Chapter 103: The Situation Twists and Turns Again
Chapter 103: The Situation Twists and Turns Again (Second Update)
The wind howled wildly, and the rain fell horizontally.
The sound of rain was like a torrential waterfall crashing down. In the dense, dark wilderness, the trees and grasses swayed and broke violently, presenting a scene of devastation.
But for some mighty beings, this was but a minor disturbance, barely enough to interrupt their slumber.
Deep within a ravine, seven or eight crack-earth armadillos lay sound asleep. Inside their deep cave, bloodstained bones remained scattered.
The crack-earth armadillo was a low-tier demonic beast, at most possessing strength at the early Dao Embryo stage—already the upper limit for their kind. Among these seven or eight armadillos, two had just reached the early Dao Embryo stage, while the others ranged from Qi Refining to Dust Stage in power.
One must admit, the wild forest was a fertile ground for demonic beasts to breed and thrive.
These beasts were fierce by nature, their specialty being earth-element magic.
...
Inside the dim cave, suddenly four brilliant flashes resembling lightning appeared. The two crack-earth armadillos at the early Dao Embryo stage seemed to sense something, abruptly opening their eyes, scanning all around before settling their gaze to the left.
They clearly detected two auras rapidly approaching their lair—one weaker in front, while the one behind was much stronger.
A roar—a furious, warning bellow—erupted from the two leaders.
Demonic beasts had a strong sense of territoriality. Upon sensing the approaching threat, they immediately issued a warning. The others, awakened by the roar, stirred from their slumber.
The two approaching auras did not deviate but pressed on toward the lair.
Provocation!
This was a provocation!
A fierce glare quickly appeared on the faces of the crack-earth armadillos. Their intelligence was limited; instinctively, they took it as a challenge and wasted no time.
With swift motions, several armadillos burrowed into the earth, heading toward the invading auras with agility like fish swimming through water. Their claws glowed faintly yellow as they scratched the soil, then darted out rapidly. Especially the two leaders, whose speed surpassed the approaching auras by a small margin—truly befitting earth-element creatures.
When they were only a few dozen yards from the first aura, the two leaders opened their mouths and spat out short, sharp, cone-shaped yellow light beams, attacking their foe.
Whistling through the air, even underground, the piercing sound was chilling, cutting through everything in its path.
...
The first aura belonged to Fang Junmei.
He had passed by here earlier that morning and knew this spot was home to a group of crack-earth armadillos. Now, he intended to use them against Qi Yu.
Seeing the cone-shaped spell hurtling toward him, Fang Junmei controlled his Earth-burrowing Shuttle, shifting his figure sideways to evade.
After dodging, he did not escape far but instead circled nearby, clearly waiting for Qi Yu to arrive.
Qi Yu instantly saw through Fang Junmei’s plan. His eyes flashed coldly, and he snorted inwardly: “Let’s see which of us gets unlucky first, if both of us are trapped by those armadillos simultaneously!”
Intent on seizing the Human Clan’s Thousand-Mechanism Gu, Qi Yu stubbornly pursued without changing direction.
Roars filled the air as the angry armadillos chased Fang Junmei, their eyes blazing with fury, as if about to breathe fire.
Fang Junmei was pursued ever closer by the two leaders, yet his eyes betrayed no panic, only a calculating gleam.
A roar!
One leader broke away to charge at Qi Yu.
After a few moments, taking advantage of the moment he wanted, Fang Junmei suddenly infused his Earth-burrowing Shuttle with magic.
Swish!
His speed surged by about thirty percent, rocketing forward like a missile. Even the armadillo leader chasing him, still ten yards behind, was momentarily stunned.
“Tricked!”
Qi Yu, watching, was dumbfounded for a moment before realizing the truth and exclaimed, “I’ve been played! That brat was deliberately holding back his speed earlier. Once we reached this beast lair and the enraged beasts attacked me, he suddenly accelerated!”
...
Fang Junmei circled Qi Yu at a rapid pace, ignoring the flying sword attacks. Though the armadillo relentlessly pursued him, it could no longer catch up. He effortlessly dodged all spells.
Beneath the earth, the situation began to shift.
One armadillo leader pursued Fang Junmei, while the other, along with several smaller ones, attacked Qi Yu.
Qi Yu faced not only the ferocious armadillo assault but also the relentless flying sword attacks from Fang Junmei.
This scenario deeply frustrated Qi Yu, who usually loved scheming. His Earth-Dodging Technique had reached its speed limit and could no longer outrun Fang Junmei’s pursuit.
The Earth-burrowing Shuttle, gifted to Fang Junmei by the Taoist Cuo Tuo, was undoubtedly his perfect magic treasure—useful not only for escape but also as a weapon.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The earthy-yellow light shield surrounding Qi Yu was blasted apart, sparks flying, and he clearly fell behind in the fight.
“Impossible!” Qi Yu roared in anger, regret filling his heart. Had he known Fang Junmei was such an expert at escaping, he would have feigned ignorance about Bifengzi and pretended to be close to him, only to ambush him later.
Now, he had no choice but to unleash his trump card.
With a swift motion at his waist, Qi Yu drew a superior-grade throwing knife—jade green and exquisite, no longer than a palm—called the Emerald Flying Knife.
Whizz!
Seizing an opportunity, Qi Yu launched the Emerald Flying Knife like a bolt of green lightning, striking precisely into the mouth of an armadillo at the Dust Stage level.
A piercing, agonized howl erupted. What happened next was unclear, but after the knife pierced its belly, the armadillo spat blood furiously while its body swelled dramatically, as if being inflated by some invisible force. A green glow shone from its mouth.
The armadillo’s ugly, contorted face was etched with pain.
The other armadillos, hearing its cries, all looked at it with expressions that seemed to make their fur stand on end.
Boom!
After a few moments, the swelling body of the armadillo burst with a loud explosion, scattering into chunks of flesh.
At the center of the mess shone a huge, sword-like green light, with the Emerald Dagger embedded within.
Roar! Roar!
All the armadillos, related by blood, went mad upon seeing their kin’s death. They launched a frenzied assault on Qi Yu, abandoning their pursuit of Fang Junmei.
Fang Junmei finally slowed his pace.
Looking at the blood mist left by the fallen armadillo, a pang of guilt stirred in his heart.
These armadillos had lived freely before but were dragged into this due to Fang Junmei’s scheming against Qi Yu, suffering cruel slaughter. It was no exaggeration to say much of this karmic retribution lay with Fang Junmei.
...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions, screams, and wails echoed from the battlefield’s center.
Fang Junmei gathered his resolve, banished his guilt, and fixed a cold gaze on Qi Yu.
The flying swords and assorted spells rained down relentlessly.
Soon, three or four more armadillos died, including one leader. Qi Yu was left battered, his spirit flagging, hair disheveled, almost mad.
“You’re ruthless, kid!” Qi Yu snarled, realizing the battle was turning against him.
Drawing back the Emerald Flying Knife, he fled while shouting, “Our grudge isn’t over! If you’re so keen on chivalry, come to Golden Light Fortress in half a month and hand over the Human Clan’s Thousand-Mechanism Gu. Otherwise, I’ll drag every mortal in that fortress out and slaughter them!”
At last, he resorted to the most despicable tactic.
Fang Junmei’s expression changed drastically.
He had seen such threats using innocent lives as leverage in the martial world, but to have a cultivator like Qi Yu resort to this was deeply unsettling.
The cultivation world truly was dirtier, crueler, and bloodier than he had imagined.
“No, I must kill this guy. If not, the trouble will only grow!” Fang Junmei thought grimly.
With a swift move, he pursued Qi Yu, following the remaining armadillos.
...
“Hahaha—”
A mad laugh echoed from Qi Yu ahead.
“Kid, underground I can’t catch you, nor can I shake off these brainless beasts. But once we’re above ground, in the sky, your speed can’t match mine. How will you catch me, hahaha—”
Qi Yu was cunning, instantly seeing through the situation and heading toward the open sky above the earth.
Fang Junmei’s anxiety deepened. Ignoring the flying sword’s glow, he pushed his speed to the limit.
The swordlight and the armadillos’ attacks shattered Qi Yu’s earthy-yellow shield once more, drawing blood and stripping away all his previous elegance.
“Kid, what I give you today, when you arrive at Golden Light Fortress in half a month, you’ll see my reply!” Qi Yu roared, his voice dark and sinister.
Fang Junmei’s heart sank.
This man was destined to be a major adversary on his path of cultivation, a grim reminder of how dirty and brutal this world was. Would he continue as a righteous man of compassion and honor, or become a selfish, cold, and pragmatic survivor?
...
Boom!
A massive explosion shattered the earth, dust billowing.
Qi Yu laughed like a demon, surging into the sky amidst yellow clouds, fleeing toward the horizon, soon vanishing from Fang Junmei’s sight.
Swish, swish, swish—
Fang Junmei dodged the remaining armadillos chasing him and leapt high into the sky, gazing toward Qi Yu’s fleeing direction as rain pelted his face, his expression heavy with worry.
His speed was no match for Qi Yu’s. How could he possibly stop him?