Chapter 121 – Chase
“So you people really were here!”
The lanky figure of Liu Yuancheng appeared with his long robe flapping and grey hair rustling. He walked step by step into the ice cave that was located underground.
He blocked the entrance, a strong yuan qi fluctuation burning around his body with snow and wind following him. His gaze like electricity. With just one glance, he was able to find Ye Qingyu. Coldly sneering, “You really are a brat that is hard to deal with, to have hidden here. But it ends here.”
“So it really was you?” At this moment, Ye Qingyu was able to fully understand.
If it really was Liu Yuancheng behind the attacks, then everything that had happened before could be explained. At the very least, he had the ability to place spies in the [Breakthrough Barracks] and was able to instruct the four military officers to assassinate him. And this [Snow Ground Dragon Ape] was most likely the ferocious beast that this old bastard had raised.
“You should have long realized it was me.” Liu Yuancheng pressed forward step by step, a powerful aura that cause the flame on the torches to flicker and sway rapidly. The entire underground cave became many times dimmer. His murderous intent was like a real physical object. “Did you really think I was afraid of you? Did you really think I would let you go? After my Liu-er, was he killed by you?”
Ye Qingyu remained silently for a breath of time. He knew that today could not end well.
Liu Yuancheng was the registrar of the city leader office. Not only was his position prestigious, but his personal strength could not be underestimated. He was absolutely not someone he could fight against currently.
“That’s right, Liu Lei was killed by me.” Ye Qingyu nodded his head. “Not raising him well is the mistake of the father. To raise your son into such a calamity, he should have long been killed by someone else. He brought his thugs to kill me, and was instead killed by me instead. He deserved it.”
“Hahaha, you say he deserved it.” Liu Yuancheng began chuckling madly.
The laughter filled with sorrow and rage echoed throughout the icy cave.
“Today, I will kill you ten thousand times and make you beg for life and death. I will make you regret that you have ever arrived to this world.” Liu Yuancheng was like an enraged old lion.
Ye Qingyu had a faint smile. “If you want revenge, then just come. But this matter has nothing to do with the sentries. Let them go.”
“Childish.” Liu Yuancheng was a like a cat playing with a mouse, coldly sneering. “Why are you pretending to be a hero in front of me? Rotten retard! Would I let them live and allow them to become witnesses who will attest against me? Everyone that is with you today needs to die too. You tell me to let them go, but I’ll instead slaughter them all. I’ll make you watch their death with your own eyes.”
Saying this, he casually swiped his arm.
An azure yuan qi surged out. Like an explosion of thunder, it exploded towards Yan Fan.
A terrible yuan qi fluctuation.
Ye Qingyu had a scare, his figure flashing. Blocking in front of Yan Fan, both his fists struck out.
At this moment, the full power of Ye Qingyu exploded. The meridian around his back swelled, the bones and flesh shuddering. As if nine enormous dragons were migrating, there were the faint roars of dragons inside his body. His fist struck out, an uninterrupted snarl that met the azure lightning.
This was the most powerful strike that Ye Qingyu could produce.
Boom!
The green lighting was forcefully dispersed by this attack.
“Puk… Chi!”
Ye Qingyu opened his mouth and spat out a jet of blood. He was shaking as he flew back, landing on an ice wall ten meters of away. Accompanied by the sound of the impact, the ice walls collapsed. Half of Ye Qingyu’s body was covered.
“Superior?”
“Protect the superior!”
The sentries frantically ran towards Ye Qingyu, uncovering Ye Qingyu from the ice.
Ye Qingyu’s face was deathly pale, a scarlet red trace of blood on the corner of his lips. He could feel an acute and persisting pain in his body. His muscles and bones had gone soft and he had nearly lost all sensation in his body. He did not even have the energy to stand up anymore. This was especially so for his internal organs. As if it had been burnt by a scorching flame, it was so painful that Ye Qingyu could see golden stars.
“The inner organs have gotten displaced again before it could recover… this will not end well.”
Ye Qingyu dripped cold sweat.
“So your body was suffering an injury already, hahahaha…” After a slight surprise, Liu Yuancheng began laughing madly. “It really is according to Heaven’s will. It seems likely that today is the day that you are fated to die in my hands.”
Ye Qingyu coldly snorted, struggling to stand up.
But his legs crumbled, the pain in his body making him nearly faint. He was not even able to stand stably.
“Ahaha, look at your crippled appearance. You still want to do battle with me?” Liu Yuancheng was venting the pent up wrath, feeling pleasure in this moment.
He had a face of contempt as he said, “I have seen far too many geniuses. After becoming dominant for a while, they don’t realize how high the Heavens are or how deep the Earth is and want to fight. But in the eyes of the older generation, they won’t even know how they died in their final moments. In Deer City, I have already endured for so many days. No matter how high your tail is raised, you will ultimately die in my hands.”
Ye Qingyu spat out a goblet of blood, biting his teeth and forcefully activating his inner yuan.
But in an instant, he could feel that the inner yuan in his body was in complete disarray, hard to control. Like steel needles, not the slightest degree of strength could be mustered by him.
“I’ll cover. Protect the superior, quickly go.”
Yan Fan placed Ye Qingyu on the back of one of the sentries. He himself madly screamed, unsheathing his long blade and charging towards Liu Yuancheng.
The sentries were blank for a moment, then let out a grievous roar. Without the slightest delay, they carried Ye Qingyu and left in the closest passageway.
“Old Yan, take care of yourself.”
“Boss Fan, we will still be brothers in the next life.”
The other sentries did not turn their heads as they loudly screamed. They followed the armoured sentry into the corridors of the ice cave.
On their faces were steaming hot tears.
Each of them was clear that the moment they turned around, they would say an eternal farewell.
But turning and fleeing at the first instance was not because they feared for their lives.
As a soldier, sometimes there were times where you needed to do things more terrifying than death.
Yan Fan’s final strike was like a moth rushing to the flame. The reason he did this was to struggle for ten breaths of time, to allow them to bring Ye Qingyu safely away.
This tacit understanding that did not need prior planning was cultivated during these ten years of military life together.
The movements of the sentries were rapid and decisive. Even for an expert like Liu Yuancheng, he absolutely could not react. By the time he recovered, the four sentries had already carried Ye Qingyu into an ice passageway. In the blink of an eye, his figure could not be seen anymore…
Yan Fan, wielding the long blade, charged at him madly.
“Damn cripple, scram!”
Liu Yuancheng struck with his palm, yuan qi shooting out.
Green lightning tore apart space with a whistling sound.
Yan Fan completely could not evade before he was struck. The long blade in his hands was shattered, the broken blade exploding and embedding into his body. His figure was sent soaring away, and a palm print was shockingly evident on his chest. His body was nearly completely pierced through by this palm strike.
Liu Yuancheng silhouette was quick as electricity, rushing towards that icy corridor.
But the moment he lifted his feet, he abruptly felt something constraining his leg.
Lowering his head to look, he saw the Yan Fan who had not yet died completely. Once again, he had inconceivably thrown himself over. Both his arms were fiercely gripping the right leg of Liu Yuancheng, his facial features ferocious as he stalled for time.
“Idiot.”
Liu Yuancheng’s face darkened, his hand moving.
Boom!
The body of Yan Fan blew apart.
The light in the cave was particularly glaring to the eyes as the scarlet red blood and the white bones shattered and scattered in the ice cave.
But even if so, the last complete arm of this head of the watch post was still tightly gripping onto the leg of Liu Yuancheng. As if it was made of steel, the fingers even tore apart the clothing.
“Unlucky.”
Liu Yuancheng cursed. His leg faintly quivered, and then this arm was also scattered into flesh and bones.
After this slight stalling of time, the sentries had already run to somewhere he could not see anymore.
“Hmph, let’s just see where you can escape to.”
Liu Yuancheng coldly sneered, activating his inner yuan, his figure like lightning. He chased after them, into the icy passageway that Ye Qingyu and the others had disappeared into.
……
“Let… Let me down.”
Ye Qingyu bit his teeth as he said these words.
He was enduring so that he did not shed tears.
In the moment that he saw Yan Fan dash out bravely with no thought to his own personal safety, Ye Qingyu was once again stunned by this leader of the sentries.
Even though they had only met for two days of time, but this was already not the first time that Ye Qingyu was astounded by these sentries. Without knowing why, Ye Qingyu could sense something special on the bodies of these soldiers that a normal person did not possess. Every time, it was able to give him a humongous impact.
“Superior, as long as the green mountain is still present, there is no need to worry about there not being enough firewood.” The armoured sentry gripped Ye Qingyu tightly.
The group did not tarry in the slightest
The terrain of the ice cave was tangled and complicated. Furthermore, the surface of the ground was also very slippery. Certain parts of the corridor were completely like a slide. The sentries carrying Ye Qingyu directly slid through the icy terrain.
The rough and frantic breathing of the others, sounded in this silent and icy cave.
They did not know where the end of the ice cave was. They also did not know whether there was a path in front of them.
But evidently at this time, this was not the moment to ponder such questions.
The first thing they needed to do was to escape the chase of Liu Yuancheng.
Otherwise, everything would be wasted.
Ye Qingyu struggled several times to get down from the back of the armoured sentry.
But the acute pain in his inner organs, made him unable to move. Originally his wounds were about to recover. But after receiving the strike of Liu Yuancheng, injury had stacked upon injury. It made his situation even more serious. He had basically lost all his ability to do battle.
Approximately ten minutes later.
The air in the corridor had already gradually began to turn thin.
This naturally formed underground labyrinth was as if it would never reach an end.
Another ten minutes later.
In front of then, a small scale space like that of a large stone house appeared.
In the walls of this space, there were tens of holes that were approximately two or three meters wide. It was so deep that one could not see the bottom. It was unknown where these holes led to.
It was another honeycomb-like area.
The sentries slightly caught their breath in this icy area. A sentry soundlessly gave out several hand signals, and a faint smile was seen on the face of this sentry. Waving to the other people, he entered one of the icy holes, stopping two or three meters within the icy hole.
And the armoured sentry and his other companions, carried Ye Qingyu. They chose another icy corridor, rapidly entering deeply.
Ye Qingyu at this time, had already entered in a pseudo state of unconsciousness.
……
A short while later, the figure of Liu Yuancheng came. Like the reaping Death god, he finally arrived in this honeycomb-like ice area.
After sweeping his gaze around this environment, he hesitated slightly. He did not think that so many passageways would appear.
As he was about to closely observe and enter into one of the divergent corridors, he saw something. Abruptly, in the corner of his eyes he could see something flashing in one of the passageways to the left… Liu Yuancheng shouted loudly. Without taking more time to think deeper, his figure transformed into a streak of light that chased towards the flash in that passageway.
“Just where are you running out, quickly scram out.”
His eyes were able to discern that the figure running was namely one of the sentries. Liu Yuancheng was delighted.
But in this corridor, the ice floor was far too slippery He did not dare to put any force at all into his footsteps. Otherwise, if he managed to vibrate the icy walls enough, the entire passageway of the icy cave could collapse. In this icy cave that extended who knows how deep underground, if it was destroyed then even he himself would be hard pressed to escape a sure death.
Because of this apprehension, during the rapid chase of Liu Yuancheng, there was no method that he could use to capture the sentry that was escaping and sliding away like a mouse.
“Looking to die!”
Liu Yuancheng became impatient.
After chasing for ten breaths of time, the sentry that was frantically escaping in front of him suddenly halted.
The distance between the two shortened constantly.
There was no longer any path left in the corridor. It had reached the end.
“Haha, why do you not run?” Liu Yuancheng pressed closer and closer, taking step after step forward. “Where’s the others? Where did Ye Qingyu go?”
The sentry turned back, looking at Liu Yuancheng
He was breathing roughly, sweat dampening his entire body. He had activated his inner yuan fully to escape, but in the end he was not Liu Yuancheng’s opponent.
But seeing the person whose strength was greater than him by who knows how many times, seeing this major player whose status was more prestigious than him many times over, the countenance of the soldier very quickly calmed down.
He stood silently where he was. Facing the enraged Liu Yuancheng, there was not the slightest trace of fear. In his eyes, there was only contempt and mockery. With both hands on his waist, he began chuckling loudly.
“What are you laughing at? You are asking to die! Quickly speak! Where are they?” Liu Yuancheng felt that something was not quite right.
“Why don’t you guess.” The sentry winked.
Liu Yuancheng was taken aback.
And at this time, a bizarre energy abruptly broke out from within the body of the sentry. As if it was the eruption of a volcano that could not be halted, it exploded.
Boom!
Self-destruct.
Blood and flesh flew, white bone shattering.
A terrifying energy exploded towards all directions, bursting towards Liu Yuancheng.
Liu Yuancheng waved his hand, green yuan qi activating. Like a forcefield, it rebounded the fragments of white bones that shot towards to him.
“You deserve to die.” Liu Yuancheng was both shocked and angry.
He was not an idiot. He very quickly understood that he had fallen into their scheme.
The sentry had led him here, and the others must have brought Ye Qingyu to escape into another corridor.
However, as he was angry, Liu Yuancheng also felt a deep unrest and shock.
He had occupied a high position for a very long time. In normal days, he would often interact with the elegant high class nobilities, and he had seen many geniuses in his time. Because his eyes were higher than the crown of his head, low class martial artists and soldiers were an existence that did not enter into his consideration at all.
In the eyes of Liu Yuancheng, these soldiers were like ants. Stupid and vulgar, extremely dirty, they only possessed a cheap life. They were only something of value if they could be of use to him.
But today, he witnessed these low class martial artists that he looked down on, surprising him. Time and time again, they made him return without any achievement whatsoever.
Liu Yuancheng could not help but admit that even he was moved.
The lowly soldiers that in his eyes were not even worth a single ounce would show such bravery. They did not fear death in the slightest.
He stood where he was, silent for ten breaths of times. Then he returned to the original route.
Very quickly, he once again returned to that honeycomb-like room.
Amongst the tens of icy corridors, after a detailed examination, he finally discovered some traces of Ye Qingyu and the others. He continued to chase on.
……
An hour later.
A similar incident occurred yet again.
“Speak, just where had Ye Qingyu gone?” Liu Yuancheng had chased the sentry to where he had nowhere else he could go.
“Peh.” The sentry spat out a mouthful of saliva, unsheathing the long blade at his waist. His face was ferocious as he charged forwards and he swung his blade through the air.
Liu Yuancheng faintly swiped his arm across.
A ray of green yuan qi struck out like thunder.
The long blade in the hands of the soldier shattered. His figure was sent flying back, landing on the ice wall. Every bone in his body shattered into who knows how many pieces.
“Speak, and I’ll give you a quick death. If you don’t say, I’ll make you have a fate worse than death.”
Liu Yuancheng was enraged to the extreme. The sinister light in his eyes was flickering. His entire person was like a volcano that was about to erupt, gloomy and dreadful.
“Haha, hahaha…” The soldier laid in the pool of his own blood. He could not move in the slightest, but he emitted a forced laugh. “Come, come, come, come and try. Whatever method you have, just try it. Let’s see if your grandfather I will let out even a single sound to beg for mercy.”
Liu Yuancheng was enraged.
Lifting his hand, a powerful yuan qi surged out. In a split second, it turned everything below the sentry’s waist into meat paste.
Who would have guessed that the sentry did not even look. He lay silently on the ground, a faint smile on his face as he looked at the arch of the icy ceiling. He said in a low voice, “Brother Yan, wait for me under there. Don’t make me lonely on the yellow river road…”
Liu Yuancheng was taken aback.
His fingers flicked out.
A gust of wind rushed out, piercing through the head of the sentry’s head.
Ultimately, he had given the sentry a painless death.
Because through such a demonstration, Liu Yuancheng already understood that the sentry had long embraced death. Even if he used the cruelest of tortures on his body, it was no use. It was just a waste of time.
Apart from being angered, in the depths of Liu Yuancheng’s heart, he was ultimately somewhat impressed by these lowly soldiers.
“Just what kind of method did Ye Qingyu use, that these soldiers would be so hell bent on saving him?”
Liu Yuancheng could not understand.
He turned and left in another corridor.
…… ……
“Who are you?”
Ye Qingyu looked at the black-robed man in front of him.
He had finally recovered slightly, and could barely walk.
And beside him, there was only the armoured sentry left.
Previously, to delay the chase of Liu Yuancheng, they had volunteered to stay behind. Time and time again, they had diverted Liu Yuancheng. This held no difference to staying and dying.
Ye Qingyu once again hated the pain of being so weak.
He had long regarded these sentries like his family.
But he was forced to watch as they were slaughtered, with nothing he could do.
Strong!
I need to become powerful.
Ye Qingyu had never wished for power like he did now.
But first, he had to live on.
He endured his sorrow, not turning around to attack Liu Yuancheng. With the support of the last armoured sentry, he had finally escaped from this place.
Who would have thought that a black-robed person would appear and block his path.
“Who are you?” Ye Qingyu asked.
“A person that has always been very interested in you.” The voice of the black-robed person was so low, that it was as if it came from his chest. But unquestionably, his strength was terrifying. It was tens of times greater than Liu Yuancheng, because Ye Qingyu was able to feel a suffocating pressure he had never experienced before.
This was a terrifying expert.
And he was an enemy and not a friend.
“So you’ve managed to escape to here. to protect you, the little ants have really all died. A pity, ‘the ordinary man is innocent, but treasuring a jade ring can become a crime.” The black-robed man cackled, stretching out his hand. “Fine, hand it over.”
Ye Qingyu was blank. “Hand what over?”
“If you hand over the treasure on you, I could possibly not kill you. I’ll give you a chance to live on.” The black-robed man laughed strangely. “If you can escape from the chase of Liu Yuancheng, then you can live on.”