In that moment, the boy almost thought he was in the presence of a god.
Salvation, it was always mutual salvation.
In the end, he desperately rescued the girl from a certain death, his own face disfigured in the process.
The two sat beneath the populus euphratica tree, the storyteller's favorite at the edge of the village, and watched their home being consumed by heavenly fire.
The flames coiled back like dragons, dancing wildly. The two children stood frozen, unsure where to go or what hardships awaited them.
The boy continuously comforted the silent little girl, but she seemed like a soulless doll.
Finally, the boy realized his facial injuries might be frightening the girl. So, finding a mask from somewhere, he put it on.
"See, you're a doll, and I'm a puppet. Don't be afraid. We've escaped hell. From now on, I'll protect you."
...
The Snake Woman gazed at the intensely familiar face, whispering like a doll, "Didn't you promise to protect me? Why did you break your word?"
Just as the Snake Woman's emotions surged, an incredibly potent pressure, even greater than the dark clouds and sandstorms above, descended!
A person appeared on the city wall, looking down from above, like an emperor.
"No, Snake Woman, at least he was killed by me while trying to protect you. At least, until his death, he believed you had escaped my control," the man said, taking a puff of his cigar. As he exhaled white smoke, he exuded an imposing aura that could swallow mountains.
"Pity you've returned, and brought a dog with you."
The Snake Woman lowered her head, her fists clenched. A soul-stirring power surged from her body!
Hundreds of rattlesnakes rushed towards her like a tide.
"Snake Woman, your powers were awakened by me using Mandara. Do you think those useless little insects can contend with me, Lü Yehe Er·Zuobo?"
The city lord pressed his hands onto the battlements, his pressure descending like a tropical storm.
"Whether I can defeat you is irrelevant. I only want you dead!"
As the Snake Woman prepared to unleash her snakes, Ren Yuanhao grabbed her.
"Hold on. This is a fight between men. I said I would protect you."
Ren Yuanhao smiled faintly and pointed at the man on the city wall. "Hey, you on the wall, I've been looking up at you for ages, and it's tiring. Aren't you going to get down?"
"Oh? Interesting. You're the first one to dare point at me," the city lord's indifferent expression seemed finally stirred by Ren Yuanhao's action. His lips curled slightly, showing a hint of excitement. "To show my respect, I'll consider you a person for now."
"Being called that, I feel like I've undergone a great evolutionary mutation. At this rate, should I be thanking you?"
As he spoke, Ren Yuanhao felt a drop of liquid descend from above. A glistening man emerged from the scattered droplets!
"City Lord, let me play with him first!"
This was the Dead Fish Man, who had arrived via 'water mirror teleportation'!
"Fall back! His liquid is extremely adhesive!" The Snake Woman waved her delicate hand, and several rattlesnakes lunged at the Dead Fish Man.
"Snake Woman, being bitten by these long creatures would surely rot my skin. It's too terrifying, so I must drive them away!"
As soon as he spoke, more viscous droplets were thrown. The moment the snakes touched the droplets, they vanished into thin air!
Seeing the water blade in the Dead Fish Man's hand about to slice into Ren Yuanhao's shoulder, he suddenly felt an incredibly terrifying pressure from behind him. The next instant, Ren Yuanhao vanished before him like the wind, his back ripped to shreds by a vortex capable of crushing him.
The Dead Fish Man, a congenital ability user, was instantly killed with a single blow!
Observing from the city wall were also the three guards from the underground passage and the executioner. However, these four were bound with black iron chains by two men in black.
And when the executioner saw what had happened, he finally believed the instructor's words.
'That person's aura is like a dragon. Clouds follow dragons, and tigers follow the wind. A battle of wind and clouds is inevitable.'
With the ability to instantly kill the Dead Fish Man, such strength indeed provided the conditions to challenge the city lord, but only the conditions. They all knew the city lord's power was unfathomable.
At this moment, the city lord raised his hands and applauded, his expression growing more excited.
"Very well, a worthy opponent."
Ren Yuanhao twisted his neck and kicked the remains in front of him aside. "So, are you ready to get down, old man? My neck is getting stiff from looking up."
As his words fell, Ren Yuanhao felt a powerful vortex descend with the man's attack. The aura was no weaker than that of Mo Qiancheng, who was at the Foundation Establishment realm!
Under such pressure, the Snake Woman felt her legs weaken. But Ren Yuanhao simply placed his hand on her shoulder, and as his true energy flowed into her body, the pressure vanished.
"You are the first man to remain so calm and composed under my pressure," the city lord said, hands in his pockets, his cold eyes fixed on Ren Yuanhao.
"What pressure? Are you talking about this slight breeze? It's quite pleasant, like a gentle woman fanning me."
Ren Yuanhao wasn't feigning calmness; his battles against Mo Qiancheng and Fang Moyu had already instilled sufficient confidence in him.
"I heard you're an ability user. Are you not afraid of this when you speak to me like that?"
The city lord took out a more exquisite ultrasonic device from his pocket. "Once this thing is activated, your glib tongue won't save you."
Before Ren Yuanhao obtained his third ability, he hadn't relied on his abilities in combat (generally speaking, it was because he lacked abilities usable in battle). Even without them, as he galloped back, he had devised a way to counter the device.
Therefore, he answered without any apprehension, "The outcome of a battle between warriors is never decided by abilities." Ren Yuanhao then pointed at the black saber hanging at the city lord's waist and said gravely, "You brought such a saber, aren't you going to play with me properly?"
As he guided his internal energy, the Tang saber hanging by his horse's side suddenly unsheathed. As it sliced through the air, his true energy surged like waves, kicking up dust.
"Is this guy trying to duel the city lord with sabers?" the black-clad man on the right frowned.
"Hmph, he's chosen a more difficult path," the black-clad man on the left said, gently tugging at the black profound iron chain, a look of anticipation on his face.
"Do you want to duel me?" the city lord did not draw his saber but took it with its sheath. "I don't need to draw my saber to deal with you. Come on!"