Today's first update: Chapter 2949! 1/4!
When A Li saw Yanran and the others bound layer upon layer by restraints, unable to move, icy panic instantly seized his heart.
The Crocodile Race Half-Saints stood around them like iron-cast statues, guarding the area grimly. Just the cruel, mocking glances they casually swept over him carried a crushing weight that nearly suffocated him.
Not to mention the tens of thousands of Saints from the two races above the cloud steps, looming like storm clouds and radiating monstrous might—this escort squad of Crocodile Race Half-Saints alone, with killing intent so dense it seemed tangible, was enough to make A Li understand: if he made the slightest unusual move, these cold-blooded executioners would tear Yanran and all the captured Cat Race comrades to pieces before he could even rise up!
What should he do... What should he do...
Huge beads of sweat mixed with cold rainwater and rolled down A Li's taut cheeks, splashing into the mud beneath his feet.
His heart felt as though an invisible giant hand had clenched around it, ready to crush it apart.
Amid this agonizing despair, A Li felt a familiar gaze.
He abruptly raised his head, looking through the cold curtain of rain as his eyes met Yanran's.
Yanran was shackled in heavy dark-iron restraints, and powerful seals had completely locked down the strength throughout her body. Even speaking had become an impossible luxury.
She forced herself to stand straight, preserving the last shred of a Cat Race warrior's dignity. Yet her pale face and faintly trembling body told of the immense pressure and pain she endured.
But their understanding had long surpassed words. With only that brief meeting of eyes, A Li clearly understood Yanran's urgent, almost pleading cry:
"Don't worry about us! Go!"
A