Chapter 107

Chapter 107: There is Still a Third Way

Feng Wendu and the others were also watching Wuchou chasing Lou Yun, feeling the same confusion as Lou Yun in their hearts. Feng Wendu even walked over to Hai Yixiao’s side, saying with a smile, "Sect Master, this Wuchou is truly formidable. He actually cultivated Spirit Transformation for his magical weapon! But he’s not a hero at all, only bullying the weak, picking on this little guy."

Hai Yixiao did not smile, staring expressionlessly at Lou Yun and Wuchou as he said, "What is the background of that kid?"

"We don’t know!" Feng Wendu shook his head. "When we arrived, he and Wuchou were already here. We initially thought he was Wuchou’s accomplice, but now it’s clear he is not."

"Moreover, this kid is a bit unusual. He’s clearly a magical weapons master, but we couldn’t see through his magical weapon realm. His movement technique is extremely fast, and his body is very resilient, somewhat resembling a common weapons master. And that strange flame—being able to control fire also makes him seem like a skilled weapon maker!"

Hai Yixiao nodded. "Hmm, I threw some pine nuts at him earlier to test him, and he actually caught them unharmed and remained safe. That is indeed odd!"

As the two talked, Wuchou chasing Lou Yun had run farther and farther away. A sharp gleam flashed in Hai Yixiao’s eyes as he said, "Go, follow them!"

Feng Wendu and the others hastily agreed and chased in the direction the two were heading.

As for Wuchou chasing Lou Yun far away, he suddenly spoke to Lou Yun via sound transmission, "Kid, I have something to say to you, don’t stop, keep running forward."

Lou Yun was startled, not understanding Wuchou’s meaning. But he didn’t know if Wuchou was intentionally setting a trap or genuinely had something to say, so he just kept rushing forward.

Wuchou’s voice rang out again. "Kid, I likely won’t escape today. The reason they’re after me is to get the Thirteen Demon Banners on me. Now, I give them to you!"

"What?"

"Because I can see that only you want to kill me to avenge those dead people, unlike them who just want the Thirteen Demon Banners to kill me. So I’d rather give them to you—absolutely not to them!"

"I don’t want what’s yours!" Lou Yun refused outright. He had no liking for Wuchou and naturally wouldn’t accept anything from him.

"You must take it! Consider it helping me. If I don’t die today, I’ll find you someday to reclaim the Thirteen Demon Banners. If I die, the Thirteen Demon Banners are yours. You don’t know the benefits of the Thirteen Demon Banners—even if you don’t want them, you can give them to someone else!"

These words stirred a bit of pity in Lou Yun because he strongly disapproved of how the Silver Thread Sect members were ganging up on someone weaker.

Wuchou continued, "Hurry, kid! Spirit Transformation for my magical weapon can only last fifteen minutes, and about half of that time is already over. I need to keep the other half to fight those bastards! If Spirit Transformation disappears, I’ll be at their mercy!"

Lou Yun hadn’t made a decision yet when he suddenly felt something heavy thrust into his chest—an object lodged in his clothes. This scared him and truly made him realize that Wuchou’s true strength while in Spirit Transformation was so formidable; even with his movement technique at its limit, Wuchou could instantly catch up and hand him the object. And his earlier chase was clearly an act—he really wanted Lou Yun to accept his so-called Thirteen Demon Banners.

Sure enough, Lou Yun’s ears heard Wuchou’s voice again, "Kid, the Thirteen Demon Banners are yours. You’d better use them yourself and not let others discover them. If I don’t die today, I’ll definitely find you and have a proper fight with you. Oh, and you still haven’t told me your name!"

Although Chang Xiang had earlier told Lou Yun not to reveal his name, that was against Hai Yixiao. Now, Wuchou’s words felt sincere to Lou Yun, so after a slight hesitation, he said, "I’m Lou Yun!"

"Lou Yun, I’ve remembered it. I’ll hold them off—you escape quickly!"

Right after saying this, Wuchou suddenly roared like a mad lion, turned around, and charged at Feng Wendu and the others who were almost catching up.

Although Feng Wendu had four people, none could achieve Spirit Transformation for their magical weapons. So at this moment, they dared not directly confront Wuchou in his berserk state and could only keep some distance while dodging and occasionally taking chances to sneak attacks on Wuchou.

At this time, Hai Yixiao also arrived nearby. Glancing at the fighting Wuchou and then at Lou Yun running desperately far away, a thought struck Hai Yixiao, and a cold sneer appeared on his face. "Seems the Thirteen Demon Banners have been given to that kid. Hmph, thinking to escape? Dream on!"

Hai Yixiao raised his hand, flicking his fingers several times, sending pine nuts shooting like meteors straight at Wuchou. Poor Wuchou didn’t expect Hai Yixiao to ambush him at this moment, so he was completely unprepared—several pine nuts pierced through his body like sharp blades.

"Ah!"

After several shrieks of agony, Wuchou’s huge body crashed to the ground, dozens of small holes now pouring blood from his body.

With his mouth gaping open, Wuchou couldn’t move because Hai Yixiao’s pine nuts had precisely severed several vital tendons inside him, restricting his actions. So he could only lie there wide-eyed, mouth wide open, waiting for all his blood to drain out…

"Chase that kid! The Thirteen Demon Banners are on him!"

At Hai Yixiao’s command, Feng Wendu and the others swiftly turned, summoned their magical weapons, leaped onto them, and flew toward Lou Yun’s running direction.

Lou Yun also heard Wuchou’s agonized cries, but he didn’t look back. After all, even with Spirit Transformation active, Wuchou was no match for them—his own abilities paled in comparison. So he focused solely on escaping.

However, Lou Yun wasn’t actually very afraid because he still had two lifesaving "assets": one was Xiao Huo’s Hellfire, and the other was Chang Xiang. Especially Chang Xiang’s skills, Lou Yun truly longed to see again—that enormously powerful move, the Six Swordslayer from Sword Moment!

Though Lou Yun thought this way, he also knew that if Chang Xiang were regarded as human now, his body was extremely frail. He should use as little spiritual energy as possible, so it was best Lou Yun could rely on his own strength to escape these pursuers.

Sadly, there was still a considerable gap between Lou Yun’s strength and theirs. Even with his swift footwork, he couldn’t outpace their weapon-riding flight. By the time it took an incense stick to burn, the group had already caught up.

Immediately after, Feng Wendu’s voice, laced with a cold sneer, sounded beside him, "Kid, where else do you think you’re running to?"

Lou Yun suddenly took a deep breath and slammed to a halt. Ahead, Feng Wendu blocked his path with a cold smirk. Behind him, Tao Heng, Qian Lin, and Zhao Jingang blocked his retreat. Not far off, Hai Yixiao, the master of the Silver Thread Sect, stood smiling, looking completely at ease.

Lou Yun had nowhere left to run!

After such a long chase, the spiritual energy within Lou Yun was rapidly depleting. Yet, he refused to let them see this, forcing himself to control his breathing, keeping the rise and fall of his chest steady.

Hai Yixiao’s figure flashed, and he appeared before Lou Yun. Smiling lightly, he said, "Young man, your footwork is impressive. However, we hadn’t finished our conversation earlier. Wasn’t fleeing like that a bit… rude?"

Lou Yun knew full well he was truly cornered. He resolved to shed all burdens and prepared to face his life’s most formidable challenge.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Much like his name suggested, Hai Yixiao maintained a faint smile. "Earlier I said, since you’ve come here today, you won’t be leaving. I can offer you two choices."

"What two?"

"First, hand over the Thirteen Demon Banners and join our Silver Thread Sect. Given your strength and aptitude, I would place great responsibility upon you. Second… this place right here becomes your burial ground!"

Lou Yun scoffed coldly, "And what if I refuse both these choices?"

Hai Yixiao shrugged, smiling, "Regrettably, there is no third way."

Yet, at that very moment, a gentle voice abruptly rang out in everyone’s ears, "There should be a third way."

The sudden voice caused everyone to stiffen simultaneously. None of them had detected any outsider’s presence until then.

All eyes instantly scanned the direction of the sound. Standing on a horizontal branch of a large tree were two silhouettes!

Though the smile remained on Hai Yixiao’s face, the shock within him was beyond words. He was well aware of his own strength – even within the entire Spirit Weapon Star, he ranked among the top experts. Yet now, someone had appeared less than five meters from him, completely unnoticed until they spoke. And not just one person… but two!

The two figures leapt from the branch, landing on the ground. Now, the group could clearly see their features.

Judging by appearance, both seemed fairly young. One was tall, the other short. The taller one stood over two meters. Though clad in a relatively loose robe, the bulging muscles beneath the fabric were unmistakable. His features were angular and stern, with hard-chiseled contours. Strangely, his eyes were tightly shut, and his hair was bound into a braid, its tip tied with a cluster of bells. Merely seeing him sent an immediate wave of danger through almost everyone present!

His stature was perhaps only matched by Nie Jiu, yet the aura each carried was entirely different. Compared to him, Nie Jiu seemed almost like a child!

The person beside him offered a complete contrast – a head shorter, with long black hair hanging loosely, a slender build, and delicate, refined features graced by a faint smile. Looking at him evoked a warm, spring-like feeling.

In short, though these two seemed like a pair of contradictions in size, appearance, and even temperament, somehow, they appeared perfectly harmonious standing together.

Hai Yixiao looked at them, his smile unwavering. "So, it was you two who spoke just now?"

The refined-looking man nodded with a smile, "It was me!"

"Oh? Who might you esteemed masters be? And what is this ‘third way’ you spoke of?"

Still smiling genially, the refined man replied, "This companion beside me is Tie Sha – Sha as in killing people. I am Wen Hou! The third way we propose is… this young gentleman joins us, and we will escort him safely away from here."