Blood kept dripping from the corner of Shiheng's mouth, and waves of searing pain coursed through his chest. The violent Battle Qi carried by the eighth-level warrior's saber strike was still rampaging through his meridians, wreaking havoc on his flesh.
Yet he dared not pause for even a moment. Though every circulation of his Battle Qi brought tearing pain, he still mustered every ounce of strength and channeled destruction Battle Qi into his legs, hurtling like an arrow loosed from a bow toward the dense mountain forest outside the camp.
Behind him, the whistle of something cleaving the air rushed closer, its killing intent prickling against his back.
The eighth-level warrior radiated an overwhelming aura. Battle Qi erupted beneath his feet, propelling him forward at an absurd speed, while the four seventh-level warriors followed close behind. All five kept their auras locked firmly on Shiheng, clinging like maggots to bone. He could not shake them off.
"Brat, you think you can run after injuring someone from our Shadow Alliance? Today is the day you die!"
The eighth-level warrior's icy roar rang out, carrying unmistakable killing intent. With a sweep of his hand, an intensely condensed arc of blue-green Battle Qi instantly sliced through the sky and slashed savagely toward Shiheng's back. Wherever it passed, the air itself tore apart with a piercing shriek.
Shiheng's pupils constricted. Relying on the instinct for danger that far surpassed ordinary people's in his berserk state, he flung himself sideways and tumbled clumsily across the ground several times, barely avoiding the fatal blow.
The Battle Qi slash slammed into the ground, instantly blasting out a crater several meters deep. Shattered stones flew, and dust filled the air.
Using the momentum of his roll, Shiheng swiftly sprang to his feet. Not daring to linger, he broke into another desperate sprint. His steps were ragged, yet he poured all his strength into each one. He knew full well that the eighth-level expert behind him was someone he could not possibly contend with now. If he was caught, death was his only fate. Only by escaping into the mountain forest and making use of its complex terrain would he have a sliver of hope.
The pursuit drew ever closer. Growing impatient, the eighth-level warrior unleashed several Battle Qi slashes in succession to cut off Shiheng's escape routes. The four seventh-level warriors spread out as well, moving to encircle him and trap him completely.
Shiheng gritted his teeth and endured his injuries as the destruction Battle Qi circulated furiously inside him, intertwining with the remnants of his berserk power to squeeze out a little more speed. He darted through the mountain forest, repeatedly using thick ancient trees and steep rock faces to evade attacks. His pursuers pressed him at every step. The sounds of Battle Qi slashes and weapons cutting through the air rang incessantly in his ears. The surrounding trees were all cut down, and the ground was battered into a mass of pits.
As he sprinted, Shiheng's internal injuries kept worsening, and his berserk power was rapidly fading. Forcing himself to unleash power two major realms above his own had already placed an immense strain on his body. Coupled with the grievous wound inflicted by the eighth-level warrior, it left his consciousness beginning to blur and his legs gradually weakening.
Yet he dared not give up. He carried the intelligence entrusted to him by Laiyang's garrison commander, the hope that the soldiers and officers of the entire camp had paid for with their lives. Besides, he was his parents' only son. He absolutely could not die here!
"Stop him!"
The eighth-level warrior shouted furiously. Two seventh-level warriors instantly accelerated, closing in from the left and right. Their long sabers gleamed coldly as they slashed at Shiheng, sealing off every avenue of evasion.
At that critical moment, a fierce glint flashed through Shiheng's eyes. He abruptly changed direction and charged recklessly toward a steep cliff. At the sight, mocking looks appeared on his pursuers' faces. They thought he had reached the end of the road.
Just as he was about to be forced to the cliff's edge, Shiheng abruptly turned around and gathered every last trace of destruction Battle Qi in his palms. The pitch-black Battle Qi bore savage killing intent as he blasted it at the two seventh-level warriors charging toward him.
This was the last of his strength. He held nothing back!
Caught off guard, the two seventh-level warriors hastily defended themselves, but the force of the blow, as though meant to take them down with him, still drove them back several steps and sent the blood and qi churning in their chests.
Seizing that brief opening, Shiheng did not hesitate in the slightest. He sprang into the air and leaped straight off the cliff!
"Damn it!"
The eighth-level warrior rushed to the cliff's edge. His face turned livid as he looked down into the cloud-wreathed depths, the bottom nowhere in sight. He leaned over to examine the drop, but could see no trace of Shiheng. Jagged rocks jutted out below, and the sound of a rushing river rose from beneath. Even if Shiheng had survived the fall, he had most likely met his end at the bottom of the river. Yet the warrior still refused to accept it. This was the person Young Master Theodora had specifically demanded. He coldly ordered his subordinates, "Search! Search thoroughly along the river below the cliff. I want him alive, or I want his corpse!"
Meanwhile, below the cliff, Shiheng had desperately grabbed a vine protruding from the rock face as he fell. The tremendous impact dealt another grievous blow to his already badly injured body. He spat out a great mouthful of blood and lost consciousness completely, sliding down the smooth cliff face and plunging into the raging river below. The icy water instantly swept him away, carrying him into the distance with the current.
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