Chapter 196: No Matter What Happens, Don’t Leave My Side

Chapter 196: Chapter 196: No Matter What Happens, Don’t Leave My Side

Yun Sheng looked at Xing Che, her gaze turning cold.

Previously, she had watched Si Jin battle the Devouring Abyss Beast for so long without a clear winner. She remembered that his spiritual power was unstable and his spiritual landscape was riddled with cracks. She had worried that a prolonged fight would cause his spiritual power to go berserk again.

Meanwhile, the contaminants behind them were relentless in their assault, forcing her to agree to Xing Che’s demand.

But things were different now.

The Devouring Abyss Beast was dealt with, and the horde of contaminants had been temporarily beaten back.

’She had no reason to accept Xing Che’s absurd demand anymore!’

’If her companions asked, she’d have to say Xing Che was her Sentinel. It might seem like a small thing, but the trouble it could cause was anything but.’

’Xing Che’s fight with the Devouring Abyss Beast had revealed his true strength to everyone. It was obvious now that he was very likely an SSS-level Sentinel.’

’If word of this got out, wouldn’t she just be inviting trouble for no reason?’

’After all, not all of her companions were like Li Wen and Cheng Nian, who genuinely had her best interests at heart!’

Perhaps noticing her gaze turn cold and her sudden silence, Xing Che faltered for a moment before moving closer again.

"Are you angry?" he asked, his voice low and tentative.

Yun Sheng ignored him.

Xing Che watched her, his usual smile gone for once.

"I was just kidding," he said, his tone growing more serious. "If you agreed, it would give me a legitimate title. But it’s fine if you don’t. I’ll still help. I’m not that despicable."

Yun Sheng lifted her gaze to him, her expression indifferent. She still said nothing.

Her stare made the last trace of a smile vanish from his lips. "You’re really angry?"

Yun Sheng still ignored him. She withdrew her gaze and turned to leave.

"Wait..." Xing Che reached out and grabbed her wrist. His grip wasn’t strong, but it was urgent. "I was wrong."

Yun Sheng stopped and looked back at him.

Xing Che met her gaze. For once, he wasn’t joking around. Instead, he said solemnly, "I shouldn’t have tried to force you with something like that. As for what I said earlier... just pretend I never said it."

Just as Yun Sheng was about to respond, she heard the sound of urgent footsteps.

Zhao Heng and two other Sentinels emerged from the shadows of the trees. Their combat uniforms were stained with mud and blood, but their footing was steady enough.

"Junior General!" Zhao Heng hurried over to Qi Yao, catching his breath. "There are no contaminants up ahead. We can take a detour that way to get back to the camp. It’s a longer route, but it’s safe."

Qi Yao’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at Xing Che and Yun Sheng. After a moment of silence, he commanded, "Everyone, move out. We’re leaving at top speed. Back to the camp."

Zhao Heng and a few other Sentinels took point, while Qi Yao, gripping his blade, silently chose to cover their rear.

The group moved quickly. Everyone’s nerves were stretched taut, their steps rapid and tight.

Xing Che stuck close to Yun Sheng’s side. He didn’t speak or make any more inappropriate moves, only occasionally glancing over at her.

Soon enough, the group reached the edge of the dense forest.

Ahead of them lay a clearing. The terrain was flat and the view was unobstructed, allowing them to see all the way to a low slope on the far side.

Once they crossed the clearing and walked a little farther, they would reach the main road. The journey back to the camp would be quick from there.

Xing Che suddenly reached out and pulled Yun Sheng back.

Yun Sheng stopped and turned to look at him.

Xing Che’s expression was graver than before. His amber-gold eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the clearing ahead.

"There’s danger over there. We can’t go any further."

Yun Sheng froze for a second before it clicked. She immediately turned to Guo Kai and said, "Brother Guo, there’s danger up ahead. We can’t go on."

Guo Kai stopped. The clearing ahead was completely empty.

He hesitated for a moment. "Yun Sheng, are you sure? This clearing isn’t big. At our speed, we could cross it quickly..."

"We can’t cross," Yun Sheng said. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was firm.

’Xing Che is an SSS-level Sentinel. His perception is naturally far stronger than an ordinary person’s.’

’If he said there was danger, then there absolutely was!’

Guo Kai glanced at her, then back at the clearing, unable to decide what to do.

After a moment, he gritted his teeth, turned, and ran to the front of the column, whispering a few words to Zhao Heng.

Zhao Heng frowned and raised a hand, signaling for the group to halt.

Low murmurs of conversation quickly rippled through the ranks.

"Why are we stopping again? I thought we were supposed to hurry back."

"Don’t tell me there are more contaminants ahead?!"

Qi Yao, who was bringing up the rear, saw the group halt. His brow furrowed as he strode to the front.

"What’s going on?"

Just as Zhao Heng was about to answer, a piercing shriek suddenly erupted from the far side of the clearing!

The sound was sharp and piercing. It wasn’t something heard with the ears, but rather a blast that detonated directly inside the mind.

Qi Yao’s body lurched violently, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

Zhao Heng let out a muffled grunt, and the hand gripping his blade began to tremble.

The other A-level Sentinels all stumbled back several steps, their faces ashen, veins bulging at their temples.

Guo Kai gritted his teeth, using his blade to steady himself. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Cheng Nian and the others, however, were unaffected, merely startled by the sudden noise.

’Something is very wrong with this shriek,’ Yun Sheng thought. ’It’s clearly a spiritual attack, a sinister one specifically targeting Sentinels.’

Yun Sheng’s heart lurched, and she quickly turned to look at Xing Che.

He, however, seemed unaffected. He just stared at the clearing, his jaw tight and his eyes dark and stormy, as if steeped in ink.

Before she had a chance to ask a question, the shriek sounded again.

This time, all the Sentinels felt their minds violently jolted. It felt as if their internal organs were being viciously churned, nearly torn from their places.

Qi Yao had the most violent reaction.

His spiritual power was already unstable. Provoked by the shriek, it began to roil violently, surging outward uncontrollably.

When this wave of spiritual power washed over Cheng Nian and the others, their faces grew even paler.

Yun Sheng also felt the intense pressure, and her brow furrowed slightly.

The next second, a gentle wave of spiritual power rippled out, forming a barrier around them that completely blocked the spiritual pressure leaking from Qi Yao.

As the shriek continued its relentless assault, Xing Che looked down at Yun Sheng and spoke, his expression grave.

"Something was off about that Devouring Abyss Beast earlier. It didn’t seem to go berserk on its own; it was more like it was driven out of control by that foul stench in the air. And this shriek is also wrong. It sounds like it’s being deliberately controlled."

His words hit Yun Sheng with the force of a blow.

’Deliberately controlled?’

’Who would do something so insidious?!’

An idea flashed in her mind. ’Could that be why Si Jin dragged the Devouring Abyss Beast away earlier?’

’At the time, she’d just thought Si Jin’s actions were baffling and hadn’t given it much thought. But looking back on it now, his behavior had been strange from every angle.’

Yun Sheng pressed her lips together. Just as she was about to press him for more information, everything changed.

Qi Yao suddenly let out an agonized roar. His eyes turned blood-red in an instant. His already chaotic spiritual power spiraled completely out of control, erupting outward without any warning!

The surging spiritual power crashed down like a violent tide, sweeping toward the people closest to him in an indiscriminate attack that made no distinction between friend and foe.

Amid the chaos, Xing Che moved in a flash, stepping forward and to the side to grip Yun Sheng’s wrist tightly.

His gaze remained locked on the clearing, his brow deeply furrowed. His eyes were frighteningly dark, as if he could see a threat hidden there that was far more lethal than Qi Yao’s rampage.

His grip on her tightened, and his voice dropped to a low, urgent whisper. "Shengsheng, no matter what happens, don’t leave my side!"