TM CH39

Chapter 39 Earthquake

On the third day, Rong Qi was alone in the forest when he came across the freak crouched over drinking water.

In the bright light of day, the freak’s appearance became clearer. His long, tangled hair fell loosely around his chest and back, and the lower half of his face was covered in thick facial hair. Upon noticing Rong Qi, his bloodshot eyeballs rolled strangely a few times, and then an eerie light appeared in them.

Rong Qi turned and fled immediately.

The wind whistled past his ears, the heavy footsteps behind him following at a steady pace.

He circulated his internal energy and made a sharp turn. For the first time in his life, he used his full strength without reservation to rush onward.

Two figures, like ghosts, swiftly darted through the dense forest.

Before long, Rong Qi stopped, his back pressed against a dark cliff, vigilantly staring at the freak.

The freak halted a few steps away, a “hehe” sound coming from his throat, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

The prey had reached a dead-end, with no way to retreat.

Rong Qi: “Who are you?”

The freak’s steps faltered.

Rong Qi asked again, “Can you understand human speech?”

The freak stared at him, continuing to walk closer.

Rong Qi watched him coldly as he drew nearer, and in the next instant, he leapt into the air. Several vines hung down from the cliff above. He grabbed one, using it to propel himself upward at a faster speed.

The freak immediately followed, closing the distance quickly. He raised his hand and swiped in Rong Qi’s direction, but only managed to brush the edge of his clothing. He let out an angry, guttural sound, lunging for a vine to use its force. However, the vine snapped suddenly, sending him plummeting down.

The freak’s eyes widened in surprise, but in an instant, his body twisted and adjusted, scraping against the cliff to halt his fall.

He didn’t fall.

Rong Qi gripped the vine, his body suspended in mid-air, watching coldly below.

In the next moment, a flash of cold light gleamed from his fingers, speeding toward the freak.

The tiny silver needles were all swept away, but the freak still cried out in pain.

Rong Qi smirked slightly. Hit.

But his satisfaction was short-lived. The poisoned darts had no effect on the freak. Instead, they seemed to provoke a more intense bloodlust in him.

He couldn’t afford to waste any more time. Using the vine’s momentum, he quickly shifted to another one. This was a trap he and Gu Yunxing had specifically set. There weren’t many vines, but their positioning was clever enough to catch an opponent off guard.

As he climbed, he continued to fire hidden weapons at the pursuing freak.

Gradually, the freak seemed to realize that the vines had been tampered with and started to grab only those Rong Qi had touched.

Rong Qi naturally wouldn’t let him have his way. As he switched vines, the barbs on his hand cut the vine, and then took advantage of the freak’s fall to injure him with hidden weapons. Slowly, the small wounds on the freak’s body accumulated, and the look in his eyes as he stared at Rong Qi became increasingly deranged.

No one had ever mocked him like this before.

The freak finally stopped touching the vines. He slapped his hands against the stone wall, then curled his fingers as if to grab something, and shockingly, began to dig deep holes into the hard stone! His yellowed eyes locked onto Rong Qi above, as though he intended to gouge him like the stone itself.

Rong Qi felt the murderous intent from the freak intensifying, making him even more cautious. The freak’s speed was increasing, leaving behind a trail of deep handprints in the stone. Rong Qi immediately stopped lingering and pushed himself harder to climb higher.

The freak was thoroughly enraged. Under his vigorous pursuit, he actually overtook Rong Qi and reached the top. His body was like a gecko, his ten fingers inserted into the mountain wall, his body hanging upside down as he looked down at Rong Qi from above.

Rong Qi’s heart skipped a beat. He kicked off the cliff, swinging on the vines to put some distance between them, his heart racing. He had known the freak was strong, but he hadn’t expected that even in this dire situation, the freak could still hold the upper hand!

Now, the freak was above him. He leapt down, grabbed the vine in Rong Qi’s hand, and leaned in close, slowly grinning at him with a strange smile.

Hanging below, Rong Qi suddenly had a strong, ominous premonition.

In the next moment, the freak swung his arm. An immense force yanked Rong Qi up, slamming him heavily against the cliffside.

Blood filled his throat, and Rong Qi didn’t have time for anything else. He immediately released the vine, enduring the sharp pain, and leaped with all his strength to grab another vine nearby.

“Fang Lian!” Rong Qi shouted fiercely upwards.

Immediately, a pulling force from above lifted him higher.

“Hehe!”

The freak’s frustrated growl was close at hand.

Rong Qi barely had time to flick his sleeve, releasing a few throwing darts in an attempt to stop him. Almost at the same moment, he heard the sound of wind cutting through the air beside him. Before he knew it, his waist was gently pushed, and his body was propelled into a narrow opening above.

In an instant, Gu Yunxing had already switched places with him. The hand that had pushed Rong Qi away reversed its motion midair, gathering energy, and struck heavily toward the pursuing freak below.

“Ugh!”

The freak’s eyes widened, seemingly unable to understand how there could still be other people hidden on the cliffside. And this brief hesitation had already cost him the chance to dodge.

After receiving Gu Yunxing’s full-force palm strike, the freak finally lost all strength and fell straight down, crashing onto the flat ground several dozen feet below. His limbs twitched for a moment before gradually falling still, with only his eyes remaining, fixed on the sky above.

Fang Lian, holding two vines in each hand, poked his head out from behind. “Is he dead?”

Rong Qi spat out a mouthful of blood, his body still tense with caution. “You’ll know when you go down and check.”

After taking a palm strike and falling from such a height, even if he didn’t die, he’d surely be near death. The three of them were all top-tier martial artists of their generation, and with their combined strength, they would be able to subdue the freak.

Fang Lian tied the vines to a slanted tree branch at the narrow opening, pulling on them to ensure they were secure. “Let’s go.”

Moments later, the three of them descended to the ground using the vines.

The freak still lay motionless in the same spot.

Rong Qi observed, “Looks like he’s dead.” He drew his hidden blade, planning to deliver a few more strikes.

Gu Yunxing grabbed his arm. “Let me try.” He said, and with that, he gathered his energy and struck toward the freak.

The freak’s yellowed eyes suddenly rolled, and he shot up from the ground, charging straight for Fang Lian, who was closest.

“Shuhuai!” Gu Yunxing called out in a deep voice, but could only watch as the freak grabbed Fang Lian by the neck, lifting him up.

Fang Lian’s hands were still wrapped in the vines. The other end of the vines was tied to the tree trunk high above. In an instant, the freak used the vines to propel himself, carrying Fang Lian up toward the cliffside high above.

Gu Yunxing immediately gave chase.

Rong Qi thought for a moment before following.

Fang Lian reacted quickly as well. The moment the freak grabbed his neck, he used the vine in his hand to wrap around the freak’s throat. The two struggled in mid-air, each trying to gain control of the other. While their upper bodies were locked in combat, their legs kicked and twisted in a battle of their own.

The freak, growing impatient, found an opening and kicked fiercely at Fang Lian’s legs.

Fang Lian’s face went pale in an instant, but the vine in his hands tightened its grip.

The freak was forced to release one hand to try to free himself.

Just as the two were locked in their intense struggle, Rong Qi and Gu Yunxing arrived. They had already passed over the cliff and squeezed into the narrow opening above. The gap was so tight that neither of them could fully unleash their strength.

But Fang Lian’s situation couldn’t afford to wait.

A strange light reappeared in the freak’s eyes. He grinned widely, and the hand originally gripping Fang Lian’s neck fiercely clawed towards his shoulder—

“Boom!”

Suddenly, a strange sound echoed from deep within the earth. Everyone froze in surprise. Before they could react, the ground and rocks began to tremble, and then countless boulders rolled down from the higher part of the mountain.

On the small island, it felt as though another unseen force had awakened.

The ground beneath their feet began to tremble, and their bodies swayed with the movement.

Rong Qi noticed the freak’s panic-stricken expression. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and he sent out the last silver-ringed bone-piercing needle.

The needle accurately struck the freak’s eyeball.

“Aaaaah!”

The freak immediately released his grip, clutching his wounded right eye and screaming in agony.

Blood dripped steadily from his hand as the intense pain caused him to howl and stumble away from the narrow opening.

But at that moment, no one cared about his retreat.

Another violent shake rocked the ground. Rong Qi held onto Gu Yunxing to steady himself. “What’s going on?”

Gu Yunxing’s face darkened. “An earthquake.”

Rong Qi’s heart sank. “This…”

Gu Yunxing quickly lifted the fallen Fang Lian onto his back, his voice serious as he spoke to Rong Qi. “We need to get back to the ground.”

Above the cliff were even higher mountain peaks. When the earth shook and the mountains swayed, sending boulders crashing down, it would mean certain death. In comparison, the forest would be much safer.

Rong Qi nodded and quickly ran downwards. Once they reached the ground, they didn’t dare to stop. They continued to flee into the forest until they finally caught their breath.

“Sure enough, this cursed place never fails to disappoint!” Rong Qi, born in Jiangnan, had never experienced an earthquake. He felt that every day on this island was more unlucky than the last, with no end in sight!

He panted heavily, wiping the bloodstains from his mouth, and glanced back at Fang Lian. “What happened to him?”

Cold sweat beaded on Fang Lian’s forehead.

Gu Yunxing answered for him. “His leg is injured.”

Rong Qi looked over and saw that Fang Lian’s leg seemed to be in an unnatural position.

Fang Lian’s lips were pale. “Hurry… I need to get back. Ruoyao is still in the cave.”

Rong Qi immediately remembered. Yes, Fang Ruoyao and Yan Fan were still hiding in the cave.

Killing the freak had been fraught with difficulties. The two of them were mediocre in martial arts, and facing the freak would only lead to their deaths. They could do little to help and might even become a burden. That’s why they hadn’t participated in today’s confrontation, leaving Fang Lian to entrust Yan Fan with taking care of his sister.

But right now, the ground continued to shake, and the situation in the cave could only be worse.

Gu Yunxing spoke to his friend in a deep voice. “Leave this to me. I’ll go find her.”

With that, he lowered Fang Lian from his back and handed him to Rong Qi.

Rong Qi, momentarily distracted, suddenly realized someone had collapsed onto him.

Rong Qi: “???”

Fang Lian: “……”

Gu Yunxing looked at him seriously. “Rong Qi, take care of him and bring him back for me.”

Rong Qi opened his mouth, his expression awkward. “Are you sure you want to leave him with me?”

Gu Yunxing nodded. Without hesitation, he used his lightness skill to rush toward the cave, leaving the two staring at each other in bewilderment.