Protecting the flower in shadows and slaying the enemy, their love is sealed at their fingertips.

The Poison Mist in the forest had not yet dissipated, but the roars of the three Spirit Elders from the Spirit Hall had already pierced the forest's tranquility. The leader, a Spirit Elder wielding a scythe, broke free from the snake swarm's Binding and glared at Su Chen, who was blocking Xiao Wu. His eyes were sinister. "Where did this wild brat come from, daring to meddle in Spirit Hall's affairs? You're courting death!"

Su Chen stood with his hands behind his back, the black and gold God-Defying Power circulating around him. His tone was as cold as frost. "Are Spirit Hall dogs even worthy of harming the person I want to protect?" He turned his head and said softly to Xiao Wu behind him, "Hide behind me, don't be afraid."

Xiao Wu clutched the corner of Su Chen's clothes, her pink rabbit ears trembling slightly, but she felt an inexplicable sense of security from his words. She nodded obediently, her gaze fixed tightly on his tall, straight back.

"Arrogant!" The scythe-wielding Spirit Elder roared angrily. His third Spirit Ability, "Hell Decapitation," came slashing down with fierce black energy. The poison-whip Spirit Elder and the shield-wielding Spirit Elder attacked at the same time; the poison whip Binding, the shield pressing in, the three of them combined their efforts to form a pincer movement.

"Kushina, break the shield! Qing Lin, restrain the poison whip!" Su Chen commanded coldly. He then flashed forward, his God-Defying Power condensing into a palm strike, forcefully taking the Hell Decapitation head-on. The moment their palms collided, black and gold light surged. The scythe-wielding Spirit Elder screamed and flew backward, the web of his hand splitting open from the impact.

Kushina had long been ready. Her Lightning Release Chakra blade turned into a bolt of lightning, and she used "Lightning Release · Lightning Flash Slash" to strike the shield-wielding Spirit Elder's defense. The shield was instantly covered in cracks. Qing Lin commanded the snake swarm to entangle the poison-whip Spirit Elder once again, and the Little Black Snake's fangs pierced his defense, causing his movements to slow down. Hinata activated her Byakugan, precisely locking onto the three Spirit Elders' spirit power nodes, reporting in real-time: "Lord Su Chen, the scythe-wielding Spirit Elder's left shoulder spirit power is weak, and the poison-whip Spirit Elder's dantian is in chaos!"

Karin stood guard beside Xiao Wu, her palms gathering Blood Contract Power, ready to heal everyone at any time, but her eyes drifted from time to time toward Su Chen's fighting figure, carrying a hint of worry and jealousy.

Su Chen used their own force against them, his God-Defying Power turning into afterimages. He instantly closed in on the poison-whip Spirit Elder and struck his dantian with a palm. "Pfft!" The poison-whip Spirit Elder spat out blood, his spirit power dissipating. The shield-wielding Spirit Elder tried to launch a sneak attack, but his shield was struck by Kushina's Lightning Flash Slash; the rebounding force caused his meridians to ache intensely, and he collapsed to the ground.

The only remaining scythe-wielding Spirit Elder saw that things were going poorly and turned to flee, but Qing Lin's snake swarm had already set an inescapable net. Amidst the Poison Mist, the little snakes entangled his ankles. Su Chen used Teleportation to arrive in an instant and lightly tapped the scythe-wielding Spirit Elder's glabella with his God-Defying Power. The Spirit Elder instantly lost consciousness and collapsed into the grass.

The battle ended in an instant, and the forest returned to silence, save for the rustling sound of the snake swarm retreating. Xiao Wu looked at the three Spirit Elders lying on the ground, her eyes full of shock, and when she looked at Su Chen again, there was already a bit more admiration in her gaze.

"Lord Su Chen, you're so amazing!" Karin was the first to run over, hugging Su Chen's arm. When she looked up and caught a glimpse of some dust on his shoulder, she immediately took out a silk handkerchief to wipe it off. "It's all these scumbags' fault for getting you dirty."

Hinata also walked forward and said softly, "Lord Su Chen, are you injured? Let me use my Byakugan to check for you."

Kushina put her hands on her hips and said haughtily, "These pieces of trash aren't even worth fighting. Next time there are people from Spirit Hall, I can take care of them all by myself!"

Su Chen smiled and comforted everyone, then turned to look at Xiao Wu. He discovered that her face was pale, cold sweat was seeping from her forehead, and black patterns of the Soul Locking Curse were spreading up her neck. It was clearly the curse mark acting up after her spirit power was overdrawn.

"Is the Soul Locking Curse acting up?" Su Chen squatted down, his tone softening, and he raised his hand to gently brush away the sweat from her forehead. The moment his fingertips touched her skin, Xiao Wu trembled all over, as if struck by an electric current. Her cheeks instantly turned bright red, and her eyes darted away in a panic.

"Endure it, I will help you suppress it temporarily." Su Chen condensed a wisp of pure God-Defying Power at his fingertips and slowly brought it close to her glabella. When his fingertips gently touched that warm skin, Xiao Wu's body shook even more violently, her breathing became rapid, and her pink ear tips turned so red they were about to bleed.

The God-Defying Power flowed in gently, the black patterns of the Soul Locking Curse gradually faded, and Xiao Wu's pain subsided accordingly. Su Chen leaned down, his warm breath brushing against her ear, with a hint of teasing: "Shaking like this, are you ticklish? Or are you afraid of me?"

Xiao Wu's cheeks turned even redder, and she buried her head, not daring to look at him, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz: "Neither… neither is true…"

Su Chen chuckled, raised his hand, and gently stroked her rabbit ears. The soft and delicate sensation from his fingertips made Xiao Wu stiffen all over, but she did not pull away. "Was this Soul Locking Curse cast by Spirit Hall?"

Xiao Wu nodded, her eyes slightly reddening: "They said I have a special Spirit Beast origin in my body and wanted to capture me and take me back to Spirit Hall to present to the Supreme Pontiff… Only you can help me suppress the pain of the curse mark." She raised her head, her clear eyes full of reliance, "No one could do it before. Brother Su Chen, you must have been sent by the heavens to save me."

"Brother Su Chen?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow, teasing her on purpose, "Calling me brother already?"

Xiao Wu's cheeks were red enough to bleed, but she bravely met his gaze, biting her lip and saying earnestly: "You saved me, and you helped me suppress the Soul Locking Curse, so you are my Brother Su Chen!" She leaned against Su Chen's shoulder, her voice carrying a hint of grievance and determination, "Brother Su Chen, I have no family anymore. Can I follow you from now on? I will be very obedient, I won't cause you any trouble, and I can even help you fight!"

Su Chen's heart softened. He raised his hand and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her closer: "Silly girl, from now on, I am your family." His fingertips gently brushed across her rabbit ears, his tone gentle and firm, "From now on, follow me. No one will be able to cast curses on you again, and no one will be able to bully you again. I will protect you and help you completely undo the Soul Locking Curse."

Xiao Wu raised her head, tears shining in her eyes, but she smiled brilliantly: "Brother Su Chen, I only trust you!" She hugged Su Chen's neck tightly, burying her cheek in his chest, feeling his powerful heartbeat. The long-barren corner of her heart was finally filled with warmth.

Karin watched the two of them being intimate, pouted, and leaned over, hugging Su Chen's other arm: "Lord Su Chen, you're biased! You only treat Little Sister Xiao Wu well, you don't even check if I'm injured!"

Hinata also said softly, "Lord Su Chen, Little Sister Xiao Wu has just recovered, she needs to rest well."

Kushina leaned against a tree trunk and hummed, "Alright, stop being all lovey-dovey here. The Spirit Hall people might still have accomplices, let's go back to Suotuo City first."

Su Chen nodded with a smile, helped Xiao Wu up, and said to everyone, "Let's go, back to Suotuo City. I've already thought of the next step of the plan." He looked at Xiao Wu, his eyes doting, "In the future, we will go to Shrek together, and let those so-called geniuses see what true strength is."

Xiao Wu nodded vigorously, holding Su Chen's hand tightly. Her pink figure walked side-by-side with him, her rabbit ears swaying gently in the sunlight. Behind them, Karin, Hinata, and Kushina followed closely, with the snake swarm clearing the path ahead, as the group walked in the direction of Suotuo City.