She is indeed exceptionally beautiful. Only a woman like her possesses the ability and is worthy of standing beside Situ Jingyan.
Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang raised his cold eyes and stared directly at Shen Qianmo. His expression remained unchanged, but his words carried a hint of arrogance: "If you have the ability to defeat me, then so be it."
"Mo'er." Situ Jingyan grabbed Shen Qianmo's hand. How could he not understand Shen Qianmo's thoughts? Shen Qianmo was afraid that if anything happened to him, everything they had done would be in vain. But how could he let his Mo'er take such a risk?!
“Jingyan, my martial arts are no worse than yours.” Shen Qianmo grasped Situ Jingyan’s hand in return, and the warm and firm strength flowed from Shen Qianmo’s hand to Situ Jingyan’s hand.
Situ Jingyan frowned. Shen Qianmo's martial arts were only on par with his own, not inferior to his. However, the Southern Border Holy Son's martial arts were unfathomable, and his movements were unpredictable, unlike those of people from the Central Plains. What if he caught Shen Qianmo off guard and injured her?!
He couldn't allow Shen Qianmo to take such a risk!
"I'll do it. Don't argue." Situ Jingyan pushed Shen Qianmo behind him, his tone filled with an irresistible domineering yet doting tone.
Shen Qianmo was pushed behind Situ Jingyan, and then she saw Situ Jingyan's red figure rushing towards the Southern Border Holy Son. He was extremely fast, but the Southern Border Holy Son was not slow either. He threw several hidden weapons at Situ Jingyan, but Situ Jingyan dodged and threw the fan in his hand at the Southern Border Holy Son.
In the blink of an eye, the two had already begun exchanging blows. Even if Shen Qianmo wanted to intervene, it was too late. Looking at Situ Jingyan's dazzling red figure, Shen Qianmo smiled helplessly. This Situ Jingyan, her Jingyan, was still protecting her like this, not allowing her to take even the slightest risk.
However, he didn't want her to take risks, and she certainly didn't want him to take risks either! With her dark eyes fixed on the figures of Situ Jingyan and the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang, Shen Qianmo made up her mind that if anything happened, she would definitely do everything in her power to help.
She didn't care about morality, she didn't care that Situ Jingyan had promised a one-on-one duel, she would never stand by and watch Situ Jingyan suffer any mishap in front of her, even if it meant being despised by everyone if she took action, she was willing to do it!
Seeing Shen Qianmo's expression, Xuanlou understood what she was thinking and gently comforted her, "Don't worry. He'll be alright."
Shen Qianmo's gaze never left Situ Jingyan for a moment. She simply said calmly, yet with a hint of domineering, "Does he dare to cause trouble?!"
Xuan Lou shook his head helplessly after hearing Shen Qianmo's words. They say that when two people are together for a long time, they become alike—is this really how it is?! When did Shen Qianmo become as domineering as Situ Jingyan?! But perhaps only Situ Jingyan can enjoy such domineering behavior.
Concealing the hint of helplessness in his eyes, Xuan Lou maintained his gentle smile as he watched Situ Jingyan and the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.
The Southern Frontier Holy Son's movements were extremely unpredictable, unlike those of a light-footed martial artist, yet they were surprisingly fast. Fortunately, Situ Jingyan had some knowledge of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan's techniques and released his inner strength, not giving the Southern Frontier Holy Son a chance to conceal his presence. Otherwise, it would have been even more difficult to deal with him.
"Hmph!" Situ Jingyan was somewhat bewildered by the Southern Border Saint Son's unpredictable movements. He let out a cold snort, and something resembling a blood mist gradually gathered around him.
"Phantom Bloodlust?!"
Upon seeing Situ Jingyan use such a technique, knowledgeable people from the Central Plains immediately exclaimed in surprise. Astonishment flashed in everyone's eyes, including the soldiers of Tianmo.
They knew very well what the Bloodstained Phantom represented. It represented the Bloodstained Lord. But they never knew that their king was actually the Bloodstained Lord.
This is shocking news, but not necessarily bad news. The power of the martial world is a crucial bargaining chip in the struggle for supremacy. Their leader, the Master of the Enchanting Blood Pavilion, is ultimately beneficial to them.
Shen Qianmo looked at Situ Jingyan, her palms slowly sweating. Others might not understand, but she did. The Southern Border Holy Son's martial arts were no less than Situ Jingyan's, which was why Situ Jingyan was forced to use the highest level of the Enchanting Blood Illusion technique.
Originally, Situ Jingyan had been hiding his identity as the Master of the Enchanting Blood Pavilion simply to avoid revealing his strength. Now that he had decided to conquer the world, there was no need to hide it anymore.
Her only concern was: what were the chances of this bewitching phantom defeating the Holy Son of Southern Border?
The crimson mist surrounding Situ Jingyan grew thicker and thicker, almost completely enveloping him. Situ Jingyan's dazzling red robes had now blended into the blood mist, making it impossible to distinguish where the blood mist ended and where his robes began.
A cyan vortex slowly formed around the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang. The red and cyan intertwined, resembling a magnificent rainbow. However, Shen Qianmo understood that this was a contest of internal strength, unlike a contest of techniques. Although such contests appeared dangerous, they wouldn't cause fatal damage. In a contest of internal strength, the slightest carelessness could lead to utter annihilation.
Shen Qianmo's hands, hidden in her sleeves, tightened involuntarily. Her long nails dug into her flesh, drawing blood, but Shen Qianmo ignored it all, her eyes fixed on Situ Jingyan and the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang.
The soldiers couldn't understand the duel between Situ Jingyan and the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang. They just watched with great curiosity, probably because they had never seen a person's body gather mist like that before. They found it very novel and stared at it without blinking.
With a "bang," Situ Jingyan and the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang were sent flying backward in opposite directions.
The sound wasn't loud, but to Shen Qianmo's ears, it sounded like a thunderclap.
"Ah!" Before the soldiers could even utter their exclamations, they saw their empress fly up like lightning and catch the emperor's body.
Shen Qianmo embraced Situ Jingyan, performing a magnificent spin in the air, their two blood-red figures tracing a dazzling arc. As they turned, Situ Jingyan suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Jingyan!" Shen Qianmo called out anxiously as she channeled her inner energy into Situ Jingyan. Her dark eyes were almost red with worry.
Blood still clung to the corner of Situ Jingyan's mouth, accentuating his sinister and eerie charm. He weakly reached out and grasped Shen Qianmo's hand tightly. The intense heat of his grip flowed from Situ Jingyan's hand to Shen Qianmo's. Situ Jingyan stammered, "Mo'er. I. I'm fine... Don't. Don't worry."
"Don't worry?! How can I not worry!" Upon hearing Situ Jingyan's words, Shen Qianmo grabbed Situ Jingyan's hand, her dark eyes filled with anger and reproach.
Don't worry?! How could she not worry! Just now, when Situ Jingyan and the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang were competing in internal energy, she was so scared that her body was trembling. Since her rebirth, she had never been so afraid! But just now, she was really scared, so scared that her body was shaking uncontrollably.
She clearly saw the contest of internal energy between Situ Jingyan and the Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang, and Situ Jingyan won! However, when she saw Situ Jingyan being blasted away by the internal energy, her heart still jumped out of her chest in panic.
After catching Situ Jingyan, seeing him cough up blood, she felt her heart clench! She felt a deep sense of heartache and helplessness.
Don't worry?! How could she not worry! Situ Jingyan was the person she loved most, the person she couldn't tolerate making a mistake with most. How could she not worry?!
Seeing the ever-changing expressions on Shen Qianmo's face—heartache, reproach, tenderness—Situ Jingyan couldn't help but smile, saying with a mix of reproach and indulgence, "Let Mo'er know how scared I am when I worry about you."
Upon hearing Situ Jingyan's words, Shen Qianmo looked up and gazed deeply into his eyes. She had always wanted to do something for Situ Jingyan, sometimes even taking risks. She never knew that her risks would bring such great panic to Situ Jingyan.
Put yourself in her shoes. Situ Jingyan's worry and fear for her back then... Good heavens, she actually made Situ Jingyan endure so much.
Seeing the self-reproach in Shen Qianmo's eyes, Situ Jingyan reached out and squeezed her hand, saying affectionately, "It's all in the past. You won't have to take any more risks in the future."
"Mmm." Shen Qianmo also held Situ Jingyan's hand tightly.
While Shen Qianmo and Situ Jingyan were talking, Yelü Hong caught the Southern Frontier Holy Son who was flying back.
Situ Jingyan suffered internal injuries from the shock of the Southern Border Saint's internal force. The Southern Border Saint's condition was indeed worse, with his heart meridians severed and he was on the verge of death.
"Holy Son!" Yelü Hong cried out urgently.
The Holy Son of Southern Xinjiang remained expressionless. He merely glanced in Situ Jingyan's direction and laboriously finished speaking his last sentence, "A bet is a bet!"
Situ Jingyan took a moment to recover, and although he wasn't fully recovered, he managed to stand up and nodded affirmatively to the Southern Frontier Holy Son. The Southern Frontier Holy Son certainly had guts.
When the soldiers of Tianmo saw Situ Jingyan stand up, their tense expressions vanished, replaced by ecstatic joy. Their king had won; their king was safe. Southern Frontier was about to become Tianmo's territory!