The forest on the western slopes of the Black Wind Mountains grew increasingly dense. Twisted branches and tangled vines wove a huge net, trying to block any intruders. Carrying Xiao Qi on his back, Zhao Tiezhu fled desperately through this green labyrinth, each step sinking into the thick layer of humus with a dull, squelching sound. His breathing had long since become chaotic, like a worn-out bellows being pulled with all its might—horribly heavy. The poisoned dagger was still embedded deep in the flesh of his left shoulder blade, and the azure toxin, like a living thing, spread madly along his blood vessels and meridians, already eroding most of his chest. His skin had taken on a strange purplish-black hue. His right arm was also covered in wounds from previously blocking the rain of bolts and demonic shadows, and his movements had become noticeably stiff and sluggish.
His speed was inevitably slowing.
Behind him, the two tenacious auras were drawing closer and closer. The demonic cultivator who excelled at controlling poisonous insects drove a large swarm of black-winged venomous mosquitoes, their maddening buzz like a cloud of death relentlessly pursuing them. The shadow assassin, still with blood at the corner of his mouth after being kicked by Zhao Tiezhu, moved like a forest ghost, closing in using the shadows. The cold glint of his dagger occasionally flashed at the edge of their vision, carrying an icy killing intent.
Lying on Zhao Tiezhu's constantly jolting back, Xiao Qi could clearly feel the trembling of his muscles and the abnormal rise in his body temperature. The pain from the toxin and the weakness from overdrawing his blood and qi were rapidly consuming this body-cultivator's tenacious vitality. Xiao Qi's own condition was equally dire—the soul-tearing pain and the hollow ache in his meridians caused by the backlash from the Purification Source had never stopped. Yet at this moment, his heart was occupied more by worry for Zhao Tiezhu and the urgency of the pursuers behind them.
"Brother Tiezhu… put me down…" Xiao Qi's voice was weak but pleading. "You can still go…"
"Shut… up!" Zhao Tiezhu squeezed out the two words through clenched teeth. Sweat mixed with blood dripped from his resolute cheeks onto Xiao Qi's arm, scalding hot. He didn't even have the extra strength to yell; all his willpower was focused on maintaining his run and suppressing the toxin.
However, the gap in strength and condition could not be bridged by willpower alone. On a slope of jumbled rocks covered with slippery moss, Zhao Tiezhu's foot slipped. Though he tried desperately to steady himself, his speed inevitably faltered.
That falter was the opening!
*Ssssh—!*
A sharp sound, almost merging with the wind, sliced through the air! It was the shadow assassin's dagger! This time, he aimed at Zhao Tiezhu's relatively intact right hamstring. If it hit, tendons and bones would be severed, and both of them would be completely immobilized.
Zhao Tiezhu's pupils contracted sharply. He wanted to dodge, but his numb body was a beat too slow.
The dagger was about to strike—
*Hum!*
A strange, soft sound like a mechanism turning suddenly came from behind a huge ancient tree nearby.
Then, a nondescript, tawny-yellow talisman, as if controlled by an invisible hand, flew precisely to the back of Zhao Tiezhu's knee. With a soft *pa*, it instantly unfolded into a miniature diamond-shaped light shield, no more than a foot across, but extremely solid.
*Ding!*
The poisoned dagger stabbed hard into the light shield, producing a crisp clang. The shield shook violently, ripples spreading across its surface, but it stubbornly held, successfully blocking the fatal strike!
This unexpected rescue startled both Zhao Tiezhu and Xiao Qi.
At the same time, on the other side, in front of the buzzing swarm of black-winged venomous mosquitoes, several well-camouflaged patches of turf flipped open, revealing dark, fist-wide metal nozzles.
*Puff, puff, puff, puff!*
A series of soft pops sounded, and from the metal nozzles sprayed a large amount of pale yellow, pungent powder, instantly filling the air. As soon as the ferocious black-winged mosquitoes touched this powder, as if encountering their bane, they let out sharp hisses, their wings stiffened, and they fell from the sky like dumplings dropping into a pot, a huge number of them dying on the spot!
"Ahem… hurry! Over here! Over here!"
A somewhat flustered but vaguely familiar voice came urgently from behind the ancient tree.
Zhao Tiezhu and Xiao Qi looked toward the sound and saw a young cultivator, wearing the inner disciple robes of the Qingxu Temple, slightly chubby, with a few smudges of black ash on his face but exceptionally sharp eyes. He leaned half his body out from behind the tree and waved at them anxiously.
It was Second Senior Brother, Luo Feng!
"Second Senior Brother?!" Xiao Qi was both shocked and delighted, hardly able to believe his eyes. Second Senior Brother had hidden here in advance!
"Don't just stand there! Come quick!" Luo Feng hopped from foot to foot in agitation, holding a strangely shaped, compass-like magical artifact covered in gears and runes, constantly adjusting its position.
Zhao Tiezhu also recognized Luo Feng. Though full of confusion, his survival instinct made him charge without hesitation toward Second Senior Brother.
The three quickly gathered and hid behind the huge ancient tree. Here, there was a narrow crevice cleverly concealed by vines, barely wide enough for one person to pass through.
"Get in! Hurry!" Luo Feng urged, while staying outside himself. In his hands, he now held several differently colored talismans shimmering with spiritual light, along with a few strange magical artifacts that looked like lumps of iron but emitted unstable energy fluctuations.
"Second Senior Brother, you…" Xiao Qi looked at Luo Feng's expression—ready to face the enemy, yet carrying a strange mix of excitement (or perhaps determination)—and an ominous feeling rose in his heart.
"Never mind me! You go first! Follow the crevice inside—I've made marks. It leads to the other side of the mountain stream!" Luo Feng spoke rapidly, while swiftly arranging the talismans and artifacts around the entrance of the crevice with astonishing proficiency. "Damn it, you dare chase my junior brothers? Let me show you the power of my treasured trump cards!"
As he arranged them, he muttered nonstop: "This 'Geng Metal Thunderburst Talisman' cost me three hundred contribution points… This 'Earth-fire Eruption Box' nearly blew up the alchemy room… And this 'Maze Phantom Disk', heh, that'll give them a hard time…"
Just then, the two demonic cultivators closed in. The insect-controlling demonic cultivator, shocked and enraged that his mosquitoes had been neutralized, waved his hand and released three strange, emerald-green venomous snakes with fleshy horns on their heads, lightning-fast, shooting straight toward them. The shadow assassin once again melted into the shadows, trying to bypass the front and attack from the flank.
"Perfect timing!" A flash of madness glinted in Luo Feng's eyes. He slammed the compass-like artifact onto the ground!
*Hum—!*
An invisible wave instantly spread outward. With the crevice entrance as the center, the scenery within several dozen *zhang* began to warp and blur. The positions of the trees seemed to shift constantly, causing a strong sense of dizziness. The "Maze Phantom Disk" had taken effect!
The three emerald venomous snakes rushed into this area, instantly lost their direction, and spun wildly in place.
Seizing the moment, Luo Feng aimed his trump card talismans at the strongest concentration of pursuers he could sense and activated them all at once!
"Geng Metal Thunderburst! Earth-fire Eruption! Mysterious Ice Spikes! All of you—EXPLODE!!!"
He screamed at the top of his lungs, his chubby face flushed red with excitement and resolve.
*BOOM!!!*
In an instant, it was as if the sky was falling and the earth was splitting!
Dazzling golden lightning bolts crackled and spread like a spiderweb, turning large swathes of forest into charcoal. Scorching earth-fire erupted violently from underground, devouring everything. Countless sharp spikes of mysterious ice condensed out of thin air and shot down like a torrential rain!
The rampaging energies of various attributes completely lost control in this small area, colliding and exploding! Forming a brief but deadly death zone! Flames, lightning, ice shards mixed with dust and shattered wood shot into the sky. The deafening roar shook the entire mountain forest!
The two demonic cultivators who had been chasing most closely had clearly not expected such a fierce, no-expense-spared suicidal blocking action. Caught off guard, they were instantly swallowed by the rampaging energy currents, managing only half a short scream before falling silent. Pursuers farther away were also blocked by the sudden huge explosion and chaotic energy field, stopping in their tracks with shock and uncertainty.
The shockwave from the explosion even shook vines loose from the crevice entrance.
As for Luo Feng, who had caused all this—the moment he threw out all the talismans and artifacts, he was hurled violently by the core blast wave, like a ragged doll, slamming heavily against the mountain wall behind him, then sliding limply to the ground.
His disciple robe was tattered and scorched in many places. His chubby body was covered with wounds torn by the energy, bleeding profusely. Most seriously, he seemed to have suffered backlash from some talismans; blood was streaming from his mouth, nose, and ears. His aura instantly wilted to the extreme, like a candle flickering in the wind, his life flame could be extinguished at any moment.
"SECOND SENIOR BROTHER!!!"
Xiao Qi and Zhao Tiezhu, who had just ducked a short way into the crevice, turned back to see this scene. Their eyes nearly split with rage, they cried out in heart-wrenching grief.
Luo Feng raised his head with difficulty, looking toward the crevice. His bloodstained face tried to force a smile that looked worse than crying. His lips moved as if to say something, but only more bloody froth emerged. Using the last of his strength, he waved at them, signaling them to go quickly.
Then his arm fell limply, his head lolled to the side, and he completely lost consciousness—his fate unknown.
"Go… GO!" Zhao Tiezhu's eyes glistened with tears. He pulled hard at Xiao Qi, who was about to rush out, his voice choked but utterly resolute. He knew they could not waste the chance Second Senior Brother had bought with his life.
Xiao Qi's heart felt as if pierced by a thousand arrows. He stared at the chubby figure lying in a pool of blood, unconscious, sacrificing himself to cover their escape. Tears blurred his vision. He bit his lip until he tasted salty blood, and finally was forcibly pulled by Zhao Tiezhu, stumbling deeper into the dark, winding crevice.
Behind them, the energy currents still rampaged, the frustrated roars of temporarily blocked pursuers echoed, and there was the faint but precious flame of hope that Second Senior Brother Luo Feng had ignited with his life.