Chapter 102: Phoenix Descendants (Part 1)

Lan Xueruo carefully examined Yun Che’s injuries. The results made her breathe a sigh of relief and also greatly astonished her. Yun Che’s injuries were much better than she had expected. Despite the severe trauma to his shoulder, the bleeding had stopped, and there were no signs of deterioration. Instead, it was slowly healing at a surprisingly visible rate. His other numerous wounds were minor, and while his body was very weak, it was merely weakness; there was no fundamental damage, and his internal injuries were also very slight.

Falling from such a height, and having forcefully pushed her away, thereby accelerating his own descent due to the counter-force, yet only sustaining this level of injury—it was utterly inconceivable.

She gently lifted Yun Che from the ground and placed him on the soft grass nearby. It was her first time holding a man’s body, and she did so very carefully, her heart beating uncontrollably. She then quietly stood by him, waiting for him to wake up again.

This was a mountainous region, with countless hills and cliffs, none too tall, scattered across the entire landscape. Although lush with greenery, it exuded an extreme sense of desolation.

In the distance, the long roars of profound beasts occasionally echoed. This kept Lan Xueruo glued to Yun Che’s side, not daring to leave him for even a step, lest any profound beasts approach and harm him. After more than half an hour, her brow suddenly twitched, and she looked to her right. In her line of sight, five people were approaching: three adults and two children.

The three adults appeared to be in their thirties or forties, with fierce countenances. They wore identical light armor, and their exposed muscles were dark and rough, clearly indicating they were often out in the wilds. The oldest-looking one was tall and burly with a fierce face, carrying a huge broadaxe on his shoulder. The youngest-looking one was thin and gaunt with a sharp nose and monkey-like cheeks, dragging a large iron rod over a meter long. The third man had a long, horse-like face and also carried a large iron rod. In terms of profound cultivation, the strongest was at the eighth level of the Nascent Profound Realm, while the weakest was at the sixth level.

The two children appeared to be only seven or eight years old, a boy and a girl, dressed in coarse cloth. What was notable was a faint red mark on each of their foreheads, shaped like a burning flame. Their arms were each held tightly by one of the men, and as they walked step by step, fresh tear streaks were clearly visible on their faces.

As Lan Xueruo saw them, they also saw her. Almost in unison, the three men stopped, their eyes fixed on Lan Xueruo, emitting a predatory, wolf-like glare.

“Quick... quick look! That girl over there... such a stunner! *Hiss*... I've never seen such a beautiful woman in my life.” The horse-faced man drooled uncontrollably as he spoke.

The sharp-nosed man was even worse, his legs clamped together, his body trembling. “She's a hundred times more beautiful than the fairies in my dreams. My legs are going to give out. If we bring her back to be the leader's wife, the leader will be ecstatic, maybe even promote us to deputy leaders...”

“You damn fool!” The broadaxe-wielding man slapped the sharp-nosed man’s neck, then licked his lips greedily, his eyes glinting with lust. “If we take this girl back, the leader will be enjoying her every night. What about us? Tsk tsk, to stumble upon such a beautiful girl in a place like this, it's like heaven sent her down to reward us.”

The sharp-nosed man’s eyes lit up, his legs trembling even more violently as he nodded incessantly. “Right! Right! Big Brother is right! What are we waiting for?”

“However, this beauty looks only seventeen or eighteen, yet she has reached the eighth level of the Nascent Profound Realm,” the ax-wielding man frowned slightly.

“What? Eighth level of the Nascent Profound Realm?” The sharp-nosed man and the horse-faced man were both astonished. “So young, yet with such strong profound energy cultivation—she might be a disciple of a powerful clan, perhaps even a genius. If we act, what if the clan behind her finds out...”

“Hmph! Look at your cowardice,” the ax-wielding man sneered at him, then licked his lips and let out a lecherous chuckle. “When has our Black Fiend Mercenary Group ever not lived on the edge? Who do we fear? Never mind if she's a disciple of some powerful clan; since we've encountered her, even if she were the Emperor's daughter, *hehehehe*, she's still ours today! Tsk tsk, to enjoy a celestial beauty like this, one you couldn't even dream of, it'd be worth dying for immediately!”

The sharp-nosed man and the horse-faced man nodded like pecking chickens, so excited they almost couldn't walk straight.

Although their conversation was quiet, it was clearly audible to the two children whose hands they held. Their faces showed fear and concern. The little boy held his breath, then suddenly shouted loudly, “Big Sister, run! They're bad people, they want to harm you... Ah!!”

The little boy was kicked to the ground by the horse-faced man, letting out a painful cry. The little girl quickly ran over, picked him up, and sobbed while holding him.

The boy's cry and the subsequent scene registered with Lan Xueruo. She frowned slightly and stood up. By this time, the ax-wielding man and the sharp-nosed man had approached, standing before her with lewd smiles. The sharp-nosed man's eyes clearly burned with lust, and he rubbed his fingers together, clearly impatient. Had he not been wary of her eighth-level Nascent Profound Realm cultivation, he would have pounced directly. “Little sister, why are you here alone? Are you lost? Shall big brother take you out of here?”

Lan Xueruo had faced similar gazes and attitudes many times, but this was the first time someone was so blatant and undisguised. The reason was obvious: this was a desolate place, and she was alone. Deep disgust gathered between her brows, and she replied coolly, “Release those two children, then get out!” Even without the little boy's earlier cry, she could tell at a glance that the two children had been forcibly abducted.

“Oh!” The ax-wielding man chuckled. “Not only is this girl beautiful, she's feisty too! We brothers are going to have a good time now, *heheheheh*...”

“Big Sister! Run! They're bad people, very powerful bad people... Run! Ah!” The little boy cried out to Lan Xueruo again, but was immediately slapped to the ground by the horse-faced man, who snapped viciously, “You little brat, stay quiet. If you weren't still useful, I would have torn you to shreds already. Dare to shout one more time, and I'll tear your mouth off first.” The boy and girl clung to each other, their eyes wide with fear, trembling all over.

Lan Xueruo’s face clouded with anger. Simply because of the little boy's selfless warning, she absolutely could not stand by and watch them be taken away by these three disgusting villains. However, Yun Che was lying nearby, and a fight might affect him. She clenched her hands and said furiously, “I'll say it again: release those two children, and then get out!”

“Hehehehe!” Faced with Lan Xueruo’s rebuke, the three men not only remained unfazed but burst into laughter. The ax-wielding man said lewdly, “The beauty wants us to ‘roll’? We'd be more than happy to... But where, precisely, does the beauty want to ‘roll’ with us? Here? On the grass? Or back in bed?”

The sharp-nosed man and the horse-faced man immediately joined in the laughter. Lan Xueruo’s brows furrowed, her face turning icy, and she whispered, “You're asking for death!”

As her voice fell, she touched her left hand with her right, and a long sword, completely pure white as if carved from white jade, appeared in her grasp. Instantly, the eyes of the three men, including the ax-wielding one, lit up. “A spatial ring! It's actually a spatial ring! We're going to get rich this time. And that sword definitely isn't ordinary.”

Even the lowest-grade spatial rings were extremely expensive, far beyond the means of ordinary people. Intense greed began to mix with the men's lecherous stares.

Lan Xueruo took a step forward and thrust her sword at the ax-wielding man, who, with his eighth-level Nascent Profound Realm strength, posed the greatest threat.

“Hahahahaha! Let's see how our three brothers ‘discipline’ this little beauty today!” Amidst his wild laughter, the ax-wielding man swung his huge broadaxe, sweeping it towards Lan Xueruo’s jade sword. The sharp-nosed man beside him also let out a lewd chuckle, grabbing his iron rod with both hands and swinging it forcefully.

The axe and the rod struck Lan Xueruo’s jade sword one after another, shattering her sword's momentum and causing her hand to throb. She quickly retreated a step, gave a low cry, and her long sword drew an inclined arc, simultaneously covering the middle path of both men: “Seven Stars Stirring the Moon!”

After that one strike, more than a dozen consecutive sword slashes followed, the momentum unbroken. As she moved, the white jade longsword cast shimmering white shadows. Her profound energy cultivation was currently at the eighth level of the Nascent Profound Realm, matching the ax-wielding man. However, she was still young, and in terms of combat experience, she couldn't compare to him. Her profound energy reserves also couldn't match his, making her the disadvantaged party even when facing him alone, let alone with an additional seventh-level Nascent Profound Realm individual. Not far away, the sixth-level Nascent Profound Realm horse-faced man was still controlling the two children, watching menacingly.

After more than a dozen exchanges, all of Lan Xueruo’s attacks were repelled, and her sword nearly slipped from her grasp several times. The ax-wielding man laughed heartily, then suddenly leaped high, his massive axe descending with astonishing power: “Thousand Juns Break!”

*CLANG!!*

Lan Xueruo’s sword momentum was instantly shattered. Her entire body trembled, and she reeled back five steps, her right arm faintly shaking, her long sword again almost slipping from her grip.

“Hehehehe, Boss is mighty,” the sharp-nosed man flattered him, then chuckled lewdly, “Little beauty, you should just obey us obediently. If you keep fighting, what if we accidentally hurt your beautiful body? Tsk tsk, what a shame that would be.”

Lan Xueruo’s chest heaved, but her expression remained calm. She reached up, grasped the jeweled necklace she had been wearing around her neck, and gently pulled it off.

The moment the jeweled necklace left her pale neck, her profound energy aura surged explosively. A sacred golden glow slowly appeared in her beautiful eyes. She slowly raised the jade sword in her hand... and a distinct layer of golden light enveloped its pristine white blade.