Wen Feichen's strike wasn't meant to kill — only to cut off Xia Ningshang's retreat.
Xia Ningshang reacted swiftly enough. Though she'd been caught off guard when Yang Kai hurled her away, she'd already spun around before Wen Feichen's palm came sweeping in. She met his strike head-on, borrowing his force to drift lightly back down beside Yang Kai.
"Damn!" Yang Kai let out a silent sigh at the sight. With a Zhenyuan Realm expert holding the fort, backed by a well-prepared and heavily armed force — this time, there really might be no escape.
"Hall Master Wen, seize this woman for me. If she dares resist..." Long Hui's eyes narrowed as a cold, lecherous grin spread across his face. "Break her arms and legs if you have to — just don't touch that pretty face of hers! I'm dying to see what kind of jaw-dropping beauty is hidden behind that veil!"
Wen Feichen chuckled. "Young Master Long, rest easy. This old Wen won't let you down."
He'd originally been worried that injuring Xia Ningshang during the fight might earn Long Hui's displeasure — but since the young master had just said breaking her limbs was perfectly fine, what else did Wen Feichen have to worry about?
This young master of the Long family was in high spirits, and at least had the self-awareness to recognize he was no match for the woman. If he could cripple her limbs, then he could do whatever he pleased.
Their exchange reached both Yang Kai and Xia Ningshang, and fury blazed in the eyes of both.
Wen Feichen laughed aloud. "Little girl, you heard what Young Master Long said. If you're smart, you'll surrender quietly — I promise I won't hurt you. But if you insist on fighting back, don't blame me for crushing this flower with a heavy hand!"
Xia Ningshang spat softly. "Not a chance!"
"Good, good, good!" Wen Feichen's laugh turned cold. "You asked for this."
The moment his words fell, he launched into the air like a swift swallow, both palms striking out in rapid succession. The full, ferocious power of a Zhenyuan Realm expert erupted forth. With each palm strike, the howling wind carried the roar of a tiger, and the gusts of palm force coalesced into snarling tiger heads that lunged at Xia Ningshang with bared fangs.
Sensing the devastating power behind those strikes, Xia Ningshang's expression turned solemn. Her slender fingers danced through the air, releasing several gusts of finger-wind to meet the attack. Then she formed a strange seal and tapped the blue gemstone on her forehead. Her Yuan Qi surged violently outward.
The finger-wind she unleashed was no weak attack, but it couldn't stop Wen Feichen's assault. It merely slowed the tiger heads for a heartbeat before being swallowed entirely.
The next instant, the attack was upon Xia Ningshang.
Everything had happened so fast that by the time Yang Kai reacted, it was already too late.
The tiger heads snapped at Xia Ningshang one after another, on the verge of tearing into her — when suddenly, the blue gemstone on her forehead sent out a ripple of mysterious, ethereal light. As the ripple spread outward, a semi-transparent dome of light materialized around them, like an enormous inverted bowl, shielding both her and Yang Kai within.
Wen Feichen's attack finally arrived — but the moment those majestic tiger heads touched the barrier, they whimpered and dissolved into nothing.
Xia Ningshang stood perfectly still, her expression as calm and serene as a still lake.
Wen Feichen touched down, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the barrier. The words burst from him involuntarily: "A Heaven-grade Artifact!"
The moment those words left his lips, every pair of eyes in the vicinity burned with greedy desire — including those of Long Hui, who up until now had been gazing at Xia Ningshang with undisguised lust.
"What?" Long Hui finally tore his attention away from Xia Ningshang and turned to Wen Feichen, his voice trembling ever so slightly. "Hall Master Wen, what did you just say?"
Wen Feichen's face twitched, naked greed blazing in his eyes. He swallowed hard and said, "A Heaven-grade Artifact! It deflected my attack as easily as swatting a fly — this is undoubtedly a Heaven-grade Artifact!"