Chapter 779: Where were you? I

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    Jian clenched his fists, feeling irritated. Time was of the essence. The thought of what Kyle was enduring inside that place, with none other than Azazeal, weighed heavily on his mind.

    However, even though James and the elders had weakened after losing a large amount of their life force, Jian knew he couldn''t defeat so many supreme-ranked individuals, even with Lara by his side.

    He wasn''t sure if he should feel glad or distressed about not being among those whose life force was drained. The reason was that he had arrived at the battle last, having stayed behind on the islands.

    Now he regretted it; he should have followed Kyle and the others when they left to check the seals! To make him feel even guiltier, when he did go there, he put himself in a situation where Kyle had to help him! He was certain that Kyle''s condition had worsened because he had invoked a powerful natural law to save him!

    So, he suppressed his emotions and gestured briskly for James to speak his mind quickly. Yet, the more he and Lara listened to what James had to say, the darker their expressions became. Jian clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, his mind racing as he tried to comprehend everything he had just heard. But unlike James and the elders, it took him less than half a minute to make a decision that shocked everyone.

    "Are you seriously saying that you all wouldn''t save Kyle''s soul because breaking the shield would jeopardize the universe? But so what? The dangers that could arise two decades from now could just as easily happen today! If the universe is destined to survive, it will do so now. If it isn''t, then even with those extra two decades, no one can prevent its downfall!"

    James and the seven elders exchanged glances, their thoughts unmistakable. They knew Kyle and his friends all came from the same planet, but they never imagined their friendship was this deep.

    The faces of the other supreme and transcendent ranks turned ugly. Was this red-haired man insane? To save a single person, who might very well have already ceased to exist, he wanted to kill them all?! They all immediately expressed their anger and indignation by unleashing their aura.

    One of them scoffed.

    "You must not have a family! That''s why you''re thinking this way!"

    Another followed.

    Outside the barrier, Lara''s eyes widened. Even she hadn''t been able to pass through that barrier. Only then did she realize that she could no longer sense Nine''s rank. It was true that she had lost a significant part of her strength when she lost her life force, but to think she couldn''t sense even a hint of his strength... that was astonishing!

    James''s eyes flickered with disbelief as well. Had he truly grown so weak? He was certain he had put at least eighty percent of his power into creating that barrier around Jian to prevent him from fighting against him and the elders, yet Nine had passed through it as if it were a breeze!!

    Jian stared into the golden eyes fixed on him, the thin threads moving within them emanating an aura that conveyed wisdom he couldn''t comprehend. He couldn''t help but wonder what Nine had been doing over the past months to transform into this.

    Nine patted his back, his words resonating directly in Lara''s and Jian''s minds.

    ''He is fine. I am sure of that. So, there''s no need to waste time here. He wouldn''t like it.''

    Jian blinked twice, and the meaning behind Nine''s words finally settled in his mind. He was saying that Kyle was fine.

    "That bastard... he better be fine..."

    He stopped releasing his aura and rubbed his temples. For some reason, he believed what Nine had told him without hesitation, even though just a while ago he had been ready to fight James and the elders to break the shield and find Kyle''s soul.

    Now that the weight had lifted from his shoulders, the exhaustion of everything he had endured finally came crashing down on him like a wave. His eyelids stung, and the injuries on his body throbbed... Well, Kyle had kicked him pretty hard after all. Plus, Kyle had even sent him and Lara to a place they couldn''t easily escape from, filled with powerful swamp monsters!

    "I guess I could use a good sleep. But I''m sure the scene of Kyle''s body shattering is going to haunt me until I see him again... Let''s leave before I end up torturing some people who got on

    my nerves."

    Jian swept his gaze across the supreme and transcendent ranks in the area, a clear warning that he would ensure they learned a lesson if they ever crossed paths with him again. And they all shivered as they felt the coldness in his crimson eyes.