Chapter 18: A Hero Saves the Beauty

The spirit beast’s claw struck Chen Qingshuang down to the ground once again.

Watching the woman, now too weak to continue fighting, the beast raised its sharp claw high, aiming for her head, then plunged it down with brutal ferocity.

The cold gleam emanating from the claw filled Chen Qingshuang with despair as she closed her eyes.

This was the first time she had felt the breath of death so intimately.

Before her life and Dao faded away, the only solace was seeing the boy from her memories.

Alas, such a reunion was far too brief.

“Goodbye, Brother Ye Fan…” she whispered, surrendering to reality.

But just as the claw was about to descend on her brow, Ye Fan suddenly sprang into action!

With overwhelming spiritual power at the Nascent Soul realm, he channeled terrifying energy into his fist and struck the side of the spirit beast’s face with lightning speed.

“Ugh!”

The beast howled mournfully, its massive body blasted backward over ten meters.

“Are you alright?” Ye Fan’s voice rang out. Chen Qingshuang trembled all over, opening her eyes in disbelief.

“Brother Ye Fan!”

She looked at the young man before her, now shedding the innocence from his face.

Hearing that name again, Ye Fan felt a daze wash over him.

After all these years, they still remembered each other.

Ye Fan nodded slightly and produced two Nascent Spirit Pills, offering them: “Take these first; they can help restore your spiritual power.”

“Leave this guy to me!”

With those words, Ye Fan clenched his fist. Since breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, he hadn’t truly tested his strength.

He wasn’t sure just how powerful he had become.

This beast’s strength was perfect for putting his abilities to the test.

The spirit beast, having taken an unexpected punch, was thoroughly enraged but sensed a trace of danger from Ye Fan’s power.

This human standing before it was undoubtedly much stronger than the woman.

The wolf-shaped spirit beast didn’t attack rashly but instead watched Ye Fan carefully.

When a spirit beast’s strength reaches a certain level, it awakens intelligence.

This one was clearly smarter than any spirit beasts Ye Fan had encountered before.

Seeing it hesitate, Ye Fan took the initiative to strike.

Earlier, he had observed it from behind a tree for a long time, gaining a certain understanding.

Its strongest attack was the pair of razor-sharp claws on its forelimbs, and it was incredibly agile.

Its speed advantage had allowed it to defeat Chen Qingshuang without injury.

However, Ye Fan’s speed now rivaled its own.

He stepped lightly, moving with the Seven Stars Step, charging at the beast from a cunning angle.

The beast’s back and belly were covered in sharp spines, leaving only its flanks visible and presumably its weakest points.

Ye Fan’s wrist twisted, and a sleek, black longsword suddenly appeared in his hand.

As the young sect leader of Lingxiao Sect, his weapon was naturally no ordinary blade.

The black sword emitted a chilling gleam, and Ye Fan’s aura surged once more as he wielded it.

He swung the longsword, aiming a stab at the beast’s left flank.

But the beast reacted swiftly, dodging the deadly strike with a flash.

Its hard claws then rained down on Ye Fan.

Unfazed, Ye Fan blocked the blow with his sword.

Claw and blade collided midair.

The black longsword’s hardness was clearly superior to the sword Chen Qingshuang wielded.

“Clang!”

With a crisp clang, the longsword remained flawless, while half of the beast’s claw was sliced off!

Chen Qingshuang watched in astonishment.

She never imagined that Ye Fan’s cultivation had advanced so much.

Was this truly the same boy she remembered, the one once bullied in Zhongzhou?

She didn’t know what trials Ye Fan had endured over the years, but seeing his current power filled her heart with joy.

Back then, Ye Fan was born into the top power of Zhongzhou, the Heavenly Sword Sect.

His grandfather was a revered elder within the sect, and Ye Fan’s mother was his only daughter.

At his birth, they believed Ye Fan would grow into a prodigious talent and invested heavily in his cultivation.

But Ye Fan’s progress stalled for a long time.

Eventually, all patience ran out, and they deemed him a useless waste.

From then on, Ye Fan received no more resources from the sect.

That was when the ridicule began—words like “waste” and “trash” were hurled at him relentlessly.

Even Ye Fan himself began to believe he was good for nothing, all because his Heavenly Devouring Saint Body bloodline lacked determination.

The Heavenly Sword Sect, being the top power in Zhongzhou, could not afford to harbor a useless member.

If not for his grandfather’s reputation, Ye Fan would have been cast out long ago.

His mother understood this but knew that even if Ye Fan stayed, he would suffer disdain from others.

This would cause tremendous wounds to his young heart.

After much consideration, Ye Fan’s mother decided to send him to the Lingxiao Sect in the northwest, to be raised by his father.

After all, Ye Wumian was the sect leader of Lingxiao Sect and wielded absolute authority.

Even if Ye Fan could not cultivate, no one dared to speak against him.

Letting him live peacefully in Lingxiao Sect was the best option.

Ye Fan accepted this arrangement with resignation.

Besides his mother and grandfather, only Chen Qingshuang had never treated him as a failure.

When Ye Fan was bullied by peers, she even stood up for him.

That kindness was one of the few warm memories etched in young Ye Fan’s heart.

This debt of gratitude meant everything to him.

…

The fierce battle between Ye Fan and the wolf-like spirit beast continued.

The clash of sword and claw echoed through the air.

The fight had reached a boiling point.

Ye Fan had not expected the beast to be so formidable.

Despite losing half of a claw, its fighting spirit was undiminished, even more ferocious than before.

Another powerful claw strike slammed toward Ye Fan, the force triggering bursts of air explosions.

Ye Fan decided to stop holding back and formed a sword formation with his fingers.

The black longsword immediately radiated a faint, eerie glow.

With a sweep of his sword, a devastating sword aura surged forth.

The next moment, the beast let out a piercing cry of pain.

A deep, bone-visible gash was carved into its otherwise impenetrable chest armor!

After fighting Chen Qingshuang for so long, the beast had emerged unscathed.

But now, a single sword aura from Ye Fan had wounded it instantly, revealing the vast gap in their powers.

The injured beast instantly grew alert, its spines erupting outward.

It snarled, baring its teeth as it glared at Ye Fan from a distance.

Ye Fan casually flicked his longsword, eyes gleaming with anticipation.