Chapter 387: Chapter 386: Ling Chen Arrives_1
WHOOSH!
Like winding black lightning, Xu Ruoyan pivoted in mid-air, shooting towards the left tunnel. The point of her turn even left behind a lifelike afterimage.
BOOM!
Fierce Air Energy erupted within the corridor. Li Wushuang’s speed instantly escalated to its peak as he charged directly out of the room. Simultaneously, he extended the index finger of his right hand, striking the corridor wall in front of Xu Ruoyan three consecutive times.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Most of the wall was pierced through, leaving only a thin layer intact.
CRASH!
Xiang Feng swung his hammer, smashing through the remaining thin layer of the wall.
The next moment, Li Wushuang burst through the hole in the wall, appearing right in front of Xu Ruoyan.
"Iron Finger Cage!"
He thrust his fingers towards Xu Ruoyan in mid-air. Finger gleams flared, sealing the space around Xu Ruoyan, attempting to lock her body down.
Not good!
Xu Ruoyan spun around. Just as she passed by, she felt a powerful gust of wind and a spray of shattered stone from behind her. Li Wushuang’s figure solidified from an illusion into reality.
Accelerate!
Xu Ruoyan furiously channeled her True Qi once more. As she did so, her injuries worsened, but her speed instantly increased three to fourfold. Such speed left Li Wushuang and Xiang Feng far behind in the dust. The only regret was that the area wasn’t large enough for her to utilize her speed to its full potential. At corners, she had to turn, unavoidably slowing her down and wasting time. Breaking through walls was even less advisable, as it would give Li Wushuang and Xiang Feng time to catch up; they could simply follow through the breaches she made. Besides, she was already nearing her limit.
She must find the best way out of here, or she would be doomed.
Even so, Xu Ruoyan had managed to put over a thousand meters between herself and Li Wushuang. This was only because of the terrain; in unobstructed open ground, she could have instantly left them two and a half to three kilometers behind.
Dammit, this girl is so tenacious! Xiang Feng’s expression was incredibly unsightly.
He had initially thought they could easily deal with Xu Ruoyan, but to his surprise, she had repeatedly evaded danger and cheated death.
Now, he could no longer even see Xu Ruoyan’s figure; she had actually managed to escape his line of sight.
Don’t worry, Li Wushuang thought, not at all anxious. With my little things at work, she can’t escape my grasp.
He, too, could no longer sense Xu Ruoyan’s presence. However, he wasn’t worried. Puppet Snakes were slithering in the corners of many nearby passages, monitoring the vicinity.
Found her, Li Wushuang thought. Through one of the Puppet Snakes, he had discovered Xu Ruoyan’s tracks.
"Brother Xiang, break that wall!"
Having locked onto Xu Ruoyan’s position, Li Wushuang suddenly pointed towards a nearby wall and shouted.
Hearing this, Xiang Feng showed no hesitation. He lifted his Giant Hammer and, exerting all his might, smashed a large hole into that wall.
CRACK!
The wall shattered. Li Wushuang took the shortcut, closing the distance to Xu Ruoyan several-fold. In these complex underground palace passages, shortcuts allowed him to catch up to Xu Ruoyan much faster, even if her speed was greater than his.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
A figure suddenly appeared before Xu Ruoyan—it was Li Wushuang. He had a mocking smile on his face. "Miss Xu, where are you trying to run?"
Xu Ruoyan’s pretty face darkened. She was about to retreat when the wall behind her shattered. Xiang Feng’s sturdy, tiger-like figure emerged from the dust cloud.
Blocked from both front and rear, she was trapped.
"Heh heh, surrender obediently, and you might suffer a bit less," Xiang Feng said, hoisting his Giant Hammer. He grinned and walked towards Xu Ruoyan.
"Ling Chen, where are you?"
Faced with this predicament, a hint of despair appeared in Xu Ruoyan’s beautiful eyes. She cried out Ling Chen’s name, her voice laced with anguish.
"Haha, it’s useless to call for him! Ling Chen? That junior who is merely a First Realm Grand Master? Even if he came, what could he do? He’d just be offering up his head," Xiang Feng sneered derisively.
"Miss Xu, your mistake was falling for such a useless piece of trash. If you had accepted my offer back then, you wouldn’t have fallen into such a predicament," Li Wushuang said, shaking his head. Such a Qingcheng and talented woman was about to die here; it truly was a pity.
At this moment, several hundred meters away, a young swordsman suddenly looked up.
Huh? That sounded like Yan’er.
Ling Chen frowned, his gaze shifting. It seems to have come from that direction.
"Dual Sword Intent, Slash!"
SLICE!
The stone wall before him split in two like tofu, cleaved by a single stroke of his sword.
SLICE!
Ling Chen moved rapidly through the passages, soon reaching another wall, which he also slashed open.
After breaking through two walls in succession, Ling Chen had significantly closed the distance to Xu Ruoyan.
There!
Ling Chen quickly located Xu Ruoyan. Then, with a powerful slash of his Thunder Shadow Sword, he rent a fissure in the third wall.
Turning sideways, Ling Chen slipped through the fissure.
By now, Xiang Feng and Li Wushuang were approaching Xu Ruoyan. They advanced unhurriedly; Xu Ruoyan was like a turtle trapped in a jar, helpless prey awaiting slaughter.
BANG!
Suddenly, the stone wall beside them exploded. Within the passage, shattered stone flew everywhere, and dust billowed, engulfing Xu Ruoyan’s figure.
What?!
Xiang Feng and Li Wushuang’s expressions changed almost simultaneously, surprised by this sudden turn of events. They waved their hands to disperse the dust before them. However, when their vision cleared, a figure was already standing before Xu Ruoyan.
As the dust settled, a young swordsman was revealed.
"Ling Chen, you’re finally here!" Xu Ruoyan cried, grabbing Ling Chen’s sleeve, her relief and joy palpable.
She found it incredible that Ling Chen had managed to find her in such a desperate situation; it was both unbelievable and deeply moving.
"Are you alright?" Ling Chen asked, crouching down. He helped Xu Ruoyan up and placed a Heavenly Origin Pill into her small mouth.
Heavenly Origin Pills could be used for cultivation and for restoring True Qi, and their effects were excellent, which was why they were so precious in the Jianghu.
Observing the blood-soaked Xu Ruoyan, Ling Chen’s expression darkened. He could tell that Xu Ruoyan was severely injured. Her aura was extremely unstable, and her once smooth, delicate skin was now covered in wounds and bloodstains.
"I’m not dying yet," Xu Ruoyan managed a faint smile, "but... I probably can’t move for now." She then closed her eyes, leaning into Ling Chen’s embrace. She was utterly exhausted, and seeing Ling Chen finally allowed her to feel a sense of relief.
"Rest well," Ling Chen said softly. "Leave everything here to me."
He gently helped Xu Ruoyan lean against the wall.
Having done this, Ling Chen’s gaze, filled with cold indifference, fell upon Xiang Feng and Li Wushuang. "Was it you who injured her?"
"So what if it was? Kid, did you come all this way just to die?" Xiang Feng scoffed, clearly not taking Ling Chen seriously.
"Then today, two spots on the Young Master List will be vacated."
Ling Chen raised his Treasure Sword, its tip aimed directly at Xiang Feng. An astonishing killing intent emanated from him, and his voice, exceptionally cold, followed.