Chapter Fifteen: Escape

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A sudden burst of blood escaped Mu Feng’s mouth as he staggered in the silent wilderness, his breath growing weaker by the moment. Though he had just managed to break free by leveraging a maneuver, the injury he sustained was no small matter. Had he not previously refined his body meridian to the first level, that single palm strike would have surely ended his life.

“Fairy, what now?” he asked.

“What can we do? Run as far as we can,” came the reply.

Great, a pointless question.

Mu Feng grasped his longsword tightly and darted swiftly through the dense forest.

“Bastard, where do you think you’re going!” A sudden, fierce roar pierced the air as a savage spiritual force charged toward Mu Feng.

Boom!

He dodged to the side just in time; several nearby trees were blasted to splinters.

Mu Feng’s pupils trembled wildly. He dared not imagine the terrible consequences if that strike had landed on him.

“Such nimble movement,” came a cold voice.

“Mu Feng, hand over your cultivation technique, and I’ll promise to spare Xiao Yutong’s life.”

Xiao Mo’s voice was like a death demon, relentlessly pursuing Mu Feng.

“Keep it!” Mu Feng retorted sharply.

Who in their right mind would trust the Xiao family?

“Refusing a toast!” Xiao Mo snorted coldly, raising his arms as boundless spiritual power gathered, stirring the wind fiercely and whipping Mu Feng’s cheek painfully.

“Old bastard, I’ll fight you to the death!”

A fierce determination sparked in Mu Feng’s eyes.

If it came to it, death was preferable; if he could land two strikes on this old man, it would be worth it.

First strike!

Activating the Spirit Shadow Drift silently, Mu Feng’s figure moved like a phantom toward Xiao Mo.

“Hmph, the last gasp of a dying crossbow!”

“Die!”

A powerful spiritual assault slammed toward him. Knowing he could not dodge this, Mu Feng raised his sword, gathering dense sword energy, and fiercely slashed at the terrifying onslaught.

Blade met spirit energy.

Two extreme forces clashed, shaking the surroundings and destroying every tree and plant nearby.

Pfft—

Another mouthful of blood spat out, and Mu Feng fell heavily to the ground.

Even with all his strength, facing a strong cultivator like Xiao Mo from the Xuanhuang Realm was no contest.

“I must say, your strength is unexpectedly impressive,” Xiao Mo said.

“Just entering the spirit realm and yet able to fight me this far—if Jiang Wuying hadn’t ordered your death, I wouldn’t have the heart to move against you.”

As the elder of the Xiao family, Xiao Mo’s gaze was sharp; he clearly saw Mu Feng was no ordinary opponent.

Unfortunately, the Xiao family had already aligned with the Sword Sect.

This defection must be reported.

Watching Xiao Mo approach step by step, Mu Feng’s heart trembled violently.

He couldn’t outrun him, nor could he defeat him in battle.

What was he to do?

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“Boy, three miles east. If you can run straight there in one breath, you might survive,” the fairy’s voice suddenly rang out, rekindling a flicker of hope in Mu Feng’s eyes.

Three miles.

He was drained and could only muster one more Spirit Shadow Drift.

If he missed this chance, it would be the end.

He had to seize it!

By now, Xiao Mo was right in front of Mu Feng, gathering a powerful spiritual force.

“Mu Feng, rest assured, once you die, I will soon reunite Xiao Yutong with you.”

With that, his palm slammed fiercely toward Mu Feng’s head.

“Wait!”

At the last moment, Mu Feng spoke abruptly.

“Weren’t you after my movement technique? Here it is!”

Boom—

The fierce spiritual force passed by his side, blasting a half-man-sized crater behind him.

Seeing this, Mu Feng’s heart pounded as he clenched his left fist but forced himself to stay calm and continued:

“I’ll give you the technique if you spare Xiao Yutong’s life. How about that?”

Xiao Mo withdrew his hand, a smile spreading across his face.

“If I had known, why act so rashly before?”

“As long as you hand over the technique, I guarantee no harm will come to Xiao Yutong.”

He stretched out his hand, signaling Mu Feng to surrender the technique.

“Fine.”

Mu Feng nodded gently and slowly rose to his feet.

Suddenly, he flicked a handful of dust with his left hand, blinding Xiao Mo’s eyes.

Spirit Shadow Drift!

In the next instant, Mu Feng vanished, rushing toward the direction the fairy had indicated.

Ah—

Realizing he had been tricked, Xiao Mo roared furiously.

“You little bastard, how dare you deceive me!”

“I want to see how far you can run.”

“When I catch you, I’ll skin you alive, flay your muscles, and scatter your bones to dust!”

Swish!

Brushing the dust away, Xiao Mo charged after Mu Feng.

Meanwhile, under the fairy’s guidance, Mu Feng entered a chillingly silent, eerie forest.

Immediately, an unbearable coldness pierced him to the bone.

Cough, cough—

Spitting blood, Mu Feng summoned his last strength to climb a treetop, concealing himself beneath thick leaves.

“Fairy, does hiding here really help?”

Mu Feng’s face was deathly pale, utterly drained of color.

He could feel agonizing pain radiating from his internal organs; if Xiao Mo caught him again, death was certain.

“The yin energy here is extremely strong; it will mask your aura.”

“As long as you keep silent, that old man won’t find you.”

The fairy’s tone was resolute.

She made a shushing gesture, signaling Mu Feng to stay quiet.

The next moment, a violent aura burst into the forest, accompanied by furious roars as it landed fiercely.

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“Mu Feng, come out this instant!”

Xiao Mo’s fury glowed in his bloodshot eyes as he scanned wildly.

Whether it was anger or the dust still clouding his vision, even someone as powerful as him had been outwitted by Mu Feng once.

“You little bastard, don’t think hiding in this place thick with yin energy will save you.”

“This yin energy might protect you for a while, but not forever!”

Xiao Mo’s enraged voice echoed repeatedly.

He knew clearly that Mu Feng’s strength had reached its limit just to get here.

So Mu Feng had to be somewhere nearby.

Yet Mu Feng lay quietly against the tree trunk, hands tightly covering his mouth and nose, not making a sound.

“Not coming out? Let’s see how long you can hide!”

Xiao Mo snorted coldly and swung his arm.

A terrifying spiritual force surged out, causing the trees within dozens of yards to tremble violently.

Mu Feng clung desperately to the rough bark, fighting not to fall.

“Still not coming out?”

“Try this!”

Boom!

Xiao Mo stepped forward, sending a deep spiritual shockwave spreading from his feet in all directions, making Mu Feng stagger, his fingers digging so deeply into the tree bark they soon bled and tore.

Crack—

At that moment, a commotion came from a nearby earthen mound.

“You little bastard, I’ve got you now!”

“Did you really think this yin energy could hide your aura so well?”

“Come out!”

Hearing the noise, Xiao Mo’s eyes lit up with joy as he pounded the mound with several fists.

Bang, bang, bang—

A series of explosive sounds stirred up clouds of dust.

A smug smile crept across Xiao Mo’s lips.

With such an assault, no matter how strong Mu Feng was, survival was impossible!

Yet Mu Feng sat silently on a nearby tree trunk, watching him quietly.

“Fairy, should we seize this chance to escape?”

“Don’t move! Don’t move! Something’s coming!”

The fairy’s expression turned grave—fear, even.

Suddenly, she whispered, “Hold your breath, quickly!”

At her words, Mu Feng covered his mouth and nose tightly, his eyes fixed on what was unfolding.

Xiao Mo stood proudly before the mound.

“Pity your movement technique isn’t mine. If it were, no one in Yuanzhou City could stand against me.”

“Well, since you won’t give it, I’ll just return to Huangsha Town to vent my anger on the Second Miss!”

Turning to leave, suddenly—

A withered hand burst from the dust, thrusting a blade straight through Xiao Mo’s chest!