In truth, Lu Tingyun did not need Di Yunkuang to say a word. The moment he saw the condition of Zhu Yinxi and Feng Weilan, his heart stirred with intent.
His gaze swept over the jade flute tightly gripped by Zhu Yinxi and the storage bag at Feng Weilan's waist, his mind quickly calculating.
As direct disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect, their strength was impressive, and they surely carried a significant number of points—at least more than the baseline ten. With them currently in such a poor state, it was the perfect opportunity to strike!
What was more...
He caught a glimpse of Cang Dongqing chasing from behind, and his eyes flickered, further solidifying his decision.
With a seemingly gentle smile appearing on his face, he took a step forward, subtly blocking the direction Zhu Yinxi was most likely to use for a breakthrough. "Fellow Daoist Zhu, Fellow Daoist Feng, it seems the two of you have encountered some trouble. Why don't..."
However, before he could finish—
Zhu Yinxi, having clearly identified Lu Tingyun and captured the fleeting calculation in the man's eyes and his subtle shift in positioning, had already understood his intent!
Setting aside how Jiang Yifan's brilliance during the refining competition had directly eclipsed Lu Tingyun, his little junior sister Li Nanzhu had even mentioned that Lu Tingyun and Cang Dongqing seemed to have made some private deal.
The current situation was clearly unfavorable for them.
Therefore, upon discovering it was Lu Tingyun, Zhu Yinxi made a decision without a moment's hesitation.
He could not allow the man to finish speaking and form a successful encirclement!
"Go!"
Without giving Lu Tingyun any time to complete his sentence, Zhu Yinxi gripped Feng Weilan's arm with sudden force. He pushed his internal spiritual energy to the absolute limit and abruptly changed course, racing toward the depths of the canyon in the exact opposite direction of the route he had agreed upon with Li Nanzhu and the others!
Simultaneously, he flicked his wrist, swinging his jade flute backward!
"Wooo—!"
A piercing demonic sound did not target any person but instead blasted into the cliff wall at their side!
Boom!
Debris flew and dust billowed, instantly interfering with everyone's vision and perception.
This sudden change of direction and breakthrough was decisive, swift, and entirely unexpected!
Lu Tingyun had just stepped forward, his words yet to leave his mouth, when he saw Zhu Yinxi already fleeing in a different direction. The expression on his face froze slightly. He clearly had not expected Zhu Yinxi to be so resolute, choosing the most dangerous route to break through without even offering a chance for probing or negotiation!
Di Yunkuang and Cang Dongqing were also disrupted by the sudden commotion. Once the dust cleared slightly and they saw the direction of Zhu Yinxi's escape, Di Yunkuang let out an angry roar: "Pursue them! Don't let them get away!" He was the first to give chase.
Cang Dongqing and Lu Tingyun exchanged a glance before immediately accelerating, following close behind.
But Zhu Yinxi had seized a slight head start, and by using his sound waves to disturb their senses, he managed to pull ahead by some distance once again!
Cradling the nearly unconscious Feng Weilan, Zhu Yinxi poured all his remaining spiritual energy into his legs and the jade flute in his hand.
He no longer pursued extreme speed but instead applied his movement techniques to their absolute peak, moving like a flickering blue phantom through the deep mist.
His choice was extremely risky.
The mist on this fork in the road was even thicker, to the point where one could hardly see their own hand in front of them. Divine sense was also heavily suppressed, capable of probing only a few meters around him.
Though it wasn't explicitly mentioned in the rules, it was a default fact: the heavier the mist, the more dangerous the area!
Under his feet were now slippery moss and loose scree, with cliff walls on either side.
Yet, it was precisely this extremely complex environment that became their only sanctuary.
Relying on his exceptional memory and intuition for danger, Zhu Yinxi narrowly avoided several natural traps while constantly changing direction using the terrain, attempting to shake off the tails behind him.
"Cough, cough..." Feng Weilan let out a stifled cough in the crook of his arm, and another trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. His internal injuries were clearly severe, and he could barely maintain consciousness.
"Hold on, Sixth Junior Brother," Zhu Yinxi's voice remained cold, but his grip on the other's arm tightened as he transferred a sliver of weak spiritual energy over to protect his heart pulse.
Behind them, the voices of the pursuers grew louder, signaling that they had not given up.
"This way! There's blood!" It was Di Yunkuang's irritable voice. He was relying on the blood dripping from Feng Weilan and the faint residue of spiritual energy to maintain his pursuit.
"Senior Brother Di, watch your step, this place is eerie!" This was Cang Dongqing's slightly cautious warning. She remained wary of the unknown environment.
"No matter, they won't get far! Senior Brother Lu, flank them from the side, don't let them slip away!" Di Yunkuang commanded, attempting to use their numerical advantage to hem them in.
"Alright," Lu Tingyun's voice was relatively calm, but his actions were unhesitating. He led the Water Moon Sect disciples on a flanking maneuver, trying to seal off every possible escape route for Zhu Yinxi.
Although the three parties had their own agendas, they had reached a brief understanding on the point of eliminating a common rival, and their coordination was surprisingly methodical.
Zhu Yinxi's brow furrowed. He could feel the pressure coming from Lu Tingyun's team on the flank.
If this continued, they would be surrounded sooner or later.
He had to find a way to break this situation!
Just then, a rushing underground river appeared ahead, its bone-chilling waters cutting off their path.
The river was not wide, but the current was rapid. On the opposite bank was an even steeper cliff wall, and the mist was even denser there.
This was their chance!
A cold light flashed in Zhu Yinxi's eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, he cradled Feng Weilan and leapt directly into the freezing, turbulent river!
Splash!
Water sprayed everywhere as the two figures were instantly swallowed by the murky, rushing current!
Almost as soon as they hit the water, Zhu Yinxi held his breath and fully circulated a breath-concealing technique. At the same time, he used the force of the water to carry them downstream rather than simply crossing to the other side!
He would use this underground river to completely mask their tracks and presence!
Several breaths later, Di Yunkuang, Cang Dongqing, and Lu Tingyun arrived at the riverbank one after another.
"They jumped in?" Di Yunkuang looked at the rushing river, his expression grim.
The water was murky, and even when probing with divine sense, it met with heavy resistance. It was impossible to determine if they had crossed or followed the current downstream.
"The trail of blood ends here." Cang Dongqing knelt down, examining the marks by the river, but the water had washed everything away, leaving almost no clues.
Lu Tingyun stared at the river, pondering for a moment before saying, "The current is fast. One of them is heavily injured and in a terrible state; crossing the river would be extremely risky. It's more likely they went downstream to escape through the water."
"Search!" Di Yunkuang gritted his teeth. "Split up! Search downstream along both banks! They can't last long!"
However, the canyon was deep, with many tributaries to the underground river and thick mist. Trying to find two people intentionally hiding in such a complex environment was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.
In the freezing river water, Zhu Yinxi held Feng Weilan tightly, letting the current take them toward an unknown destination downstream.
He had to find a safe place as soon as possible to let his junior brother treat his injuries. Otherwise, if the condition worsened, the consequences would be unthinkable.
The voices of the pursuers behind them were gradually drowned out by the sound of the water, but the crisis was far from over!
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