Chapter 1596: Who Dares Hurt Him?

The woman before him, though more than ten times more beautiful than the Luo Qiqi he had previously known, still revealed through her temperament, eyes, and every movement that she was indeed the alchemy student Luo Qiqi, who admired him deeply and was filled with affection.

Their acquaintance began in the Illusory Feather Empire, where she diligently studied and practiced, never once defying his orders or revealing her true identity, a fact that always evoked his pity.

Their farewell in Qingyuan City was marked by her heartfelt confession, the words "It's not just fondness I feel for you" leaving him heartbroken.

He had believed that their last parting would be the end, never imagining that their next encounter would unfold in such a manner.

"How could the Little Princess be Qiqi?" Zhang Xuan felt his entire being teetering on the brink of collapse.

All this time, he had been certain that Luo Ruoxi was the Luo Clan's Little Princess. To be with her, he had worked tirelessly, even intentionally creating trouble for the Zhang Clan and deliberately getting close to Luo Xuanqing. He had even specifically used the Library to confirm this. Now, the sudden revelation that Qiqi was the Little Princess, and Luo Ruoxi was not, made his mind reel; it was utterly unacceptable.

"Teacher Luo..." Luo Qiqi's delicate body trembled as she looked at Luo Ruoxi, who stood not far away.

She knew Teacher Zhang only held an ordinary fondness for her, not true love. This knowledge had left her dazed when she heard he was excitedly coming to marry her, prompting her to seek confirmation from her brother. Now, with Luo Ruoxi's appearance, she finally understood. Could it be that he had mistaken her for Luo Ruoxi? Was the one he truly loved this acclaimed Master Teacher from the Hongyuan Empire, Teacher Luo? Otherwise, what could Luo Ruoxi's words, "Fire Origin City, open hearts; Qiuwu Palace, a pact for three lives," possibly mean?

Her heart felt as though it were being twisted by knives; the happiness she had felt moments ago vanished in an instant. Her delicate body froze, trembling uncontrollably, and she became dazed, unable to utter a single word.

Although sealing one's cultivation with the Silent Void Bead has numerous drawbacks, preventing the recovery of some memories if one's cultivation doesn't reach a certain level, the person before her had undeniably touched her heart and entered her soul, regardless of whether her memories were fully awakened then or now.

Her wish was simple: she merely hoped that one day, the man she loved would marry her in a grand ceremony, watched by all. With so many masters personally coming to offer congratulations, it was indeed a spectacle for all eyes. However, she had correctly predicted the beginning but utterly failed to foresee the outcome.

No wonder Teacher Zhang had constantly refused her advances back then, deflecting the topic in various ways. It turned out he already had someone he liked, the woman standing before him now. Otherwise, Luo Ruoxi would not have burst in at this moment and uttered those words.

Her body trembled uncontrollably, and Luo Qiqi stood there like a fool, utterly speechless.

"You promised to wait for me, to stay together no matter how difficult it became..." Luo Ruoxi looked at him, ignoring the stares around them. Due to her background, she had always suppressed her emotions, appearing as cold as ice to everyone. Yet, her icy heart had been gradually melted by the man before her. They had made solemn vows in Qiuwu Palace, where she pledged to pay any price for him. How could he be marrying someone else after only a few short months? Was this his 'true heart'?

"You've misunderstood, I..." Seeing her expression, Zhang Xuan was filled with urgency. "I always thought you were the Luo Clan's Little Princess..."

"Me?" Luo Ruoxi asked, puzzled.

"Yes, you never revealed your identity, and your strength is so formidable. Coupled with your surname being Luo, I assumed... you were the Luo Clan princess who had refined the Silent Void Bead." Zhang Xuan felt his scalp was about to explode, unsure how to explain himself. It was bad enough for others to make a mistake, but for his girlfriend to be mistakenly identified? That was like courting disaster! Yet, after Ruoxi left, she hadn't said a word, nor explained who she was. Anyone with such immense power at such a young age would naturally be linked to the Luo Clan princess. What was most critical was that, by sheer coincidence, he had never once met the Luo Clan princess, nor even seen her image, until this very day.

"I can't tell you my identity for now... How about this, come with me now, I'll take you somewhere!" Seeing his anxiety, Luo Ruoxi paused, her expression unreadable as to whether she believed him or not, then spoke.

"A place? Where?" Hearing that she didn't press the matter further, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he would have a chance to explain.

"You'll know when we get there!" Luo Ruoxi nodded, said no more, and with a turn of her delicate body, prepared to leave.

"Okay..." Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth, resolved to follow. Creating such a massive misunderstanding had already deeply angered her, and if he allowed her to leave now, he feared they might never meet again in this lifetime.

"Wait!" After taking only two steps, a figure blocked his path. It was Luo Xuanqing, his former friend, who was now trembling with rage, looking as if he might explode at any moment. "Zhang Xuan, what do you think you're doing? Who is this person?"

"Brother Luo, I have something—" Zhang Xuan paused, but before he could finish, a fist suddenly came crashing down.

Whoosh! The air exploded. This punch, fueled by all of Luo Xuanqing's accumulated strength, warped the very air around it. Before it even reached Zhang Xuan's face, he felt a scorching pain, as if he were about to be torn apart.

"Brother Luo..." Unprepared for the sudden attack, Zhang Xuan took a step back.

"Don't call me Brother Luo; I can't bear it!" Luo Xuanqing roared, his fists raining down relentlessly, as if he wouldn't be satisfied until he had pounded the man before him into a pulp.

"You..." Zhang Xuan continuously dodged, wanting to explain, but he didn't know where to begin.

He had only agreed to the engagement because he believed Luo Ruoxi was the Luo Clan's Little Princess. With so many people gathered for the wedding procession, and the marriage imminent, suddenly leaving and claiming he had mistaken the person... it was tantamount to ripping the Luo Clan's face off and stomping on it. Anyone in their position would find it unbearable.

"If you're a man, stop dodging and fight me! Either kill me and walk over my corpse, or explain clearly who this person is and what your relationship is with her!" Luo Xuanqing roared while attacking, his movements as if he had eight arms. In his fury, his power surged wildly; despite being only at the initial stage of Saint 8-dan, he unleashed strength comparable to a peak Void Realm expert.

"Brother Luo, I..." Zhang Xuan retreated once more.

"Enough! I told you not to call me Brother Luo; I can't bear it!" Unable to land a single continuous blow, Luo Xuanqing gritted his teeth, and the power within him surged dramatically, reaching an astonishing level in an instant.

It was his bloodline power! He had activated his bloodline without the slightest hesitation.

Rip! Luo Xuanqing, having unleashed his bloodline power, experienced a rapid surge in strength, instantly reaching the power of an initial Saint 9-dan. With a flick of his wrist, a long sword appeared in his palm, thrusting forward with fierce speed. This strike was many times more powerful than his previous punch, aimed directly at the brow, tearing through space and creating fissures in an instant. The Luo Clan was inherently skilled in spatial control, and with the added boost of his bloodline power, the force of this attack was more formidable than even that of a peak Cosmos Realm expert; such an expert would struggle to resist it. However, despite being at the initial stage of the Cosmos Realm, Zhang Xuan's combat prowess was already comparable to that of a Great Sage, and he once again flickered, narrowly dodging the blow.

"Brother Luo, this time it's my fault; I will explain everything in detail later—" "No need for later, and no need for explanations! Today, either you die, or I do!"

Boom! The long sword, imbued with the power to tear through space, continued its relentless assault, one strike after another. Several moves piled upon each other, creating a spatial storm that raged around them.

"If piercing me will bring you comfort, then do it!" Seeing that his opponent could not be reasoned with, and knowing the fault lay with himself, Zhang Xuan stopped dodging and stood still.

Pffft! The long sword pierced through his shoulder, creating a gaping wound from which blood profusely flowed.

"Die!" With his shoulder pierced, Luo Xuanqing gritted his teeth, violently shook the long sword, and prepared to strike again.

However, the moment he moved, his entire body stiffened, as if a colossal force had restrained him, rendering him utterly unable to move.

"He is the one Luo Ruoxi likes! I dare anyone of you to harm him!" Boom! A wave of qi swept forth, sending Luo Xuanqing stumbling backward, "thud, thud, thud, thud!" He could no longer hold his long sword; it flew straight out of his grasp, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.