Su Luo hadn't expected to run into Shangguan Hanyu in the Forest of Flowing Light.
It had been nearly three months since she left Cloud Cang Kingdom, and she had almost forgotten her past. The Su family, the royal family of Cloud Cang Kingdom – they were just insignificant trash, not worth a second thought.
But Shangguan Hanyu, the First Prince of Cloud Cang Kingdom, clearly still harbored hatred for her. Judging by his gloomy expression, Su Luo knew he wanted to kill her.
"What a surprise, Shangguan Hanyu. I didn't think we'd meet again," Su Luo said, a smile curling her lips. "Did you travel all the way from Cloud Cang Kingdom to the Forest of Flowing Light for a hunt? It must have been a difficult journey, but you can't just steal my prey when you're hungry. My Da Hei hasn't eaten yet."
She deliberately petted the dragon dog's head, as if it were her spirit beast. Her words instantly enraged Shangguan Hanyu, making him want to kill her.
"How dare you! You dare to mock me, the Crown Prince, for fighting with you over food? Hmph, Su Luo, you were lucky to escape last time. Let's see how you hide this time. Since I've found you, you might as well surrender and accept your death..."
Suddenly, the dragon dog let out a low whimper, and a terrifying pressure spread out. Shangguan Hanyu and the others all took a step back in fright. How could this black dog be so terrifying?
"A dog dares to act so arrogant in front of this Crown Prince?" Shangguan Hanyu, unwilling to lose face in public, drew his sword with a swish and intended to kill the black dog to establish his authority.
But before he could make a move, the dragon dog's eyes narrowed, and several powerful gusts of wind shot towards Shangguan Hanyu like lightning. He quickly dodged, but several cuts appeared on his chest, and blood began to flow.
"Stop!" a clear shout rang out. Shangguan Hanyu and the others, as if seeing a savior, quickly retreated into the distance.
Heavy footsteps approached. A giant white elephant carried a graceful woman veiled in light gauze, followed by a long procession. The woman looked very young, with a chain of colorful gemstones adorning her head. Her flowing black hair and ethereal presence made her seem like a goddess, but her icy gaze was cold and condescending, as if she viewed all things in the world as mere ants.
"What happened?" the woman asked coldly.
"Senior Sister, it's not good. I've encountered an old enemy," Shangguan Hanyu said, his arrogance gone, his demeanor exceptionally humble and fawning towards the woman. "This woman is Su Luo, the one I mentioned before. Not only did she kill my fourth brother, but she also killed her own sister. She is vicious and cruel. Just now, she even used her dog to attack us, killing five of our men."
Shui Qingyue cast a cold glance, her eyes moving. Although she appeared aloof and proud, she was still captivating. "So, you are the enemy of my junior brother Shangguan." Her voice was pleasant, ethereal, and noble, as if descending from the heavens, yet it carried a hint of indifference. "I am aware of your grievances. You should end your own life, lest I have to intervene, and you will die a more agonizing death."
"My goodness, this woman is also some kind of Saintess? How arrogant!" Su Luo couldn't help but chuckle. "Shangguan Hanyu, you are the First Prince of Cloud Cang Kingdom, yet you've stooped so low as to rely on a woman to stand up for you. Aren't you ashamed?"
Shui Qingyue's eyes turned cold, and a beam of spiritual energy shot towards Su Luo without hesitation. Su Luo was prepared and quickly dodged behind the dragon dog.
The dragon dog growled at Shui Qingyue, its roaring sound waves rolling like the roar of a level nine magical beast, obliterating the beam of spiritual energy. The white giant elephant also became terrified and retreated several steps. Shui Qingyue was startled and quickly stabilized her mount. She hadn't expected such a terrifying roar from an inconspicuous black dog, a sound that even her seventh-level spirit beast, the Jade Mammoth, couldn't resist. What kind of magical beast was this black dog?
Just then, the middle-aged man standing beside the giant elephant moved. He was as fast as lightning, drawing his sword and leaping up as if to cleave a mountain. The long sword in his hand erupted with intense spiritual light, slashing fiercely at the dragon dog.
The dragon dog became excited. For thousands of years, it had resided in the Pure Void Heaven, treated with respect by all. Not only could it not find anyone to fight, but even the spirit beasts in the back mountains dared not breathe loudly in its presence. Its blood boiled with pent-up energy, and it had been immensely stifled. Now, a plaything had suddenly appeared. Although it could crush it with a single paw, playing around was still an option. The dragon dog restrained eighty percent of its divine power, behaving much like an ordinary spirit beast, and lunged towards the middle-aged man.
The man and the dog began to fight fiercely. Boom! Boom! Boom! The dog barked incessantly, swords clashed constantly, leaves and branches flew in the dense forest, and gusts of wind shot out. Everyone watched as the middle-aged man and the black dog fought to a standstill. They had initially thought he would defeat it within three moves, but it had been nearly fifteen minutes, and the fight was still ongoing.
The middle-aged man continuously counterattacked, dodging and weaving through the ancient trees, lamenting his fate. What breed of dog was this? He was already a cultivator of the seventh-rank Venerable realm, yet he couldn't even harm a single hair on the dog, and he was being chased so miserably. If he was even slightly slow, he feared his backside would be bitten to shreds.
"Da Hei, keep it up! Bite his butt off!" Su Luo watched with great amusement.
"Seventh Elder, don't hold back, kill this evil dog quickly!" Shangguan Hanyu urged anxiously.
The middle-aged man grumbled, "Do you think I don't want to..."
The moment he was distracted, several gusts of wind struck his firm, shapely backside. A piercing, bone-chilling pain struck him. The middle-aged man let out a scream and fell directly from mid-air, crashing heavily onto the ground. His backside was torn open, his trousers were ripped, and the wound bled profusely, staining the ground red.
"Seventh Elder!"
"Seventh Elder, are you alright?" someone rushed forward.
"Presumptuous! An evil dog dares to injure someone." Shui Qingyue was finally enraged. She raised her hand, and a golden light flashed from her wrist, like a blazing sun, transforming into three interwoven golden beams that spun and shot towards the dragon dog.
The dragon dog froze, looking at the golden bracelet on the masked woman's wrist, as if recalling something.
"Da Hei!" Seeing the golden light like shuttles about to strike the dragon dog, Su Luo rushed forward, embraced it, and rolled on the ground.
Boom! A deep pit was blasted into the ground behind them. Dust and stones rained down, turbulent waves rippling outwards. The surrounding trees were leveled, and everyone covered their faces and eyes, turning to dodge, their hearts pounding in their chests.
Su Luo felt nothing. The dust and debris were blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to affect her or the dragon dog. However, the others were busy dodging and did not notice her situation.
"One of the three great sacred artifacts of the Taichu Holy Land, the Glazed Light Bracelet, is actually in her hands..." the dragon dog's voice, filled with memories, echoed in Su Luo's mind. "I'm sorry, little girl. I was momentarily distracted and almost got you injured. I just remembered an old friend from over a thousand years ago. Alas, things have changed."
Su Luo was somewhat surprised. So, they were from the Taichu Holy Land. Since that woman was the Saintess of the Taichu Holy Land, there was no doubt that Shangguan Hanyu had also joined the Taichu Holy Land. This was one of the six top forces, on par with the Pure Void Heaven and the Hall of Eternal Life. She hadn't expected him to have such incredible luck.
After a while, the surroundings finally calmed down. Shui Qingyue had expected Su Luo and the black dog to be seriously injured, if not dead, but she saw them standing unharmed nearby. Only the deep pit, thirty feet wide, and the devastated surroundings indicated the power of the previous attack.
"They're fine even after that?!" Someone in the team finally exclaimed in shock. Someone seemed to recall something and cried out, "No, could this black dog be..."