Those words caused Long Chen's pupils to constrict to their absolute narrowest limits, his breathing staggered for a moment, and he swiftly turned his head with a snap of his body, wielding his sword defensively. Yet his heart violently shook at what he saw!

He Yanglei was unharmed!

To frighteningly add, he was directly beside Lian Yu with a faint smile on his face. There was no more than a few inches of space between them! Her body was tense as if squeezed by some unknown power, and her clothing tightly clung against her, revealing every exquisite curve of her body to the world. But this normally mouthwatering sight could not be enjoyed as her eyes were widened, reddened and popping.

"LET HER GO!" Long Chen's anger exploded, he crazily roared as he infused his sword with astral force, vertically slicing at He Yanglei's head. If it connected, the bloody scene of He Yanglei's split body might occur, a much wanted sight. But alas, He Yanglei merely revealed a sneer as he moved his arm a little, causing Lian Yu to blur in the trajectory of the incoming sword.

"No!" Long Chen's scalp became numb as he imagined splitting Lian Yu in half with his own blade, hectically urging his Astral Soul to retract his unleashed power, causing an unexpected feedback and backlash that sent him flying backwards. He crashed heavily into the metal railing of the boat, bending its frame, and his bones producing bone-numbing cracking noises on impact.

Spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, Long Chen hurriedly checked to see Lian Yu's status, fear engulfing his turbulent heart. Only when he saw her unharmed, his astral force having been fully retracted in time, did he relax with a soft breath of relief. Still, she was under He Yanglei's complete control.

The current situation was far from good, his mind circulating a thousand miles a minute in hopes of finding an out, a solution, a ray of hope to escape this predicament.

"Amusing," He Yanglei chuckled with a sinister glance at Lian Yu's exceptional curves, marveling at those bouncing mounds of flesh that seemed almost criminal. With her beautiful countenance and those breathtaking sapphire-like eyes, he found himself invigorated and refreshed with every look. "What an extraordinary woman," he commented with a gentle caress of her cheek.

Lian Yu was merely at the Sky Ruler Phase, even weaker than Shui Linghe, so she was only able to twist her chin away from his hand. Her efforts were futile as he still swept her cheek with his fingertips, sending chills down her spine. She felt his lust and desire through his touch.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Long Chen gnashed his teeth, his eyes murderous and infused with endless desire to slaughter. The trail of blood leaking from the edges of his mouth gave him a ghastly appearance, seemingly bedeviled and crazed. But his words accomplished as much as Lian Yu's resistance.

He Yanglei laughed, "You're really something, you know? Do you even know how you're still alive? Why?" As he said this, he waved his hand, and the stupefied crew members who were gawking at Long Chen's assault exploded all at once. Their deaths were abrupt, sending bloody mist wildly through the air. They might not even know they had died till they reached Hell.

The entire boat was a scene directly out of the most terrifying horror story, with blood flowing through every crevice, lingering in the air, overwhelming the senses. The only ones alive on this once lively boat were Shui Linghe, Lian Yu, Long Chen, and He Yanglei.

Long Chen tightly clenched his grip around his sword until his knuckles creaked. Long Chen wasn't foolish; he was completely outmatched by his opponent. If he was alone, he would run without hesitation. He was not above a strategic retreat in the face of insurmountable odds. Unfortunately, he had cards left to play and felt confident of a favorable outcome before, leading to this result.

But reality did not match his beliefs. His talisman was nullified by the overseer of this world without a single word, and his strongest attack was dodged!

Normally, cultivators at the Spatial Resonance Phase could leave a Spatial Mark on a target, allowing an attack to follow the mark, and Spatial Prison to lock down targets. But this wasn't very effective on cultivators of the same ripples of Spatial Resonance, and even less effective on cultivators of a higher level.

He Yanglei had reached the Nine-Ripple Spatial Resonance and possessed a cultivation base at the Gravity Emission Phase, so Long Chen couldn't use his normally oppressive tactics. He could only hope to launch a sudden strike of accumulated power and use its aura to bear heavily on He Yanglei to restrict his movements. But the Gravity Emission Phase should not be underestimated. After all, the unique gravitational forces could distort such restrictive auras.

He Yanglei had easily dodged such a devastating attack that could've killed Realmlords because of his cultivation base! And now, he held Lian Yu hostage! Uncertain of what to do now, Long Chen could only wing it. He had to find a way to save Lian Yu and kill this insidious bastard at the earliest and proper time.

Just like before, he was willing to wait as a prisoner until he found the appropriate timing to escape with little losses.

"You're thinking about how to kill me? How to save your little girl? How cute. Unfortunately, those who wish to kill me have been too numerous to count, far stronger than you, and yet here I am—alive and well!" He Yanglei shook his head with a deriding sneer, using his outstretched index finger and pressing it against Lian Yu's temple.

"Stop!" Fearing Lian Yu's death at the hands of He Yanglei, Long Chen pleaded with a desperate cry!

Lian Yu felt He Yanglei's cold finger touch her temple and her body seized up in fear, her pupils erratically bounced about as she tried to speak. Unfortunately, her throat was restrained and all she could utter were indistinguishable grunts. What she wanted to say was anyone's guess.

Her desperate struggles prompted Long Chen to bitterly ask, "What do you want?!"

"That's better," He Yanglei's smile became gentle. With a wave of his hand, he released a set of arm and leg shackles. They seemed to be ancient, rusted and corroded. There was not a single trace of runic markings or special characters on these shackles, seemingly as normal as mortal shackles.

"Use them to bind yourself," He Yanglei demanded.

Long Chen didn't understand He Yanglei's wants. He didn't seem particularly fearful of him, yet he didn't move to defeat him and bind his cultivation base like Shui Linghe? Was he cautious of other trump cards, playing it safe? Or was there another reason…

Looking at those rusted shackles, Long Chen had a terrible feeling swell within his heart. "How do I know you'll let her go if I do this?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

'Don't! Run! RUN!' Lian Yu screamed in her mind, hoping Long Chen could understand her mumbles. She wanted Long Chen to leave her behind! 'Just leave! PLEASE!' She was captured, her life was likely over, but Long Chen could certainly have a chance to escape if he left. Clearly, He Yanglei was quite cautious of Long Chen.

He Yanglei grinned, "You don't."

Long Chen's expression grew dark.

"Oh? Did you think I would swear an oath? Give you assurances? You're not worthy," with a soft chuckle, he pressed his finger into Lian Yu's temple, drawing blood! The glaring crimson blood trickled at the side of her head, causing her movements to cease as her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head.

"No! Stop! I'll do it!" He had never begged someone so many times before. But the sight of Lian Yu's death wasn't something he could bear. He took a deep breath, grabbing the shackles and placing them on his limbs. Suddenly, they closed and locked, shrinking to fit his wrists and ankles perfectly.

"What is this?" Long Chen couldn't help but ask. The stress he felt dwindled. Since He Yanglei revealed that he had no intention to kill him, he had to find a chance through this event. How many times had he been met with seemingly inescapable situations, seemingly impossible odds? Too many to count. And with cunning and guts, and a little bit of luck, he'd overcome every one to stand here today!

When he was trapped with Wu Baozhai in that tomb, did they not escape together against all odds? His journey to cultivate the Imperial Heaven Qi Method had started on that day!

When he faced Wu Jiao, a Sky Ruler Phase expert at the Qi Condensation Realm, he had survived that as well!

When he was lost in that underground cavern for days, unable to escape with no food or water, he dug with all his might until he discovered an unassuming black ring stuck in the dirt! His entire life changed that day, allowing him to rise from a lowly regarded trash to a supreme genius!

The world was filled with all sorts of possibilities. Even Hong Ru was revived, given a second life after death!

What's important is to never give up in the face of any adversity!

Never!

NEVER!

He'll find a way to save himself and Lian Yu, kill He Yanglei, and benefit from this calamity! He had faith, in himself, in Lian Yu, and in his own abilities. He stared into Lian Yu's eyes, displaying his calm and confident gaze, giving her a reassuring smile.

'Don't worry, we'll be fine! Trust me!' His thoughts connected with Lian Yu, who knew that reassuring look as if it was the back of her hand. A seed filled with conviction was born in her heart, and her thoughts calmed down.

'That's right. You'll never abandon me, and I'll always trust you with all my heart. We'll survive together. I know we will.' She settled down after seeing Long Chen's smile, revealing a beautiful smile of her own filled with her truest feelings. Even in their most desperate situation, as long as they had each other, what couldn't they overcome?

He Yanglei inspected the shackles, awed by Long Chen's actions of actually placing them on. If he was in that situation, he'd never sacrifice himself for anyone.

"Wow. I know I called you an idiot before, but fuck, you're really one stupid little kid." As he said those words, he twisted Lian Yu around to face him, witnessing her calm gaze as she floated under her power. The light of fearlessness lit within her gorgeously sapphire-like eyes, as if she was entirely unworried about her current predicament.

'Just you wait. You'll get yours.' Her thoughts and expressions were clear and serene. Even if He Yanglei sought to use her body, she believed that Long Chen would never allow such a thing. She trusted him to save her.

Always.

"You're both something else," unable to hold back from saying this, his expression the picture of being in disbelief, he moved his bloody hand away from her temple. Then, He Yanglei's hand slowly became a claw.

PSH!

He thrusted that arm into Lian Yu's chest, piercing completely through to the other side, her still beating heart within his bloody grasp.

Ba-dum! Ba-dum! Ba-dum!