Chapter 415: Caught Red-Handed

Yuan Yao subconsciously tried to call his name, but before she could speak, Cang Li, not far away, interrupted her.

"Yao Yao!"

Yuan Yao snapped back to attention, glanced at the worried Cang Li, and hurriedly said, "I'm fine!"

"I'm late," and at the same time, a boy's voice echoed in her mind.

Yuan Yao turned her head, her gaze landing on the towering, bewitchingly handsome boy beside her, and said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist, for stepping in to help."

The boy replied lightly, "You're welcome."

At that moment, the dragon woman narrowed her slitted eyes and launched an attack straight toward where Yuan Yao and Xie Yan stood.

Yuan Yao, seeing this, did not panic; instead, she exchanged a knowing glance with Xie Yan, tightened her grip on her long sword, and together they advanced to meet the threat.

In an instant, the dragon woman thrust her palm up fiercely and slammed it down, but the strike missed its target.

Because Yuan Yao and Xie Yan swung their sharp swords at astonishing speed, they sliced through the palm strike.

Boom!

In a heartbeat, the two surged to the dragon woman's side and both unleashed their ultimate techniques, their fierce sword auras striking straight for the dragon woman's vital points.

The dragon woman's expression shifted slightly as her hands instantly transformed into a pair of terrifying, snarling dragon claws—long, sharp, and extraordinarily keen—snatching fiercely toward Yuan Yao and Xie Yan with unmatched force.

Clang!

Accompanied by a crisp, pleasant metallic clang that rang all around, Yuan Yao and Xie Yan suddenly felt a mountain‑crushing surge of power rush toward them, their bodies involuntarily flung backward several zhang before they could barely steady their stance.

The two and the beast fought each other fiercely.

Seeing this, Cang Li's expression changed slightly, and he quickly entered the fray.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xiao, still badly wounded and not yet recovered, naturally could not join the battle.

Suddenly—

A black silhouette rushed forward; she carried a massive case on her back, and as she approached the area, she extended her right hand, yanking a huge heavy sword from the case with a flash of sharp, chilling light.

She swiftly entered the fight, gripping the heavy sword with both hands and cleaving straight down toward the dragon woman!

Boom—

An earth‑shaking blast rang out, and the heavy sword came to rest above the dragon woman's head; she raised both hands to catch the blue‑purple heavy sword!

Yuan Yao, Xie Yan, and Cang Li all turned to look at the girl in black.

Yuan Yao recognized the identity of the girl in black.

Yu Jing.

What shocked her was that Yu Jing looked only seventeen or eighteen, yet seemed to have manifested sword intent.

Her thoughts instantly snapped back to reality, and she brandished her sharp sword, attacking toward the dragon woman.

"Nirvana Form, Phoenix Fire!"

"Cross Thunder Technique, Thunder Blast!"

In an instant, the Phoenix Fire blade and Thunder Blast intertwined, sweeping toward the dragon woman.

The dragon woman's scales glittered, and she somehow managed to bear the blow.

But the aftershock of the attack caused her figure to sway slightly.

Yu Jing seized the moment, grasped the heavy sword with both hands, raised it high again, and slammed it down fiercely at the dragon woman.

The heavy sword, wielded with great force, sliced the air, emitting a sharp, whistling sound.

The dragon woman sidestepped, and the heavy sword struck the ground, instantly cracking a massive fissure.

Yuan Yao, Xie Yan, and Cang Li did not idle; the three attacked the dragon woman again from different directions.

The dragon woman was surrounded by the four, yet still did not fall into a disadvantage.

Explosive blasts rang continuously.

The huge sounds here, combined with the battle's radiance, attracted the attention of many young cultivators.

On the other side, Bian Chen, Feng Xuanji, Bai Zhuxing, and Yan Yunlan—who had been separated from Xie Zixu—heard the noise and decisively rushed over here.

Xie Yan swung a sword, as if wielding ten thousand jins of force, an unstoppable onslaught toward the dragon woman.

The dragon woman's expression shifted slightly as she quickly gathered power to block.

Then her figure flashed, darting toward Yuan Yao's back, aiming to snatch off Yuan Yao's head.

Sensing this, Yuan Yao turned, raised her sword to block.

But at that moment—

Snap!

The long sword was violently snapped by the dragon woman, and her dragon claws lunged straight at Yuan Yao's head.

Yuan Yao's expression changed slightly; as she swiftly retreated, she immediately summoned a Phantom Spirit Sword and swung it!

At the same time, Xie Yan and Yu Jing slashed at the dragon woman from the left and right!

Boom Boom Boom!

The tremendous impact instantly caused successive explosions all around.

Those undead beasts dared not approach, and could only contend with Jiang Xiao.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xiao sat atop a puppet's shoulder, with dozens of puppets around him fighting the undead beasts for him.

Jiang Xiao calmly observed the distant battlefield.

At this moment, the four of Yuan Yao and the dragon woman fought to a stalemate!

Among the four, Cang Li was the weakest, yet he sustained the fewest fatal wounds.

Because Yuan Yao, Xie Yan, and Yu Jing are all aggressive rush types, they faced the dragon woman's attacks head‑on without flinching, and swung their blades directly at her.

At that moment, a voice from Tian Xue echoed in Yuan Yao's mind.

"Master, I can help you."

"Not yet the time." Yuan Yao replied.

Tian Xue heard that and instantly understood.

Inside Yaoguang Space, she glanced at the golden egg not far away and Yuan Batian.

The master was waiting for the Death Spirit King to appear.

At this moment, Yuan Yao felt a slight tightness in her chest, and claw wounds left by the Dragon Maiden were on her arms and back; if she had dodged even a moment later, the consequences would be unbearable to imagine.

She glanced at Xie Yan and sent a mental message: "Are you holding back your strength?"

Xie Yan replied via mental message: "As Xie Zixu, the power I can exert is limited."

Yuan Yao raised her eyes and exchanged a glance with him from a distance.

And just then—

"Zixu!"

"Junior Brother!"

"Fifth Senior Brother!"

Several voices came from not far away.

Yuan Yao looked up and saw Feng Xuanji and three others.

The Dragon Maiden's eyes narrowed slightly, and taking the opportunity, she suddenly struck toward Yuan Yao with a palm.

Boom!

A huge pit appeared where Yuan Yao had been standing.

Cang Li's pupils constricted slightly; he instinctively wanted to call out Yuan Yao's name, but soon he saw Yuan Yao safe and sound not far away.

But at this moment, Xie Zixu wrapped his arms around Yuan Yao's waist and pulled her back until she steadied.

This scene also fell into the eyes of Bian Chen and his three companions.

At this moment, the mask's strap loosened and fell off.

Her fair, radiant complexion was revealed, her eyes large and bright, her complexion slightly pale; a few strands of hair fell at her temples, fluttering lightly in the breeze before sticking to the youth's jawline.

At this moment, the surroundings seemed to fall into a brief silence.

Bian Chen froze, staring at Yuan Yao in disbelief.

Seeing Xie Zixu so intimately embracing Yuan Yao's waist, Feng Xuanji felt a sudden pang of sourness.

She strove to suppress that feeling.

Bai Zhuxing and Yan Yunlan were also stunned, thinking, "How can this girl be so gorgeous?!"

However, she somewhat resembled Lu Xiang.

The Dragon Maiden flashed over, clawing at both Xie Zixu and Yuan Yao.

Xie Zixu released his hold.

The two of them jointly faced the Dragon Maiden's attack.