Battle Through the Heavens

Following the flow of time, night slowly faded away. When the first morning sunlight from the distant sky poured over the land, signs of life once again burst forth in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, which had been quiet for the entire night. A countless number of huge birds were singing in unison, their song remained in the forest and did not fade away for a long time.

A huge rock suddenly rolled aside and fell by the precipitous ravine. The loud sound that it emitted as it fell frightened the bird beasts lingering nearby until they hurriedly spread their wings and fled.

After the mountain rock fell, a dark, black cave entrance was revealed. A black-robed figure immediately walked out. He narrowed his slanted eyes as he swept them across the partially concealed blue sky, hidden behind the thick mist. He gently exhaled and said softly, “Teacher, are there any traces of the Misty Cloud Sect disciples nearby?”

“Yes.”

A voice was swiftly emitted from within Xiao Yan’s heart, “A few hundred meters on the other side of this ravine, there are quite a number of Qis of varying strength. There are also some scattered ones in other directions. Yun Shan has left an energy trace within your body. Although this trace is being suppressed by me, they are still able to vaguely sense a little of it. Therefore, they can use this to vaguely guess your position. However, it is quite fortunate that the region they can narrow their search to is still very large. They need to search cautiously in order to be certain. Otherwise, they would have found this location last night.”

“Hei, they really are persistent. Looks like the Misty Cloud Sect is really keen on killing me.” Xiao Yan coldly laughed.

“Now, you cannot be held back by them. Otherwise, if the Elders of the Misty Cloud Sect were to hurry over, you would be in trouble. Moreover, I need at least half a month before my Spiritual Strength is fully recovered. Therefore, you have to rely on yourself if you want to escape from the Misty Cloud Sect’s blockade that surrounds this area during this half a month period of time.” Yao Lao reminded seriously.

Xiao Yan quietly nodded. The last time Yao Lao had fallen into a slumber had caused him to understand what it meant to rely entirely on himself. Although Yao Lao was currently unable to take direct action to help him, the vast experience which he had accumulated over the years was still able to provide Xiao Yan a vast amount of help. Therefore, Xiao Yan was not the slightest bit worried despite the situation being quite dangerous.

“Since I am currently surrounded in three directions, I can only continue to move deeper into the Magical Beast Mountain Range and find an opportunity to make a detour. As long as I can throw off the people who are chasing me and hide my identity, I think that it will not be difficult to leave the Jia Ma Empire.” Xiao Yan said softly.

“Yes, everything is up to you. I will help by keeping track to the people chasing you.” Yao Lao’s voice slowly became softer before completely disappearing.

Xiao Yan nodded slightly. His shoulders trembled slightly and the huge Purple Cloud Wings unfurled from his back. He flapped the wings and his body was like a large bird as he shot directly toward the clouds.

When his body was slightly above the top of the ravine, Xiao Yan turned his body. He immediately landed steadily on the opposite side of the ravine. He slowly returned the Purple Cloud Wings to tattoos and turned around to look at the dense forest which began to rustle with faint disturbances after sensing the movement. He laughed coldly as his body turned into a black line which charged directly into the dense forest. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared under the cover of the heavy tree leaves.

Not long after Xiao Yan disappeared, the branches of the trees on the opposite side of the ravine suddenly swayed a little. A group of human figures released a ‘swash’ sound as they flashed and appeared. They held shining longswords in their hands that reflected a thick cold glow under the sunlight.

“No one? A moment ago, second senior brother sensed some movement in the air around here?”

“Perhaps it was created by some Magical Beast. However, the ravine here as a little too wide. Looks like only those brothers in the sect who are well versed in wind affinity Qi Techniques can go over first.”

“Yes.”

“Remember the Elders’ order. Do not fight head on with Xiao Yan should you meet him. All we need to do is to use all our effort to try and stall for time!”

“Yes!”

The orderly response sounded by the edge of the ravine. A few shadows suddenly shot out, using a gentle wind to allow their bodies to drift in midair. They were like catkin floating in the wind, gently falling toward the other side of the ravine. The few people exchanged glances when they landed before standing up and rushing into the dense woods with great cooperation.

In the dense mountain forest, a human figure was swiftly flashing across tree branches. Each time his toes gently pressed against a branch, his body would use that force to abruptly shoot a great distance away. Although there were some Magical Beasts, who carried ferocious auras, that appeared along the path where the human figure flashed past, these Magical Beasts did not seem to have the slightest intention of stopping him. Instead, they would lie low on the ground just before the human figure arrived. Their bodies would tremble as they hid their Qis. That manner was as though they had met something terrifying .

“The people chasing are getting further and further away. They seem to have also sensed your swift movement. Now, there is a large group of Misty Cloud Sect disciples hurrying over from all directions. However, it is fortunate that there are Magical Beasts blocking them along the way. With their speed of travel, you should be able to completely escape them by evening.” Yao Lao’s voice suddenly sounded from Xiao Yan’s heart, who was swiftly moving.

Xiao Yan quietly sighed in relief upon hearing this. He nodded slightly and lifted his head to stare at the light not far in front of him. His toes pressed gently once again and his body shot out like an arrow which had left a bow.

As his body grew increasingly closer to the light at the edge of the forest, Xiao Yan frowned slightly. An instinctive feeling within him caused an uneasiness to surface within his heart. However, he could not find anything regarding the source of this uneasiness. Moreover, Yao Lao did not come out to speak. Therefore, he simply forcefully suppressed that uneasy feeling within his heart and stared intently at the bright exit. He increased the strength of his legs and finally turned into a black shadow which shot directly out.

“Be careful!” The moment that Xiao Yan’s body charged out of the forest, Yao Lao’s stern voice suddenly sounded!

“Xiu!”

The sudden, bright, eye-piercing sunlight caused Xiao Yan to habitually close his eyes. Closely following Yao Lao’s cry, as well as the tearing sound that was emitted from the sky, a chill was felt in his heart. By instinct, Xiao Yan’s body forcefully and strangely twisted in midair before landing on the ground. His body rolled a couple of times on the grass, much like a hedgehog rolling down the mountain, before entering a small bush close to him which was only a few meters wide. He suddenly lifted his head and studied the blue sky. His eyes shrunk abruptly.

At this moment, there were five enormous eagle type Magical Beasts in the vast sky, slowly circling above. What caused Xiao Yan’s expression to change slightly was the few human figures who were on the backs of the five flying Magical Beast. Although he was a great distance from them, Xiao Yan could still identify their identities from their robes: the Misty Cloud Sect!

“Dammit. It is really unexpected that the Misty Cloud Sect actually had flying beasts at such a large scale!” Xiao Yan clenched his teeth and softly cursed. If it wasn’t because of the great increase in his strength which also provided him with a lot more agility, he would really have received some injuries from the sneak attack earlier.

“I’m sorry. This exceeded my expectations. Originally, I thought that only those few Dou Wangs from the Misty Cloud Sect could fly. Therefore, my attention toward the sky was a little less focused. In the end, I did not expect that they actually had such a tactic. The strongest Misty Cloud Sect disciple on those few flying Magical Beast is around that of a two star Da Dou Shi. This weak aura coupled with their flying height actually managed to escape my perception. I was careless.” Yao Lao’s bitter laughter sounded from Xiao Yan’s heart.

“Teacher, you need not blame yourself. I had already expected that my plan to escape this time would definitely not go smoothly.” Xiao Yan smiled. He lifted his head and eyed the sky. A thick, darkness flashed across his face as he said, “However, it is insufficient if they wanted to stop me with just these few people.”

“Be careful. Try your best not to be held back by them. Otherwise, it will be very troublesome once their reinforcements arrive.” Yao Lao once again reminded when he heard the killing intent in Xiao Yan’s voice.

“Yes.” Xiao Yan nodded his head. His hand slowly grasped his sleeves and a thick cold smile surfaced on his face.

The five flying Magical Beasts in the sky lingered above this area, which was isolated by the forest. There were two Misty Cloud Sect disciples standing on the back of each Magical Beast. At this moment, ten pairs of anxious eyes were directly watching the bushes which Xiao Yan was hiding in.

“Mo Lei sir, the person below is undoubtedly Xiao Yan. What should we do now?” A Misty Cloud Sect disciple on the back of a flying Magical Beast asked a middle-aged, large man respectfully.

“Release the signal flares first.” The middle-aged, large man’s gaze stared sharply and intently at the small bush as he ordered coldly, “Before the Elders arrive, we must hinder Xiao Yan no matter what. The old Sect Leader said that Xiao Yan is severely injured. Even if he can strain himself and flee, it is likely that his strength would be greatly decreased. As long as we delay him until the Elders arrive, it will be difficult for him to escape death!”

“The old Sect Leader has also said that an exception will be made to promote whoever captures Xiao Yan, whether he is dead or alive, to the position of a Deacon. Moreover, that person will even be freely allowed to choose a High Xuan Qi Method and Dou Technique!” When these words of the middle-aged man left his mouth, the breathing of the other nine slightly younger Misty Cloud Sect disciples immediately became hurried. An additional greediness and ferociousness appeared in the eyes, which they used to stare at the small cluster of bushes.

“Bang!”

An intelligent Misty Cloud Sect disciple swiftly took out a signal flare from his chest pocket not long after the large man’s words fell. He then pulled it with a great force. As a clear sound appeared, a huge, fog longsword with cloud markings slowly formed in the distant sky.

The moment the Misty Cloud Sect disciple released the signal flare, the gazes of the others in his group continued to stare intently at the small bushes. The sharp longswords which they held in their hands reflected a deep glint. The faint Dou Qi shrunk and extended indefinitely on the edge of the swords.

After the signal flare and the sound gradually disappeared, the area once again descended into complete silence. There was not the slightest movement within those small bushes.

The eyes of the middle-aged man stared unblinkingly at the small bushes. The strange silence of the surroundings caused the cold and stern face of the middle-aged man to change slightly. A long while later, some cold sweat involuntarily surfaced on his forehead. Logically speaking, Xiao Yan should know that the longer time dragged on, the more of a disadvantage he would be in. But why is it now…

Just as the large middle-aged man was imagining things, a change occurred within the small bushes below. The leaves suddenly shot out explosively, permeating the sky. A black shadow also borrowed the cover of the leaves and burst out.

“Humph. Where can you go?” The moment the bushes moved, the middle-aged man immediately sensed something. His dark and cold gaze simply ignored the tree leaves that covered his sight and directly locked onto that black shadow. The longsword in his hand swung swiftly, even forming a couple of afterimages in front of him.

As the longsword moved, over ten sharp sword blades were shot out from the tip of the sword. They were immediately and violently aimed toward the black shadow.

The points at which the sword blades landed were extremely ingenious. They coincidentally sealed the path which the black shadow was using to charge forward. If he were to forcibly charge in, it was likely that he would be wounded on the spot.

The black shadow was clearly unwilling to be injured because of this. Therefore, his feet were abruptly inserted into the grass covered ground, borrowing the elastic force to swiftly pull himself back. He immediately rolled in the air and was once again forced back into the small bushes.

“Hee hee, this little fellow is indeed quite badly injured.” The corner of the middle-aged large man involuntarily revealed a gloating expression. Before his gloating smile was completely revealed, however, a seven-colored glow flashed from the corner of his mouth, causing his smile to swiftly stiffen.

“Be careful!” The middle-aged man squat down slightly and roared sternly.

“Ah.” His voice had just rang out when a blood-curling scream was heard. The middle-aged man raised his head and his expression changed drastically as he realized that a flying Magical Beast not far from him had been drenched in a seven-colored liquid at this moment. The bodies of the two people on it’s back had merely blocked it with their Dou Qi for a short moment before their bodies were corroded by the seven-colored liquid into two piles of white bones.

The miserable death of their companions caused the faces of the remaining Misty Cloud Sect disciples around to grow pale. In their panic, they hurriedly directed their flying Magical Beasts to descend toward the ground.

“Stupid fellows. Don’t go near the ground! Xiao Yan is below!” The middle-aged man hurriedly cried out furiously when he saw the action of these Misty Cloud Sect disciples.

“Hee hee, it’s too late.” A thick, dark, cold laugh suddenly rippled through the air. A human figure shot out abruptly from within the small bushes. The Purple Cloud Wings on his back flapped, and he instantly appeared by the side of the three flying Magical Beasts. The Heavy Xuan Ruler in his hand was as quick as lightning as it cut out three traces of broken wind. Following three muffled sounds, fresh blood rained down and permeated the sky. The heads of the three Magical Beasts fell from the sky.

The flying Magical Beasts were killed on the spot. The six Misty Cloud Sect disciples on their backs let out terrified screeches as their faces became pale. Their quick falling speed made the wild wind, blowing past, to force their screeches back into their throats.

Once he killed the three flying Magical Beasts, Xiao Yan ignored the falling Misty Cloud Sect disciples. With their mere Dou Shi strengths, falling from such a height meant certain death!

Xiao Yan’s body was suspended in midair. He glanced at the only flying Magical Beast in the sky. Without saying any unnecessary words, he flapped the wings on his back and swiftly pounced over.

“Hurry up and leave!”

The middle-aged man’s face was completely pale as he eyed Xiao Yan who was shooting over. An eagle-like cry was hurriedly released from the middle-aged large man’s mouth. Immediately, the remaining flying Magical Beast swiftly rose into the air, attempting to escape.

“Si”

The Magical Beast had just increased its altitude when a seven-colored light once again surfaced. It was like a sharp arrow that directly shot through the chest of Misty Cloud Sect disciple beside the large middle-aged man who was already frightened by the deaths of his companions until his face was pale.

Hot, fresh blood spilled from behind the large middle-aged man, and finally splashed onto his neck. The blood was originally warm, yet it caused the middle-aged large man to feel a chill, and regret swelled forth from his heart. He regretted being so greedy, and the decision he made to involve these people so deeply within the chase.

“Since you are here, why do you want to leave?”A black shadow abruptly rose in the empty space in front of him. Finally, in a demonic manner, he raised the heavy ruler with his hand and pressed his toes gently on the head of the Magical Beast. His smiling face was like an evil demon in the eyes of the large middle-aged man.

“If you want me to die, you can also forget about getting away so easily!” Having no room to retreat, the large middle-aged man clenched his teeth ferociously. He tightened his grip on his longsword and let out a fierce laughter. The Dou Qi on his entire body surged as he shot explosively toward Xiao Yan while carrying a powerful force.

Xiao Yan watched the large middle-aged man who had charged over with the intent to kill. He gently lifted the heavy ruler in his hand and stepped on the head of the Magical Beast with his toes. His body shot forward like an arrow. As the sound of two swords collided rang out, the two figures also intertwined and passed one another.

Xiao Yan’s hand held the Heavy Xuan Ruler. He flipped his hand and inserted it onto his back before whistling with his mouth into the air. A seven-colored light rushed into his sleeves. He then flapped the pair of wings on his back, turned his head, and eyed the large number of small black spots which had suddenly appeared in the distant horizon. A cold smile appeared on his face as his body swiftly landed on the ground. He immediately disappeared into the extremely dense forest. From the moment he stored his ruler until he left, he did not even take a single glance at the large middle-aged man who was still maintaining his stance of lifting his sword.

Not long after Xiao Yan had disappeared, the large group of small black spots coming from the distant horizon, gradually and finally magnified. They immediately carried a wild wind that spread throughout the sky as they arrived at the spot which had just undergone a big fight.

The black spots were enlarged and actually consisted of more than thirty Magical Beasts of similar shape. There were three elders with Dou Qi wings on their backs at the leading position of the flying unit.

“Mo Lei, where is Xiao Yan? What about the other members of your small unit?” The three elders were shockingly the three Misty Cloud Elders who had taken action to stop Hai Bodong when Xiao Yan had first went up against the Misty Cloud Sect. At this moment, one Elder was eyeing the large middle-aged man who was standing on the back of a Magical Beast with his head lowered as he cried out loud.

However, Mo Lei did not have any reaction to his name being called.

“Something is wrong!” As they eyed Mo Lei, who had his head lowered, the expression of the older man suddenly changed as he cried out softly.

As his cry fell, the body of Mo Lei, who was standing on the back of the Magical Beast, suddenly trembled. Immediately, his body exploded with a ‘bang’, much like that of a bomb, in front of the shocked gazes of the nearly one hundred Misty Cloud Sect disciples. The fresh blood which was spread in all directions immediately poured down from the sky.

“Hiss.” The instant after Mo Lei’s body exploded, the Magical Beast under his feet suddenly emitted a painful groan. Its body trembled intensely. A moment later, a ‘bang’ was unleashed and another explosion occurred.

Fresh blood accompanied by fragments of meat came pouring down from the sky, nearly rendering the entire dark, green grassland below into a hell-like scene.

As they endured the dreadful event that occurred in front of them, the nearly one hundred Misty Cloud Sect disciples had pale faces as they descended into a strange silence. Some of the smarter ones seemed to realize something from this tragedy.

Revenge!

This was the revenge that Xiao Yan had given to the Misty Cloud Sect for continuing to chase after him with the intention to kill!

The revenge of a hungry wolf, which was forced into a desperate situation, would cause the coldness to diffuse throughout a person’s heart.

The oldest Elder had a green face as he eyed the fresh blood and remnant bones on the ground. He clenched his fist and abruptly lowered his head towards the many large mountains as he roared out with great enmity: “Xiao Yan, even if I have to continue chasing you for thousands of kilometers, this old man will definitely tear you into tens of thousands of pieces, pull out your muscles, and break your bones!”

The roar was carried by Dou Qi as it mightily spread throughout the entire mountain, not disappearing until a long while later.

In the distant dense woods, the swiftly flashing black shadow suddenly paused. He indifferently glanced at the sky behind him and slowly emitted a soft, cold laughter. His feet immediately pressed against the tree branch, and swiftly fled into the dense woods before disappearing.