Chapter 650: Rescuing Someone

Zhang Xuan had seen many beautiful women.

Shen Biru, Mo Yu, Zhao Feiwu, Yu Fei'er, Luo Qiqi... and his two students, Wang Ying and Zhao Ya, were equally impressive, if not more outstanding.

Among these beauties, some had feelings for him, and some had even spoken out, opening their hearts and expressing willingness to be with him...

But he remained unmoved.

It wasn't that he lacked emotions or didn't like beautiful women, but that he hadn't been stirred.

His heart unmoved, he didn't want to court trouble or invite unnecessary worries.

He had thought it might be because the Library of Heaven's Path in his mind had made him as emotionless as the heavens, but he never dreamed that a single glance at this white-clad figure would make his heart beat uncontrollably.

It was as if something within her was drawing him, compelling him to walk over.

Her appearance was beautiful—even Zhao Ya paled in comparison—but his state of mind had reached a level where he wouldn't lose his composure at the sight of a beauty. Yet, for some reason, this person felt very familiar to him.

As if he had seen her before.

"I can't let anything happen to her..."

This thought emerged.

There were over thirty spirit beasts at the fifth level of Mortal Transformation surrounding them, along with seven or eight hunters. If they launched a coordinated attack, this white-clad figure would surely be outnumbered and unable to defend herself!

"Save her!"

For some unknown reason, this thought arose, exceptionally firm.

He didn't want to see this figure slaughtered by so many spirit beasts.

"If I charge in directly to save her, I'll also be surrounded, and I might end up trapped here too!"

Though he wanted to rescue her, he couldn't be so reckless.

With so many powerful spirit beasts surrounding them, even if he could fly, escape would be difficult. He had to think of a plan.

"How about this: I'll continue pretending to be Master Yang and see if I can scare these fellows off!"

After thinking for a while and finding no good plan, he decided his best bet was to rely on his old trick... bluffing!

If he could scare them away directly, that would be best.

If it didn't work... he would have to fight.

At worst, he could summon his clone to fight together. Even if they couldn't win, they could still escape.

"Let's do it!"

Gritting his teeth, he refined the plan several times, stood up, and with a ripple of muscles, transformed back into Master Yang.

Rustle!

Just as he finished preparing, he saw the spirit beasts had surrounded the pool from all sides, their eyes gleaming, ready to charge at any moment.

"No time..."

Raising his brows, Zhang Xuan could no longer care about anything else. He leaped and flew straight toward the pool by the waterfall.

"Hmph!"

Midair, he let out a cold snort that echoed like a dragon's roar, shaking the forest with a "buzz!"

This roar used his soul power and all his true energy, giving it an overwhelming sense of invincibility.

Accustomed to playing the role of a master, he carried an aura that, even in midair, made him seem like a descending god, majestic and imposing.

The spirit beasts and hunters, about to attack, saw a figure stepping through the sky and paused, startled.

Though spirit beasts lacked human intelligence, they weren't stupid.

This figure was flying through the void directly toward them; his strength was likely beyond their ability to contend with.

Whoosh!

Seeing that they didn't rush in, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and landed a few steps diagonally above the white-clad figure.

From this position, he could either rescue her or escape at the fastest speed.

Up close, he could see more clearly: she was a young woman about his age, with a calm expression, apparently unaware that she was surrounded by spirit beasts.

"I happened to pass by and found this place scenic. I don't wish to add to the slaughter. All of you, withdraw!" Zhang Xuan said, hands behind his back, scanning the surroundings.

As he spoke, he secretly sent a voice transmission to the girl.

"Try to escape later. The area is filled with spirit beasts. I suspect... they might be targeting you!"

After saying this, he didn't hear a response. He turned to look and saw the white-clad woman gazing at him calmly, as if she hadn't heard him.

"Could it be... she doesn't believe me?"

He frowned.

Those big fellows had surrounded them silently and were now hidden nearby without showing themselves. Perhaps she didn't believe him.

No wonder—resting here, suddenly someone appears and sends a voice transmission claiming the area is full of spirit beasts. If it were him, he might think the person was crazy.

"What, my words don't carry weight anymore?"

Knowing that explaining further would expose his master persona, Zhang Xuan raised his brows and flicked his sleeve. "Withdraw!"

Roar!

Hearing his shout, the surrounding spirit beasts indeed showed some fear. One of them couldn't help but roar, revealing itself from the bushes.

With one exposed, the other spirit beasts and hunters seemed to realize they had been discovered and stopped hiding, emerging one after another.

Rustle!

Over thirty spirit beasts at the fifth level of Mortal Transformation, along with seven or eight hunters of the same level, exuded immense pressure.

"Now do you believe me? When I passed by earlier, I saw they were targeting you and this snow fox..."

Seeing these creatures reveal themselves, Zhang Xuan broke out in a sweat and continued to transmit his voice.

The woman in white also seemed surprised to see so many spirit beasts surrounding them, and understanding his intention, she nodded.

"Don't be afraid. Since I've seen this, I naturally won't allow these spirit beasts to do evil. Rest assured, I'll help you drive them away!"

Seeing that she understood, Zhang Xuan transmitted another message, then looked around again and raised his eyebrows.

"You really want me to make a move?"

Boom!

The soul power between his brows radiated outward, sweeping across the scene, giving a sense of vast grandeur.

His strength was not much, but when it came to soul power, even Ye Wentian at the eighth level of Mortal Transformation was far inferior!

As his soul power was released, the many spirit beasts and hunters immediately felt a heavy pressure, truly sensing that the person before them was a peerless expert.

Thud!

A flying spirit beast could no longer control its body and fell from the air.

Several crawling spirit beasts on the ground also trembled, seemingly unable to withstand it.

Seeing their condition, Zhang Xuan, though tense, also breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed these spirit beasts weren't stupid; they knew the might of an expert.

Roar!

Just as he thought they would surely be frightened and retreat, he heard a roar. The first bear-scaled tiger he had seen let out a fierce bellow.

Rustle!

Hearing the roar, the spirit beasts that had been somewhat fearful suddenly seemed to regain their spirit, one by one looking over again with fierce eyes.

"What's going on?"

The many spirit beasts had just been trembling in fear, but after this creature's call, they changed their attitude. Zhang Xuan's expression shifted.

Could it be... this bear-scaled tiger recognized him?

It was because he had seen this big fellow that he had followed it. The creature had passed by him and must know his strength. But it had seen Zhang Xuan before, and now he was disguised as Yang Shi. How could it possibly recognize him?

Roar!

Just as he was wondering what was happening, the bear-scaled tiger roared again, its thick claws gripping the ground as it leaped into the air and charged first.

"Damn!"

His face darkened.

Even a fool would know that something had been exposed.

It seemed that pretending to be an expert might work in front of martial artists, but doing so before spirit beasts was impossible!

These creatures, though lacking human intelligence, had keener senses of smell and sight. Perhaps his disguise had been too rash and something had been seen through.

Or it could be that his soul and body were not perfectly aligned, preventing him from concealing his aura as perfectly as before.

If he couldn't conceal his aura, it was natural for the other party to easily see that this 'expert' was a fake.

"I have no choice but to fight..."

Knowing that once this creature charged, he could only fight, with no other option, Zhang Xuan flickered to the woman in white, grabbed her hand, and said, "Run!"

Whoosh!

Before he could leave, the bear-scaled tiger was already upon them. Its massive claws swiped, sending a wave of air like a blade spreading dozens of meters, slashing straight toward his arm.

"Damn it!"

He hadn't expected it to come so fast. Zhang Xuan's expression turned ugly.

The bear-scaled tiger's strongest assets were its claws and strength. Even though his body had been tempered in the Purification Pool and become tougher, a direct confrontation would likely still injure him.

Releasing the woman, he flicked his wrist, and the Ice Rain Sword appeared in his palm. He pointed it forward and met the attack.

He had never used a weapon in battle before, but now the situation was critical, and he could no longer care about that.

Swish!

The long sword pointed skyward, and a sword aura instantly spread dozens of meters, colliding with the wave of air from the creature's claws.

Boom!

With a violent explosion, two huge cracks appeared on the ground, each seven or eight meters deep.

Zhang Xuan stood still, while the bear-scaled tiger retreated, a shallow white mark appearing on its body.

Although the bear-scaled tiger was at the fifth level of Mortal Transformation and charged with terrifying momentum, compared to Zhang Xuan, whose spirit, flesh, and true energy far exceeded his own level, it was still a notch below.

Even so, it was formidable.

Had it been any other fifth-level Mortal Transformation cultivator, Zhang Xuan's sword strike would likely have split them in two, but on this creature, it only left a white mark. Its defense was terrifyingly strong.

Roar, roar, roar!

Seeing that his sword had defeated the bear-scaled tiger but was not strong enough to slay all the beasts, the surrounding spirit beasts seemed to realize the truth and charged forward together with a chorus of roars.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Several arrows also shot toward him, heading straight for his face.

It was the hunters!

These people excelled at long-range attacks. The arrows carried thick true energy, and even before they arrived, they exuded a sharp killing intent.

His pupils contracted, and Zhang Xuan's scalp tingled.

With flying creatures above, crawling ones on the ground, those skilled in defense, those skilled in offense, and even long-range attackers, if they truly surrounded him, even if he used his clone, it would be difficult to win!

"Escape!"

He flicked his wrist, sending several sword beams to block the incoming arrows, then grabbed the woman in white and leaped straight into the pool of water before them.

At this moment, he was surrounded on all sides, and this was the only path of escape!