At this moment, Chi Yixiu and the others were only focused on charging forward, shielding Ye Jingyu on both flanks, pouring all their strength into protecting him as they broke out toward the north...

No one noticed the glint of malice in Yue Youqun's eyes as he followed closely beside Ye Jingyu, not even Bieli. They were all charging north in a frenzy...

Break out, live... Fail to break out, die... After the mission was complete, no one was willing to die...

Ye Jingyu was already utterly exhausted, especially his soul power. If Xiao Taotao hadn't swiftly transferred energy to him, he might have already passed out. Now, he had reached the lowest ebb of his physical capability; his senses and agility were at rock bottom. With enemies still ahead, he never anticipated danger lurking behind...

Even Ni Bo, having just executed the seventh step of Nibian (for full novel text, visit .1.(1..Wen.Xue.Net), his perception had dropped to its lowest point, focused solely on carrying Ye Jingyu and galloping northward relentlessly...

It was at this precise moment that Yue Youqun’s figure rapidly closed in on Ye Jingyu. Giving the others virtually no time to react, the long sword in his hand suddenly flickered, unleashing a powerful burst of sword energy that tore through the air, aimed directly at the back of Ye Jingyu’s heart...

This sword strike was so sudden, so terrifyingly unexpected. Neither Chi Yixiu, nor Bieli, nor Hu Yanqi could have ever imagined that Yue Youqun would strike against Ye Jingyu at this juncture...

In what seemed like an instant, the sharp sword energy pierced through Ye Jingyu’s clothing. Giving him no chance to evade, it drove straight through his heart...

A streak of crimson blood shot out, and the agonizing, drilling pain instantly turned Ye Jingyu’s face deathly pale...

“Ao...” Seemingly sensing the agony from Ye Jingyu’s chest, Ni Bo, acknowledging his failure, let out a dragon’s roar and instantly lashed out with his hind hooves toward Yue Youqun...

But Yue Youqun, having already struck, disregarded the outcome. His body blurred away in a swift dash, and before Chi Yixiu and the others could even recover their senses, he had vanished into the ranks of the Dark Legion...

“General...” Seeing Yue Youqun inexplicably flee into the darkness of the Legion, Bieli turned back, saw the bloody hole in Ye Jingyu’s chest, and his face dramatically shifted...

“Master...”

“A’Yu...” Hu Yanqi and Chi Yixiu’s expressions both soured instantly. They had never anticipated Yue Youqun would make his move now?

“Little Ye Zi...” Xiao Taotao, feeling Ye Jingyu’s severe injury, was struck with alarm. The white figure instantly appeared before Ye Jingyu, spraying a golden saliva onto the wound...

This was him shattering his own frontal gland, intending to use his own blood to heal Ye Jingyu’s injury...

But the hole through Ye Jingyu’s heart was too grievous for such a small amount of blood to mend. The bright scarlet blood continued to pour out of Ye Jingyu’s body...

And Ye Jingyu’s complexion grew whiter and whiter...

“Yue Youqun, you despicable wretch, I will kill you...” Seeing the life force gradually fading from Ye Jingyu, Bieli roared in fury—a rage born from the betrayal of a comrade, compounded by the deep self-reproach of failing to protect Ye Jingyu...

As he spoke, Bieli’s body shot forward. The innate Zhenqi within him churned wildly, and his fingers tapped out repeatedly. With the release of the Jueqing Yizhi (Ruthless Finger Strike), its ruthlessness was absolute. No soldier could withstand a single touch, regardless of their heavy armor or the distance of several meters; they were killed one by one...

Almost every soldier developed a bloody hole between their brows, their eyes filled with despair, yet Yue Youqun’s silhouette had already melted into the black tide of people...

Bieli completely ignored the danger surrounding him. Driven by extreme anger, he relentlessly pursued, refusing to yield. Though he hailed from the Wushang Sect and should have been detached and passionless, his time spent with Ye Jingyu had led him to silently accept him as a superior. Especially Ye Jingyu’s decision to stay behind and face the enemy for the sake of his comrades had deeply impressed him...

For a man who valued the lives of his subordinates above all else, Bieli would never flinch, even in the face of death. But now, this partner he had once trusted implicitly, this comrade with whom he had faced life and death, had unexpectedly stabbed the person he respected most right before his eyes. How could his heart endure this?

In this moment, fear and worry vanished, leaving only one thought: execute Yue Youqun and avenge Ye Jingyu...

Therefore, even facing thousands of Shadow Legionnaires, he held nothing back...

When Chi Yixiu and the others saw Ye Jingyu struck down, they too erupted in fury. However, they did not charge after the betrayer like Bieli. Instead, they constantly circled Ye Jingyu, shielding him and blocking the advance of the shadow soldiers...

“You little bastard, are you still holding back at a time like this? If anything happens to Little Ye, I swear I’ll make you pay with your life...” Xiao Taotao’s face hardened into a savage expression, every strand of fur standing on end, a torrent of killing intent radiating from its body. The monstrous beast erupted from within, its entire form blazing with white light...

For the first time, Ni Bo did not react with anger to Xiao Taotao’s words. Sensing the weakening life force on his back, Ni Bo roared, acknowledging his dereliction of duty. Black light flashed in his eyes, and his fur began to grow rapidly, enveloping Ye Jingyu entirely to prevent him from falling. His four hooves stamped incessantly, and trails of black flames rose up beneath them...

“I’ll take him away first...” Leaving only this psychic message, Ni Bo’s four hooves moved, and his figure shot away like lightning. In just a few breaths, he vanished from sight, leaving only a wisp of black smoke slowly dissipating in the sky...

Seeing Ni Bo depart the battlefield at full speed, Xiao Taotao lingered no longer. It knew these survivors were Ye Jingyu’s future elite. Ye Jingyu’s willingness to risk his life to stay behind was precisely to ensure their safety—especially Chi Yixiu and the others, who, like him, hailed from the Southern Wasteland Woods, and with whom he had grown close as family. He absolutely could not abandon them...

The white light emanating from its body grew brighter, and the power surging within continuously climbed. The dark silhouette of the monstrous beast in the sky grew larger, its immense pressure making everyone present feel strained...

“Phantom Dragon Wave...” When the white light became intensely blinding, Xiao Taotao unleashed its Dragon Clan divine ability once more...

An enormous burst of soul power erupted, transforming into intense shockwaves that slammed into the thousands of soldiers...

Instantly, the shadow soldiers before it began bleeding from all seven orifices, their minds reeling, their faces contorted in terror...

They had collectively fallen victim to Xiao Taotao’s illusionary technique...