Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 146: Chapter 45 Desperate Situation

“`

Li Yan hurried through the alley, looking back uneasily, taking a few steps around the corner, only to bump into a gloomy face.

Both were startled. At the same time, they lunged forward, their wrists colliding.

Fists clashed, elbows supported each other, *bang bang bang* several crisp sounds rang out.

Li Yan’s eyes flashed coldly as he delivered a series of blows with the back of his fists to the newcomer’s throat, chest, and nose, all in one breath.

The man’s body swayed, senseless, yet withstanding the fierce assault, he countered by grabbing Li Yan’s wrist.

Li Yan was not flustered, abruptly kicking the opponent in the hollow of the knee.

The man’s leg went numb with pain, and he instinctively lurched forward with a cry.

Li Yan shifted back, his fists rising and falling like twin peaks by his ears, smashing onto his opponent’s temples.

A burst of polychromatic light dazzled by, Li Yan was taken aback, his punch halted, and he raised a leg for a heart-stopping kick, pushing back the newcomer. The man staggered backward and the two looked at each other once more.

Wushan.

“It’s you?”

Wushan was both astonished and furious.

“I don’t have time to fight with you now, run.”

Li Yan let out a harsh shout, twisted his steps like a slippery eel, sidestepping Wushan, and dashed toward the Forbidden City.

Having witnessed the power of “Sifan” firsthand during his journey, Wushan quickly caught up with Li Yan, shouting, “I admit defeat in this round. Where’s Pei Yunhu? Tell him to change the imperial decree back, or we are all dead!”

“Pei Yunhu is dead, and the imperial decree can’t be taken back now.”

“What did you say?!”

Wushan glared with wide eyes.

Li Yan scanned the surroundings with his eyes while speaking, “The Renegade did it, run first, you can’t beat him either.”

Startled, Wushan muttered, “A Renegade before falling would at least be a Proxy Traveler. Far surpassing the strength normally dispatched for events, Hou Tu wouldn’t just turn a blind eye. He must have come in through some special means.”

Muttering to himself and dripping with cold sweat, Wushan pondered, “Thinking back now, could it be that Ren Ni?”

The two ran ahead, one after the other. Li Yan glanced at Wushan and asked, “Have you ever seen a Renegade?”

Wushan shook his head, “No, I haven’t. But I’ve spent more than a year in Yan Fu, haven’t eaten pork but seen pigs run.”

“Then what do you think…” Li Yan pondered, “when will people from Yan Fu arrive? With such a commotion, they can’t remain indifferent.”

Up until now, Li Yan had not fully understood the boundary between the Travelers and the Renegades.

Not bounded by the events of Yan Fu? Free passage through the Yan Fu Fruit? Hunted by the Ten Masters?

On the battlefield of Renchen, Li Yan had indirectly questioned Taishuai numerous times.

Yu Shu’s attitude at that time was filled with a rugged and fierce determination, a ‘better to betray the world than let the world betray me’ stance. Only after seeing Feng Yi’s actions today does Li Yan hold a more comprehensive understanding of what being a Renegade truly means.

To Yan Fu, Sifan, who recklessly peeled away the flesh of the Yan Fu Fruit, was the most harmful pest of all.

Although Li Yan still had many questions about the Ten Masters and Sifan, right now, escaping this ordeal was the priority.

Including this time, he had only experienced three Yan Fu events. Not to mention the Ten Masters, he had hardly seen veterans like Mo.

Li Yan was unsure whether the response from the Eight Sufferings would be fierce or not due to their intervention. That was why he had inquired with Wushan.

“I’m not sure either…”

Wushan’s face took on a strange expression. Both were fast runners; as Li Yan came to an open area, everything was paved with white tiles, surrounded by yellow tiles and red walls.

The Forbidden City, Meridian Gate.

On both sides, several dots raced toward the gate with Li Yan and Wushan. They included Cha Xiaodao. And there were the Zhao siblings, Zhao Xin and Zhao Wu, making it a group of eight in total.

These individuals all looked disheveled, their dispositions and attire markedly distinct. The only commonality was a touch of tenderness in their eyes, a sign of their extraordinary nature. That was the only difference between a Traveler with an inheritance and regular people.

As the eight of them met, each slowed their pace, tense and alert, instinctively clustering with those they knew, clearly dividing into groups.

While the few surviving Travelers sized each other up, Cha Xiaodao and Li Yan exchanged glances as if strangers, their deep thoughts hidden as they briskly moved on without revealing their intentions.

The air fell silent for a while until Wushan’s gaze landed on Zhao Xin. Simultaneously, the other three Travelers stared at Li Yan with murderous intent in their eyes.

Among them, an elderly man and a baby-faced youth stood together, and there was another man holding a bullhorn great bow.

The bowman was impatient, and had already aimed his bullhorn bow at Li Yan.

“Kill him and we can leave!”

Li Yan’s gaze met the bowman’s coldly. He softly shifted a few steps to the side, distancing himself from Wushan.

The bowman asked anxiously, “Was that ghostly thing done by Pei Yunhu or did you stir up the trouble?”

“`

Li Yan seemed unconcerned, blurting out unexpectedly, “Leave a survivor.”

Wushan could see clearly from his angle, but he had no intention of issuing a warning. Baby Face and the Old Man exchanged a glance, each remaining silent.

The man with the small mustache felt sweat drip from his sideburns; a black feather fell onto his shoulder. A chill went through him, and he suddenly threw his head back.

The solitary claw hovered in mid-air, the raven’s wings shivering, its demonically beautiful face etched with black patterns. Thousands of crow feathers intertwined into a black blade, nearly poking into the mustachioed man’s eyes.

If it hadn’t been for that command “Leave a survivor,” the feather-blade of Nine-Winged Sudu would have dug out even his marrows.

“Pei Yunhu is already dead, his words no longer count. All the living Proxies are right here. Count for yourself; I don’t care if you’re feigning ignorance or truly are a fool. If you want to live, think of a way to deal with what’s coming from behind…”

“What’s coming from behind?”

Feng Yi strode forward lightly, his body shrouded in waves of deathly white Sifan power, erasing everything around into disarray.

“You’ve refused me once, so there won’t be a second chance,” he said.

Feng Yi’s expression was calm, his eyebrows frosted with rime.

Li Yan huffed and discreetly stepped back a few paces. Pointing at Feng Yi, “The imperial decree is in his hands, whoever dares should go fetch it from him.”

A snort of laughter escaped Feng Yi, “I really can’t fathom if you’re dumb or smart, brave or just clueless.”

“Sudu, let him go.”

Nine-Winged Sudu glared fiercely at the mustachioed man before reluctantly folding his wings and retreating behind Li Yan.

Li Yan gestured invitingly to the mustachioed man, “If you’re so capable, then go for it.”

While they talked, the lion-guarded railings, white jade steps, and lush cypresses were slowly being erased by “Sifan.” The encroaching blankness threatened to leave no ground for them to stand.

The man with the small mustache pursed his lips and dared not speak. Even with the threat level at dark grey, and even deep black, one could still fight back with outside help.

But faced with the man in suit and frosty eyebrows, A Fleeting Glimpse had no reaction—it was a phenomenon he had never encountered since his arrival in Yan Fu.

The mustachioed man didn’t dare to raise his bow; instead, another stepped forward, blocking Feng Yi.

His back was stooped, exuding the odor of alcohol.

Surprised, Li Yan gave Wushan a second glance. Everyone else stayed quiet, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Are you serious?”

“In another ten minutes, we’ll all be dead.”

Wushan pointed, and not far away, the Hall of Supreme Harmony had been reduced to a deathly white.

“Fight it, we might not die. Don’t fight, we’ll definitely die. Sit around waiting for Yan Fu’s rescue? What if it’s too late and we die frustrated?”

He tilted his head, casting a sideway glance at Li Yan, “How would you know for sure if you’ll lose without fighting?”

Nine-Winged Sudu made a face, visibly irritated by the remark.

Li Yan fell silent. It wasn’t that he had nothing to say. He had fought before but had not won. The sense of helplessness when Blood Dip erupted and left Feng Yi without a scratch wasn’t something outsiders could comprehend.

Yet, Li Yan didn’t retort. Instead, he smiled, “You’re right. I was mistaken.”

Wushan drained the last drop from his metal flask, which bore the logo of Hesheng with five stars.

[The Last Drop of Hesheng]

Category: Consumable

Quality: Rare~Legendary

Be reborn anew, designate any legacy, get it drunk, and gain the chance to break through one’s Awakening Degree limit once, lasting five minutes.

The four grand banners, cobalt blue, white, crimson, and apricot-yellow seemed as though they had been washed out.

General Cat, ears perked, grabbed the flask with both paws and guzzled as he looked skyward. Slamming the flask down, his body swayed, and he belched.

“Miss, if you lend me Bai Ze now, my strength could increase by thirty percent. Winning the battle and saving your life might be possible. Consider it?”

Zhao Xin drew her dark Guandao and, without sparing Wushan a glance, said, “You’re not exactly handsome, dreaming quite the dream.”

Wushan bellowed with laughter, as four colorful streams shot up into the sky.

The drunken fool roared, “Anyone who doesn’t want to die, fight with me!”

Zhao Xin lunged, dragging her Guandao forward as she charged.

Crack!

Zhao Xin turned to see her wrist being seized by Zhao Wu.

The one-eyed bald man had a grave expression as he slowly shook his head.

Looking back at the fray, the other five Proxies stood still, silently spectating.