Chapter 253: Misfortune Strikes Again, Gu Ran's Desperation
Chapter 253: Misfortune Strikes Again, Gu Ran's Desperation
'Blazing Blood Secret Art!' The death warrior unleashed a self-destructing secret art upon command, charging toward his opponent like a feral beast.
Meanwhile, without uttering a word, Liu Xiong discreetly launched an attack on the cultivator whom Gu Ran was about to assault.
With his cultivation base at the Dao Comprehension realm, executing this covert attack without arousing suspicion was quite effortless for him.
In fact, Jiang Chen would have intervened himself if not for the risk of Gu Ran more easily detecting his involvement.
The key issue was that Gu Ran, endowed with Heavenly Fate Value and his bloodline power, was exceptionally sensitive to Jiang Chen's presence.
Taking the entire situation into account, a subtle, behind-the-scenes approach was more judicious; direct intervention would likely be detected.
Therefore, Jiang Chen entrusted the task to Liu Xiong, using the death warrior's escalating combat prowess as an effective distraction.
At this moment, Gu Ran was lurking just a short distance behind his target cultivator, poised to attack, his emotions in a whirlwind.
However, the combat strength of the cultivator from the Heavenly Gu Society abruptly surged.
Caught off guard, the cultivator from the You Clan failed to put up an effective defense in time and was swiftly killed by the Heavenly Gu Society cultivator!
Slain... Vanished... Utterly annihilated...
Gu Ran observed the unfolding events, a twitch forming at the corner of his mouth, his eyes somewhat vacant.
He had a nagging suspicion that the same ill-fortune he'd faced on Black Wood Island was on the brink of resurfacing!
'No!' Gu Ran shook his head vehemently, 'It can't be!'
'This must simply be a coincidence!' he quickly refocused and stealthily moved towards the second Inquiring Journey realm cultivator.
'Hehe!' A faint smile crossed the corner of Jiang Chen's mouth as he thought, 'Gu Ran, how does it feel now?' He simultaneously took note of the second target Gu Ran was preparing to ambush.
Suddenly inspired, Jiang Chen sent another command through divine sense to the Inquiring Journey realm death warrior who was engaging Gu Ran's target.
In response, the Inquiring Journey realm death warrior immediately unleashed a sweeping attack, indiscriminate of friend or foe, acting as though gripped by madness!
'What the...!!' Gu Ran was in the midst of preparing his strike when he was abruptly thrown off balance.
Swiftly shifting to a defensive stance, his figure was instantly revealed.
"Young Master Gu, run!" As if to ensure the enemies were aware of Gu Ran, Jiang Chen's death warrior shouted a warning and lunged at the adversaries like a crazed beast!
"What!" The Inquiring Journey realm cultivator from the You Clan was utterly stunned and quickly retreated.
Relentlessly, Jiang Chen's death warrior gave chase, trapping him while executing a barrage of extensive attacks.
'...' Gu Ran wore a look of utter disbelief on his face, feeling a mild sense of nausea within!
Again, for the second time! This was happening for the second time!
That familiar tide of ill-fortune engulfed him once more, making Gu Ran involuntarily shudder!
Shortly thereafter, Gu Ran turned his attention to the third Inquiring Journey realm cultivator from the You Clan, who was still engaged in combat.
This was the last genuine Inquiring Journey realm expert of the You Clan, excluding You Haiyinthis wasn't just a Heavenly Origin realm cultivator temporarily displaying Half-step Inquiring Journey realm combat strength.
However, before Gu Ran could even find a hiding spot, a voice thundered, "Perish!"
A cultivator from the Heavenly Gu Society, also at the Inquiring Journey realm, charged in from the side, initiating a two-on-one assault and surrounding the You Clan's Inquiring Journey realm cultivator.
The Heavenly Gu Society cultivator who had joined the battle was the same one who had previously activated the self-destructing secret art, killing the You Clan's Inquiring Journey realm cultivator.
'No!' Gu Ran's heart screamed in frustration, 'Let him go, let me handle it!' Casting aside his concealment, he decided to throw caution to the wind, intending to jump into the battle and secure the kill himself!
With three against one, the odds of landing the killing blow were favorable!
After all, one of Jiang Chen's death warriors had already activated a self-destructing secret art, weakening him and diminishing his combat capabilities. The other was simply at the Early-stage Inquiring Journey realm.
To genuinely prevent Gu Ran from claiming the kill, and to lure out members from the Gan Clan and the Cai Clan, Jiang Chen once again resorted to his old tacticfeigning defeat!
"Ptui!" After clashing with You Haiyin, Liu Xiong abruptly spat out a mouthful of blood, cursing, "Damn it, if not for this lingering old injury, you'd be done for today!"
"Mark my words, once I've recovered, your miserable life will be mine!" He then swiftly began to retreat.
'What? He has an old injury?' You Haiyin was a little slow to comprehend, his heart filling with astonishment.
However, he didn't dare to pursue. Instead, he heightened his vigilance, carefully surveying his surroundings.
He suspected that the Gan and Cai Clans had already laid an ambush nearby.
At the same moment, Liu Xiong roared, "Flee!"
"Cover Young Master Gu's retreat!" He hurled himself into the fray that Gu Ran was about to join.
"No, I don't want to die!" The You Clan cultivator was so terrified that his soul quivered, paralyzed with fear.
However, Liu Xiong and the other two death warriors didn't kill him.
Instead, they seized Gu Ran, whose face was frozen in disbelief, and rapidly retreated into the distance.
'What... what's going on!!' Gu Ran found himself questioning his very existence. 'This Heavenly Gu Society expert was so arrogant; why would he suddenly claim an old injury and retreat?'
'After achieving a breakthrough, I haven't even killed anyone yet!' He felt the urge to vomit rising again.
Then, a surge of boundless rage erupted within him, nearly driving him to confront Liu Xiong right there and then.
However, he suddenly felt a menacing aura emanating from Liu Xiong, which made him pause, 'This Liu Xiong, he might be more than just a Late-stage Inquiring Journey realm cultivator!'
'Did he decline to this state due to his injury?' Various theories sprang to mind, yet he couldn't possibly guess that Liu Xiong's claimed injury was a ruse, orchestrated under Jiang Chen's orders.
At that moment, while Gu Ran was hesitating, Liu Xiong and the others had already whisked him away from the battlefield to the island's outskirts.
On the battlefield, the death warriors called out, "Quick, retreat!"
"Young Master Gu has been shielded and has retreated; everyone, pull back!"
"Cease fighting!"
They, too, began to withdraw one by one.
Witnessing this, the You Clan cultivators grew increasingly agitated, their eyes filled with murderous rage. "Damn it, kill them!"
"They dared to make an attempt on our young master from the You Clan; they must be wiped out!"
"Brothers, let's get our revenge!"
They were all keen to pursue and counterattack.
However, You Haiyin's voice, frigid and gravely serious, commanded, "Everyone, halt!"
"Quickly attend to the wounded! Spare no effort in their healing!" His icy tone reached the ears of every You Clan cultivator.
"Ah! Why can't we retaliate now?" someone among the You Clan shouted in disbelief.
"Ancestor, we must seek revenge!"
"Quiet, all of you fools," You Haiyin silenced them. "We must remain vigilant against the Gan and Cai Clans."
"That's right, heed the ancestor's words. Rush to recover; otherwise, you'll have no one to blame if you die in the later battles with the Gan and Cai Clans," another elder advised.
"It's infuriating! We just fended off one Heavenly Gu Society, and now the Gan and Cai Clans are salivating over us!"
One by one, the You Clan cultivators ceased their movements. Conversations broke out briefly before they quickly turned to the process of healing.
While they were administering to their injuries, streaks of light from the north and south converged, transforming into two large groups of individuals.
An overwhelming aura saturated the area as they arrived.
These were the elite warriors of the Gan and Cai Clans!
"Hahaha!" An elder, clothed in a brown short robe and with twinkling eyes, stepped forward. His laughter dripped with disdain as he announced, "You Haiyin, you've put up a good fight!"
"Unfortunately, from this day forth, your You Clan will no longer exist on the Three Mountains Island," he concluded, his face adorned with a cold smile.
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