Chapter 226: Chapter 216: In the Pine Forest
Tuzha and Mo Ban chased Zhao Lin relentlessly, but they didn’t dare get too close, fearing they would step into a pitfall and repeat their comrades’ mistakes.
In truth, Zhao Lin could have used his speed and flight to shake off the pair and return directly to his sect to ask an elder for help.
But Yan Province bordered Wuzhu territory. If the two of them ran for the border, it might be too late to go back for reinforcements.
The constant threat was worse than a one-time attack. If he let the duo escape, he wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly.
Besides, their group of five was already down to two. The tables had turned. If he could just engineer a way to kill one more, Zhao Lin was confident he could take the last one in a one-on-one fight.
Tuzha and Mo Ban were extremely cautious, only pursuing along the exact path Zhao Lin had taken and herding him further up the mountain.
"Where do you think he’s running?" Mo Ban grew suspicious, seeing Zhao Lin dashing about aimlessly. He lowered his voice and asked Tuzha.
"He’s probably trying to pull the same trick again."
Tuzha sneered. "Let’s just watch each other’s backs and watch our step. I refuse to believe he has any other tricks up his sleeve!"
After leading them in circles, Zhao Lin dashed into a camphor pine forest. This was the very spot where he had set traps for a Wind Fox just days before.
By themselves, these animal traps couldn’t cause much harm to a Blood Realm warrior.
But in a fight between Blood Realm warriors, the slightest difference could be a matter of life and death. Even a minor distraction could be the key to deciding the victor.
Zhao Lin scanned the forest, spotted an old, marked pine tree, and immediately ran toward it.
Two jaw traps were buried in the snow beside the old pine, completely hidden from sight.
He ran between the traps, deliberately stumbled, then suddenly spun around and threw a double-fisted punch at the two men behind him.
Tuzha and Mo Ban reacted as if facing a formidable foe, each using Burning Wood Fist to defend themselves.
Four fists met with two muffled thuds.
Tuzha’s power was profound; his body only swayed slightly. Mo Ban, however, couldn’t handle the force and took a step back.
SNAP! His foot landed right on a jaw trap.
When Zhao Lin had set the trap, he had worried about killing the Wind Fox, so he’d intentionally used one with long, thin spikes. While it caused limited overall damage, its penetrating power was greater.
Blood Realm warriors were said to have skin of bronze and bones of iron, but they weren’t truly invulnerable. Mo Ban cried out in pain, his footing slipped, and he nearly collapsed.
At that very moment, a large net fell from the sky.
Normally, Mo Ban could have sliced through the hanging net with a single, casual move. But he didn’t dare try, because Zhao Lin was already upon him.
Balancing on one foot, Mo Ban chopped at Zhao Lin with his palm.
Zhao Lin knew his opponent’s movement was restricted. He flickered to the side, dodging the palm strike, and launched three consecutive claw attacks, giving Mo Ban no room to breathe.
Mo Ban parried desperately, forced to watch helplessly as the large net fell and enveloped him.
Seeing his companion in peril, Tuzha charged forward. But with Mo Ban in the way, he had no choice but to first step diagonally before lashing out with a kick toward Zhao Lin.
That brief delay was all Zhao Lin needed. He leaped up, grabbed the knot of the hanging net’s rope, and blasted energy from his acupoints. He shot off the ground, pulling Mo Ban high into the air with him.
Tuzha was stunned. He too leaped into the air, trying to intercept Zhao Lin.
Mo Ban was tangled in the net, suspended helplessly in mid-air. He grabbed the mesh with both hands and tried to tear it apart.
With a flick of his wrist, Zhao Lin swung the net containing Mo Ban like a Meteor Hammer, aiming it right at Tuzha.
Tuzha flipped aside to dodge, then tapped his toes on a tree trunk to launch himself upward again.
But halfway through his ascent, he suddenly saw a web of hundreds of fine, intersecting silk threads materialize before him. Unable to dodge in time, he crashed headfirst into it.
This was another of Zhao Lin’s traps: a sticky net made of silk threads, hung between the trees to catch the Wind Fox. Each strand was as fine as a human hair, making it nearly invisible to the naked eye.
In the dim forest light and his own desperate haste, Tuzha hadn’t noticed it. He was instantly entangled and couldn’t break free.
Seizing the moment the sticky net had bought him, Zhao Lin flung Mo Ban higher into the air, then flew up beneath him and unleashed a punch from below.
After the prolonged fight, his Cold Ice True Qi was completely depleted. So, he attacked with Stone Roar Fist, infusing it with his Wind Attribute True Qi.
Mo Ban had just managed to break free from the net when he felt a violent gale of force surging up from below. His face paled in terror as he barely managed to throw a kick in defense.
With a soft THUMP, the force surged into his body like a raging tide. Mo Ban felt his chest tighten, his Qi Sea trembled violently, and he almost lost the ability to gather his own energy.
To his absolute horror, after the mid-air exchange, Zhao Lin didn’t fall. Instead, he hovered in the air as if he had grown wings and threw another punch.
BANG!
Tuzha severed the sticky net with a Fiery Flame Saber palm strike, just in time to see Mo Ban fall from the sky like a kite with a snapped string, crashing heavily onto the snow below.
"Run!"
Mo Ban struggled to his feet and forced the word out to Tuzha.
Tuzha’s expression flickered, and he suddenly bolted, running full-speed down the mountain.
Even now, he still couldn’t comprehend how five high-level Blood Realm warriors in their prime had lost to a young man who had just entered the First Layer of the Blood Realm.
But the iron-clad truth was laid out before him, leaving no room for wishful thinking.
’If I can get back and report what happened to the sect, there might be a sliver of a chance...’
Tuzha fled as if on wings, as frightened as a bird that has heard the twang of a bowstring, praying that Mo Ban could buy him a little more time.
"Your companion sure runs fast!"
Zhao Lin ignored the fleeing Tuzha and stared mockingly at Mo Ban. "Talk. Who sent you? What sect? Tell me, and I’ll make it quick."
While chasing the Wind Fox that morning, his hands had gotten covered in Musk powder.
During their exchange, that Musk powder had transferred to Tuzha’s fists, so Zhao Lin wasn’t worried about him escaping.
"Even if you don’t tell me, I can figure it out."
Zhao Lin spoke as he slowly advanced on Mo Ban.
"Then take your time guessing!"
With a look of grim resolution, Mo Ban’s body swayed. Black blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he collapsed to the ground with a THUD.
’Dead?’
Zhao Lin froze, suspecting a trick. Not caring whether the man was truly dead or just faking it, he launched a flying kick straight into Mo Ban’s chest.
All signs of life were gone from Mo Ban’s body. It tumbled through the air for twenty-odd yards before slamming into a large tree.
Snow cascaded down from the tree’s branches, burying the corpse until only its head and shoulders remained visible.
Zhao Lin picked up a branch, walked over to the body, and squatted down. He used the stick to pry open Mo Ban’s mouth and saw a small, gallbladder-like sac stuck to the man’s teeth.
Traces of black fluid surrounded the sac.
"Poison. A suicide agent!"
Zhao Lin raised an eyebrow. ’I’ve never offended anyone in Yan Province,’ he thought. ’Why would someone send five Blood Realm warriors to assassinate me?’
These five cultivated martial arts from the Western Regions and had even trained in joint-attack techniques. Their origins were clearly anything but simple.
Though the martial path was different, the style of their fist techniques seemed identical to that of the masked men who had attacked the Wuxiang Institute disciples during last year’s mountain sweep.
Zhao Lin had a growing suspicion that this affair was about more than just him.
’Right, one fish slipped through the net.’
Zhao Lin stood up and glanced in the direction Tuzha had fled. He took a light breath, catching the scent of Musk in the air. Circulating his qi, he leaped into motion and raced down the mountain.
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