"Crack... crack."
Small cracks continued to spread across his dantian, while the energy within it simmered, ready to burst forth like water breaking through the cracks in a dam.
"You deserve a fate worse than death," said Ronin, his hand moving at lightning speed. All cultivators were relocated to safety from Shaik and Ronin's clash.
"Haha, you bastard, you're destined to meet your end at my hands," Shaik jeered, a maniacal smile on his face.
"No one will meet their end here, but you'll live a life you'd never wish for," Ronin replied calmly, placing his hand on Shaik's head.
"Disperse!" Ronin shouted.
The energy unleashed from the dantian surged into the surroundings, pushing Ronin a few steps back, while Shaik coughed up mouthfuls of blood with a pained expression.
"I'm still not strong enough to fully dissipate the energy from a dantian," Ronin thought, healing his numb hand affected by the energy's aftermath.
"Cough... cough."
After more coughing, Shaik finally regained his senses, thinking, "I... I didn't die. Why didn't I? No... I can't endure a life without my dantian. A life where everyone sees me as trash is not worth living."
"Now decide for yourself how you want to die," Ronin stated, his gaze fixed on Shaik.
Shaik knelt on the ground, his eyes devoid of life. With the loss of his dantian, he had also lost his courage. He couldn't even summon the resolve needed to end his own life. Thus, he remained still, his lifeless eyes locked onto Ronin.
"This is the outcome of underestimating the helplessness of others," Ronin remarked as he turned and headed towards Zhen Xia. Shaik was now akin to a lifeless snake; Ronin had no interest in finishing off a dead opponent.
Approaching Zhen Xia, Ronin extended his hand and inquired, "Can you stand?"
"Yeah," Zhen Xia replied, attempting to rise. However, her depleted energy caused her to lose balance, nearly causing her to collapse. Ronin's swift reflexes prevented her fall, his hand gently gripping her bare waist. A surge of electricity seemed to course through her body at his touch, leaving her frozen in place, her face flushed red.
"Hey, don't you want to move?" Ronin quipped, observing her dazed expression.
"Ah…" Zhen Xia snapped back to reality, attempting to break free from Ronin's grasp.
Unconsciously, he tightened his hold around her waist. With the physique of a demon lord, possessing the strongest physical attributes across both human and demon continents, Ronin's grip proved unyielding, rendering her struggles futile.
Ronin, who had never interacted with a girl in his past life, wasn't repulsed by her appearance. However, an unfamiliar warmth began to spread within him. He promptly employed his demon energy to quell the sensation and coughed before asking, "Hmm, you're here to explore the runes, just like me, right? How about teaming up?"
Instead of addressing his proposal, she countered, "Why did you save me?" Her blushed face furrowed with concern.
"Because I like you?" Ronin blurted out, not fully grasping the implications of his words.
"You... You... You like me?" Her complexion reddened like an apple, steam seemingly rising from her head.
"Yes, be my partner," Ronin stated firmly, his expression resolute.
"Are you asking me to be your partner?" Overwhelmed, she nearly lost her composure, despite her potent berserk bloodline and strength—ultimately, she was also a woman.
Ronin extended his arm to embrace her, explaining, "Yes, be my partner," with the intention of referring to partnership in battles.
However, she interpreted his words in the opposite sense. "I... I need time to consider," Zhen Xia stammered, her face conveying panic. This situation marked her first encounter with such emotions.
"Why do you need time to think? Let's just live together, alright?" Ronin inquired.
"Live together? How can you ask a girl to live with you?" Zhen Xia exclaimed, her hand poised to slap Ronin's face.
"What's wrong with it? If we live together, we can watch each other's backs and face our enemies as a united front," Ronin replied matter-of-factly.
"Wait, face both of our enemies together?" Zhen Xia echoed Ronin's words, her expression marked by confusion.
"Yes, that's what I've been talking about all along. You didn't understand until now?" Ronin asked, surprise registering on his face.
"I... I understand," she replied, her countenance downcast.
"What's the matter? Are you alright?" Ronin inquired, placing his hand on her forehead.
Instinctively recoiling, she caused Ronin to lose his balance. As they both fell to the ground, Ronin inadvertently ended up on top of her. Their lips accidentally brushed against each other, resulting in a soft "muah." This marked Ronin's and Zhen Xia's first kiss.
Both of them lay dazed and immobilized on the ground, seemingly indifferent to the presence of others around them. It had never occurred to her that someone would show interest in touching her, given her perceived unattractive appearance and the burn marks on her body. Yet, receiving a kiss from a handsome man had momentarily short-circuited her thinking process.
"Dd... dd... dd..."
"Everyone, the formation is opening. Prepare to enter," shouted one of the sect elders, leading their group of sect members.
In succession, they entered the formation and proceeded toward the runes.
"Well, if you enjoyed that, we can continue later when we have some free time. But for now, we need to enter the formation that just opened to access the runes," Ronin suggested innocently.
"What nonsense are you spouting? I'm not going to do that again, no matter when," Zhen Xia retorted angrily, though deep down, her desire for more kisses lingered. She masked her cravings with her irate expression.
"Alright, we can continue this debate later. For now, let's hurry," Ronin proposed, darting towards the formation with lightning speed and entering it. Zhen Xia, with a frustrated stomp of her foot, reluctantly followed after him.
Despite her rebellious nature, she found herself unconsciously heeding Ronin's words and following his lead. After all, he was the only man who hadn't shown any revulsion toward touching her or interacting with her.