Chapter 28: The Golden Light of Earth Traversal!

"...My dear sister, you can't escape."

Upon hearing the familiar yet detestable voice, Zhu Zhuqing immediately jumped down from the treetops, leaning against a robust tree, vigilantly scanning her surroundings.

Swish, swish, swish! 

A series of wind-breaking sounds ensued as over a dozen black-clad figures emerged from the dense forest, sealing off all escape routes for Zhu Zhuqing.

"This time, you have no way out," the familiar voice echoed again. Soon after, a short-haired woman, bearing a striking resemblance to Zhu Zhuqing and clad in a similar tight black outfit, strutted forward with graceful cat-like steps.

"Zhu—Zhu—Yun!" 

Zhu Zhuqing coldly stared at the short-haired woman before her, enunciating each syllable.

"How rude, call me second sister," Zhu Zhuyun chuckled, covering her mouth with her delicate hand.

In response, Zhu Zhuqing's gaze turned icier, "Your words make me sick. You've chased me across great distances; do you really deserve to be called my sister?"

"You can't blame me. It's because you possess the bloodline of the Nether Civet family," Zhu Zhuyun said with a trace of sadness in her eyes. "Our Zhu family has always intermarried with the Xingluo royal family. Almost every girl from the Zhu family is betrothed to a prince. Therefore, the Xingluo royal family's rule of having princes fight to the death for power extends to us as well."

Switching her tone, Zhu Zhuyun sneered, "Sister, if you want to blame someone, blame Dai Mubai. If he hadn't fled Xingluo like a coward, unable to endure the royal family's brutal competition, you, as his fiancée, wouldn't have had to chase him over such a distance, putting yourself in danger."

"Enough! If you want to kill me, stop wasting words!" Zhu Zhuqing's expression grew colder at her sister's words.

Her soul power surged, and two yellow century soul rings rose from her feet, rhythmically moving around her body.

"Martial Soul, Possession!"

With a whisper, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes changed color, her left eye turning dark green and her right eye bright blue. Her waist-length hair naturally draped down her back, black cat ears sprouting from her head, and a black tail extending from her hips.

This was her martial soul, the Nether Civet!

"So eager to die? I'll grant your wish!"

With a mocking smile, Zhu Zhuyun raised her arm and waved; the dozen black-clad figures behind her simultaneously unleashed their soul power!

Instantly, colorful soul rings rose beneath the feet of these black-clad figures. Almost all were Soul Grandmasters above level 20, with a few even possessing three rings, indicating they were Soul Elders.

Seeing their strength, a shadow of despair flickered in Zhu Zhuqing's icy gaze.

Though her soul power had reached level 27, making her a bona fide genius at her age, facing over a dozen soul masters of equal or even higher rank left her with no chance of victory.

To survive, she had to find a weak spot in the encirclement and use her agility-type martial soul to break through, just as she had done before.

"Zhuqing, you should be grateful that I can only use the royal guards trained by Davis to hunt you. If I could mobilize our Zhu family's death warriors, you might be facing Soul Kings or Soul Emperors," Zhu Zhuyun sneered, giving the order without hesitation, "Kill her. Make sure she doesn't die too painfully."

"Yes!"

As soon as Zhu Zhuyun's words fell, the black-clad soul masters unleashed their soul skills, sparing no effort in their attack on Zhu Zhuqing!

Facing the concentrated attack of over a dozen soul masters, Zhu Zhuqing naturally wouldn't confront them head-on.

With a flicker of her figure, leaving behind a faint afterimage, she dodged almost all the attacks with breathtaking speed.

While evading, her attacks were equally fierce, her claws glowing alongside her first soul ring, targeting the vital points of the black-clad figures!

Soul Skill—Nether Thrust!

"Ah!!"

A scream echoed as one of the black-clad figures clutched his blood-gushing throat, falling powerlessly.

Despite being a Soul Grandmaster over level 20, he couldn't withstand even a single move from Zhu Zhuqing!

Such was the difference between top-tier agility-type beast martial souls and ordinary martial souls.

Meanwhile, five miles away.

Fifty white-clad soul masters, each bearing the Ziwei Palace emblem on their chests, were advancing rapidly.

All were Soul Elders above level 30, marching in orderly silence, clearly well-trained.

They were the Tian Shu Guard, one of the Seven Guards of the Big Dipper!

Ahead of them, Xiao Chenyu and Wang Sheng flanked Zhou Chen as the three rode on horseback.

"Hold—"

Suddenly, Zhou Chen pulled on his reins, bringing his horse to a halt, and the rest of Ziwei Palace's contingent followed suit.

"It sounds like a battle ahead."

A brilliant golden soul ring rose beneath Zhou Chen's feet as he activated his second soul skill—Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing!

Instantly, the scene five miles away became crystal clear in his telescope-like eyes.

"It should be those fools from the Xingluo Empire, bullying a beautiful... young girl," Zhou Chen murmured, his gaze fixed on the distant scene.

"Wait, that girl... seems to be in danger."

Zhou Chen barked a command, instructing Xiao Chenyu and Wang Sheng, "The Xingluo Empire is so cruel, not even sparing women and children. As the Master of Ziwei Palace, I must uphold justice. You two oversee the battle; I'll go first!"

With that, Zhou Chen leaped from his horse, his golden soul ring glowing.

His third soul skill, derived from the 36 Transformations of Tiangang—Earth Traversal Golden Light!

"Whoosh!"

With a sonic boom, Zhou Chen transformed into a streak of golden light, shooting towards the scene of the incident.

Leaving Xiao Chenyu and Wang Sheng exchanging glances,

Was the Palace Master truly one to uphold justice? It didn't seem like him!

They suspected it was because the one under attack was a young girl, prompting Zhou Chen's hasty intervention...

Back in the dense forest.

Leveraging her martial soul's advantage, Zhu Zhuqing injured several more black-clad figures.

Seizing the moment as her enemies' formation grew disorganized, she targeted an injured black-clad figure, her body spinning, her claws unleashing a flurry of attacks, striking over a hundred times in a short span!

This was her second soul skill—Nether Hundred Claws!

"Ah—"

Another scream, and the black-clad figure fell, revealing a gap!

Seeing an opening in the encirclement, Zhu Zhuqing immediately leaped through!

Just as she was about to escape, a black-clad figure roared, his fists clenching as his third soul ring glowed!

A powerful brown light burst forth, sending Zhu Zhuqing, who was about to break free, flying back with a strong shockwave, eliciting a cry of pain.

"Finish her off!"

"Isn't your martial soul a bow? Shoot!"

"...."

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing unable to maneuver in mid-air, the black-clad figures grew excited, launching a barrage of lethal soul skills!

"Am I... going to die?"

Unable to evade, Zhu Zhuqing closed her eyes in despair. Perhaps it was good; after fleeing so far, she could finally rest...

However, in the next moment, Zhu Zhuqing found herself cradled in a warm embrace, a gentle male voice whispering in her ear:

"Hold on tight!"