At the same time, Butcher threw out his hook and dragged one of the young martial artists back.
Butcher's hook flew a little slower than Bai Xiaowen's True Essence Force–powered Dragon-Seizing Technique, though. By the time he pulled the young man back, the explosion had left him severely injured.
Severely injured was still better than what happened to the last two unlucky fellows. They had charged too far ahead and ignored the order to retreat. Neither Bai Xiaowen's chain nor Butcher's hook could reach them.
The explosion killed those two young martial artists on the spot, scattering even their bones.
Everyone on Ironblood Cliff saw the rescue, along with the gruesome deaths of the two young men.
Wang Tieqiang shouted, "Those Black Heaven Cult fiends are vicious! They even blew themselves up as they died. Thank goodness Hero Lü saw through it and ordered everyone back, or we'd have been caught in the blast."
Someone asked, "Wait, where did Li Yan, that Ghost Holy Son, and his men go?"
The crowd looked around the summit of Ironblood Cliff. Li Yan and his party had vanished. Only Qin Changsheng, the Supreme Clarity Sect disciple whose Origin Force had been sealed, remained.
"They must've slipped away during the chaos."
"But Ironblood Cliff is full of our fellow martial artists. How did that fiend Li escape?"
"Hard to say. Those Black Heaven Cult fiends might have some flying sorcery we've never seen."
Bai Xiaowen narrowed his eyes slightly. He could have kept Li Yan from leaving if he wanted to, but he had chosen not to.
The two young men Bai Xiaowen had pulled back with his Dragon-Seizing Technique recovered from their fright and hurried to thank him.
Bai Xiaowen looked ashamed. "If only I had more hands. I couldn't save everyone in