Chapter 752: Yin-Yang Man and Catwalk Woman

"Ah Zu!" Yu Ruoqi turned around to see Zu An embracing her, and she was filled with both surprise and joy.

Seeing the fine beads of sweat on her forehead, Zu An knew that her nerves had been stretched to their limit during the recent exchange. He felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I'm fine," Yu Ruoqi quickly said, looking at his chest. "What about your injuries?"

Zu An let out a laugh. "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. Have you forgotten I'm the toughest man in the world?"

Yu Ruoqi's face flushed slightly, and she secretly scoffed. *At a time like this, he still can't resist saying things like that.*

"That's impossible!" The others nearby stared at Zu An in disbelief. They knew firsthand the immense power of the siege crossbow. An ordinary person struck by such a bolt would likely explode into a bloody mess. For Zu An to even remain "whole" after being hit indicated his high cultivation level.

How was it that he wasn't only alive but also seemed completely unharmed, aside from being a little pale?

Everyone had just witnessed the massive crossbow bolt piercing through him and pinning him to the wall. Such an injury, even if not fatal, should have left him severely wounded, with his internal organs mangled by the immense impact.

Cultivators at the seventh rank possess strong regenerative abilities, but an injury like that would clearly take at least ten to fifteen days to recover from.

How long had it been for him?

An incense stick's worth of time?

"First, I'll take care of these annoying fellows," Yu Ruoqi said. Her finger completed the last stroke in the air, and a purple rune materialized. Immediately, the previously faint runes scattered in the air brightened several times over.

"Rain of Sorrow, Cloud of Grief, Exterminate Evil!"

Yu Ruoqi rapidly formed hand seals. The countless runes throughout the sky glowed intensely, and then countless purple light rays shot forth.

The people in the field frantically dodged. The seven warriors wielding simple blades also pulled out shields to block the attack, but unfortunately, when the shields were hit by the purple light rays, they were instantly pierced. The assassins were then riddled with bloodied holes all over their bodies and fell to the ground, clearly beyond saving.

The tall, thin man with the red-tasseled spear waved countless spear shadows in front of him, deflecting the purple light rays. However, he knew that continuing like this would only lead to his eventual death by exhaustion. So, he pointed his toe, thrust his spear forward, and spun his entire body in a spiral. Man and spear became one, transforming into a sharp, spiraling surge of energy that rushed toward Yu Ruoqi.

He clearly understood that fighting a rune master from a distance was suicidal; only close combat offered a glimmer of hope.

Unfortunately, a shimmering purple light barrier instantly appeared before him, blocking his path.

The skilled man roared, his rotation becoming even faster. Sparks flew as the spear tip grated against the light barrier.

Seeing a sharp protrusion forming in the light barrier where he was repeatedly striking, Zu An quickly shielded Yu Ruoqi behind him. "Be careful!"

Yu Ruoqi smiled faintly. "Don't worry, this array automatically draws his power and converts it for its own use. The more force he exerts, the stronger its defense becomes."

Zu An listened, dumbfounded. *This fancy trick is truly formidable. Couldn't it trap someone until they die?*

However, he quickly realized that everything has its limits. If a target's strength far surpassed hers, they could still break through with sheer force or endure all her purple light attacks.

Hadn't the old dragon on the road to the capital directly taken her ultimate move without any noticeable effect?

Unfortunately, the strength of these people was far inferior to that old dragon. With a crisp *bang*, the spearhead could no longer withstand such immense power and snapped into two.

The tall, thin man stared at the broken spear tip, utterly devastated.

For years, he had lived by his spear, never letting go of it, even in sleep. This spear had long become one with him.

His master once told him, "While the spear lives, so does the man; when the spear dies, so does the man."

As this thought emerged, several purple light rays pierced through his body, and countless mists of blood burst forth. Even a seventh-rank cultivator, despite their strong regenerative abilities, has limits. Receiving so many fatal wounds in such a short time made recovery impossible.

Yet, even as he closed his eyes, he remained standing in place, unyielding, like a javelin stuck in the ground.

Zu An sighed. "This man had reached the realm of 'man and spear as one.' If he hadn't encountered a rune master like you, but rather a close-combat opponent, it's hard to say who would have won."

Yu Ruoqi nodded in agreement. "His spear techniques were indeed very powerful."

At this point, only one person remained within the array. This individual spun countless gold and silver rings around their body, encasing themselves like an egg, continuously deflecting the incoming light rays.

However, the purple light rays were truly formidable. Many of the rings' afterimages vanished upon contact with the purple light. After a short while, it was visibly apparent that at least a third of his gold and silver rings were gone.

"How long are you going to keep watching?!" The person shouted desperately to the outside, a mix of shock and rage in their voice, filled with anguish and resentment.

It was precisely this momentary distraction that allowed a purple light ray to pass through the central circular hole of his rings, *thwip*, striking him in the chest.

His movements instantly faltered, and then he was struck by even more light rays. His body became riddled with bloodied holes, and he fell to the ground, barely breathing, clearly on the verge of death.

In that moment, he felt a pang of regret. Why had he used rings with holes in the center instead of shields?

However, what he resented more at that moment was something else entirely. Holding onto his last breath, he fixed his eyes, wide open, on a particular direction.

Zu An also lowered his voice to warn Yu Ruoqi, "Be careful. There are still people hidden in the shadows, and one of them is a mental-type cultivator."

Yu Ruoqi nodded, her expression serious as she looked in another direction.

A seductive and charming laugh echoed. "Don't you usually look down on us with your nose in the air? What, only remember us when you're about to die?"

The alluring voice was accompanied by the crisp jingling of bells, adding to an intoxicating, exotic charm.

As they spoke, a man and a woman slowly approached from a distance. Their attire was unusual, unlike anything seen in the Central Plains.

The man's clothes were evenly divided into half white and half black. Even more unsettling, his face was also half white and half black. He carried a soul-summoning banner, and his entire presence was eerily spectral.

"A zebra? A yin-yang person?" Several terms popped into Zu An's mind.

However, his attention was quickly drawn to the other person, and even Yu Ruoqi instinctively looked at her.

The woman glided forward with a graceful, feline walk, her entire body enveloped in a blue cloak, her head completely hidden by a hood.

Her face was obscured, but her vibrant red lips and smooth chin were faintly visible, along with glimpses of golden hair peeking out from either side.

The reason both of them paid so much attention to her, besides the mystery of her attire, was her ample bosom, which even her strange clothing couldn't conceal. Additionally, two long, pale legs were faintly visible beneath the cloak, and a red string was tied around her right ankle, from which hung a small, delicate bell.

With each of her seductive steps, the bell produced a series of delightful chimes.

At that moment, the man with the gold and silver rings showed no appreciation at all; only endless malice filled his eyes. "Ghasly, Shu Shuhao, you just stood by and watched us die without lifting a finger. Your master won't let you off when he finds out."

Zu An's heart stirred. *On the surface, this man is cursing them, but in reality, he's telling me their names, hoping that if I escape, I'll avenge them.*

*Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a deep-seated grudge! To betray his teammates even in death.*

The woman named Ghasly chuckled. "Didn't you also use those assassins' lives to test this woman's hidden abilities just now? We're just following your example. Why can't you stand it when it happens to you?"

"Besides, don't try to scare us with your master. I still haven't settled the score with you from that business in Southern Jiang back then!"