"No!"
A mournful cry, laced with pain and sorrow, shrieked like a blood-curdling lament.
Within the coffin-like rank, witnessing it all firsthand, Qian Renxue’s face was a mask of tears, her expression contorted in agony. Her blood felt drained, her heart plunged into an ice cellar, chilling her to the bone.
The vows made in the frozen wilderness flashed before her eyes. The young man looked up, his emerald eyes filled with surprise and daze. His sparkling gaze, reflecting the most beautiful sight in the world, had uttered the word "angel" so spontaneously, so sincerely and purely.
His clear gaze and yearning tone had indeed made her feel a captivating, covetous longing.
"Yes, I am an angel!"
Her confident and proud reply had drawn his shock and astonishment. She was annoyed, but seeing his clear eyes, she chose to forgive.
The joy of becoming friends made her leap with delight.
Seeing him snatch away her maternal love also brought her anger and pain.
But she had never thought of harming Wang Zhong. He was a friend, her only one, her unique existence. After her grandfather, he was the second person to enter her heart.
She didn't blame Wang Zhong for taking away Bibi Dong's maternal love; she was only angry at her own helplessness, that even her own mother's love could be stolen by another.
Anger, tears, a torrent of accusations, and the drawing of her sword—Qian Renxue was merely venting, displaying her inner fragility and helplessness to her only friend.
Yet, she had never imagined that a single moment of willful outburst would lead to this most powerless and painful scene before her eyes.
She had lost maternal love and had also buried their only friendship!
"Yo, almost forgot, there's still a little angel over there."
Retracting his fist and standing up, the Human Demon patted his head. Wang Zhong's successive displays of power had stirred his bloodthirsty and combative nature, making him forget about the heavily injured angel beside them.
He lifted his foot, preparing to walk towards Qian Renxue, intending to finish her off.
But as his left foot took a step forward, his right foot was firmly grasped by a hand.
Wang Zhong's dim emerald eyes blazed like a raging fire at that moment. "I... cough, cough..."
"I... am not... dead yet... cough, cough, where... do you... want... cough, cough... to go!"
Each word was spoken with blood sputtering from his mouth.
What do you want to do to my friend! I am still here. How can I let you touch what I am protecting.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
"Are you kidding me! Your entire internal organs and chest cavity have vanished into powder. You're still alive with such injuries!"
For the first time, a look of shock appeared on the Human Demon's face.
A human can do this!
Grasping the other's ankle, Wang Zhong yanked with all his might, shaking the Human Demon for the first time.
The Human Demon stumbled, stepping back slightly to the side.
Wang Zhong, gritting his blood-stained teeth, pushed himself up from the ground. His body trembled incessantly, like a candle in the wind, about to be extinguished at any moment. Yet, he forced himself to walk in front of his opponent, blocking the path towards Qian Renxue.
His emerald eyes flickered with an unyielding, immortal madness. Those blood-red tinged green eyes were like a burning forest, vowing to incinerate everything in existence.
But what Wang Zhong was burning was not anything else, but himself.
"Damn it, a monster!"
A chill shot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. The Human Demon actually took a step back out of fear.
Throughout his countless years, he had slain innumerable beings, devoured endless humans and soul beasts. But as the Human Demon, he had never encountered such a crazed monster as Wang Zhong before him.
His lungs and internal organs were all shattered. A person he had considered dead was actually standing up!
Even with the blessing of the Cult Master, possessing the ability to revive over time, he felt a tremor of fear at such a terrifying sight.
"What kind of will is supporting him to stand before me in such a state!"
"An angel!"
Compared to the Human Demon's terror, Qian Renxue's tear-streaked eyes within the coffin-like rank turned crimson at this moment.
The coffin-like rank could be seen from the inside, but not from the outside.
The silhouette blocking her path had its entire back stripped of flesh, revealing a pristine white jade-like spine, straight and resilient. Below the spine, the internal organs, indispensable to humans, were now all gone.
It was a hollow shell of flesh and blood. By normal human standards, he was already dead!
Yet, such a dying body stood its ground, refusing to retreat, all for the sake of the word "friend," for the sake of friendship.
"Come! Let's continue!"
Those short five words were spoken with unwavering strength, resounding like a thunderclap.
Though his body was a hollow shell, there were things within that filled it, making him stand unyieldingly.
"Fine! I will send you completely on your way!"
Crimson light emanated from the Human Demon's body, unleashing an extremely bloody and terrifying pressure.
His fist, like a small grinding stone, was clenched tightly, blood mist swirling within, interspersed with red lightning. A brilliant blood-red light erupted, turning the entire forest into an infernal hell, where all beings wailed and all living creatures lamented.
With a punch, the blood sea churned, unleashing an endless dirge of hell.
"Little fox, it's up to you next!"
"Activate all nine tails! Even if I become a mere bloodthirsty beast from now on, I will tear this scoundrel before me to shreds."
Wang Zhong gritted his teeth fiercely, communicating with the Nine Tails in his sea of consciousness, preparing to unleash the innate divine ability of the little fox, Nine-Tailed Fox Robe.
Although he didn't know how much his power would be amplified with all nine tails activated, Wang Zhong was confident it wouldn't disappoint him.
However, changes and plans are often beyond human control.
Qian Renxue, hidden within the coffin-like rank, had somehow found a way to open it!
The angel, with infinite light and heat, flew towards Wang Zhong like a beam of light. Her perfect face, still bearing tear stains, looked at him with reluctance and holiness.
She gently extended her jade arm, embracing Wang Zhong tightly. Love, benevolence, and warmth flowed into his body from Qian Renxue. Her Angel Martial Soul appeared, the angel robed in light gauze, bringing her hands together to tightly envelop them, pulling them to her chest.
Her legs curled up, her head resting on her knees. The angelic wings behind her, like a screen of light, closed together, forming a massive, sacred angelic sphere of light.
Angel Guardian!
This was the strongest defensive skill Qian Renxue could unleash. But compared to the world-destroying punch of the Human Demon, such a skill was as fragile as glass.
Before the Human Demon's fist could approach, the Angel Guardian was torn apart.
The bloody aura, filled with ferocity and savagery, surged directly towards Qian Renxue and Wang Zhong inside.
"Sister Xue, hurry and dodge!"
Wang Zhong cried out anxiously.
But Qian Renxue let out a light laugh at this moment, her beauty peerless and nation-toppling.
She slightly lowered her head and gently kissed his slightly dry and chapped lips. She was incredibly tender.
"I hate you to the bone."
"But I also cherish you in my heart."
"Amidst the endless coldness and loneliness of the imperial palace, you were my only light and warmth."
"May the angel always protect you, may the angel always guide you, may your life be free of harm, and may you advance bravely."
"Angel... loves you forever."
With a gentle push, she propelled Wang Zhong away from her and turned to face the terrifying, world-ending fist.
Like duckweed in the wind, like a moth to a flame, holy and brilliant.
Wang Zhong's green eyes reflected this scene, his pupils trembling incessantly. He roared in anguish, "No! Sister Xue!"
"No!"
But Qian Renxue had already collided with the fist capable of destroying everything. Waves of blood-red energy spread outwards, and the Angel Martial Soul began to shatter and dissipate at this moment.
Once the Angel Martial Soul was completely shattered, she would face the world-destroying blow with her physical body.
"No, no!"
Wang Zhong's body turned into a stream of light, and in an instant, he grabbed Qian Renxue's hand and pulled her into his embrace.