Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

In just a few breaths, the distance between Qingyun Sect Elder Zhao Yuankui and Xia Yu had been reduced by tens of meters.

Su Xuanji stood protectively beside Xia Yu, sensing his approaching presence, and hurriedly turned around to look.

This glance instantly made her expression somewhat heavy.

With Zhao Yuankui's Grandmaster level strength, even if these garrison troops in the capital tried their best to stop him, they couldn't delay him for much time.

I'm afraid Zhao Yuankui will catch up with them within thirty breaths at most.

"Your Majesty," Su Xuanji said after a moment of silence, a hint of determination in her eyes, "I will do my best to hold that old ghost back. You should take this opportunity to leave!"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Xia Yu's eyes, but it quickly vanished.

If he, as the ruler of a country, were to be captured by Zhao Yuankui here, then the sacrifices of these soldiers of the garrison guarding the capital and the Imperial Guards would have been in vain.

"Thank you for your help, Miss Su!"

Su Xuanji stopped in her tracks, drew her longsword with a backhand, and her figure transformed into a pale purple afterimage, charging against the flow of people to meet Zhao Yuankui.

Zhao Yuankui had just sent seven garrison captains flying with a single palm strike and was about to continue his pursuit of Xia Yu when he suddenly saw Su Xuanji draw her sword and charge towards him. A hint of mockery flashed in his eyes: "Hmm? This woman doesn't take the opportunity to escape, but dares to come looking for death! What an idiot!!"

"However, if you're determined to die, I'll grant your wish!!"

Zhao Yuankui raised his right palm, which was already stained red with blood, and slammed it down hard at Su Xuanji, who was attacking from the front.

Before Su Xuanji even arrived, the palm wind had already blown her long hair, which had been tied up, into disarray.

"Flowing Clouds ~ Chasing the Moon!"

She gritted her teeth and poured all her strength into the tip of the sword. The tip of the sword lit up with a bright light, and like a shooting star, it rushed towards Zhao Yuankui's throat!

"This swordsmanship... you do have some talent!" A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Yuankui's eyes, but then his gaze turned utterly ruthless. "Unfortunately, you cannot be allowed to live!"

He changed his palm into a claw and grabbed Su Xuanji's sword directly.

Su Xuanji felt an overwhelming force surge from the sword, instantly splitting her hand and drawing blood down the hilt. She gritted her teeth, desperately trying to withstand the attack, but Zhao Yuankui sneered and suddenly unleashed another three-tenths of his inner energy from his right palm.

"Snap—!"

A sharp, piercing cracking sound rang out.

"How is this possible!" Su Xuanji's expression changed as her sword, which had been with her for many years, broke apart inch by inch, starting from the tip!

The moment the sword broke, Zhao Yuankui gave her no chance to catch her breath. His left palm, carrying an even fiercer gale, struck down towards her crown!

"You're going to die!" A slight smile crept onto his lips, and a hint of pleasure flashed in his eyes.

Finished!

Su Xuanji felt a chill in her heart; this palm strike completely blocked all her escape routes, leaving her with no way to dodge.

The gap between a Grandmaster and a Great Grandmaster cannot be bridged, no matter how exquisite the sword techniques.

"Alas! I never imagined that I, the leader of this sect, would perish like this one day!" Su Xuanji's lips curled into a bitter smile.

Since the unexpected death of the old leader of the Hehuan Sect, she has taken over the mantle of the sect by virtue of her status as a direct disciple and her strong martial arts talent. In recent years, although she has not expanded the Hehuan Sect, she has managed to maintain its current state.

He originally thought that his future would be brighter after joining Xia Jin's side, but he never expected that he would die at the hands of such an old devil in just two months.

Are you unwilling to accept this?

Su Xuanji sighed and closed her eyes as if resigned to her fate.

However, the expected death did not occur.

Just as that hand was about to touch her forehead, Su Xuanji felt a force coming from her waist, and she was lifted off her feet by a force.

In a dizzying moment, she fell into a warm embrace.

Immediately afterwards, a familiar voice rang in her ear, tinged with a hint of mockery.

"What, are you just accepting your fate like this? However, I disagree. No one can take your life!"

That sound...

Su Xuanji was startled and suddenly opened her eyes.

Xia Jin's face came into clear view, and sunlight streamed down from behind him, creating a hazy golden edge. At that moment, Xia Jin seemed like a god in Su Xuanji's eyes.

For a moment, she forgot to breathe.

"Who is it!?" Zhao Yuankui was also startled, and a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.

With his Grandmaster Level 2 strength, he was completely unaware of when the other party had appeared in front of Su Xuanji!

However, his eyes soon filled with ruthlessness.

This person is so arrogant! After saving the person, instead of immediately keeping his distance, he turned his back to me, completely exposing his vital points!

Since the other party is courting death, I'll gladly accept it!

"Die!"

Zhao Yuankui's eyes flashed with ferocity. His left palm, which was originally aimed at Su Xuanji's crown, was abruptly turned in mid-air and slammed into Xia Jin's back!

He held nothing back in that palm strike.

Wherever his palm strike passed, the bluestone bricks beneath his feet sank half a foot deep. He intended to crush this arrogant person, along with Su Xuanji in his arms, into a bloody pulp!

"Bang--!!!"

A dull, loud bang rang out.

The scene he had envisioned did not occur at all.

Zhao Yuankui felt a sharp pain in his left hand. It was as if his palm had not struck flesh and blood, but rather a meteorite from outer space! No, it was more solid than a meteorite; it was a near-absolute defense he had never experienced before!

Immediately afterwards, an unimaginable force of recoil surged back through his arms, bones, and meridians!

"Snap—Snap snap—!!!"

A series of crisp cracking sounds rang out.

"Ah—!!! My hand! My arm!!!"

Zhao Yuankui let out a heart-wrenching scream as his entire left arm twisted and deformed at an extremely bizarre angle. His body was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the ground several meters away.

Only then did Xia Jin, holding Su Xuanji, slowly turn around.

His gaze fell on Zhao Yuankui, his eyes showing no smile, no anger, only a detached indifference as if looking down on an ant.

"You have quite the nerve."

"How dare you invade my Great Xia while I was away?!"