Chapter Eight: Suspicion

Achieving this was not a difficult task. Soon, his opponent noticed his own decreasing attack strength, and Zhao Yuan’s dodges began to slow down, a deliberate act to create opportunities for his adversary. Zhao Yintian had no doubts about Zhao Yuan’s current state, for he had absolute confidence in his own abilities. Observing that Zhao Yuan was not resisting as before, Zhao Yintian naturally assumed he had exhausted his stamina, never suspecting he had walked into a trap.

As Zhao Yuan had planned, when Zhao Yintian threw a punch at him, he ensured he wouldn’t be gravely injured and allowed himself to be thrown forcefully in the direction of the crowd.

“It’s falling—hurry, move aside, lest someone gets hurt!” Voices rang out from the crowd.

“Quick, clear out!” Everyone swiftly moved, leaving an open space.

As he fell, Zhao Yuan caught sight of the situation below. Fortune favored him; everything unfolded smoothly, without any disastrous turn. The people pursuing him scattered to both sides, leaving a clear path. The encirclement was broken, and now he could escape.

But Zhao Yuan dared not relax. He was about to hit the ground, and once he landed, he was certain Zhao Yintian would unleash a deadly attack. He couldn’t allow Zhao Yintian a moment to strike.

Before landing, Zhao Yuan made subtle adjustments, so that the moment he touched the ground, he could rise instantly.

Just as he had planned, upon landing, Zhao Yuan sprang up and dashed toward the edge of the encirclement to escape. Zhao Yintian, though prepared for Zhao Yuan’s continued resistance, had not anticipated his attempt to flee. Everything was going according to Zhao Yuan’s design.

“Damn it, he dared to deceive me! After him, quickly!” Zhao Yintian shouted furiously at those nearby, seeing Zhao Yuan about to disappear into the forest. If he escaped into the woods, pursuit would be far more difficult.

Realizing the situation, Zhao Yintian unleashed numerous fierce beasts to chase after Zhao Yuan, using them to hunt him down. The forest already teemed with wild creatures; as Zhao Yuan plunged into its depths, he disturbed them, and they too joined the pursuit.

Zhao Yuan glanced back from time to time, seeing savage beasts hot on his heels, with Zhao Yintian still in relentless pursuit. The situation was fraught with peril.

Meanwhile, Zhao Ling’er, though she had exerted herself to the utmost, found herself powerless. After all, experience was the greatest teacher, and her adversary’s cunning far exceeded her own. Once captured, she struggled, but it was futile. This left Zhao Ling’er anxiously seeking a way to escape, but her captors kept a vigilant watch.

She tried every method she could think of, but nothing worked; she had no choice but to accept her fate. All her hopes now rested on Zhao Yuan. Yet she knew such hope was slim, for Zhao Yuan was no match for Zhao Yintian.

Even so, it was the only option left—what else could she do?

Back on Zhao Yuan’s side, he had formed his own plan. He could feel the surging power within his body. Unlike at the start of the fight, he sensed no gradual loss of strength. Instead, his energy remained undiminished.

Zhao Yuan knew exactly what this meant: the power within him had reached a critical point. Beyond this threshold lay an advance in strength.

Now, Zhao Yuan’s only hope was this opportunity—if his strength increased, he would no longer be so desperately chased by Zhao Yintian.

Thus, as Zhao Yintian pursued him, Zhao Yuan dodged and simultaneously slew the savage beasts. Before, merely avoiding the attacks was difficult enough, but now he managed to cut down his pursuers as well.

Such a strategy baffled many; it seemed pointless, a waste of energy. Evading Zhao Yintian was already exhausting, yet Zhao Yuan chose to fight, as if he were a fool.

Those chasing alongside Zhao Yintian could not fathom Zhao Yuan’s intentions, but Zhao Yintian was different—a genius, he immediately discerned Zhao Yuan’s plan.

“You think your little tricks can fool me? Let me tell you, that’s impossible. Surrender now, and I might spare you,” Zhao Yintian threatened.

But if Zhao Yuan were the sort to heed threats, he would not be Zhao Yuan. Moreover, he understood that losing would mean dire consequences.

“So what if you know what I’m trying to do? Can you stop me?” Zhao Yuan felt the fullness of power grow as he slew the beasts, the threshold drawing ever closer—he might ascend at any moment.

He waited for that instant, and now, with things as they were, Zhao Yuan could not turn back even if he wanted to.

With the course set, there was no need to feign weakness any longer. He would resolve this in one decisive strike.

As the two chased each other, neither noticed they were venturing ever deeper into the gaps between the trees—a place fraught with danger, where countless had met their end.

The surroundings grew eerily quiet, and during the chase, the two sensed something was amiss. Just moments before, Zhao Yuan could feel savage beasts pursuing him, allowing him to slay them and gain strength.

This was how he could hasten his advancement. Though, as his abilities increased, it became less useful, there were still beasts at his side.

But now, as their pursuit grew deeper, the environment grew silent, as if no living thing remained.

This quiet seemed peaceful, but in truth, it was the opposite—the greater the silence, the more perilous the situation. Both sensed the danger.

Zhao Yintian was now unsure where they were; regret began to stir within him, and he considered retracing his steps. Yet returning would not be so easy.

Though he wanted to retreat, the chase between him and Zhao Yuan continued. At this moment, Zhao Yuan had gathered his strength and launched an attack toward Zhao Yintian.

During his attack, Zhao Yuan sensed something was wrong. He noticed Zhao Yintian’s hesitation, realizing he harbored no malice or intent to kill. Thus, in a crucial moment, Zhao Yuan’s wavering caused his strike to veer off its intended course.