"Not good. Someone is coming straight for us. They are no longer concealing their killing intent—they intend to leave us buried in the Black Dragon Mountain Range for good."
The killing intent in the distance was so intense it was visible to the naked eye, its overwhelming force startling flocks of birds and beasts wherever it passed. Li Mu could not help frowning.
"Brother Mu, who wants us dead? With killing intent like this, they must have hundreds of lives on their hands. How could such a terrifying enemy have set their sights on us?"
Xiaoyu's expression was equally grave. She and Li Mu were merely ordinary academy students. Why would such a terrifying opponent hunt them down? She could not make heads or tails of it.
"I do not know who it is either. This blood-soaked killing intent is somewhat similar to Fang Yan after he took the Blood Demon Pill. Could the Nangong Family be looking for trouble with me? Forget that for now. I have a feeling there is something strange about our pursuer. We need to leave at full speed. Once we are out of the mountain range, I can call for help."
Li Mu vaguely sensed that the sky-piercing killing intent had all the outward show but lacked any real oppressive force. That meant the newcomer's own strength should not be particularly formidable; they had likely forcefully raised their aura through some external means, like the Blood Demon Pill he had seen before. Having realized this, Li Mu also had a faint guess as to the pursuer's identity.
But a guess was only a guess. Their opponent's circumstances were unclear, and Xiaoyu and he had just gone through a life-and-death battle. Even though they had recovered seventy or eighty percent, they still did not dare risk facing this bizarre hunter head-on again. Avoiding their edge was clearly the right choice.
Beneath the night sky of the Black Dragon Mountain Range, a chase was underway. The Beast Armor, driven berserk by the blood-eyed rat demon, had reached a startling speed. As the veins all over his body swelled further and further, his aura and strength continued to rise.
When boulders and trees blocked his way, he no longer dodged and weaved. Instead, he simply used his fleshly body to clear a path, charging wildly through the dense forest like a humanoid tank.
Li Mu and Xiaoyu, meanwhile, pushed their Movement Techniques to the limit. The young man moved like a swimming dragon, darting through the towering trees, while the young woman was equally nimble as a painted phoenix, following close behind Li Mu on light steps.
The night had grown deep. The dense trees completely blocked even the last remnants of moonlight, so both of them had taken out luminous pearls to light the path ahead. At times like this, Xiaoyu could not help admiring how Brother Mu always had his own unique insights when it came to preparing for every little detail.
Very soon, the two figures, one ahead and one behind, were about to rush out of the forest. Once they crossed another mountain, they would reach the post station at the foot of the Black Dragon Mountain Range. A Qinglan Army patrol squad was stationed there. Li Mu believed that once they entered the post station's territory, the mysterious pursuer behind them would not dare act openly even if he had ten times the courage.
"Xiaoyu, hold on. Once we get out of this forest, there will be open ground ahead. If we use our Movement Techniques, we can definitely reach the post station before he catches us."
After a night of fierce fighting and prolonged all-out running, Li Mu realized that the girl beside him was nearing her limit. Her strength was relatively weak, and she had never specifically trained her body. The repeated exertion had indeed placed an enormous burden on Xiaoyu. Her breathing had become unsteady, and her steps were beginning to slow.
"Brother Mu, leave me behind. If this continues, neither of us will escape. You go first and bring people back to help me."
Nie Xiaoyu knew her strength was nearly exhausted. If Li Mu continued matching her pace, neither of them would likely escape the pursuit. Though her strength was lacking, she could still sense the sky-piercing killing intent behind them drawing ever closer.
"..."
Li Mu fell silent...
Nie Xiaoyu's heart clenched, but she quickly came to terms with it. The best choice now was for Li Mu to leave at full speed and find reinforcements as quickly as possible. Yet in truth, the success of that plan existed only in theory.
In her current state, she likely could not wait until Li Mu returned with aid. Facing the master of that killing intent alone would be a situation with ten deaths and no life.
"At least, if my final moments can buy him safety, that is enough."
Nie Xiaoyu's inner thoughts were that pure. Many years ago, during that summer when torrential rain poured down, the young man beside her had taken out medicine and food to save the girl and her family, who had been tortured by hunger and illness. From that moment on, she had known that in this life, Nie Xiaoyu lived only for him.
Just as memories of the past played over and over in the girl's mind, the young man who should have sped away suddenly stopped. He seized her hand and pulled her behind him.
"Forget it. We are not running anymore. Xiaoyu, let us settle life and death with him here today. What do you say?"
The girl stared in surprise at the young man's back. It was so steadfast and broad. That horrifying blood-soaked killing intent was completely blocked by him, and an unprecedented sense of safety filled her heart.
"Brother Mu, no..."
Nie Xiaoyu had just opened her mouth to persuade him when one of the young man's fingers pressed against her lips. Li Mu turned back, and his eyes shone as brilliantly as stars.
"Xiaoyu, do not be afraid. I am here."
He turned, drew his sword, and swung. The Shadowless Sword blossomed in the darkness with flowing radiance.
"Mm, I am not afraid. As long as you are here, I will not be afraid."
The golden-threaded leather whip at her waist was instantly drawn, turning into a streak of golden light that struck heavily against the ground, leaving behind a terrifying whip mark.
As a century-old poplar tree was smashed through at the waist, dust filled the sky and settled. A figure appeared before Li Mu and the others. His upper garments had completely vanished, his bare body covered in horrifying bulging veins. His eyes were an abnormal blood-red, and low growls emerged from his mouth.
Li Mu had imagined his enemy's identity and appearance countless times, but the opponent before him was less a man than a beast—a wild beast with nothing left but the instinct to kill.
"This berserk state is exactly the same as Fang Yan's after taking the Blood Demon Pill. But Fang Yan still retained his consciousness at first. This man has clearly been completely controlled by killing intent."
The terrifying freak also gave Nie Xiaoyu a great fright. It was her first time encountering such a situation. After swiftly recalling the pill knowledge she had learned at Hundred Herbs Hall, the girl discovered that the fully bestial enemy before her had completely exceeded the scope of her knowledge. No pill she knew could produce such a state.
"I am now somewhat certain that this man was sent by the Nangong Family. Even if he was not, they cannot be unrelated."
Li Mu looked at the man who kept snarling before him, his gaze gradually turning cold. After that academy tournament, his elder brother had come to see him once and warned him to beware of the Nangong Family's revenge. Yet half a year had passed without the expected trouble arriving, which had caused him to lower his guard somewhat.
But this family's patience and their habit of repaying every flaw with vengeance had clearly exceeded his expectations. Their methods were also deeply suspicious. First there had been the Blood Demon Pill, and now this bizarre assassin who had completely turned into a beast. It seemed that after escaping death this time, he needed to warn Li Yue. This Nangong Family was likely not as normal as it appeared on the surface.
"Xiaoyu, same tactic as before. I will attack from the front, and you harass him from the flank. Let us test his strength first."
Li Mu could sense that the man before him was roughly equal to him in strength. However, one could tell with the naked eye that this berserk beastification state had greatly enhanced his physical abilities. Thus, his power, speed, and reaction time could not be judged by his original strength. Li Mu decided to probe him first.
"Ha!"
The Shadowless Sword suddenly swept out, forming a streak of white Sword Qi in the air as it shot toward the Beast Armor.
At the same time, Xiaoyu unleashed a golden shadow of her whip, which likewise swept toward the Beast Armor as he let out wave after wave of furious roars.
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