Chapter 124: You’re going to protect me, right?
Fifteen minutes ago.
As Bai Kai sped through the Gobi Desert shrouded by a fierce sandstorm, just before reaching his destination, he suddenly halted.
The place that Furongluo mentioned, the site of the Yumen Pass, Sanlongsha, was not far off—only about twenty to thirty kilometers away, which would take him at most ten minutes to cover. However, he had something important to do first.
After stopping, Bai Kai took out the Gray Owl Badge from his pocket. Infusing it with spirit energy, he contacted the General, as they had arranged earlier that morning.
“It’s me…”
“Are you about to go in?” the General asked.
“Not yet.” Bai Kai replied casually, “There are still some things to do before I enter.”
“Are you saying goodbye to Xing Yuan?”
Bai Kai shook his head, “I can’t. If I see her, I’m afraid I won’t have the resolve anymore.”
“So you’re just leaving without a word?” the General said. “That doesn’t seem right, does it?”
“Nothing wrong with it.” The corners of Bai Kai’s mouth twitched, as if he wanted to laugh, but ultimately couldn’t. “Wasn’t it she who left without saying goodbye? She even took all my belongings with her, and I had to go hungry for more than a month.”
She left without notice, and now I’m doing the same—it’s just a matter of tit for tat, Bai Kai thought.
“That’s not quite the same. At least she didn’t sell you out,” the General teased, then shifted the topic and asked, “But if you’re not going to see Xing Yuan, then what are you planning to do?”
“To help an old friend and talk some sense into those half-urban legends tribes.”
“Half-urban legends tribes?” The General’s voice rose a bit. “Don’t do anything reckless. Didn’t I tell you before? Even if you complete the spirit patterns, giving you temporary cataclysm-grade power, it’s not stable since you haven’t gained strength through normal progression…”
“Don’t worry!” Bai Kai interrupted. “Didn’t I just say? I’m going to reason with them; there won’t be any conflict. I know the priorities here. I won’t expend my strength on anything else before entering the Yumen Pass.”
“Half-urban legends will reason with you?”
“Why not?” Bai Kai retorted. “Alright, hurry over here so we don’t waste time and miss the chance to enter Yumen Pass… That’s it, I’m hanging up. Bye!”
With that, he swiftly cut off the energy infusion to the Gray Owl Badge and slowly shifted his gaze upward to the sky.
There, a dark yellow shadow almost covered the entire Gobi Desert, looming ominously overhead, weighing heavily on his heart…
After a long while, he withdrew his gaze and casually tossed the Gray Owl Badge into the wind.
It won’t be of any use anymore, keeping it serves no purpose…
As the howling wind whipped around, the Gray Owl Badge shot off like a shining silver meteor, flying towards the rolling wind-eroded hills, disappearing from sight.
Bai Kai’s figure also vanished from the spot like that Gray Owl Badge blown away by the wind.
————
At that moment, near Sanlongsha.
“Who are you, a madman audacious enough to run wild here?” Tayou Clan Leader wanted to say to Bai Kai. He had observed that the spirit ability user standing before him was alone, and even if his spirit energy fluctuations were strong, he might not be able to contend with hundreds of warriors from various tribes.
However, he didn’t say it.
That would be foolish.
Although several hundred half-urban legends could potentially overwhelm this spirit ability user, how many would it take to exhaust him?
Ten, a hundred, three hundred… or until the last one?
Who could guarantee that he, Xule Wu Tayou, would be the last one?
After a brief contemplation, Tayou Clan Leader concluded that he couldn’t afford to be enemies with the person before him.
After all, he was here for Tuo Wuali Lei; what did it have to do with me, Xule Wu Tayou?
I’ve hated that b*stard for a long time!
Besides, the Tayou Clan had become a super-large clan; their most important tradition was assessing the situation wisely.
“I know, I will take you to him right away!” Tayou Clan Leader said to Bai Kai.
As he spoke, he pointed a finger and gently pushed aside the long sword resting on his neck.
How could he talk or lead while a sword was resting on his neck?
Surely this gentleman would understand.
As soon as Tayou Clan Leader finished speaking, the other clan leaders from the half-urban legends tribes following him voiced their objections.
“d*mn rat, how can you do this? Betray a comrade?”
“That’s right, this guy is human. If I must help him, I’d rather d*e!”
“Coward, traitor, shameless!”
“……”
Hearing the accusations from the other clan leaders, Tayou Clan Leader turned around, his face darkened, and shouted, “Enough! Tuo Wuali Lei is currently the leader, but you can’t possibly be loyal to him this quickly, are you? Loyal enough to give your lives for him?”
As soon as he said this, the previously rowdy group of half-urban legends leaders fell silent.
Bai Kai, annoyed by the bickering of the half-urban legends, raised his hand and repositioned the sword back onto Tayou Clan Leader’s neck, saying in a low voice, “If you know where he is, then lead the way. Don’t keep me waiting.”
As he spoke, the temporarily elevated cataclysm-grade spirit energy fluctuations surged forth like a torrent, and the booming recitation of an epic echoed in the ears of the half-urban legends, even causing the howling wind to quiet down.
Tayou Clan Leader froze, seemingly scared out of his wits, his eyes vacant. After a moment, he finally regained his senses and stammered out, “I… I want to take you there right away, but…”
“But what?” Bai Kai asked impatiently.
“But I’m currently being hunted…” Tayou Clan Leader weakly responded.
Hunted? Bai Kai surveyed Tayou Clan Leader and the ragged half-urban legends behind him, frowning. Just then, a sound of slicing air pierced the distance.
Accompanied by the sound, a streak of light shot through the air, heading straight for the crowd.
Bai Kai looked up at the sky, following the light with his gaze. As it grew closer, he suddenly stepped forward and jumped into the air, swiftly catching whatever was wrapped in the light.
It felt crisp, like grasping a crumpled piece of A4 paper, as if the slightest pressure could crush it.
Opening his palm, Bai Kai looked down, and the placid, indifferent emotion he had earned after much effort nearly cracked at that moment.
A small pale paper figure lay in his hand, gently writhing. After a breath, its round belly lit up with a bright red glow, and then the pale body began to split apart, bursting with intense light.
Seeing this, Bai Kai’s heart jolted. He raised a hand and tossed the paper cicada into the sky, and the next moment, a loud explosion rang out above.
“……”
Wasn’t that… Xiao Bei’s paper cicada?
Isn’t she in Shancheng?
How did she end up near Yumen Pass?
Looking at the dazzling fireworks blossoming in midair, the corners of Bai Kai’s mouth twitched as he sunk into thought.
After pondering for a moment, he turned to Tayou Clan Leader and said coldly, “Lead the way ahead. If any more of those ghostly things fly in, I guarantee your safety.”
Although he didn’t know why Lu Qingyi was nearby Yumen Pass, Bai Kai decided that there would be no meeting her.
He had promised Furongluo to help resolve the threat posed by the Zhanbu Tribe, and he would see it through before entering Yumen Pass.
Meeting Lu Qingyi would not only ruin his promise to Furongluo, but she might also report back to Xing Yuan. Most importantly… if he saw her, entering Yumen Pass might become impossible.
Bai Kai had watched Lu Qingyi grow up and understood her temperament well. He knew she would realize he entered Yumen Pass and likely do everything in her power to stop him, possibly even going in his place.
That would be the worst-case scenario he wanted to avoid…
————
Five kilometers away.
Tuo Wuali Lei Clan Leader, according to Fang Ji’s directions, retreated five kilometers and concealed himself in a ravine formed by wind-eroded hills, inwardly shocked.
From a distance, intense explosions erupted constantly, flames reaching the heavens, the earth quaking, and fragrant smoke wafted around like a veil, dancing in the air.
If he hadn’t heeded that guy’s warning and stayed in the open area, a half-urban legends tribe would probably have suffered severe casualties already, Tuo Wuali Lei Clan Leader thought.
As he pondered, a member of the tribe hurried back from a distance, stopped in front of him, and cupped his fists.
“Clan Leader, the Zhanbu Tribe leader has arrived, bringing the head of the messenger, and demands to see you.” The half-urban legend said while covertly glancing at Tuo Wuali Lei Clan Leader’s expression.
His face was terrible, resembling half-cooked pig liver.
“What did you say? The messenger was killed by her?” Tuo Wuali Lei Clan Leader asked in a somber tone. “Where is she now?”
How could she have killed him? The warrior sent as a messenger should have been no less powerful than that woman Furongluo, perhaps even slightly stronger.
He suddenly felt as if he had provoked some mysterious existence, cursed with bad luck. First, he was blown to pieces by the Miracle Saint, and now, just as he became the leader of the half-urban legends, there was a rebellion. He sensed a troubling omen.
“She has already been apprehended.”
“……” Tuo Wuali Lei Clan Leader fell silent for two seconds, raised his hand in a signal, and said, “Take me over. I want to ask that woman personally what she intends to do!”
Then, she must be taught a lesson!
No matter how she killed the messenger warrior, she must be given a severe punishment.
Now that I’ve just become the leader, and before I even enter Yumen Pass, such things are happening. If I don’t deal with her severely, entering Yumen Pass would likely lead to even more rebellions. How will I ever complete the plan to rescue the Shaman Queen then?
Tuo Wuali Lei Clan Leader thought, his murky eyes revealing a dark and vicious brightness, a huge tail behind him swaying slowly, eager to try its strength.
————
Lu Qingyi, controlling the paper cicada for the bombing, suddenly halted and seemed to think of something, furrowing her brows.
Beside her, Nanling Yaohua noticed her unease and leaned in to ask, “What’s wrong? Have all the ambush troops been dealt with?”
Even if there were thousands hidden outside, with her indiscriminate attack method, there shouldn’t be many left capable of fighting, Nanling Yaohua thought.
Though she couldn’t see the situation behind the wind-eroded hills, she could see the intense light of the flames and feel the tremors of the earth along with the surging spirit energy fluctuations, vaguely guessing the outcome.
It could only be a sea of scorched earth.
Lu Qingyi looked at Nanling Yaohua and shook her head, “I’m not sure. I just suddenly noticed something strange.”
“Something strange?” Nanling Yaohua expressed confusion.
“I found that the target we were tracking was mingling with my friend,” Lu Qingyi explained. “And it seems that my friend has done something not very good to me.”
Indeed, Lu Qingyi considered Fang Ji to be a friend. Although not a deeply intimate confidant, he was still one of her few friends.
Earlier, through the observation of the paper cicada, she saw Dailin and his companions escape into the crowd and didn’t catch a glimpse of Fang Ji’s face. Now, as Fang Ji moved forward while facing the flying paper cicada, she finally saw the face of the person meeting Dailin.
That handsome being, rare in this world, looking more beautiful than most girls, was none other than “Fang Girl,” and accompanying him was a petite girl with fire-like red hair, resembling the “Calamity” from the rumors by eight or nine parts.
With these elements combined, things suddenly grew strange.
Fang Ji is part of the Miracle Cult; why would he be with Dailin, a member of the Solar Eclipse Society?
If he and Dailin already knew each other, wouldn’t he have known from the start that Dailin had kidnapped Miaomiao Sauce?
Wait, the person with him is that imposter Calamity… Could he have been bewitched by that one who seems to be a proxy player sister? Lu Qingyi wondered.
After all, she felt that if it were her, she could possibly persuade the Miracle Cult and the Solar Eclipse Society to join forces against someone.
“Hmm…” Nanling Yaohua thought for a moment and said seriously, “If that person you mentioned really is your friend, then he wouldn’t do anything bad to you. It’s likely there’s a misunderstanding. However, if he did, then he is no longer your friend.”
After a pause, she added, “I think you should confront him directly.”
“Mm!” Lu Qingyi and Nanling Yaohua exchanged glances for two seconds and nodded.
Having chased this far, Miaomiao Sauce’s whereabouts were within reach. Even with the threat of that possible proxy player sister, they had to take the risk and ask.
With that in mind, Lu Qingyi stepped forward and linked arms with Nanling Yaohua, saying, “Sister Yaohua, um… the Calamity seems to be with them too. If I go, you will protect me, right?”
Nanling Yaohua gave Lu Qingyi a complex look, wanting to say something but hesitating.
You’re so strange, little sister!
With the fighting power displayed by those disposable spirit energy items you just used, do you really need me to protect you?
