Chapter 4623

Kai followed the youngest sister and her brother to the large tree, but to his surprise, there was no one there.

“Did that bear trick us?” the youngest sister’s brother exclaimed angrily, frustrated by the lack of results.

“I don’t think so,” Kai replied, shaking his head. “He gave me the jade pendant. Lying to me wouldn’t benefit him at all.”

Just then, a faint cry for help echoed in the air.

“Help…”

The voice was so weak that only Kai’s heightened senses could pick it up.

“Someone’s calling for help,” Kai said, his gaze shifting toward the source of the sound as he extended his consciousness to investigate.

“Where? I don’t hear anything,” the brother said, puzzled.

“I can’t hear it either,” the sister added, shaking her head.

Without hesitation, Kai darted off in the direction of the cry. Seeing this, the siblings hurriedly followed him.

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away, two burly men stood menacingly around a trembling girl. Their faces were twisted with malicious, lecherous smiles.

The girl, clutching a dagger, glared at them with terrified eyes. “Don’t come any closer! My brother will be back soon,” she warned, her voice trembling.

One of the men sneered. “Xiong Ying, stop bluffing. Your brother’s been arrested and thrown in jail. He’s not coming back, and without him, no one can stop us from having our fun.”

The other man chuckled darkly. “Yeah, we saw him hauled off with our own eyes. If he wasn’t locked up, we wouldn’t have this opportunity, would we?”

The girl, Xiong Ying, was Xiong Kuo’s sister. Her grip on the dagger tightened as tears streamed down her face.

“That’s not true! My brother isn’t in jail. You’re lying!” she cried, her voice quivering with both fear and desperation.

“If he’s not in jail, then why hasn’t he come back all this time?” one of the men jeered, licking his lips as his patience began to wear thin.
“You two are my brother’s best friends, yet instead of helping him while he’s in jail, you’re here to bully me. Do you even have a conscience?” Xiong Ying shouted angrily, her voice trembling with both fury and despair.

These two men weren’t just random strangers—they were Xiong Kuo’s closest companions, often seen eating and drinking with him. Like Xiong Kuo, they were also black bear transformations.

But now, with Xiong Kuo imprisoned, they had revealed their true nature, turning their attention to Xiong Ying, whose beauty they had secretly coveted for a long time.

“We’re not bullying you; we’re helping you,” one of them said with a smirk. “Your strength is too weak. We’re willing to spend our spiritual energy cultivating with you, just to improve your abilities.”

“Bah! I’d rather die than let you succeed,” Xiong Ying spat, her eyes burning with defiance. She raised the dagger in her hand, prepared to slash her own neck.

Before she could move, one of the men struck her hand with a swift palm, sending the dagger flying out of her grasp.

Though Xiong Ying was at the seventh level of the Tribulation Realm, she was no match for these two men, who were both at the ninth level.

With the weapon out of her reach, the men lunged forward, each grabbing one of her arms as though they meant to tear her apart.

“I’m going first,” one said greedily.

“No, I’ll go first,” the other retorted, eager to claim her for himself.

“Stop!”

A cold, commanding voice rang out. In the next moment, Kai stepped between them, his expression icy.

The two men paused, stunned by his sudden appearance.

“Kid, don’t interfere with our business,” one of them growled. “Get lost while you still can!”

As their attention shifted to Kai, Xiong Ying seized the moment. With a burst of desperate energy, she broke free from their grip and stumbled behind Kai.

The men were momentarily shocked by her sudden movement and staggered backward a few steps before steadying themselves.

Tears streamed down Xiong Ying’s face as she clung to Kai. “Daoyou, please save me! They’re trying to force me into dual cultivation. I don’t want this—I don’t want this!”

Kai turned to look at Xiong Ying, and for a brief moment, he froze.

The girl before him was breathtakingly beautiful, like a celestial maiden stepping out of an ancient painting. Her allure wasn’t just in the perfection of her features but in an ethereal grace that made her unforgettable at first glance.