Xiao Kun had only raised his hand to scare her; he held no Magic Treasure. He said, “Just kidding, Great Ancestress Granny.”
Yan Yan charged up in fury again. Xiang Xian had already reined in his Blazing Flames all over his body. He called out loudly, “Over here! Look! They’re really coming!”
Xiang Xian’s voice arrived alongside a spinning ring of light. Yan Yan had no idea what it was and was about to dodge when the light ring suddenly clamped onto her body, cinching tightly around her waist.
Yan Yan’s expression changed. As she gathered her energy, the ring contracted rapidly—it was the Red Blood Gold Ring that Mr. Liu had previously used to bind Xiang Xian. Yan Yan tried to disperse into Demonic Qi to escape, but the Gold Ring shadowed her relentlessly, nearly slicing her demonic form in two, leaving only a thin black thread connecting the parts. Yan Yan soared through the air, desperately trying to shake off the Gold Ring, but to no avail.
“Very good,” Xiao Kun said. “Next.”
Xiang Xian: “We need to hold them off for at least half a shichen, but looking at this, we might even retake Gumo and won’t need to run anymore.”
“Forgot what we agreed earlier?” Xiao Kun said gravely.
Xiang Xian waved it off. The two bowed slightly, as more Ba Army surged forward amid soaring flames. They charged into the Royal Palace.
On the western side of the city gate, Mr. Ying transformed into a comet and crashed to the ground, blocking Hulü Guang.
Hulü Guang skidded to an emergency halt. Mr. Ying raised one hand, conjuring a demonic claw, and lunged fiercely at Hulü Guang. Hulü Guang leaned back slightly and nimbly dodged.
Mr. Ying: “…”
“Come grab me!” Hulü Guang spun around again and vanished into the alley with a whoosh.
Mr. Ying flew into a rage and pursued into the alley, trailing black fire and smashing countless houses along the way. Bricks and tiles flew everywhere, with falling rubble and rolling logs littering the path. Yet Hulü Guang’s speed had surpassed that of ordinary men by far. Each time he was nearly caught, he slipped away just in time. It looked perilous, but he seemed to handle it with ease!
Wu Yingzong transformed into a Giant Ape, carrying Chaosheng as they chased along shortcuts, drawing ever closer to Mr. Ying. But Hulü Guang’s speed outpaced even that. Chaosheng held a Red Blood Gold Ring in his hand, yet he never found an opening to strike.
“I-I-I… can’t loop it on!” Chaosheng now only regretted not practicing ring toss more at the night market by Dragon Pavilion Lakeside in Kaifeng back then. “You do it!”
“I can’t!” The Giant Ape panted heavily, cursing that it couldn’t stick out its tongue to cool off.
Hulü Guang dragged Mr. Ying through countless narrow lanes from the west side of the city, looping back to the east. In a mere half shichen, he had crossed the entire Gumo City.
From the collar of Hulü Guang’s robe, the Echoing Voice Insect buzzed with Chaosheng’s voice.
“Stop running!” Chaosheng said. “We can’t keep up!”
Hulü Guang immediately spun around on the spot, sliding past a civilian house and leaning against a high wall, as if he had nowhere left to go.
Mr. Ying plummeted to the ground again. Demonic Fire erupted, revealing his battered form amid black flames. He let out an enraged roar, conjured demonic claws with both hands, and clawed down at Hulü Guang’s head.
In this moment, Hulü Guang demonstrated the pinnacle of Lightness Skill attainable by mortals!
He sidestepped on the spot, placed one hand on the wall, and ascended the vertical surface as if it were flat ground—he ran straight up the wall!
The Giant Ape charged up behind Mr. Ying. Chaosheng stared in shock, and Wu Yingzong’s voice boomed: “Now!”
Mr. Ying thrust out both claws to shatter the high wall when he suddenly sensed an ambush from behind. He whipped around. The Red Blood Gold Ring turned into a streak of golden light, shooting toward his demonic claws and snapping tight, locking both arms at once!
Black flames erupted, and the three scattered. Mr. Ying flailed his arms, but the Red Blood Gold Ring bound them firmly as he rampaged everywhere.
In front of the Main Hall of the Kucha Royal Palace, orange-red True Fire blazed around Xiang Xian, while rippling blue light swirled around Xiao Kun. Neither drew a weapon; they stood bare-handed outside the Main Hall parade ground.
Mr. Liu’s battle robe billowed as thousands upon thousands of Ba Army charged, forming an encirclement.
Xiang Xian said, “Don’t we have some scores to settle between us?”
A Demon Spear reappeared in Mr. Liu’s hand. He descended slowly, while Xiao Kun raised his left hand in a preparatory stance and placed his right on the hilt of his Tang Dao.
Mr. Liu did not reply. He gazed toward the sky.
Xiang Xian said, “Are you wondering where Yan Yan and Mr. Ying went?”
Mr. Liu turned his gaze back to Xiang Xian. In the next instant, a glowing red Red Blood Gold Ring appeared in Xiao Kun’s hand, spinning idly around his index finger.
Mr. Liu’s expression changed. He knew that if this Magic Treasure ensnared him, it would spell big trouble for a while. He immediately soared into the air, held the Great Si Ming Flute at an angle, and shouted, “Charge!”
Xiao Kun flung the Red Blood Gold Ring. In perfect sync, Xiang Xian and he leaped skyward from the spot—
The Red Blood Gold Ring burst with red light three feet off the ground, but instead of contracting, it boomed and expanded! As thousands of Ba Army charged, the red light swept outward in a flat circle. The front ranks were smashed, their corpses shattering. The Gold Ring broke through the palace walls, cleaving the entire palace in two.
The Kucha Royal Palace collapsed. Xiang Xian and Xiao Kun flipped through the air and landed, then sprinted away, riding the shockwave’s momentum to burst out the northern city gate.
