182: Chapter 182 Blood Escape Technique

Shen Yi nodded, threw the severed communication module onto the ground, and crushed it underfoot.

Only then did Lin Mo release his left hand, casually dropping the blood-stained ship-cutting blade onto the ground.

The blade clattered against the rubble, splashing up a small spray of blood.

He flexed the fingers of his left hand; the charred flesh pulled, emitting a faint sound of tearing tissue, his knuckles so stiff they required force to straighten before he could move them.

He looked down at the wound on his palm, which was deep enough to see the bone, its edges scorched black by divine energy, but it did not hinder his ability to fight.

He turned around, facing Munro.

The thunder patterns on the longyuan blade still flowed slowly, and his gold-red vertical pupils pierced through the smoke and dust, locking firmly onto the figure struggling to rise in the ruins.

"Now, only you remain."

Munro watched Lin Mo walking toward him step by step, looked at those vertical pupils that seemed to burn with molten gold, and glanced at Aiken's twitching body and severed arm scorched to charcoal in the distance. At that moment, the pride, honor, and confidence in his heart completely collapsed.

He recalled the promise he had made to Augustus before setting out, and remembered the word "Invincible" that the Holy Temple Knights had held high on the Northern Front for so long, now torn to shreds, one slash at a time, by the person before him.

Escape, he must escape!

This guy is simply a monster!

Once this thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

Whatever honor, whatever mission, whatever dignity of the knighthood—in the face of approaching death, it was all as light as a piece of scorched ash.

"No... no..."

Munro muttered to himself, his voice trembling, "I cannot die here... I cannot..."

He suddenly bit the tip of his tongue, spraying a mouthful of vital blood onto the damaged armor core on his chest.

That vital blood carried an eerie dark golden glow; it was a forbidden technique that could only be activated by burning one's life essence.

"Divine Art: Blood Escape!"

The next second!

Dark golden light instantly enveloped Munro. His skin withered at a rate visible to the naked eye, and his hair turned brittle and white within a few breaths—the price of overdrafting at least ten years of his lifespan, and even damaging his soul's origin.

"Lin Mo—!"

Munro's voice became shrill and distorted, like the cry of a night owl.

"You crippled Aiken! The Holy Temple Knights will not let you go! Lord Augustus will not let you go!"

His body began to blur, turning into a streak of blood-colored light, fleeing into the distance at a speed that transcended his limits.

"I will watch as the people around you die one by one before your eyes—!"

The blood-colored light shot into the sky, carrying the curse-like scream as it vanished into the depths of the twilight, echoing across the wasteland for a long time before dissipating.

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, slowly dispelling the dragon wings on his back, and the dragon scales on his body also began to recede, revealing the paper-white face underneath.

Activating his full Dragonborn Form to simultaneously confront two Tier 6 mid-stage powerhouses in their divine art states—even as strong as he was, the exertion at this moment was immense.

In the distance, Shen Yi dragged her wounded body, supporting Ji Wuchen with one hand and Gu Yunting with the other, walking over with difficulty.

Blood was still seeping from Ji Wuchen's side, and half of Gu Yunting's face was covered in dried bloodstains, but the two of them hurried over faster than anyone.

The afterglow of the sunset spilled over the wasteland, stretching the shadows of the five people long.

Ji Wuchen looked at the back that was kneeling on one knee yet still held its spine straight, then looked at Aiken, who was still twitching slightly on the ground in the distance, along with the charred severed arm. His expression was incredibly complex.

Two hours ago, he and Gu Yunting had been toyed with by these two like cats playing with mice, tortured by divine art runes until they wished they were dead.

Back then, Munro and Aiken were so high and mighty, so arrogant, as if they were gods and Ji Wuchen and the other were mere ants. But now, that arrogant Aiken lay in a pool of blood like a dead dog, smoke still rising from his severed arm.

And that even more powerful Munro had actually burned his life essence to flee like a stray dog.

"This guy... is a fucking monster, really brutal." Ji Wuchen tugged at the corner of his mouth, which pulled at the wounds on his face, making him gasp in pain, but the light in his eyes was startlingly bright.

Gu Yunting did not speak, merely staring fixedly at Lin Mo's back.

He had always been proud and never easily submitted to anyone, but at this moment, he had to admit that this guy was indeed terrifyingly strong.

That strength was not just cultivation; it was a kind of aura, an absolute self-confidence that dared to face an army of thousands with just one person and one blade.

"Does it feel satisfying?" Shen Yi asked softly. A trace of blood still hung from the corner of her mouth, but her voice carried a hint of playfulness.

Ji Wuchen grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth: "More than satisfying. I've never felt this good in my life. Who would have thought the illustrious Holy Temple Knights would be nothing more than this!"

Gu Yunting also managed a rare tug at the corner of his mouth. He looked at the hundred-foot trench plowed by Munro in the distance, then at the small pool of blood left on the scorched earth at Lin Mo's feet, and suddenly said in a low voice: "It's just a bit embarrassing to have been saved by him again!"

"Embarrassing?" Ji Wuchen rolled his eyes, "Give it a rest. Being saved by him is a skill in itself. If it were anyone else, we'd be two corpses by now."

Lin Mo raised his head, listening to the familiar bickering behind him, a curve of extreme exhaustion pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"I said I would bring you back to eat."

He steadied himself with the longyuan blade and stood up slowly, his figure swaying before he finally stood firm.

"Let's go, it's getting dark!"

The wind blew by, whipping up scorched ash and the scent of blood across the ground.

Ji Wuchen turned around and glanced in the direction where Munro had fled.

The blood-colored light had completely disappeared into the horizon, leaving only a closing dark golden scar in the depths of the twilight.

He silently memorized that direction, then withdrew his gaze and said in a flat tone:

"Next time we meet, I definitely won't lose to him!"

Gu Yunting did not reply. He was already walking at the very front of the group returning to the city, simply walking his own path with his head down.

But after taking only two steps, a very light and rapid tapping sound rang out from his sword hilt; this time it wasn't from nervousness, but keeping a beat.

It was the rhythm the swordsman was unconsciously tapping on his scabbard while replaying the battle in his mind.

Ji Wuchen heard it from behind him, but this time he didn't interrupt him; he just broke off a piece of compressed dried meat and chewed it extremely slowly, as if celebrating that he was still alive with this ridiculously hard piece of meat.

Behind them, Aiken had been tied up like a dumpling, the blood at his severed arm having congealed into a layer of dark brown scab.

He no longer struggled, nor did he scream; he simply kept his eyes open, gazing at the darkening sky above. The dark gold in his eyes had completely extinguished—not in submission, but with the silent void of a warrior who had been proud for too long, only to confirm that he had been crushed, from his faith to his very flesh.