Chapter 100: Life and Death Gamble

A white giant eagle and a black giant hawk soared through the sky like streaks of white and black lightning, drawing countless onlookers below who stopped to watch, speculating on what high-level profound beasts they might be. But immediately, the eagle and hawk flew farther and higher, quickly disappearing completely above the clouds.

“Xiao Xue! Higher!”

The Giant Snow Eagle was pure white, and Lan Xueruo hoped that once it flew above the clouds, it could use the white clouds to conceal itself. However, Yun Che knew very well that while this might work if they were being pursued by other types of flying profound beasts, their pursuer was a hawk—the true overlord of high altitudes. In the high-altitude domain, nothing could escape a hawk’s eyes.

The Giant Snow Eagle flew higher and higher, having already passed through countless layers of clouds. Yet, the Storm Hawk behind them continued its relentless pursuit. The Giant Snow Eagle could fly very high, capable of reaching five thousand meters, but in terms of flight altitude, it was no match for a hawk. An ordinary adult male hawk could fly up to ten thousand meters, let alone a Spirit Profound-level Storm Hawk.

Fortunately, the Giant Snow Eagle’s flying speed was not inferior to the Storm Hawk’s. Although closely pursued, it consistently maintained the same distance. The Giant Snow Eagle couldn’t shake off the Storm Hawk, and the Storm Hawk couldn’t catch up to the Giant Snow Eagle for the time being. However, the Giant Snow Eagle’s grade was lower than the Storm Hawk’s, so its stamina was naturally far inferior. This situation couldn’t be maintained for long; it was only a matter of time before the Storm Hawk caught up.

“As far as I know, this Storm Hawk was captured by the Xiao Sect a few years ago. It doesn’t seem to be completely tamed yet, much less a contracted profound beast. There’s a risk of it escaping if released, so unless it’s a truly monumental event, they wouldn’t unleash this Storm Hawk… Junior Brother Yun, what exactly did you do to the Xiao Sect?” Lan Xueruo clutched the Giant Snow Eagle’s feathers tightly, speaking nervously.

The wind roared like thunder in their ears. Facing Lan Xueruo’s question, Yun Che hesitated, then answered truthfully, “You might not believe me… I completely crippled Xiao Xiaocheng, causing them to lose 600,000 purple profound coins for nothing…” Yun Che paused, then chose a more palatable explanation: “And I also completely destroyed their sect’s treasure vault.”

“Ah!” Lan Xueruo’s beautiful eyes widened, her mouth agape, as she stared at him as if he were a monster.

“I swear on my looks, all of this is true,” Yun Che said helplessly.

“…” Lan Xueruo was speechless for a long time. She didn’t doubt Yun Che’s words; she was certain that with the personality she had observed in Yun Che, he wouldn’t deceive her with something so absurd at a time like this. And precisely because she didn’t doubt him, her heart was filled with immense shock. The shock was that Yun Che, a young man at the first level of the Nascent Profound Realm, could single-handedly wreak such havoc on the largest sect in New Moon City. This was simply unbelievable. What horrified her was… crippling Xiao Xiaocheng and causing a loss of 600,000 purple profound coins was already a deep-seated enmity; destroying the sect’s treasure vault… this was more than just deep enmity! This kind of hatred could last for generations within the sect!

If the Xiao Sect branch hadn’t been hell-bent on tearing Yun Che to shreds this time, even she wouldn’t have been able to stand by.No wonder the Xiao Sect had even released the Storm Hawk to hunt him down.

Lan Xueruo had been considering whether to stop their futile escape and reveal her identity, which would have been enough to protect Yun Che. But after hearing Yun Che’s revelation, she completely abandoned that idea. Given what Yun Che had done, if he fell into the Xiao Sect’s hands, not only she, but even her father, couldn’t save him.

Seeing Lan Xueruo’s reaction, Yun Che said with some guilt, “Senior Sister Xueruo, I’m sorry. I’ve implicated you.”

Lan Xueruo gently shook her head. “This was my own choice; there’s no implication involved.” She smiled softly, comforting him, “Besides, it’s only right for a senior sister to protect her adorable junior brother.”

“It’s too early to talk about implication; we might not necessarily fail to escape. Perhaps they’ll give up the chase after a while. Or… that Storm Hawk might suddenly become disobedient and fly in another direction, anything is possible… Xiao Xue, fly faster!”

Listening to Lan Xueruo’s words, a hint of complexity flickered across Yun Che’s expression. As Lan Xueruo spoke, he didn’t see a trace of regret, falsehood, or impurity in the depths of her eyes—not a single trace.

He disliked owing people, but this time, he was undeniably indebted. He owed a life-saving grace, and perhaps, a certain emotion…

“Speaking of which, Junior Brother Yun, how did you manage to get into the Xiao Sect? And how did you manage to cause such havoc? Can you tell me?”

Lan Xueruo’s state of mind at this moment must have been extremely tense, yet as she spoke, her eyes shone with the purest curiosity, making it impossible for Yun Che, who had intended to conceal everything, to refuse. He thought for a moment and began to tell her, “A long time ago, I had a master. I learned some medical skills from my master, including the art of disguise. Xiao Xiaocheng was severely injured by me, and the sect must have been searching for doctors throughout the city. So, I disguised myself as a middle-aged physician… and infiltrated the Xiao Sect…”

Yun Che’s eloquence was naturally excellent, and he vividly recounted the events that had transpired in the Xiao Sect over the past few days to Lan Xueruo. Of course, he didn’t mention things that others shouldn’t know, such as the King Profound Dragon Pill. The entire process was undoubtedly brilliant, captivating Lan Xueruo, who at times gaped, at times covered her mouth in laughter, and at times showed complete shock… especially when she heard that he was mistaken for a peerless divine doctor and that Xiao Xiaocheng kowtowed and called him “Grandpa.” She burst into laughter, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes… Throughout the entire narrative, she seemed to forget that they were in a dangerous situation.

An hour passed, then two hours…

The sky had grown dark. In two hours, hundreds of miles had been traversed amidst the roaring wind. Yun Che and Lan Xueruo’s ears were almost deaf. They no longer knew where they were. Countless times they looked back, and each time, they could still clearly see the shadow of the black giant hawk.

“Oh no! It’s catching up! Xiao Xue, fly faster, Xiao Xue!!”

Yun Che turned his head sharply and saw that the Storm Hawk had closed the distance from a thousand meters away to less than three hundred meters. Sitting on the Giant Snow Eagle’s back, Yun Che could clearly feel its body convulsing… Flying at full speed for two hours, which was four hours in total, was almost a miracle for a True Profound Beast. Had it not been Lan Xueruo’s contracted profound beast, with absolute loyalty to her, it would have been impossible for it to persist this far.

And the Storm Hawk’s grade advantage was clearly evident at this moment. Its flying speed showed almost no signs of weakening, and the occasional cries of the hawk were powerful, echoing through the heavens and earth.

“Senior Sister, don’t push it anymore. It’s already overdrawing its strength. If we continue, it will directly damage its lifespan.”

As the Giant Snow Eagle’s owner, Lan Xueruo understood its current state better than Yun Che. She bit her lip, clenching her fists tightly.

The Giant Snow Eagle’s body convulsed more and more violently. Even its posture was no longer stable, becoming shaky, and its speed slowed increasingly. The Storm Hawk behind them drew closer and closer. Then, a ferocious voice reached them from behind: “You little bastard, you made me chase you for so long! This time, let’s see where you can run!!”

Yun Che spun his head suddenly, only to realize that the Storm Hawk had already closed in to within a hundred meters. The Storm Hawk’s full appearance and the figure standing on its back were clearly visible… it was undoubtedly Xiao Zahe!

“Senior Sister, quickly make Xiao Xue fly downwards, we should prepare…”

Yun Che’s words abruptly stopped midway because an extreme sense of danger emanated from behind him in that instant. He turned back like lightning and immediately saw the bizarre weapon raised in Xiao Zahe’s hand on the Storm Hawk’s back.

That was…

A Poison Fire Cannon!!

Xiao Zahe actually had a Poison Fire Cannon on him!

Before he could react, he saw a tongue of flame suddenly shoot out from the Poison Fire Cannon… In an instant, a deadly aura shot towards them faster than sound. It was originally aimed at Yun Che, but due to the interference of the turbulent airflow, it shifted slightly, flying directly towards Lan Xueruo’s chest.

“Senior Sister, look out!!!”

Lan Xueruo, who had just turned back, felt no warning of the impending fatal danger. By the time she finally noticed, it was already too late to react… In her widening pupils, a dark object drew closer and closer, and then, it was firmly blocked by Yun Che’s body as he lunged forward…

Pfft!!

A large hole tore open in Yun Che’s left shoulder, and blood splattered. Although he avoided a vital spot, he still underestimated the Poison Fire Cannon’s power. The moment he was hit, he almost heard Death’s sneering laughter.

“Yun… Junior Brother Yun!!”

Lan Xueruo’s body froze there. Only when she saw Yun Che’s shoulder instantly stained red with blood did she let out a horrified cry and frantically supported his slowly falling body.

“Senior Sister…” He could endure the excruciating pain of the wound, but the mental disorientation caused by the severe injury made him feel like he couldn’t support himself. His face pale, he bit his tongue and said with difficulty, “That’s… a Poison Fire Cannon, it’s highly poisonous… getting hit… is certain death… hold me… jump down… jump down… we might die… but if we don’t jump… we will definitely die…”

Highly poisonous?

Looking at Yun Che’s mangled shoulder, Lan Xueruo’s heart trembled violently. Her eyes misty with tears, she nodded, then hugged Yun Che’s body tightly. “Okay… we’ll jump.”

At that moment, facing Yun Che, who had shielded her with his life, even confronted with an altitude of several thousand meters, she still chose to blindly follow. She held Yun Che, stood up on the Giant Snow Eagle’s back, looked down at the vast expanse below, and softly said, “Xiao Xue, you’ve worked hard… go back and rest well.”

As her voice faded, the imprint on the back of her hand flashed. The Giant Snow Eagle let out a long cry, and its massive body disappeared in a flash of white light.

And Yun Che and Lan Xueruo’s bodies plummeted straight down, falling into the unknown vastness below.

The plot in New Moon City was just a transition. It would be too abrupt to jump directly from Flowing Cloud City to Azure Wind Imperial City. Yun Che’s first true stage should be Azure Wind Imperial City, and he shouldn’t be facing a small branch sect. Instead, he should be up against the four major sects that dominate the empire!

Something came up at home, and I seem to owe six or seven chapters from last Saturday until now. This Saturday (today), I’ll be at the hospital all day, so I might still owe some. This Martian remembers, and although the cycle might be a bit long, I guarantee on my beauty that I will make them up!!