Chapter 684: Hunted Down!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The roar had caused everyone present to feel a buzzing in their ears; those unfortunate enough to hear it were momentarily deprived of their usual agility.
Another blade that gleamed with a chilly glow had also emerged at the same time!
The temperature seemed to have suddenly dropped a few degrees the moment the blade appeared.
As the saber greeted the world, overflowing saber light spread out in a continuous fan. They instantly formed a saber hill and landed with a shattering crash, aimed straight at the source of the desolate aura.
However, the desolate aura was still unabated in the face of the unexpected threat and soared towards the sky instead, forming a counterattack. As he waved his sleeve, his blade drew a line of silver which flashed like lightning. A loud clang deflected Yun Xiaoyao's sword and Lao Mei's saber, and a kick fended off the tip of Fang Mofei's sword. There were two lightning bolts that retracted once they came out from the other sleeve, parrying two of the kings of the Concourse of the Underworld's weapons. They then morphed into a ball of lightning and rose up, pounding against the saber hill Yun Yang had built as a blockade. He escaped after a loud bang resounded and soared right into the nine heavens.
A drawn-out howl could immediately be heard, "Lord Supreme Cloud, I am indeed your target. What an immense honor!"
The other party broke through with zeal, manifesting an astonishing capability and gravity-defying skill; a single step sent him three hundred feet into space and he flew onto a treetop like a meteor. With a slight bit of force, his body shook and he ascended, turning into a black dot in the night sky. The other man of the last two targets plummeted to the ground instead, spraying a shower of blood.
"How powerful!"
Even when Fang Mofei had only suffered a kick from the opposing party as his treasured sword absorbed most of the inertia, he could still feel a sense of numbness between his thumb and index finger. He flew away, his eyes fixed on Ouyang Xiaoshe who soared into the sky. His surprise could not have been more palpable.
Ouyang Xiaoshe's cultivation base far exceeded everyone's expectation.
Yun Xiaoyao's expression was guarded, yet it betrayed his disbelief.
"Dugu Jimo and Ouyang Xiaoshe are equally reputable assassins of their time, and are truly deserving of their names."
When he looked into the sky, not only had his target vanished, even the wind and clouds were all gone. It was dead silent as far as the eye could see.
"The thirty-five imposters have all been ferreted out." Yun Xiaoyao hollered, "Dismissed! We shall return this place to the martial arts world!"
He threw a glance at the sky, his gaze worried. The wind and clouds in the sky were entirely gone, which meant Yun Yang had left, following the trail of his target.
Nonetheless, Ouyang Xiaoshe was surprisingly powerful. Would there be any more mishaps if Yun Yang were to give chase alone?
Yun Xiaoyao, who was plotting in his mind what to do next, suddenly heard an endless booming from beyond.
Both killers and martial artists had once again engaged in a violent battle.
"The martial world affairs shall end in the martial world. We, as Yutang's officials, will not interfere, but if anyone dares to harm my warriors or harbors ill intention, the thirty-four dead men here shall all be examples! Also, death is not the end; whoever is involved shall have nine familial exterminated and be killed without mercy!"
Yun Xiaoyao's stentorian voice was deafening, resonating well above the east side of the city.
People within the east side of the city who heard the admonition felt their hearts lurch within their chests.
It was an unspoken rule laid out in the martial arts world, for one who roamed the martial arts world, his wrongdoings should never affect his wife and children.
However, it was clear that the imperial court did not care about this martial world rule. The martial world affairs ended in the martial world. One had to bear the consequences of his own acts. As long as the culprit died, however serious the issue was, it would be final as he had paid with his life. Nevertheless, if the imperial law was breached, the act of exterminating nine familial generations was a given.
If it had been any other day, the martial artists would have felt that the imperial court's methods were slightly too draconian. Nonetheless, this time around, not only did everyone think that it wasn't severe, but they felt it was deserving as well.
In the battle in the eastern quadrant of Tiantang City this time around, Yutang officials had oiled the wheels. They had even expressed their amicability by offering a guarantee that for the fallen martial artists, their matters would be taken care of, post-death. If you infringed the rules under such a premise, you would be enemies with everyone – an enemy of the martial world artists, the world's assassins and Yutang's imperial court! They would not be unduly bothered by your death!
…
Ouyang Xiaoshe's motions were sharp; he was so fast that even the human eye could barely see his sly movements. It was as if an illusory non-existent shadow flew under the vast dark sky.
Ouyang Xiaoshe had fled by utilizing his entire strength unreservedly.
He had been exposed!
Supreme Cloud had already set his sights on him!
In that case, what was important now was to thoroughly cut himself loose from Supreme Cloud, and completely extricate himself from his grasp; only then he could talk about changing his identity and everything else that followed.
Of course, his desire for the dragon hide treasure map could not be given up!
To Ouyang Xiaoshe, this had already become his life's obsession, and he was willing to die many times over for it!
He hurtled all the way through the air and had long left Tiantang City, an act which brought him farther away from danger and increased his chances of survival. However, as he heard the erratic wind billowing above his head, his heart began to race anxiously.
The night was solemnly silent; everything was placid, where did this whistling gale come from?
The origins of the violent wind were obvious.
It had to be Supreme Cloud!
It could only be Supreme Cloud!
Ouyang Xiaoshe knew it as well, but to him, he could only try to flee and continue his escape efforts.
After a while, Ouyang Xiaoshe had distanced himself from the border of Tiantang City and came to a mountain forest with complex topography.
With the night as misty as ever, Ouyang Xiaoshe, who was disguised as a grey silhouette, hovered, made a swooping motion and vanished.
A secluded cave that Ouyang Xiaoshe had set up long before entering Tiantang City had been his hedge and also the main reason he had continued to flee despite knowing fully well that he could not get rid of Yun Yang who was on his tail. Even though the wind was majestic and aggressive, it was not omniscient.
'I shall hide in the seclusion I've prepared earlier; what can you do then?'
The wind rustled, still in hot pursuit. As the wind soared into the mountain forest, a loud thunderclap signaled the sight of the forests and mountains covered in flames!
The flames were licking the sky and fire raged fiercely upward. The land for thousands of miles around blazed a crimson red as the flames raged.
The fire was ferocious as its blaze soared towards the sky; the levels of groundwater skyrocketed, causing both the secluded and exposed caverns and pits within the forest area to be flooded with water, without exception.
With a loud cry, a silhouette charged out from the fire in a less than collected manner. It was Ouyang Xiaoshe!
The topography of the mountain forest was complicated and unusual in addition to its countless natural ravines and caves; otherwise, Ouyang Xiaoshe would not have chosen it earlier as his escape route before entering Tiantang City. According to his expectation, as long as he successfully escaped into the hidden cave network, he could rely on the few tunnels that were unusually concealed and interconnected, along with the supply of food and blankets he had prepared earlier on.
Even if he were to be discovered by Supreme Cloud, he would still have a big chance of survival if he could defend himself!
However, what he had never imagined was that although he could escape back to the mountains as he wished, Supreme Cloud had his way to deal with it as well.
There was no need at all to play hide-and-seek. Not only had he set fire to the very mountains, but he had also flooded the land with water!
The blend of water and fire caused an indescribable difficulty. He would become a ball of coke or boiled human flesh if he did not come out in time!
He was indeed being forced out to face Yun Yang!
However, when Ouyang Xiaoshe emerged, he did not expect that his first encounter was not with Yun Yang himself, but rather, with countless thunderbolts and lightning strikes!