When they were just around ten years old, they had already entered the Five Meridians Realm—a level that ordinary people would never even dare to imagine in their entire lives. Now, they had reached the Nine Meridians Realm, a stage that even geniuses wouldn’t dare to dream of. It was believed that, in the near future, they would break through the Nine Meridians Realm and begin cultivating the Indestructible Golden Body.

However, that would have to wait for the future. Their current situation was far from optimistic...

"Who would have thought we’d die like this, maybe even end up in the belly of a monster, with no one to collect our bodies," Ashley Carter said.

"Monsters? If only there were monsters. There should only be wild beasts around here, which is even more pathetic! If I’d known, I would have found someone to witness this, at least then we might have had a chance to survive," Grace Bennett said with a smile.

Normally, a duel would have a witness—not to prevent accidents like this, which are rare, but just in case.

They didn’t bring anyone because they didn’t want to leak any information. If word got out, their admirers and pursuers would swarm the place, something they had experienced many times before.

So, this time, they made sure no one knew—not even a single witness. They even chose an inconspicuous minor power: the Seven Stars Nation!

And within that, they picked a completely unremarkable spot—a nameless little peak in the Seven Stars Mountain Range, with no sign of human life for dozens of miles around.

This was truly a place where the heavens would not answer and the earth would not respond...

"Are you afraid of dying?" Ashley Carter gazed at the blue sky and spoke calmly.

"I'm not afraid, but I am afraid of dying so meaninglessly," Grace Bennett replied.

"Meaningful or not, death is still death, so why care?" Ashley Carter said with a smile. She could feel her life force slowly fading away. There was nothing she could do—martial artists were still human, and too much blood loss meant death.

Grace Bennett felt the same. They both sensed that their lives might end here. What did their former glory matter? In the end, no one could escape death.

Normally, these injuries wouldn’t be a big deal for them. Though serious, as long as they had some true energy, they could stop the bleeding and slowly recover. The problem was, they had exhausted all their true energy. It would take some time for it to recover, and in that time, their blood would have long since run dry.

If someone could help them stop the bleeding now, they could survive. But in this desolate place, no one would appear—or so they thought. At least, they believed no one would show up in the short time they had left, and that short time was enough to claim their lives.

Chapter 2: Picking Up Two Wives in the Mountains (Part 2)

"Um... are you dead?"

Just as they thought it was impossible for anyone to be around, a voice suddenly appeared. At that moment, they didn’t care about the awkward phrasing—only surprise and joy filled their hearts. They hadn’t expected anyone to show up now. Whoever it was, they were a savior.

If they had the strength, they would have looked up to see the source of the voice. But they didn’t, so they could only judge by the sound that it was a young man, probably not very old.

"Didn’t you hear us talking? How could we be dead?" Grace Bennett said.

"Oh, so you’re not dead. Well, you two keep lying there, I’ll head home," the boy said, and then his footsteps began to fade into the distance.

"......"

"Wait, we’re not dead, but we’re dying. Help us, and we’ll reward you handsomely," Ashley Carter said.

"My mom says saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda, so I should save you," the boy’s footsteps approached, and he came to Ashley Carter's side to take a look.

Now Ashley Carter could see the boy—a youth carrying a medicine basket, looking like a herb gatherer. The basket seemed to be filled with quite a few herbs—a good harvest.

Her first impression of the boy was his simple, honest aura. He looked at most fifteen or sixteen years old, but his build was sturdy and tall, comparable to an average adult. Perhaps it was from climbing the mountains and gathering herbs all year round.

His skin was a bit tanned, but it looked healthy. As for his features, the boy was actually quite handsome. If his skin were a bit fairer, he could be called a strikingly handsome young man.

Because of his tanned skin, some of his features were hidden, but it also added something—he didn’t have the delicate look of a pretty boy, but rather the masculine charm of a handsome youth.

Of course, this level of handsomeness wasn’t enough to move Ashley Carter. Among her pursuers, there were many who surpassed this. Besides, the boy was still a bit too young for her.

"Your injuries are very serious," the boy said. To him, these wounds were grave.

"Don’t worry, little brother. Just give me a bit of inner energy, and that’ll be enough," Ashley Carter said with a smile. Just a little inner energy to help her recover her true energy, and she could heal herself.

She thought that in this world where everyone practiced martial arts, inner energy was a common thing. Even someone who hadn’t opened a single meridian would have a little, and that would be enough.

But what she didn’t expect was—

"Inner energy? I don’t have any," the boy said, shaking his head.