CHAPTER 35: : LOST

Without his time attacks and sneak-up, Xuan knew he wasn’t a match for a combustion stage 04, and the gap between them was highly obvious.

Xuan got thrown in the air, slamming his body against a tree. "Kweuk!" He coughed out blood as he fell on a knee.

Then the grinning assassin he was staring at immediately disappeared from his naked eye and appeared behind them.

"Xuan, behind you!!!" yelled Zhao Lan almost at the same time.

"Sliiish!"

Though Xuan reacted to her warning by jumping away, he still got a cut on his arm, bleeding profusely with his messed-up face.

"For a martial realm eight, you’re the first to last this long, but come on, you’re no challenge."

"Really?" Xuan smirked, cleaning the blood beside his lips. "Then why don’t you pull off that charm of yours?"

Although the time freeze wouldn’t work, those fast attacks Xuan could rewind five seconds back, then counter.

"Err? Like hell I’m that stupid!!?" Sang Woo yelled, and boom, his speed sent leaves and rocks above his waist, and at the same time, Xuan ran at him.

"Boom!"

But it was only Xuan who was sent skidding to the ground, then hitting his back hard against a tree. That same instant, Sang Woo appeared and slashed for his neck.

But Xuan squatted down as the cut split the tree in half, and an opening for Xuan appeared. He slashed for Sang Woo’s abdomen, but he was too slow for Sang Woo.

And his attack was effortlessly blocked. "Xuan!" Zhao Lan’s eyes accumulated tears. She knew if this went on, Sang Woo could kill Xuan.

"Don’t worry, Zha... Zhao Lan, he’s not taking you anywhere."

"Eeeer? So you ain’t scared of me?" asked Sang Woo, bending his neck sideways and grinning as if the smile would be wide enough to reach behind his ears.

On the other hand, Xuan had a blood-stained face, his arm and leg bleeding. Then Sang Woo went off.

He was unable to be sensed; he didn’t even appear behind Xuan. He wasn’t in the forest.

"Where’d he go?" Xuan was left wondering until... "Kweuk!"

A slash left a deep cut beside his cheek. As Zhao Lan ran in to support Xuan from falling, Sang Woo spoke, still invisible.

"I wouldn’t do that. Mr. Lan didn’t say to bring you unharmed."

Unlike Li Feng, Zhao Lan wasn’t a fighter. She just had that invisible kill talent which couldn’t be countered in her world because charms were very rare.

It was when Sang Woo spoke that Xuan pinpointed he was squatting on the tree behind him. Without hesitation, he leaped up, wanting to attack the unseen target.

Then Sang Woo threw his dagger at Xuan. Though it was invisible as well, you could feel something heading towards your eye, so it was a bit easy for Xuan to knock it away and land on the ground again.

Looking around with his eyes, until Sang Woo again slashed his back, but when Xuan turned, the guy wasn’t there anymore.

"Come on, this is getting boring. I honestly thought you were strong from all Mr. Lan said," Sang Woo sighed, now visible. "I’ll have to kill you now and be on my way."

"Fuck... this guy, he’s going to kill me," Xuan grunted beneath his usual voice, punching the ground as he planned on getting back up. But then...

"St... stop, please stop," Zhao Lan cried out. "Don’t hurt him anymore," she begged, tears in her eyes.

Sang Woo stopped and turned around. "Err? I’m here for you and his head."

"No... no, please, just take me and let him go."

"What? Like hell that’s going to—kweuk!"

Xuan tried standing up. However, Sang Woo immediately appeared beside him, then stabbed behind his back, forcing Xuan back on his knee with a cough of blood and wet eyes.

"Hmm... okay, I could take you, but I’ll be back for him. I’ll give him a week."

"O.. okay, then... then stop hurting him, p... please."

Sang Woo grinned, dug his dagger deeper, then as he removed it, a fountain of blood gushed out of Xuan as he released a painful groan.

Sang Woo walked to Zhao Lan and smiled. "Well, half a complete mission is better than nothing. Besides, this fight is boring to death. He’s too weak and not a challenge, hahaha."

Xuan grunted, sucking up the pain and standing to his feet. He wasn’t going to be that pathetic self he just escaped.

"Like hell I’m letting you take her," were the words mixed with anger that left his lips. He had his eyes locked on Sang Woo until Zhao Lan took the attention.

"Go away, Xuan. I want to go back home to my husband." Zhao Lan looked away so she wouldn’t see him staring at her.

"Eerr? No, I’m leaving with you and his head. Of course, you have a week to enjoy your life."

"Sang Woo," Xuan spoke slowly, a bit demonic. His head was looking down, and he was about to summon his big taboo sword.

"Xuan, don’t... just go away, please."

"What?" Xuan felt weak. Was it because Zhao Lan knew that in no scenario has a martial realm stage 8 defeated a divine stage 04?

"Well, you can wait here for a week so it’ll be easy, haha. Since when do weaklings start falling in love?" Sang Woo mocked.

Right in front of his eyes, Sang Woo was taking Zhao Lan away, with Xuan standing there and holding his bleeding shoulder.

He didn’t know if he should head back to Li Feng for reinforcement or just find a way himself. It was when they walked out of his eye range—

"Rrrhaaaaaaa!!!" Xuan yelled tremendously loud, scaring the nearby birds off their nests.

He turned and couldn’t find any of the horses, then he started walking the day-long ride to the academy. Even the money he had—everything was on the horse.

For the first time, Xuan couldn’t think his way out.