Chapter 482 - 286: Retreat (Part 2)

Chapter 482: Chapter 286: Retreat (Part 2)

His eyes narrowed. He backed away a few steps, not stopping until he was in front of Lin Loulan, and only then did he raise his sword into a defensive stance. An opponent of this caliber forced him to be extremely cautious.

Profound Bird Ye Fei was actually very confident in his own strength. He believed there were few in this world who could match him, so he could sense just how terrifying Li Ye was right now.

Then, the next moment, he saw Li Ye let out a great shout, and then—he turned, pushed Leng Wuque’s wheelchair, and just bolted!

Ye Fei didn’t react immediately. He just stood there, stunned, watching as Li Ye disappeared before his very eyes at an incredible speed. Only then did it dawn on him that he’d been tricked.

’No wonder...’

’Li Ye isn’t normally like this.’

’He’d realized something was off, but he was still fooled. It was just that the aura emanating from Li Ye was so terrifying that it forced him to be cautious.’

In reality, the source essence of the Cyan Cloud Sword Immortal was not something a mere Tier Eight Transcendent like Profound Bird Ye Fei could withstand. However, after the battle with Chi Yu, this essence was little more than dregs, completely insufficient to support Li Ye in another fight. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed to resort to such a ploy.

Once he came to his senses, Profound Bird Ye Fei immediately gave chase. However, Li Ye was simply too fast. In that brief moment of hesitation, Li Ye had vanished.

"..."

Profound Bird Ye Fei stared at the empty street, momentarily falling silent. But Lin Loulan, standing beside him, spoke with the unshakeable confidence of someone who had already won:

"Go to the village entrance. I’ve laid another trap there. They can’t possibly escape."

"Alright."

......

Li Ye hadn’t gone far. Pushing Leng Wuque in his wheelchair, it was impossible for them to get very far. He simply ducked into the nearest home of a Lei Family Village villager.

Now,

The villagers of Lei Family Village had mostly left,

making their homes the perfect hiding spots.

They would be back sooner or later, so they couldn’t hide here for long, but it would buy them some time.

The house wasn’t far from where they had started. From the window, they could even see Zhang Wen and Zhao Wu locked in a desperate, bloody struggle. But with Li Ye and Leng Wuque already gone, their fates were sealed.

It was a grim reality, but Li Ye hadn’t been strong enough to save everyone. He leaned against the wall, yanked off his shirt, and revealed his torso. Amidst a collection of old scars, fresh sword wounds tore across his flesh, weeping blood.

"..."

Li Ye gently brushed a finger over a wound. A searing pain shot through him, and his brow furrowed sharply.

’He’s incredibly strong.’

Gazing at the twenty-odd sword wounds on his body, he recalled Profound Bird Ye Fei’s bizarre, serpentine sword style. The other man had inflicted these injuries during their clash.

His opponent’s strength wasn’t overwhelming, but his technique was exceptionally bizarre. Li Ye had found it nearly impossible to predict the direction and trajectory of his strikes.

Most importantly, Ye Fei’s Body Technique was as agile as a bird’s flight, making him incredibly difficult to hit.

If the fight had continued and both had revealed their full hands, Li Ye was confident he could have won. But his goal wasn’t to defeat Profound Bird Ye Fei; it was to get Leng Wuque away safely. Without a doubt, this had been the best way to do it.

’Profound Bird Ye Fei, Lin Loulan’s guard.’

’No doubt they would fight again one day. When that time came, Li Ye would be sure to kill him.’

"Let’s wait a bit," Leng Wuque said, observing Li Ye’s condition.

"Why? My injuries aren’t that serious. If we stay here too long, something unexpected might happen," Li Ye asked, confused.

"We absolutely need a powerful fighter like Minister Su on our side. From what Lin Loulan said, Minister Su isn’t dead, just sealed on Sea Fish Island. If it’s a seal, it can be broken."

"Furthermore, the fact that they’re pressing their attack so urgently might not just be to deny us time to think. It could also mean the seal on Su Xing won’t last long."

"..."

Li Ye fell silent for a moment. "You said ’could mean.’ What if you’re wrong?"

"Then we’ll deal with that when it happens."

Leng Wuque said flatly, "Besides, knowing Lin Loulan’s penchant for planning, I refuse to believe Profound Bird Ye Fei is the only Tier Eight she has in play. If you were to face two Tier Eight Transcendents, would you be confident you could keep me safe?"

"I’m not."

Li Ye answered decisively. An ordinary Tier Eight might have been manageable, but Profound Bird Ye Fei was no ordinary powerhouse. If another one of his caliber showed up, Li Ye knew he couldn’t protect Leng Wuque.

"But there’s no guarantee they have two," Li Ye argued. "If we don’t leave now, they’ll eventually figure out where we’re hiding and call for more backup."

"As for Cang City’s Tier Eight, Li Longxuan is unreliable at this level. The Tier Eight Powerhouse from the Martial God Hall’s Dove Faction has his own mission and probably won’t be able to help us either."

"It doesn’t matter."

Leng Wuque shook his head. "This was always a gamble. I’m betting that Lin Loulan has more cards up her sleeve."

"If we win this gamble, not only will we get away clean, but we might even be able to take out one or two of their Tier Eight powerhouses in the process."

"And if I lose, with your strength, you could easily abandon me and escape. Then, my life is the only stake in this wager."

"..."

Li Ye was left speechless. With Leng Wuque putting it like that, there was nothing more he could say. After all, Leng Wuque was right.

Time ticked by. Suddenly, Li Ye heard the crisp sound of footsteps from downstairs. He initially assumed it was the villagers returning and was about to knock them unconscious, but then he heard the distinctive sound of a sword being drawn.

This made Li Ye snap to attention.

’Wait... something’s not right.’

......

「On Sea Fish Island.」

Su Xing sat within a world of white emptiness. He simply sat there, eyes shut tight. An unknown amount of time passed until, at last, he sensed a momentary flaw. Then, he slashed out with his sword!

The entire dimension seemed to be cleaved in two by his blade. The world shattered, dissolving into shimmering fragments of energy that then burst apart with a great BOOM, scattering like a sea of stars across the ground.

The world finally revealed its true face. Su Xing was sitting in an underground complex, surrounded by corpses. Judging by their state, it seemed that after he was sealed, someone had tried to kill him, only to be struck down by his body’s unconscious instincts.

Their injuries were simple—a single, fatal blow. It was clear Su Xing’s instincts had shown no mercy, and the state of the corpses was gruesome.

"..."

Su Xing was silent for a moment. Seeing the real world again made his mind stutter. He wasn’t quite sure what had happened. Where had Leng Wuque and the others gone? Had they caught Lei Zhuang?

However, these weren’t questions he could answer just by thinking. A trip to Lei Family Village would clear everything up. And so, he tore open a rift in space and vanished.

......

「Lei Family Village. A residential building.」

About ten people came up the stairs. The man in the lead wasn’t Profound Bird Ye Fei, but another Tier Eight from Jile Valley. As it happened, Li Ye knew him. His name was Gu Chenfei, and compared to Profound Bird Ye Fei’s cold indifference, he was far more talkative.

"Heh, Li Ye. Long time no see."

Gu Chenfei slowly ascended the stairs, a great saber in hand. He looked at Li Ye and Leng Wuque, then couldn’t help but shake his head.

"I never thought that the next time we met after our last encounter, it would be under circumstances like these."

"..."

"Cut the crap. Let’s do this."

Li Ye’s expression was grim. ’Leng Wuque was right. They really did have two. But neither of them had guessed that they would be found so quickly.’