Chapter 68

### Side Quest: Guardian

**Quest Description:** Yangguang is a young man with a mysterious identity. His existence or non-existence will have an extremely exaggerated impact on the related areas. You must protect Yangguang's safety until he comes of age.

**Quest Duration:** Twenty days

**Quest Completion Reward:** Unknown

**Quest Failure Punishment:** Deprivation of Awakened Power

At this moment, such a task! Xu Dong's heart screamed. Why is this happening? What does Yangguang's life or death have to do with me? This task is no different from making me his bodyguard and nanny. And with his cold and unfeeling character... Xu Dong couldn't help but shiver. Accepting the task would be like asking for trouble!

Moreover, the punishment for failing the task was the deprivation of Awakened power, the harshest punishment short of depriving one of the right to live. By now, he had a very clear understanding of this plane. Without the power to protect oneself, one would be oppressed, and life and death would not be in one's own control!

However, Xu Dong gritted his teeth and chose to accept.

The greater the effort, the greater the reward. If the task's punishment was so terrifying, then the reward would surely be extremely rich!

The moment he accepted the task, a blood-red bar appeared, showing a value of 50/100. This meant that Yangguang's vitality was only at 50%.

Huh?! 50%?!

In that instant, Xu Dong was utterly stunned. After being hit by Yang Shaoxing's vengeful punch, his vitality had only dropped by 50%? This Yangguang was far more mysterious than he had imagined. There must be some secret hidden within him!

Since he had chosen to accept the task, Xu Dong's character would not hesitate.

Yang Shaoxing punched Yangguang, sending him flying, his anger burning. He didn't know what cultivation method he was using, but his speed was extremely fast and fierce. His heavy steps pounded the cobblestone street like a galloping horse, producing a series of tremors. Another simple punch, a powerful strike, was unleashed, but its momentum was wild and seemed unstoppable!

At this moment, Xu Dong dashed forward like a lurking leopard, his expression cold and his eyes focused.

On the first step, the ancient armor was activated; on the second step, the Quick Step skill was triggered; by the third step, his entire body's momentum reached its peak. The triangular bayonet glowed, like a twisting band of light, tracing a circular arc and stabbing directly at Yang Shaoxing!

Yang Shaoxing felt a heart-stopping danger coming from the side, his hair standing on end, and his heart filled with fear. "How dare you!"

Faced with a lethal attack, Yang Shaoxing remained calm. His fist trembled, and he controlled it with ease, reversing and leading it in a strange and unpredictable manner. At the same time, the flesh armor was activated, and small lumps of flesh quickly rose on his arm, like the skin of a toad in mud, looking particularly disgusting. Before the fist even reached, the wind from the punch already cut across Xu Dong's face like a sharp blade, causing a stinging pain. In the wind, a faintly foul smell could be detected.

The Quick Step skill was pushed to its limit, increasing his burst speed to 175%, far exceeding the opponent's expectations. Just as the blade and fist were about to meet, Xu Dong's body twisted, and he dodged the punch. The triangular bayonet disappeared into his storage space, and he replaced it with a powerful punch, activating a strong skill at the right moment!

After the strong skill was activated, the power of Xu Dong's punch was almost on par with a two-star strength-type Awakened. The punch hit Yang Shaoxing's chest and abdomen, and the immense force sent him reeling back three steps. He had come with a mouthful of anger, but now, Xu Dong's punch had deflated him, making his movements slow for a moment.

Xu Dong, having landed a successful hit, did not linger. He turned around, picked up the unconscious Yangguang, and slung him over his shoulder, rushing away in a whirlwind, darting into a narrow alley.

"Run!" Xu Dong shouted at the stunned Prayer, grabbing her hand and fleeing.

Missing the best opportunity, Yang Shaoxing's eyes turned bloodshot with anger. This was a public humiliation! He roared, "Yang Buqu, chase them! Everyone, go! We must catch them and flay them alive, tear them to pieces, and feed them to the dogs!"

Yang Buqu, a short and stocky man with a plain appearance but a robust and fierce build, loudly responded and led seventeen servants and slaves to chase after Xu Dong into the narrow alley.

Yang Shaoxing suppressed his anger, "Who is this guy who suddenly appeared to snatch the person?"

The remaining two-star Awakened, Yang Bufan, was a distant relative of the Yang family and a close friend of Yang Shaoxing, a loyal supporter of his faction. Unlike Yang Buqu, who had risen from a slave to gain the Yang surname, Yang Bufan had received excellent education since childhood, and his courage and intelligence were far superior. He smiled faintly and said, "This person is likely one of the candidates taking the adventurer's examination. From a quick glance, he is agile and strong, seemingly a two-star Awakened. However, upon closer consideration, he might have used some special method to forcibly enhance his strength, and he is actually only a one-star Awakened."

Yang Bufan continued, "There are many one-star Awakened among the candidates, but only three have passed the entrance exam: Yangguang, Ah Dong, and Prayer. If I'm not mistaken, the person just now was Ah Dong. There's something you might not know, Young Master. This Ah Dong once defeated Blade, Mad Bull, and Cold Dagger, and the divine strength fruit that Third Young Master brought home was also from him."

Is that so? Yang Shaoxing looked at Ah Dong differently, but in his current rage, he truly hated him to the bone. He smiled coldly, "Not killing him will not quench my anger."

Yang Bufan pondered, "Yang Buqu is quite capable. Ah Dong's speed enhancement through a secret method cannot last long, and carrying someone will slow him down. Once Yang Buqu catches up, it will be easy to capture him... Speaking of which, Yang Buqu's Fierce Tiger Style should be at a bottleneck. After the formal examination in three days, the life-and-death experience in the wild might help him break through."

In his words, he showed great confidence in Yang Buqu's strength and was more concerned about his breakthrough than the capture.

Yang Shaoxing glanced at the corpse on the ground and turned to leave.

Yang Bufan also looked at Shi Shi's body, sighing imperceptibly, "In this world, the strong prey on the weak. Without strength, wealth, beauty, and emotions are all illusions. Shi Shi, why did you do this?"

***

On the other side, in the narrow alleys of the old city, Xu Dong and Prayer were fleeing frantically. A fierce aura followed them, relentlessly pursuing them.

While running, Prayer angrily accused Xu Dong, "What are you doing? Such a person, if he dies, so be it. It's not worth it, but you actually saved him and provoked a two-star Awakened and a group of well-equipped slaves! Do you know how disadvantageous this will be for us?"

Xu Dong focused on the path ahead, offering no explanation. He understood Prayer's thoughts. First, Yangguang was cold and unfeeling. How could such a person ever repay the favor? In other words, saving him would be a waste of effort and emotion. Second, helping Yangguang and provoking a two-star Awakened and the powerful Yang family of Blood Helmet City would be extremely detrimental to their future examination.

In the crudest terms, it was all harm and no benefit.

Xu Dong understood all this, yet he still did it. He didn't know why, but when the side quest "Guardian" appeared, he had a feeling. This feeling was so strong that he knew completing the task would bring him an immense reward, one that could even change everything he currently had.

When they quickly reached a street intersection, Xu Dong suddenly shouted, "Split up! You lead the slaves away, and I'll attract the two-star Awakened's attention. We'll meet at the east end of East Street."

At the end, Xu Dong's expression was particularly serious, "Prayer, you must show up, or I might be killed!"

Prayer looked deeply at this man, said nothing, and bit her lip, suddenly turning left.

The aura behind them grew more intense, and Xu Dong felt as if a powerful beast was charging at him, his hair standing on end, and his mind filled with pressure! He turned into the right alley and ran fiercely toward East Street, his expression cold and determined.

Yang Buqu reached the intersection, sensing for a moment, and then a cruel smile appeared on his lips, "They split up? Which way did you go? To the right!"

Confirming that Xu Dong's aura had chosen the right path, Yang Buqu continued his pursuit.

Carrying Yangguang, who weighed over a hundred pounds, Xu Dong couldn't run fast. Yang Buqu, with his boundless energy and intimidating momentum, pursued relentlessly, his target clear. As the distance between them closed, Xu Dong, panting heavily, had to put Yangguang down at a merchant's door, taking a deep breath.

Behind him, a short and stocky man finally appeared. He emerged at the east end of East Street, the silver moonlight gently enveloping him, making him look like a fierce tiger cornering its prey. He approached Xu Dong step by step, his eyes sharp and predatory.

The closer he got, the more Xu Dong felt a surging aura. This aura was vastly different from that of Seo Hu, being wild, fierce, and domineering!

When the man, who was less than 1.6 meters tall, stepped out of the shadow of the eaves into the moonlight, Xu Dong finally saw him clearly.

He was dressed in tight-fitting clothes, with strong limbs, deep and powerful breathing, as if every cell, every muscle, and every bone contained explosive power.

Xu Dong subconsciously used the Insight skill, and a strange blue light spread in his pupils, turning them an eerie blue. Under the blue eyes, all of the man's secrets were revealed. In the next second, Xu Dong had the most direct feeling, and as a result, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his entire body cold!