78: Chapter 78 The Only Chance

Chapter 78: The Only Chance

Qin Ce grit his teeth, forcing himself to stay conscious.

He couldn't die.

He absolutely could not die.

His mother and little sister were still waiting for him to return.

The bet with Jiang Ruowei hadn't been settled yet.

He still had too many things left undone, too many paths left untraveled.

How could he die here?

He snapped his head up and looked toward the sky.

The sky was deep and as blue as if it had been washed clean.

The clouds were very high.

Very high.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind—

When he killed the Wolf Spider King before, how did he win?

A high-altitude dive.

A palm technique descending from the heavens.

Trading height for speed and power.

What about now?

In an instant, countless images flashed through Qin Ce's mind—

Could he use that move?

Crossing two major realms?

That was impossible!

But... wait.

Qin Ce's gaze fell upon the three Silver-rank Ravens closing in, then looked down at the fifteen Upper Bronze Rank Ravens below.

Their flight altitude had always remained within a thousand meters.

They had never flown any higher.

Was it because they didn't like high altitudes?

Or was it because—

They couldn't fly up there?

Qin Ce's heart skipped a beat.

Right!

What were the weaknesses of the Ravens?

They were cumbersome, inflexible, and slow to turn.

Then what about their altitude ceiling?

It wasn't recorded in Nine-Star Insight, but he had never seen a single Raven fly higher than a thousand meters.

Perhaps... it wasn't that they didn't want to, but that they couldn't!

Then what about the Qing Luan?

Before it broke through, what was it called?

A Cloud Emerald Bird.

What were the characteristics of the Cloud Emerald Bird?

The bloodline of a Skylark—it could fly to extremely high altitudes, with an altitude ceiling far exceeding beasts of the same rank.

The other was a Divine Beast bloodline—vibrant emerald and gorgeous, possessing the Phoenix seed.

The Qing Luan had the bloodline of the Cloud Emerald Bird and the genes of the Skylark—

Its altitude ceiling was definitely far beyond those of the same rank!

So if...

If they rushed to a high enough place!

The light of hope reignited in Qin Ce's eyes.

"Xiao Qing!"

He pointed toward that deep patch of sky overhead.

"Charge upward!"

The Qing Luan let out a shrill, long cry, its wings beating violently as it began a frantic ascent!

He stared at the constantly approaching Ravens, a flash of determination in his eyes.

The only way to survive now was to gamble.

Gamble that the Qing Luan's ceiling was far beyond these cumbersome Ravens.

Gamble that these Ravens wouldn't dare chase them into the high altitudes they had never stepped foot in.

Gamble that this desperate, life-or-death move could trade for a sliver of hope!

The Ravens were clearly stunned for a moment.

They hadn't expected this prey, already driven to a dead end, to choose such a path—flying upward.

But after a brief hesitation, they reacted immediately.

Pursue!

The fifteen Upper Bronze Rank Ravens flapped their wings simultaneously, following in close pursuit!

The three Silver Rank leaders accelerated instantly, like three black arrows, closing in on the Qing Luan from three directions!

But soon, they discovered something was wrong.

The Qing Luan's climbing speed was startlingly fast!

Its form, which was already known for its agility, showed incredible efficiency during the vertical climb. With every flap of its wings, its altitude soared by dozens of meters. Those wounds and bloodstains seemed not to affect its climbing ability at all.

Meanwhile, the disadvantage of those cumbersome Ravens during the climb began to show.

Their bodies were too heavy and their wings too large. This was an advantage in horizontal flight, but in a vertical climb, every meter required several times the physical strength of the Qing Luan.

The Upper Bronze Rank Ravens hadn't chased for even a thousand meters before their speed began to drop significantly.

And the Qing Luan was still accelerating!

However, seeing the situation before them, how could the three Silver-rank Ravens not realize what was happening?

This cunning human wanted to escape to an altitude they couldn't reach!

"Caw—!!!"

The leading Silver-rank Raven let out a sharp, piercing cry, its wings snapping shut as it pursued upward like a black meteor!

The other two followed closely behind.

Their speed exploded to the limit at this moment!

Although the Qing Luan was climbing with all its might, its injuries were too severe.

A large patch of feathers was missing from the edge of its left wing. Every flap brought a surge of intense pain, causing its movements to deform slightly. The deep gash on its back began to seep more blood as the altitude increased.

Qin Ce wasn't doing much better.

The wound where his left arm had been pierced was still bleeding, and the long gash on his back hurt so much that his vision was darkening in waves. Every breath felt like someone was scraping his lungs with a knife.

But he grit his teeth and persisted.

He couldn't stop.

Stopping meant death.

One thousand five hundred meters.

Two thousand meters.

Two thousand five hundred meters.

Three thousand meters.

The Silver-rank Ravens behind them were getting closer and closer.

Although their speed had dropped due to the increasing altitude, at this top speed, they were still faster than the heavily injured Qing Luan.

Three thousand five hundred meters.

Four thousand meters.

One Silver-rank Raven had already chased to within a hundred meters!

It opened its massive beak, and dark-attribute energy began to condense frantically in its mouth—

"Caw!"

A pitch-black Wind Arrow shot out, heading straight for the Qing Luan's back!

"Dodge!"

Qin Ce shouted sharply.

The Qing Luan banked, narrowly avoiding the strike. The Wind Arrow grazed the edge of its wing, the resulting gale leaving faint wind-scars on its body.

But this dodge also slowed its speed.

The other two Silver-rank Ravens took the opportunity to close in, instantly reaching within fifty meters!

They didn't attack recklessly, but instead spread out with tacit understanding—

One circled above, sealing off the path upward.

One patrolled below, sealing off the retreat downward.

One watched from the side like a tiger eyeing its prey, ready for a fatal blow at any moment.

The three Silver-rank Ravens had forcefully formed a solid interception net right over the Qing Luan's head!

Qin Ce's heart sank to the bottom.

These beasts were too smart.

They knew the Qing Luan wanted to escape upward, so they simply flew above it, sealing off all space leading up.

The Qing Luan tried to break through several times, but each time it was blocked back by the Silver-rank Raven circling above.

That Raven's attacks weren't fatal—but they didn't need to be.

It only needed to stall for time.

The longer it took, the more the Qing Luan's physical strength would be consumed.

The longer it took, the higher the Bronze Rank Ravens below could climb, forming a pincer attack from above and below.

Once the pincer closed, it would be a true dead end!

Qin Ce stared fixedly at the Raven circling above, then looked at the group of Upper Bronze Rank Ravens slowly rising from below, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

What to do?

What to do?!

He glanced at the Qing Luan's status.

Energy: less than one-third.

Physical strength: on the verge of exhaustion.

Scars: covering its entire body.

Right, there was still one skill—Shadow Sight!

But that required sufficient mental power and energy to support.

In the Qing Luan's current state, it couldn't use it at all.

And that group of Upper Bronze Rank Ravens was closing in bit by bit.

Two thousand five hundred meters.

Three thousand meters.

Three thousand three hundred meters.

Three thousand eight hundred meters.

They were also adapting to the altitude.

Though slow, they were indeed rising.

Once they reached a sufficient height and formed a pincer with the three Silver-rank Ravens—

Qin Ce didn't dare think further.

He had to take a gamble.

He took a deep breath and pointed at the Silver-rank Raven circling above:

"Xiao Qing, charge head-on! We must go up!"

...