Ran Yuming Worries

"No way out—this phrase should be meant for you."

Faced with such an unfavorable situation, the young man in black showed no panic at all. Instead, a mocking smirk curved at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes gleamed with cold, murderous intent.

It seemed as though he wasn't the one surrounded; rather, it was the two men facing him who were.

"I can't tell if you're really stupid or just pretending. I killed two of the five guys who came after me earlier, and now... you two still dare to chase me? Ha!"

"You're just walking into your own death..."

"Big brother?"

Hearing this, the archer took half a step back, a flash of fear flickering in his eyes.

The memory of their three brothers being blown to bits was still fresh in his mind, and as the terrifying scene replayed itself in his head, he couldn't help but feel scared.

"Hah, he's just talking tough!"

The black-clad leader sneered, pointing at the young man's abdomen, where his hand was pressing down. "Can't you see he's injured? He's just putting on a brave front!"

Hearing this, the archer suddenly understood.

"Prepare to die, Little Prince!"

The moment the words left his mouth, his eyes gleamed with frenzied bloodlust. Six soul rings of various colors merged into his dagger martial soul, and the dagger gleamed with a dark light. His figure shot forward, dagger in hand, stabbing viciously toward the black-clad youth's throat with both speed and precision.

At the same time, the archer behind him drew his bowstring taut once more!

The cold glint of blades and the whistle of arrows sped toward him, yet the young man in black remained calm in the face of danger.

Just as the leader was about to close in, the young man suddenly flipped his wrist, pulling out a small, silver-white soul cannon.

"Damn it, it's you guys!"

This type of soul cannon only had about seventy percent of the power of a regular one, but its short range and easy concealment made it perfect for catching a defenseless Soul Emperor off guard and crippling them.

'Boom—'

Just as the black-clad leader was within half a meter of him, a blazing sphere of light shot out from the youth's hand. The explosion erupted with a violent tremor.

The leader's pupils shrank suddenly as he realized something was wrong.

But by the time he saw the cannon aimed at him, it was already too late. The scorching light ball blasted him away, leaving a fist-sized bloody hole in his chest. The archer behind him wasn't spared either.

This was the youth's trump card.

He knew he couldn't escape their pursuit in his condition, so during his flight, he had carefully set up this counterattack. The arrows earlier had been part of his plan.

"..."

The young man in black put away the soul cannon and stepped forward, cleanly finishing off his two wounded opponents with a single slash each.

Blood sprayed in the air as his blade rose and fell, and the two men, already gravely injured, had no chance to fight back as their lives were swiftly ended.

One against two, and he turned the tables!

Including the three he killed earlier, this time he scored a near quintuple kill.

"Ugh—"

Suddenly, the young man's face changed, and a metallic taste welled up in his throat. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his once upright posture now slightly hunched as he leaned on his long blade to stay standing.

Clearly, using that soul tool had taken a toll on him as well.

He had been forcing himself to hold it together while dealing with the two men, but now, as soon as he let out that breath, his energy visibly drained, and his whole being became lethargic in an instant.

Cough cough—

"I can't stay here..."

He mustered the last of his soul power and staggered away.

In the dense, leafy forest, a battered figure dragged his wounded body, slowly making his way through.

"No... I can't..."

He didn't know how much time had passed. His entire body felt drained, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and his legs felt like they were filled with lead, refusing to move.

Thud—

With a dull thud, the young man in black collapsed to the ground.

He struggled to lift his head and look around. At first, his vision was blurry, but soon it was engulfed in darkness.

Then, the overwhelming sense of unconsciousness took over, and in the next moment, he fell completely into a deep faint.

...

...

Meanwhile, the sky was growing darker.

Night had fallen, slowly shrouding the entire forest.

In the forest, Su Luoheng was still absorbing his second soul ring. From the bright light of dawn to the starry sky, three full hours had passed, and he remained seated cross-legged, unmoving.

The light purple soul ring released wisps of energy, all of which merged into the projection of his martial soul behind him.

Although the absorption process wasn't complete, his aura was steadily increasing.

Buzz—

Suddenly, the light purple soul ring trembled violently!

"Ah—!"

In the next moment, the soul ring vanished, and the remaining essence surged into his body. The impact, which he had already grown accustomed to, suddenly increased by nearly double. Even though he had anticipated it, he couldn't help but let out a low groan of pain. Cold sweat broke out on Su Luoheng's forehead, his brows furrowed tightly, and his face twisted in agony as his body began to tremble violently again!

The searing pain was clearly far more intense than usual.

Even after enduring three hours of this, Su Luoheng almost couldn't hold on!

But he was still persisting.

Three hours of effort was not in vain.

Now was the most critical moment in absorbing his second soul ring, a millennium-grade ring that was within his grasp, so long as he could endure this final push.

"Hang in there, Luoheng..."

Nearby, Ran Yuming, who had been guarding him, silently prayed for Su Luoheng's success.

But sometimes, fate just doesn't cooperate.

*Boom—boom—*

Out of nowhere, thunder rumbled in the sky. What had been a clear, sunny day suddenly darkened, and thick clouds rapidly gathered, blotting out the bright, full moon. In an instant, the entire sky was shrouded in gloom, and with flashes of lightning, it seemed as if a torrential downpour was imminent.

"..."

Ran Yuming raised his head, frowning slightly at the sudden shift in the weather.

Why now, of all times?

There had been no signs before this, and now, just when success was within reach, fate decided to interfere.

Absorbing a soul ring required utmost concentration, and the last thing you needed was external disturbance. If a heavy rain really did start now, it would be terrible news for Su Luoheng!

Boom—

Another clap of thunder echoed through the sky.

Then, the rain began to pour. Sheets of water fell like a dense curtain from the heavens.

So, the rain came after all!

"Sigh..."

Seeing this, even Ran Yuming couldn't help but sigh softly. He thought to himself, 'Luoheng's journey to absorb this second soul ring has really been full of obstacles…'

He couldn't just stand idly by in the face of the downpour.

Since he couldn't control the weather, he could only try to minimize its impact.

With a casual flick of his wrist, a silver disk appeared in his palm.

Ran Yuming gently tossed the disk into the air. It hovered mid-air, spinning rapidly, and emitted a soft golden glow. The light expanded outward, creating a thin, translucent shield around Su Luoheng, covering a radius of two meters around him, protecting him from the rain.