"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and stop them!" the woman in white ordered, her eyes narrowing the moment she saw that someone was protecting Hannah and helping her break out of the encirclement. She then led her men in black in a relentless pursuit of Rocky and Hannah.
Rocky carried Hannah to a safe spot in the forest. Then, he stopped and sensed the spiritual aura behind him. He squinted, and a low hum escaped his lips when he discovered that the woman in white was chasing them.
"We should stop now," Rocky murmured. As they were far from where they had been ambushed, Rocky gently helped Hannah stand on her feet.
"But they're right behind us! Why aren't we running?" The anxiety in Hannah's voice didn't go undetected. Rocky flashed her a reassuring grin.
"There is no point in running. We won't lose them. But I have a way to defeat them all. If you agree to cooperate with me, that is," Rocky replied.
"Cooperate? What do you mean? What do you want me to do?" Astonishment reflected in Hannah's eyes as she eyed Rocky. Considering all the trouble they had gotten into, she couldn't help regret having trusted him.
Rocky leaned forward and whispered a few words to Hannah. Instantly, her eyebrows shot up, and her mouth fell open. "No..." She refused.
"Please trust me!" Rocky urged as he looked over his shoulder to see if that woman caught up to them. As she was nowhere near, Rocky sighed with relief and gave his spiritual sword to Hannah.
Before Hannah could complete her objections, the woman in white and several of her men, who were dressed in black, surrounded her and Rocky.
"Brat, did you believe that you could escape?" The woman glared at Rocky, hatred evident in her expression.
"You misunderstood. I wasn't trying to flee. That was just a ploy to deceive the others." Rocky dismissed the charges with a casual wave of his hand.
"What do you mean?" The woman eyed him suspiciously.
"Actually, I'm a member of the Grand Sky Sect. My task was to spy on the Sword Spirit Sect." Rocky stepped forward, glanced around, and whispered loud enough for the woman and Hannah to hear him.
"Oh? Really?" Doubt surged within the woman, and she couldn't help but voice her skepticism.
"What? You are spying for Grand Sky Sect? You are so despicable!" Hannah spat out as she glared at Rocky.
"Miss Hannah, it would be in your best interest to surrender and ask the Sword Spirit Sect to exchange the ethereal crystals for you. If you deny them, you might find yourself in agony and begging for mercy," Rocky snickered.
"I never thought that the Grand Sky Sect would fall low enough to collude with the Robber Regiment," Hannah said disgustedly. Now that she had no choice but to follow Rocky's lead, she feigned aversion for his actions. Besides, that was the perfect chance to reveal information accidentally.
"Whether he is a spy for Grand Sky Sect or not has nothing to do with me. I just want you to hand over the ethereal crystals." Fear briefly flashed across the woman's face when she heard Hannah. She knew that it would not bode well for them if the Sword Spirit Sect knew of the relationship between the Robber Regiment and the Grand Sky Sect.
"No way!" The expression change on the woman's face confirmed Hannah's suspicions. Knowing that it was her leverage, Hannah immediately refused.
"Then don't hold me responsible for your fate." Viciousness glimmered on the woman's face as she warned Hannah.
"Don't be so polite to her. But I must caution you. I've heard that she is a master at the Spirit Realm. You should be careful!" Rocky stated as he stepped aside.
"Nonsense! Everyone knows that the daughter of Sword Spirit Sect's leader was born with a disability that prevents her from becoming a spirit warrior," the woman snorted derisively.
"That's not true. In fact, Miss Hannah has a peerless talent for swordsmanship, but the sect leader spread the rumor to deceive others!" Rocky explained.
"You two." The woman pointed at the two men beside her. "Check how powerful she is..." She obviously didn't believe Rocky and ordered the two men in black to test Hannah.
Rocky subtly winked at Hannah. That was her cue. She closed her eyes, as though to focus her mind, and put her fingers together. The spiritual sword in her hand instantly flew toward the two men in black.
Surprised, the two men tried to dodge the incoming attack. However, the spiritual sword was faster. Two rays of cold light flashed, and the two men fell to the ground, lifeless.
Hannah was stunned and shot Rocky a sideways glance.
"Really? Then perhaps a fight will determine who is better. I'll be your referee." Rocky stepped aside again.
The woman tore her gaze from Rocky and glared at Hannah. Her cold eyes were expressionless as she studied her opponent.
Although Hannah was not a spirit warrior, she appeared calm. The mistrust she felt toward Rocky, and her earlier regret had vanished.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and brought her fingertips together, just like before. The spiritual sword obediently floated in front of her.
"I've heard that the Sword Spirit Sect's swordsmanship is extraordinary. Once it is summoned, it can chase its target for a hundred miles and kill them in one move. I'd like to see you perform it," the woman said. In the span of a breath, a snake-shaped whip bathed in cyan light appeared in her hand. Judging from its spiritual aura, the whip was an extraordinary Spiritual Weapon.
"Is this the Cyan Specter Whip?" Hannah blurted out as her face changed a little. Although she was not a spirit warrior, she was familiar with all kinds of Spiritual Weapons, and the Cyan Specter Whip was a very advanced Spiritual Weapon among all Spirit Realm weapons.
"You are right. Did you believe that your ordinary spiritual sword would defeat me?" the woman mocked.
With no hesitance or self-doubt, the woman cracked the Cyan Specter Whip and approached Hannah. The whip flew through the air like a spiritual snake slithering out of its hole.
Hannah gestured as well, and the spiritual sword in front of her began to resist the whip's attack.
Unfortunately, the ordinary spiritual sword was no match for the Cyan Specter Whip, just as the woman had predicted. Before long, the spiritual sword broke.
"Let's see how you defend yourself without the sword!" the woman sneered as she continued to close the distance between herself and Hannah.
Hannah's breath hitched as she anticipated the moment to be her last. However, a figure quickly flashed in front of her, a dagger gleaming in his hand. It was Rocky, and the dagger in his hand was the Frozen Wind Dagger that Marcia had given him.
The Frozen Wind Dagger was a rare Spiritual Weapon in the Wild Spirit Land. Although it was not rare in the Supreme Ether Land, it matched the Cyan Specter Whip's level.
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