Bing'er, Is It You? . . .
Even if all the divine beings in heaven descended, they would be powerless to save him!
If it were anyone else, Xuan Bing might not have cared. But this was Cha Eun-Xiao's sworn brother, a true comrade who would lay down his life for Cha Eun-Xiao without hesitation.
If Han Bingxue were to perish, how could Xuan Bing explain this to Cha Eun-Xiao?
And he would be dead because of her error...
Xuan Bing was certain that if Han Bingxue were to die, and Cha Eun-Xiao discovered her true identity, he would not engage her in combat, but he would certainly not forgive her either.
Han Bingxue had descended into madness. His eyes were now a fiery crimson, and he had utterly forsaken his own life.
Xuan Bing was consumed by genuine remorse. Everything had been going smoothly until she felt compelled to confirm Cha Eun-Xiao's identity. Wasn't this just inviting trouble?
Han Bingxue remained resolute, his expression icy. The spiritual energy in the world began to surge toward him all at once.
"All In Destruction" had been initiated.
Should he successfully complete this technique, it signified that he had embarked on an irreversible path toward death!
In this place, the spiritual energy was robust and elusive. Few could effortlessly harness it. However, Han Bingxue's self-destructive attack could. Such a technique did not prioritize the survival of the cultivator, so how could it obstruct the capture of the potent spiritual energy?
"Are you insane? Cease this madness now!" Xuan Bing shouted in exasperation.
"No matter what, you must die! I am more than willing to perish with the secret! Let us meet our end together!" Han Bingxue's visage grew increasingly pallid, and the fire in his eyes burned fiercer.
Once "All In Destruction" was initiated, the only means of cessation was if Han Bingxue chose to halt it. No other path existed.
Anxiety turned Xuan Bing's eyes a fiery red. She surged forward, making a desperate bid to forcibly intercede and prevent Han Bingxue from executing his suicidal maneuver. Should she manage to halt him in time, he would survive. However, if she intervened after the process had commenced, Han Bingxue would meet his demise, and Xuan Bing would bear a crippling cost.
What Xuan Bing intended to do was thwart Han Bingxue from executing the suicidal attack, a markedly different proposition than evading and retaliating. She would be compelled to directly confront Han Bingxue's tenfold enhanced attack, even though she far surpassed him in strength. The price she would pay was bound to be excruciating.
However, in this critical moment, the unexpected occurred...
A ripple of energy fluctuations emanated from the sky, indicating that something was hurtling swiftly from above.
Both Xuan Bing and Han Bingxue glanced upward, preparing for confrontation. They observed a figure descending from the clouds.
It was none other than Cha Eun-Xiao!
At the most crucial juncture, Cha Eun-Xiao, who had been missing for a considerable period, descended from the sky!
Xuan Bing came to a standstill, her gaze directed upward. Han Bingxue was left stupefied, having momentarily forgotten to continue the technique. He stared upward in astonishment. "Boss?"
In the sky, Cha Eun-Xiao grew larger and larger in their field of vision, descending like a shooting star.
Both of them sensed that something was amiss. It seemed as though Cha Eun-Xiao was currently unconscious. If he continued his descent in such a manner, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Xuan Bing acted swiftly. She leaped upward, ascending to an altitude of roughly a thousand meters, her movements swift and sure. She extended both her hands and caught Cha Eun-Xiao on her back. As she made contact with him, the immense force of the fall also impacted her. Arresting the descent was an arduous task, and despite her formidable power, she couldn't help but release a pained cry. Even while plummeting at such a rapid pace, she clung to Cha Eun-Xiao, endeavoring to diminish the overwhelming momentum. She even enveloped him in a secondary layer of spiritual energy to shield him from any potential harm caused by the intense friction. Her care and consideration for Cha Eun-Xiao were evident.
Nevertheless, the force of the plummet was overpowering. Despite her utmost efforts, Xuan Bing was unable to decelerate their descent. In an instant, they had fallen over five hundred meters and displayed no signs of slowing down.
"Up!"
A peculiar energy wave coursed through Xuan Bing's body, and a white mist emerged...
It was none other than Misty Cloud Palace's most formidable martial art technique, the Ling Xiao Ice Art!
Throughout their journey with Cha Eun-Xiao and Han Bingxue, Xuan Bing had concealed her visage within a shroud of dark fog. It was only now that she unveiled her true strength, which materialized as a white-hued fog.
Supported by her remarkable martial art prowess, she managed to halt their descent. In a rather astonishing turn of events, they ascended several meters instead. Subsequently, Xuan Bing cradled Cha Eun-Xiao in her arms and gently descended to the ground.
Though she had ultimately regained control of the situation, a sense of dread lingered. Fortunately, Cha Eun-Xiao had awakened in the nick of time. Had he emerged later, Han Bingxue might have initiated "All In Destruction"...
He might have perished!
The situation had been perilously close.
Han Bingxue rushed over to them anxiously. "How is he?"
He was visibly worried, his previously fierce demeanor replaced by genuine concern.
In her agitation, Xuan Bing delivered an irate slap to his head and rebuked, "You imbecile! Why didn't you continue battling me? Go on, fight me with your life at stake? Go ahead and take your own life?"
Han Bingxue, stung by the abrupt slap, was incensed. "I will challenge you to a life-and-death duel once Boss wakes up!"
"Do anything foolish, and I will dispatch your boss without hesitation," Xuan Bing began to issue threats.
Upon observing Cha Eun-Xiao nestled in Xuan Bing's arms, Han Bingxue's agitation waned. Realizing his limited options, he spoke fervently, "Is this the extent of your capabilities? Bullying an unconscious man? Is this truly the conduct of the esteemed elder of Misty Cloud Palace?"
"Humph!" Xuan Bing retorted and turned away, no longer willing to engage with the fool.
She promptly proceeded to examine Cha Eun-Xiao's condition.
While she had indeed touched him earlier, it was solely to mitigate their plummeting velocity and to lessen the impact. She hadn't had the opportunity to assess Cha Eun-Xiao's well-being thoroughly. As she scrutinized him with care, she found that he was unharmed and simply unconscious. He would soon rouse from his slumber. She breathed a sigh of relief and mumbled, "You are indeed a fated adversary..."
After Cha Eun-Xiao had left the fourth level of the Mountain of All Medicine and plummeted from the sky, he remained in an unconscious state. Throughout this time, he experienced a dreamlike sensation.
However, as Xuan Bing cradled him in her arms, he felt an inexplicable familiarity with her. It was an embrace that exuded warmth, and it felt undeniably familiar.
Her fragrance, too, was curiously familiar.
Now, as he muttered drowsily, "Bing'er? Is that you?" Xuan Bing was in the process of checking on him. Startled, she lost her grip on him, causing Cha Eun-Xiao to plummet to the ground due to gravity's pull.