Despite hovering over them a few dozen yards away, John had been unable to detect the girl. Only when she revealed her presence did he detect her, shocking him greatly. John's instincts were incredibly refined, and someone sneaking up on him in such a manner was a shocking display of talent.
John tried to inspect her cultivation level, but was surprised to find he was unable to do so. Despite his best efforts, her cultivation level was hidden away behind a shroud, one he was unable to pierce with his divine sense.
However, the fact that she could fly signified that she was at least in the Core Formation Realm.
After failing to identify her cultivation level, John looked upwards to her face. His eyes met her eyes, and his heart stopped for a second. Her large, gentle eyes were the clearest color of blue he had ever seen, and seemed to pierce directly into the very core of his soul.
Her long hair, a deep lavender, fell down to her waist behind her, and billowed gently in the breeze. Her frame was petite but showing signs of growing, revealing her age to be around fourteen years old. She wore a luxurious lavender veil, covering the lower half of her face, as well as a beautiful white dress.
Despite the veil, John was stunned silent by her beauty. He knew that she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen, even without seeing the lower half of her face. His anger at her letting Hunter escape had subsided, and was replaced with stunned silence.
"Friends," the girl suddenly spoke up, her voice like soft silk. "You two were from the same sect, why were you trying to ki-"
Che!
A powerful scythe image suddenly pierced directly towards the girl, interrupting her words halfway through. Surprise filled the girl's eyes as the attack reached her, and she quickly waved her hand at the scythe image.
The scythe image froze in the air directly in front of her, as if it was suspended in time.
Che!
Another scythe image, more powerful than the first, pierced directly towards her. It contained the power of the Divine Reaping Scythe, and was John's most powerful scythe attack. The surprised expression on the girl's face quickly turned to frustration as she once again waved her hand at the approaching attack.
However, the frustration on her face once again turned into surprise as she realized she was unable to stop this scythe attack from John, and was only able to slow it down. While it was not more powerful than she could handle, the profundity of the technique pierced right through her ability to stop it.
Che!
The girl dodged the attack at the last moment, and the scythe image landed on a building behind her.
Boom!
The ancient building, long having lost its strength, was pierced directly through by the attack. Parts of the building began to crumble, and before long, it all came toppling down to the ground.
John and the mysterious girl stared at each other in silence as the deafening echoes of the rubble falling to the ground filled the area.
"Do not use a bewitching soul art on me, witch," John suddenly exclaimed as the sound of the collapsing building began to fade.
He had initially thought the girl's beauty was real, but came to his senses quickly. He had never seen anyone this beautiful in his life, and had never experienced beauty that could overwhelm his senses the way she did. In his mind, such a thing could only be due to a bewitching soul art.
"Soul Art?" the girl asked in slight confusion, not knowing what John was talking about
However, understanding soon came to her, and a small and soft giggle escaped her lips for a moment.
Even her laughter was mesmerizing, and Adam was still stunned silent by her beauty and voice. He stood there like a babbling idiot, unaware of how stupid he looked at the moment.
John frowned once more at the girl's laughter, as it seemed to want to put him into a state of tranquility and ease, and quickly sent out another powerful scythe image towards the girl.
Che!
The scythe image pierced directly towards the girl once more. The girl had become accustomed to John's antics, and gracefully dodged the attack. John once again raised his scythe, and prepared to power his body to its full battle state.
"Friend, wait," the girl spoke out once more.
John raised his soul defenses to its maximum, seeking to resist her soul arts. However, he was surprised to find that regardless of his soul defense, he was unable to see through the girl's soul art. This left him with two conclusions.
'Either her soul art is so powerful that I am unable to see through it, or...she's not using a soul art at all.'
If the first case was true, then John knew the girl would be able to overwhelm him despite his best efforts. If the second case was true, then she was not trying to bewitch him. Either way, John realized that attacking her was no longer the best action.
John slowly lowered his scythe, and stared at the girl in silence. The girl breathed a sigh of relief, before once again speaking out to John.
"Are you done attacking me?" The girl asked in a calm but amused voice, as if John's actions were quite entertaining.
John remained silent for a moment before responding.
"Why did you stop my attack earlier. What was your intention in helping Hunter escape?"
"I have no relations with this Hunter you speak of, but I did notice that you three all belong to the same sect. I happened upon this place after hearing the loud battle sounds, and arrived just as you were about to kill him. Is your enmity so great that you cannot spare his life?" The girl asked with a gentle voice.
John was ready to hear some good reason for her previous actions, but after hearing her explanation, anger once more filled his body.
"That's it? That's why you interfered?" John asked in an ever louder voice.
Anger filled his eyes as he looked directly at the girl.
"That boy you saved tried to kill me twice now, and even tried to kill my friend. We had done nothing to provoke him, but he still hunted us down. And you want me to spare him?" John's voice trembled in rage.
The girl stood there in silence for a moment, as if she was thinking about how to word her next response.
"I apologize for my actions," the girl suddenly replied with a slightly guilty tone. "When I arrived, your...unique aura... made me think that you were the aggressor in the fight. I had done what I thought was right at the time."
John's growing anger began to fade upon hearing the girl's apology. With the sinister nature of his Immortal Asura Body Qi, John could understand how she had figured him to be the evil one between him and Hunter.
"Apologies won't solve anything though. Now I have to deal with this headache when I return to my sect, thanks to you," John replied in a still cold tone.
Even if the girl was mistaken in her actions, John still had to deal with Hunter when he returned to the sect, as well as Hunter's Heaven Tribulation master.
A guilty expression appeared on the girl's face, and an item suddenly appeared in her hands. John's eyes warily locked onto the item, but he quickly recognized it as a medicinal pill. A potent vibrancy emanated from the pill, revealing it to be an incredible pill.
"This is a Core Foundation Pill. Not only will it allow you to break through to the Core Formation Realm, it will also help your dantian establish a very firm foundation when breaking through. Please accept it as a token of my apology."
The pill slowly floated from the girl's hands over to John, and hovered in front of him. John inspected the pill closely, making sure it was not a trap. His actions amused the girl once more, as she had never seen anyone act this way around her.
After confirming that the pill was safe, John reached out and grabbed it. Despite only holding it in his hands, John could feel an incredible vibrancy emanate from the pill. It was far more profound and valuable than any pill he had seen before, excluding the Heaven Ascension Pill given to Elder Ragur.
John put away the pill, and looked back to the girl still hovering in the sky. The two stared at each other in silence for some time before John turned to look at the nearby Adam. Adam was still standing there with an open mouth and dazed expression, making him look quite stupid.
John shook his head in disapproval, disappointed that Adam would allow himself to be overwhelmed by the girl's beauty in such a manner. While she was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl John had ever seen, he still expected Adam to control himself a bit more.
Slap!
A hand suddenly slapped Adam's face, startling him out of his dazed stupor.
"What was that for?" Adam suddenly exclaimed.
"We're leaving, let's go," John stated to Adam as he began to walk away.
While the girl did allow Hunter to live, she had admitted her fault in the situation and even gifted John with an incredibly valuable pill. As far as he was concerned, the slate had been wiped clean. Also, despite him being unable to see through her cultivation, John was sure that the girls power was beyond his ability to fight against.
He had no idea who this girl was, but she didn't fit the description of the Three Emperors, the Soul Sage, or anyone from the Supreme Battle Sect. John was curious as to her origins, but knew she would reveal nothing even if he asked.
"Oh," Adam replied, before following John.
"Wait," the girl's voice sounded out from behind.
John turned and stared at the girl. "What?"
"What is your name?" the girl asked in a friendly tone.
John paused for a moment before responding.
"John."
He stared at the girl for one last moment before turning back around and continuing to walk off. John and Adam quickly left the area, venturing deeper into the ancient city. The girl stood there in silence watching the two of them leave, before she suddenly vanished from sight.
