If she is innocent, show her all the splendor of the world. If her heart is already weary, take her for a slow ride on the carousel.
Xuan Yi belonged to the latter.
Although her heart had softened a little, the old wounds had not fully healed. Rushing things would only backfire.
Their relationship remained at this comfortable stage for now. Sudden hand-holding or other intimate gestures felt completely natural between them.
While the Shadow Eagle Emperor flew at full speed, a tense standoff was unfolding in a small mountain range a hundred miles outside Tianhuang City.
Three black-robed men had surrounded a sturdy, resolute man holding a long spear and a woman with a mature, alluring figure, peach-blossom eyes, and an aura that radiated temptation.
"Running? Why don't you keep running?" The strongest of the three—a Seven-Star Dou Huang—said coldly, staring at the pair.
The brawny man said nothing. He gripped his spear tightly, eyes sharp as he watched the three attackers, clearly calculating an escape route.
"Cousin, don't worry about me. I'll only drag you down," the woman said tearfully, looking at the man shielding her.
With the man's Four-Star Dou Huang strength and superior combat ability, he could have easily broken free from two Six-Star and one Seven-Star Dou Huang.
Instead, because he was protecting her, he was now covered in blood and forced into a desperate corner.
"Hmph, what nonsense are you spouting? How could I abandon you?" the brawny man snorted. His gaze locked onto the leading black-robed man as he spoke in a rough voice, "Cheng Xiang, do you really think covering your face means I won't recognize you?"
The black-robed man's eyes flickered. He glanced at the other two and ordered coldly, "Do it now. We're too close to Tianhuang City—any delay will cause complications."
He drew the dagger from his waist and charged at the brawny man. The other two followed right behind.
The brawny man brandished his long spear and met the three head-on. Violent clashes rang out across the mountain range.
Just then, a huge black shadow streaked across the distant sky at terrifying speed.
"Oh, looks like someone's fighting up ahead," Xiao Ling suddenly exclaimed, eyes fixed on the scene below.
Xuan Yi swept her senses in that direction and saw only three Dou Huangs besieging one Dou Huang and a Dou Wang. She immediately lost interest.
"It's just a few Dou Huangs fighting."
On this continent, grudges, revenge killings, and battles happened every single moment.
To her, a Dou Huang-level fight was no different from children squabbling.
She was neither a saint nor had any interest in meddling. If she had spare time, she would rather fan another wisp of cool breeze for Xiao Jietian.
"A Dou Huang battle? How boring." Xiao Ling instantly lost interest as well.
She had been watching Dou Zong and higher battles since she was a child. A mere Dou Huang fight held zero appeal. After arriving in the Central Plains, the fights she had seen these past few days were nothing but people swinging swords and blades at each other—utterly laughable.
"Huh?"
Xiao Jietian, who had been dozing, let out a soft sound and slowly sat up.
"What's wrong? Is the eagle's back too hard? I have a blanket made from the fur of an Eighth-Tier magical beast, soaked in precious medicinal herbs. Do you want to use it?" Xuan Yi asked gently, already holding out a pure-white, luxuriously soft blanket.
Xiao Jietian glanced at it and couldn't help smacking his lips. As expected of a top alchemist rich woman—her generosity was on another level.
With his eyesight, he could tell the herbs used to soak the blanket were all extremely valuable. There was also a faint trace of Xuan Yi's own body scent on it, suggesting she used it often.
"I use it when I cultivate," Xuan Yi explained with a soft smile. "It calms the mind, improves focus, and speeds up cultivation."
Xiao Jietian gently patted her hand and said softly, "No need. We'll talk about it next time I actually need it. I just sensed a slightly familiar aura, but I haven't placed it yet."
"Familiar?" Both Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng asked at the same time, growing curious. Their father didn't know many people in the Central Plains. Could it be… an old flame he hadn't mentioned?
Xuan Yi simply smiled at Xiao Jietian. She wasn't particularly interested in this "familiar aura." Since he said he hadn't recalled it yet, it probably wasn't anyone important.
…
The battle in the mountain range continued fiercely.
The brawny man was steadily being pushed back under the three-on-one assault, but his attackers weren't having an easy time either—wounds of various sizes covered their bodies.
The three were cunning. Instead of focusing solely on the man, many of their strikes deliberately targeted the woman beside him.
The woman kept using Dou Techniques to help block, but with only Five-Star Dou Wang strength, her efforts were completely ineffective.
"Great Fissure Rock!"
Golden light erupted from the tip of the brawny man's spear like a bursting mountain torrent. A vast, dazzling golden radiance accompanied by a piercing sonic boom shot toward the three black-robed figures.
The attackers also unleashed their strongest Dou Techniques to meet the golden light head-on.
A violent explosion shook the area. The entire small mountain range was flattened even further as smoke and dust billowed across the battlefield.
After releasing that powerful move, the brawny man's Dou Qi was nearly exhausted. He had to lean on his spear just to stay upright. The woman hurriedly supported him.
Before she could speak, three figures shot out of the smoke and appeared not far from them. Their black robes were torn in many places; one had even lost an arm.
The leading Seven-Star Dou Huang stared at the pair with icy eyes and grinned sinisterly.
"As expected of someone from Jia Nan Academy—and the next patriarch chosen by the Liu family. Your strength is truly extraordinary. If you hadn't wasted so much energy protecting her earlier, we would have suffered even heavier losses."
With that, he swung his dagger. A sharp blade Qi slashed straight toward the brawny man and the woman.
The woman stepped forward desperately, unleashing a powerful-looking palm strike to meet the blade Qi. But the gap in strength was too vast. Her attack shattered the instant it touched the blade Qi, which continued hurtling toward them.
In that critical moment, the woman spun around and shielded the brawny man with her body. She poured every last drop of her Dou Qi into a protective barrier, determined to block the attack with her own flesh and blood.