Chapter 38: Let's Take Him to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect First

The pale yellow spirit ring gradually merged into Ning Rongrong’s body. Her tightly closed eyes slowly fluttered open.

Immediately, she lowered her head and, as a first reflex, extended her palm to summon her martial soul: the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

The pagoda appeared in tiered layers, shimmering with a kaleidoscopic luster. This exquisite structure consisted of seven levels, each adding a touch of the aura unique to the continent's premier support-type martial soul. A moment later, a pale yellow spirit ring manifested beneath her feet.

With a joyful expression, Ning Rongrong turned her head and called out behind her, "Xu Sheng, I did it!"

But when her gaze fell upon Gu Rong, her expression instantly turned cold. Gu Rong looked somewhat embarrassed; he could see that Ning Rongrong’s anger had not yet subsided. He rolled his eyes and offered a warm, flattering compliment, "As expected of our Rongrong! To think you ventured into the Sunset Forest all alone and successfully obtained a spirit ring—you’re far more capable than Fengzhi!"

Ning Rongrong let out a "humph," pouted, and whispered, "I don't want to talk to you! It’s all Bone Grandpa and Sword Grandpa’s fault that Daddy scolded me..."

Gu Rong’s eyes were filled with doting affection as he replied repeatedly, "Yes, yes, Rongrong, it was entirely the fault of your Sword Grandpa and me this time. Since you’ve already absorbed the spirit ring, let's head back to the sect immediately. It’s not safe out here!"

"Back to the sect... wait? Bone Grandpa, when you just arrived here, did you see Xu Sheng?"

Gu Rong frowned, puzzled. "Xu Sheng? I’ve never heard that name before." As for the person he had encountered here, he had only seen a brat who appeared to have ill intentions toward Rongrong. He assumed Chen Xin must have dealt with him by now. He wondered if he was growing old, that it took even his peer so long to dispose of a mere boy...

Seeing this, an ominous premonition surged in Ning Rongrong’s heart. She looked at Gu Rong with concern, "Oh, Bone Grandpa... Xu Sheng is the boy who was guarding me!"

A flash of realization crossed Gu Rong's eyes. Suddenly, he recalled the scene from earlier! The boy he had assumed was acting with ill intent had claimed to be protecting her. Could it be... His expression grew complex as he blurted out, "Hiss... could that boy have been Xu Sheng? And holding that dagger was simply to protect Rongrong?"

The words rang in Ning Rongrong’s ears. She anxiously grabbed Gu Rong’s sleeve, "Bone Grandpa, you mean that boy! You didn't do anything to him, did you?"

Held by Ning Rongrong, Gu Rong’s face darkened with shame. "Rongrong, I fear it’s bad! Your Sword Grandpa likely has already..." Killing a boy by mistake wasn't the main issue, but he feared this incident would further sour their relationship with Rongrong—that was what truly worried him.

Ning Rongrong felt as if she had been struck by a heavy hammer; her body swayed unsteadily. "Xu Sheng... was killed... by Sword Grandpa?" Her gaze turned hollow, and as she uttered these words, her eyes reddened instantly. How could this be...

How could this happen? He had only wanted to guard her, yet he was killed because of her... and the one who killed him was her own Sword Grandpa...

Gu Rong walked over, intending to offer a soft word of comfort, when suddenly, a deafening "boom" erupted! A cataclysmic explosion tore through the forest ahead!

Both the dazed Ning Rongrong and Gu Rong instinctively looked toward the sound. A sharp glint flashed in the latter's eyes. He turned urgently to Ning Rongrong and said firmly, "Rongrong, stop crying for a moment. That Xu Sheng might still be alive!"

The explosion had originated from the exact direction where Chen Xin’s spirit power fluctuations had ceased. It was highly probable the boy had survived!

A glimmer of joy gradually replaced the hollow look on Ning Rongrong’s face. "Then let's hurry over!" Without another word, she turned and began to jog toward the site of the explosion.

"Hey, Rongrong, wait for me! It’s dangerous up ahead!" Gu Rong called out. Seeing that Ning Rongrong paid him no mind, he sighed helplessly and hurried to follow.

...

Xu Sheng, struggling to stay upright on one knee, felt a sudden churn in his stomach and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Pfft..." Having used his seventh spirit skill, the Blood Begonia Avatar, he felt as though his entire body was being torn apart. Even so, his cold eyes remained fixed on Chen Xin, who stood floating in the air, perched atop his Seven Kill Sword.

Chen Xin swept a detached glance over Xu Sheng and said coldly, "Brat, to have pushed me this far is enough to make you proud among your peers. But, it ends here!"

The gap between each rank of a Titled Douluo was like an ocean, let alone the six-rank difference between them! In the end, there was an insurmountable chasm.

As he spoke, the eighth spirit ring beneath Chen Xin’s feet flared. "Eighth Spirit Skill: Twelve Flowing Slashes!" Suddenly, countless copies of himself appeared around him. It looked similar to a previous skill, but each clone now possessed nearly eighty percent of the original's attack power!

Chen Xin silently closed his eyes and murmured, "Goodbye, kid." With a flick of his mind, dozens of clones, carrying a terrifying momentum capable of rending the heavens, charged straight at Xu Sheng!

The tearing pain made Xu Sheng squint his left eye, his pupils bloodshot. He bit his thin lips hard. "If I don't use the Ice Rose Sword, with the defensive power of the Nine-Heart Blood Begonia alone, I cannot withstand this strike!" Relying only on his own ninety-first rank spirit power, he would be instantly annihilated by Chen Xin’s attack!

Just as Xu Sheng prepared to mobilize his second martial soul... a figure rushed out from behind him at incredible speed. The eighth spirit ring beneath the newcomer’s feet flared. It was Gu Rong, who had arrived just in time. He knew how terrifying his old friend's attack power was and knew he had to block it with all his might.

Xu Sheng, holding on by a thread, felt his entire body lose all sensation. His heavy eyelids drooped...

When Ning Rongrong arrived, she saw Xu Sheng in this agonizing state. She hurriedly knelt, pulled him into a tight embrace, and shook his body anxiously. "Xu Sheng, Xu Sheng, are you okay?"

In his fading vision, the last thing Xu Sheng saw was Ning Rongrong’s face. Knowing it was her, a faint curve touched his lips before his body went limp and he lost consciousness.

Ning Rongrong, unaware of his condition, instinctively assumed the worst, her voice thick with tears. "Xu Sheng, don't scare me! Xu Sheng!"

Gu Rong and Chen Xin, who had successfully blocked the attack, walked over. Seeing that Xu Sheng still had faint fluctuations of spirit power, Gu Rong coughed to interrupt, "Rongrong, the boy isn't dead; he’s just fainted."

Ning Rongrong was stunned. "Eh?"

Chen Xin leaned toward Gu Rong and whispered, "Old Bone, why did you save this brat?" He was confused; he had been about to finish the boy off, and he couldn't understand why Gu Rong was interfering.

Gu Rong simply gave him a meaningful look. When the bewildered Chen Xin looked over again, he suddenly understood.

Ning Rongrong glared fiercely at Chen Xin, then turned back to look at Xu Sheng with concern. "Bone Grandpa, what do we do now? Xu Sheng seems to have suffered very serious injuries!" She couldn't possibly leave an injured Xu Sheng alone in the Sunset Forest, could she?

Gu Rong looked at the unconscious Xu Sheng and shrugged helplessly. "We’ll have to take him back to the sect for now."