With half a game of chess, I vanquish all demons!

From her original location to Zhao Yao's, a distance of over a thousand meters, Yan Rouyun covered half of it in a single step.

Ang~

Another dragon roar.

Enveloped in dragon-shaped energy, Yan Rouyun took another step forward, instantly covering the other half of the distance in one stride.

She charged straight at Zhao Yao!

Zhao Yao watched helplessly as she rapidly approached, desperately trying to dodge to the side, but ultimately lost to this movement technique that far surpassed his own speed and agility.

In the blink of an eye, Yan Rouyun was standing in front of him.

"Ah~"

She let out a sharp cry, clenched her fist, and struck Zhao Yao's chest with all her might from bottom to top.

"The dragon ascends to heaven!"

bang~

An unparalleled force slammed solidly into Zhao Yao's chest, who was unable to dodge in time. It sent him flying, his feet leaving the ground and his body emitting a shimmering white light as he flew far away.

bang~

His body crashed to the ground like a broken doll, bouncing twice.

"Phew~"

Yan Rouyun stood frozen in place, her face deathly pale. She closed her eyes, stopped her movements, and began to adjust her exhausted body.

She was very confident in the power of her attack and felt that she had accomplished her goal.

That villain is doomed.

Not far away, Zhao Yao clutched his chest and swayed as he stood up from the ground.

He has a very bad feeling right now.

Because just now, he died once.

The force of the female constable's punch was entirely absorbed by a small primordial energy figure within him, causing the primordial energy figure to shatter completely.

A small portion of his primordial energy, propelled by the female constable's strength, burst forth from his body and, with a hum, vanished as a shimmering white halo.

Most of his primordial energy, like a toy that had been given too much force, began to run wildly through his body, making him very uncomfortable.

Now when he walks, his muscles won't obey him, making him look like a polio patient.

However, he was still very relieved.

Fortunately, it wasn't another Yuanqi miniature that shattered; otherwise, the medicinal power of "Spring Dream Without a Trace," originally carried by that Yuanqi miniature, would have inevitably dissipated back into the body.

What would happen if such medicinal effects appeared on the battlefield? Zhao Yao dared not imagine.

"How is that possible?"

Yan Rouyun opened her eyes, stopped meditating, and stared blankly as Zhao Yao swayed to his feet from the ground, unable to accept that this scene was real.

She was a martial artist, so she already had the advantage against an ordinary person. She also used all three moves of the Upper Realm. Although two of the moves were for traveling, the third move was a real attack!

How can this person still be able to perform normal... relatively normal activities?

Could this guy have the blood of a nine-lived cat demon?

Yan Rouyun glared at Zhao Yao with resentment, and despite her weakened state, she instinctively took a step forward, wanting to kill him one more time.

Seeing that she was panting heavily as she continued to chase after him, Zhao Yao followed her pace, swaying and dragging his legs as he began to retreat.

"Don't run! Where do you think you're going? Just accept your fate and die..."

Only a fool wouldn't run. Zhao Yao ignored her and continued to sway and slowly escape, trying to sort out the scattered primordial energy that was difficult to control due to its combination with external forces.

As their bodies recovered during the chase, their speed increased.

It looks like another chase is about to begin...

Yan Rouyun gritted her teeth, steeled her resolve, took out a pill from her waist pouch, and swallowed it on the spot.

This is a "Return to Origin Pill," which has the powerful effects of replenishing vital energy, nourishing the body, and quickly restoring physical strength. It is something that only wealthy martial artists possess.

After a few breaths, Yan Rouyun regained her strength.

She stared at Zhao Yao in the distance, stopped in place, and with a determined look, began practicing the Dragon Form Fist again.

Oh shit!

When Zhao Yao saw her coming again, he shivered.

"Shattered jade, all dead!"

He quickly summoned his jade armor to protect himself.

After Yan Rouyun finished her set of punches, she used her remaining strength to unleash a strike at the 'True Martial Realm' level.

Just before she was about to launch her attack...

"Moo~"

A water buffalo, carrying a baby, suddenly appeared from the woods to the side and walked between the two.

To avoid hurting the doll, Yan Rouyun quickly stopped her forward charge.

I don't know who did this, but they tied the baby tightly to the back of the water buffalo with a rope.

The doll did not seem to feel uncomfortable.

He sat on the ox's back, looking at the two people on either side, and grinned foolishly.

"~Hehe~"

For a time, the two people separated by the buffalo and the doll enjoyed a brief period of peace.

Zhao Yao removed the mask from his face, his eyes glancing at the woman opposite him and then at the doll in the middle.

He looked back and forth several times, and his steps, which were about to retreat, suddenly changed direction, and he began to move parallel to the water buffalo.

Upon seeing his actions, Yan Rouyun's eyes were immediately filled with disdain and a renewed sense of confirmation.

Using a child as a shield, ha! You deserve to die!

"Seeking survival is not shameful. Besides, you wouldn't really abandon the child to his death."

Zhao Yao understood her gaze and returned a calm expression.

"Then I'll tell you, you're wrong!"

Seeing the meaning in Zhao Yao's expression, Yan Rouyun's eyes turned cold. She once again assumed the stance of "Swimming Dragon Steps" and, disregarding the obstruction and safety of the water buffalo and the child in the middle, charged towards Zhao Yao like a cannonball!

Damn!

Upon witnessing this unexpected scene, Zhao Yao's pupils constricted. Ignoring the effects of the remaining scattered Qi within him, he instantly unleashed all his strength, gripped his dagger, and charged forward.

At the critical moment, Yan Rouyun, who was crashing into the water buffalo with unstoppable force, stopped precisely in front of the buffalo.

Zhao Yao arrived a second earlier, used his dagger to cut the rope bindings, and rescued the doll.

"~Hehe~"

Holding the silly, laughing doll, Zhao Yao looked at Yan Rouyun with disdain.

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

How dare you look down on me?

Yan Rouyun offered no explanation for her earlier, somewhat incompletely cold-blooded actions. She looked at the doll Zhao Yao was holding and calmly said:

"Your child can't be your shield! Holding him will only make you a burden."

Hearing the female constable's words, Zhao Yao suddenly frowned, feeling that something was off.

She cares a lot about the child's safety!

Why would someone who doesn't want to hurt a child try to kill me?

Something's not right.

He held the child tightly, thinking of the female constable's timely act of kindness, and with a glimmer of hope, reached out and pressed forward, speaking as gently as possible:

"Young lady, I see that you have an extraordinary appearance and do not act indiscriminately to harm the innocent."

Did Su Shangtao promise you any benefits, or does he have any leverage over you?

Otherwise, I truly don't understand why you would come to kill an innocent person like me.

"Innocent? Ha~"

Yan Rouyun seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world.

She scoffed, shook her head, and looked at Zhao Yao with disdain, silently gesturing to the child in front of him.

Saying you're innocent? Using your child as a human shield is living proof!

"...willing to prove I deserved to die, acting with judgment...wasn't she sent by Su Shangtao to kill me?"

Even so, how can I survive?

It seems she thought I was a bad person from the very beginning; in her eyes, everything I did was the behavior and logic of a bad person.

She didn't believe that my first attempt to hide behind the doll was because I judged she wouldn't attack. Nor did she believe that my rush forward was to save the child from her.

She always thought I was using the child as a shield.

Zhao Yao keenly realized this situation, and immediately frowned, feeling extremely troubled.

You can't beat them, you can't figure out the reasons, you can't escape them...

We can't really use children as human shields, can we?