Chapter 133 - 92 : The Abyss Below (2)

Chapter 133: Chapter 92 : The Abyss Below (2)

Ethan ignored him. His attention had already shifted to the terrain around him, his eyes moving across the trees, the scattered rocks, and the broken ground as he searched for anything that might give him an advantage. They had been moving through the wilderness for some time with Kael following from above, and now the dense forest was beginning to thin into a more open stretch of land.

Then Ethan’s gaze stopped.

A cliff.

He had not noticed it clearly while running, but the ground ahead fell away sharply beyond a short stretch of uneven earth. Ethan slowed for less than a heartbeat as he took in the terrain, then looked up at Kael before turning his attention back toward the cliff.

The answer came quickly.

The forest was useless.

Even if he managed to break away from Kael’s attacks for a while, Kael could simply follow from the sky. Ethan could disappear among the trees, change direction, or put distance between them, but none of that would matter if his opponent could see the terrain from above and continue tracking him. And if the tracking talisman Kael carried worked anything like the one Ethan had encountered before, then running blindly through the forest would only buy him time, not freedom.

In fact, Kael’s talisman was probably far better.

Ethan’s thoughts returned to the moment the pursuit had begun. He had sensed that presence long before Kael came into view. He had changed direction twice, cutting through different parts of the wilderness, yet the pressure behind him had never wavered. It had followed every turn and continued closing the distance as though Ethan’s attempts to lose it meant nothing.

Kael had not found him by chance.

The talisman had been doing its work all along.

Ethan’s gaze settled on the cliff again. The terrain ahead was open, the forest behind him offered no real way to hide, and the cultivator above him had every advantage in a prolonged chase.

So running isn’t an option.

He needed to think of something else.

His eyes returned to the cliff.

The distance to the edge was not far, but the drop beyond it was impossible to judge. Ethan could not see the bottom. Even beneath the bright daylight, the depths below remained dark, not simply covered in shadow, but so deep that the sunlight seemed to vanish before reaching the ground.

Ethan stared into it.

A fall from that height would kill an ordinary cultivator. Even a powerful Qi Refining cultivator might not survive the impact, and there was no guarantee that a weaker Foundation Establishment cultivator would walk away unharmed.

But Ethan was different.

His body had already been transformed. His bones were stronger, his flesh was harder to destroy, and most importantly, his wounds could heal.

His thoughts raced as he measured the distance.

If I jump...

There was a chance he would die.

Ethan’s gaze shifted upward.

Kael raised his hand, and lightning began gathering around his fingers.

If I stay...

He would definitely die.

The choice became clear. Possible death was better than certain death, but reaching the cliff without alerting Kael was another matter.

Ethan’s gaze remained on the edge of the drop as his thoughts raced. How could he get there without making his intention obvious?

If he simply turned and sprinted toward the edge, Kael would see it immediately. From above, nothing about his movement would be hidden. The moment Kael realized where he was going, a bolt of lightning would reach him long before he could make it to the cliff.

Ethan couldn’t rely on the reserve of blood stored in his storage ring either. Not here, not while Kael was watching him so closely. Taking out the ring, accessing its storage space, drawing the blood, and trying to use it would leave him exposed, and Kael would immediately understand what he was doing. It would be like handing the man a clearer view of his remaining options.

Ethan pressed his lips together as his thoughts raced.

He needed an opening.

Just one.

A brief lapse in Kael’s attention, a single moment when his eyes were somewhere else, would be enough. He didn’t need Kael to look away for long. He only needed a few seconds to move before the Foundation Establishment cultivator realized what he was doing.

The problem was how to make him look away.

Ethan glanced at him again.

The idea that came to him was ridiculous. So ridiculous that he almost dismissed it immediately. He had used something similar back in his old life, a simple trick meant to distract someone’s attention. It was stupid, and it certainly didn’t work every time, but Ethan had nothing better to rely on.

He had to try.

Fine.

He would take the chance.

Another bolt came.

Ethan deliberately slowed, allowing his movements to become heavier as though his body was finally reaching its limit. Lightning struck his side a moment later, throwing him violently across the ground. He rolled through the dirt before coming to a stop, remaining there for several seconds before slowly forcing himself upright. His hair hung across his face, blood running from his forehead while the wounds across his body were already beginning to close.

Kael looked down at him with faint amusement.

"Is that all?"

Ethan’s fingers curled into the earth. He pushed himself fully upright, breathing harder than necessary as he lifted his head.

"You’re tougher than I expected."

The words seemed to push something loose inside him.

"Why?"

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"Why what?"

Ethan’s breathing became rougher, his voice rising as the words began spilling out.

"Why does everything have to come to this? I was just trying to live, trying to cultivate, trying to understand what was happening to me, and somehow everything kept turning against me. People came after me, the sect came after me, and now I’m standing here being beaten half to death for something I never even asked for!"

His voice cracked as the anger broke through whatever restraint remained.

"What was I supposed to do? Just accept it? Let everyone who wanted my life take it from me? The heavens themselves seem determined to make sure I can’t live in peace!"

Ethan’s chest rose and fell heavily. He looked around the ruined ground, then back toward Kael, his voice growing louder as though the sight of the destruction around him only fed the fury inside him.

"I ran, I hid, I kept moving, and it still wasn’t enough! No matter where I went, someone came looking for me. And now even after everything I’ve endured, I’m the one standing here being treated like some monster that deserves to die!"

The words came faster now, no longer sounding like an argument he expected anyone to accept. They were simply the rage of someone who had been pushed too far and no longer cared whether what he said made sense.

"I’ve had enough!"

His voice echoed across the wilderness.

Kael watched him silently.

Ethan’s breathing remained ragged as he stared upward, his face twisted with anger and frustration.

"I’ll remember this," he spat. "I’ve never been someone who forgets what people do to me. A kindness, I’ll repay tenfold. A grudge, I’ll return a hundredfold. Whatever you’ve done today, I’ll remember every bit of it."

Kael stared at him for a moment before laughter escaped his lips.

"You?"

His laughter grew louder as he looked down at Ethan.

"You’re standing at death’s door, and you’re talking about remembering me?"

Ethan said nothing.

Kael shook his head, amusement mixing with disbelief.

"You really have lost your mind. You’re barely a Late Qi Refining cultivator, yet you’re standing there talking as though you can one day settle accounts with Azure Cloud Sect. Do you even understand what you’re saying? You’re talking about going against an entire sect that controls a region, as though your little threats could actually mean something to them."

His smile faded.

"You’re not even worth taking seriously anymore."

The words carried a finality that had not been there before. Whatever curiosity Kael had felt toward Ethan’s regeneration had disappeared beneath the conviction that there was nothing more to learn from him. The man below had finally broken under the pressure, and to Kael, the strange threat he had been observing was nothing more than the meaningless ranting of a cornered cultivator who had lost all sense of reality.

"Enough."

Lightning gathered around his hand, bright arcs crawling across his fingers.

"You’ve had your last words."

Above the ruined ground, Kael prepared to end it.

Ethan remained where he was, his breathing still uneven and his head lowered.

Inside, he calmly marked the moment.

The first part was done.

Kael’s attention was completely on him. More importantly, Kael no longer saw a calculating opponent beneath him. He saw a cornered cultivator who had finally snapped.

Now came the part Ethan had been waiting for.

His entire demeanor changed.

The anger vanished from his face so suddenly that it was almost unnatural. His eyes widened, his mouth parted slightly, and his head lifted as though something beyond Kael had suddenly caught his attention.

The hatred disappeared.

In its place came unmistakable relief.

Ethan turned sharply toward the distant sky.

"Senior Brother!"

The shout rang across the cliffside.

"You’re here?!"