Chapter 771: A Favor From Me

Chapter 771: Count It as My Favor

Buzz!

As Ye Chen stood there in astonishment, a strange burly man in the distant sky stepped forward and shattered an entire mountain, lunging toward Ji Ningshuang with a kill intent. His massive war axe, heavy and formidable, swung down from the heavens toward her.

Ji Ningshuang quickly retreated, darting back over a hundred zhang, unwilling to clash with him head-on.

Boom!

The burly man's axe missed, but a towering mountain was struck instead, sliced clean through like a block of tofu. The impact even split the earth open, carving out a deep abyss.

Witnessing this scene, Ye Chen instinctively swallowed hard. "That guy's no ordinary powerhouse!"

"That's Kui," Tai Xu Ancient Dragon said, glancing at the strange burly man through Ye Chen's eyes and immediately recognizing what it was.

"Kui?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "What's Kui?"

"Kui is a dead creature born from absorbing resentment and grudges. Like puppets and Yinming Death Generals, it has no emotions. But unlike them, it can draw power from evil thoughts and malicious intent, growing stronger in places where such negativity is dense."

"From what you're saying, this Kui sounds a lot like the evil spirits in the Hundred Thousand Mountains—both are insanely powerful."

"Though they both feed on evil thoughts and malice, Kui and evil spirits are different," Tai Xu Ancient Dragon explained slowly. "Evil spirits belong to the realm of souls; they have a soul but no physical body, and in a sense, they possess intelligence. Kui, however, is a dead entity with a body but no soul. The only similarity is that both absorb evil thoughts and malice to exist."

"This world is truly full of wonders! All sorts of bizarre things exist." Ye Chen sighed in amazement.

"Are you just going to sit here and watch the show?" Tai Xu Ancient Dragon glanced at Ye Chen's remaining clone. "Looking at your ex-girlfriend's condition, she's clearly still recovering from serious injuries and isn't a match for Kui."

"We're even now," Ye Chen shrugged. "Besides, our positions are opposed—we're bound to face each other on the battlefield eventually."

"You still have to make it that clear, damn it."

"It's better to keep things straight." Ye Chen shook his head and casually scratched his ear.

"Then consider this my request!" Tai Xu Ancient Dragon cursed. "Go save her, and count it as me owing you a favor."

Hearing that, Ye Chen stroked his chin thoughtfully. "A favor from you, Dragon Lord—that's worth collecting."

With that, he stepped out and slipped into the void space, stealthily heading in that direction while muttering to himself, "Capture her, then extort something from Zhengyang Sect."

"You bastard, are you that bored?" Tai Xu Ancient Dragon couldn't hold back his scolding. "If you have time for that, you might as well just attack Zhengyang Sect directly. Still thinking about extortion? I'm getting impatient just watching you."

"Sorry, old habit." Ye Chen coughed awkwardly and stopped at the edge of the battlefield.

Boom! Bang! Rumbling!

The fierce battle between Ji Ningshuang and the burly man raged on, turning the entire mountain range into a wasteland.

Notably, Ji Ningshuang had been at a clear disadvantage from the start.

Compared to her, the burly man was extraordinarily strange—his physical body was incredibly strong, his aura wildly violent, and his recovery ability was terrifying. Even Ji Ningshuang's attacks couldn't deal any substantial damage to him.

"Impressive, truly impressive," Ye Chen murmured, stroking his chin as he watched the burly man, his Xianlun Eye already activated to see through it all.

"He has no thoughts, that's for sure, and he's likely being controlled by someone," Ye Chen pondered. "Hmm, it's similar to Yinming Death Generals in that way, but much more domineering."

"Probably, if I chop off his head, he'll quiet down." Ye Chen said, already drawing his Balong Saber.

However, he didn't strike immediately. Instead, he squatted down, blew on the saber, and wiped it with his sleeve.

This sight made Tai Xu Ancient Dragon grit his teeth in frustration. "You son of a gun, I told you to save her, and here you are polishing your crappy saber. What kind of nonsense is this? I hope lightning strikes you dead."

Jiu Tian Xuanling Mirror!

At that moment, Ji Ningshuang's voice echoed from outside. She unleashed the Xuanling forbidden technique, transforming into a figure within the mirror, which even made Ye Chen, who was polishing his saber, turn his attention to the scene.

He knew the wonders of the Jiu Tian Xuanling Mirror—it was a versatile skill for both offense and defense, with added attack bonuses, a rare secret art.

Jiu Tian Xuanling Finger!

Soon, the Ji Ningshuang in the mirror suddenly raised her hand, sending out a beam of divine light aimed straight at the burly man's forehead.

The burly man charged forward ferociously, completely ignoring the divine light.

Thud!

His head was pierced through on the spot, but no blood sprayed out.

To Ye Chen's surprise, the burly man seemed unaffected. The hole in his head healed visibly, right before his eyes.

Damn!

Ye Chen stood up instinctively. "Even that doesn't kill him?"

Buzz!

As Ye Chen was stunned, the burly man swung his war axe down from the sky again.

Just like the mountain before, Ji Ningshuang's Jiu Tian Xuanling Mirror shattered instantly, forcing her out of it and sending her flying. The forceful breaking of the mirror caused her severe backlash.

Bang!

In a single step, the burly man covered over five hundred zhang and slammed his massive hand, like a palm fan, down onto the ground.

Thud!

Ji Ningshuang, who had just staggered to her feet, was immediately pressed down, spitting blood, and trapped in place.

"Where do you think you can escape to?" The burly man didn't attack further, but a flash of light gleamed in his black eyes—the words weren't his, but spoken through him as a medium.

"I knew it! Someone's definitely controlling him." Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, focusing on the burly man.

Below, Ji Ningshuang stumbled slightly, struggling to lift her jade arm and wipe the blood from her lips. Staring at the burly man, her expression was coldly intimidating, her beautiful eyes revealing no emotion.

"Go back quietly, and you can avoid more suffering." Another voice came from the burly man, accompanied by that flash in his black eyes.

"Come and take it if you want." Ji Ningshuang finally spoke, showing no fear—or perhaps, she had already accepted death as irrelevant.

As she spoke, her chaotic aura forcibly gathered and began to rise rapidly, her entire body radiating brilliant light. Even her blood-stained hair turned snow-white, strand by strand.

"I figured you'd try to self-destruct, but you won't get the chance." The burly man suddenly moved, and a rune chain shot from his forehead, snaking toward Ji Ningshuang like a serpent and binding her instantly.

Immediately, her rapidly climbing aura started to plummet, as the rune chain devoured her surging essence.

At this, Ji Ningshuang's body wavered, a deep sorrow appearing on her exquisite face. The Xuanling body, the legendary undefeatable one—yet now, even self-destruction was beyond her.

Suddenly, her body relaxed, her arms hanging limply, and her already cold eyes grew dimmer in that instant. She had given up resisting, ready to face her tragic fate.

"Pointless struggle—it's all the same in the end." The burly man reached down with his massive hand, intent on seizing her.

As the dark hand descended from the sky, a soft smile unexpectedly formed on Ji Ningshuang's lips. Her cold eyes turned misty, blurring her vision, and in that haze, a lean figure appeared.

"Ye Chen, I'm sorry." With that, Ji Ningshuang's eyelashes trembled, and she wearily closed her eyes.

In that very moment, a golden hand emerged from the void space, pulling her away from that realm.