“At last, we are out.”
Sirius pushed open the manhole cover and climbed out from the sewer pipe. Behind him, Dark Tiger, Ge Feng, Ge Ying, and several members of the Black Eagle team emerged one after another.
“Sirius, where are we?” Ge Ying looked around, but found this place completely unfamiliar.
“We are under the overpass,” Sirius said gravely.
“The overpass? We are that far from Tianfu Tower?” Ge Ying looked astonished.
“If we were not far, how could we have walked underground for nearly half an hour?” Ge Feng’s face was rather pale. He had already suffered serious injuries, and after hurrying for half an hour, he was close to his limit.
“Brother, what do we do now?” Ge Ying asked.
“Now…” Ge Feng paused. He did not know what to do. For him, the most important thing was to find a place to heal, yet he still worried about Li Feng and the others.
“Sirius, Dark Tiger, do you have any way to contact Li Feng?” Ge Feng turned to them.
Sirius shook his head. “When Young Master Feng is in combat, his phone is usually unreachable. We can only contact Commander Zhong.”
“Then contact Zhong Shuhui at once,” Ge Feng said solemnly.
“Very well.” Sirius nodded, took out his phone, and stepped aside to make the call.
“Sister, do you still have any blood-activating elixir?” Ge Feng asked Ge Ying.
“I have several bottles left.” Ge Ying took a few bottles from her spatial pouch, handed them to Ge Feng, and said, “Last time Li Feng offered you some, you refused to take them. Do you regret it now?”
Ge Feng gave a wry smile. Unlike Ge Ying, he felt embarrassed to accept anything more from Li Feng. He had already received far too much. Not to mention the items he shared with Li Feng in the Hundred Thousand Mountains last time. Since coming to Tianhai City, he had received a drop of thousand-year ice dew from Li Feng, and now the foundation-strengthening elixir. How could he bring himself to take the blood-activating elixir as well?
“Drink these two bottles now. I will give the other two to Sirius and the others. They need healing too,” Ge Ying said seriously.
Ge Feng nodded, took one bottle, drank it, and began circulating his energy to heal.
The blood-activating elixir was far more effective than the healing medicines provided by his family. After only one circulation, Ge Feng clearly felt his injuries improve slightly.
However, he knew this was not a safe place to heal fully, so after nine circulations, he opened his eyes.
“Brother, how are you feeling?” Ge Ying had also drunk a bottle, but she stopped after only three circulations. Her injuries were lighter than Ge Feng’s, and she needed to stay alert to guard him and the others.
“A little better, but full recovery will take time,” Ge Feng replied.
“Of course. The blood-activating elixir is not some miraculous panacea. It cannot heal you that quickly, though it is much stronger than what we used before. Li Feng really is remarkable. I could never refine an elixir like this,” Ge Ying said.
Ge Feng nodded. Meeting Li Feng had truly been their good fortune. Although this mission had put their lives at risk, Ge Feng harboured no complaints. They had volunteered, after all. As ancient martial practitioners, which training excursion did not involve constant danger?
“Sirius, how is the situation with Li Feng and the others now?” Ge Feng asked as Sirius returned.
“The situation remains under control,” Sirius answered.
“Under control? What do you mean?” Ge Feng frowned, somewhat puzzled.
“The matter with Blood Shadow has been resolved. However, Young Master Feng has devised a plan to lure the snake from its hole. Commander Zhong does not yet know the current progress,” Sirius explained.
“How can Zhong Shuhui not know? What exactly is this plan to lure the snake from its hole?” Ge Feng asked, his expression turning grave.
“Commander Zhong and her group, like us, have already left via the underground passages beneath Tianfu Tower. But unlike us, they took a different exit. Therefore, she has no information on Young Master Feng’s situation,” Sirius clarified.
“How can that be? Who is with Li Feng right now?” Ge Feng’s face changed.
“Young Master Feng has Lu Shuang with him, as well as Lin Ge and the Blood Kill Twin Eagles, who have not yet appeared,” Sirius replied.
“That is reassuring.” Ge Feng breathed a sigh of relief. With Lu Shuang, Lin Ge, the Blood Kill Twin Eagles, and Li Feng himself, Li Feng should be safe unless they encountered an innate realm expert.
“What about us, then?” Ge Ying asked.
“Commander Zhong has ordered the injured to go to the training base. Everyone else is to head to Yuxing Lake immediately,” Sirius said gravely.
“Yuxing Lake?” Ge Feng was taken aback. What kind of place was Yuxing Lake? Why did Zhong Shuhui want them to go there?
“Yes. Yuxing Lake is a stronghold of the Hongmen. This time, the Hongmen has deployed nearly all its experts against Young Master Feng, leaving few defenders at Yuxing Lake. According to Commander Zhong, we are to seize it,” Sirius confirmed.
“Just the few of us?” Ge Feng’s expression shifted. If he were uninjured, he would have no concerns at all. But now, he might not even be able to defeat Sirius. Could they really overcome the remaining Hongmen guards in their current state?
“No. Commander Zhong said she will arrange for Mu Jiajia to lead reinforcements to Yuxing Lake. However, they are still in the underground passages, so it will take Mu Jiajia’s group some time to arrive. Her orders are for us to go ahead first,” Sirius shook his head.
Ge Feng fell silent for a moment, then said, “Very well. Sirius, arrange for the seriously injured brothers to head to the training base. Then we will set off for Yuxing Lake.”
He turned to Ge Ying. “Ge Ying, you will escort the injured brothers to the training base.”
Ge Feng had no idea what the situation at Yuxing Lake would be like, so he did not want Ge Ying to take the risk. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.
Originally, Ge Feng could have chosen not to go to Yuxing Lake himself. Yet as the Black Eagle team’s instructor, he needed to lead by example. Moreover, this concerned Li Feng. Even if it meant walking through fire, he would not hesitate.
“No. I am going to Yuxing Lake,” Ge Ying declared without hesitation.
“Nonsense,” Ge Feng snapped, his face darkening.
“Brother, there is no need to be so fierce with me. Unless you can beat me right now, I am going to Yuxing Lake,” Ge Ying insisted.
“You…” Ge Feng looked at her, at a loss for words.
Ge Ying’s injuries were lighter than his. If they fought now, Ge Feng knew he would certainly lose.
“Fine, brother. I can protect you if I stay by your side. Please let me go to Yuxing Lake,” Ge Ying said coquettishly.
“Alright, alright. You can come, but if danger arises, remember to protect yourself,” Ge Feng relented.
Ever since they met Li Feng in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, Ge Ying had listened to him less and less. He really had no way to deal with her.
“I knew brother was the best.” Ge Ying beamed.
“Sirius, immediately arrange for the seriously injured brothers to go to the training base. Then we head straight to Yuxing Lake,” Ge Feng said, ignoring Ge Ying’s glee as he turned back to Sirius.
Sirius nodded, procured a vehicle from the roadside, and sent the heavily injured Black Eagle members away. Then he, Dark Tiger, Ge Feng, Ge Ying, and two other team members set off towards Yuxing Lake.
Binhe Road.
After Li Feng and Miao Xingyun had dealt with Liu Dongjian and his men, one openly and one covertly, Li Feng signalled Lu Shuang to continue fleeing.
Having witnessed Liu Dongjian’s earlier example, Li Feng was now extremely cautious. No one knew how many ambushes lay ahead, or whether any of them might be carrying grenades.
At the same time, Li Feng kept his divine sense focused on the miniature rocket launcher. The power of a grenade was already considerable; a miniature rocket launcher would be far more devastating. A direct hit would probably reduce him to dust.
“Li Feng, where do you think you are going?”
Blood Shadow’s voice rang out again from behind. The grenade attack had caught Li Feng off guard, but it had startled Blood Shadow even more. Although he was an innate realm expert, he had only recently broken through. A grenade explosion could still cause him serious harm.
Fortunately, Liu Dongjian had targeted Li Feng, and Blood Shadow, in order to cooperate with the plan, had kept some distance. When the grenade detonated, the protective astral energy he raised was enough to withstand the shockwave.
Seeing Li Feng and Lu Shuang continue running, Blood Shadow remembered his role and shouted loudly before giving chase.
“Master, this cannot go on. This man is an innate realm expert. I fear he will catch up to us very soon,” Lu Shuang said while running.
“You seem quite familiar with the speed of innate realm experts?” Li Feng raised an eyebrow.
“Master, although the first level of the innate realm is only one step above the ninth level of the acquired realm, it is a major threshold. In terms of speed alone, a first-level innate realm ancient martial practitioner is twice as fast as one at the ninth level of the acquired realm,” Lu Shuang explained.
“So you believe Blood Shadow will catch us soon?” Li Feng’s eyes flashed as he asked gravely.
“Yes, unless Blood Shadow is deliberately holding back,” Lu Shuang replied.
Li Feng’s expression shifted. His plan to lure the snake from its hole required Blood Shadow’s genuine cooperation. If others realised Blood Shadow was only pretending to pursue him, the entire plan might collapse.
“What should we do, then?” Li Feng asked.
“Master, although this man is an innate realm expert, his aura is unstable. He has clearly only recently broken through. To deal with him, we would only need to gather a few ninth-level acquired realm practitioners. After all, it is not unheard of for ninth-level acquired realm experts to kill a first-level innate realm expert. Therefore, Master, once we rendezvous with the Blood Kill Twin Eagles and the others, we may well be able to fight him,” Lu Shuang said seriously.
Li Feng’s eyes gleamed as he made a certain decision.
