bookbashuk Chapter 77 Falling Victim
Chapter 77 Falling Victim
Just as Zhao Fan's toes touched the concave corner of the rock wall, the seemingly solid ground beneath his feet suddenly softened, as if he were stepping on quicksand that couldn't withstand any force!
At the same time, several twisted crimson lines suddenly lit up on the rough rock walls on both sides without warning, so fast that they only left afterimages on the retina!
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The sound of air being torn apart was sharp and piercing. Two dark red fire arrows, as solid as solid matter, burst forth from the center of the rock wall patterns, one on the left and one on the right, forming a cross-shaped attack. In an instant, they had already shot in front of Zhao Fan!
The fire arrow was only as thick as a finger, yet it emitted an astonishingly high temperature. Wherever it passed, the air distorted, and the scorching heat wave it generated swept over him, instantly drying the remaining cold sweat on Zhao Fan's face and causing a burning pain in the wound under his ribs.
Zhao Fan's pupils contracted sharply; his severely injured and weakened body had no time to make a complete dodge.
The shadow of death loomed over him instantly; he could almost smell the destructive aura emanating from the fire arrow, a aura that seemed to incinerate everything.
His survival instinct and the reflexes honed by days of brushing with death led him to make the only possible choice.
"drink!"
He let out a short, low growl, recklessly channeling all his remaining spiritual energy into his legs and waist, then lunged to the right with all his might.
"Sizzle!"
The fiery arrow on his left side grazed his left shoulder blade, the terrifying heat instantly turning his tattered clothes to ashes and leaving a charred burn mark on his flesh, causing excruciating pain.
But the more deadly fire arrow from the right blocked all escape routes and shot straight at his exposed back, a vital spot, as he rolled over.
It's over! A hint of despair flashed in Zhao Fan's eyes. He could even see the reflection of the dark red fire arrow rapidly magnifying in his pupils.
Just at this critical moment, a streak of light, blue and white, arrived silently from behind Zhao Fan and precisely wrapped itself around the deadly dark red fire arrow!
When water and fire clashed, a sound of spiritual energy annihilation erupted.
The fiery arrow, powerful enough to pierce metal and stone, was swirled and twisted by the seemingly gentle blue light, like a burning ember thrown into the deep sea. Its light dimmed rapidly, its power was gradually dissipated, and it finally turned into a few wisps of smoke and dissipated.
The blue light also receded and disappeared into the shadows of the passage behind.
Zhao Fan crashed onto the cold, hard ground, feeling completely disoriented. His bones felt like they were shattered, and he saw stars before his eyes. A metallic taste rose in his throat.
But he couldn't care less about that. He struggled to turn over, leaned against the rock wall, and gasped for breath, looking back at the way he had come with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.
Sun Yao's figure slowly emerged from the dim light behind the corner.
Her steps remained composed, her pale blue gauze dress, soaked through, gleamed with a cool luster in the dim light of the cave, and her exquisite face remained expressionless.
She stopped a few steps away from Zhao Fan, her clear gaze sweeping lightly over his new wounds, her eyes calm and unwavering, showing neither concern nor blame.
"Thank you so much, Miss Sun, for saving my life."
After catching his breath, Zhao Fan, suppressing the excruciating pain throughout his body and the palpitations of surviving a close call, spoke in a hoarse voice.
This time, the gratitude was more sincere than ever before, and it was also mixed with deeper, more complex emotions.
The control of that azure light just now was exquisite, and the timing was perfect, something that no ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivator could achieve.
Sun Yao did not respond to his thanks, as if she hadn't heard them.
Her gaze passed over Zhao Fan and landed behind the corner. The rock wall area had now returned to its original state and looked completely normal.
After a moment, she turned her gaze back to Zhao Fan, her red lips parted slightly, her voice still cold and indifferent, revealing no emotion.
"Can you get up?"
Zhao Fan gritted his teeth, braced himself with his hands, and tried several times before he could barely stand up, swaying unsteadily.
The burn on his left shoulder was excruciatingly painful, and every breath aggravated the wound under his ribs. The little spiritual energy he had painstakingly accumulated was once again on the verge of depletion due to the explosive dodge and the intense pain he was experiencing.
He felt like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
"able."
He squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth.
"Um."
Sun Yao nodded slightly, said no more, and simply stepped aside to make way, gesturing towards the corner ahead.
"continue."
Two words, seemingly casual, yet carrying immense weight.
Even though he had just escaped death, even though his injuries were more severe and his spiritual power was about to be exhausted, his role was still that of a pebble used to explore the path and bait used to trigger traps.
Sun Yao saved him only because the stone was still useful and couldn't be wasted so quickly.
Zhao Fan lowered his eyes, concealing the fleeting coldness and self-mockery in them.
He knew it would turn out this way; hoping for sympathy or cooperation in this dog-eat-dog world of cultivation was nothing short of wishful thinking.
He didn't say anything more, but dragged his injured body, which could barely move, step by step, with difficulty, toward the corner.
This time, he was even more cautious, almost taking one step and then stopping three, spreading out his remaining divine sense as much as possible. At the same time, his left hand, which was wearing a ring, seemed to hang down unintentionally at his side, his fingertips gently brushing against the cold rock wall.
He carefully chose where to place his feet, guided by the transparent airflow.
Behind him, Sun Yao followed at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, always maintaining a distance of about three zhang.
She didn't urge him or offer any further guidance; she simply followed quietly, her gaze coolly fixed on Zhao Fan's back and every subtle change in his surroundings.
The passage seemed endless, winding downwards with a gentle slope.
The stale smell in the air grew stronger, and the strange medicinal fragrance seemed to become a little clearer.
On the way, apart from Zhao Fan's heavy, painful breathing and slow footsteps, there was no other sound; the silence was so profound it sent chills down one's spine.
After traveling for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhao Fan passed another bend in the road where the rock face was slightly protruding.
This time, he saw the transparent airflow ahead suddenly become scattered, splitting into several streams pointing in different directions.
He stopped, leaning against the rock wall, panting. His face was deathly pale, and his body trembled slightly from blood loss and excruciating pain.
He looked up, his gaze blankly fixed on the three almost identical narrow forks in the road ahead. His lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to ask a question, but he seemed too exhausted to speak.
He turned around and looked at Sun Yao in the shadows behind him, his eyes filled with confusion.
Sun Yao looked at him quietly, her gaze lingering for a moment on his pale face and slightly trembling body before sweeping across the three forks in the road ahead.
Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly again, then relaxed.
"Let's rest for a bit."
She finally spoke, her voice still calm, but no longer filled with endless urging.
She walked to a relatively dry rock wall, leaned against it, and closed her clear yet cold eyes, seemingly also regulating her breathing to recover.
Zhao Fan felt a slight sense of relief, his tense nerves relaxed a little, and he immediately slid down the rock wall to sit on the ground.
At this moment, he disregarded the cold and filthy ground, immediately closed his eyes, and fully activated the Heavenly Origin Technique, trying to squeeze out even a trace of spiritual energy from his nearly dried-up dantian and damaged meridians.
The time it takes to drink half a cup of tea passes in the blink of an eye. In this deathly silent, dark passage, only the soft breathing of the two people can be heard.