Cowardly and timid.
Afraid to die.
This was how Xue Mo had always thought of Chen Guangfa.
She didn’t look down on him for it; she understood his situation. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have let him hang around her.
He was always so cautious. No matter what he did, he was as careful as could be.
In the face of even the slightest danger, he was always the first to run away. And yet now, in the face of certain death, he threw himself into the line of fire.
The Subterranean Beast King’s sharp claws pierced right through his heart. Chen Guanga’s expression was somewhat strange, as if he was simultaneously cursing his own stupidity and relieved that he’d done the right thing.
In any event, regardless of how he felt about it, he’d already done it.
The instant those sharp claws ran him through, Chen Guangfa summoned his last dregs of strength from who-knows-where, and pushed Xue Mo by the shoulders. “Run!”
She landed a few dozen meters away and suddenly burst into tears. This was far, far too similar to what happened to Anti-Upheaval last time.
“Little Mo, run!” Those were the exact same words her cousin had said before he died.
“Run!” Chen Guangfa hung from the beast’s claws and shouted. His teeth were red, and blood gushed from his open mouth.
“A beast king infiltrated the God Realm. This is no simple collusion between the other two races. Deliver this news to the academy. Tell the Skyspan Trading Company and the Sea of Innocence that…. The Yao Realm is plotting something. Have them take care of it right away.”
“I….” Xue Mo couldn’t stop tears from flowing down her face.
Chen Guangfa roared in fury once more, “Hurry up and run!”
“Hmph. You humans just love putting on these tragic acts of yours,” snorted the beast king disdainfully. He swished his claws and tossed Chen Guangfa to the ground. “You don’t look delicious at all.”
With that, the beast king’s monstrous purple eyes locked onto Xue Mo. “That’s right. Just stand there and wait. You can’t escape, not even if you run, so you might as well just sit tight and wait like a good little lunch.”
He slowly approached Xue Mo, but at that moment, Chen Guangfa crawled up the beast’s ankles, grabbed on with both hands, and swiped at its legs. It was as if he’d decided to use his very last dregs of energy to slow the beast’s approach.
“Senior Apprentice Sister, run away! Hurry!” Chen Guangfa’s consciousness was fading, and his shouts were nowhere near as loud or forceful as before.
His eyelids drooped, but after a few quick gasps, he slammed his fists into the Subterranean Beast King’s side. His eyes, however, were locked onto Xue Mo. “I told you to run!”
“Cursed insect!” Although Chen Guangfa couldn’t possibly hinder, much less harm, the Subterranean Beast King, just the thought of him climbing up his legs was disgusting.
The beast king bent at the waist and swiped at Chen Guanga, who slammed to the ground once more. Next, the beast stomped on him.
“Guangfa!” Xue Mo was on the verge of collapse. She grabbed at her hair, but couldn’t look away as the beast crushed Chen Guangfa’s body.
“You’re seeking death!”
“Don’t make a fuss. Run!” Before Xue Mo could rush in, Ye Zichen appeared behind her, grabbed her by the arm, and madly dragged her away. Everyone else had already boarded the flying ship.
When Ye ZIchen reached Xue Mo, Murong Xue shouted frantically, “Hurry!”
“Let go of me! I have to avenge Guangfa!” Xue Mo struggled with all her might, but before she could break free, she felt a resounding slap across her face.
It was Ye Zichen who slapped her. “Calm down and get on the boat.”
No one anticipated that Ye Zichen would do such a thing. Murong Xue and the twin golden flowers of the Appearance Association covered their mouths and gasped. However, none of them voiced any objections. Chen Guangfa’s death had already cost Xue Mo her rationality, and that slap might very well be just what she needed to come back to her senses.
As expected, after he slapped her, Xue Mo fell silent.
“Let her on board.” Ye Zichen pushed Xue Mo towards the ship, but he didn’t move.
“Ye Zichen, you get on board too.”
“No, we won’t escape like that. You guys go on ahead. I’ll cover your retreat.” Ye Zichen smiled at them, then turned back around and raised his fists into the air. “See you back at the academy! Trust me! I’ll be fine. Jiang Yong, fly the ship.”
Everyone fell silent. All of them knew that if Ye Zichen stayed behind, there was only one possible result.
“Let’s go.” Jiang Yong was the first to break the silence. He poured his divine power into the ship and led them away.
When he looked into Ye Zichen’s eyes, he saw his determination. In that case, all Jiang Yong could do for him was ensure that the others returned home safely.
“You think you can go back and report this? There’s no way!” The beast king simply ignored Ye Zichen’s existence, stepped into the air, and charged at the flying ship.
However, before traveling more than a few hundred meters, it encountered a massive net formed of divine power, and soon found itself trapped firmly within.
“What’s this?” The beast king looked around, and for the first time, realized that there were over a hundred sky supreme yao around. They’d formed their yao divine power into threads and knit them into a net.
The Yao-Sealing Pagoda.
Once more, it was the Yao-Sealing Pagoda.
Ye Zichen had called these yao from the pagoda. With the shade devils’ help, the others had hidden this whole time. That’s why they successfully carried out his plan.
Of course, Ye Zichen didn’t think this net alone would be enough to gain control over the beast king. If it were really that simple, beast kings wouldn’t have such a transcendent status in the Yao Realm.
“Kid, this is no different from suicide.”
Ye Zichen shrugged noncommittally. When the net broke, the yao returned to the Yao-Sealing Pagoda. They were no match for the beast king, and he wouldn’t let his subordinates sacrifice themselves for nothing.
It was enough to seal him briefly.
“They disappeared.” When he saw hundreds of yao sky supremes disappear in an instant, the Subterranean Beast King was visibly shaken. The next moment, those monstrous purple eyes lit up with delight. “The Yao-Sealing Pagoda! You actually have the Yao-Sealing Pagoda!”
“You really have lived quite a long time, haven’t you? You can even recognize the pagoda!” Ye Zichen didn’t even consider keeping it hidden any longer. The Yao-Sealing Pagoda was a treasure all three upper realms would go crazy over. If he let the cat out of the bag, the beast king would definitely focus on him, which would help ensure his friends’ safety.
Once they returned to the academy, they could find reinforcements. All he had to do was survive the Subterranean Beast King’s attacks until that. That was his plan!
This was the main reason he elected to stay behind. His other reason was….
He couldn’t leave a hero’s corpse behind.
He had to bring Chen Guangfa back to the academy.
Until then, he’d just have to rely on his wits.
