It wasn't that Yang Kai and Shan Qingluo were being careless—they had simply been chatting about idle matters, and neither had expected anyone to be up ahead.
The moment the two of them appeared, every pair of eyes in the clearing locked onto them at once.
The group that had Qiu Yimeng and the others surrounded appeared to be cultivators from the Cangyun Evil Ground. Their numbers and strength far outstripped Qiu Yimeng's side, and they were currently watching the two women in the center of the clearing with relaxed amusement, ready to savor the spectacle of these beauties struggling and fighting back in desperation.
A beauty's desperate struggle and defiance always had a special flavor to it—especially Luo Xiaoman, whose full, ample chest heaved dramatically with every panicked movement, impossibly voluptuous and only stoking the wolves' appetites further. Their gleaming gazes stayed locked on her.
So even though they held an overwhelming advantage, the group showed no urgency about finishing off Qiu Yimeng and the others. Instead, shameless grins of lechery hung on their faces, their manner dripping with suggestiveness.
"Ha! What a haul!" The moment Yang Kai and Shan Qingluo stepped into view, a burly man at the eighth level of the Zhenyuan Realm lit up. His gaze fell on Shan Qingluo, and he burst into unrestrained laughter.
Shan Qingluo was known as the most enchantingly seductive woman under heaven—naturally, she possessed a charm entirely her own. Compared to young girls like Qiu Yimeng and Luo Xiaoman, that kind of allure was far more captivating.
And at this moment, the seductress was fleeing in disarray, drenched in fragrant sweat, her cheeks flushed rosy, which only made her look more bewitching and alluring.
The burly man stared at Shan Qingluo with burning eyes, his breathing growing heavy, and shouted, "Big brother, look! Another beauty has walked right into our laps—and what a fine one at that!"
"Truly! In all my years, I've never seen a woman with such presence. Let big brother have the first taste, and once he's had his fun, the rest of us can take our turn. A body like hers—I could play with it a thousand times over and never tire of it!" another man cheered with equal excitement.
"There are also two little maidens here! Not as flavorful as this one, perhaps, but still rare beauties. We've really struck gold today!"
"Hahaha…"
The filth pouring from their mouths drained the color from Qiu Yimeng's and Luo Xiaoman's faces. Shan Qingluo's beautiful features darkened as well.
Among that group, the only Shenyou Realm expert stared at Shan Qingluo with a blank expression—then his face suddenly changed. He bellowed, "Shut up! All of you!"
The shouting and laughter cut off as though someone had severed them with a knife.
"What's wrong, big brother?" the others asked in confusion, unable to understand why he looked as though he'd seen a ghost.
Cold sweat poured down the Shenyou Realm expert's forehead. He suddenly adopted a deeply solemn expression and cupped his fists toward Shan Qingluo. "Gu Tianluo, subordinate to the Beast King, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
The others didn't recognize Shan Qingluo, but this Shenyou Realm cultivator had clearly seen her before. Enchantingly seductive, a teardrop mole beneath the eye, wearing a flowing red dress…
If not that ruthlessly beautiful queen who killed without blinking, then who?
In ordinary times, if any man so much as let a flicker of lust show in his gaze while looking at her, she would tear him to pieces without hesitation.
And now? His own foolhardy subordinates were talking about *playing with her*? Complimenting her *flavor*? And suggesting he take the *first taste*?
It was over. Given her personality, not a single one of them was likely to escape with their lives today.
As he bowed with full respect, a chill crept through Gu Tianluo's heart. The confidence and sense of victory he'd felt moments ago had vanished entirely, replaced by nothing but bone-deep dread.
A pack of idiots! Morons! If you want to court death, go do it on your own! Even if you're tired of living, don't drag me down with you!
Moments ago, he'd been looking forward to the pleasure of two lovely young women. Now he'd walked straight through the gates of hell. The contrast was staggering.
The frustration Gu Tianluo felt was beyond words.
And that enchantress's expression was clearly not one of goodwill. This time, they were truly doomed.
The gravity of Gu Tianluo's bow sent a jolt of alarm through the others. They replayed his words in their minds—*Your Majesty*—and who else could that title refer to but the Enchantress?
In an instant, they began trembling as though stricken by fits of aguish. Horror and terror flooded their faces. They could never have imagined that the woman they'd just been groping with their eyes was *her*!
The situation had turned on a dime. Qiu Yimeng seized upon the sliver of hope she spotted and called out urgently, "Yang Kai!"
Yang Kai flashed a grin in her direction, then subtly squeezed Shan Qingluo's palm—a silent signal that they needed to leave immediately. There were still several Shenyou Realm experts in pursuit behind them.
Shan Qingluo gave an almost imperceptible nod, but she only let out a soft hum without a word. She and Yang Kai strolled off into the distance as though they had not a care in the world.
Qiu Yimeng hurriedly forced out an unconvincing smile and let a trace of her own feminine allure slip through, breathing in a soft, breathless tone, "Yang Kai, you wouldn't just stand by and watch us die, would you? After all, we did come here together."
She had learned firsthand what Shan Qingluo was capable of—in the blink of an eye, three Shenyou Realm experts had been killed! Though the woman had a grudge against her too, she was still a woman, and falling into her hands would surely be better than falling into this pack of scum.
That day, Shan Qingluo had spirited Yang Kai away. Now the two had appeared here together, their manner intimate. Qiu Yimeng naturally assumed some relationship existed between them, and so she pinned her hopes on Yang Kai.
As long as Shan Qingluo would act, they could escape this nightmare and survive the crisis.
"Yang Kai, please save us!" Luo Xiaoman cried out from behind as well, her eyes brimming with desperate hope and pleading.
"Heh… Do we even know each other?" Yang Kai glanced at them with a smile, his expression perfectly composed.
Right now, Yang Kai was a clay Buddha crossing a river—barely able to save himself. Where would he find the mood to concern himself with anyone else's life or death?