Chapter 1244 — Chapter 1244 A Growing Sense of Purposelessness

"Harbinger of Agony, huh? Even if you were once the most renowned thief in history, what can you achieve in your present condition?" Yuan taunted with a sneer.

"Hahaha! Just because my cultivation is currently sealed doesn't mean I have lost all of my experience and techniques! Even if I was only a Spirit Lord, I would still have no trouble dealing with a useless weakling like you!" Zhaohui laughed heartily in response.

"Since you sound so confident, let's stop the chattering and get this over with already," Yuan said as he summoned his Empyrean Overlord.

However, a calm voice suddenly resounded in his head, 'Brother Yuan, can you let me handle this?'

'Xiao Hua?'

'I didn't tell you this before, but it is an Exile's responsibility to protect their Master, especially when in the presence of another Exile.'

'Even if you say that… I can handle him by myself. What's more, I don't want you to get hurt if we can avoid it.'

Nevertheless, Xiao Hua's resolve held steadfast as she spoke from the depths of her heart, "It is undeniable that Brother Yuan has grown in strength to a point where my protection is no longer necessary, and I take great pride in your growth. However, Brother Yuan, you need not shoulder the weight of everything alone— even if you could. There exist endeavors I must undertake, for without them, I risk losing the very essence of my purpose..."

Ever since Yuan had grown strong enough to protect himself, Xiao Hua had grappled with a growing sense of purposelessness, even more so when he gained companions capable of assuming all the roles she had once fulfilled, and she hated this emptiness that was quickly consuming her.

'Xiao Hua…' Yuan fell into silence after hearing her dejected words. He had dedicated himself to rigorous training to alleviate the burden on Xiao Hua— so that she would no longer need to endanger herself for him, but in his pursuit of strength, he had overlooked Xiao Hua herself.

"Hey! Why the hell are you just standing there in a daze?! Where did your arrogance and spirit from just a moment vanish to?!" Zhaohui suddenly roared, his voice laced with frustration when Yuan randomly stopped paying attention to him.

In response, Yuan stored the Empyrean Overlord away and looked at Zhaohui with a profound expression.

Such actions greatly befuddled Zhaohui.

"Looks like you have suddenly come to the realization that you cannot defeat me. Unfortunately, I won't spare you even if you no longer have a desire to fight!"

Just as Zhaohui retrieved his weapon, a saber, Yuan spoke, "Sorry, but there's been a change of plans. As much as I want to kick your ass myself, my little guardian angel will be doing the beating."

The next moment, a small figure emerged from Yuan's body and stood before him and Zhaohui.

"Huh? A child?" Zhaohui raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. Yet, as his eyes locked onto Xiao Hua's face, a peculiar sense of familiarity washed over him, as if he had encountered her before.

'Fuck! I swear I have seen that face somewhere before, but where?!'

Despite his efforts to unearth the memory of her identity, Zhaohui's mind remained frustratingly blank, unable to recollect who she might be.

However, he could tell that she was an Exile just like him from the aura she was exuding.

"I thought your Exile had died, but it turned out to be much worse! Imagine choosing a child like that to guide you! Ahaha! I can't!" Zhaohui laughed again.

"And if you think I won't kill a child, you should know that I have done worse," he continued with a cold expression a moment later.

Xiao Hua didn't respond to him and retrieved two large swords, wielding one in each of her small hands.

"Hmph. I don't know how you guys managed to crawl your way to the Third Heaven, but this is where your legacy ends." Zhaohui released his cultivation base, and without any warning, disappeared from his spot.

After using his movement technique, Zhaohui appeared behind Xiao Hua in the blink of an eye, almost as though he teleported, and he swung his saber at her neck without any hesitation.

Clang!

Xiao Hua quickly twisted her body around and swung back, blocking the attack.

Zhaohui would disappear again when his feet touched the ground, appearing behind Xiao Hua again.

Whoosh!

Xiao Hua dodged the attack with her own movement technique before chasing after him with her swords in motion.

"So slow." Zhaohui sneered in disdain as he dodged her attack with ease.

Meanwhile, Xi Meili asked Yuan, "Are you sure this is a good idea? Xiao Hua seems to be a little behind."

"This is what she wanted, and I have faith in her," Yuan declared with a serene countenance.

"I don't think I've ever seen her being this serious before…" Feng Yuxiang remarked with a hint of surprise.

"En." Lan Yingying agreed.

Over the next several minutes, Xiao Hua and Zhaohui exchanged hundreds of relentless blows with each other with neither of them getting a direct hit. However, it was clear to the spectators that Xiao Hua was slowly being pushed back by Zhaohui, who was much faster and more agile.

"I will applaud you for lasting this long, but it's obvious that you won't be able to defend for much longer!" Just as he said this, Zhaohui managed to barely land a hit on Xiao Hua.

However, when he anticipated seeing her blood, he was left astounded to find that Xiao Hua remained completely unharmed, only that there was a small cut on her clothes.

'What?! How is that possible?!' Zhaohui was certain that his blade had reached her flesh, yet he'd only managed to cut her clothes.

As Zhaohui stood stupefied by the perplexing outcome, Xiao Hua examined the tear in her attire with a faint furrow of her brow. Oddly, she didn't seem to be concerned, even though she had seemingly lost the exchange.