Half an hour later, in a forest outside the imperial city.
“Pfft!” A spurt of blood sprayed from Hu Yue’s mouth as she and Lin Xiao materialized amidst the trees.
With her strength, sustaining the Concealment Anomaly for half an hour was beyond her limit. To ensure Lin Xiao’s escape, she’d pushed it to the brink, and now it collapsed.
As the anomaly faded, both became visible.
Lin Xiao was drenched in blood. They hadn’t ventured far into the forest, but its vast expanse offered cover. Nearby, countless black-clad figures clashed with the pursuing forces of the two families, sowing confusion by making it seem Lin Xiao was among them—diverting attention.
This gave Lin Xiao and Hu Yue a fleeting chance to remain hidden.
He knew this was likely the royal family or Zhou family’s covert aid.
“Are you okay?” Lin Xiao asked, concern lacing his voice as he eyed Hu Yue’s trembling form.
“I’m fine—should recover soon. Damn it, this anomaly drains vitality like hell!” Her delicate voice huffed, her petite figure panting comically.
“Here’s a Vitality Replenishment Pill—take it.” Lin Xiao handed her a pill.
Nodding slightly, Hu Yue accepted it, steadied her breathing, swallowed it, and began refining it.
“We’re not far from the city—they’ll catch up soon. We need to move.” As Hu Yue worked, Lin Xiao grabbed her small hand, channeling spiritual power to speed through the forest.
He’d already taken spiritual recovery pills earlier, forcibly restoring his energy. Now, he was pushing his battered body and mind to their limits.
Faint sounds of combat echoed from behind as the two darted through the trees. After about a quarter-hour, Lin Xiao sensed a Martial King’s aura closing in fast.
“Trouble!” His heart sank as he accelerated, but his speed couldn’t match a Martial King’s. An elder’s voice boomed from behind: “Lin Xiao’s here!”
The shout rolled outward, followed by a roar: “Lin Xiao, where will you run now? Your life is mine!”
A dazzling beam lit up the forest, a ferocious palm strike slicing through the air, whipping up howling winds.
Lin Xiao spun around, spotting the palm beam. At the same moment, another powerful palm force surged from the side, colliding with it.
Boom! The pursuing elder’s attack shattered, his advance halted.
A masked black-clad figure appeared in Lin Xiao’s view.
“I’ll hold him off—others are coming. Go!” The figure shouted, charging the Martial King elder.
“Thanks!” Lin Xiao turned, pulling Hu Yue onward until the clash faded from earshot.
He didn’t dare relax—the elder’s shout had alerted others, and soon, a horde would scour the area.
After weaving through several wooded hills, they were spotted.
“Lin Xiao—here he is!”
Shouts rang out as three figures burst forth ahead, two radiating Heavenly Martial Third or Fourth Layer auras.
Back at the Feng estate, they’d have feared him. Now, knowing he was at his limit, they felt no dread—only excitement, eyes gleaming with ferocity.
Killing the one the two families couldn’t would earn them immense rewards—a leap to glory.
The thought fueled their fervor.
“You go—I’ll hold them!” Hu Yue shook off his grip, turning to him.
But Lin Xiao held firm, shaking his head. “We leave together—I won’t abandon you!”
“They’re after you!” Hu Yue glared, urgency in her voice.
By then, Lin Xiao had swallowed the Fierce Essence Pill. His waning aura surged anew.
The pill’s potency was vast and wild. In moments, vitality roared through him.
“Two pests can’t stop me!”
With a deep shout, an unmatched aura erupted from him. He unleashed Reverse Chaos Third Form, Second Style. A radiant burst flared, a chaotic vitality fist beam—twice as potent as before, half a zhang wide—blasted from his fist, surging like a geyser toward the pair.
“No!” Their faces twisted in shock. They hadn’t expected Lin Xiao to still wield such power. They thrust out desperate palm forces to block.
But their strength paled before his. Against a Heaven-tier technique, the chaotic fist beam crushed through.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Explosions rang out as the beam struck, riddling their bodies with holes. In abject terror, they crumpled.
Had they known Lin Xiao retained such might, they’d never have dared confront him—not with ten times their courage.
No regrets could save them now.
“Whoever blocks me, I’ll destroy!” Lin Xiao’s eyes blazed red, his aura wild. The Fierce Essence Pill’s ferocity stoked his aggression.
With the two dead, he didn’t linger. Grasping Hu Yue’s hand, he sped forward.
Within a few li, a serene figure emerged in his sight.
A woman stood like an orchid in a quiet valley, poised and still, her back to him. She exuded an ethereal allure tinged with icy chill.
“Feng Youyu!” Lin Xiao’s heart jolted. It was the Feng family head.
He hadn’t expected her to find him so swiftly. With Ge Mu and others stalling, and the forest’s distance from the city filled with skirmishes, she shouldn’t have zeroed in so quickly.
“Because I carry your scent. Within dozens of li, you can’t hide from me,” Feng Youyu said slowly, as if reading his thoughts.
“Your scent…” Lin Xiao paused, realization dawning. Her claim likely tied back to their encounter a year ago—nothing else fit.
Perhaps she bore some unique trait.
“A year ago, an accident between us—you spared me. A year later, that same accident leads to my death. Is this fate?” Gazing at Feng Youyu ahead, Lin Xiao let out a self-mocking chuckle.
