Chapter 291: Chapter 291: Encountering Xia Qixi Again

And behind that figure was an Armored Dragon Demon Beast, standing four to five meters tall.

The woman ahead was actually a female Martial Artist, and upon seeing her face, Ye Xuan immediately recognized who she was.

It was none other than Xia Qixi, the number one genius of the Celestial Gold Kingdom, whom Ye Xuan had met before.

After Ye Xuan had killed Wenqiao Mei, he had told Xia Qixi to get away. She did indeed leave, but the subsequent emergence of the Seven-Colored Lotus drew many powerful experts to the area, and Ye Xuan hadn’t paid attention to whether Xia Qixi was still in the cave.

Seeing her now, being chased alone by this Armored Dragon, Ye Xuan was immediately puzzled. ’Hasn’t she met up with Master Zhu Tianlan and the others from the Celestial Gold Kingdom yet?’

At this moment, Xia Qixi’s hair was a mess, and her clothes were in tatters, barely covering her body. Beneath the blood-and-dust-stained robes, large patches of her snow-white skin were exposed, her charms on full display, creating a certain seductive beauty.

It had to be said that Xia Qixi had an excellent figure. It wasn’t obvious when she was fully clothed, but now that her robes were torn, her exquisite, well-proportioned body was on display. Her fair skin, in particular, was flawless, and her entire body was perfectly balanced.

Ye Xuan didn’t admire the view for too long, quickly focusing his attention on the Armored Dragon chasing Xia Qixi.

This was a Tier Five Armored Dragon, its body covered in black Scale Armor and radiating an aura of pure frenzy.

The power of its bloodline, which came from the Floating Light Secret Realm, made it superior to ordinary Tier Five Demon Beasts from the outside world. Its crimson pupils were filled with boundless tyranny—savage and unrestrained.

As she fled, Xia Qixi evidently noticed Ye Xuan standing not far away. A look of joyful surprise crossed her face, and she rushed directly toward him, exclaiming excitedly, "Senior, this junior is Xia Qixi from the Celestial Gold Kingdom. I beg you, Senior—"

Before she could finish, she saw Ye Xuan’s face. Her words caught in her throat, and a panicked expression appeared as she urged, "Ye Xuan? What are you doing here? Quick, run!"

With that, she hastily changed direction and fled, clearly unwilling to bring danger upon Ye Xuan. But her heart was filled with helplessness.

’I finally ran into someone, but it had to be a disciple from the younger generation.’ If it had been an elder or a president from one of the five kingdoms, she might have had a sliver of hope for survival. But now... Xia Qixi knew that her chances of making it out alive were practically zero.

During her escape, she had already used up all her treasures and was heavily injured. Pursued by a Tier Five Demon Beast like this, she stood no chance of survival.

Facing death, her only hope was that her unintentional action hadn’t brought any trouble to Ye Xuan. The thought that she would not only cause her own demise but also his filled Xia Qixi with immense guilt.

What Xia Qixi didn’t know was that Ye Xuan’s eyes had lit up the moment he saw the Tier Five Armored Dragon.

Ye Xuan already controlled five Demon Beasts, but they were all Tier Four. He had always wanted to test if he could control a Tier Five Demon Beast, but he hadn’t had a good opportunity. Now, seeing this Tier Five Armored Dragon, his mind instantly started racing.

Without a second thought, he unleashed three of his Extinction Flying Daggers. They instantly flew out, slicing three wounds several inches deep into the Armored Dragon’s body.

The Armored Dragon roared in pain. Abandoning Xia Qixi, it turned and charged furiously toward Ye Xuan, the culprit who had harmed it.

’Oh no!’

Xia Qixi’s face paled in terror. Just when she’d been given a chance to live, she didn’t run. Instead, she rushed back toward Ye Xuan, shouting anxiously, "Ye Xuan, what are you standing there for? Run!"

As she spoke, she thrust her sword fiercely at the Armored Dragon, trying to draw its attention. However, her strike only managed to break some of its Scale Armor, failing to even damage the flesh beneath.

At that moment, the enraged Armored Dragon swiped a claw down at Ye Xuan.

BOOM! Dust and smoke billowed up from where Ye Xuan had been standing. A rock several meters wide that had been there was shattered into pieces, disintegrating into fine powder.

Xia Qixi froze, her face etched with apology as she murmured, "Ye Xuan, I’m sorry. This time, I’m the one who dragged you into this."

’If I had known that running this way would get Ye Xuan killed, I never would have chosen this path.’

After swatting at Ye Xuan, the Tier Five Armored Dragon pounced viciously toward Xia Qixi again.

Xia Qixi was utterly disheartened and weary. She didn’t even want to move.

For her sake, several of her martial brothers had just died at the claws of this Tier Five Armored Dragon. Now, she was completely exhausted and couldn’t run anymore. To think she had ended up getting Ye Xuan killed as well... Facing the Tier Five Armored Dragon’s attack, she felt an urge to just let death take her.

"Idiot, don’t you know how to dodge?"

Just then, a cold, displeased grunt sounded. A hand suddenly reached out from behind, wrapped around her waist, and lifted her completely off the ground, instantly dodging the Armored Dragon’s attack.

"You... Ye Xuan... You’re not dead..."

Xia Qixi’s heart leaped in shock. She then saw that the one holding her was Ye Xuan—the very person she thought had died at the Armored Dragon’s claws. A whirlwind of complex emotions washed over her, leaving her completely stunned.

Ye Xuan’s large hand was wrapped around her waist. As it happened, a piece of her clothing was missing right there, and his hand was pressed against her abdomen. The heat from the skin-on-skin contact made Xia Qixi’s face flush and her body go limp.

"I’ll handle this Armored Dragon. You should get out of here,"

Ye Xuan said with a frown, setting Xia Qixi down.

’If this Xia Qixi didn’t have some semblance of a conscience and hadn’t tried to leave on her own after seeing me, I wouldn’t have bothered saving her.’

Unexpectedly, Xia Qixi shook her head resolutely. "No. You’re no match for this Armored Dragon. You should run. I’ll stay and hold it off."

Ye Xuan was speechless. ’Is there something wrong with this woman’s head?’ He was trying to get rid of her so he could subdue the Armored Dragon. If she stayed, it would just be inconvenient.

’Besides, in her current state, she probably has trouble just standing up. And she wants to stay and hold off the Armored Dragon?’

"Then stay here," Ye Xuan said, not arguing further. ’No matter what, her intentions are good. I can’t just treat her kindness with contempt.’

After speaking, Ye Xuan shot forward, simultaneously directing his Extinction Flying Daggers to inflict several more wounds on the Armored Dragon.

Since Xia Qixi wouldn’t leave, Ye Xuan decided to lure the Armored Dragon elsewhere.

"You—"

Seeing Ye Xuan actually lure the Armored Dragon away, Xia Qixi cried out in alarm. She wanted to follow, but her weakened body gave out, and she could only collapse to the ground, her heart filled with a profound sense of being moved.

She thought Ye Xuan was afraid of dragging her down and had deliberately lured the Armored Dragon away at great personal risk. Her heart was a mix of joy and sorrow.

Xia Qixi didn’t understand why she cared so much about whether Ye Xuan lived or died. Back in the Celestial Gold Kingdom, while not a bad person, she had always been cold and arrogant, not one to even spare an extra word for others, let alone save them. But in front of Ye Xuan, her heart would inexplicably race.

Now, seeing him risk his life for her, her heart ached with an intense pain.

If Xia Qixi knew that Ye Xuan had lured the Armored Dragon away alone simply because he didn’t want to reveal the process of subduing it, one can only wonder how she would feel.

Meanwhile, Ye Xuan quickly led the Armored Dragon out of the area.

Confirming that Xia Qixi hadn’t followed and couldn’t possibly sense what was happening here, Ye Xuan stopped and released his Devouring Martial Soul.

As soon as the black Devouring Martial Soul appeared, a terrifying aura enveloped the Tier Five Armored Dragon. Sensing the aura emanating from Ye Xuan, the Tier Five Armored Dragon’s expression turned to one of terror. It stopped in its tracks, staring at Ye Xuan with pure dread.

Ye Xuan had been worried that his Three-Stars Devouring Martial Soul wouldn’t be able to intimidate a Tier Five Demon Beast. Seeing the Armored Dragon’s reaction now, he was reassured.

Although this Tier Five Armored Dragon wasn’t completely helpless like the Rock Giant Wolf from before, its eyes still flickered with unending fear.

Ye Xuan estimated that his Three-Stars Devouring Martial Soul could, at most, intimidate Tier Five Demon Beasts. It probably wouldn’t work on anything stronger.

Taking advantage of the Armored Dragon’s hesitation, Ye Xuan immediately sent a wisp of power from his Devouring Martial Soul to permeate the Tier Five Armored Dragon’s body.

BANG!

But as soon as the Soul Power from his Devouring Martial Soul entered, he felt an incredibly powerful force repelling it.

’This Tier Five Armored Dragon already has a master?! The Soul Thought left in its mind... it’s so powerful!’

Ye Xuan was startled. The Soul Thought in the Tier Five Armored Dragon’s mind was extremely powerful—far stronger than the Soul Power of Red Flame, the Tier Five Profound Beast he had fought when seizing the Earth-Drilling Armor Beast.

Ye Xuan frowned. If a Tier Five Profound Beast had been controlling this Armored Dragon, he would have been confident he could remove its lingering Soul Thought. But from the looks of it, the level of the Profound Beast controlling this Tier Five Armored Dragon was definitely above that of Red Flame.

’What should I do?’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Ye Xuan was unwilling to give up. A Tier Five Armored Dragon was impossible to find in the outside world. Was he just going to let it go? After a moment’s thought, Ye Xuan decided he had to try anyway and see if he could tame this Armored Dragon.

The power of his Devouring Martial Soul once again spread toward the Armored Dragon, locking onto it and delving deep into its mind.

The Armored Dragon seemed to sense something. Its body trembled violently, a shudder that came from the depths of its soul.

This kind of battle on the level of Soul Thought was what it, as a Demon Beast, feared most. If the Profound Beast controlling it wanted to kill it, it only needed to detonate its mind.

It sensed a mortal threat, but despite that, it didn’t dare move. The terrifying pressure from the Devouring Martial Soul had made it give up all resistance.

As Ye Xuan’s martial soul power delved into the Armored Dragon’s mind, he discovered that there was indeed an extremely powerful residual Soul Thought left there.