524: Lu Xueqi

After a moment of dead silence, a soft ' Huh' came from the dense forest ahead, seemingly surprised that the hidden weapon had been intercepted.

Immediately after, several whooshing sounds rose again. This time, it was no longer a single target, but rather several vital points on Su Han's body and Bi Yao's lower body, shot at tricky angles, clearly intending to make it difficult for them to defend both ends.

"Hmph!" Bi Yao snorted coldly, flicked her wrist, and her longsword transformed into a cool, clear curtain of light, deflecting all the hidden weapons shot at her with several 'ding ding' sounds.

Her movements were agile, and while parrying, she had already shifted half a step sideways, ensuring that her coordination with Su Han remained perfectly synchronized.

Su Han, even more so, stood still. With his other hand, he swept his robe sleeve, and a resilient yet powerful force surged out, either coiling or deflecting the hidden weapons aimed at him.

His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, fixed on the direction from which the hidden weapons came, and he low-growled:

"Cowards hiding your heads and showing your tails, get out here!"

Before his voice faded, he flicked the finger holding the poisonous needle, and that faint blue thin needle, with a sharp whistle, reflected back along its original path at an even faster speed than it had come!

"Pfft!"

A muffled thud came from the dense forest, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

However, the attack did not stop.

As if enraged by the casualty of their companion, more dark figures darted out from behind the trees and rocks, numbering as many as seven or eight. Each was clad in grey, their faces blurred, holding poisoned short blades or oddly shaped weapons. They charged forward without a sound, their movements swift and ruthless, their coordination seamless, clearly well-trained assassins.

"Be careful, they are from 'Shadow Fiend'!"

Bi Yao recognized the origin of these assassins at a glance, her tone grave.

Shadow Fiend was an assassin organization that sold their lives for money, acting mysteriously and being extremely difficult to deal with.

"Who cares who they are!"

A cold glint flashed in Su Han's eyes, and anger surged in his heart.

The warm and sweet moment with Bi Yao had been abruptly interrupted, and he had almost been ambushed, which truly ignited his fury.

He no longer held back, his figure darting out like lightning, directly confronting the two assassins charging at the forefront.

He did not use a weapon; his bare palms were the most terrifying weapons.

His palm winds roared, containing the momentum of wind and thunder. A simple "Pushing Mountain Palm" technique, when wielded by him, possessed the power to overturn mountains and seas.

The assassin who bore the brunt of the attack felt an irresistible immense force. Before he could even thrust his short blade, his chest had already caved in, and he spewed blood as he flew backward, crashing into his companion behind him, both instantly becoming rolling gourds.

On Bi Yao's side, sword light flickered brilliantly.

Her swordplay was light and elegant, yet every move was lethal, like a dance under the moon, yet every step concealed Killing Intent.

The sword tip would point, thrust, slash, and parry. Each move precisely targeted the enemy's weak points. Often, the opponent would only feel a blur before their eyes, and their throat or heart would suddenly feel cold, collapsing to the ground.

Although she and Su Han had not had much time to practice together, at this moment, their coordination was flawless. Su Han was fierce, Bi Yao was nimble, one direct and one subtle, they actually managed to steadily withstand the encirclement of these elite assassins, even subtly gaining the upper hand.

The assassins clearly hadn't expected their target to be so troublesome, especially this seemingly young man, whose martial arts were far beyond their estimation.

But they had received a death order, and even with heavy casualties, they still charged forward fearlessly, attempting to trade their lives for injuries.

The battle was exceptionally fierce. The clashing of weapons was incessant, and Sword Qi surged, scattering surrounding grass and broken stones everywhere.

Su Han punched an assassin who tried to ambush Bi Yao from the flank, sending him flying. He then took his short blade and threw it back, pinning another approaching assassin to the ground.

However, just as his old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet emerged, an extremely faint blade light, almost merging with the shadows, quietly struck from his blind spot, aiming directly for his back!

This strike was timed with unparalleled precision, exactly at the moment Su Han's Qi was transitioning. Moreover, the person who struck had extremely high skill in concealing their Qi, and it wasn't until the blade light reached his body that the biting Killing Intent suddenly erupted!

"Su Han!"

Although Bi Yao was dealing with enemies in front of her, her peripheral vision was always focused on Su Han. Seeing this, her face paled, and she cried out in alarm, wanting to rescue him but it was already too late.

Su Han also felt that bone-chilling coldness, his heart jolted, and he twisted his body with all his might, but this strike was too tricky, it was already unavoidable!

Just at this critical moment—

"Clang!"

A clear sword cry, like a Phoenix's call, seemed to come from beyond the heavens!

Immediately after, a bone-chilling white Sword Qi, arriving later but striking first, like the Milky Way cascading from the Nine Heavens, precisely slashed onto that shadowy ambush blade light!

The crisp sound of metal clashing exploded!

That shadowy blade light shattered instantly, like ice and snow meeting the sun!

The assassin holding the short blade revealed his figure. He was a gaunt, ghost-like old man. His face was filled with extreme horror, his tiger's mouth split open, and he was sent flying backward by the terrifying force contained within that white Sword Qi. While still in mid-air, he was already spewing blood.

A white figure, like a startled swan, or a Fairy under the moon, gracefully landed between Su Han and the assassin.

The newcomer had a tall and straight posture, dressed in white purer than snow, holding a sky-blue immortal sword whose blade shimmered with light and exuded an intimidating coldness.

She stood with her back to Su Han, her face covered in frost. Her cold gaze swept over the remaining assassins, and an invisible Killing Intent instantly enveloped the entire scene, making even those cold-blooded Shadow Fiend members feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their movements involuntarily freezing.

"Junior Sister Lu?"

Su Han looked at this familiar back and called out in surprise and joy.

The newcomer was none other than Lu Xueqi.

She did not turn back, only looked coldly at the assassins, her crimson lips slightly parted, her voice like pearls dropping onto a jade plate, yet carrying undeniable authority and coldness:

"Get lost, or die."

The remaining assassins exchanged glances, all seeing fear in each other's eyes.

There was such a powerful reinforcement next to the target. Her strength was unfathomable, and the three of them were no match for her.

The old man, who was the leader, struggled to get up, glared venomously at Lu Xueqi, then at Su Han, and hoarsely said:

"Retreat!"

Before his voice faded, the figures of several people flickered rapidly, quickly disappearing into the dense forest, not even bothering to collect their companions' bodies.

With the assassins gone, the grassy area immediately returned to silence, leaving only a few corpses, the lingering scent of blood, and the deep gouges carved by Sword Qi, testifying to the ferocity of the battle that had just taken place.

Lu Xueqi then slowly turned around.

The sunlight fell on her exquisitely beautiful face, still as fair as ever, but upon closer inspection, one could see that the delicate lines of her jaw were somewhat taut, and the knuckles of the hand holding tianya divine sword were slightly white from exertion. Her bright eyes first quickly scanned Su Han up and down, confirming that apart from his clothes being slightly disheveled and his breathing a little hurried, he had no obvious injuries.

The taut string in her heart finally quietly loosened at this moment.

However, the instant it loosened, it brought not peace, but a surge of emotions that had been suppressed for too long, like a flood bursting its dam.

She recalled the all-consuming darkness in the Dripping Blood Cave, and the heartbreaking despair and helplessness she felt at the Merciless Sea, watching him being pulled into the black hole.

For countless days and nights, she had believed he had long since perished. That void and coldness of loss had almost frozen her Dao Heart. (End of this chapter)