Diverting the Trouble
"Demon Bone Palm!"
Zhang Mang struck out with a vicious palm. At the same time, he stepped on the air, his body shooting forward like a cannonball as he charged straight toward Zhang Lingxiao.
"I'll see where you run!"
"Die!"
Zhang Lingxiao clearly knew his limits. He was no match for Zhang Mang. Without hesitation, he activated Phantom Step and rapidly retreated.
Bang!
With a sinister expression, Zhang Mang slammed his palm into the stone wall.
The passageway had already been heavily damaged earlier by the Six-Armed Giant Ape rampaging through the cavern. Now, under the terrifying force of Zhang Mang's palm strike, the tunnel trembled violently.
Chunks of stone fell from above, crashing onto the ground with loud echoes.
"This is bad… If he keeps smashing things like this, we'll be buried alive before the medicine even wears off."
Seeing the collapsing tunnel, Zhang Lingxiao's mind raced.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.
His eyes brightened.
Looks like I'll have to use the old trick again.
"You all stay here! Don't follow me!"
Zhang Lingxiao turned his head and shouted to Ma Yinger and the others before sprinting deeper into the passage.
"Zhang Lingxiao! Where do you think you're going?!"
Zhang Mang roared and immediately chased after him.
At first, the pursuit seemed ordinary.
But soon, Zhang Mang felt something was wrong.
Despite being empowered by the High-Grade Blood Burst Pill and temporarily reaching the Xuanwu Realm, he still couldn't catch Zhang Lingxiao.
In fact, the distance between them was slowly widening.
Zhang Mang's eyes turned cold.
"This Zhang Lingxiao… He truly couldn't cultivate before. That was definitely not an act."
"And yet, in such a short time, he has reached the Lingwu Realm."
"He must have encountered some great opportunity."
A greedy glint flashed in Zhang Mang's eyes.
"Good. Once I kill him today, that opportunity will belong to me!"
With that thought, he accelerated again and continued the pursuit.
---
Back at the stone gate, Ma Yinger, Dragon Spring Tooth, and the others were left behind.
Nearby, Zhang Li knelt on the ground, clutching Zhang Yuyang's charred corpse. Her cries echoed through the cavern like the wail of a wounded beast in the darkness—raw, desperate, and heartbreaking.
The remaining three Ma Family martial artists exchanged uneasy glances.
All three were female cultivators. Each of them was fairly attractive, but beside Ma Yinger's natural beauty, they seemed ordinary.
"Young Miss… we should escape immediately."
One of the women stepped forward, her face pale and her voice trembling.
"That devil will definitely come back for us after he kills Zhang Lingxiao!"
Ma Yinger frowned but said nothing.
Another woman quickly joined in.
"Yes, Young Miss! If we don't leave now, that devil will return and slaughter us all. As long as we live, there's still hope. The Family Head would never want you to throw your life away!"
Ma Yinger remained silent.
Her heart was filled with turmoil.
If it were anyone else being chased, she would have fled without hesitation.
But Zhang Lingxiao had saved her several times, and he was also her betrothed fiancé. After everything that had happened, she had begun to see him in a new light.
How could she abandon him now?
"Young Miss! Why are you still hesitating?"
The third woman stepped forward decisively.
"Ma San, Ma Liu—stop trying to persuade her."
Her eyes hardened.
"We'll take the Young Miss back by force. The Family Head won't blame us."
Her name was Ma Jiao, clearly the most authoritative among the three.
Ma San and Ma Liu nodded.
The three exchanged glances before walking toward Ma Yinger.
"How dare you!"
Ma Yinger shouted angrily.
At the same time, her spiritual power erupted.
Her long hair fluttered without wind as the powerful aura of the Lingwu Realm burst forth.
The three maids were only at the Qiwu Realm, and under the pressure of her aura, they couldn't even approach.
Just as the situation reached a stalemate—
Pa!
A sharp sound rang out.
Dragon Spring Tooth, who had been watching quietly the entire time, suddenly moved.
His hand sliced through the air like a blade and struck the back of Ma Yinger's slender neck.
Her spiritual power instantly dispersed.
Her eyes rolled back as she fainted.
Ma Jiao quickly caught her collapsing body.
"Senior Sister Yinger… forgive me."
Dragon Spring Tooth smiled faintly.
"Junior Brother has a mission to complete. How could I watch you walk straight into death?"
He then turned toward the three Ma Family martial artists.
"Let's leave. This place isn't safe."
After speaking, he glanced at Zhang Li, who was still crying beside Zhang Yuyang's corpse.
"We're all fellow disciples. Let's bring this woman and Senior Brother Yuyang's body with us."
"It will serve as an explanation to the Zhang Family."
"Otherwise, if only we return alive, we'll become the target of everyone's suspicion."
The three women nodded.
"Young Master Long is absolutely right."
Zhang Li looked at them in horror.
She shook her head frantically.
"No! I'm not leaving! Don't come near me!"
"I'm waiting for Big Brother Zhang Lingxiao to come back!"
The three women burst into laughter.
Ma Liu sneered.
"Your Big Brother Zhang Lingxiao isn't coming back."
"You're lucky to even be alive. Young Master Long is offering to take you out of danger. Hurry and come with us."
Ma San snorted impatiently.
"Sixth Sister, why waste your breath?"
He stepped forward in a flash.
"Just knock her out and take her."
Thud.
With a quick strike, Zhang Li lost consciousness.
Ma San slung her over his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Ma Liu reluctantly lifted Zhang Yuyang's charred corpse, his face twisted in disgust.
"Well… if I remember correctly, this Zhang Yuyang is the son of the Zhang Family's Grand Elder."
He grinned.
"Taking his corpse back might earn me some rewards."
"Not bad… not bad at all."
---
Outside the cave, Zhang Lingxiao finally burst out into the open.
Just as he expected—
The Six-Armed Giant Ape was still guarding the cave entrance.
The massive beast squatted lazily near the entrance, looking utterly bored.
When it saw Zhang Lingxiao appear, its eyes suddenly lit up.
"Roar!"
"I remember you!"
The ape grinned, revealing sharp teeth.
"Aren't you the human who escaped earlier?"
"Have you come back so I can eat you this time?"
Zhang Lingxiao's face darkened.
"I'm not here to be eaten."
"But I've brought you something even more delicious."
He pointed behind him.
"Look! He's right there!"
At that moment, Zhang Mang burst out of the cave entrance.
"Something delicious?"
The Six-Armed Giant Ape stood up slowly and looked past Zhang Lingxiao.
Soon, a human martial artist surrounded by devilish energy entered its field of vision.
"Hmmm…"
The ape scratched its chin thoughtfully.
"Human… you tricked me."
"His realm is higher than mine."
"But…"
A ferocious grin spread across its face.
"The stronger the human… the better they taste!"
With a thunderous roar, the Six-Armed Giant Ape lunged toward Zhang Mang.
"Vajra Fist!"
Zhang Mang had just rushed out of the cave and hadn't even located Zhang Lingxiao when he suddenly saw two enormous fists descending toward his head.
Bang!
The punch landed squarely.
"Damn it!"
"Stupid monkey! You're courting death!"
Having been struck without warning, Zhang Mang was instantly enraged.
"Fine! I was going to kill you sooner or later anyway!"
"Since you're so eager to die, I'll start with you!"
He glanced around but saw no trace of Zhang Lingxiao, which only made his anger boil even more.
Without hesitation, he attacked the beast.
"Demon Bone Palm!"