"Oh, I misjudged you."
Song Yun landed right beside the New King, a grin on his face as he looked at the New King.
In particular, the New King's eyes — the only part of him visible beneath that aura-infused armor — looked strikingly distinctive up close.
He had previously thought the New King was standing by doing nothing, but in reality, the New King had already decided on his role from the very beginning, using his secret technique at the critical moment to protect everyone.
"I only did it to rescue Chu Feng," the New King said.
At that moment, the black creature also turned its gaze toward the New King. "You again?"
"It seems I need to deal with you first."
The black creature let out a cold laugh and shot straight toward the New King.
The New King showed no fear, readying himself for battle — he was far more than just a defender.
But in the blink of an eye, the creature veered off course and dove straight for Bai Yunqing.
Only this time, it didn't aim for Bai Yunqing's neck — it aimed for his head.
And everyone could feel the killing intent radiating from it.
Boom— Bai Yunqing was sent flying backward, slamming hard into the barrier wall of this world.
But he was unharmed, because the New King's aura armor had enveloped his body as well.
That aura armor could not only block attacks but also cushion the impact. With it clinging to one's body, one's defense was virtually airtight.
Seeing this, Wang Qiang and the others rushed to Bai Yunqing's side, shielding him behind them.
Even with that aura armor, they couldn't just stand by and let the black creature keep attacking Bai Yunqing.
But once Wang Qiang and the others arrived, the black creature surprisingly had no intention of striking again. Instead, it voluntarily retreated, drifting back to midair.
It turned its head and looked at the New King.
"I knew it — your technique is powerful, but it's far more suited to protecting yourself. When you use it to shield others, it takes a toll."
"You won't be able to hold on for long."
Only then did everyone notice that not only had the aura armor protecting Bai Yunqing already dissipated, but the New King's aura had weakened considerably as well.
No wonder the aura armor had been dismissed after merely shielding everyone. Just as the black creature had said, this technique was formidable but came with an enormous burden.
"Among you, there's one dead weight. There's no way you can be my match."
"What will you do? Will you abandon him, or keep going like this until every last one of you is crushed by me?"
"Or perhaps you'd rather wait until that incense burns out and Chu Feng dies?" the black creature said.
And the dead weight it referred to was, naturally, Bai Yunqing.
"Oh come on, you're old enough to know better — why are you still trying to sow discord?"
"We're not going to abandon a brother."
It was Xianhai Shaoyu.
And as he spoke, he even gave Bai Yunqing a pat on the shoulder — he didn't want Bai Yunqing to feel burdened.
Although they weren't especially close to Bai Yunqing, he trusted Chu Feng's judgment. If this was Chu Feng's friend, then he would protect him too.
And right at that moment, Bai Yunqing opened his eyes. The dejection was gone from his face. Instead, his hand seals shifted, and half-transparent talisman papers materialized in his palm. Though the papers were semi-transparent, they bore writing — a single character: "Shield."
These talisman papers were not formed from the power of barriers. They were condensed from martial force.
With a sweep of his sleeve, the talisman papers flew toward Wang Qiang and the others respectively, seeping into their clothing like wisps of flame.
At that moment, Wang Qiang and the others all sensed what was happening. Wang Qiang couldn't help but break into a wide grin: "Brother Bai, you— you've really got it in you!"
"This is all I can do."
"Everyone, rescuing Big Brother Chu Feng — that's up to you now."
With those words, Bai Yunqing changed his hand seals, and a layer of white aura rose from the bodies of everyone present.
When that white aura appeared, even the New King's weakened aura instantly returned to normal.
It was an incredibly powerful healing force — a healing power driven by martial force.
But this was far more than just healing.