Chapter 145: Bring It On!
Translator: TYZ Editor: - -
Bats were outstanding predators, and they were one of the many dire beasts that Ai Hui did not wish to encounter in the Wilderness. Of course, there were many dire beasts that he did not want to encounter.
“Everyone, stick together.”
At this point of time, Ai Hui did not care about whether or not they were familiar with each other.
Shi Xueman and Sang Zhijun were not unreasonable individuals. Shi Xueman knew Ai Hui rather well, and Sang Zhijun was a straightforward person. If not for Ai Hui’s warning just now, they both would have died.
Both of them were on their guard as they moved slowly to Ai Hui’s side.
The terrifying claw marks on the spot where they had been standing previously made them tremble with fear. They were so close to death.
The hand with which Sang Zhijun was holding her Golden Silk Longbow was trembling involuntarily.
Even Shi Xueman, who had reacted to the situation calmly, felt a lingering fear hit her like a sweeping tsunami after she now managed to catch a breath. She could feel her legs wobbling.
Shi Xueman had always emphasized on improving her real-life combat capabilities, and she had—on numerous missions. However, she had never experienced such a terrifying situation. Just a moment ago, she had an actual close brush with death.
Right now, she felt that the lofty aspirations she had on the transport wagon were so childish and ridiculous. In a real life-and-death battle, how much of her combat capabilities could she execute? Fifty percent? Perhaps thirty percent? She may even be killed by the blood fiends while standing frozen in a spot, staring into blank space and not knowing what to do.
So far, she and Sang Zhijun had not been able to sense the slightest bit of the bats’ aura. If not for the deep claw marks on the ground, she would have thought that what she saw earlier was an illusion.
It’s a pity that it’s not an illusion.
Her gaze automatically shifted towards Ai Hui.
Ai Hui was no better than them. His body was slightly crouching, his right hand tightly holding on to the sword hilt of the Dragonspine Inferno. His body was a motionless statue. A bead of sweat meandered down from his forehead to his chin before dripping to the ground.
The dusky street lamps looked especially lonely in the utterly quiet street. The sounds of dripping sweat and heavy breathing could be clearly heard.
However, for some reason, when Shi Xueman saw Ai Hui’s tense body, her anxiousness was alleviated.
Beads of sweat slid under his flickering eyelashes, and his eyes looked as calm as still water—one could not discern his feelings. Yes, it was that gaze that made Shi Xueman feel more at ease.
His gaze did not contain the slightest trace of a fluster.
Shi Xueman felt that her performance was terrible. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, her confidence and fighting spirit had returned.
Sang Zhijun calmed down very fast as well.
Indeed, Ai Hui was not flustered, but he was very nervous. His mental state was taut, and his entire body was like a string that was tightly stretched.
His inability to track the bats’ location was giving him an immense pressure, the likes of which he had never experienced before. From the day he had successfully planted the sword embryo’s seed, nothing in his surroundings could avoid the sword embryo’s discerning eye.
What happened today was a first. He was engulfed with tremendous pressure.
What should he do?
Ai Hui’s first reaction was to flee. However, his rationality told him that this would be the wrong decision. No matter how fast he ran, he could not outrun the bats in the sky. The bat that had attacked them just now was extremely fast, so fast that Ai Hui’s eyes could not catch it. All he had seen was a blood-red colored blur.
These blood bats were far more powerful than the blood insects they had encountered outside of the city!
Bats were carnivores….
This thought flashed through his mind.
What should he do?
Previously, he had rejected Fatty’s suggestion to call for help as he had sensed that the bats in the sky had already locked onto them.
Ai Hui did not know how they became the targets for the predators. It really was unlucky, given that Central Pine City was huge. He continued to rack his brain for a way out.
The sensing ability of the sword embryo had already reached its limit...
Eh? Limit!
Suddenly, Ai Hui thought of the times when he would absorb a strand of elemental energy during his training.
With a jolt, he directed a strand of elemental energy towards his glabella.
When the strand of elemental energy reached the glabella, the fidgeting sword embryo absorbed it completely without any hesitation.
Ai Hui could feel the range of his perception expand significantly. In the sky above his head, a faint-looking shadow became clearer in his vision. A bat was noiselessly flying through the air. Every few seconds, it would produce an invisible whirlpool of air current to jumble and hide its aura.
It was only at this moment that Ai Hui realized that there was only one bat. All the other auras created by it was to confuse its enemy and hide itself. Ai Hui had also not expected that while this bat was swirling in the air, its eyes were closed.
Such a powerful bat!
Ai Hui smacked his lips. Once these wild beasts were infected with the blood poison, they would become much more powerful.
“There’s only one bat, and it’s swirling above our heads.”
Ai Hui said with a low voice. His focus was locked on to that blood bat.
Everyone felt a shiver run down their spines.
At this moment, Ai Hui felt his senses gradually become blurry. He cursed in his heart. Without any hesitation, he directed another strand of elemental energy to his sword embryo, and his senses immediately became clear again.
“It’s two hundred meters above us.” Ai Hui quickly gave a specific height of the bat from the ground.
Sang Zhijun was flabbergasted and involuntarily stared at Ai Hui. This fellow could actually determine how high was the bat from the ground. Such a powerful fellow, why had she not heard of his name before? She was trained in archery. To be an archer, one had to develop their eyesight. Sang Zhijun had always possessed extreme confidence with regards to this aspect, but now, even when she widened her eyes, she still could not discern the bat.
The blood bat’s body perfectly blended into the darkness, and its flight through the air did not produce any sound; it was completely silent like a ghost.
She did not know how Ai Hui tracked the bat’s location.
“What should we do then?” Shi Xueman asked softly.
“If I lure it down, are both of you confident in killing it?” Ai Hui replied as he licked his lips.
Since they could not escape, they could only kill this bat.
And it must be now.
Currently, Ai Hui was unceasingly expending his elemental energy as his perception was locked on to the blood bat. But once his elemental energy was used up, they would end up in a defensive position.
The battle must be finished before his elemental energy was depleted. There was no other choice.
Ai Hui quickly and accurately determined the situation.
“I’m not confident.”
When Shi Xueman said these words, she felt so ashamed that she wanted to find a hole and hide. The other party used himself as a lure to create a chance for them, and all the danger was solely upon him. And in such an extreme situation, she could not even dare to say that she was confident.
That’s right, she actually did not dare to say she was confident. Previously, when the blood bat had slammed itself against her wall of water vapor, she had realized its strength.
Sang Zhijun was shocked at Ai Hui’s courage. She felt disbelief. She used to think that this kind of scene would only appear in storybooks that depicted heroes. Who would actually sacrifice himself as a lure? How stupid would that be?
She never expected herself to witness this scene today. If it were some other person, then she would think that it was because of her and Shi Xueman’s beauty. However, it was definitely not the case for the fellow in front of her, because he had never even taken a serious look at them from the beginning.
Are there really fools who would sacrifice themselves for others in this world?
It seems that there is….
Ai Hui did not know Sang Zhijun’s thoughts on his suggestion. And even if he did, he wouldn’t care. At this crucial moment, who would care about a girl’s rubbish thoughts when he did not even know her?
He was only aware that this could not drag on for any longer. He had already depleted one-fourth of his elemental energy, and the longer he persisted, the more unfavorable the situation would become for him.
The sword embryo was like a black hole that kept on devouring his elemental energy!
“Even if you don’t have confidence, you have to do it.” Ai Hui’s tone was resolute and decisive, but his facial expression remained calm.“Both of you, get ready.”
At this moment, Shi Xueman and Sang Zhijun became nervous. Both of them knew that their attacks would determine Ai Hui’s fate. They, too, were now engulfed with tremendous pressure.
“But….” Sang Zhijun’s face turned pale.
“There’s no but!” Ai Hui interrupted her. There was no time to waste.
He was also very nervous. Both of their behaviors did not give him any sense of security, making him think about whether this was a stupid decision. However, he tried to restrain his nervousness and irritation. If possible, he would definitely not want to put his life in the hands of two strangers.
However, right now, he had no other choice.
There was no point in thinking about the impossible.
Ai Hui’s gaze regained its calm and coldness. Even his voice contained a tinge of indifference; he spoke as if the situation had nothing to do with him. “We only have one chance to strike.”
After finishing his sentence, he did care about the both of them anymore and turned to Fatty. “Be careful.”
Fatty knew what Ai Hui meant. Ai Hui was trying to say that if the situation turned for the worst, Fatty should quickly escape by himself. Fatty didn’t say anything; he only nodded his head, signaling that he knew what to do. He was acting way more level-headed than both Shi Xueman and Sang Zhijun.
“If we fail, the three of you have to run in three different directions,” Ai Hui reminded them. The two girls were rookies, and he had no choice but to remind them of this basic knowledge.
Seeing that Ai Hui had a thorough arrangement, Shi Xueman’s anxiousness disappeared. Her eyes became determined as she replied with a serious tone, “I will do my best.”
The sparkling and translucent pearl that hung on her wrist suddenly trembled, resembling a shaky dewdrop on the tip of grass in the morning. With a flick of her snow-white hand, the glistening pearl broke off from the string and rolled along her wrist and into her palm.
With a flick of her slender middle finger, the pearl was lodged in between her thumb and middle finger.
“Me too.” Sang Zhijun bit her lips.
She tossed the arrow quiver that was hung onto her waist to the ground. Her hand was holding on to three Bunny Hair Arrows, and her legs were wide apart as she stood like a tree, tall and upright.
Without raising his head to look at the bat, Ai Hui took a step forward.
The blood bat in the sky moved.
At this point in time, he finally confirmed that the bat was locked on to him. Among the four people, he was the only one who was locked on to by the bat. Could it be that the blood bat had sensed the aura of his sword embryo as well? Bats did not require their eyes to look at things; rather, they used their senses and echolocation.
Ai Hui quickly dismissed the distracting thoughts in his head and focused on the space of air before him.
Suddenly, he dashed forward—it was as if he could not take the pressure anymore and wanted to flee.
Ai Hui was unsure whether the blood bat in the sky would fall for his trap. Now, however, he did not want to think about anything else.
Almost instantly, he could sense the blood bat above him begin to swoop downwards silently.
It’s coming.
In the darkness, Ai Hui grinned sinisterly as he tightened his grip on the Dragonspine Inferno.
Bring it on!