On Benedict and Shirley's side, they regarded Lord Xu with a solemn gaze. Perception Realm Expert! This was a person who could reign supreme anywhere in the human world! One had to know that the number of Perception Realms was already incredibly small. For example, there were millions of people in the Alzar Kingdom, but less than a thousand of them were a Perception Realm. This showed how difficult it was to bridge that final gap. Becoming a Perception Realm meant they were a prodigy above prodigies, a true monster of a generation! Their names would become recorded in history, no matter what they did. As for advancing further to Perception Realm Expert, it was obvious that their talent and skill needed to be even greater. It was no wonder that Perception Realm Masters, like Sir Winstin, were seen as legendary!
Although Benedict and Shirley could be considered Rank Transcendent Lords, possessing enough strength to fight across Perception Realm with their Fundamental Realm strength, that was with the inclusion of Martial Energy and techniques. However, they currently had limited Martial Energy, and they were facing against a Perception Realm Expert. Lord Xu was many times stronger than those fake Perception Realms produced by the Featherwind Sect's means! Back in the Battle of Liguang, they had battled against Reverent Monk, a Perception Realm Master, and the result was a crushing defeat. The gap might have closed since then, but not to the point that they thought they could win. And to make matters worse, there were thirty exceptional soldiers holding the perimeter, most of whom were Fundamental Realm Masters or Half-Perception Realms. Their coordination alone pressured Benedict and Shirley to a slight loss. Therefore, Lord Xu's arrival could be seen as a death sentence. Only certain death awaited them!
The two reached the same conclusion at the same time: escape! Thankfully, they recovered some Martial Energy from the short conversation that preceded this. It was not a big amount, but any amount was worth its weight in gold now! Lord Xu sensed they were about to do something, so he attacked first! Boom! Despite not using any Martial Energy or techniques, he could deform the earth with a single step and produce a small shockwave. Whoosh! He left behind afterimages in his wake as he brandished his short sword. His power and speed were unbelievable! The short distance drew to zero!
However, before he could kill Shirley, Benedict had stepped in. The clash of metal on metal sounded, shocking the Perception Realm Expert. It took less than a breath to cross this short distance, a timeframe far shorter than human thought. Obviously, he did not expect anyone could match his strike, much less someone who was a Half-Perception Realm. It was unthinkable! This was not the most shocking thing though. Given his supreme Martial Perception and bodily mastery, he could have easily adjusted his posture and angle to bypass Benedict's defense. Benedict was practically standing still at his level. Therefore, the fact that he failed to do so, or rather failed to react in time, was because Benedict had moved at the perfect instant to intercept! He had moved faster than Lord Xu! This was only possible due to Benedict's Half-Perception Realm, Major Sword Form Attainment, and extensive experience sparring his master and senior martial brothers. This was what enabled him to intercept Lord Xu!
Shirley raised her halberd and focused on her martial technique. In the next instant, Martial Energy drained out of her body at an astonishing rate! Her expression quickly changed as she tried to control her output, yet the force drawing her energy away was too strong. She could not control it! She did not realize it, but as the fighting wore on, her refined control over Martial Energy gradually declined. Her body was breaking down! And when the last wisps of her Martial Energy disappeared, it was like she aged ten years in one go. Her limbs felt as heavy as iron, her bones felt as brittle as glass, and her organs felt as hot as fire! An overwhelming exhaustion dominated her! Paralyzed, she could not even move a finger. Shirley had thoroughly reached her limit!
The thirty soldiers charged at her, prompting Benedict to gnash his teeth. He wanted to disentangle from Lord Xu to help, but the man stuck to him with an unnerving smile. Lord Xu knew exactly what Benedict was thinking and chose to stop him! This made Benedict lose all hope. He was about to gamble his life when a vast aura erupted! Everyone, including Benedict, was stunned to discover it was Shirley's. Originally, her aura had withered alongside her Martial Energy, shrinking to unnoticeable levels; however, she was currently releasing an unprecedented amount of pressure into the air, stifling everyone present. How did she regain her strength? Or was she hiding her true power? Everyone wondered this, except Benedict knew she had no more Martial Energy to spare. The only way she could dig up more energy was to use World Energy. In other words, she was putting her life on the line!
Meanwhile, Shirley ignored the expressions around her. World Energy was extremely volatile and dangerous to wield. Similar to a raging bull, the slightest mistake could lead to a backlash or worse, death. She needed absolute focus! Her aura gradually recovered, yet she remained solemn since she could feel her vitality whittling away. Her life was literally disappearing before her eyes! However, Shirley had no regrets. To win was to live and to lose was to die. She would rather take a chance then die! It was just that simple! Her resolve consolidated. One had to admit that her willpower was unbelievably strong. It might even be the strongest among her three friends. Discarding her thoughts and entrusting Benedict, she fully unleashed her World Energy. Energy flowed towards her arms as she plunged her halberd down with titanic strength! The force pierced through the earth and unleashed a humongous shockwave that overturned the entire battlefield. Everyone was thrown off balance! It was the martial technique, Earth Rupture! The girl soon fell unconscious after unleashing her final attack.
Benedict roared upon seeing this, and hurriedly channeled Martial Energy into his arms. Then, with a strength that surpassed common sense, he made a desperate counterattack that threw Lord Xu back. The Perception Realm Expert was forced to retreat! Cloud Sea Style: Moon Flash! Benedict immediately executed the movement technique, vanishing and reappearing next to Shirley. While everyone was disoriented, he picked her up and charged directly out of the encirclement. Moonlight flashed as he dashed through the chaotic battlefield. His face was ugly. Battles were everywhere he looked, and the kingdom was losing in them all. There was basically nowhere to run! Still, he continued to search for a physician that could help Shirley. Her condition was terrible, and possibly life-threatening. She needed medical aid as soon as possible.
And as if that was not bad enough, Benedict had also gained a long and deep cut that went across his back from shoulder to waist. Lord Xu had attacked him one last time before he could escape. Had he not used his Bloodline Ability, Rain Weaver Arc, instinctively, then that attack might have killed him on the spot! He had lingering fear. As expected, a Perception Realm Expert was not to be trifled with. It was only with the tiniest of margins that he managed to escape. However, he was currently losing a large amount of blood as a crimson trail extended behind him. His sense of pain was dulling too, a sign that his condition was worsening. He might be in bigger trouble than Shirley at this rate! He persevered though. Shirley's life was in his hands, so he could not stop. He had to find a way out of this hopeless situation!
Suddenly, his hairs stood on end and his back was drenched in sweat. He had a terrible feeling! Casting a wary gaze behind him, his face donned a look of shock and disbelief and then… fear! He could not believe his eyes! Despite moving at full speed with his movement technique and changing directions constantly, someone was rapidly approaching. Who else could it be aside from Lord Xu Geming? Back when Shirley used her martial technique, Lord Xu was the first to react and adjust his posture accordingly. The disorientation had no effect on him. Although Benedict surprised him with the sudden explosion of Martial Energy, he was still a monster among Perception Realms. How could he let that throw him off? After wounding the knight, he immediately pursued. He was already extraordinarily fast, and Benedict was carrying a wounded person too. The speed gap narrowed in an instant! No… Benedict turned ashen. Lord Xu was actually gaining distance! He would catch up soon!