Life-saving crystal pendant

"Being able to die under my Dark Arrow, this should be your honor~~~~~ Die!"

With Gaoxiao's murderous shout, the Dark Arrow shot towards the retreating Gaoming. Before the arrow reached him, Gaoming felt the irresistible breath of death rushing towards him.

Am I really going to die? Unwilling!

Gaoming could clearly sense the terrifying power concealed in the Dark Arrow, something that he, as a novice awakener, couldn't contend with. In this moment, he even forgot about the life-saving crystal pendant on him. His eyes widened, his face contorted, staring fixedly at the jet-black arrowhead shimmering with an icy-cold light. It seemed to traverse space, appearing in front of Gaoming in an instant, less than a meter away. The flames encountered by the arrow melted away like winter snow meeting the scorching sun.

Suddenly—

A stern rebuke echoed from nowhere, "Gaoxiao, dare you violate the clan rules~~~~"

The voice carried intense anger, followed by a white radiance shooting out swiftly from the side. It accurately hit the Dark Arrow, which was now close to the fire shield arranged by Gaoming. The white radiance enveloped the Dark Arrow, erupting into a strong white light and spreading a deep chill. Under the white radiance, the Dark Arrow rapidly dissipated, shrinking to less than a tenth of its size in an instant.

However, it was evident that the white radiance was hastily sent out and couldn't completely destroy the Dark Arrow. The arrow still accurately hit the thick fire shield arranged by Gaoming.

Although the power of the Dark Arrow greatly diminished, it was still beyond the defense capability of the rookie's fire shield. A fist-sized hole appeared in the shield, and the Dark Arrow continued to advance. Finally, as it reached Gaoming's chest, it transformed into a tiny black glow, about the size of an embroidery needle.

Gaoming vaguely felt a slight chill in his chest, and even the scorching flames couldn't dispel this sensation. Just as his ability had just awakened, engaging in such an intense battle consumed a significant amount of mental energy. After resisting the Dark Arrow and hearing the sudden stern voice, he knew that Gaoyan had appeared. His exhausted mind immediately relaxed; he understood that as long as Gaoyan was present, Gaoxiao wouldn't dare to strike again.

After this psychological shift, Gaoming could no longer control his ability. The fire shield and the flames surrounding him gradually dissipated. When all the flames completely disappeared, a faint red flame mark appeared on Gaoming's forehead and gradually faded away.

Gaoming hurriedly checked his chest. He only felt a slight coolness earlier, but he didn't seem to have any problems. However, that last black glow definitely hit his chest. He quickly inspected his chest and realized that the crystal pendant had saved his life.

It seemed the old man was right; the pendant could indeed defend against attacks from ability users. Although the Dark Arrow from Gaoxiao just now had greatly reduced power, it could still have easily killed him if not for the pendant.

However, Gaoming noticed that the green light on the pendant had dimmed significantly. Clearly, it would be challenging for the pendant to withstand a complete Dark Arrow. It was fortunate that Gaoyan intervened in time and that Gaoming's ability had just awakened, allowing him to withstand 99% of the attack. Otherwise, his life would have been in grave danger.

Seeing Gaoming unharmed, Gaoxiao couldn't help but feel regretful. His hope of killing Gaoming had already been dashed. A sly smile appeared on his cold expression, and he turned to look at Gaoyan, who was standing at the door, saying, "Gaojian, be polite with your words. Where did I violate the clan rules? I was just joking with Gaoming. Look, if it weren't for my little prank, would he have awakened his ability? Ah, people really don't appreciate good intentions!"

After speaking, he shrugged and shouted at the other youths, "Why are you still here? Go!"

As he passed by Gaoyan, his expression, which had previously carried a faint smile, suddenly turned from partly cloudy to overcast. His face became grim, and a deep darkness pervaded his cold gaze. If looks could kill, Gaoxiao might have used his gaze to kill Gaojian and Gaoming.

Gaojian naturally sensed the needle-like hostility on his back, but he didn't turn around. He understood that Gaoxiao wouldn't dare to launch a sneak attack on him.

This time, he disrupted Gaoxiao's plan to eliminate potential threats completely. The grudge between them would probably deepen even more. However, it didn't matter. The two of them were like water and fire, incompatible. By saving Gaoming, who had just awakened his fire ability, he had gained a powerful ally.

As for Gaoming, Gaojian hadn't initially paid much attention to him. He was just an ordinary person, even though he had a good relationship with his sister. However, Gaoming had already been expelled from the clan, and there might not be a chance to meet him again in the future. Although he had warned Gaoming, he didn't have any plans to intervene physically. With Gaoxiao's relentless nature, if he failed to achieve his goal, Gaoming would be in constant danger.

Although he felt some regret in his heart, Gaojian didn't have many deeper thoughts. At most, his sister lost someone she could get along with, but with time, that would become a thing of the past.

However, his clever younger sister, Gaoying, who was only seven or eight years old, had already noticed that Gaoxiao harbored murderous intentions towards Gaoming. She kept a close eye on Gaoxiao and, upon seeing him causing trouble for Gaoming, she forcefully pulled him to help save Gaoming. There was no way he could resist the pleas of his dear little sister.

Unexpectedly, this trip turned out to be right on target, coincidentally saving Gaoming, who had just awakened his ability.

"Thank you~~~~~~"

Gaoming expressed his gratitude to Gaoyan and then turned to look at Li Qing, who was leaning against the wall. He wanted to say something when suddenly everything went black, and he collapsed forward like a toppling golden mountain and jade pillar.

Gaojian quickly rushed up and caught Gaoming, who had fainted.

He glanced at Li Qing, who was sitting against the wall unconscious not far away, shook his head with a wry smile, realizing that this mess was left to him. However, now that Gaoming had awakened his ability, leaving the clan was impossible. His status would undoubtedly skyrocket. Saving his life at this moment was a huge favor, and Gaojian didn't fear that Gaoming wouldn't help him deal with that despicable Gaoxiao in the future.

Gaojian had to carry one in each arm as they left the hallway. Especially for Li Qing, although the back of her head was wrapped, the impact was severe. The adult belt around her waist was already soaked with blood. Gaoyan quickly applied a small freezing spell, freezing a portion of the bleeding area at the back of her head. This ice energy wasn't like ordinary freezing air; it possessed some wound-healing capabilities, preventing the possibility of frostbite on the wound.

Having saved Gaoming, Gaojian was pleased, and Gaoying, with a face full of joy, muttered softly, "In the future, Gaoming can tell me stories again~~~~" Then, she hopped along behind them, like a little follower.

Clearly, her request for her brother to save Gaoming had a significant influence on her thoughts.

After the two left, the empty corridor suddenly regained its quietness. However, the charred and blackened floor served as evidence that something had happened here.