"...I'm sorry."
Pfft!
A mouthful of warm blood splattered across Chen Mo's face.
That familiar voice, that delicate face that stirred compassion — all of it flooded into Chen Mo's mind at once.
His expression froze.
In that instant, time itself seemed to stop.
Every gaze in heaven and earth locked onto the slender silhouette standing before Chen Mo.
Disbelief filled their eyes.
No one could have imagined that she would burst forward in that single instant — risking her life to block the fatal blow meant for him.
And in that moment, they all heard it — the sound of a spine cracking.
Queen Medusa and Die's beautiful eyes widened. They stared blankly at the noble woman in the elegant cyan dress who had intercepted the strike for Chen Mo.
The icy chill in their gazes melted slightly.
"Damn it… what bad luck."
Protector Xuan's face darkened. His punch had slammed into Yun Yun's back. He reached out, grabbed her by the hair, and flung her aside like trash.
Her body rolled several times across the ground before finally coming to a stop. Several mouthfuls of blood spilled from her lips, her face pale as paper, her life hanging by a thread.
Just before losing consciousness, she murmured weakly, "I'm… sorry."
"No…"
Hearing those words and watching Yun Yun close her eyes uncertainly between life and death, Chen Mo snapped out of his daze. His eyes instantly turned crimson.
A furious roar erupted from his throat as a pair of golden wings burst from his back. With a single powerful flap, his body shot upward like lightning.
He lunged straight toward Protector Xuan.
As he flew, Chen Mo clenched his right hand into a fist. The moment it rose, black-blue flames ignited along his arm, surging up until they engulfed it entirely.
"Heh, overestimating yourself."
Protector Xuan sneered. Facing Chen Mo's enraged assault, he didn't bother to dodge. His own fist shot forward to meet it head-on.
Boom!
Their fists collided — and both figures staggered back violently.
Protector Xuan retreated several steps, while Chen Mo was forced back over ten. Blue blood seeped from between his knuckles.
"What a monster…" Protector Xuan's expression shifted slightly. Even now, this brat could unleash such terrifying power.
"But this is the end. Your soul will make a fine meal."
A tidal wave of immense power erupted from Protector Xuan's body, spreading through the battlefield. The pressure alone made countless experts tremble.
With a sinister smile, Protector Xuan blurred and vanished. A faint afterimage hung in the air — and the next instant, his true form reappeared right before Chen Mo.
But Chen Mo didn't back down. He no longer cared about pain or fear. There was only one thought in his heart — kill him.
He charged like a maddened beast.
Bang!
Fist met flesh again and again. Each strike was brutal, primal — Chen Mo fought with complete disregard for his own life.
For every blow Protector Xuan landed, Chen Mo returned one of equal ferocity.
He'd learned this kind of desperate, bone-crushing fighting from none other than Queen Medusa herself.
Even when Protector Xuan's punch left his eye swollen shut, Chen Mo ignored the pain and slammed a fist squarely into his opponent's skull.
The two fought from ground to sky, from sky to ground, and then back into the heavens again.
Each collision sent shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.
Their life-for-life combat made everyone watching clench their teeth. The pain felt so real it was as if their own bones were breaking.
Even Protector Xuan couldn't help but frown. "This brat's life is absurdly tough… how is he still standing?"
Bang!
Their fists clashed once more, the impact sending rippling waves of Dou Qi through the air. Chen Mo's body shuddered and he was knocked backward, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Yet he rushed forward again without hesitation.
Protector Xuan was genuinely startled now. With a growl, he widened the distance between them.
"It seems I'll have to use that technique… what a pity. A Dou Zong's soul isn't easy to come by. Still, this brat's soul — and Queen Medusa's — should be even better."
His decision made, Protector Xuan's fingers began to weave intricate seals.
A low, eerie wail spread through the skies, and the entire world seemed to darken. Cold wind howled, sending chills crawling down every spine.
From his palms, dense black mist poured forth, flooding into the grim phantom faces embedded in his armor.
"Sinro Myriad Manifestations — Soul's Funeral!"
The three spectral faces detached from his armor and swelled, expanding to several zhang in size.
Moments later, the expressions of torment upon their ghostly features froze. A sinister black radiance burst from their seven orifices — and then, before countless horrified eyes, they exploded.
Rumble!
The heavens trembled as three black blasts merged into a tide of destructive darkness.
A surge like a collapsing mountain burst forth, drowning everything in a sea of shadow.
In an instant, the sky lost its sun — light vanished entirely. The world was swallowed by darkness.
Cries of fear erupted across the battlefield.
But all attention was fixed on one question:
What happened to Chen Mo?
Within that suffocating darkness, everyone could faintly sense an energy so fearsome it made their souls quiver.
Then—
Boom!
A strange sound, almost inaudible, echoed from the heavens.
Under that veil of blackness, no one could see what was happening — only feel it.
There, in the heart of the darkness, Protector Xuan floated midair.
In his coal-black palm pulsed a massive orb of black light — condensed from terrifying soul energy.
That energy came from the souls of Protector Wu, Elder Ying Shan, and Yun Shan himself — all gathered through their self-detonations and now absorbed by him.
Protector Xuan's lips curled into a cruel grin.
Below him, Chen Mo hovered in silence, eyes closed, hands forming seals.
"Let's see you survive this…" Protector Xuan hissed.
He lifted the orb high overhead, then thrust both palms forward.
The gigantic sphere of black soul energy shot forth like a black meteor, ripping through the heavens toward Chen Mo.
The sheer pressure of the soul energy made even the experts below struggle to breathe.
Moments later, the entire sky shook violently as the two forces met.
BOOM!
The orb engulfed Chen Mo in a blinding explosion.
Protector Xuan's face twisted into wild delight.
"It's over. That brat is finally—"
But before he could finish…
His grin froze.
****
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