Chapter 666: Hope for Survival

The Beastless Leader excelled at stealth; He Lingchuan hadn't known when it arrived, but it had been lurking nearby, observing their battle without intervening. Clearly, it intended to reap the benefits of their conflict, waiting for one of them to die and the other to be injured before emerging to claim an easy victory.

The thought that a giant creature had been lurking nearby, watching their desperate struggle, sent shivers down both their spines. Hu Bin, in particular, was aghast. He had unleashed his full spiritual perception during his fierce battle with He Lingchuan precisely to be aware of everything around him and avoid falling into the opponent's traps again. How could such a massive beast have been lurking nearby without him noticing?

With its presence unexpectedly revealed, the Beastless Leader dropped its pretense. It lowered its head, sniffing the corpses of the Beastless creatures on the ground, its yellow eyes blazing with anger. These two outsiders had killed its subordinates, and the Thunder Giant Beast egg was also missing. It would kill both of them!

He Lingchuan cautiously watched its movements, quickly popping a Soothing Pearl into his mouth, and distractedly asked Hu Bin, "Are we still going to settle this?"

Hu Bin grunted. He didn't answer directly, but He Lingchuan knew the man was wavering. Anyone facing a boss-level creature like the Beastless Leader felt the fear of being swallowed by an abyss. This was not a monster they could handle alone. Especially with their Soothing Pearl supply critically low, they had even less confidence.

By now, He Lingchuan had only nine Soothing Pearls left, enough for an hour and a quarter of use, a duration that would shorten if the battle intensified. After enduring an exceptionally long sandstorm, Hu Bin's supply was likely no better. His original plan was probably to kill He Lingchuan and take his remaining Soothing Pearls, giving himself enough time to get out of the mountains. But the arrival of the Beastless Leader had completely derailed this plan.

Neither of them wanted to challenge an enraged, quasi-lord level monster. Their only option was to flee.

The Beastless Leader let out a few roars and immediately received responses from the wilderness. Both cursed inwardly. One leader was difficult enough; did they really need a few more smaller ones?

He Lingchuan was even more direct: "See ya!" He tore off a Tailwind Talisman, stuck it on himself, and bolted down the mountain. In the F-World, going downhill was definitely less strenuous than going uphill. As he ran for his life, he heard footsteps beside him. He Lingchuan turned his head and saw Hu Bin following him.

"What grudge do you have against me? Why did you try to kill me?" After their recent battle, He Lingchuan had realized that the man's fighting style was not like that of a mercenary, but rather as if he held a deep grudge against him.

Hu Bin's face was cold, and he said nothing, but the look he gave He Lingchuan was as if he wanted to burn two holes through him. He stopped pretending; the malice in his eyes was even more intense than that of the pursuing Beastless Leader.

Catching a flicker of movement out of his left eye, He Lingchuan threw himself forward, a move that could be described gracefully as a pouncing tiger, or less flatteringly, a dog belly-flopping. In any case, all four limbs hit the ground. Fortunately, he reacted quickly. No sooner had he hit the ground than a shadow swept over him from the side. If he had maintained his running posture, he would surely have been tackled. These Beastless creatures were skilled in pack tactics, adept at encirclement and ambush. This one had circled around from the side, intending to cut them off by surprise. It moved swiftly, leaping in mid-air, aiming to bite He Lingchuan's back. But its opponent was even more cunning, dropping to the ground instantly. The Beastless creature's large maw snapped shut with a "clack," biting only air.

Hu Bin braked in time, also avoiding the lunge. But slowing down was the worst thing to do when fleeing for one's life. His pause immediately drew the attention of the Beastless creature. In contrast, He Lingchuan slapped his hands on the ground, then smoothly executed a front flip, his body spinning like a pinwheel in the air, landing on both feet, and continuing his mad dash! This move was exceptionally light and graceful; crucially, it was also practical, requiring almost no reduction in speed.

They continued forward, He Lingchuan in the lead, Hu Bin trailing about five zhang (approx. 16.5 meters) behind him. When fleeing from any fierce beast—be it a bear demon, tiger demon, or a Beastless creature—the universal iron rule was that you didn't have to outrun them; you just had to outrun your companion. Now, Hu Bin, trailing several zhang behind, was the target of the Beastless creatures.

In terms of running speed, these creatures were no less agile than the two men. Even worse, they could spit frost and green flames. Their varied ranged attacks combined with their agile movements made their escape anything but pleasant.

Hu Bin glared hatefully at He Lingchuan's back. He Lingchuan didn't know what method he used, but he heard a bang from behind as the man flew seven or eight zhang forward, landing suddenly in front of him. He had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. If he had used this move during their earlier fight, Hu Bin could have escaped at any time. He Lingchuan secretly grew more wary.

After cresting the slope, a cliff face lay to their left. At this moment, heavy footsteps echoed from behind. He Lingchuan turned his head and saw the Beastless Leader catching up. Going downhill was easier than uphill, and the Beastless Leader seemed to defy the F-World's gravity, approaching with a light swiftness that belied its massive size. It ran faster than He Lingchuan, even with the talisman; it even had the ability to briefly hover in the air! He noticed the Beastless Leader's massive head getting closer and larger in his vision. So large he could see it was missing a front left tooth. Then, it exhaled a blast of frost toward him. He Lingchuan activated his full spiritual perception and barely dodged in the nick of time. But that momentary delay closed the distance between him and the Beastless Leader once more!

Hu Bin also glanced back. The chilling satisfaction in his eyes made He Lingchuan understand that while he couldn't act directly, he would thoroughly enjoy watching the Beastless Leader avenge him. The man was surprisingly pragmatic; he just wanted He Lingchuan dead, without insisting he die by his own hand.

After passing the slope, the downhill path broadened, no longer confined to a single track. He Lingchuan took a sharp turn, veering left, simultaneously ripping off his leather armor and discarding it. This action, however, immediately reduced the distance between him and the Beastless Leader by another two zhang. Only seven zhang (approx. 23 meters) separated them. For the Beastless Leader, that was merely the distance of a single great leap.

However, it was not the Beastless Leader that leaped first, but He Lingchuan. He dashed to the edge of the cliff. Without a moment's hesitation, he spread his arms and jumped! He even took a running start to accelerate before jumping. Although the bottom wasn't a bottomless abyss as dramatically described, there was still a drop of over two hundred zhang (approx. 660 meters). The F-World lacked water; there were no rivers below. Anyone who fell would die.

The Beastless Leader stopped abruptly, just barely halting at the cliff's edge. Its face surprisingly showed a human-like expression—it was surprised. Countless creatures had been chased to a dead end and plunged from cliffs by them before. But none of them, like this small figure before it, could actually soar through the air!

Indeed, He Lingchuan adjusted his angle and unfurled the membranes under his ribs. These two soft membranes acted like unfolded wings, allowing him to glide with the wind. As long as he adjusted his angle correctly, he could even use air currents to ascend. Fu Shanyue had used this type of winged gliding suit when ambushing the Spirit Tree Seed Guard team on Wind Demon Mountain. He Lingchuan had specifically borrowed this gear from him before setting out. The F-World had many tall mountains and strong winds, and he thought this item might come in handy. Now, the "might come in handy" moment had arrived.

Before jumping, he had also affixed a special lightness talisman to himself to counteract the F-World's strong gravity. The special lightness talisman produced by Songyang Manor was highly effective; this one could last about fifty breaths (about 50 seconds). For He Lingchuan's current situation, fifty breaths were enough.

After all, the Beastless Leader didn't have wings and couldn't pursue him further. It could only launch two blasts of frost at him. Guided by the mirror's alerts, He Lingchuan maneuvered his glider, narrowly dodging the attacks, and then exited its range. As he glided over the mountain hollow, he waved to Hu Bin below, smiling brightly—the latter was desperately trying to evade the pursuing Beastless creatures. When the man saw him soaring freely, his eyes seemed to spit fire. As He Lingchuan flew in another direction, he still heard Hu Bin's roar from behind:

"He Lingchuan—"

He Lingchuan took a deep breath. The Beastless Leader on the cliff, with no way to pursue, could only turn away dejectedly. Wasn't there still another target escaping? It would vent all its rage on him!

Fifteen minutes later.

Hu Bin ran through the wilderness, the plains now clearly visible, but his breathing grew more frantic. Soothing Pearls were depleting too fast! If this continued, even if he wasn't bitten to death and devoured by the Beastless creatures, he would suffocate. He had used several evasion methods along the way, which had always worked against monsters and other Danau beasts before, but this time, he couldn't shake off the Beastless creatures. What was going on?

In his anxiety, Hu Bin suddenly recalled a scene: Before he had ambushed He Lingchuan, the young man seemed to have wiped his blade and hands clean to remove the scent of blood. That's it, the scent of blood! And earlier, when he had severed the head of that Beastless creature in the Thunder Giant Beast's nest, his blade had also been stained with beast blood! The Beastless Leader had detected the scent of its companion's blood and had taken him for the killer and the egg thief. Details, all those damned details! So, these Beastless creatures had been chasing He Lingchuan only incidentally; their true target had been him all along! No wonder they were relentlessly pursuing him; he had become He Lingchuan's scapegoat!

Peaks and valleys, rock strata cut like slices of cake... Without vegetation, the surface, scoured by wind, blades, and frost for years, was like the skin of this world. From an aerial perspective, one could better appreciate the world's harshness and bizarre beauty.

He Lingchuan glided for over ten li (approx. 5 kilometers) with the aid of his wings, his gaze sweeping over the landscape, fully focused. He was by no means out of danger, but what threatened his life now was no longer those terrifying Beastless creatures, but the harsh natural laws of this place: The remaining Soothing Pearls and remaining time would definitely not be enough for him to escape this mountainous region. But he still had hope. The hope for survival likely lay hidden within this weathered mountain terrain.

The mirror suddenly exclaimed, "A chasm, there's a chasm ahead, don't miss it!"

"I see it."

There was a long chasm within the towering mountains, or perhaps an underground rift valley. He Lingchuan took a quick glance; its depth exceeded twenty zhang (over sixty meters), but the widest part of the fissure was likely less than five chi (approx. 1.6 meters). This was absolutely perfect. He circled a few times with his glider, slowed his descent, and finally landed smoothly at the edge of the chasm.