“Get lost!” Yun Yuqing exclaimed. Since Zu An was in critical condition, she was clearly unhappy. When she saw the fatty with the malicious expression run at her, she raised her hand and traced a rune symbol into the air with her finger.

The cryptic and profound rune glowed with a purple radiance. It was as if a transparent shield had formed all around her and Zu An out of thin air.

Contempt flickered through the short and robust man’s eyes. Forget about this frail looking thing; even if it were a heavy-duty shield from the army, it wouldn’t be able to handle a full-powered swing from him.

He continued to swing his hammer forward. At the same time, he added thirty percent more power, concerned that the rune might really have some tricks. In his decades of life as a warrior, there weren’t many things he couldn’t smash through. If it survived the first strike, he would just swing again.

However, the loud rupturing noise he had expected never happened. He felt as if all of his strength had sunk into a ball of cotton. His eyes almost popped out of his head, because he saw his hammer sink into the shield membrane, yet it still couldn’t be torn apart.

He used even more strength, making the membrane cave in more. It seemed just about to touch Zu An and that woman’s body, but it just couldn’t continue further.

“Be careful!” his comrade cried out in alarm.

The robust man also sensed that something was wrong. He subconsciously thought of running, but as soon as he stopped exerting force, the cotton-like shield suddenly changed. It was like a spring that had been compressed to its limit. It would immediately expand if given even the slightest opportunity.

The man felt an earth-shattering force rush toward him. He had used almost all of his strength earlier, so how could he hope to match it?  Blood gushed out of his mouth as his body hit the ground like a broken sack of sand.

He tried to climb to his feet, but he couldn’t get back up even after trying for a long time. His body instead continued to twitch, and blood trickled out endlessly from his mouth. There were even some pieces of his internal organs mixed into the blood.

Zu An was incredibly shocked as he ‘watched’ all of this happen. Yun Yuqing’s move was just too splendid and formidable.

The man with the red-tasseled spear and the man with the two rings quickly arrived at their comrade’s side. The spear user squatted down and quickly examined his condition, saying, “At least sixty percent of his bones are smashed! He has internal injuries as well. He might never recover to his peak again, even if we save him.”

The man with the two rings frowned. He looked intensely at Yun Yuqing and said, “Woman, you have quite the vicious methods.”

Yun Yuqing harrumphed. “Your companion has no one else to blame but himself. This rune’s ability is ‘ricochet’. He only suffered this much force because he relied too much on strength. Why would he be in such a sorry state if he hadn’t been so ruthless?”

Zu An inwardly voiced his praise. He hadn’t expected it to be a force-reflecting skill. My girls are all so outstanding.

“A rune master?” the spear user responded with a frown.

The atmosphere immediately became tense. After all, there were many cultivators in this world, but rune masters were rare and precious. Enchanted weapons, defensive tools, and formations all needed the skills of rune masters. The imperial palace and various influential figures’ residences all had defensive formations made by rune masters. The higher the level of the runes, the greater the status of the master.

Low-level rune masters were one thing, but high-level rune masters were on an entirely different level. They were mostly concentrated in the Royal Academy, and every single one of them was treasured like a pearl. They were a strategic resource publicly acknowledged by the empire. It was to the point that they were all incredibly arrogant, unwilling to even show respect to the court.

This woman had been able to injure a seventh rank expert so easily with a rune. She was definitely a high level rune master. However, those rune masters in the Royal Academy were all old already. Where had such a stunning female master come from?

The man with the two rings changed his attitude as well. His tone softened as he said, “Excuse me, madam rune master. We don’t share any grudges, so how about we let this matter go? We won’t bother you about our comrades’ injuries, so please don’t…”

Halfway through his sentence, however, he thrust his hands outward. The gold and silver rings on his arms quickly flew toward Yun Yuqing. He had clearly only had two rings before, yet in that instant, they split into countless golden and silver rings. They shot straight at Yun Yuqing’s vital areas.

Zu An was so upset he almost opened his eyes and cursed the man. You’re way too shameless! What the hell? You sounded like you were trying to compromise, but then you attacked while she was distracted?

Fortunately, Yun Yuqing’s feet tapped lightly against the ground, and she was able to dodge off to the side. The silver and gold rings continued to chase after her relentlessly.

With so many rings moving together, it was as if a yellow and white snake were pursuing her. There were even several smaller ‘snakes’ that separated and waited in areas where she might land, forming a large net.

However, Yun Yuqing didn’t land at all. Her feet tapped against the air, leaving layers of flickering runes. She continued to walk on air, her figure graceful and elegant. It was as if a goddess were walking on water.

The man with the two rings flicked his wrist, and the countless shadows returned to his wrist, becoming two rings again.

The spear user was shocked and upset, exclaiming, “Are you mad? You’ve offended a rune master!”

The man with the two rings had an overcast expression as he replied, “Do we have any other choice right now? If we can’t kill and silence her, we won’t live anyway.”

The man with the red tassel spear sighed. “Whatever, succeed or die trying it is. Everyone, attack her together!”

A flash of vicious light rushed out as soon as he finished speaking. Then, his spear thrust outward like a dragon.

Even though they were enemies, Zu An had to admit that this fellow looked like a calm and composed man when he wasn’t doing anything, but once he did act, his spear gave off an incredibly threatening feeling. It really felt as if he would fight to the death here. These were spear skills that had definitely been tempered on a corpse-littered battlefield.

Zu An became serious as well. A siege crossbow, coordinated blade users, that hammer user, this spear user… There are just too many signs of involvement from the military. Don’t tell me it really was the Qin clan who did all of this? What should I do about Chuyan and Youzhao, who are stuck in the middle?

However, now wasn’t the time to think about such things, because the man with the rings had already made his move. His rings attacked Yun Yuqing’s vitals unpredictably. The deathsworn soldiers also used their blade formations to cut off possible avenues of escape.

Yun Yuqing’s expression was still calm. Her slender fingers quickly formed seals as she drew several strokes in front of her. Flickering runes began to float around her, one after another.

“Be careful! Don’t let her create that formation!” The man with the rings was furious and shocked. He tried to attack the runes in the air, but they seemed like intangible objects. His rings passed straight through.

However, the surrounding ki was getting agitated. The atmosphere gradually became more and more harsh, clearly showing that these runes weren’t just decorations, but were instead forming an absolutely terrifying attack.

No wonder the people of this world all feared rune masters! Their attacks were just too mysterious and profound. They were almost completely impossible to trace.

However, the man didn’t feel despair. His initial alarm and fury disappeared. Instead, a strange smile gradually appeared on his face. He rushed in a certain direction and shouted fiercely, “Fire!”

In that instant, a massive streak of black light fired from a nearby building. A terrifying force arrived in front of Yun Yuqing.

The man had deliberately feigned panic and helplessness precisely to force her into this position. It was clear that after facing powerful opponents over the years, even a high level rune master had unknowingly fallen into their trap.

Even though rune masters had all types of tricks, their bodies were much more frail than those of ordinary cultivators. Once she was blasted by such a siege crossbow, none of her tricks could save her.

Yun Yuqing was greatly shocked. Most of her attention had been focused on the formation. However, she had only completed half of it. If she managed to finish, then these people wouldn’t have any chance of turning the situation around. But she had never expected to run into a hiccup now!

It wasn’t easy for her to dodge all the frenzied attacks coming her way. Her strength was spent, and the siege crossbow was too fast. How could she possibly evade in time?

I’m finished! Yun Yuqing thought as she subconsciously gave the wall corner a look. She wanted to see that man one last time before she passed on… Huh? Where did he go?

“Are you looking for me?” said a gentle voice beside her ear. She felt herself sink into a warm hug. Then, the terrifying siege crossbow brushed right past her.