Hong Chen had always prided himself on being extraordinary, how could he possibly allow someone else to lay a finger on the object of his desire?
"Young Master Chen, leave this person to me, I'll make sure he suffers the excruciating pain of the venom eating away at his heart," Xia Mang said with bloodshot and sinister eyes. Having just suffered such a loss, he couldn't allow the situation to go unresolved.
An endless and formidable demonic aura emanated from Xia Mang's body as he instantaneously transformed into a gigantic serpentine demon beast.
The creature stretched over twenty meters in length, flickering its forked tongue, as its immense eyes glared hatefully at Xu Ran.
A magical beast of Dou Huang Level, as it shifted from human to beast form, it indeed posed a threat that all those present could feel. Even in the Northern Region of Zhongzhou such a massive magical beast wasn't a common sight.
As for the members of the Han Family, they had only heard of such terrifying magical beasts in legends.
Boom!
With a twist of its serpentine body, Xia Mang fiercely slammed down towards the ground!
An enormous crack appeared on the ground instantaneously, and as the earth shook violently, everyone was thrown into the air only to crash back down heavily. Those of Dou Zhe Cultivation Level were instantly severely injured, coughing up blood. Even individuals like Han Chong, with decent "cultivation levels," turned pale, forcefully swallowing the blood rising in their throats to avoid an unsightly appearance.
Is this the power of a Dou Huang Level?
Everyone knew that a Dou Huang was strong, but who really understood the extent of power a figure of this level possessed? These individuals certainly did not.
Once again, Han Chong and the others fell into despair. The strength of these powerful beings was clearly far beyond their means to contend with.
"Go, I'll buy you some time,"
Seeing the sheer force with which Xia Mang wielded his serpentine body, Han Xue's gaze suddenly firmed, and she tightly gripped the broken sword in her hand.
She couldn't bear to see such a kind person die for her.
Without even using Dou Techniques, Xia Mang had used the brute strength of the magical beast to leave the Han Family's guards all severely wounded; how could they stand against such horrifying power?
And besides, Xia Mang was merely one among the many Dou Huangs present.
Should all these individuals make their move simultaneously, it might not even take a second, and they would be instantly killed.
In the face of overwhelming power, any strategy was meaningless.
"You're not even a Dou Spirit, how can you buy me any time? My strength is still somewhat stronger than yours," Xu Ran was actually moved at this moment. He hadn't expected that Han Xue, in such a life-or-death situation, hadn't thought of her own safety. Although her strength was pathetically weak in his eyes, her actions made him profoundly reflective.
Strength could be cultivated slowly, but sentiments and character were much harder to change. It's easier to move mountains and rivers than to alter one's nature.
"What use is it if you're a little stronger than I am? You can't defeat him either. Although I may not be powerful, they aim to capture me alive. If I threaten them with my life, perhaps I can secure a sliver of hope for you," Han Xue, upon hearing that Xu Ran was only slightly stronger than she, assumed he only possessed Dou Spirit level strength. Such power was mere cannon fodder in a battle of this level.
"Once you leave, I will commit suicide. I won't let them have me," Han Xue added softly.
She would rather die than suffer humiliation. Life was precious, but there were things even more valuable than life.
Although she had only met the person before her by chance, her heart had already been torn open by a small cut. She had never been moved by a man in her life, but now, she wanted her heart to cling tightly to the person in front of her.
Troubles reveal true feelings. When people face danger, even a straw can be viewed as something life-saving, let alone a living person. Under such circumstances, one's emotions are the easiest to capture. That's why the often-seen trope of a hero saving a beauty in novels, despite seeming clichéd, is actually quite real.
For people to form solid relationships, they either develop affection over time, gradually imprinting each other into their minds. Even if they argue one day, as long as they recall the past, they can quickly reconcile and their feelings will become firmer. Besides that, there is the saying, troubles reveal true feelings, those unforgettable incidents shared together are etched deeply into the heart, making them impossible to forget. So, although novels are melodramatic, what they depict is indeed the truth.
At that moment, Han Xue truly opened her heart to Xu Ran.
She had never had a first love and was still naïve about love. Faced with the threat of death, she felt regret and pain because she had many beautiful things yet to experience, especially those important life events.
And with Xu Ran's appearance, she vented all her hopes onto him in an instant. Even if others wanted to approach Han Xue in the future, it would be difficult for them to surmount the mountain that was Xu Ran.
This was also Xu Ran's unfailing strategy. However, Xu Ran always felt sort of like he was deceiving a young girl.
Well, he would just have to explain it seriously when the time came.
By truly winning Han Xue's heart in this way, even if he had deceived her, she would probably just act a little petulant at most.
"Let me borrow your sword," Xu Ran said, wrapping his arm around Han Xue's slender waist, taking the damaged Lady's Precious Sword from her hand, corrupted by Hong Chen. Although the sword was incomplete, when held by Xu Ran, it seemed as if it underwent some sort of change, subtly coming to life.
Of course, such a transformation is hard to perceive unless one is at least at the Dou Sheng level or higher.
"You…"
Han Xue was taken aback and just as she was about to speak, Xu Ran's forefinger was placed on her lips, signaling her to be silent.
"Don't speak, just watch," he said.
Ah?
Han Xue was bewildered.
She felt Xu Ran's aura was different from just a moment ago.
Han Xue thought about the telepathic communication from Xu Ran before, which didn't seem like something an ordinary person could achieve.
"Lying cheat!!!" fumed Han Xue, her big eyes wide with anger, held in Xu Ran's embrace, she felt an overwhelming urge to bite down hard on this bad person.
She thought it impossible to escape this crisis, which is why she wanted to express those sentimental words before dying. After all, she had no one she liked, and it was Xu Ran's sincerity that made her blurt out those embarrassing words subconsciously.
"If…"
Han Xue didn't know whether to hope that Xu Ran had deceived her or not.
If Xu Ran had lied to her, they would both escape this crisis and not die, but she couldn't take back her awkward words. If Xu Ran hadn't lied to her and his strength was insufficient, they would both die here.
Those heartfelt words in the movies might be moving, but if they didn't lead to death, they would just leave the person involved so embarrassed they could dig out a three-room apartment with their toes.