Chapter 153: A Dire Situation

Since things have already reached this point, the best I can do is rescue Chen Chen, regardless of the consequences. Chen Chen, Li Zijian, and I have long since become inseparable brothers, so I am more than willing to stake everything for them.

I quickly made my way to the fourth floor, only to be greeted by a small blade flying toward me. It was thrown like a hidden weapon, but I easily dodged it with a slight sidestep. Looking ahead, I saw four men standing in the narrow hallway; one was at the sixth grade of the Spirit Flower Realm, while the others were in the Spirit Lotus Realm.

"You... you're Lin Yao?"

The three in the Spirit Lotus Realm were at the first grade. I wasn't afraid of a one-on-one fight, but I worried about them ganging up on me, especially with more men waiting downstairs. I nodded nonchalantly. The men in front all looked very similar, like quadruplets.

"Didn't I tell you to wait for my notice? Why come now? Well, whatever, hand over the money."

This man couldn't open his mouth without mentioning money; he was a total miser. I wasn't so easily swayed. "I need to see how Chen Chen is doing first."

As soon as I said that, one of them lost his temper. "What the hell are you babbling about? Pay up now, or we'll kill you along with him!"

The leader held him back, but I was already fuming. It was clear they had no intention of letting either Chen Chen or me go. "In that case, I'll just have to kill you all!"

With that, I instantly drew my Snow Blade and charged at them. Seeing that negotiations had failed, they drew their own weapons and shouted, "Back up!"

Their shouting meant I would soon be surrounded. Once the men from downstairs arrived, I would be trapped. I had to take these men out quickly. I entered the state of the Wing Shadow Blade Technique, unafraid to face the four of them alone. However, after a short while, six more men rushed up from downstairs.

I had no choice but to fight and retreat, trying to keep my back clear to stay safe. Fortunately, the narrow hallway worked in my favor, allowing me to barely hold my own. Amidst the constant clashing of weapons, my nerves were stretched to the breaking point. Facing so many opponents, I couldn't afford a single moment of distraction; one slip would cost me my life.

I swung the Wing Shadow Blade faster and faster. The men in the Spirit Flower Realm at the front eventually couldn't keep up and fell back. In their place came the three Spirit Lotus Realm fighters. Their coordination was impeccable; they wielded their short blades with such fluidity it was like watching green snakes strike. Relying on the terrain and the quality of my weapon, I remained uninjured for the moment, but I knew I couldn't sustain this if they kept rotating their fighters.

I needed a way to draw them away, then circle back to rescue Chen Chen. But under the current circumstances, I couldn't escape. Even if I risked fleeing, I would be injured anyway, so I decided to hold on a little longer and look for an opening. Although these three were inferior to me in strength and speed, the old saying holds true: three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. They were fighting me to a standstill. The men behind them didn't have a chance to engage, but they kept throwing hidden weapons, which forced me to divide my attention.

After unleashing the tenth form of the third chapter of the Wing Shadow Blade Technique, my strikes were not only illusory and erratic but also carried waves of energy blades, significantly increasing their power. However, a momentary lapse in concentration led to a hidden blade piercing my shoulder.

"Damn it!" I shouted, delivering a heavy downward slash. With a loud bang, the men in front were knocked back several meters. I gritted my teeth and pulled the blade from my shoulder, immediately channeling my spiritual energy to begin rapid self-healing.

The men didn't give me a chance to recover. They raised their blades and charged again. The wound on my shoulder definitely hindered my combat effectiveness. I had no choice but to block with my blade while charging a Thunderclap Strike with my free hand.

With a deafening boom, the three in front dodged nimbly, but the men behind were not so lucky; one was struck through the body by the Thunderclap. Any loss on their side was a gain for me. Thinking this, I unleashed several more Thunderclap Strikes. This time, they were prepared, and I only managed to kill one more. There were still eight of them left.

My shoulder wound had mostly healed, so I resumed my blade technique. The three in front looked at me with pure rage, clearly wanting to tear me to pieces. This was bad; I had already consumed half of my spiritual energy. If the fight dragged on, something was bound to go wrong.

I spotted a window to the side and, without a second thought, smashed through it and jumped out. This height was nothing to a cultivator like me; I didn't even have to bend my knees upon landing. Once I stood firmly on the ground, I bolted across the factory floor.

The men behind me jumped down and gave chase. There were nine of us in total sprinting across the factory grounds. The Spirit Flower Realm fighters were slow and easily shaken off, but the Spirit Lotus Realm enemies were tenacious. They relied on their speed to keep pace with me.

This couldn't go on. Just as I prepared to unleash a Five Thunder Strike, a ten-centimeter blade pierced my leg. Because I was moving so fast, I lost my balance and tumbled forward. I hit a large rock head-on.

For a split second, my head buzzed, and the world went dark and started spinning. But I couldn't stop. The three men were closing in. I struggled to my feet and stumbled forward. My focus was fading, making it impossible to concentrate my spiritual energy, and the injury to my leg kept me from running fast.

Seeing them about to catch up, I forced myself to focus on healing my head injury. I remembered the medicine Chen Chen had given me. I reached into my pocket, and sure enough, it was still there. I popped the pill into my mouth, treating it as my last hope. The pill dissolved instantly, and I felt it transform into streams of spiritual energy that rushed to heal my wounds.

With my head feeling better, I stopped fleeing and turned around, yanking the blade from my leg. Seeing me stop, they assumed I was giving up. One of them said, "See how much easier this is? We'll make it quick."

"If you want to fight, then fight! Stop the chatter!"

Before they could react, I channeled all my spiritual energy and charged at them at full speed.

"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!" the oldest among them shouted, throwing several hidden weapons.

I had fallen for that trick once; I wouldn't fall for it again. I dodged them all, pinched my fingers to form a seal, and launched a Five Thunder Strike directly at him!