Chapter 1400: You Are Too Slow

Fugitives would never choose a dead end if they had any other option.

Weng Su also made up his mind: since he had a grappling hook, he could always jump off the cliff to escape as a last resort. Falling into Xue Zongwu's hands meant certain death, but a well-executed cliff jump might just save his life. From that perspective, wasn't a cliff jump actually quite a good deal?

Their sudden change of direction greatly surprised Xue Zongwu. The other directions clearly offered avenues for escape, so why had these two suddenly turned north? Xue Zongwu couldn't help but curse. He had just issued orders, deploying men in all three directions. His own forces, in particular, would surge from the west and south. If the two black-clad men had gone that way, they might not have been immediately defeated, but their speed would have been significantly slowed. Once caught by Xue Zongwu, their only fate would be death.

Due to insufficient time for deployment, there were no men positioned on the far northern side of the villa. Had these two resorted to desperate measures by heading north, or had this been a calculated move all along?

Xue Zongwu stood his ground, hesitating for a moment. Xiaotao Villa was quite large. His 170 elite soldiers were all in the south; he could easily link up with them by heading south, but then the two black-clad men would escape. If he continued pursuing the enemy to the north, he would be moving against his main force, and he had fewer than ten men with him.

To pursue, or not to pursue? The two ahead were cornered, and if he didn't pursue them, his gnawing doubts would remain. Yet, he also recalled his intuition from a few days prior. Someone was secretly plotting against him, and he sensed an impending calamity. His spiritual premonitions were rarely wrong, but they had one flaw: they never indicated when the event would occur. Even if disaster was imminent, when would it strike? He had commanded armies for over a decade with countless elite soldiers; surely he wouldn't let a mere "feeling" make him hesitant and indecisive? Besides, even if disaster was approaching, it surely wouldn't involve the two black-clad men ahead, would it? He knew full well that even without the strength of his personal guards, those two were no match for him.

With these thoughts flashing through his mind, Xue Zongwu made his decision in just two breaths: pursue, continue the pursuit! Accompanied by seven or eight personal attendants and villa guards, he, too, turned north.

Xiaotao Villa stood alone on a small hill. The further north they went, the higher the terrain became and the denser the forest grew, plunging them into utter darkness without a single lamp to guide them. It had rained again that night, and the darkness was absolute. Both the Weng brothers and Xue Zongwu, looking north, felt as if the black hill was a colossal beast lying prostrate, and they were charging straight into its gaping maw.

The Weng brothers even scaled walls, climbing pillars to rooftops to evade being encircled on the ground. The northern part of the villa, with its elevated terrain and scenic views, featured a grand viewing hall and several smaller viewing pavilions, all typically connected by winding corridors and bluestone paths. The brothers occasionally glanced back, seeing the torches at the foot of the hill almost merging into a continuous line, all rapidly converging northward. That was Xue Zongwu and the Xiaotao Villa guard detachment.

Weng Xing gasped, "Good thing we headed north!" From their vantage point, they could see that pursuers were indeed closing in from the east, west, and south. Their decision to flee north had proven to be the wisest—at least for now. If they had gone south, they would have run straight into the pursuers before even blending in with the guests. They would have been like fish caught in a net, thrashing about futilely.

"Hurry, don't look back," Weng Su urged, his nerves taut. The situation below was dire; the escape routes on the other three sides were blocked. Their only way out was the northern cliff. And they needed to do it quickly. Otherwise, once Xue Zongwu rendezvoused with his main force, the Weng brothers would find escape impossible.

"Watch the sky."

"The sky?" Weng Xing asked, only then looking up at the night sky at his brother's reminder. The night sky was a canvas of pitch black. After a long moment of searching, he finally spotted a faint blue silhouette circling high above. It was a bird.

"Xue has eyes in the sky; that bird has been following us."

This made their escape even more challenging. Xue Zongwu, empowered by his spiritual energy, was already faster than them, and the distance between them was steadily closing. If this continued, Weng Su feared they would be overtaken before they even reached the cliff. Xue Zongwu was already formidable, and with the added power of his spiritual energy, a direct confrontation was impossible.

"Go!" In a flash, the Weng brothers leaped from the pavilion roof onto the grand viewing hall. Weng Xing raised his hand and fired an arrow at the avian demon. The blue bird, exceptionally agile, flapped its wings and dodged.

"Why are these two climbing higher and higher?" Xue Zongwu frowned, instructing his subordinates: "Ready crossbows and spears! They're going to jump off the cliff to escape!" His reaction was swift; he immediately surmised that these two likely intended to escape by jumping off the cliff, meaning they probably had some kind of escape tool. Jumping off a cliff was a sound strategy; as long as the fugitives survived, subsequent pursuit would become extremely difficult. He then turned to his adjutant, "You Lin, don't let them get away." Those he kept by his side were, naturally, all battle-hardened and fiercely loyal experts.

"Yes, sir." You Lin whistled, a sharp, short sound resembling a bird's cry. The blue avian demon, which had been circling above the Weng brothers, heard the whistle, tucked its wings, and plummeted into a dive towards them. What runs on the ground cannot outpace what flies in the sky.

Seeing the avian demon about to land directly in front of the Weng brothers, You Lin mumbled something under his breath and then sharply uttered, "Yi!" Faint blue light simultaneously emanated from both him and the avian demon. The next second, You Lin vanished from his spot, replaced by a blue robin.

Thirty *zhang* away, the Weng brothers were sprinting desperately when they saw a faint glimmer ahead, and then a full-grown person materialized out of thin air! This was "Star Shift," a beastly talent shared by You Lin and the blue robin. Simply put, it allowed them to swap positions within a fifty-*zhang* radius. For a human body, this spiritual pet's innate ability was incredibly taxing, only allowing for one use every fifteen or sixteen hours.

The robin had already been diving toward the rooftop. After transforming into You Lin, he channeled power into his legs, accelerating his descent, and crashed onto the roof's ridge with a loud thud. Fortunately, the building's sturdy timber and sound structure prevented it from collapsing. This specific technique was called "Starfall."

The shockwave generated by the impact spread in all directions, but it was strongest directly in front of the Weng brothers. The two bore the full brunt of it, unable to dodge. They felt a violent gale, laden with roof tiles, surge towards them, pushing them backward. They were on the verge of being blasted away, much like how Weng Xing had previously blasted others. Fortunately, these two were experienced in enduring such blasts. They immediately drew their vital energy to their core and plunged forward. The gale surged over them without knocking them airborne. However, they still took the full force of the shockwave. Their chests and stomachs felt as if they'd been violently punched, making their vision go black from the pain. It took them several moments to slowly get back on their feet.

When fleeing for their lives, they couldn't afford such a delay. As You Lin landed, he instantly flung two throwing knives, then charged forward himself. He and Xue Zongwu were now converging, with Xue Zongwu charging even faster. The Weng brothers were about to be caught between them. You Lin's sole mission was to delay the Weng brothers. Just to stall them would be enough.

At this critical juncture, a prolonged wail suddenly echoed from an unknown direction. The sound resembled the howling of a hundred specters, filled with a sharp, desolate terror that sent shivers down everyone's spine. Most terrifying of all, it seemed to erupt right next to everyone's ears, startling them all. Even Xue Zongwu, upon hearing it, involuntarily halted his steps.

From the dim mountain forest, a massive boulder suddenly flew out, whistling through the air, accurately smashing towards You Lin. You Lin had never encountered such a massive projectile. But his reaction was swift; he used his core strength to abruptly halt his charge, narrowly dodging the sudden attack.

There was someone in the forest! Was it an accomplice of the two black-clad men? Before he could even complete that thought, a black silhouette sprang from behind the boulder, pouncing on him like a phantom! The distance was negligible, and the speed was unparalleled. This was truly unexpected. In You Lin's field of vision, only a grotesque mask rapidly grew larger. He tried to swing his blade, but before it was even halfway up, his wrist was seized. The sudden assailant possessed astonishing strength; You Lin felt as if he were caught in a vice, utterly unable to move. Then came a chill and a searing pain in his throat, and he knew no more.

Just as the Weng brothers looked back, they saw a bloom of blood erupt from You Lin's throat, both vivid and ghastly. A long blade protruded from the back of his neck, its blood-stained edge still gleaming with a cold light. So fast, so ruthless, so decisive! The Xue family's elite guards opposite them felt their blood run cold at the sight. Damn it, if they had been You Lin, they wouldn't have been able to dodge either.

Xue Zongwu, however, stopped in his tracks: The one who had killed You Lin in a single strike was yet another masked man in black! No, this person wore a dragon-head mask, and his armor was so dark it seemed to absorb all light. Dark smoke swirled around him—upon closer inspection, the smoke comprised wailing ghosts, each with a different face, yet all were bound to him, unable to find release. The man stood, one hand resting on his long saber, as if he were in a grand hall, gazing down upon all living things. Even Xue Zongwu's own commanding presence seemed to pale in comparison.

Weng Xing, injured, had blood and sweat streaming into his eyes, blurring his vision. He thought he was mistaken, but even after rubbing his eyes twice, the black-armored figure remained, looking just as formidable. He also heard his brother mumble, "No way?!" Could this be, could this truly be...? There couldn't possibly be such a coincidence in the world, could there? Compared to this newcomer, their own appearances seemed utterly theatrical, like village performers. But if it was, why would this person be here?

With a shared understanding, the two brothers suddenly split, bypassing the black-armored man on either side. This newcomer's allegiance was unknown, and given their desperate flight, they had no time to ascertain it. Fleeing separately was the safest bet.

Yet, the black-armored man remained motionless, allowing them to rush past him effortlessly, as if he were merely an empty suit of armor. A voice then echoed in their ears: "You're too slow."

The brothers, startled, halted in unison and looked back. It was him! This must be the person who had telepathically guided them north earlier. Weng Su gave a wry smile. "We've already moved as fast as we could." While he and his brother and Xue Zongwu had exerted every ounce of effort in their chase, this person before them seemed perfectly at ease. No sooner had they passed than Xue Zongwu arrived.

The black-armored man on the rooftop flicked his long saber, sending a spray of blood beads through the air. You Lin's corpse was flung directly in front of Xue Zongwu, striking the roof with a thud and shattering several tiles.