33: Sorry I'm late.

Tianyan City, the Su Family's back mountain.

The temperature in the air was dropping rapidly.

Su Xuanchen looked at the shattered transmission Jade Slip in his hand, his face eerily calm.

They refused.

The Lingxiao Sword Sect not only refused to exchange the tribulation crossing lotus but didn't even give him a chance to negotiate in person.

"Good."

"Very good."

Su Xuanchen gently patted the non-existent dust on his sleeves, a sinister sneer curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Since you refuse to be shown respect..."

"Then this seat will have to pay a personal visit and peel off your faces along with your skulls."

He didn't want to wait anymore.

What bullshit sword Dao Holy Land.

In his eyes, they were just a pile of experience points and resource repositories waiting to be harvested.

Just as Su Xuanchen was about to step out and head straight for the East Region's Lingxiao Sword Sect.

Buzz!

His brow suddenly twitched violently.

His powerful Divine Thought, which had long since entered the Saint Middle Stage, subconsciously swept in a certain direction.

That was... the direction of the Yunlan Dynasty.

His Divine Thought instantly crossed a distance of two to three hundred thousand miles.

The next second.

The killing intent in Su Xuanchen's eyes instantly surged to the extreme!

Boom!

At this moment, the Formation of the entire back mountain Forbidden Ground shattered with a bang, unable to withstand the monstrous fury erupting from within his body!

"Courting death!"

Two words, like Nine Heavens thunder, exploded over Tianyan City.

The members of the Su Family hadn't even reacted to what happened.

The figure that should have headed to the East Region had already vanished into thin air.

Only a trail of starlight, filled with endless brutality, tore through the sky and teleported toward the Yunlan Dynasty!

...Yunlan Dynasty, the Imperial Capital.

This place was once the most prosperous city for ten thousand miles, but now it had become a Shura Hell.

Flames soared into the sky, and thick smoke billowed.

Half of the once-magnificent imperial palace had collapsed, and mangled corpses were scattered everywhere among the ruins.

Blood gathered into rivers, winding down the white jade steps and staining the entire square red.

"Kill! Leave no one alive!"

"Not even the chickens and dogs!"

In the sky, three figures radiating terrifying auras were unscrupulously releasing attacks.

Those were three Quasi-Saints!

Although they were all wearing black robes to hide their faces, that extremely sharp Sword Intent could not be hidden.

"Puff!"

Below, an elderly figure was once again sent flying by a Sword Qi, crashing heavily into the ruins.

That was the Yunlan Old Ancestor, Bai Canglin.

At this moment, he was in an extremely miserable state.

His left arm had been severed at the root, the wound a bloody mess where even the white bone could be seen.

His Dragon robe, which originally symbolized imperial dignity, had long since turned into rags hanging on his scarred body.

"Cough, cough..."

Bai Canglin spat out large mouthfuls of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, struggling to stand up.

But his Origin had already burned out; even moving a finger had become a luxury.

"Who... who exactly are you?!"

Bai Canglin stared fixedly at the three people in the air, his eyes filled with despair and indignation.

"My Yunlan Dynasty already has a marriage contract with Saint Su!"

"Aren't you afraid of Saint Su's wrath for attacking my Bai Family?!"

"Saint Su?"

In mid-air, the leading Black-robed Figure let out a sneer.

His laughter was full of disdain.

"Bai Canglin, you're still counting on that upstart to save you?"

"He can't even protect himself now!"

"To tell you the truth, even if the Heavenly King himself came today, he couldn't save your Bai Family!"

The Black-robed Figure swung the long sword in his hand.

" Stop wasting your breath on him.."

"Kill the old man and take the little girl with the Supreme Yin Sacred Body."

"The Sect Master is waiting to use her as a cultivation vessel to break through!"

"Yes!"

The other two Black-robed Figures dove down with sinister grins.

Their target was the young girl in the center of the ruins, who was being protected by a light blue barrier.

That barrier was the Bai Family's last trump card—a damaged Sacred Artifact.

But now, under the violent attacks, the barrier was already covered in cracks, as if it would completely shatter in the next second.

Inside the barrier.

Bai Lingxi sat slumped on the ground, her beautiful face already covered in tear stains.

She watched helplessly as her clansmen were slaughtered and as the Old Ancestor who loved her most had his arm severed and was stepped on like a dog.

Despair.

Endless despair gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake.

"Don't..."

"Please... don't kill the Old Ancestor..."

She cried out, her voice hoarse, but it sounded so pale and powerless.

"Hehe, little beauty, don't cry."

A Black-robed Figure landed in front of the barrier and greedily eyed her exquisite figure through the thin curtain of light.

"You'll have plenty of time to cry once you're on our Sect Master's bed."

"Break!"

He suddenly raised the long sword in his hand and slashed down hard at the already overburdened barrier!

Crack!

A crisp sound echoed.

The last shield protecting Bai Lingxi shattered with a bang.

The terrifying gust of wind hit her face, making her cheeks sting.

It was over.

Everything was over.

Bai Lingxi closed her eyes in despair.

At this moment, a figure involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

That peerless figure dressed in wedding robes, with the galaxy above his head, who killed a Saint with a single finger.

The man who dominantly announced he would marry her and told her to wait for the wedding in peace.

"Husband..."

She let out a shrill cry in her heart.

"Su Xuanchen... where are you..."

"Save me..."

"Die!"

The Black-robed Figure's long sword, accompanied by a piercing whistle, slashed down hard toward Bai Canglin's neck!

With this strike, the old man who had burned everything to protect his granddaughter would surely be decapitated!

Bai Canglin gave a miserable smile and gave up struggling.

He had done his best.

Just as the cold blade was less than an inch from his neck.

Just as the scream from Bai Lingxi's throat was about to burst out.

Time.

It seemed to stand still at this moment.

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

There were no phenomena tearing through the Void Realm.

A hand.

A slender, fair hand, as exquisite as a work of art, appeared out of thin air.

Two fingers effortlessly caught the top-grade Spiritual Artifact long sword that was powerful enough to kill a Quasi-Saint.

"Ding."

A crisp, light sound.

The unstoppable momentum of the sword instantly froze.

No matter how the Black-robed Figure pushed his spiritual energy, his face turning red, the sword remained motionless as if it had taken root.

"Who?!"

The Black-robed Figure's pupils shrank, and a chill rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He looked up abruptly.

Only to see a handsome young man wearing a starry robe standing before him at some unknown time.

There was no expression on the young man's face.

But those eyes.

In those eyes as black as ink, a cold killing intent capable of incinerating the heavens was churning.

"Touching my woman."

"Are you even worthy?"

Su Xuanchen's voice was very soft.

So soft it was like a lover's whisper in the ear.

But to the Black-robed Figure, it sounded like a death-summoning demonic voice from the depths of Hell!

"Su... Su..."

The Black-robed Figure opened his mouth wide, wanting to shout that name.

But Su Xuanchen gave him no chance.

The two fingers holding the blade twisted slightly.

Snap!

That top-grade Spiritual Artifact long sword instantly shattered into countless iron shards!

Immediately after.

Su Xuanchen backhanded him with a slap.

There were no fancy moves.

Just pure Physical Body strength.

"Pow!"

A loud explosion.

The Black-robed Figure with Quasi-Saint cultivation didn't even have time to scream before his entire head exploded on the spot!

Red and white matter splattered everywhere.

The headless corpse swayed and fell to the ground with a thud.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

The remaining two Black-robed Figures floating in the air were completely stunned.

They stared blankly at the headless corpse, then at the spotless young man standing in the pool of blood.

Their minds went blank.

An instant kill?

He killed a Quasi-Saint with a single slap?

What kind of monster is this?!

"Old... Old Ancestor?!"

In the ruins, Bai Canglin, who had only half a breath left, widened his eyes and stared fixedly at that back, tears instantly gushing out.

He's here!

He really came!

Su Xuanchen ignored the shock around him.

He turned around and looked at the young girl curled up on the ground, trembling all over.

The coldness and brutality in his eyes melted in this instant, turning into a touch of tenderness.

He reached out and gently stroked Bai Lingxi's messy hair.

"Sorry."

"I'm late."

A warm touch came from the top of her head.

A familiar voice sounded in her ear.

Bai Lingxi snapped her eyes open.

When she saw the face in front of her clearly, her entire body froze.

It was him.

It really was him.

It wasn't an illusion, nor was it a dream.

In her most desperate and helpless moment, this man had truly descended like a god.

"Wah—!"

All the grievances and all the fear completely erupted at this moment.

Bai Lingxi threw herself into Su Xuanchen's arms, hugging his waist tightly and crying heart-wrenchingly.

"Husband... wuwuwu... I missed you..."

"I thought I'd never see you again..."

Su Xuanchen let her tears and snot rub against his priceless starry robe.

He gently patted her back, over and over again.

"It's okay now."

"I'm here; the sky won't fall."

He looked up, his gaze passing over the girl in his arms to look back at the two Black-robed Figures in mid-air.

The tenderness vanished instantly.

In its place was a killing intent even more bone-chilling than ten-thousand-year-old profound ice.

"Since you're here."

"Then don't even think about leaving."

In the air.

The two Black-robed Figures were frozen by that gaze, their Souls trembling.

That was absolute suppression from a higher level of life!

A Saint!

And a Saint who killed without blinking, terrifying to the extreme!

"Run! Run quickly!"

The two of them exchanged a glance, no longer having their previous arrogance, and turned into two streaks of light, fleeing madly in two different directions!

At this moment, they wished their parents had given them two more legs!

Forget the mission, forget capturing the person, to Hell with all of it!

Saving their lives was what mattered!

"Run?"

A cold sneer curled at the corners of Su Xuanchen's mouth.

He was still holding Bai Lingxi and hadn't even moved his feet.

He only slowly raised his right hand and made a grasping motion toward the Void Realm from afar.

"Come back here."

Buzz!

The space for ten thousand miles around instantly solidified at this moment.

Two giant hands condensed from pure starlight appeared out of thin air above the two fleeing Black-robed Figures.

Like catching two flies.

He grabbed them in his palms!

"No!!"

"Mercy! Saint, have mercy!"

"We are Elders of the Lingxiao Sword Sect! You can't kill us!"

The two Quasi-Saints struggled desperately in the starlight hands, letting out shrill pleas for mercy.

To save their lives, they didn't hesitate to reveal their identities.

"Lingxiao Sword Sect?"

The smile on Su Xuanchen's face grew even colder.

"It's exactly the Lingxiao Sword Sect I'm killing."

He clenched his five fingers abruptly.

"Crack! Crack!"

The teeth-gritting sound of bones shattering echoed.

The two overbearing Quasi-Saint experts were thus crushed into lumps of meat in mid-air!

Blood flowed through the gaps between the fingers, falling like a rain of blood.

"Ah—!"

Two illusory Primordial Spirits rushed out of the mangled flesh in terror, wanting to flee from this demon.

But Su Xuanchen was prepared.

With a casual wave of his hand.

A pitch-black jade bottle appeared in his hand.

A terrifying suction force erupted.

"Collect."

Those two Primordial Spirits, along with the Primordial Spirit of the Black-robed Figure whose head had been smashed earlier, were instantly sucked into the jade bottle.

"You want to die?"

"It's not that easy."

Su Xuanchen shook the jade bottle in his hand, listening to the shrill screams coming from inside, his tone indifferent.

"It just so happens that my home is short of a few wicks for the sky lanterns."

"The three of you are quite suitable."

Having done all this.

Su Xuanchen finally withdrew his gaze and looked at the little girl in his arms who was already crying her eyes out.

"Sorry."

"I'm late."

"Wah—!"

All the grievances and all the fear completely erupted at this moment.

She cried even harder in his arms, as if she wanted to cry out all the tears of her life.

"Husband... wuwuwu... I missed you..."

"I thought I'd never see you again..."

"They killed so many people... Old Ancestor... Old Ancestor is also dying..."

Su Xuanchen let her tears and snot rub against his priceless starry robe.

He gently patted her back, over and over again, silently comforting her.

Until the young girl's crying gradually turned into sobs.

Su Xuanchen then gently pushed her away, held her shoulders with both hands, and looked directly into those red and swollen teary eyes.

"Lingxi, look at me."

Although his voice was gentle, it carried an unquestionable seriousness.

Bai Lingxi subconsciously looked up at him through tear-filled eyes.

"Have you cried enough?"

Su Xuanchen asked.

Bai Lingxi was stunned for a moment and subconsciously nodded.

"If you've cried enough, then remember everything that happened today."

Su Xuanchen pointed to the surrounding ruins and the mangled corpses, his tone becoming exceptionally cold.

"This is the fate of the weak."

"In this world, being weak is the original sin."

"Tears cannot save your clansmen, nor can they save yourself."

"If I hadn't come today, your fate would have been worse than death."

Every word was like a sharp knife, stabbing deep into Bai Lingxi's heart.

Her delicate body trembled and her face was pale, but she bit her lip hard and did not argue.

Because she knew he was right.

If not for being weak, how could the Yunlan Dynasty be trampled upon so easily?

If not for being weak, how could the Old Ancestor be stepped on like a dog?

"I can save you once, or even twice."

Su Xuanchen looked at her, the sternness in his eyes gradually turning into an expectation.

"But I cannot be by your side every moment."

"If you don't want to be bullied, if you want to protect the people you care about..."

"Then you must become strong."

"Strong enough that everyone can only look up to you, strong enough that no one dares to bare their teeth at you."

"Do you understand?"

Bai Lingxi took a deep breath and messily wiped the tears from her face.

The weakness and fear in her eyes were slowly fading, replaced by an unprecedented determination.

"I understand."

"Husband, I want to become strong."

"I want to kill every one of those beasts from the Lingxiao Sword Sect!"