110: Chapter 110 Escape from the Wasteland

Thunder Leopard's roar chased them from behind, piercing into their ears like a knife.

Lin Muchen didn't look back, charging forward toward the right.

The wilderness was full of loose stones and withered grass; every step was uneven, feeling like running on cotton.

The Blue-clothed Woman had an injured arm; she ran with a limp, her breathing sounding like a bellows.

"Second Miss... I, I can't run anymore..."

"You have to run even if you can't!" Chen Qingxue's voice was cold, but she reached out to give her a pull.

While running, Lin Muchen diverted a sliver of consciousness into his Dantian.

Inside the Origin Star, those five stalks of second-tier wind spirit grass he had just thrown in were being automatically moved by the System to the area with the densest wind attribute.

The grass leaves rustled, glowing with a bright green light.

[second-tier wind spirit grass transplantation complete.]

[Placed in the wind attribute rich zone.]

[Origin Star wind attribute derivation cycle shortened to 8 days.]

[Feedback Efficiency increased: 13.5%.]

It rose by another 0.3%.

Lin Muchen felt a bit more at ease.

Strands of feedback energy surged in, replenishing his consumed spiritual power.

But running like this wasn't a long-term solution.

Behind them, Thunder Leopard was at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer; he was faster than them.

The distance was closing.

"Lin Muchen!" Chen Qingxue suddenly shouted.

Lin Muchen turned his head.

Chen Qingxue pulled out that damaged green Jade Slip from her robes, the one they had picked up in the stone chamber.

"Look at it while running!" she said. "Probe it with your spiritual power!"

Lin Muchen was stunned for a moment.

What time was it to be looking at a Jade Slip?

But he didn't waste words and reached out to press his hand onto the Jade Slip.

Chen Qingxue also pressed on the other side.

Both of them poured their spiritual power in at the same time.

The Jade Slip trembled.

A stream of information flooded into his mind.

It wasn't a complete Cultivation Technique, but fragments.

A blurry figure in green robes was practicing a movement technique amidst a violent storm.

The figure was as fast as a ghost; with one step, wind and lightning followed, instantly moving dozens of feet away.

The images were intermittent, with many parts missing.

But at the end, a few words flashed out:

"Wind and Thunder Evasion... Remnant Chapter..."

"A movement technique?" Lin Muchen's eyes lit up.

"Yes," Chen Qingxue said. "But more than half is missing; there are only some energy circulation routes and insights."

She said quickly, "The owner of this Jade Slip was an Ancient wind and lightning Cultivator who recorded his insights while in seclusion in this Immortal Cave. The cave collapsed, and the Jade Slip was damaged."

Lin Muchen digested the information as he ran.

Wind and Thunder Evasion.

Just by the name, one could tell it was a movement technique combining wind and lightning attributes.

It perfectly corresponded to the Wind and Thunder Power he had just consolidated in his Origin Star.

But it was too badly damaged, with only about thirty percent of the content remaining.

"Can it be used?" Chen Qingxue asked.

"I'll try," Lin Muchen said.

He mobilized the Wind and Thunder Power from the Origin Star in his Dantian and followed the fragmented energy circulation route from the Jade Slip.

His feet suddenly felt light.

Like stepping on springs.

With a whoosh, he shot forward a significant distance.

"Holy crap!" Lin Muchen himself was startled.

Chen Qingxue's eyes also lit up. "It works!"

But it was only for that moment.

Because the route was fragmented, it couldn't be sustained.

Once the force broke, he slowed down again.

However, that one burst had already pulled them some distance away.

Behind them, Thunder Leopard's cursing grew even more fierce.

"Damn it! You still dare to speed up?!"

Lin Muchen glanced back.

At some point, a throwing knife had appeared in Thunder Leopard's hand.

The blade was wrapped in electric light, crackling.

"Watch out!" Lin Muchen shouted.

Before the words had even faded, Thunder Leopard flicked his wrist.

The throwing knife turned into a bolt of lightning, shooting straight toward them.

It was incredibly fast.

Impossible to dodge.

Lin Muchen gritted his teeth and stopped trying to dodge.

He mobilized the wind spirit grass and thunderstruck wood he had just planted in the Origin Star.

Wind and Thunder Power, draw!

Green wind energy and blue lightning energy surged from his Dantian, quickly intertwining in front of him.

Forming a palm-thick shield.

It was blue and green, shimmering with radiant light.

The throwing knife slammed into the shield.

Bang!

Electric light exploded.

The shield vibrated violently, several cracks appearing, but it didn't shatter.

Lin Muchen was pushed backward by the impact.

But he took advantage of the momentum and kicked off the ground, using the force to charge forward several more feet.

"Thanks, Brother Leopard!" Lin Muchen shouted back. "Thanks for the boost!"

Thunder Leopard's face turned green with rage.

"You motherf—... Chase them! Kill them!"

The distance widened a bit more.

But Lin Muchen knew in his heart that the previous move had consumed quite a lot.

Inside the Origin Star, the wind spirit grass swayed, its leaves looking a bit wilted.

The feedback energy had to fill this gap first.

"Ahead!" the Blue-clothed Woman suddenly shouted. "We're here!"

Lin Muchen looked up.

Ahead was a rocky beach, and many small holes could be seen in the crevices between the stones.

There was a fishy stench in the air.

The System's notification sounded in his mind:

[Arrived at the edge of the nest of the low-tier Yao Beast "Sand Earth Scorpion."]

[Warning: Social Yao Beast; individual strength is weak, but they are numerous.]

[Recommendation: Guide with caution.]

"This is it!" Lin Muchen said.

He rushed to the edge of the rocky beach, bent down to pick up a stone, and threw it hard at the nearest scorpion hole.

Thud!

The stone hit inside.

The hole was silent for a second.

Then, a rustling sound began.

It was dense and numerous.

Dozens of Sand Earth Scorpions crawled out of the hole.

Each was the size of a palm, with an earthy-yellow shell, a curled tail, and black-tipped stingers.

They were disturbed and very irritable.

"Move aside!" Lin Muchen shouted to Chen Qingxue and the Blue-clothed Woman.

The two immediately dodged to the side.

Lin Muchen turned around to face the approaching Thunder Leopard and his group.

He took a deep breath and pushed out with both hands.

A gentle stream of Five Elements spiritual power surged out; it wasn't an attack but a guidance.

Like a hand, it lightly flicked the scorpions at the very front.

The scorpions were enraged, turning around and charging toward Thunder Leopard and the others.

One led the pack.

Dozens of Sand Earth Scorpions, like an earthy-yellow tide, surged toward the people of the Blood Wolf Gang.

"Holy crap! What are these?!"

"Scorpions! So many scorpions!"

"Don't step on them! Their tails are poisonous!"

The Blood Wolf Gang's side immediately fell into chaos.

Thunder Leopard slashed two scorpions to death with one blade, but even more surrounded him.

He roared in anger, "Go around! Go around!"

But there were too many scorpions; they couldn't get around them for the moment.

"Go!" Lin Muchen shouted, seizing the Opportunity.

The three of them plunged into the depths of the rocky beach.

After weaving through the area, they found a rocky crevice.

The crevice was very narrow, only a foot wide, and pitch black inside.

"Get in!" Lin Muchen said.

Chen Qingxue squeezed in sideways first.

The Blue-clothed Woman followed.

Lin Muchen was last; he glanced back before entering.

Thunder Leopard was still struggling with the scorpions and wouldn't be able to get through anytime soon.

He crawled into the crevice.

It was a bit deeper than expected; it took five or six steps to reach the end.

It was a dead end, but large enough for the three of them to crouch.

Outside, the hissing of the scorpions and the cursing of the Blood Wolf Gang mixed together, gradually fading away.

But they hadn't completely disappeared.

Thunder Leopard was still over there.

"We're safe for now." Lin Muchen plopped down on the ground, panting heavily.

Exhausted, truly exhausted.

He had been running since the stone chamber collapsed, and now his spiritual power was hitting rock bottom again.

Chen Qingxue also sat down, leaning her back against the rock wall.

She was still holding that damaged Jade Slip, gripping it tightly.

The Blue-clothed Woman crouched near the opening, listening intently to the sounds outside.

"Will they... will they find us?" she asked in a low voice.

"Yes," Lin Muchen said bluntly. "The scorpions won't hold them for long. Thunder Leopard isn't stupid; he'll definitely search."

He looked at Chen Qingxue. "What else is in the Jade Slip?"

Chen Qingxue handed the Jade Slip over.

"See for yourself. It's just those: the Wind and Thunder Evasion Remnant Chapter and some insights into wind and lightning cultivation, but they're all fragmented."

Lin Muchen took it and probed it with his spiritual power.

Indeed.

The information was very fragmented, like a puzzle with more than half the pieces missing.

But what was there was very useful to him.

Especially the techniques for applying the Wind and Thunder Power.

That shield from earlier was something he had just learned from it; though crude, it was effective.

"This thing," Lin Muchen said, "is valuable."

"No kidding." Chen Qingxue glanced at him. "The insights of an Ancient wind and lightning Cultivator... if it were complete, it would be enough to establish a sect."

She paused. "But now it's damaged, its value is greatly reduced."

"It's still worth it." Lin Muchen returned the Jade Slip to her. "Keep it safe, don't let anyone know."

Chen Qingxue nodded and tucked the Jade Slip back into her robes.

She looked at Lin Muchen. "That shield of yours just now, was it the Wind and Thunder Power?"

"Yeah." Lin Muchen didn't deny it.

"You actually have wind and lightning attributes?" Chen Qingxue said in surprise. "These two attributes are very rare. In the Qinglan Sect, very few people have both."

Lin Muchen smiled. "A stroke of luck."

He didn't say more.

Chen Qingxue didn't ask further.

Both understood that one shouldn't reveal all their trump cards.

The crevice fell silent.

Only the breathing of the three people could be heard.

Outside, the wilderness wind blew through the rock crevices, making a whistling sound.

Like a ghost's wail.

The Blue-clothed Woman shivered.

"Second Miss, what do we do next?"

Chen Qingxue didn't speak and looked toward Lin Muchen.

Lin Muchen was also thinking.

Staying trapped here wasn't a solution.

Thunder Leopard would search his way here sooner or later.

They had to get out.

But where would they run once they were out?

The wilderness was vast, with no cover or shelter.

They couldn't outrun them.

Fight... they couldn't win a fight either.

The other side had over a dozen people, and Thunder Leopard was at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer.

On their side, he was at the Foundation Establishment Third Layer, Chen Qingxue was at the Second Layer of Foundation Establishment Stage, and the Blue-clothed Woman was injured.

A direct confrontation would just be suicide.

"We need to find a place to hide," Lin Muchen said. "Hide until dark, then leave under the cover of night."

"Hide where?" Chen Qingxue asked.

Lin Muchen's consciousness sank into the Origin Star.

The wind spirit grass had already taken root, its leaves standing tall again.

The feedback energy was slowly replenishing his spiritual power.

At this rate, he could recover fifty to sixty percent in an hour.

That would be enough.

He opened his eyes.

"Wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for me to recover," Lin Muchen said. "Once I've recovered, I'll have a way."

Chen Qingxue looked at him for two seconds.

"Okay."

She didn't ask what the way was.

Sometimes, trust doesn't need a reason.

The crevice fell silent again.

Lin Muchen closed his eyes and focused on recovering.

Chen Qingxue gripped her sword, alertly listening to the sounds outside.

The Blue-clothed Woman curled up in the corner, clutching her injured arm.

Time passed bit by bit.

The cursing outside gradually quieted down.

The hissing of the scorpions also stopped.

It seemed... a bit too quiet.

Lin Muchen suddenly opened his eyes.

"Something's wrong."

"What's wrong?" Chen Qingxue asked.

"It's too quiet," Lin Muchen said. "Thunder Leopard isn't the type of person to give up."

Just as he finished speaking.

From outside the crevice, a cold voice drifted in.

"Found you."