Wang Lian struggled to crawl toward her soft sword; right now, she was seriously wounded, almost out of flying sabers and cow hair needles. While everyone's attention was drawn to the Water Burial Buddha, she wanted to retrieve her Miaoshu Sword.
Though the Miaoshu Sword wasn't a Secret Treasure, its crafting materials came from rare high-level Secret Spirits. The blade itself was as thin as cicada wings, tough as tempered steel wire; light as it seemed, ordinary Secret Treasure Weapons could barely scratch it—a truly exceptional weapon.
If that was all, Wang Lian wouldn't be so desperate to get it back; most importantly, hidden inside the sword hilt was something that could save her life.
Given the current situation, Wang Lian knew her odds were grim. Whether Qin Ziyu's side won or the Water Burial Buddha slaughtered everyone, she'd end up no better off.
Only by getting her hands on the Miaoshu Sword might she have a sliver of hope. Even if her chances of survival weren't a hundred percent, it was still better than none.
She was almost close enough to grab the Miaoshu Sword when, just as she reached out, a foot suddenly appeared in her line of sight and kicked the sword hilt, sending the Miaoshu Sword flying far away.
"You again!" Wang Lian saw that the one who kicked her sword away was Chen Guan. Rage and hatred swelled inside her; she longed to tear Chen Guan limb from limb on the spot.
But she was too badly injured, completely unable to outrun Chen Guan, and could only watch helplessly as he ran toward where the Miaoshu Sword had landed.
If she still had flying sabers and cow hair needles, Chen Guan wouldn't have gotten away so easily. But she'd run out of those when fighting the Rouge Rabbit—the weapons were all spent.
The reason Chen Guan didn't pick up the sword directly, instead kicking it away, was because he feared Wang Lian would use flying sabers or cow hair needles to ambush him when he bent down.
He didn't have the kind of abilities that Rouge did, and couldn't defend against Wang Lian's hidden weapons.
As he ran, Chen Guan kept on guard for Wang Lian's hidden weapons, but to his surprise, she didn't attack him at all—possibly because she truly had none left.
It was only after he picked up the Miaoshu Sword and turned to look at Wang Lian, seeing she still hadn't pulled out a flying saber or cow hair needle, that he finally relaxed.
Wang Lian was already back on her feet. She glanced quickly at the battlefield—the Rouge Rabbit and Qin Ziyu were locked in a fierce fight with Water Burial Buddha—neither had the time or energy to spare for this end. She gave a secret sigh of relief.
She saw Gongsun Zhuo still searching for an opportunity to help Qin Ziyu and Rouge Rabbit, which made Wang Lian all the more ruthless. Forcing herself to ignore the blood churning in her chest, she dashed toward Chen Guan.
She thought to herself, "What luck you've got, winning that top-tier pet! I can't beat your pet, but does that mean I can't beat you? You ruined my plans earlier, now you're trying to snatch my Miaoshu Sword—if I don't kill you, I'll never be rid of this hatred."
Wang Lian was convinced her own abilities far outstripped Chen Guan's—the difference in level was obvious. He was no match for her; she wanted quick action, to finish Chen Guan off before Gongsun Zhuo and the others had time to catch up, and snatch back the Miaoshu Sword.
With that in mind, Wang Lian activated her secret technique. Her face flushed with a strange glow; the woman who moments ago could hardly crawl was suddenly charging at Chen Guan, seemingly brought back to life for one last blaze of glory.
At this point, Wang Lian couldn't care about anything else—even if it cost her health, she was going to kill Chen Guan and reclaim her Miaoshu Sword.
Seeing Wang Lian charging at him, Chen Guan realized she truly had no flying sabers or cow hair needles left, so he wasn't afraid anymore. He immediately summoned the Self-red Chow Chow Warring State.
The Self-red Chow Chow was now a level seven Secret Spirit, a level higher than Wang Lian, but its combat strength was even worse than ordinary level five or six Secret Spirits—not remotely a match for Wang Lian.
Wang Lian saw Chen Guan summon a Self-red Chow Chow but didn't slow her pace one bit, still charging quickly, not even putting the Self-red Chow Chow Warring State in her eyes.
Guard dogs have extremely low growth rates, and poor talent too—their fighting ability ranks at the very bottom among Secret Spirits, used only by novice Cultivators. Any newcomer with a bit of ability soon discards them.
She was at level six; even if she met a level ten Self-red Chow Chow, she could kill it with her bare hands in one blow—there was nothing to fear.
"Wang Lian, I advise you to think twice. This isn't an ordinary Self-red Chow Chow, but the number one defense dog under the heavens—pure-hearted, fiercely loyal, its combat power defies reason. It's every bit as strong as any powerful Secret Spirit, even world-defying ones. Don't throw your life away." Chen Guan quietly activated the Spirit of the Cheerleaders to give his Warring State a boost.
Though the Warring State's talent and growth rate were poor, it was the easiest Secret Spirit to tap for potential with the Spirit of the Cheerleaders. Chen Guan just said a few words and the Self-red Chow Chow's eyes and aura visibly changed.
Wang Lian had closed in on Warring State, timed her move, and lifted her long leg to kick it. But hardly had she raised her leg, when her vision blurred—the Self-red Chow Chow Warring State that was just in front of her vanished at once.
"So fast!" Wang Lian was startled—she'd never encountered a guard dog with such speed.
She turned her head hastily and saw that the Warring State had come at her from the side and was right in front again, sinking its teeth into the leg she'd been standing on and tearing off a chunk of flesh. The pain made Wang Lian grimace hard.
Gritting through bone-deep pain, Wang Lian tried grabbing the dog's head to wrench its neck, but as soon as she reached out, Warring State rolled away with lazy donkey-style antics, spat out the flesh, and sprang at her from the other side.
Wang Lian was shocked and furious, because she found that this Self-red Chow Chow was not only much faster and stronger than a normal guard dog, but also extremely clever—almost like it knew the art of war.
She wanted a swift battle, but Warring State kept circling her. Plus, her leg that Warring State had bitten was bleeding profusely, her mobility severely impaired on top of her critical injuries—she was far less agile than Warring State.
Warring State circled her several times, leaving Wang Lian feeling extremely uncomfortable.
If she chased, Warring State ran; if she retreated, it harassed her from the sides or behind. The dog's moves were well timed—stable, yet cunning.
"Is that a dog? Even a fox isn't this sly!" Gongsun Zhuo had taken notice of the scene here; he'd wanted to come help, but seeing Wang Lian nearly beaten into collapse by a guard dog left him secretly amazed. He couldn't help but study Warring State closely.
Wang Lian took a few more bites from Warring State; her long, beautiful legs were now covered with blood stains—the crimson almost soaking through her pant leg.
"That's no guard dog… what Secret Spirit is that…" Wang Lian felt her chest churning even worse. Too much blood loss was making her dizzy; agitated and enraged, she shouted toward Chen Guan.
"It's an authentic Self-red Chow Chow. You can't even beat a guard dog, and still want to twist the truth to save face on death's doorstep? Women… truly are the most unreasonable creatures." Chen Guan deliberately antagonized her, hoping she would expose more openings so Warring State's job would be easier.
Pff!
Anger and agitation made Wang Lian unable to catch her breath; blood spurted from her mouth. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed rigidly to the ground—so furious she fainted.
She'd always fancied herself supremely gifted, even feeling she was no less than Qin Ziyu—pretending weakness only because of necessity, her real strength unknown to outsiders. Her ambitions ran deep. Now, after Chen Guan's humiliating taunts and the tortures of her heavy wounds—already on the verge of collapse—she recklessly overdrew her body with a secret technique, burning out entirely. So things ended as they did.