"Strange, why are there people here? Am I seeing a mirage?"

Su Xuan shook his head, looked again, and then remarked.

"Take a look!"

Luo Tianyi took the binoculars and gazed into the distance, her heart suddenly filled with surprise.

"They’re from Tianjue Palace; these people are here to kill me!"

Seeing these people, Luo Tianyi’s face changed. He didn’t expect them to chase him all the way here.

"Tianjue Palace, what the heck is that!"

Su Xuan was speechless; just who exactly is this Luo Tianyi?

"I don’t have time to explain it all right now. We should run first; these people are very ruthless!"

"Run, where to? If we could escape, we would have already done so. There’s no way out now, running is impossible!"

Su Xuan was also frustrated. It would have been better if these people had come a day earlier; with his strength, he wouldn’t be afraid. But now, the desert had left him so exhausted that he barely had the strength to walk, so he really wasn’t confident.

The constant sound of hoofbeats accompanied by dust drew nearer. Soon, over a dozen people in black cloaks and bamboo hats charged in. They had an aura reminiscent of those legendary martial world heroes.

On their backs were large sabers, and they held crossbows, clearly well-equipped for the task ahead.

By now, these people had stopped twenty meters away. Su Xuan was at a loss; these people were clearly cunning.

They were cunning because they wouldn’t approach, knowing he had no long-range weapons, taking full advantage of the situation.

Looking at them, Luo Tianyi smiled wryly, took two steps forward, and spoke.

"A big group of grown men, and none of you have the guts to come closer?"

As soon as Luo Tianyi finished speaking, a sleeve arrow suddenly shot through and pierced one of Luo Tianyi’s arms. Luo Tianyi rolled back and fell to the ground. As he hit the ground, he quickly got up, the corner of his mouth twitching with anger.

"Looks like this little trash is pretty badly hurt!"

They chuckled, moving in with a slow, uniform pace, until they were nearer. They noticed their opponents were severely dehydrated, thinking heaven was truly favoring them. Initially troubled about how to deal with them, they realized it would be easy since these people were extremely dehydrated. Even if these were ordinary folks, it wouldn’t take much to finish them off.

"Tsk tsk, Luo Tianyi, didn’t you have four bodyguards? Where are those four dogs now?"

One man with a facial scar coldly remarked at Luo Tianyi.

Su Xuan was startled to remember that someone like Luo Tianyi wouldn’t journey alone. So who were these four? Could they be hidden among the group? Clearly underestimated.

However, thinking back, Su Xuan could understand. If it weren’t for experts, dealing with those wolf packs that night wouldn’t have been so easy.

But now, even with experts, the situation was dire. Due to the harsh desert, his body was extremely weak. He reckoned he could take down one person, but two were impossible to handle, especially armed with crossbows and swords; his chances were slim.

"What, even your lackeys won’t come out? Fine, I’ll send you off myself!"

With that, one of the men fired a crossbow.

"Ah..." A scream echoed as a man suddenly appeared in front of Luo Tianyi, taking the hit with his body.

"Fu..."

Luo Tianyi shouted, seeing Fu struck down. In that moment, his heart filled with urgency and he shouted out.

Su Xuan then noticed four men in front of Luo Tianyi, one of them being Fu, while the others were men Su Xuan had nearly overlooked before.

These men acted as support staff, yet proved extremely loyal and discreet. If not for them, Su Xuan might not have realized something was off.

"Ah... what do you want!" Luo Tianyi yelled, watching Fu die, his heart bleeding. These four were loyal protectors, yet one was already dead.

"Haha, truly master and servant, willing to die for each other. Kneel and beg, and maybe I’ll spare you!"

These men could see how weakened their opponents were, surely unable to even walk properly. Preying upon the presence of some women in the group, they considered having some fun too.

"A warrior can die..."

Luo Tianyi was about to deliver a brave declaration when a shocking scene unfolded. Su Xuan suddenly rushed forward, took two steps and knelt with a thud, surprising everyone. No one expected it from Su Xuan, usually regarded as the most unlikely to do such a thing.

They always saw Su Xuan as the ultimate hardman—one who would die standing but never beg on his knees. So seeing him kneel was utterly unexpected.

"Gentlemen, I want to live. Please don’t kill me; I’m merely an extra. I have an old mother to care for and a child waiting to be fed. Spare me!"