Ye Qingyun held the Qingyun Sword in her hand, exuding an imposing aura that seemed boundless.
One by one, soul rings began to appear beneath her feet.
Yellow, yellow, purple... That was all!
The leader, initially on high alert as though facing a formidable enemy, relaxed after seeing her soul rings and nearly burst into laughter.
It was common knowledge that the difference in ranks here was immense.
The possibility of an ordinary cultivator defeating someone with one more soul ring than him is practically zero.
Unless, of course, they possessed exceptional circumstances—such as multiple high-grade soul bones or an extraordinary hidden power.
Naturally, Ye Qingyun fell into the second category. Without such an advantage, she wouldn't face someone ranked above her.
Despite his attempts to suppress his amusement, the leader couldn't help but laugh loudly.
"Hahaha! Have you never studied? Don't you know that such a massive gap in strength makes victory impossible?"
"Hahahaha!" His subordinates followed suit, laughing raucously.
Although their own abilities weren't particularly high, they had all received some formal training as cultivators. To them, her actions seemed nothing short of foolish arrogance.
Their assumption stemmed from their training, which never accounted for rare exceptions.
After all, such situations were so rare that most would never encounter them in their lifetime.
Ye Qingyun, unfazed by their disdain, paid them no mind.
On the battlefield, underestimating one's opponent was the fastest path to death.
"First Soul Skill – Speed!"
"Second Soul Skill – Speed!"
"Third Soul Skill – Speed!"
The leader, noticing her actions, began preparing to activate his own soul skill.
Though he didn't believe she could defeat him, getting caught off guard could still result in significant injury. Caution was necessary.
Ye Qingyun, however, didn't immediately attack. Instead, she closed her eyes and muttered under her breath:
"Qingyun Secret Technique – Double!"
In an instant, she opened her eyes, now filled with bloodshot streaks. Strange patterns appeared within her pupils, radiating faint green soul power.
The veins across her body became more prominent, and her skin turned slightly red as her body radiated an unusual amount of heat.
A trace of blood appeared beneath her eyes, but before it could trickle down, her figure suddenly vanished.
In the air, a gentle voice resounded:
"Qingyun Sword Dance!"
A faint, blurry figure appeared simultaneously in four different locations.
Ender couldn't comprehend what was happening. His reaction speed was simply too slow.
Thud!
The four men who had surrounded them earlier suddenly collapsed, leaving Ender dumbfounded.
Looking left and right, he finally noticed Ye Qingyun standing before him. However, neither her martial soul nor her soul rings were visible.
Though he had no idea what had just transpired, one thing was clear—she had taken down all four bandits in an instant.
Curiosity gnawed at him as he asked:
"How did you do that just now? Isn't it almost impossible to defeat someone of a higher rank?"
A single mismatch in soul skills wasn't the same as a difference in rank.
And considering the significant disparity between ranks, higher-level soul skills were exponentially stronger.
Yet she didn't respond, leaving him feeling uneasy. Concerned by her silence, he stepped closer to check on her condition.
What he saw shocked him.
Ye Qingyun's eyes were closed, and blood trickled from all seven orifices of her face.
Her veins stood out prominently across her body, making her appear as though she were in a dire situation.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, giving off the impression that she was either gravely injured or on the brink of death.
If not for her steady breathing, Ender might have genuinely believed she was dying.
"Hey, are you alive? I mean—are you awake yet?"
She didn't reply, but a few seconds later, she opened her eyes. Her condition had improved slightly, the strange patterns in her pupils had vanished.
When she looked at him, she exuded an aura of absolute dominance, leaving him in awe. It was as if nothing in this world could obstruct her path.
"Is this what they call being born a supreme?" Ender thought to himself.
"At her age, I was completely useless. Sure, I could blame the education system since we hadn't reformed it yet, but even with better schooling, there's no way I could have reached her level by twelve."
Still marveling, Ender chuckled and remarked:
"You know, I don't particularly like you, but damn, your presence is incredible."
He never hesitated to praise others, regardless of whether they were enemies or mortal foes.
If someone impressed him, he would compliment them without reservation.
At that moment, Ye Qingyun glanced at him and said:
"Quickly carry me back. I'm completely out of strength."
Ender didn't waste time, he immediately approached and picked her up.
He understood she wasn't joking around—her condition truly seemed dire.
He carefully lifted her, not out of tenderness but because he feared she might actually die.
She looked just one step away from death, and that was a dangerous situation.
"Hey, right now, you're weaker than me. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
Ye Qingyun snorted at his remark. She knew he was merely talking nonsense, not actually suffering from a lapse in intelligence.
"Hmph. You're not an idiot. Killing me would be one thing, but escaping the pursuit afterward is the real challenge. I don't think you're naive enough to believe that killing me would go unnoticed."
"Haha, of course, I'm not that foolish. But seriously, how did you do it earlier? From what I know, defeating someone of a higher rank is almost impossible, let alone killing them. And yet, you managed to kill all four of them in an instant. How do you explain that?" Ender asked curiously.
He found this matter incredibly important, especially since it wasn't common knowledge.
Facing many opponents in the future, he needed every possible method to enhance his strength.
"Do I have any reason to answer you?" Ye Qingyun replied.
"If you don't tell me, I'll just leave you here. That wouldn't count as me killing you, would it?"
Ender had no particular affection or gratitude toward her. After all, he was only following her now because she had forced him to.
Ye Qingyun, unfazed by his threat, responded:
"It's true that you wouldn't be the one who killed me, but I've already instructed others before I left. If I die, it'll undoubtedly be blamed on you."
Hearing this, Ender's eyes widened. He felt as if he'd been unjustly framed.
"What?! So if you actually die at someone else's hands, I'll still have to take the fall?"
Ender felt utterly wronged! All he'd done was ask for her help to get out of the forest, and now he found himself carrying an enormous, super black pot on his shoulders. A pot he couldn't possibly shake off.