Chapter 380: Chapter 379: Anomaly_1
"That damned witch..."
Ling Chen was practically about to explode in rage as what was almost in his grasp flew away. He had never felt so frustrated.
Everything happened too suddenly. By the time Ling Chen reacted, Xia Yunxin had already swallowed the Demi-Saint Heart.
Despite his anger, Ling Chen knew that if he fought Xia Yunxin now, his chances of victory wouldn’t even be ten percent. Her aura was unfathomably profound; even with his Mind’s Eye, he couldn’t see through her. This indicated her cultivation was far higher than his.
He helplessly consoled himself, Forget it. The Demi-Saint Heart is precious, but it’s not worth dying for. Though still somewhat dejected, he knew he was helpless. The situation was not in his favor, and a head-on confrontation would achieve nothing good.
As Ling Chen decided to temporarily swallow his pride, Xia Yunxin, who had just ingested the Demi-Saint Heart, suddenly turned around. She looked at him, and a captivating laugh that could stir one’s soul rang out. "My, my, Ling Chen, you truly are a gentleman for not launching a sneak attack. Next, little sister here needs to properly refine the power of this Demi-Saint Heart. You’ll have to be a good Protector for me."
"In your dreams," Ling Chen retorted.
Hearing this, Ling Chen’s anger flared up again. This shameless Demonic Woman had snatched his Demi-Saint Heart and now wanted him to act as her Protector? This was outrageous!
"Once I’ve refined the Demi-Saint Heart, I’ll have a good chat with you about the Saintess. So, until then, you must ensure my safety, understood?" Xia Yunxin added, a playful glint in her eyes.
Seemingly having guessed Ling Chen’s thoughts, Xia Yunxin gave him a meaningful look, then casually sat down cross-legged. She began to refine the power of the Demi-Saint Heart as if no one else was around.
Ling Chen frowned. She really has some nerve.
Although extremely displeased, Ling Chen knew Xia Yunxin seemed to possess information about many secrets he wished to uncover. He had no choice; if he wanted to learn these things, he had to get them from her. So, despite his discontent, he had to endure it for now.
Just then, the Old Man in White and his four companions approached Xia Yunxin’s position, their intentions clearly hostile.
"Damn it! The Demi-Saint Heart we worked so hard to find was snatched by this Demonic Woman at the last moment!" the man in the Purple RobE growled, a cold glint in his eyes.
"The Demi-Saint Heart is an exceptionally rare Treasure. If this Demonic Woman refines it, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
"Exactly! We must kill her while she’s refining the Demi-Saint Heart’s power and take it back from her body!"
"Kill her! This Demonic Woman must not be allowed to live!"
All five men were seething with killing intent, eager to eliminate Xia Yunxin.
"Stop," Ling Chen said, his voice flat.
Watching the five advance, Ling Chen sighed, then moved to stand before Xia Yunxin, blocking their path.
"I have use for this woman. You cannot touch her."
He still needed to learn from Xia Yunxin about what happened back then. This was very important to him, so for now, he couldn’t let anyone harm her.
"What? Ling Chen, you’re actually shielding a Demonic Woman from the Demon Way?" It was the Old Man in White, whose mind had been eroded by the Demi-Saint Heart. He stared at Ling Chen in disbelief upon hearing he would protect Xia Yunxin.
Ling Chen knew if he affirmed this, he’d likely be accused of colluding with the Demon Way. However, at this moment, he had no other choice.
"That’s right."
Nodding, Ling Chen drew his Thunder Shadow Sword. He infused a stream of True Qi into the blade, and crackling electrical currents immediately spread across its surface.
SWISH!
With a wave of his Long Sword, a nearby stone pillar was sliced in two. The cut surface was perfectly smooth. A deep gash from the sword qi scarred the ground, the Sword Intent within it condensed and unyielding, radiating a sharp aura in all directions.
"This..."
Seeing this, a flicker of fear appeared in the eyes of the Old Man in White and his four companions. They knew very well how strong Ling Chen was; that was why they had been so wary of him earlier.
Initially, they had been confident that their combined five could defeat Ling Chen. But now, their strongest, the Old Man in White, had a crippled right hand, and three others were heavily injured. In their current state, they were no match for Ling Chen. They knew Ling Chen possessed a Secret Method that could temporarily boost his cultivation. If he used it, fighting five of them at once would be no problem at all.
"Ling Chen, I never thought you’d protect a Demonic Woman from the Saint Witch Religion! Fine! Don’t think this matter will just blow over. Your actions today will surely be condemned by the entire Righteous Martial World!"
"Indeed! Your strength may be great, but there are plenty of Experts in the Martial World who can bring you to justice!"
"Ling Chen, don’t stray onto the wrong path! Otherwise, you’ll only be digging your own grave!"
The five, still unwilling to back down, tried to pressure Ling Chen with veiled threats, hoping he would hand over Xia Yunxin.
"Scram!"
Ling Chen’s only response was that single word. His eyes turned icy as he abruptly swung the Thunder Shadow Sword. A powerful sword qi, crackling with thunder light, shot out like a bolt of white silk. In an instant, it split into five strands, each striking one of the men.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
In an instant, all five were sent flying, spitting blood and looking utterly disheveled.
"Quick, run!"
Terrified that Ling Chen truly intended to kill them, the five men scrambled up from the ground and fled the Stone Palace in a panic.
They’re the type who won’t shed a tear until they see the coffin, Ling Chen thought, shaking his head. He was, however, somewhat worried. Protecting Xia Yunxin in front of those five today... if word of this spread, it would undoubtedly arouse much suspicion. His identity was already highly sensitive. If rumors about him started circulating in the Jianghu now, it would be extremely disadvantageous.
Whatever, let them spread. As long as my actions are upright and my conscience is clear, I have no reason to fear rumors.
Ling Chen had protected Xia Yunxin out of necessity; it wasn’t as if he truly had any dealings with the Demon Way.
With this thought, Ling Chen turned back to look at Xia Yunxin, his expression darkening. First, this woman had snatched his Demi-Saint Heart, and now he faced the risk of being misunderstood as colluding with the Demon Way. It felt like one misfortune after another.
Ling Chen stared at Xia Yunxin’s devastatingly beautiful face, but felt no trace of other emotions. "If you don’t give me a satisfactory explanation today, don’t blame me for being rude."
This woman is far too cunning and deceitful. Staying with her, I’d constantly have to watch my back. Who knows when she might decide to betray me? I might not even realize how I died.
"Ngh..."
Just as Ling Chen was about to sit down and regulate his breathing, he suddenly heard a muffled groan. He turned his head and saw that Xia Yunxin’s complexion had become extremely poor; the sound had come from her.
Xia Yunxin’s entire face had now turned a ghastly bluish-black. Dark, black lines had appeared on her snow-white neck, identical to the abnormality that had manifested on the Old Man in White’s hand! The only difference was that these lines were a deeper, solid black, making them look even more sinister and terrifying.
"Hey, what’s wrong with you?"
Seeing that something was seriously wrong, Ling Chen quickly patted Xia Yunxin’s shoulder, trying to rouse her. He hadn’t gotten the answers he wanted from her yet; she absolutely couldn’t die now.