Chapter 30: Fleeing in Desperation

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Night had fallen over the mountain peaks, and the dust had yet to settle.

"Are you alright?" Yan Chen appeared beside Ye Zihan in a flash, his voice tinged with anxiety.

Receiving no answer, nor seeing the slightest movement from Ye Zihan, an uneasy feeling welled up in Yan Chen’s heart. He quickly crouched down and reached out to check Ye Zihan’s pulse.

Sensing that though the pulse was weak, it was still faintly beating, Yan Chen finally allowed himself a sigh of relief. It seemed Ye Zihan had merely fallen unconscious from his grave wounds, but his life was not in immediate danger.

Ultimately, this entire ordeal had been caused by him. If Ye Zihan were to die as a result, Yan Chen knew guilt would haunt him for years to come.

"Old Monster Heishan, was it necessary to strike so ruthlessly against a junior whose cultivation is an entire realm below yours?" Yan Chen’s face darkened, his voice brimming with unconcealed fury.

"In battle, the weak meet such ends. Who can they blame but themselves?" Old Monster Heishan sneered, utterly indifferent.

"Absurd!" Yan Chen cursed aloud. Having been instilled with orthodox principles by his family since childhood, he could not tolerate such a harsh reality. "Even if I must fight you to the death today, you’ll pay the price for those words!"

"Do you even have the qualifications?" The old monster looked at Yan Chen with a mocking gaze.

Yan Chen said no more. He tossed his sword into the air, and his hands traced a seamless series of seals.

Old Monster Heishan folded his arms around his iron staff, unconcerned. With Yan Chen’s current cultivation and the little source energy left in his body, even if he managed to unleash a high-grade Night Rank technique, its power would be greatly diminished and pose little threat.

"Azure Dragon Devour!"

The seal was completed, and with a thunderous shout from Yan Chen, the sword suspended in midair suddenly burst forth with a blinding azure light, flooding the area for dozens of miles around—casting the night into daylight.

The azure radiance exploded, then condensed, and with the sword as its head, it took the form of a massive azure dragon!

The sword’s tip moved lightly, and the dragon unleashed a clear, ringing roar. Its tremendous head twisted, then dove down toward Old Monster Heishan, jaws wide to devour him whole!

"A Wind Rank technique?!" The old monster’s pupils contracted. What was it about this day? Every brat he encountered was extraordinary—one was a dual-path cultivator, another could wield Wind Rank techniques!

He knew well that Wind Rank techniques were extremely rare and coveted. Even after a lifetime of cultivation, having stepped into the Four Symbols Realm, the highest technique he possessed was but a top-tier Night Rank art!

"Staff Shadow Bell!" With a Wind Rank technique bearing down on him, the old monster dared not be careless. Source energy surged, and he deployed his old method: his iron staff spun, shadows coalescing into a bell-shaped barrier!

A deafening roar.

The azure dragon soared, jaws wide, biting fiercely at the shadowy bell.

A blast echoed through the sky, azure light filling every corner as the staff shadows closed in defense and the dragon pressed the assault—a Wind Rank low-grade technique, wielded by a mid-tier Trigram cultivator, clashing against a Night Rank low-grade technique, wielded by an early Four Symbols expert.

A gap in cultivation, compensated for by the artistry of martial technique!

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A sharp crack rang out as the azure dragon bit down and the shadow bell endured. After a brief stalemate, a faint sound suddenly broke the silence!

On the pitch-black surface of the bell, a slender crack appeared, spreading rapidly. More fissures followed, spiderwebbing across its surface. At last, with a final, forceful bite from the dragon, the bell shattered with a resounding snap, dispersing into nothingness.

Though the Staff Shadow Bell was broken, the azure dragon had expended much of its energy; its light dimmed, but it was clear the dragon’s fury was not yet sated. It raised its head in a piercing howl, then whipped its long tail towards Old Monster Heishan with ruthless force!

The old monster’s form flickered, but the dragon’s massive tail was both swift and broad. Even at full speed, he could not evade it entirely. The tail’s edge caught him, sending his body hurtling like a cannonball. Yet, as a Four Symbols cultivator with vast experience, he managed to right himself midair after being thrown dozens of yards, landing firmly with only minor injuries.

"You, boy in blue, I underestimated you." The old monster’s smile was chilling, angered by Yan Chen’s attack, but now his eyes gleamed with greed as well as wrath.

"Hand over the ‘Azure Dragon Devour’ technique and the Xiang Jade, or your fate will be even more miserable than that red-robed brat’s."

Though he did not know Yan Chen’s origins, to possess such strength and a Wind Rank technique at his age, the force behind him must be formidable. Old Monster Heishan knew there was risk in what he intended, but in the face of such temptation, no one remained fully rational.

"If he refuses, I’ll kill him and take it by force!" The old monster resolved, his greed intensifying. Wind Rank techniques were the dream of every Shadow Dancer—a means of survival.

Yan Chen laughed coldly at this, his fury turning to grim amusement. Before leaving home, his kin had warned him: in these times, the human heart was unfathomable. He had not, however, expected it to be so unfathomable as this!

"If you have the ability, come and take it!" Though his source energy was nearly depleted and he knew he could not long withstand the old monster, Yan Chen was proud and unyielding. He would rather destroy the technique than let it fall into such hands!

He drew his sword across his chest, lowering his stance into defense. His gaze at the old monster was utterly resolute.

"Pointless struggle," sneered the old monster. In Yan Chen’s current state, he would not survive ten exchanges.

With a step backward, the old monster lunged forward, iron staff raised to strike.

Yet, before he could reach Yan Chen, a strange surge of energy rippled through him. Upon closer inspection, he realized its source was none other than his own body!

He halted abruptly, looking down in shock.

Somehow, his body was covered in fine black lines, which spread and swelled, shrouding him like mist. In moments, most of his body was enveloped, the lines still creeping outward.

"What devilry is this?" Old Monster Heishan’s face turned grim. He summoned his source energy, attempting to dissolve the black lines.

"Ordinary source energy cannot dispel Black Moon Threads." From a distance, Ye Zihan had risen to his feet, clothes in disarray and dust-stained, his skin marred with wounds.

The old monster turned, astonished that Ye Zihan could stand after taking one of his blows. Raising a brow, he sneered, "You think this trick can defeat me?"

"How will we know if we don’t try?" Ye Zihan’s hands danced, forming seals at lightning speed. "Full Moon Strike—detonate!"

A surge of dark energy swelled, dimming the very air. A full moon manifested.

A thunderous boom.

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A tremendous explosion erupted from the old monster’s position, shockwaves rippling outward with devastating force. Stones shattered, cliffs split, trees and undergrowth were felled as if swept by a hurricane.

"If you don’t wish to die, run now." As the blast faded, Ye Zihan flashed past Yan Chen, tossing him these words.

In their earlier clash, Ye Zihan had unleashed both Shadow and Summoning powers to their fullest, yet could scarcely harm Old Monster Heishan. The terror of a Four Symbols-level foe was clear.

Ye Zihan understood well: such an adversary was beyond him, unless he revealed all five elements. But in a fight not to the death, he had no intention of exposing his full strength. In this world, one must always keep a card in reserve.

Intelligent as he was, Yan Chen instantly grasped Ye Zihan’s intent. To fight when one could was courage; to fight when one could not was folly. Without hesitation, he swallowed a pill to restore his source energy, then employed a profound movement art to flee alongside Ye Zihan.

"Trying to escape? Not so easy—you’ll at least leave something behind!" From the midst of the explosion, black source energy erupted, sweeping away all dust and smoke, revealing Old Monster Heishan, unscathed.

With his early Four Symbols cultivation, even taking the Full Moon Strike head-on left him only lightly wounded. He was still more than a match for the two youths.

With the Wind Rank technique so close, he could not let it slip through his fingers.

Thinking this, Old Monster Heishan’s figure flickered as he shot after the pair.

"Full Moon Strike—Second Movement!" As they fled, Ye Zihan’s seals shifted. The Moon’s Triple Strike was his strongest technique. If even three consecutive blows could not injure the old monster, it would be truly demoralizing.

To be cautious, Ye Zihan not only unleashed the triple strike, but also summoned three early third-tier beasts to hinder the enemy. Having spent four years in the Beast Domain, fighting monsters daily, he had sealed a host of them for just such moments.

"A combo technique?" Watching Ye Zihan unleash the second movement, Yan Chen was surprised, and suddenly understood the black threads that had wrapped around the old monster earlier. This technique was extraordinary—it could strike three times in succession!

"This fellow is no ordinary man." Though his cultivation was lower than Yan Chen’s, his speed was not. Yan Chen found Ye Zihan increasingly inscrutable. Moreover, combo techniques were martial treasures, incredibly hard to create and usually only passed down from ancient times. Where had Ye Zihan acquired his? Yan Chen’s curiosity deepened.

Thunderous explosions shook the entire mountain; rocks flew, trees splintered, dust billowed, obscuring all sight.

"Curse you!" To suffer twice at the hands of an unknown youth was too much for Old Monster Heishan. The force of the Full Moon Strike knocked him back dozens of yards. Once he steadied himself and determined their direction, he charged after the two—only to be blocked by three summoned beasts, standing shoulder to shoulder in his path.

"Out of my way!" Enraged at being delayed, the old monster swung his iron staff, intending to kill the beasts. But as if commanded, none of the summoned creatures dodged. Their bodies trembled, then erupted in three dazzling colors—self-destructing in unison!

With three beasts detonating at once, and having already suffered some injury, Old Monster Heishan was forced to retreat, unwilling to risk further harm by forcing his way through.

After the explosions faded, the old monster darted forward, but the area was shrouded in dust and smoke. The two youths had vanished without a trace.

"If I ever catch you, I’ll skin you alive!" Old Monster Heishan cursed furiously, then darted away in the direction they had fled.