Chapter 169: Retreat.

Chapter 169: Retreat."Oh, no!" Elder Wang slightly staggered at the sight of the signal flare shooting to the sky.

"So that’s what all of this was about!" Elder Luo also realized, and sighed.

"You can only blame yourself, Wang Zhen." The person with the altered voice said, "By finding the cure you forced our hand! Throne Evergale had to die because of you!"

"Don’t make me laugh!" Elder Wang said, and sheathed his sword. He knew the fighting was over, although there were few people who will have to stay back, "The sect master had always been like a father to all of us, even to you, Su Zixuan!"

"Hmph! Your former sect master was an evil man who ruled with an iron fist!" The person replied, not taking the bait to confirm or deny Elder Wang’s suspicion that they were Elder Su, "And now he’s dead. Good! Enough chatting, let’s get out of here!"

The group tensed up, preparing to defend in case the two elders to attacked. But when the item from the hands of the first cocky speaker disappeared, one of the attackers also vanished.

To a simple onlooker it might’ve looked that way, but as someone who had the rare spatial spark himself, Elder Wang saw how the person stepped through a small rift that they opened themselves.

A split moment later a larger rift appeared in the middle of the square, opening a path of retreat for the attackers. Shen Rouya and the junior elders didn’t intend to allow them to leave, but Elder Luo stopped them.

"Don’t! They have back-up plans!" He said, "Wang Zhen!"



The last part was addressed at Elder Wang, who already prepared to punish at least few of the people who arrived uninvited. Earlier his hands were tied when the attackers used the artifact that disrupted spatial undulations, but now it was his time to shine.

Of course, with the sect master dead, they already lost, but at least what followed could be considered a form of a payback, in addition to allowing the old man to vent.

When the rift opened, thin clouds of purple particles began to revolve around Elder Wang’s hands. They were inconspicuous, and only someone directly inspecting them would notice.

Unfortunately for the attackers, they were trying to get away as soon as possible – everyone knew how deadly the experts of the Nethermoon sect could be if pushed in the corner. Without a second thought they activated their protection artifacts, covering themselves in a thick layer of yellow light. But it wasn’t enough.

Just as they were about to step through the rift, Elder Wang made a thrusting motion with his both hands in front of him, fingers stretched out wide, and then pulled the hands back. Outwardly it was a simple move, but apparently he used large amounts of energy that forced him to drop to one knee.

But his targets had it way worse.

Only one person got in the rift unscathed, but the remaining staggered, and three out of them even died right on the spot. Realizing the protective artifacts were of no use against Elder Wang, the ones who still could, rushed forth.

Surprisingly Elder Luo didn’t attack anyone. But he didn’t stand idle either. Leaving behind red, burning afterimages, he rushed through the crowd of the retreating attackers, and came out on the other side, with his hand pressing down on Elder Leng’s neck.

She stared at him with eyes full of hate, but Elder Luo’s expressionless face clearly showed he didn’t care. His only regret was that he didn’t manage to get the one who was likely Elder Su Zixuan.

"I thought you couldn’t do that move yet!" He said toward Elder Wang, who was trying to get up with Shen Rouya’s help, while heavily panting.

"Huh, huh ... I can’t ... huh ... Why do you think ... seven didn’t die?" Elder Wang said with difficulty.

Even though Shen Rouya was his disciple, she felt shivers run down her spine. She also was an elemental lord, but a child compared to this old monster who had comprehended at least three spatial laws. No one knew, but the old man could easily loose his meek state of mind in emergency situation, and this time several people payed for neglecting it with their lives.

***

Lee had no clue how long he was out. When he opened his eyes, he saw he wasn’t in his room, but a larger hall. And he was lying on a thin mattress, directly on the floor.

The feeling of Victoria stabbing him in the chest still lingered, except this time it wasn’t the piercing pain, but in itch, coming from somewhere in his chest. She stabbed him twice and didn’t hit his heart. Lee didn’t know whether it was her carelessness or stupidity, but it didn’t matter. He was alive.

"Cough ..." Lee involuntarily sat up, coughing up a thick glob of phlegm.

"One’s awake!" He heard a woman’s voice behind him, and rapid steps approaching.

But the sight he saw stunned him – there were tens of people of different ages, lying on the floor, on thin mattresses, similar to him. Most lied unmoving, as if dead, except their natural postures indicated they were still alive.

"How do you feel?" A young girl, probably around eighteen, maybe twenty years of age knelt next to him. Seeing Lee’s confused look, she said, "You’re in the Healing Hall!"

"Healing Hall?" Lee automatically repeated, trying to assess repercussions. Him being alive was great. And the fact that he was among other people was also good.

"Yes! I’m glad you’re fine, you had ... let’s see ..." The girl took a small plaque that lie next to Lee’s legs and read from it, "... burns and two stab wounds? You surely have great recovery abilities. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought you have a water spark."

"Water spark?" Lee went the easy way and used the fact that she was a chatterbox. Meanwhile he was trying to figure out his next move.

"Mhm. I checked." Then she blushed, and quickly added, "I’m sorry – I had to. It’s my job. It’s nothing like that."

But the next part gave Lee an idea.



"What’s your name?" She asked.

"Name?" Lee repeated, but inwardly grinned. This was about to become fun. Then, trying to look disheartened, he said, "I ... I don’t know ..."

"Don’t worry, it’ll be fine!" The girl said, gently touching his cheek, "Lie down for a bit and try to sleep. It’ll come back!"

’Wanna bet?’ Lee said to himself, but followed her instructions.

Once again swallowing the water spark had saved him. He went back and forth with what to think about the event back then, but couldn’t come to a definitive conclusion. And technically it didn’t matter anymore. He was fine.

He had to upset Xiao Lian in the afternoon, though. His friend came over to check him and his initial joy was dampened by Lee pretending to not recognize him.

The junior elder of the Healing Hall who came to inspect him later, guessed that the amnesia most likely was temporary, but said that the boys had to prepare for a long path of recovery. Psychological damage was much harder to cure. The good news were that Lee was physically fine.

Slightly despaired, Xiao Lian brought Lee to Junior Elder Rouya who not for a minute bought his play. She interrogated him for the whole afternoon, in the end passing on a sheet of paper and pencil with instructions to draw his attacker.

Lee hesitated for a while, as if seeing the items in front of him for the first time. Then, following her instructions, closed his eyes and drew the first thing that came to mind. Surprisingly it wasn’t a person, but a less known cultivation technique, and then Shen Rouya lost her patience.

She grabbed the drawing, and left, leaving the two friends behind, but while Xiao Lian kept saying encouraging words, Lee checked whether there was anyone behind the door, and then the window. Technology that would allow to eavesdrop didn’t exist in this world, thus after making sure they were alone, he finally could calm Xiao Lian down.