Chapter 138: Both Men Risk It All for Her
Bai Ye’s gaze darkened.
He didn’t hesitate. His body shot forward again, slamming hard against the black barrier.
"BOOM!"
The instant the two forces collided, the surrounding trees trembled violently, and leaves rustled down.
"What kind of power is that...?" Ma Yu said in astonishment.
Everyone froze, faces filled with terror.
Guo Kai’s face was ashen. He slashed through a vine wrapped around his ankle and shouted, "Get rid of these things, quick! White Tiger is in big trouble! We have to get over there and back him up!"
"Right, we have to save Yun Sheng!"
Cheng Nian’s eyes were red as she desperately gathered her spiritual power to attack the vines.
The others also gritted their teeth and attacked, wishing they could break out of this damn encirclement of vines immediately.
Meanwhile, deep in the dense forest, Bai Ye repeatedly slammed himself against the black barrier.
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
His shoulder blades were numb from the impacts. Blood seeped from the web between his thumb and forefinger, dripping down his knuckles, but he didn’t stop.
Normally, he could have easily broken through this black barrier by releasing his spiritual body, the Holy Light White Tiger. But he couldn’t do that.
The moment the Holy Light White Tiger manifested, the others would guess that he was Bai Ye, and then they would speculate about why he was hiding his identity to stay by Yun Sheng’s side.
When that happened, all the suspicion and gossip would put Yun Sheng in the eye of the storm.
So, to avoid exposing his identity, he could only use his own body and spiritual power to ram it head-on.
And on the other side of that black barrier, Si Jin had likewise not released his Abyssal Giant Wolf, nor had he unleashed the Abyss Bone Fire.
The two men clashed through the barrier, each tacitly suppressing their most signature powers, yet neither was willing to back down.
By now, the vines had already dragged Yun Sheng deeper into the forest.
Bai Ye watched her receding figure, his gaze hardening as he gathered all his strength to its absolute limit.
One last charge!
"BOOM!!!"
The barrier shattered with a deafening roar.
Bai Ye became a blur as he shot off in the direction Yun Sheng had disappeared.
He caught up!
One hand clamped down hard on the thick vine, his five fingers tightening mercilessly.
"CRACK..."
The section of the vine he’d grabbed split down the middle like a rope being torn in two.
Yun Sheng, tangled at the top, suddenly lost her support and fell like a leaf.
"Ah!"
Just as she thought she was about to hit the ground hard, another vine shot out from the side, gently wrapping around her waist and catching her steadily.
The vine’s movement was surprisingly gentle, so light it was as if it were afraid of hurting her.
Bai Ye quickly caught up. Seeing that Yun Sheng was safe and sound, the tension in his eyes finally eased a little.
"Yun Sheng, don’t be afraid." His voice was hoarse, but carried a reassuring tone. "I’m here to save you."
The words had barely left his mouth when the vine suddenly tightened, pulling Yun Sheng rapidly back into the depths of the forest.
It was so fast that Bai Ye didn’t even have time to reach out.
But strangely, though the vine was fast, it would always shift direction just as Yun Sheng was about to brush against a tree trunk or thorns, carefully avoiding anything that might injure her.
Seeing this, Bai Ye immediately gathered his strength and gave chase again.
His spiritual power formed a sharp blade and stabbed once more toward the vine wrapped around Yun Sheng.
But that familiar black barrier appeared again, steadily blocking the vine and intercepting his attack completely.
Again, and again.
Yun Sheng looked back and saw the relentlessly pursuing figure, the sweat beading on his forehead, the almost stubborn anxiety in his eyes. He was clearly injured, yet he refused to stop.
Her heart clenched painfully.
The White Tiger she knew had always been calm and restrained, but now, he was chasing the vine like a madman, refusing to back down even after being thrown back by the barrier time and time again.
He was risking his life like this, just to save her!
Yun Sheng’s eyes suddenly started to sting.
But she couldn’t help but think of someone else.
Si Jin.
’He’s taking me away like this because he doesn’t want me to be accused of colluding with a Dark Sentinel, right?’
’Even these vines, while pulling me back so quickly, are careful to protect me, terrified I might get even a little hurt...’
On one side was the White Tiger, risking his life to save her. On the other was Si Jin, meticulously protecting her with good intentions.
Torn between the two, she was overwhelmed by contradiction.
Yun Sheng was pulled back swiftly by the vine, the wind stinging her eyes.
She couldn’t tell if it was the wind making her eyes water, or the indescribable conflict and pain in her heart.
Yun Sheng bit her lip, forcing herself not to look back at the White Tiger, but she couldn’t stop herself from listening to the sounds behind her.
The sound of a blade cutting through the air, the dull thud of spiritual power hitting the barrier, and his ragged gasps for breath.
Thud, after thud, each one felt like a blow to her heart.
"Don’t... don’t follow..."
Her voice was so quiet, she could barely hear it herself.
But the man behind her seemed to have heard something, and his attacks suddenly grew even more ferocious.
"BANG!"
This impact was more brutal than any before.
The barrier shook violently. Bai Ye was thrown back several steps, a new wound now visible on his shoulder, with fresh blood dripping down his arm.
But it was as if he couldn’t feel the pain. His gaze pierced through the vines and darkness, staring straight at Yun Sheng.
He wanted to see her expression clearly.
’Why did Yun Sheng struggle when the vines first grabbed her, but now she’s given up completely?’
’Why did she say "don’t follow" when she could have just yelled "save me"?’
’Unless... she also recognized Si Jin’s aura on that black barrier and guessed the vines were taking her to him.’
’Is it because of Si Jin that her struggling has turned into willingness?’
’And Si Jin... he was clearly in a completely out-of-control state not long ago. Did he regain his senses and come looking for Yun Sheng?’
’The moment he recovers, he comes for Yun Sheng. What in the world is the relationship between them?’
Bai Ye’s chest felt horribly tight. Just now, he had deliberately dropped his spiritual power defenses before slamming into the barrier.
He wanted to see: if he was injured, would Yun Sheng still be willing to go to Si Jin?
As the sounds of impact from behind grew more frequent, Yun Sheng finally couldn’t resist looking back one more time.
Seeing the White Tiger slam into the barrier again and again, watching the number of his wounds multiply, her eyes finally reddened.
"White Tiger Officer, don’t do this..." Her voice trembled. "Stop, you’re bleeding..."
Bai Ye heard her.
He lifted his head and, through that damned black barrier, looked into Yun Sheng’s eyes.
Her eyes were red, a clear trace of heartache written in them.
In that instant, a surge of pleasure welled up in Bai Ye’s heart.
’See? She still cares about me.’
But the thought had barely formed before it was swallowed by an even greater bitterness.
’So what if Yun Sheng cares about me?’
’From the way she looks like she wants to say something but can’t, it’s obvious she still wants to go to Si Jin.’
Bai Ye clenched his fists tightly, but he said nothing. He even forced a smile, pretending he didn’t understand her inner conflict, and only said hoarsely, "I’m fine. Don’t worry. I will definitely save you!"
Yun Sheng trembled, her mouth opening and closing, but no words came out.
Knowing it was Si Jin who wanted to see her, she couldn’t bring herself to break free from the vines. If she did, what would happen to Si Jin?
But as she looked at the blood on the White Tiger’s body, the words she wanted to say to make him stop were caught in her throat, unable to escape.
Her eyes stung terribly. She could only bite her lip hard, forcing herself to look away from his face.
Just then, the vine around her waist tightened slightly, as if it had sensed her hesitation.
Immediately after, the vine abruptly accelerated, yanking her backward and instantly widening the distance between them.