Chapter 270

By the time the bandits waiting there figured out the situation and tried to give chase, the large monster had already left them far behind.

Not to mention, some bandits had to first notify the others scattered throughout the oasis to gather.

Yun Huizhou and Lian Li had no idea exactly how many bandits were there, nor did they know if the monster would clash with them from behind.

Lian Li was being pulled along by Yun Huizhou. Since Yun Huizhou was entirely in charge of their direction, Lian Li was just barely able to look back at the situation behind them and report it to him.

However, their escape was not entirely smooth sailing.

Before long, they encountered bandits on the way to retrieve their supplies.

The bandits were startled to see two complete strangers whose clothing was entirely different from the three allied groups. They instantly realized that there were others hiding in the oasis.

Having been ordered by their leader, the bandits did not hesitate to try and intercept the duo.

The bandits all possessed some degree of martial arts skill, but their meager abilities were far from enough when faced with Yun Huizhou and Lian Li. Especially these bandits sent out to do menial chores; their skills didn’t even rank among their peers. They posed almost no obstacle to the two.

Yet, neither of them felt at ease.

Ahead of them were bandits who might suddenly block their path, and behind them were the relentless monster and more bandits. The two pushed their movement techniques and Qinggong to the absolute limit.

After sprinting for several minutes, they encountered three groups of bandits blocking the way. Fortunately, none of them were particularly strong. They were dealt with almost instantly, barely affecting the duo’s speed.

With a flick of his whip, Lian Li seized an opportunity to hook another water skin from a defeated bandit and slung it over his shoulder. By now, he had snatched four water skins from the bandits, each at least more than half full.

Yun Huizhou glanced at him and gave an approving look.

The closer they got to where they had left their supplies, the more nervous Lian Li became, worried they might have made the trip for nothing. Fortunately, their luck held. Seeing that the large rock where they hid their supplies remained unchanged, Lian Li felt a wave of relief.

“That’s the rock,” Lian Li said, pointing.

Yun Huizhou struck the rock with his blade, shattering it instantly. Lian Li took the chance to whip up the bundle hidden beneath and caught it in his arms.

In the brief pause it took to grab the bundle and confirm its contents, they heard the sound of the monster catching up. Lian Li couldn’t help but roll his eyes, but he knew they couldn’t stay.

Yun Huizhou took the bundle of rations to carry on his back, and they resumed their flight.

The oasis was massive, and with nearly a thousand bandits scattered throughout, they weren’t something you’d run into every few steps. Especially as they moved further from the lakeside, the bandits became even scarcer. Aside from the bandit leaders and their most capable subordinates, the others couldn’t possibly keep up without camels.

If it were only the bandits chasing them, they would be considered temporarily out of danger; it would take the bandits some time to track them down. They only needed half an hour to recover and return to their peak condition, at which point they wouldn’t be in such a pathetic state.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just the bandits; the large monster was also after them. They ran for an hour, and the monster kept pace with them the entire time.

Lian Li wasn’t sure exactly how far they had run, but it was at least dozens of miles. Since they didn’t need to use internal energy to resist the cold anymore, their consumption wasn’t high. If the monster wanted to keep chasing, they could run for a day and a night without issue.

But even if they ran that long, they might not necessarily shake it off. Furthermore, if they ran too far, they would likely never find their camels again, leaving them with nothing in the harsh desert.

Lian Li glanced back; the large monster was still following them. Because they had been running in one direction, they were nearing the edge of the oasis, where there were few obstacles to block their view. Lian Li easily spotted the black dot several hundred meters behind them. That dot was the monster that had been pursuing them.

After watching for a while, Lian Li said to Yun Huizhou, “Yun Huizhou, the monster’s speed seems to be dropping.”

Yun Huizhou replied, “Maybe it’s running out of stamina. We could probably lose it, but I’m not sure I want to lose its trail.”

Maintaining his pace, he looked at Lian Li. Though he didn’t say it outright, Lian Li understood the meaning in his eyes. He wanted to kill the monster, especially now while the bandits hadn’t caught up yet.

If they killed it now, they could roam the vicinity of the oasis freely. Whether searching for their own camels or looking for a chance to steal supplies and camels from the bandits, it would be much easier.

Lian Li pursed his lips and asked, “What are our chances of winning?”

Yun Huizhou didn’t answer directly but analyzed the situation first: “The monster’s blood is colder than ice. Before the treasure appeared, the underground lake area was as cool as late autumn. It stands to reason that after transforming, this creature prefers cooler environments. We are now nearing the edge of the oasis, where the low temperatures caused by the anomaly have little effect. In such heat, the monster should feel uncomfortable. Therefore, I’d say we have a seventy percent chance.”

Lian Li looked back at the monster still stubbornly pursuing them. He thought that while it lived in the cool underground lake, it was still a desert creature at heart. Even if it had mutated, it must have mutated from a desert animal. He felt the possibility of it being unsuited to the heat was low.

So he said, “And if it isn’t bothered by the heat? What are our chances then?”

“Fifty percent,” Yun Huizhou replied.

“Ah… fifty-fifty. That doesn’t feel very high.”

Yun Huizhou chuckled. “Isn’t it usually fifty-fifty when facing an opponent of the same level? Besides, there are two of us. We have the advantage in numbers.”

Hearing him say that, Lian Li knew that Yun Huizhou was likely frustrated from being chased and wanted to take the thing down.

“Alright, let’s do this!” Lian Li made his decision.

If they didn’t kill it, they would be haunted by it indefinitely. Their knowledge of the desert couldn’t compare to the monster’s. Even if they shook it off for a while, there was no telling when it might find them again. It would be fine if it found them alone, but he feared the bandits would catch on and quietly follow it to track them down.

Moreover, their supplies were limited; they couldn’t afford a prolonged war of attrition. If they dragged it out until they were truly exhausted and the bandits caught up, they would have neither internal energy nor physical strength. They would be trapped with no way out.