Chapter 22: If Two Hearts Are Forever Together, Why Should They Care About Being Apart?

"What are you daydreaming about? Did you get mesmerized?" Zhou Chen's voice suddenly sounded in Hu Liena's ear, startling her. She quickly replied, "No, I was just..."

"There's no need to explain between us," Zhou Chen said with a teasing smile.

Hearing his slightly ambiguous words, Hu Liena's ears turned red, and she stammered, "What relationship do we have? Don't say such things."

"Haha, don't be nervous, just joking," Zhou Chen chuckled.

Joking around with a beautiful girl felt great and helped to ease the discomfort from the recent killings.

He originally wanted to emulate a domineering CEO by pinning Hu Liena against a wall, but his height only reached her waist, making it impractical.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll... I'll ignore you!" Hu Liena, shy and flustered, finally resorted to her ultimate threat.

"Alright, alright, I won't say it anymore."

Facing Hu Liena's feeble threat, Zhou Chen quickly waved his hands and said with a smile, "Accompanying you for a thousand miles, we must part in the end. Let's part ways here."

As he spoke, Zhou Chen's smile gradually faded.

Hu Liena's eyes reddened instantly, and after a moment's hesitation, she said in a low voice, "Then you... better leave quickly. With such a commotion just now, Elder Chrysanthemum will probably catch up soon."

"Mm."

Zhou Chen nodded, then suddenly winked and said with a grin, "Though we don't know when we'll meet again after this, if two hearts are forever together, why care about being apart? Someday, we'll meet again."

"Remember my promise, Saintess."

With that, Zhou Chen turned around and left without looking back.

Hu Liena was left standing there, watching his departing figure... in tears.

Time passed, and as dawn broke, Hu Liena remained standing, gazing in the direction Zhou Chen had left, unmoving.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, with the sound of a gust of wind, a golden streak rapidly approached Hu Liena from the sky.

The golden streak halted mid-air, revealing the Spirit Hall Elder, the 95th-level Titled Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan.

Chrysanthemum Douluo looked down at the scorched, shattered land, the evaporated river, the gushing red magma pillars, and the still-standing Hu Liena, utterly bewildered.

To devastate an area spanning a kilometer like this would require at least an 80th-level Soul Douluo!

"What happened here?" Chrysanthemum Douluo asked sternly, looking down at Hu Liena.

Hearing this, Hu Liena lifted her head and calmly lied, "Elder Chrysanthemum, as you can see, there was a battle here. Zhou Chen's family elders arrived in time to eliminate all the black-clad assassins, including a Soul Emperor."

Hu Liena didn't mention the black-clad figures were Xingluo royal secret guards.

She knew it wouldn't help.

The Spirit Hall wasn't prepared to break ties with the two empires, so even if they knew the Xingluo royal secret guards attempted to assassinate the Saintess, they could only let it pass.

As for Zhou Chen's true strength, she didn't plan to disclose it, instead offering a plausible explanation.

"What? Zhou Chen's family elders did this?" Chrysanthemum Douluo's pupils shrank instantly, shock overwhelming him.

Indeed, the boy had powerful soul master family backing, and from the scene before him, his family possessed considerable strength, aligning with Spirit Hall's hypothesis.

Failing to intercept Zhou Chen and instead forming a deep grudge with his family meant the Spirit Hall's plan had utterly failed.

And it was all Hu Liena's fault.

Had this foolish girl not let her compassion get the better of her, allowing that extraordinarily gifted boy to escape...

The more Chrysanthemum Douluo thought about it, the angrier he became. He landed in front of Hu Liena, coldly asking, "Girl, where is that boy now? Which direction did his family elders take him?"

"Elder Chrysanthemum, I can't tell you."

Hu Liena forced a bitter smile, suddenly kneeling, and said, "I failed to meet the teacher's expectations and betrayed the Spirit Hall's nurturing. Please punish me!"

"Hmph, girl, do you know what a threat you've let escape, how much of a threat he is to the Spirit Hall?" Chrysanthemum Douluo shouted, nearly losing his composure.

Hearing this, Hu Liena felt both ashamed and saddened, replying, "Please punish me, I have no complaints!"

"What nonsense! The Spirit Hall has already let one genius slip away, and you want me to kill another?" Chrysanthemum Douluo fumed.

His face, more beautiful than a woman's, contorted with rage.

After a long silence, he exhaled sharply and said coldly, "The death penalty is avoidable, but you won't escape punishment. I'll take you to see the Pope and let her decide your punishment!"

With that, Chrysanthemum Douluo wrapped Hu Liena in a golden streak and vanished into the sky...

Meanwhile.

In Holy Soul Village, near Notting City.

Zhou Chen sat in an empty house, quietly practicing the "Huangdi Neijing" to heal his internal injuries.

Beside him were Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and Max.

Before escaping with Hu Liena last night, Zhou Chen had woken the three, instructing them to separate and head to Holy Soul Village to meet him.

At the time, Yu Xiaogang and the others were confused.

They had planned to help Tang San hunt a soul beast, so why leave in the middle of the night and split into two groups like they were running away?

However, as a competent subordinate, the master didn't question Zhou Chen and firmly executed the order, successfully escaping the Spirit Hunting Forest and arriving at Holy Soul Village.

That's the benefit of working with smart people.

If it had been someone less intelligent, they would have wasted time questioning Zhou Chen, losing precious escape time, and ultimately being easily caught by that freak Chrysanthemum Douluo.

"Ugh!"

Suddenly, Zhou Chen spat out a mouthful of clotted blood, and his pale complexion gained a hint of color.

"How are you?" Yu Xiaogang asked with concern.

"Much better," Zhou Chen lied.

That earth-shattering sword had overstrained his already weak body, forcing him to use power beyond his limits, which always comes with a cost.

To fully recover from the injuries would take at least a few months.

But he wouldn't tell the master and the others the truth.

It's best not to reveal his weakness. If someone harbors ill intentions, it could spell big trouble.

Always cautious (and afraid of dying), he kept a certain level of vigilance towards everyone.

After all, as the ancient saying goes: "If a ruler is not secretive, he will lose his ministers; if a minister is not secretive, he will lose his life."