Chapter 373: Miserable Old Man
Translator: SoupHunter Editor: Milkbiscuit
The two beautiful women beside Hei Langjun quickly brandished their weapons, their faces full of horror as they watched the storm of swords rain down on them. They doubted whether they could block a transcendent artifact that was capable of destroying the Seamless Net through sheer force.
Truth be told, even Hei Langjun felt the same way. Thus, he placed his palms on the two ladies' backs and simply shoved them forward.
The two beautiful women who had wanted to rely on Hei Langjun's protection immediately shrieked from the shock. They never thought that Hei Langjun would actually use them as meat shields.
But alas, it was pointless to think further. The two women frantically swung their weapons to block the oncoming torrent of swords.
"Ah…!" Amidst the ringing sound of clashing swords, the two women screamed in agony. Although they managed to knock away a significant portion of the Thunderclap Flying Swords, their bodies were still littered with holes in the end. Their figures covered in blood, they reverted back to their true forms—a fox and a wildcat—and fell down the mountain.
Hei Langjun frantically blocked the attacks with his lance. Even though the two ladies had greatly reduced the pressure, one of the Thunderclap Flying Swords still managed to find its way through to his stomach, and he was immediately knocked back into his true form. Under the bright, shining moon, he transformed into a giant black-scaled serpent upon the mountaintop.
However, he somehow managed to survive the first wave of attacks from the Thunderclap Flying Swords. Having obtained a brief reprieve, Hei Langjun lowered his vicious-looking head and quickly slithered towards a cave down the mountain as he tried to escape. The might of the Thunderclap Flying Swords was truly too overwhelming.
"Despicable!" Miao Yi cursed. That Hei Langjun had actually used the women beside him as meat shields. However, Miao Yi had no choice but to save him regardless.
He quickly stood up and urged Sikong Wuwei, "Save him quick."
The Thunderclap Flying Swords hovering about in mid-air were about to launch their second attack, and Tan Lao, Ye Xin, and the others were also charging off to stop Hei Langjun from running away.
"Big Bro Hei, run away quick. I will hold the pursuers back!" Sikong Wuwei bellowed, "Gu Sanzheng, witness my hammer!"
He then lifted a giant hammer and hurled it out. With a deafening boom, the mighty hammer shot ferociously across the sky, straight towards Gu Sanzheng.
Zhao Fei also hurled out the Spirit Illusion Greatsword. It instantly multiplied a thousandfold and rained down on Tan Lao and Ye Xin.
Miao Yi also readied a sword artifact in one hand and the Mystic Yin Mirror in another. As he was preparing himself, he rolled his eyes at Sikong Wuwei. 'Since when did Hei Langjun become your Big Bro Hei?'
Beside him, the white-haired old man was utterly dumbstruck by them. 'They were actually this ferocious?'
As soon as they made their move, they could no longer conceal their human auras any longer. The old man was even more astonished when he realized that these people were not Yao cultivators, but were human cultivators instead. The backup reinforcements that the Alliance Master had prepared were actually these human cultivators?
Gu Sanzheng abruptly turned to look and found Miao Yi and his group popping out from the side of the mountain. Obviously, he wouldn't miss such a giant hammer flying towards him either. It took him by surprise, and with a swing of his arms, the Thunderclap Flying Swords immediately turned around and viciously attacked the giant hammer. It was no laughing matter to receive a direct attack from the Mountain Suppressing Hammer.
Tan Lao and the others were also shocked to see the Spirit Illusion Greatsword again and hurriedly held back their attacks to protect themselves.
Gu Sanzheng and the other two were both shocked and happy at the same time. They thought that Miao Yi and the others had already escaped. They never expected them to still be here. It was no wonder that they had hidden themselves in the demon's nest. Judging from the sound of that 'Big Bro Hei', they must be friends!
As he slithered towards the cave, the giant black serpent suddenly raised his head and caught a fleeting glance of Miao Yi and the others. He looked 'warmly' at his saviors, and found them somewhat familiar. Then he remembered that he had met them in the underground passage earlier on. He would never have thought that the same people trembling before him back then would turn out to be this powerful.
Seeing these people actually trying to save him at such a crucial time, a trace of gratitude flashed past Hei Langjun's eyes. Even the way they called him 'Big Bro Hei' sounded endearing.
However, this 'Big Bro Hei' was not a loyal person at all. Without any hesitation, he quickly slithered into the cave. In the blink of an eye, his long body slid inside and disappeared without a trace.
As soon as the two parties remaining on the battlefield began to clash, Gu Sanzheng and the other two were already feeling a little frustrated because they were at an impasse yet again.
When it came to transcendent artifacts, there was no guarantee that the stronger one would always triumph. If based on raw power alone, Sikong Wuwei's Mountain Suppressing Hammer was arguably many times stronger than the other transcendent artifacts present on the field. Not even Gu Sanzheng dared to use his Thunderclap Flying Swords to fight against it head-on.
However, if it were a true one-on-one battle between the Mountain Suppressing Hammer and the Thunderclap Flying Swords, Sikong Wuwei would definitely lose to Gu Sanzheng. This was why transcendent artifacts each possessed their particular strengths and weaknesses.
"Stop attacking! Retreat!" Miao Yi shouted. Then he quickly turned around and dove into the cave behind him.
Pi Junzi immediately followed behind. Without so much as a word, the white-haired old man also ran inside the cave. After tucking their transcendent artifacts away, Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei followed suit as well.
Seeing the enemy enter the underground cave once again, Gu Sanzheng was utterly enraged and bellowed, "After them!"
They no longer bothered about the cave that Hei Langjun had escaped into. The Crystal-Armored Hurricane Beasts led the charge straight towards the cave that Miao Yi and his group had run into.
This time, Gu Sanzheng didn't arrange for anyone to scout ahead. He continued to have Ye Xin lead the troops and stand watch outside, while he and Tan Lao went straight in on their own. Their movements were incredibly fast.
As soon as they reached a fork in the path and didn't know which way to go, the red-nosed black fox was released once again. Then, the two followed from behind as it darted towards the target.
"Pi Junzi, do you think Hei Langjun will be able to escape?"
In the underground passage, Miao Yi asked Pi Junzi, who was leading the way.
"The cave that he ran into connects to three secret routes which lead straight to the ocean floor. I dug them all out under his commands. Since he was already someone from the water tribe to begin with, it's unlikely that the land dwellers will be able to catch up to him once he reaches the ocean floor," Pi Junzi replied.
"Then he should be alright. The ones who need to be careful are us. Gu Sanzheng and the others are most likely going to chase after us…" Miao Yi turned his head to speak with Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei, but he ended up seeing a white-haired old man following behind him. It was the treant from before. He was escaping alongside them. Miao Yi couldn't help but say scoldingly, "Old man, why are you following us?"
Sikong Wuwei immediately asked, "Eh? You didn't plan to bring this old monster with you?"
He and Zhao Fei had seen this old man following after Miao Yi back when they ran into the underground passage, so they thought he had recruited him. If they'd known that wasn't the case, why would they even allow this old man to follow them for so long?
The old man hurriedly replied, "Since you're all the Alliance Master's friends, as his subordinate, I obviously have to escort you!"
Even though he didn't know exactly how these people were related to Hei Langjun, but since they were able to save him, and one of them had even called him 'Big Bro Hei', he was sure that they were allies. What did it matter if they were Yao cultivators or human cultivators? The law of survival was shared by all and was definitely capable of transcending racial barriers.
Miao Yi and the others were no fools. Anyone could tell that this old man was simply saying nice words. The island had already been taken over by the people outside. Most likely the old man was simply trying to escape alongside them out of fear.
At this moment, Pi Junzi suddenly came to a halt and pressed his ear to the wall. His expression turned worried as he said, "This is bad! There are two people following us. They've pinpointed our trail."
Miao Yi abruptly turned to the old monster and said, "I'll give you a chance to protect us. Go block their path and help us hold them back."
"Ah!" The old man went instantly pale. 'If I could hold them back, why would I need to follow behind you guys? You can't even hold them back with your mighty artifacts, so what chance do I have?'
"Let's go!" Miao Yi immediately called out for the others and continued running away.
"I can't stop them!" shouted the old man as he chased after them.
"You have to stop them even if you can't. I…" As he turned around a corner of the underground passage, Miao Yi suddenly raised his arm and said, "Wait!"
Everyone's footsteps came to a halt. Sikong Wuwei anxiously asked, "I say, young master, what are you trying to do this time?"
Miao Yi seemed to have thought of an idea. He raised his head and looked around the area. Then, he quickly pressed himself against a tight corner and readied the Mystic Yin Mirror. He was getting ready to launch an ambush.
Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei looked around the underground passage, and their eyes instantly brightened. There was no place to hide here. They understood Miao Yi's intentions; he was preparing to use the Mystic Yin Mirror to launch an ambush.
Miao Yi signaled Pi Junzi over with his finger. He pointed towards the wall and said, "Listen up. When you hear them enter this passageway, as soon as they are a hundred meters away, give me a signal."
Pi Junzi nodded and quickly placed his ear next to the wall.
Then Miao Yi told the old man, "If the ambush succeeds, that's that. But if it fails, I want you to cut off their path immediately."
The white-haired old man was on the verge of tears as he begged, "My lord, I really can't hold them back!"
Miao Yi explained, "I'm not asking you to fight against them head-on. I'm saying if I cannot suppress them, we will all immediately escape. I just need you to be behind us, triggering a cave-in while you run and making sure they have no way of catching up. This shouldn't be too dangerous."
"How is it not dangerous? They easily broke through from a depth of over a hundred meters underground…"
Before the old man could voice all his concerns, Miao Yi immediately instructed Sikong Wuwei and Zhao Fei, "If he doesn't do his job later on, kill him immediately. Or just toss him over to Gu Sanzheng and let them deal with him."
"Ah…" Before the old man could react, Sikong Wuwei, with a devious grin on his face, had already pulled out a sword artifact from his storage ring and held it by the old man's neck, forcing him to swallow his words.
Zhao Fei also drew out a sword artifact and held it against the old man's back. He and Sikong Wuwei looked at each other. They then grabbed the old man's arms and kicked the back of his knees at the same time. With one foot each on the back of his knees, they forced the old man to the ground and restrained him completely, not giving him an opportunity to play any tricks.
The white-haired old man was distressed and turned his eyes to Pi Junzi for help.
Pi Junzi could do little but feel sympathetic towards the old man. It wouldn't be wise for him to say anything as there was no guarantee that this Lord Niu wouldn't use him to hold off Gu Sanzheng instead. It's not like he had never experienced how ruthless he could be before. It was every man for himself.
Soon, Pi Junzi, with his ears perked up on the wall, suddenly tensed up. Everyone immediately held their breaths and went on full alert. They didn't dare make a single sound and even tried to quiet the beating of their hearts.
Afterward, there was no need for Pi Junzi to warn them as even Miao Yi was able to hear the sound of rushing footsteps approaching them.
Almost at the same time that Pi Junzi gave the signal, Miao Yi jumped out from the corner, and a wave of Yin aura gushed out ferociously from his Mystic Yin Mirror.
Even the people behind were shivering from the intense coldness as the Yin aura rolled out.
Gu Sanzheng and Tan Lao had been rushing after the black fox. They were still wondering which path to take when they saw a fork in the road. Then suddenly the Mystic Yin Mirror popped out from the corner, and they quickly glanced upon the devious smile on Miao Yi's face. The two of them were almost scared out of their skin.
There was no place to hide in such a straight path even if they wanted to, and there was no time to break through the wall either.
Tan Lao used everything in his power to send out the sixteen flying shields circling about him. The shields instantly came together, their spikes filling the gaps between one another, forming a gigantic barrier against the wave of Yin aura rushing towards them, blocking the underground passageway entirely.
"Damn, you got me!" Miao Yi didn't expect them to have yet another trick up their sleeves. He quickly retreated, and without another word, kicked the old man to the ground before he turned around and left.
If he succeeded, he obviously wouldn't need this old Yao cultivator to hold Gu Sanzheng off. Miao Yi's kick indicated that he had failed. Zhao Fei and the others obviously didn't need to verify it. They immediately left the old man behind as they turned around and ran.