Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wilderness Chapter Seventy-Three: As It Should Be

"Ah—"

Bai Zhi could never have imagined that Yu Ye would actually leap off the cliff. Even more unexpected was that he would drag her down with him.

Standing side by side at the edge of the precipice, she was suddenly seized by her right arm before she could react, let alone break free.

Bai Zhi couldn’t help but cry out in terror.

Before the scream had even died in her throat, she was already plummeting downward. In an instant, swirling mists, the roar of wind in her ears, and the gaping black maw of the abyss rushed up to engulf her.

"Let go—!"

Bai Zhi screamed again.

Perhaps she was not afraid of death, but she had no wish to die for someone else—especially to be dragged off a cliff, her bones left to be gnawed by wild beasts and insects in some desolate wilderness. The thought was unbearable.

Yet the man holding her showed no intention of releasing his grip.

At that moment, a glimmer of light appeared behind them.

Bu Yi had caught up. No longer flying on his sword, he now plunged headfirst after them, body inverted, sword alight in his grasp, determined to pursue them at all costs.

He was a master at the Foundation Establishment stage; even leaping from a cliff could not guarantee escape from his pursuit!

"Let go of me—!"

Bai Zhi screamed again, despairing as she beat against the arm that gripped her, but she could not break free. Yu Ye only stared ahead with a crazed intensity, intent on his death wish. Her right hand still gripped her sword; she swung it toward him in desperation.

At that moment, a talisman slapped against her chest. She heard the snap of breaking branches, then a flash of light, and all sound of impact vanished. The world shifted; she felt herself plunging deep underground, falling into an endless abyss...

Bu Yi arrived at the foot of the cliff in a flash.

He saw the man and woman falling with no way to escape—then, suddenly, both vanished in two bursts of light.

With a furious sweep of his sword, Bu Yi landed. The sword's brilliance felled a swath of trees in a thunderous crash. He gazed downward, grunting in frustration.

So, that boy had used an Escape Talisman!

No wonder he had been so fearless—but could he really escape again?

Bu Yi slapped a talisman onto himself. With a flash of light, he too vanished into the earth...

...

A flash in the darkness, and two figures tumbled to the ground.

Bai Zhi’s arm was free at last. She scrambled up in a panic, pacing anxiously, astonished by their surroundings.

They were in an underground cavern.

He actually possessed an Escape Talisman?

Yu Ye leapt up, visibly relieved at their luck.

Indeed, it was luck. He had crafted five Armor-Piercing Talismans; one had been expended in a test, another used against a cultivator outside Xingyuan Valley, and tonight, the three remaining talismans had become his final hope. If they had failed, his fate would have been far worse than falling from a cliff. Fortunately, fortune favored him. At the critical moment, the talisman concealed them, bringing Bai Zhi along to safety.

But why had she swung her sword at him just now?

Where were they?

It was a cavern nestled among huge stones, with several passages leading who knew where. Darkness pressed in from all sides—he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. Luckily, spiritual sense worked here, allowing him to take stock. The stone walls were slick with moisture; from afar, the faint sound of running water echoed.

So, they were underground.

Yu Ye let out a long breath and, legs weak, slumped against the wall.

He had already spent almost all his spiritual power after killing two people in Xingyuan Valley. Though he had absorbed spirit stones along the way and recovered half his strength, the crisis at Tiger Leaping Gorge had forced him to fight with everything he had. The outcome was predictable—he was drained once more. When he found himself abandoned in his most desperate hour, the bitterness still stung.

Yes—abandoned!

He hoped it would not happen again.

At least she had shielded him before Bu Yi.

Yu Ye’s gaze flickered upward.

A familiar figure appeared before him and chided softly, “Since you had a way out, you shouldn’t have kept it from your senior sister!”

“What did I keep from you... No!” Yu Ye caught himself. “We call each other senior brother and sister only to mislead others—don’t take it to heart. It’s just expedience.”

“How old are you?”

“Sixteen!”

“I’m a few years your elder. According to village custom, calling you ‘little brother’ is only proper!” Bai Zhi’s tone shifted. “I thought we were doomed, but you had an escape plan all along. Where did you get that talisman? Don’t tell me you picked it up again?”

“Talisman? Oh...” Yu Ye popped some pills into his mouth. “You mean the Armor-Piercing Talisman. I drew it myself.”

“Could you be honest for once?”

“I haven’t lied to you!”

“You...” Bai Zhi took a breath. “Do you know how difficult it is to craft talismans? How dare you spout such nonsense?”

“What did I do to offend you?” Yu Ye retorted, growing angry. “Let me ask you—while I was saving your life, why did you try to hit me, even swing your sword at me?”

“Did you get hurt?”

“No!”

“You almost broke my arm...” Bai Zhi was still indignant, but her expression suddenly changed.

In the darkness, ten yards away, a flash of light appeared, and a figure shrouded in brilliance emerged—it was Bu Yi.

“Go—!” Bai Zhi turned to run, then stopped anxiously. “The Armor-Piercing Talisman...”

Facing such a powerful foe in a cave left little hope of escape. The talisman that could take them through solid earth was their only chance of survival.

Yu Ye leapt up, flustered as well.

He had underestimated the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even underground, there was no escape—what hope remained?

“I have only one Armor-Piercing Talisman left. It might not save us both...”

“We have to try—” Bai Zhi decided instantly, grabbing Yu Ye and cloaking them both in her protective energy. “Hurry...”

Bu Yi had spotted them. He raised a hand and pointed.

“Don’t run—”

Yu Ye drew out the talisman, but hesitated. With only one remaining, on whom should he use it?

In that instant, a sword-light shot toward them.

There was no time. Yu Ye reached to push Bai Zhi aside, but she clung to him instead, flinging a talisman of her own. Instantly, a shell of black smoke shaped like a tortoise shielded them from the sword-light with a muffled boom.

“Armor-Piercing Talisman—!” Bai Zhi still gripped Yu Ye, urging him on.

Yu Ye slapped his talisman, and a flickering glow enveloped them both, carrying them through the stone wall and down into the depths...

There was no impact with the ground, only a splash, and the next moment, they were submerged in rushing water.

Yu Ye flailed upward, but he was seized around the waist, his limbs held fast, and a voice echoed in his ear—

“Just protect yourself with spiritual energy, what are you panicking for...”

Circulating his internal energy, he enveloped himself in protective power, so he neither needed to breathe nor feared sinking. In theory, it was simple—except his spiritual energy was nearly exhausted. Being held tightly around the waist and pressed against the chest only made it harder to bear.

“You... let go of me!”

“The situation is uncertain, our survival in doubt. If I let go, we could be separated. Now be quiet!”

Yu Ye had no choice but to force his depleted energy to shield himself, breathing raggedly and suffering in silence.

Still, the underground rivers beneath Ling Jiao Valley were many. Being swept away in the current was not unexpected and could help them hide their trail. Even if Bu Yi could traverse earth and sky, he would not easily find them now.

A sudden crash—amid the dark currents, they struck a rock. Yu Ye groaned but could do nothing but grit his teeth and endure. Suddenly, he burst from the water, gasping for air before plunging back in, swept by the current and battered by more stones...

How many times they tumbled through rapids, how many rocks they struck, Yu Ye could no longer tell.

When he finally surfaced again, the oppressive darkness and raging river were gone. Suddenly, the space opened up around them. Someone was sprawled against his chest, lifting a delicate face, eyes bewildered, then instantly glaring at him in outrage as she shoved him away and brandished her sword.

“Bai Zhi...”

Yu Ye had hardly spoken when, with a splash, a wave engulfed him. He scrambled to the surface and spotted the shore close by, paddling toward it with all his might.

Splashing, dripping, Yu Ye staggered onto the bank, doubled over and gasping for breath.

Before him lay a cavern a hundred yards wide, waterfalls cascading straight down, their waters pooling into a lake that stretched beyond sight, shrouded in mist and faint daylight.

Where was this place?

Had they escaped Ling Jiao Valley?

Had Bu Yi followed them?

Looking around, Yu Ye rolled his eyes.

A few yards away, Bai Zhi stood poised at the water's edge. Her dress fluttered, her hair danced in the breeze, and she calmly tidied her appearance.

“Bai Zhi!” Yu Ye snapped, “Why did you push me into the water?”

Not only had she shoved him in, she had threatened him with her sword yet again.

This girl was impossible—when she needed him, she was all sweetness; when she didn’t, she discarded him like an old shoe. And she clearly had means to protect herself but never said a word. If he’d known her talisman could block Bu Yi’s sword, would they have ended up in such a sorry state?

“Bah!” Yu Ye spat, waiting for her to retort, but she didn’t even spare him a glance. Instead, she turned away with a scolding tone—

“Shameless!”

Who was she talking about?

Clinging to him so tightly in the water, now turning on him the moment they were safe?

Yu Ye’s face flushed with anger.

Without his protective energy, his clothes had been torn to shreds by the rocks—his upper garment hung in tatters, his lower half nearly bare, and his boots had vanished altogether.

He hurriedly covered himself, spotted a rock nearby, and hopped over to it. From his storage ring, he pulled out fresh clothes and boots and quickly changed...