first time.

Li Changsheng looked and immediately knew things had gone south.

That spot was indeed the big bug's weakness, but the bug was at the Peak Soul Transformation Stage, and Li Changsheng's full-strength blow hadn't killed it.

Instead, it had enraged it.

Next, Li Changsheng would face the Insectoid Demon Venerable's frantic retaliation.