The instant he realized Su Liu’er was in peril, Yuan Hong’s eyes grew terrifyingly bloodshot.
Hanba charged at her from behind. She grinned cruelly as her right hand lunged forward without hesitation.
“Liu’er.”
Facing extreme peril, his instantly unleashed all his body’s hidden potential.
Whoosh.
There was a flash of red and, in just a breath of time, he’d already reached Su Liu’er’s side. He stood in front of her, s.h.i.+elding her.
At this point, Su Liu’er finally noticed the incoming danger.
She turned in shock only to see Yuan Hong, staff in hand, defending her. His staff had been snapped in half -each hand held only half. After breaking the staff, Hanba’s sharp claws cut a deep gash into his chest.
“Yuan Hong!” shrieked Su Liu’er and the retreating Beast Region forces came to a sudden stop.
“A monkey?”
Yuan Hong’s sudden appearance surprised Hanba- she hadn’t expected him to show up. After a brief, stunned pause, she recalled the Great Sage and how he’d antagonized her.
The b.u.mp on her head still ached. If she couldn’t catch that speedy, elusive monkey, she might as well vent her rage on his little brother.
Hmph.
She snorted coldly, then, without any further hesitation, pierced right through his chest.
“Ungh.” From pain, or perhaps something else, Yuan Hong frowned and let out a puff of hot air. Then, eyes bloodshot, he gripped the ends of his broken staff and pushed them into Hanba’s eyes.
Although the bodies of the Zombie Progenitors were supremely durable, their eyes were as vulnerable as any mortals’.
Hanba didn’t hesitate in the slightest: she pulled out the broken staff then launched herself backward, creating distance between them.
Blood leaked from Yuan Hong’s punctured chest. He’d valiantly used his stalwart frame to s.h.i.+eld Su Liu’er from harm. Now, though, he knelt to the ground.
“Yuan Hong!” Su Liu’er screamed and rushed to his side, pulling him into an embrace. Their allies formed a circle around them to ward off Hanba.
Su Liu’er had barely any spiritual power left, yet she didn’t hold back; she poured her little remaining power into Yang Hong, nouris.h.i.+ng his body.
“Don’t waste your strength.” Yuan Hong shook his head slightly, then leaned into her embrace and took her hand in his.
“You didn’t even pull away….. Hah, I wasn’t wounded in vain.”
In the past, whenever Yuan Hong took Su Liu’er’s hand, she’d hit him. But this time, she didn’t resist. To the contrary, she firmly grasped his hand.
Su Liu’er bit her lip and sobbed, “you’re hurt, don’t speak.”
Tears fell to the ground, one after the other. She kept on pouring her spiritual energy into his body. At the same time, she turned the others and roared, “medicine! Give me medicine!”
The instant Yuan Hong was injured, the Great Sage took out his phone and sent out message after message.
Their recipient was none other than Old Lord Taishang the Heavenly Court.
Monkey King: Old man, hurry up and give me some life-extending divine pill!
Monkey King: Hurry and send it over!
Monkey King: Hurry.
He pushed Old Lord Taishang repeatedly, then switched the Red Packet Server and sent a couple of texts.
Monkey King: @ Everyone: When the h.e.l.l will you get here!?!
The Great Sage was truly panicking - you could see his anxiety reflected in his messages. The current situation was already more than he could handle, leaving his desperate for reinforcements.
But first…..
Monkey King: Old man, medicine!
The instant he sent the message, the Old Lord’s reply flashed across his screen.
Old Lord Taishang: what kind of medicinal pill?
Monkey King: Healing medicine. Quickly, send me something good.
Old Lord Taishang: What for?
The stubborn old man originally planned on sending medicine but the way the Great Sage was bossing him around left him extremely dissatisfied.
Monkey King: Old Lord, just take this as me begging you, okay?
Beg?
Ten thousand years had pa.s.sed between his birth from spiritual rock to the day he became the “Great Sage” and, later, the “Victorious Fighting Buddha.”
In those long ten thousand years, no one had seen the Great Sage “beg” anyone for anything.
Old Lord Taishang was stunned briefly. Then he no longer hesitated.
Ding.
Spirit-returning Life-extending Pill.
Old Lord Taishang: This pill actually isn’t one of mine. I found it in an ancient ruin. I’ve tested its efficiency- it should be even stronger than my own medicine.
Old Lord Taishang: I saw the messages you sent in the group chat. The G.o.d of Thunder is already on his way.
Monkey King: Thanks.
As a half-step Immortal King, Yuan Hong’s self-healing abilities were already pretty strong.
But Hanba had pierced right through his chest. Despite Su Liu’er’s best efforts, he only got worse and worse.
“Cough….” He hacked up a mouthful of blood. As he coughed, even more blood spurted out of his chest.
Su Liu’er was already spent. Even so, she kept on pouring energy into him.
“Liu’er, that’s enough.” Yuan Hong squeezed her hand. Suddenly, his face was awash with nostalgia.
His dark eyes lit up as he gazed at Su Liu’er’s stunningly beautiful face. Then he reached out and brushed her cheek.
“Did you know? I loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you. It’s just, at the time I was still young and immature, while you were already an adult. I was afraid you’d reject me over the age difference so I buried my feelings deep within my heart. Even so, I always told myself you’d be mine one day.”
“Don’t talk anymore.”
“Let me finish. I’m afraid I won’t get another chance.” Yuan Hong shook his head. “Fortunately, when we next met after countless years of cultivation, I was already full-grown. There was no longer anything holding me back from pursuing you. I made sure everyone in the Beast Region knew you were my woman….. But….. to think in the end, we never even got married.”
“That’s enough, that’s enough…..” She poured her energy into him as tears leaked from her eyes in a never-ending stream.
“Hey, this isn’t so bad. We never got married, so you can just go find someone else who cares for you and marry him. Ha ha, but he’d better love you as much as I do. Otherwise, he’s unworthy of you.”
“Don’t say something like that. Yuan Hong, I’ll only marry you. I’ll only marry you!”
“Really?” His face lit up with delight, but then his smile darkened. “If only…. If only you’d said that a few hundred years earlier…..”
Whump.
His arm fell limply to the ground. Su Liu’er reached out and clenched his hand.
“Yuan Hong.” She poured even more energy into him, but his eyes were shut. He didn’t react at all.
Someone from the Beast Region couldn’t help but intervene. “Empress, General Yuan Hong is already…. don’t waste any more of your energy, your body is…..”
“Shut up!” roared Su Liu’er. She ignored the others and kept pouring her spiritual power into him.
Meanwhile, after going to great lengths to procure medicine, the Great Saint rushed over, pill in hand.
As he ran, he called out over and over again, “Third Bro, you’re saved! You’re saved……”
But despite his best efforts, he soon saw that Yuan Hong’s eyes were already closed. Su Liu’er held his hand and wept bitterly.
Whump.
The pill, the one that even Old Lord Taishang hated to part with, fell to the ground….
“Third Bro!”