"We are close," Katherine said as they finally slowed down. "He should be around this area."
"Shouldn't they be fighting? I don't hear any sounds of battle," Xuefeng wondered when he felt a sudden limitation on his body.
"The space around us is locked," Xuefeng warned. "Be careful."
Xuefeng immediately bounced off Katherine's back and spread his own wings, preparing himself for battle. Since they couldn't run away, they could only fight their way out.
Katherine nodded and turned back into a human. Although her Dragon form provided her with better protection, she would also a bigger target.
'This is a trap,' Ming informed. 'I can feel tens of strong entities hiding underneath us.'
'Should I start preparing my Domain?' Xuefeng wondered, not really scared of them.
They were facing Avatars who had a limited amount of Qi. As long as they use up all their Qi, they would be forced to return back to God Realm.
'It's okay, don't alert them yet. Let's see what they are up to first,' Ming suggested. 'Look ahead. We found them.'
Xuefeng scouted ahead and saw two people in the distance. One was Sect Master Liu who hovered inside a golden barrier while the other was unknown to him.
'Something feels fishy. Didn't he say that he is attacked and struggles to fight back? Why is he trapped instead?' Ling questioned when Sect Master Liu spotted them.
"Pearl! Katherine!"
Ling wasn't the only one who noticed it as Katherine paused as well, gazing at the man trapping Sect Master Liu.
"What is going on here?" Katherine questioned sternly. "Why is your Master's Servant here?"
Xuefeng immediately frowned when he heard that, pulling out his Dragon Edge. He actually expected Sect Master Liu to fight with them but it seemed like it wasn't possible.
"I'm sorry Miss but your Husband forced me into it. There wouldn't be an issue if he fulfilled the request properly," the Servant apologized before snapping his fingers.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Multiple experts who previously hid suddenly emerged, surrounding them from all directions.
"I only want the boy. You two can leave," the Servant added as he pointed at the girls.
Xuefeng remained calm while slowly releasing his Qi into his surroundings. It was the first time he saw Katherine this angry so he let her stall for some time.
"Why did you lie?!" Katherine yelled out as her body sparked with lightning. "You said you are in danger!"
"Katherine! Calm down. Does it look like I had a choice? Look around you," Sect Master Liu called back while pointing at all the experts. "I can hold my ground against them but is it worth it? They are not afraid to die. I would need to sacrifice my years of gains or even risk injury to escape them."
"So you would rather sacrifice Xuefeng's life?! What the fuck Liu?!" Katherine cursed furiously. "Get back to your senses and fight them with us! We can win together!"
"Even if I want to, I can't. This bitch has trapped me with my Master's Artefact. I tried to help Xuefeng but at some point, there comes a time where you need to be selfish. I'm sorry but I won't risk my life for someone I know for less than a week," Sect Master Liu explained as he gazed at Xuefeng. "I'm sure you would do the same in my situation."
"Haha, that's where you are wrong," Xuefeng finally spoke, laughing out loud. "I am not like you. I would never leave anyone behind. I come here to save you despite knowing I am the target in the first place. How do you expect people to trust you in the future if you selfishly give up on someone to save your ass? You will eventually end up alone which is not the life I want."
Sect Master Liu definitely didn't like that response as his eyes squinted but the Servant didn't give him a chance to banter with Xuefeng.
"I will only give you thirty seconds to leave that man's side. If you don't, you will be killed—"
"Shut up!" Katherine cut him off as she sent a bolt of thick lightning his way.
Too bad, the Servant extended his palm and blocked the lightning with a similar barrier that wrapped around Sect Master Liu.
"Now you only have twenty-five seconds. I'm being considerate of your status Miss, so please don't make it hard for us both," the Servant pleaded calmly.
"Katherine, Pearl, I know this is a hard decision but I can't save you if you stay there. Come to my side," Sect Master Liu requested, extending his hand to them. "We have no other choice. It's either your life or his."
"I can't believe this…" Katherine muttered speechlessly. "I actually feel sick thinking I spent so many years with a man like you. Would you give up on me too if that meant saving your life?"
"Katherine! Of course not! I would—" Sect Master Liu tried to defend himself but Katherine cut him off as she moved to Xuefeng's side.
"Don't produce yourself. Your actions already showed me what kind of person you are. I'm really disappointed."
Xuefeng couldn't help but smile at her decision, already expecting her to stay with him. Although the smart choice would be to leave him alone, she wasn't a person who breaks her word.
He couldn't say the same about Pearl.
"Pearl! Please, come to my side! I don't want to lose you!" Sect Master Liu called out to Pearl in hurry. His quick switch between girls only made Katherine's conviction stronger.
"Liu!" Pearl cried back, clearly displeased. "Xuefeng saved me! Am I supposed to just leave him to die?"
"You know we don't have a choice! Come! I know you don't want to die! We fell in love because we are similar," Sect Master Liu convinced. "Don't throw your life away!"
"Time is running up," the Servant reminded, causing the situation to get tense.
Pearl paused and glanced at Xuefeng.
"Pearl, we need—" Katherine spoke first but Xuefeng shushed her.
"Shh, It's okay. She can do whatever her heart tells her to do."
He gazed into her eyes and added, "We don't owe each other anything. You already paid me back with your information earlier. Don't feel bad about it and just follow your heart."
Katherine frowned about it but before she spoke, Pearl bowed, her hair covering her face.
"I'm sorry," Pearl apologized before she flew towards her first lover.
Pearl would probably agree to fight with them out of guilt but Xuefeng felt more at ease with her leaving. It was harder to look after two people than just one.
"You made a right decision," the Servant praised before ordering, "Kill those two."
The Experts pulled out their weapons at his command, ready to pounce at the target.
"Are you sure about that?"