Chapter 1489 - 1489: Punishment Even from Afar
Chapter 1489 - 1489: Punishment Even from Afar
The group of men split into two groups, carrying away two corpses and pursued in two different directions. These directions happened to be where Ye Qing and Northern Martial Zen were heading.The two men had both fought with Ye Qing and Northern Martial Zen, and carried their scents on them, which is why those people were able to discern the presence of two individuals. They were unsure who the real culprit was, so they pursued in both directions, determined to kill both Ye Qing and Northern Martial Zen, opting to risk killing an innocent rather than let the guilty go free.
However, Ye Qing and Northern Martial Zen were unaware of this. Northern Martial Zen continued along the path, which wasn't the direction Ye Qing was headed. Ye Qing didn't dare head directly towards Dragon Burial Mountain, but instead took a roundabout route to confirm Northern Martial Zen wasn't following, then continued towards Dragon Burial Mountain.
The earlier events left Ye Qing quite startled. The situation with those two men was beyond Ye Qing's expectations, and along the way, he pondered what could have happened with those Nanyang sorcerers.
The brilliant light Ye Qing had seen before was witnessed from a distance, so he didn't know what had transpired afterwards. However, given Northern Martial Zen's strength, it's likely those two men wouldn't escape him.
For Ye Qing, whether Northern Martial Zen died by the hands of those two men or those men were killed by Northern Martial Zen, it was a favorable outcome. Northern Martial Zen was insidious and ruthless, and there was an existing deep-seated enmity between him and Ye Qing, who had long sought an opportunity to deal with him. As for the two men, their origins were mysterious and obviously harbored ill intentions. If they survived, it would certainly spell trouble for Huaxia, so their deaths were actually a good thing.
Considering these factors, Ye Qing had already sprinted over a dozen miles without being pursued, which provided him some peace of mind. Still cautious for security reasons, he avoided open areas and chose to run amidst clusters of stones and mounds of earth. This would make it difficult for Northern Martial Zen to catch him.
After all the commotion, the distance to Dragon Burial Mountain remained unchanged. According to his original plan, he should have reached there by now. However, rescuing Liu Mubai and others delayed him, and he spent more time evading Northern Martial Zen, forcing him to continue rushing towards Dragon Burial Mountain.
From Ye Qing's perspective, Dragon Burial Mountain stood tall and expansive. Old Wang Ba had only said Huangfu Ziyu was on this mountain but didn't specify any location. Finding Huangfu Ziyu here was no simple task.
Yet, Ye Qing did not pause. Knowing Huangfu Ziyu was on this mountain gave him encouragement. Separated for so long, he was thrilled at the prospect of reuniting.
Though he'd been running all night, Ye Qing didn't feel fatigued. His inner strength was robust, and the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill provided continuous energy, a benefit few others shared.
Running towards Dragon Burial Mountain for less than five minutes, three black-clothed figures emerged rapidly from the grassland behind him.
Ye Qing heard the noise, turned his head, and saw the three black-clothed figures, giving him a shock. Two of them were identical to those who had earlier tangled with Northern Martial Zen.
Ye Qing was unsure if these two people were the same as before, but even if not, given their attire, they were surely associated with the earlier ones. As this trio pursued him, Ye Qing could easily guess they were troublemakers!
Ye Qing didn't know the trio's strength. From observing Northern Martial Zen's earlier duel, he knew those two men's abilities were clear to him.
Truthfully speaking, the two men's skills were about the same level as Liu Mubai's, slightly inferior to Ye Qing's. However, their physical resilience was exceedingly strong; even Northern Martial Zen's considerable force barely injured them. If Ye Qing were to fight them, it would be troublesome. Now with three against him, possibly stronger than the earlier duo, their strength was uncertain.
When Ye Qing spotted the three, they also saw him and swiftly ran towards him. Ye Qing noted their speed surpassed his; he couldn't outrun them!
Ye Qing wasn't foolish. He knew waiting or fleeing would yield the same end. If surrounded by these three, escape was impossible. Without hesitation, he turned and hid behind a cluster of large rocks nearby.
Throughout his escape, Ye Qing chose routes near such rock clusters or dirt mounds to hide more easily. Nearby were several upright stone piles, common in grasslands, not very tall, up to twenty or thirty meters, but composed of large stones with complex terrain. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel_fіre.net
Hidden behind the rock cluster, Ye Qing drew the Wu Hong Dagger from his waist, gripping it tightly. Understanding he couldn't wound these people like Northern Martial Zen, his only strategy was to utilize the famed instrument's sharpness against them. However, even with a famed instrument, he'd have to make contact with the swift-moving adversaries, which was uncertain, let alone using it effectively.
Ye Qing considered himself relatively lucky. The trio pursuing him was led by a Baron, not a more powerful Earl.
The Baron was accompanied by two men with wolf-like scent abilities, tracking Ye Qing's scent here. Upon spotting Ye Qing from afar, one called out, "It's him! It's him!"
A cold gleam flickered in the Baron's eyes as he wordlessly charged towards Ye Qing. The other two trailed closely; their speed was already fast, but lagged behind the Baron's. The Baron skimmed the grass, his feet barely brushing the ground, moving with a Qinggong that resembled flying on grass.
Ye Qing had already hidden behind the rock cluster. Bold in his skills, the Baron charged forward without regard for Ye Qing's ambush.
Ye Qing had been waiting, hoping to launch a surprise attack. But before he heard anything, the Baron surged forward, surprising Ye Qing.
The Baron moved without touching the ground, treading on dry grass with Qinggong, leaving no footsteps. Ye Qing hadn't anticipated this, caught off guard by the Baron's sudden appearance.
"Huaxia countryman, how dare you!" The Baron coldly eyed Ye Qing, "You dare murder our servants—you'll face severe punishment for this!"
The Baron spoke Huaxia language, but clumsily, evidently having learned recently.
"Those who offend Huaxia, no matter how far, must be eradicated!" Ye Qing retorted with vigor, echoing the mantra of a valorous officer from his Special Forces days. His team held this credo dearly. Expressing it now felt apt against these three foreigners!
"What does that mean?" The Baron, not grasping Ye Qing's words, had proficiency insufficient to understand.
"It means you're damned!" Ye Qing shouted, lunging at the Baron. Concealed in his sleeve, the Wu Hong Dagger aimed directly at the Baron's chest.
Ye Qing knew decisiveness was necessary against such foes. Any leniency would result in losing his life; a hard-learned lesson from his time on the borderlines.
Though his move contained an element of surprise, the Baron merely smirked coldly. As the dagger neared his chest, the Baron seemed weightless, retreating gracefully as if blown by wind, leaving Ye Qing's strike futile.
"What's happening?" Ye Qing's eyes widened; he'd seen many martial arts and evil techniques. Nanyang sorcerers' shocking spells were familiar, with transformations and petrifactions. Yet, he'd never seen someone fly backward like this Baron, which martial art was this?
At the same time, the other two men finally closed in, lunging at Ye Qing with outstretched claws.
The Baron watched with aloof disdain, not joining the melee, sneering, "Huaxia's despicable people, always arrogant, thinking they can kill us with scrap metal. Ridiculous! Truly ridiculous!"
HCB