Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Stepping In to Save Someone

”Run!”

The fat man at the very back broke out in a cold sweat. He spun his hefty body around with incredible agility and bolted forward, instantly surpassing Wang Qiang to become the new leader of the pack.

”Senior Sister, let’s go!” Ye Qingchen urged Hong Yan. As he spoke, he grabbed her hand and they sprinted forward.

Wang Qiang also bolted, running for his life. In the chaos, the old Taoist was left at the rear. A monster opened its foul-smelling maw, its sharp fangs aiming straight for his neck.

”Bastard!”

The old Taoist sent the creature flying with a single punch, then began to run as though his life depended on it.

However, the monsters were incredibly fast. The old Taoist was soon overtaken, with four or five of them lunging for his vital points simultaneously. An overwhelming sense of mortal danger washed over him from behind. The old Taoist knew he could fend off two at most. The others would tear him apart, sealing his fate right there.

”Captain, save me! Save me!” The old Taoist’s voice was filled with desperation and pleading.

Hearing the cry for help, Wang Qiang abruptly turned. He saw the old Taoist’s dire situation, and his eyes filled with compassion. Giving up on his escape, he charged back, his broadsword unleashing several powerful slashes of light. SLASH! SLASH! The monsters attacking the old Taoist were sliced in two, their severed bodies crashing into the creatures charging from behind, throwing the horde into chaos.

These monsters’ defensive power wasn’t particularly strong, but their numbers were overwhelming. Combined with their astonishing speed, anyone who got entangled by them was sure to die.

”Old Taoist, don’t panic! Let’s cooperate and cover each other! We’ll fight as we retreat!” Wang Qiang shouted to the old Taoist after slaying the monsters.

However, the old Taoist completely ignored him. Seizing the opportunity, he fled forward, leaving Wang Qiang alone at the rear, utterly speechless.

In the next moment, monsters that had already scrambled back to their feet roared in fury and charged at him.

Wang Qiang’s expression changed. He hurriedly fled forward, occasionally swinging his blade back to slice an approaching monster in two. Though he only retreated about ten meters, at least twenty to thirty monsters had already fallen to his blade. But there were simply too many of them. Recklessly fearless and fast, they stayed glued to his heels.

With another SLASH, he killed a monster, but his movement was clearly much slower now.

”Oh no! The captain is running out of stamina!”

Seeing this, Hong Yan let go of Ye Qingchen’s hand and instructed him urgently, ”Junior Brother Ye Qingchen, you run ahead by yourself! I’m going to support the captain!”

Without another word, Hong Yan turned back, a black, barbed whip appearing in her hand.

Ye Qingchen glanced back at Hong Yan as she faced the dense swarm of monsters, his eyes filled with admiration. Though she’s a woman, she has far more integrity than the likes of the old Taoist and the fat man. This is the kind of person you can trust.

The black whip lashed out with a sharp CRACK, sending several monsters pouncing on Wang Qiang flying.

”Captain, I’ll cover you! Let’s fight and retreat together!” Hong Yan said, helping Wang Qiang steady himself.

”Thank you!” Wang Qiang said gratefully. He pulled a bottle of First-Grade Qi-Reviving Pills from his robes and swallowed the entire contents in one gulp.

Their whip and sword worked together in perfect sync. Even though the monsters were incredibly fast, they couldn’t breach Wang Qiang and Hong Yan’s defense. The two of them brought up the rear, fighting as they fell back. Their only wish was to reach the end of the passage quickly, where they hoped to find something to block the monsters behind them.

However, after retreating for nearly a hundred meters, there was still no sign of an end to the path ahead. As for the fat man, the old Taoist, and Ye Qingchen, they were long gone.

”Captain, I can’t hold on much longer!” After retreating another ten meters or so, Hong Yan’s face was deathly pale. Her forehead was slick with sweat, and her clothes were soaked through, clinging to her body.

Hearing this, Wang Qiang gave a bitter smile. Hong Yan was exhausted, and he too was on the verge of collapse. And yet, the end was still nowhere in sight.

The shriek of monsters echoed from behind—ROAR!—as several more closed in on them.

”Die!” Wang Qiang roared, swinging his blade with all his might.

SPLASH! SPLASH!

Two monsters were cleaved in half, splattering blood everywhere.

CRACK!

At the same instant, Wang Qiang’s broadsword, unable to withstand the strain, snapped in the middle.

Hong Yan’s whip lashed out with a SNAP, sending a monster pouncing on Wang Qiang flying. However, several other monsters seized the whip with their sharp claws, yanking it from her grasp.

One was left with a broken sword. The other had lost her weapon. Their combat effectiveness was greatly diminished. To make matters worse, more monsters were rushing madly toward them.

”Hong Yan, I’m afraid this is where we fall,” Wang Qiang said apologetically. My first time leading a team into a Secret Realm, and we’ve suffered such heavy casualties. I’ve been a truly inadequate captain.

”Captain, we’ve killed plenty of them. It’s been worth it!” Hong Yan laughed heroically.

Her words made Wang Qiang’s eyes light up. He nodded and declared, ”That’s right! Even if we die, we have to fight with all our might to hold these monsters off. Perhaps we can save Ye Qingchen and the others!”

”Okay!” Hong Yan nodded. She stopped retreating and turned to face the oncoming monsters, her beautiful eyes filled with a grim resolve.

”Die!” Wang Qiang roared, hurling his broken blade. It impaled the lead monster, pinning it viciously to the corridor wall.

The next moment, they prepared to engage the charging monsters in hand-to-hand combat.

Just then, a figure swept in with a WHOOSH, grabbing one of them in each arm. With a spin, he executed the Mystifying Steps. His movements were uncanny, allowing him to miraculously evade the monsters’ attacks as he fled backward with them in tow.

”Ye Qingchen!”

”Why did you come back? Didn’t you escape?”

Wang Qiang and Hong Yan were both astonished to see their rescuer. The one who had just disregarded his own life to save them was Ye Qingchen—the only outer sect disciple on their team, the one they had considered the weakest.

”You two were fighting for your lives for me. If I abandoned you, what kind of man would I be?” Ye Qingchen said with a laugh. He executed his Mystifying Steps to perfection. Despite carrying two people, his speed was astonishingly fast as he fled.

”Such speed! Is that a Xuan-rank Movement Technique Martial Skill?” Hong Yan exclaimed, noticing that even while carrying both of them, Ye Qingchen’s speed hadn’t slowed in the slightest.

”You flatter me,” Ye Qingchen replied with a smile.

”Junior Brother Ye Qingchen, thank you for saving our lives!” Wang Qiang said with a grateful smile, his heart filled with emotion. The one who came back for us, risking his own life, wasn’t the old Taoist I’ve known for years and just saved... it was Ye Qingchen, the new outer sect disciple I’ve only met twice! What a bitter irony.