Actually, ever since meeting Hua Yin, it had always been her dragging him down. At a time like this, it was only natural for Hua Yin to suggest parting ways.
After all, Hua Yin was far more capable than her. If he still had to worry about her after leaving the city, she would only become a burden to him in case of pursuers.
They had only met by chance—neither owed the other any sacrifice!
“Alright! After escaping the city, let’s each take care of ourselves. Hua Yin, if we both manage to escape, we’ll still be friends when we meet again!” Yun Qingxue smiled faintly.
“Fine,” Hua Yin muttered in response, then added, “You’d better run for your life later. Even if you’re caught, I won’t come back to save you!”
“Likewise.”
By now, the wind had grown fiercer. A faint, rotting stench began to drift through the air.
Hua Yin held his breath, concentrating, while Yun Qingxue even lightened her own breathing, afraid of disturbing him.
Hua Yin was sensing the location of the ghostly creature. The town had four gates—east, south, west, and north—and his task now was to determine which gate the creature was closest to so they could avoid it.
At the same time, the cultivators in the town, including the Grand State Preceptor Chen Qing, sensed something amiss and took to their swords, flying out.
Hua Yin suddenly opened his eyes. Grabbing Yun Qingxue’s hand, he quietly moved toward the northern gate.
They were closest to the northern gate, and luckily, the ghostly creature had appeared near the eastern gate!
The eastern gate was where the first victim, Scholar Zhao, had lived. Currently, both the Grand State Preceptor Chen Qing and Prince Ning were staying at Scholar Zhao’s residence.
With two such important figures in the most dangerous location, all capable cultivators in the town naturally rushed there.
Though everyone knew of Chen Qing’s prowess, knowing and acting were two different things. It was like two armies facing off—the soldiers might know their general was brilliant in both strategy and combat, but that didn’t mean they’d let him fight alone!
As dutiful subordinates, even if they couldn’t help much, showing up to cheer him on was a must!
To Hua Yin, this situation was nothing short of a godsend.
He led Yun Qingxue stealthily toward the northern gate. The sounds of fierce battle from the eastern gate echoed from afar—clashes of spells and surges of power.
Standing beneath the gate, Hua Yin turned to Yun Qingxue with a grave expression. “Ready?”
Yun Qingxue took a deep breath and nodded.
“Run with everything you’ve got. Don’t look back!” Seemingly uneasy, Hua Yin repeated his warning with utmost seriousness.
“Mm.” Yun Qingxue nodded, a smile curving her lips. Though her disguised appearance was ugly, that smile was as dazzling as fireworks in full bloom. “You too, Hua Yin. We both have to make it out safely!”
“Right.” Rarely, a faint smile appeared on Hua Yin’s usually expressionless face.
He gave Yun Qingxue one last deep look, gathering immense spiritual power into his hands. When the energy peaked, he struck the gate with a forceful motion.
“Boom!” The deafening sound echoed far into the night, drowning out even the battle at the eastern gate.
The strike left a massive hole in the gate, and the bluish-gray protective barrier around the city shattered and dispersed.
Hua Yin grabbed Yun Qingxue’s hand and hurled her through the breach, shouting, “Go!”
“Take care, Hua Yin!!!” Yun Qingxue didn’t look back. Propelled by his strength, she leaped far ahead, channeling the meager spiritual energy in her body as she sprinted into the darkness beyond the city.
Hua Yin remained by the broken gate, watching her until her figure vanished completely into the night.
The destruction of the northern gate’s barrier reverberated throughout the ancient town. Yet, all the cultivators were preoccupied with the relentless, hideous ghostly creature.
Hearing the commotion, they could only curse inwardly—what a time for trouble! But none could spare a moment to investigate, as their current foe was too formidable.
Grand State Preceptor Chen Qing, also among those subduing the creature, halted his attack upon hearing the disturbance. Quickly performing a divination, he exclaimed, “Trouble!”
Without waiting for others to react, he soared into the air, riding the wind toward the northern gate.
“Grand State Preceptor!” The cultivators still battling the creature were baffled by his sudden departure. But they couldn’t afford to be distracted—their opponent was too strong, and they had to focus.
Chen Qing raced toward the breached northern gate. As he neared, he spotted a dark figure fleeing into the distance. Without hesitation, he gave chase.
Meanwhile, with Chen Qing gone, the remaining cultivators split their efforts—some protecting Prince Ning, while the others struggled against the ghostly creature. Soon, the creature regained the upper hand.
The cultivators fought harder, but the battle grew increasingly difficult.
Suddenly, the creature feinted, then summoned a massive whirlwind from the ground.
“Protect His Highness!” someone shouted, fearing the creature might target Prince Ning. The prince was the emperor’s full-blooded younger brother—if anything happened to him, none of them would escape punishment!
As the cultivators encircled Prince Ning, the creature didn’t attack anyone. Instead, it rode the whirlwind toward the northern gate!
It was trying to escape!
“This prince needs no protection! Go and subdue the demon!” Prince Ning bellowed.
“But—” The cultivators hesitated.
“I command you to subdue it now!” Prince Ning roared again.
This time, they obeyed, mounting their swords and chasing the creature’s demonic wind.
But the creature was too fast. In no time, it had escaped through the broken northern gate.
By the time the cultivators caught up, all they saw beyond the gate was endless darkness—the creature was long gone.
Hua Yin sped in the opposite direction of Yun Qingxue’s escape. Behind him, a dark figure pursued relentlessly.
After about half an hour of chase, the pursuer slowed, then abruptly turned and fled in another direction.
Hua Yin stopped, watching as his pursuer changed course. Without hesitation, he turned and gave chase instead!
In the pitch-black night, Yun Qingxue had completely lost her bearings.
She no longer knew whether she was running east, west, or north—only instinct drove her forward.
The wind roared in her ears as she sprinted, surrounded by endless darkness. The desolate fear of being enveloped by the night magnified infinitely in her solitude.
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