Chapter 694 679: I'm as Cunning as a Monkey

Meanwhile, as Shen Lang rescued Ye Xue and left with Tang Yiyi…

In a hilly region roughly two hundred li ahead of them, Chen Tianci and Shen Jianfeng were fleeing for their lives, riding atop an Earth-Split Dragon that stood twenty feet tall!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A halo of earthy yellow light enveloped the Earth-Split Dragon as it took massive strides. Each footfall thundered against the ground, shaking the very earth.

In the Earth-Split Dragon's wake, a long plume of ochre dust billowed up, resembling an earthen dragon.

"Why are we running, Fatty? Everyone else is pushing forward, but we're retreating! This is so humiliating!"

Aboard the Earth-Split Dragon, Shen Jianfeng clung tightly to its long fur and yelled at Chen Tianci to his right.

Chen Tianci's brow furrowed. He glanced nonchalantly behind them and said, "Why shouldn't we run? Do you really think you can defeat Tang Wenqing?"

Shen Jianfeng retorted, thoroughly unconvinced, "With our combined Cultivation, plus my Bloodthirsty Frenzied Lion and your Earth-Split Dragon, how could we not even stand a chance?"

"Don't forget, Tang Yiyi seriously injured Tang Wenqing before. There's no way she could have recovered much in just half a month!"

Chen Tianci said, exasperated, "If it were just Tang Wenqing, we wouldn't be fleeing like this. But she has Xiao Hongyue with her."

"Hmph! She's just someone I've already defeated. Besides, she's also seriously injured and hasn't recovered. What's there to be afraid of?" Shen Jianfeng grumbled, still annoyed.

Chen Tianci rolled his eyes. "Are you so sure you can handle Xiao Hongyue without Young Master Lang there to guide you?"

Shen Jianfeng was taken aback for a moment, then he snorted coldly. "If I could beat her once, I can do it again! When two foes meet on a narrow path, the braver one prevails!"

Chen Tianci said coldly, "Discretion is the better part of valor."

"…" Shen Jianfeng was stunned. Then, as if shouting a battle cry, he yelled, "Better to die for honor than to live in disgrace!"

Chen Tianci retorted dryly, "Where there's life, there's hope."

"Holy hell, you're the bane of my existence! Fine, you win!" Shen Jianfeng was on the verge of a breakdown. "So what do we do now? Just keep running like this? Are you really that scared of Tang Wenqing and Xiao Hongyue? Are you even a man?"

Chen Tianci took out a six-inch-long stalk of Spirit Grass and tossed it forward, watching as the Earth-Split Dragon's long tongue shot out and swallowed it.

Only then did he speak, his tone unhurried. "Tactically speaking, advancing or retreating has nothing to do with fear. It also has nothing to do with my gender."

"Tang Wenqing and Xiao Hongyue are chasing us to the death, and it's not because you're so handsome. It's because they happened to see me obtain a Star Flame Flower. They won't give that up easily."

"If we fought them head-on, I'm confident I could kill Tang Wenqing, but I'd be seriously wounded in the process. In a place as perilous as the Yumu Cave Blessed Land, a serious injury is basically a death sentence. And with your abilities, you wouldn't be able to protect me."

Shen Jianfeng raised an eyebrow. "When it comes down to it, isn't it just because you're scared of dying?"

Chen Tianci didn't argue. Instead, he flipped his wrist and took out the Circular Disc Spiritual Artifact. After a glance, he said, "There are two allies about two hundred li directly ahead of our original position. We're not advancing; we're running back. As long as the two approaching aren't those idiots, Yan Qi and Tian Hao, they'll naturally realize we're in trouble."

"We just need to run another hundred li or so, and this crisis will resolve itself."

Shen Jianfeng pondered for a moment, then frowned. "But what if it *is* Tian Hao and Yan Qi? One of them is covered in injuries and needs help just to walk—he only got into the Yumu Cave Blessed Land after a whole lot of crying and begging. The other got his thigh bitten by his own Demon Beast a few days ago and is still limping. Relying on them for help doesn't seem very realistic, does it?"

As he spoke, Shen Jianfeng pointed at the disc. "You saw it yourself! Those two clearly knew we were in trouble, but they still headed west… They messed around for half a day before finally heading this way, and they're moving so slowly! We're in a desperate race for our lives, and they're just sightseeing?"

Chen Tianci grinned. "So you're not that dumb after all…"

Shen Jianfeng beamed proudly. "Of course!"

After saying those two words, Shen Jianfeng realized something was wrong, and his face instantly grew as long as a donkey's. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Ahem." Chen Tianci gave an awkward cough and produced a large bow.

Shen Jianfeng was stunned. "Tang Wenqing and Xiao Hongyue are over ten li away. You're not planning to attack them with that bow, are you?"

Chen Tianci was noncommittal, merely pointing to their right. "See those Flame Demon Apes hopping around on that mountain?"

"I see them. So what?" Shen Jianfeng didn't understand what Chen Tianci was getting at.

Chen Tianci drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at a distant Flame Demon Ape. "Flame Demon Apes are pack-based Demon Beasts. Looking at this troop, there must be at least twenty of them."

The moment he finished speaking, Chen Tianci gave a low grunt and drew the bowstring taut!

WHOOSH! The arrow, shimmering with Spirit Light, shot out with a piercing whistle. In the blink of an eye, it was embedded in the Flame Demon Ape's arm!

"AWOOO!"

The massive Flame Demon Ape staggered and let out a pained howl!

In that instant…

More than twenty enormous Flame Demon Apes burst from the mountain woods, their eyes bloodthirsty as they charged toward Chen Tianci and his companion!

"What the hell? What the hell!"

Shen Jianfeng nearly leaped off the back of the charging Earth-Split Dragon. "Fatty, are you stupid or have you gone insane? We can't even handle Tang Wenqing, and now you've provoked a whole troop of Flame Demon Apes? And I actually trusted you! Are you trying to drag me down to the Nine Netherworld Prison?!"

"Damn it all! I'd rather turn back now and fight Tang Wenqing for three hundred rounds than face over twenty Flame Demon Apes!"

Listening to Shen Jianfeng's jabbering, Chen Tianci finally couldn't help but frown. "Do you just carry that head around to look taller?"

"Try using your brain, will you?"

"Based on the color of their fur, this entire troop is made up of Sixth Level Demon Beasts, which puts them on the same level as the Earth-Split Dragon."

"However, the Flame Demon Apes' speed is nothing compared to an Earth Element Demon Beast like the Earth-Split Dragon. My Earth-Split Dragon might not be able to beat your Frenzied Lion in a fight, but when it comes to speed, even a Seventh Level Demon Beast wouldn't be much faster. Now do you understand what I'm saying?"

Shen Jianfeng turned his head to look at the roaring troop of Flame Demon Apes tailing them. He was stunned for a long moment before saying, "I get it now… You figured you couldn't beat Tang Wenqing, so you wanted to take your anger out on these Flame Demon Apes. You get a thrill watching them chase us but never catch up, is that it?"

Chen Tianci swayed violently, almost falling off.

Just then, Shen Jianfeng burst out laughing. "Hahaha, just kidding… I never thought you had it in you, Fatty! To think you'd use these Demon Beasts to block Tang Wenqing and her companion!"

"At the Earth-Split Dragon's speed, we'll shake off this troop of Flame Demon Apes in no time. But it won't take long for Tang Wenqing and her companion to catch up to them. When they encounter such an enraged pack of Demon Beasts, escaping in one piece won't be so easy! Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"

"Don't look at me like that. You really think I'm an idiot? I'm as cunning as a fox!"

…

Meanwhile, Shen Lang and Tang Yiyi flew onward side-by-side at an unhurried pace.

"Hey!" Having held her tongue for a long time, Tang Yiyi finally couldn't take it anymore. She glanced over her shoulder toward the rear, then shot Shen Lang a meaningful look.

Behind them, Ye Xue was piloting her Flying Spiritual Artifact, keeping a distance of about a hundred meters from the pair.

Shen Lang stared silently into the distance, ignoring her.

Every so often, he would use his Silver Eyes of Truth to survey the direction of the Dragon Bone Wilderness and the area of the Third Floor.

When Shen Lang showed no reaction whatsoever, Tang Yiyi grew annoyed. In a fit of pique, she took out an Elixir Pill and stuffed it into her mouth.

To her surprise, Shen Lang finally spoke. "Using Elixir Pills to advance your Cultivation is certainly fast, but every medicine is a potential poison. Though Elixir Pills are refined from various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures with the impurities removed, it doesn't mean the body can absorb them completely."

"Taking too many Elixir Pills not only leads to an unstable Realm due to the rapid increase in Cultivation, but it also leaves more and more impurities in your body that are difficult to purge, which is extremely detrimental to your future Cultivation."

"It's normal for those with poor aptitude to use Spirit Pills and various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to raise their Cultivation. But for someone with exceptional talent, my advice is to use these things as little as possible, or even abandon them for most of your training."

Tang Yiyi sneered. "And what about you? You don't need to take Elixir Pills? You have so many on you; don't you use them?"

"I'm a special case," Shen Lang said with a smile.

"You mean you're a freak?" Tang Yiyi's tone was still cold and her words blunt.

Shen Lang nodded. "You could say that."

"…" Tang Yiyi opened her mouth, but in the end, she couldn't say a word.

Just then, Shen Lang raised a hand and pointed forward. "The ones in trouble are Tianci and Cousin Jianfeng. The ones chasing them are Tang Wenqing and Xiao Hongyue. If you go help, you'll be more than enough to drive them off."

Tang Yiyi was taken aback. "And you?"

Shen Lang gazed into the distance. "Four King Martial Realm experts from the White Bone Hall and the Third Prince have gathered in the Dragon Bone Wilderness. You Yue and Evil Song are no match for them. If I don't go and eliminate them, the Dragon Bone Wilderness will become a graveyard for the disciples of the Five Great Sects."

Tang Yiyi's expression changed drastically. "Those old bastards are that bold? They dare to attack disciples of the Five Sects? Han Yue is still recovering. With Tang Wenqing's methods, I'm afraid I'll have a hard time dealing with her…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Shen Lang's form flickered, and he vanished into thin air.

"Even at her peak, Tang Wenqing would have to retreat before you, now that you can freely control your Sword Intent. What's more, both she and Xiao Hongyue are seriously injured. And you are not alone."

"Trust yourself. Trust your companions. There's nothing to worry about."

His words floated down from the air, and the panic in Tang Yiyi's eyes subsided, replaced once more by calm.

Tang Yiyi took a deep breath and circulated her Sword Intent. As she felt it flow through her Vein Gates, a faint smile touched her lips.

'The rest of the way, we'll have to walk on our own… Tang Wenqing, let's see you try to escape from me this time!'

The pair of light wings on her back flared, and her speed surged as she dove sharply downward.