Cloud Roaming Steps

The Sinister Man had been fortunate enough to meet a Dou Wang before. He could tell that the Dou Qi wings of a Dou Wang were clearly different from the wings on that young man in the sky.

Moreover, judging from the aura the young man had unleashed, he was only at the level of a Dou Master.

That left only one possibility: the young man possessed a rare flying Dou Technique.

A trace of greed flashed through the Sinister Man's eyes. If he obtained this Dou Technique, his strength would increase severalfold.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!

Arrows shot rapidly toward Chen Mo and Die.

"Watch out!" Die cried in panic.

Chen Mo was not yet proficient with the Kunpeng Wings. He was also holding Die and had no free hands, while using the Kunpeng Wings consumed a considerable amount of Dou Qi.

Thus, facing the rapidly incoming arrows, Chen Mo found it extremely difficult to evade them. Several arrows grazed past his body.

Fortunately, the Dou Qi Gauze Armor protected him, and he was not injured.

This also confirmed the Sinister Man's suspicions. It really was a flying Dou Technique.

"Hurry up! Don't stop! Keep shooting!"

"Aim properly!"

"Shoot him down, and I'll reward you handsomely!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!"

The Mercenaries drew their longbows to full draw, sending arrows raining down toward Chen Mo and Die.

"Damn it!"

Chen Mo's expression darkened. He could only circulate all the Dou Qi in his body and flap the Kunpeng Wings with all his strength, forcibly climbing higher and flying beyond the bows' range.

However, this caused the wound on Chen Mo's back to split open again. Blood completely soaked the bandage made from his short sleeves.

"Y-you're hurt?" Hearing Chen Mo suck in a breath, Die immediately looked up and saw his brows tightly furrowed, as though he were enduring immense pain.

"No. The wound probably split open again. Be careful."

Just as Chen Mo spoke, an arrow suddenly shot toward Die's tail.

Chen Mo hurriedly twisted his body and lowered himself slightly.

"Don't!" Die screamed, as though she had guessed what Chen Mo intended to do.

The arrow immediately struck Chen Mo's back, only to be bounced away by the Dou Qi Gauze Armor.

Ding! Favorability +3. Obtained one Marrow Cleansing Pill. Intimacy bonus triggered. Obtained Yellow-Rank Advanced Dou Technique—Cloud Roaming Steps.

"Damn it, you useless trash! Bring me a bow!"

Seeing Chen Mo and Die about to fly beyond range, the Sinister Man kicked a nearby Mercenary to the ground and snatched the bow from his hands.

He drew the longbow to its limit, poured all his Dou Qi into the arrow, aimed at Chen Mo, and released the string.

Boom!

The released arrow tore through the air with a powerful whistling roar as it hurtled toward Chen Mo.

"You scared me to death!" Die was still worried about that previous arrow.

Pfft!

Suddenly, an arrow sped in from behind. Chen Mo sensed it and was about to evade it, but he realized this arrow was different from the others.

Its speed and explosive force were several times greater.

Chen Mo tilted his body, but he was still too late. The arrow pierced straight through the Kunpeng Wings behind him.

Chen Mo instantly lost his balance.

Chen Mo hurriedly descended, but before he could drop far, the Kunpeng Wings retracted into his body, and the two fell straight down.

"Boss is mighty! Boss is awesome!"

"As expected of the boss! He shot them down with one arrow!"

The Mercenaries flattered him.

The Sinister Man smiled, but he barked, "Enough with the flattery! Chase them!"

"Hold on tight."

Chen Mo said this to Die in his arms, then spread his hands to increase air resistance. He forced his eyes open, searching for a suitable place to land.

Finally, he spotted a tall sand dune and tried his best to descend toward it.

Bang!

Chen Mo hit the ground first.

Though the ground beneath them was soft yellow sand, falling from nearly ten meters up still jolted his internal organs. His wound split open even further, and a large amount of blood seeped out.

Yet Die seemed completely unharmed. She inspected Chen Mo as if she were about to cry, asking whether he was all right.

"You go first!" Chen Mo struggled to his feet. In his previous life, a fall from this height would have killed him or left him severely injured, but now he found that he had only suffered minor injuries.

He had not even broken any bones, merely felt a little uncomfortable.

It seemed this Dou Qi Gauze Armor was quite durable.

"No, if we leave, we leave together!" Seeing the large amount of blood seeping from Chen Mo's back, Die thought he had been seriously injured and immediately burst into tears.

Ding! Favorability +1. Obtained one Favorability Coin.

"Leave? Let's see where you can run today!"

Not far behind them, the Sinister Man's cold shout, infused with Dou Qi, echoed through heaven and earth like a lion's roar.

Before long, the Mercenaries behind him surrounded Chen Mo and Die.

"Four-Star Dou Master." Hearing the system's prompt, Chen Mo stared at the Sinister Man with a grave expression.

"Kid, if you know what's good for you, hand over the Snake-Woman beside you and your flying Dou Technique. Perhaps I'll spare your life."

The Sinister Man beckoned Chen Mo with a cold sneer.

"W-who are you? Why does everyone want to capture me? Why?" Die spread her arms and stood in front of Chen Mo, shouting.

"Why? Because you're a snake person. Your kind has always been opposed to us humans."

The Sinister Man licked his lips at Die, a heated gleam flashing through his eyes. He gave a sinister laugh. "You really are a top-quality specimen. No wonder the employer is willing to pay such a high price to capture you."

Die's delicate body trembled slightly, but she did not retreat even a single step. Still standing before Chen Mo, she said in a trembling voice, "You want me. Let him go!"

"I'll certainly let him go. After all, I have no grudge against him. But first, he has to hand over that flying Dou Technique." The Sinister Man's tone was teasing.

"That's right, hand it over!" The surrounding Mercenaries joined in.

"Th-this..." Die suddenly became at a loss. Her hands rubbed the pendant around her neck. After hesitating for a moment, she removed it and said, "Can I exchange this for him?"

Hearing this, the Sinister Man froze for a moment before bursting into laughter. It was his first time seeing such a naive Snake-Woman.

Die looked bewildered, not knowing why he was laughing.

Suddenly, her hand was seized. Chen Mo stepped to her side and said, "Don't give it to him."

"But..."

"I said I would protect you." Chen Mo wiped the tears from Die's face.

Die's face reddened, and ripples stirred in her heart. Worried, she said, "But your injury..."

Chen Mo pulled Die behind him. "I can still hold on."

Ding! Favorability +2. Obtained two Favorability Coins. Hand-holding bonus triggered. Obtained Footwork Mastery.

Chen Mo's eyes lit up. He released Die's hand and struck a stance toward the Sinister Man.

"If you want it, come take it!"

The Sinister Man's face darkened.

"You want to play the hero and save the beauty? That depends on whether you have the strength. Get him!"

With a wave of the Sinister Man's hand, the Mercenaries around them immediately closed in on Chen Mo.

Chen Mo took a deep breath and retrieved the Cloud Roaming Steps from his inventory.

A stream of memories flooded into his mind.

With Footwork Mastery, Chen Mo immediately used it.