277: escape

Four months later.

"Old Headmaster, you didn't take a wrong turn, did you?"

After fleeing for four consecutive months, let alone a Centaur, they hadn't even seen a single cow.

"It shouldn't be. We've been traveling along the edge of the Lion Clan's territory; logically, we should be seeing a Centaur tribe by now."

"But there's nothing here but mountains after mountains." Xiao Weiqing said helplessly.

Suddenly.

Boom!!!!

A violent explosion rang out.

The spot where Xie Zhiyuan and Xiao Weiqing had just been standing was now a massive crater ten zhang deep and a hundred meters in diameter.

Xie Zhiyuan's figure appeared in mid-air, clutching Xiao Weiqing in his hand.

To the west.

Five figures stood suspended in the air.

A Fox Demon dressed as a young woman and a Goat Demon looking like an old man—they were shockingly two Demon Venerables.

Behind them followed three Great Demon Kings with beast heads and human bodies: a Crane Demon, a Leopard Demon, and a Pig Demon.

"Trouble."

Xie Zhiyuan inwardly thought things were bad. This Fox Demon Venerable was clearly one with a powerful Divine Soul; otherwise, he wouldn't have only noticed her when she made her move.

He recognized the Goat Demon Venerable, named Mu Yuan, who had chased him for several years and had strength no weaker than his own. Now, he wasn't even sure he could escape himself, let alone while carrying Xiao Weiqing.

"Weiqing, you..." Xie Zhiyuan's voice echoed in Xiao Weiqing's mind.

But he was interrupted by Xiao Weiqing.

"Old Headmaster, put me down. Let's each flee for our lives."

Xie Zhiyuan shook his head. "You cannot die here." He was prepared to fight to the death. Xiao Weiqing's talent rivaled or even surpassed that of Dongfang Hao back then; he absolutely could not die here.

"Old Headmaster, it's just three Great Demon Kings. As long as the Demon Venerables don't chase me, I might not be the one who dies. Trust me."

"Are you serious?"

"Although those two Demon Venerables came for me, there's a high probability they won't chase you, but no one can guarantee that."

"Furthermore, both the Crane Demon and the Leopard Demon excel in speed; you might not be able to get away."

Xiao Weiqing said, "Old Headmaster, they aren't with the Jin Clan, so they clearly don't know my strength. As long as I show weakness to the enemy, it's not impossible to kill them in a counterattack."

"Old Headmaster, don't hesitate anymore, or there's a real possibility neither of us will escape."

"Fine. I will hold off those two Demon Venerables. We'll meet at the entrance to the Demon Realm."

"Mhm, see you at the entrance to the Demon Realm."

Xiao Weiqing's reply was resolute.

Afterward.

Xie Zhiyuan released his hold, and Xiao Weiqing landed safely.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Xiao Weiqing entered the Flame True Body state. With a flash of his figure, he fled toward the east.

As expected.

The two Demon Venerables didn't even spare Xiao Weiqing a glance. They simply waved their hands, and the three Great Demon Kings immediately gave chase in Xiao Weiqing's direction.

Xie Zhiyuan's eyes narrowed slightly. His left hand formed two hand seals as he moved against the three Great Demon Kings.

"Hehe..."

"This humble one... greets you!"

Three tails extended from behind the Fox Demon Venerable, whipping the air three times in succession.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Explosions erupted violently beside the three Great Demon Kings. The energy shockwaves sent them flying, but they didn't linger; with lingering fear, the three demons quickly departed.

"Human, it's been half a year. I hope you've been well."

The Goat Demon Venerable chuckled.

"This time, you won't be escaping."

"How about it? If you join my Yao Race, I guarantee your status will not be below mine."

The Fox Demon Venerable also smiled and said, "This is the first time this humble one has seen an Eighth Realm Expert of the Human Race. Why don't you return to the clan with me to exchange pointers?"

Xie Zhiyuan gave a cold laugh. "Brain-dead beasts!"

"You seek death!"

As members of a powerful Yao Race civilization, they hated being compared to unintelligent animals more than anything else.

Boom—

Boom—

The one human and two demons immediately clashed in battle.

Even Xiao Weiqing, several kilometers away, could hear the shockwaves of the battle.

At the same time.

Xiao Weiqing went all out, fleeing for his life at full speed. Only a fiery red afterimage could be seen flashing through the forest.

In the air behind him.

The crane, leopard, and pig flew at extreme speed, the distance between the two sides constantly closing.

While running, Xiao Weiqing felt the killing intent from behind. His heart was filled with anxiety as he constantly thought of a countermeasure.

This time he might really be unable to escape. He couldn't shake them off, and he couldn't keep running forever.

Judging by their auras, all three Great Demon Kings were comparable to Jin Yanshi. He only had one chance for a counter-kill: he had to lure them close and deploy his Domain. Otherwise, if the first strike failed, the Great Demon Kings might not fall for it again.

Boom—

Boom—

The three Great Demon Kings attacked casually, leaving Xiao Weiqing in a pathetic state.

Looking at the mountain range not far away.

Xiao Weiqing changed his plan. Originally, he intended to use his Domain to kill all three Great Demon Kings, or at the very least, the Crane Demon.

But.

The probability of killing the Crane Demon was too low. He would prioritize killing the Leopard Demon instead. Otherwise, once the Domain was exposed, any surviving Great Demon King would surely become wary and go fetch reinforcements, and then he would truly be waiting for death.

If he could kill the Leopard Demon, he still had a chance to run into the mountains, where there might be a sliver of hope for survival, or at least a way to live a bit longer.

Having made up his mind.

Xiao Weiqing began to intentionally slow down.

"This human brat can really run!"

The Leopard Demon laughed. The three of them had to use eighty percent of their speed just to keep up with Xiao Weiqing.

One must remember they were Great Demon Kings, and the Crane Demon and he were particularly specialized in speed. A Sixth Realm human was actually rivaling eighty percent of their speed.

"So what?"

"He's just a little mouse with nowhere to run."

The Crane Demon sneered. His speed in the sky was top-tier even among Great Demon Kings. Although Xiao Weiqing's speed surprised him, it was impossible for the boy to escape.

"You're both fast, alright? Should we take him down or not?"

The Pig Demon interrupted the two.

"Why take him down now? The Fox Venerable and Goat Venerable are locked in a fierce battle with that human Eighth Realm Expert. Do you want to go back and stick your nose in that?" the Crane Demon said with a chuckle.

"Wu Hou is right. Let's play with him for a bit."

The Leopard Demon shared the same thought as the Crane Demon. They clearly didn't take Xiao Weiqing seriously. Three Great Demon Kings against a human who had just entered the Sixth Realm—it was as easy as reaching out and grabbing him.

Boom—

Boom—

Energy strikes continued, yet the three Great Demon Kings remained unhurried.

On the ground.

Xiao Weiqing's heart sank.

Minutes had passed. He had slowed down, but the three Great Demon Kings had also slowed down, trailing a kilometer behind with no intention of catching up.

"Could they have seen through my plan?"

No, impossible. They probably just didn't take him seriously and were playing a game of cat and mouse.

Xiao Weiqing soon realized what the three Great Demon Kings were thinking.

Of course.

Three Seventh Realms dealing with one Sixth Realm—it was child's play.

"Hmph!"

Xiao Weiqing snorted coldly in his heart.

He began to change direction, heading southeast. He remembered Xie Zhiyuan saying that he must never go to the Lion Clan's territory; it was too dangerous.

Just like that.

The three demons and one human ran for another fifteen minutes.

Xiao Weiqing maintained his speed, seeing that he was about to reach the mountains.

"Hey, that's enough. Ahead is the Lion Clan's Fog Ridge Mountain. There's a Forbidden Ground there. If we let this kid run in, we won't be able to explain it to the Lion Clan," the Pig Demon reminded them.

"Yeah, I have to admit this kid can really run. It's about time; the two Demon Venerables have likely taken down that human Eighth Realm Expert by now."

While the three demons were talking.

Suddenly.

Swoosh—

Xiao Weiqing abruptly accelerated, his speed increasing by another twenty percent compared to the beginning.

Only a series of afterimages were left in the forest as the distance between the two sides rapidly widened.

"Something's wrong."

"This kid was holding back. Chase him!"

Screech!—

A crane's cry rang out.

The Crane Demon's speed suddenly surged.

The Leopard Demon followed closely behind, and with a sudden burst, his speed was even faster than the Crane Demon's.

In less than three minutes.

At the foot of the mountain.

The Leopard Demon descended from the sky, smashing a large crater into the ground.

"Human brat, it's time for you to go!"