Chapter 348: Pursue Not a Desperate Enemy

Wu Shanshan, who had unconsciously stopped playing her flute, was dumbfounded.

It wasn't just her. Everyone had assumed the big simpleton was doomed, rushing into the face of danger. They were watching for his inevitable demise, yet to their shock, with a swift strike of a blade, the Black Tiger was cut down in an instant, blood spattering everywhere, utterly defenseless.

How could this be? Why didn't those three god-like magic treasures intervene? Why didn't they come to his rescue?

The cultivators from the Bright Mountain Sect, who had been about to move, also thought they were mistaken and were utterly astonished.

Wu Jinliang, who had unleashed that desperate strike, watched everything unfold, still in a state of dreamlike fury. Only when the spattering hot blood sprayed into his eyes did he instantly snap back to reality.

He had originally thought of himself as selfless; even if he were killed, it would be over in an instant, and he wouldn't feel any pain.

The sensation of his blade solidly slicing through a body of flesh and blood brought him to his senses in an instant.

He had succeeded? He was still in a daze, as if dreaming, and feared it was a dream. He also worried about unexpected changes, specifically that the Black Tiger's demonic form might possess a life-preserving technique, where, despite appearing human, its vital points weren't where they seemed to be.

So, his blade, now on the ground, swept across it, carving a clear, bright trail of sparks. He then unleashed another ferocious, full-strength strike, chasing after the Black Tiger's severed remains that were being carried away by the strong winds.

The moment he twisted his body, a "puff" sound still echoed in his ears. He recognized it as someone spitting blood behind him. As he turned, he glanced back and, though he didn't see Shi Chun spitting blood, he saw him stumbling unsteadily backward.

The bright sparks dragged across the ground illuminated the scene. He saw Shi Chun's bloodshot eyes, the eerie sight of his face suddenly turning from red to white, the fresh blood around his mouth, and the blood that was carried away by the wind, some of which had splattered back onto Shi Chun.

He didn't need to think hard to know that Shi Chun had just vomited blood. He could roughly guess the reason: Shi Chun had pushed himself to the limit to give him an extra boost.

His blade struck an object again with a "puff." The exaggeratedly large blade, "Wind Chaser," cut through the wind and once more created a rain of blood that scattered with the breeze.

This time, the Black Tiger's remains were completely severed. Wu Jinliang, taking advantage of the momentum and determined to finish him off, split the body into two distinct halves. The wind tore them apart in the air, scattering blood as they flew in opposite directions, each vanishing into its own eternal night.

Wu Jinliang, twisting his body, first glanced at Shi Chun. It would have been better if he hadn't; the moment he did, his heart sank.

Looking at Shi Chun's condition, there was no way this was a trick to lure the enemy deeper. He was clearly severely injured, and the fifth-grade magic treasure he relied on was evidently problematic.

At this moment, if the Forgetful Valley and Extreme Flame Sect groups charged again with their treasures, it wouldn't be a matter of surrender after capture. He had just slain the Black Tiger, so it was imaginable what the Extreme Flame Sect would do if they caught them. At the very least, Wu Jinliang wouldn't die a pleasant death.

Furthermore, the other side clearly held other magic treasures, poised and ready.

As thoughts raced through his mind, his gaze, still twisting with his body, naturally swept toward the three god-demon effigies that were suspended in the air.

One could say he watched those three god-demon effigies vanish before his very eyes.

This was entirely logical: the moment the Black Tiger's head was split open, its consciousness was also extinguished by the blade. The three effigies immediately lost their self-sustaining awareness, becoming ownerless objects.

At this point, the flowing light and shadows abruptly vanished, receding back into the three futons.

However, those three futons remained fixed in the air, still bound by the immobilization spell, along with the metallic woven objects that had flown out from them, and the swords, blades, and spears that the god-demon effigies had wielded.

As the light and shadows faded, plunging the area into darkness, and before Wu Shanshan's group could even comprehend what was happening, Wu Jinliang, now standing firmly, suddenly ripped off the tie from his hair, allowing his long hair to immediately whip and sway in the wind.

At that moment, a strong gust of wind conveniently arrived, lifting his long hair skyward, making him look like he had succumbed to demonic possession.

He pointed his blade at the opposing group and shouted with a magical projection: "I, Wu, have killed several Earth Immortals, and countless Dog-headed Human Immortals! It's been a long time since I've eaten human flesh after leaving the Land of Exile. Today, we feast!"

He then turned and loudly commanded the Bright Mountain Sect group, "What are you waiting for? Capture them all! Don't let a single one escape! Follow me and kill!"

After speaking, he slammed his blade onto the ground with a clang, making the earth tremble.

Striking first to gain the upper hand, he charged forward, dragging his exaggeratedly large blade along the ground, leaving a continuous trail of sparks as he sped ahead.

His long hair danced wildly in the wind like a mad demon, complemented by the trail of sparks on the ground, making him appear utterly maniacal.

He knew very well that if he charged in and engaged, it would mean certain death. He was terrified of dying and knew he wasn't a brave soul, but a coward. Yet, he truly couldn't retreat; he knew that showing fear and backing down would be an even surer death.

Not retreating offered a sliver of hope; retreating meant certain death!

At this moment, he was seizing the opportunity. If he didn't show fear, then it was up to the other side to falter.

This was his survival rule from the Land of Exile: on a narrow path, only the brave move forward first!

The Bright Mountain Sect group hadn't understood what was happening either. Seeing Wu Jinliang so divine and mighty — slaying the Black Tiger with one strike, neutralizing three god-like magic treasures, and then charging in the opposite direction — their morale instantly soared. They realized that the big guy had been hiding his capabilities too damn well.

However, his talk of "feasting on meat" was truly terrifying, sending shivers down their spines. Had this scoundrel eaten people before? Images of them previously linking arms with him flashed through their minds.

But Wu Jinliang had given the command. At this moment, how could they just stand by and watch?

They might hesitate if the situation was unfavorable, but who wouldn't be a hero in a one-sided, favorable battle?

Besides, with a master like the big guy daring to lead the charge, what did they have to fear?

Little did they know Wu Jinliang was deceiving them. They immediately howled and dashed forward, grabbing their weapons and charging. One after another, they flew over Wu Jinliang's head, directly rushing towards the opposing group.

Tong Mingshan, An Wuzhi, and Zhu Xiangxin, in particular, radiated brilliant divine flame energy, courageously leading the charge.

Wu Jinliang, dragging his great blade and being the first to shout, still had his old habit: the first to charge out, but the last to arrive. However, the spectacle of his unbound hair and blade dragging a trail of lightning-like sparks certainly boosted morale.

Seeing people fly over his head, he felt immensely relieved.

With these people charging ahead to test the waters, if the opponents launched a counterattack, he would immediately turn and run, pulling the injured Shi Chun with him.

He admitted his abilities were limited; he couldn't protect so many people. If he could manage to take Shi Chun and escape, that would be his absolute limit.

If he truly couldn't take Shi Chun with him, there was nothing he could do. Shi Chun still had value to those people, so they likely wouldn't kill him easily. But if he himself were caught, he was certainly dead.

As for the lives of Tong Mingshan and the others, brotherhood or not, at this moment of life-or-death decision, their fates carried insufficient weight in his mind. He truly couldn't spare a thought for them.

His thinking was simple: instead of everyone suffering misfortune together, it was better to sacrifice a few people to hold off the enemy and create an opportunity for themselves to escape.

As long as he and Shi Chun escaped, with Shi Chun's abilities, there might still be a way to rescue the others later. That was better than all of them being caught.

He was truly a scoundrel.

Zhen'er, however, did not listen to him or charge with the others. Seeing Shi Chun spitting blood, she dashed over and solicitously helped the stumbling Shi Chun, supporting him as he retreated.

The Bright Mountain Sect group hadn't fully understood what happened, and Wu Shanshan's group on the opposite side hadn't either.

While the description of the confrontation might seem slow, in reality, it happened very quickly, in just a few blinks of an eye.

This was mainly due to the viewing angle. When observed longitudinally from a front-to-back perspective, the process was so rapid that one couldn't distinctly perceive the Black Tiger and the three magic treasures slowing down and becoming fixed.

However, if one had observed from the side of the scene, witnessing the entire horizontal movement of both sides, they would certainly have spotted the problem immediately.

Thus, in the eyes of Wu Shanshan's group, the situation was very clear: the charging power of the Black Tiger's group was undeniably formidable. Shi Chun, stumbling backward, had even vomited blood from the impact, so the might of their offensive was considerable.

Under such circumstances, the big guy, however, seemed unfazed, as if he had intervened suddenly and urgently to help. The moment he charged out, his sheer power evidently blocked the three magic treasures, and he sliced down the Black Tiger with a single blow. The Black Tiger had absolutely no power to fight back against him.

He was cut down as easily as slicing a melon or vegetables.

They were already shocked at how such a master had entered the Divine Fire Domain, and then they were drawn to Wu Jinliang's attention-grabbing actions: his wild boasts of having killed numerous Earth Immortals and Human Immortals, and his intention to eat their flesh. This truly terrified them.

Before their minds could settle and their observational abilities could properly focus, Wu Jinliang charged forward again like a madman. In their haste, they had no time to discern whether the three floating magic treasures were held by an immobilization spell or by Wu Jinliang's powerful cultivation.

Seeing the devil-like Wu Jinliang charging towards them, leaving a trail of sparks and lightning, how could they possibly fight?

Wu Shanshan, urgently retrieving her Wind Scale, simultaneously darted away, shouting in panicked haste, "Run!"

Even if she hadn't shouted, her companions were already terrified and wanted to flee.

The Extreme Flame Sect group, seeing the Black Tiger slain, had cries of "Senior Brother!" caught in their throats, unable to be uttered. They could no longer spare a thought for their senior brother's remains. Catching sight of Wu Shanshan and the others' movements, they immediately yelled "Go!" and quickly vanished, fleeing completely.

Not a single one had any intention of resisting.

There was simply no way to fight. Senior Brother Black Tiger was taken down in one encounter, and the three fifth-grade magic treasures were suppressed the moment they appeared. This was utterly terrifying. They didn't even have the right to fight desperately; facing such a master, even escape might not be possible.

The Bright Mountain Sect group, who had landed, were about to get up and pursue them.

Wu Jinliang, whose blade had stopped creating sparks, halted and shouted with a magical projection, "Don't pursue a desperate enemy! Don't trouble yourselves! They can't escape!"

The enemy's flight was precisely the outcome he desired. Why pursue them further? Were they truly going to chase them down and engage in a real fight?

They had finally gained an opportunity to escape. Before the enemy could realize what had happened, it was *they* who should swiftly make their getaway.

He first flashed back, extending his arms to cast a spell from a distance, intending to retrieve the three fifth-grade magic treasures. Since they were abandoned by the opponent, he certainly wanted to pocket them and take them away.

The halted Bright Mountain Sect group, however, felt regret. They had the chance to act but didn't, watching the enemies escape. Chu Jingting stamped his foot in regret, wondering why Wu Jinliang would let them go so easily.

Wu Shanshan's group, just before desperately fleeing on their Wind Scales, also heard Wu Jinliang's bold shout. They became even more flustered. What did he mean, "they can't escape"?

Did he have another trick up his sleeve for them?

This made them even more desperate to flee at full speed.