Chapter 112: Master Yan, Don't Run!
"Who's that?!"
"The Baiyan Twin Butchers—"
"Is that Tuo Meng or Tuo Lie?!"
"The Thunderbow?!"
"There are two Thunderbows, and the other one... Why is it on the back of the guy in front?!"
...
Tuo Meng chased after Yan Chuang, one pursuing and one fleeing, as they stormed into the Guangling Academy's Dragon-Slaying Battlefield.
Not just two forces—
But four factions collided:
"The Twin Butchers? Yan Chuang?!"
"?? "
"Academy? Beasts?"
"Wushan Tribe! Goldenrock Earth Dragon?!"
Guangling Academy!
Goldenrock Earth Dragon!
Yan Chuang!
Tuo Meng!
All four sides were equally stunned.
Within Guangling Academy, several of the Ten Elders immediately recognized the man pursuing Yan Chuang—
The infamous Baiyan Twin Butchers!
Old rivals!
They knew them far too well.
The four divisions under the Twin Butchers weren't that strong, but the Butchers themselves—Tuo Meng and Tuo Lie—were ferocious and unstoppable. Each wielded a "Thunderbow," their archery unmatched. Just the two of them could suppress Guangling Academy, and even Gu Shengyan didn't dare face them lightly.
But now—
Right before their eyes—
The one behind, whether it was the older brother Tuo Meng or younger Tuo Lie, held a Thunderbow, but his right eye was bloodied—seemingly blinded.
Looking closer, the other Thunderbow, one of the Twin Thunderbows, was slung over the shoulder of a wild-looking man with disheveled hair.
As everyone fixed their eyes on him, they recognized him—
"Yan Chuang?"
"Yan Chuang?!"
"Master Yan!!!"
Gasps of recognition echoed.
Yan Chuang had deep ties with Guangling Academy—
Of the Ten Elders, he'd killed three!
Among the top elites, he had beaten twenty-six out of forty!
The first feat was little known.
The second was infamous.
At this moment, standing right before them, from Elder Wang Kuan and Pang Ge to elite disciples like Tu Tiannan and Meng Nan, down to Teng Siqian and He Junjie—there wasn't a soul who didn't recognize him.
Who in this world didn't know this madman?
But—
"How did he get in?"
"Why is he being chased by the Twin Butchers?"
"Wait—why does he have one of their Thunderbows?!"
Their minds buzzed with questions.
These two!
Too bizarre!
Everyone at Guangling Academy was full of question marks.
But the Goldenrock Earth Dragon didn't care—
Who's Yan Chuang?
Who are the Twin Butchers?
It didn't know, didn't care. All it saw was these two humans charging toward it. Startled at first, the dragon quickly regained its senses—
"ROAR!"
A thunderous roar!
The beast's howl shook the heavens!
Its power rivaled the legendary Lion's Roar!
"Damn!"
Yan Chuang felt his body weighed down, as if a massive force was pressing him to the ground. He couldn't move.
"Opportunity!"
Tuo Meng's remaining eye lit up. He instantly drew his bow and fired—an arrow shot toward Yan Chuang's head!
With a beast ahead—
And a deadly foe behind—
Yan Chuang was in grave danger!
...
"Primordial Qi Burst!"
"Explode, explode, explode!"
Yan Chuang didn't hesitate. He unleashed all the Primordial Qi in his body—
Godly Movement Technique!
He spun violently!
Using his left foot as an anchor, he erupted with full strength, twisting midair. His Golden Silkworm Armor's defensive enchantments barely helped him resist the Earth Dragon's roar and shake free.
He dashed away in a blur.
Boom!
Yan Chuang evaded just in time—
Tuo Meng's arrow struck straight at the Earth Dragon.
The beast spat a stone the size of a marble, like a steel bullet, and intercepted the arrow precisely—
CRACK!
Both arrow and stone shattered.
Yan Chuang rolled to safety and glanced over. He saw strange looks from the crowd of Guangling Academy and knew his cover was blown. This wasn't good. He quickly cupped his hands to Wang Kuan and said, "Senior, I came here under Elder Shao's guidance to train. I meant no offense—please forgive the intrusion!"
Elder Shao!
Shao Yancong!
From Taikang Academy!
In this situation, Yan Chuang had no choice but to push everything onto Shao Yancong.
Shao liked him—he was the perfect scapegoat.
"I'll tell Guangling I came through Taikang's star gate on Elder Shao's orders!"
"Then I'll tell Elder Shao I snuck in on my own and need help covering it up!"
Yes!
Deception from both ends!
Perfect plan!
Just stall for time!
No other option!
Yan Chuang quickly grabbed onto this lifeline, and, being tactful, he took the Thunderbow and the quiver from his back—precious loot—and tossed them to Wang Kuan without hesitation—
"Senior Wang!"
"This rare Thunderbow came from the brother I killed—mystic and deadly. I can't use it, so please take it and use it to slay monsters!"
Yan Chuang was sharp!
Lend?
A Thunderbow was priceless!
By handing it over, he knew Wang Kuan—or Guangling Academy—wouldn't be giving it back.
But he didn't care!
He had the "Treasure Rift" technique. Whatever rare weapon he needed, he could summon it. He didn't lack for a bow.
What mattered now—
Was survival!
Yan Chuang was adaptable. Tossing the bow was his "toll" for passage, his bribe for life. He casually retreated behind Wang Kuan, Pang Ge, and the others.
Standing united!
Facing Tuo Meng together!
...
"The Thunderbow!"
"This—"
Wang Kuan held the bow like a dream.
On one hand, he couldn't believe that this infamous Thunderbow—renowned throughout Yize—had just fallen into his hands so easily.
This was a rare artifact that instantly multiplied one's ranged combat potential!
On the other hand, Wang Kuan couldn't believe—
"You killed Tuo Lie?!"
He stared at Yan Chuang in disbelief.
Tuo Lie—
A pure-blooded warlord!
Body-hardened to the bone!
And armed with a Thunderbow! In Guangling Academy, aside from Gu Shengyan, none of the other Nine Elders would dare face Tuo Lie in a one-on-one fight!
If Tuo Meng and Tuo Lie joined forces, even the Nine Elders combined would only have one option: run!
The Twin Butchers—
Twin Thunderbows—
They were terror incarnate!
And yet—
The younger brother, Tuo Lie, had been killed by Yan Chuang?
The older brother, Tuo Meng, had his eye gouged out?
What kind of joke was this?!
But it was the truth—
"That man's name was Tuo Lie?"
"I was lucky, really."
"At the time, Tuo Lie seemed to have gone through a huge battle. He was exhausted and badly wounded. I just... took advantage."
Yan Chuang spoke humbly.
He'd only killed Wu Qi with the surprise use of his Red Tassel Spear.
He'd only killed Tuo Lie because Tuo Lie was already critically injured. It was sheer luck!
Yes!
That's his story and he's sticking to it!
He wasn't strong enough to kill Elder-level opponents or elite warlords head-on.
Those other missing elders?
Nothing to do with him!
Yan Chuang was modest.
Yan Chuang explained.
Whether Wang Kuan and the others believed him or not—he certainly believed it himself!
"You really are something!"
Wang Kuan was stunned, giving Yan Chuang a thumbs up.
But now wasn't the time to chat.
Even Gu Shengyan was curious about Yan Chuang, but right now, she had more pressing concerns—Tuo Meng, now isolated, and the rampaging Goldenrock Earth Dragon.
"Tuo Meng's here!"
"Let's take him down!"
"Wang Kuan!"
"Jian Rong!"
"Feng Ji!"
"Pang Ge!"
"Gong Xue, Zhong Le, Yin Feng, Tang Huaiyu, Chen Ze...!"
Gu Shengyan barked orders like a commander—
Four of the Ten Elders!
Twenty of the Forty Elite Disciples!
She rallied Guangling Academy's top forces. With herself leading: "Kill Tuo Meng first!"
As for Tuo Meng—
The Earth Dragon had locked onto him—
ROAR ROAR ROAR!
The beast's roar suppressed all around!
BANG BANG BANG!
It spat rocks like cannon fire!
Tuo Meng was pinned down, delayed just long enough to lose his best chance to flee.
"Tuo Meng!"
"Prepare to die!"
Gu Shengyan charged forward with her Green Dragon Crescent Blade!
"The Thunderbow!"
Wang Kuan stood in the back, firing arrows.
BANG BANG BANG!
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
The Thunderbow was insanely powerful!
...
"Fight, fight, fight!"
"Let them fight!"
"I'm not sticking around!"
Yan Chuang, ever the sly one, slipped away.
This was the Mountain-Sea Realm!
All around were Guangling Academy disciples with watchful eyes!
And just before coming in, he'd killed two of their Inner Elders.
At the recent martial tourney, he'd soloed twenty-six of their elite disciples, humiliating them all.
Getting caught here? No way that ends well.
"Go go go!"
"Running is my best option!"
Yan Chuang didn't spare a thought for his precious Thunderbow. He didn't even glance at the earth-shaking battle behind him.
No greed.
Just escape.
"Huh?!"
"Master Yan!"
"Where are you going?!"
"Master Yan, don't run!"
Some were watching Gu Shengyan's team fight Tuo Meng.
Others watched Lian Longcheng's team hunt the Earth Dragon.
Still, others watched Yan Chuang.
Like He Junjie.
He was the first to spot Yan Chuang slipping away and immediately gave chase.
But he was no Tuo Lie—and certainly no Tuo Meng.
"You think you can stop me?"
Yan Chuang didn't even look back. Using his Godly Movement Technique, he spun past He Junjie and gave him a cheeky pat on the face as he passed—
Arrogant!
Mocking!
Gone in a flash!
...
"Alive!"
Ten miles away, Yan Chuang felt like he'd escaped death and laughed in joy.
This battle—
He first killed Tuo Lie!
Then fought Tuo Meng!
It had been unbelievably dangerous!
Especially with Tuo Meng chasing him for a full day and night. If he hadn't broken free soon, he'd have had no choice but to upgrade his Wolfskin Boots—
If successful, he'd move faster and escape.
If not, it'd be a desperate fight—either upgrade the Red Tassel Spear or throw all his cards into his flying daggers.
Keep trying.
Maybe he'd get an 11-star weapon and turn the tide.
But if he burned through his spiritual energy and failed, he was dead.
As for the Thunderbow—
He couldn't even draw it before upgrading. Upgraded? Even harder!
Useless!
Just wasted space!
Unless he used the Treasure Rift again to summon something stronger...
Or better yet, find a safe spot and activate a star stone to open a star gate and return to Dayan.
But all those were risky.
This way was safer.
Let Guangling fight Tuo Meng.
Those two sides clearly hated each other. Guangling had the numbers—they wouldn't lose.
Maybe he was even helping them by luring Tuo Meng into their midst. They might even owe him one!
"Forget the credit."
"I need to get out of Guangling before they turn on me. Head to Taikang County, find Elder Shao, and explain everything!"
Yan Chuang wanted to avoid exposing his use of the star stone.
Elder Shao!
Shao Yancong!
The best shield he had right now!
No time to waste!
While Guangling was distracted by Tuo Meng and the Earth Dragon, he needed to act fast.
He pulled out the star stone and summoned the star gate.
Moments later—
Starlight shimmered.
Yan Chuang disappeared.