Chapter 33

"You're staying behind?"

The six members of the Ouyang family seemed to be under a delusion.

Although they had previously worked with Lu Li to escape from the fierce beast army, that was only due to the circumstances; they had been wary of each other the entire way, and even now, there was still significant friction between the two sides.

Once they escaped to safety, a conflict over the Red Vermilion Fruit would inevitably break out again.

Such a relationship was incredibly fragile, ready to shatter at the slightest touch!

Yet, the young man before them was actually willing to set aside his prejudices and, disregarding his own life, block the fierce beasts for them!

This was something they couldn't believe.

"Don't overthink it; I just don't want to be dragged down by you."

Lu Li's expression remained calm, his voice continuing to reach them.

"In the current situation, if we all flee together, we'll be caught sooner or later, and then none of us will escape. Only by having one person stay behind to block them for a moment will the others have a chance to get away."

"But there are six of us; why must it be one of us who stays behind?"

"Right, I'll stay!"

"I'll stay too!"

We are all of the Human Race!

Inspired by Lu Li's courage!

Including Ouyang Sheng, all six members of the Ouyang family stepped forward.

"Uh..."

Lu Li hadn't expected this to happen.

But upon closer thought, he understood: Qian Cheng had survived for a hundred years under the iron hooves of the fierce beasts, relying not only on the leadership of the City Lord Mansion but also on the many powerhouses of the major martial dao families who disregarded their own lives.

If not for the shared hatred of these people, Qian Cheng would have long since been reduced to ashes!

The major martial dao families might have their faults, but they were impeccable when it came to the matter of the fierce beasts.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have immediately set aside their grudges earlier.

To cooperate with him.

And flee the fierce beast army together!

But the more this was the case, the more it gave him a headache!

Hot-bloodedness is good, but it's of no great use!

Lu Li gave a bitter smile, looked at Ouyang Sheng and the others, and asked, "In your current state, how much strength can you still exert?"

"This..."

"Even running is a struggle, right?"

Ignoring the shame on their faces, Lu Li mocked them directly: "With you like this, what is the use of staying?"

"But..."

"There are no 'buts.' It's decided: I stay. It doesn't necessarily mean I'll die, and you fleeing doesn't necessarily mean you'll live. There's no telling how many fierce beasts are hidden along this path. As long as you can bring the news back, that is a great contribution."

Lu Li made a prompt decision.

Ouyang Sheng's expression also changed.

The fierce beasts had already been alerted, and the road back was not safe. Knowing time was of the essence, he stopped hesitating and said solemnly, "Rest assured, we will definitely bring the news back."

Having said that.

He reached out and handed over a map.

"This is a map carefully prepared by my Ouyang family. It depicts all the terrain here. If things become impossible, run north; going there might save your life."

"Many thanks."

Lu Li took the map and thanked him.

Ouyang Sheng nodded and took one last deep look at him: "Kid, as long as you can come back alive this time, no matter what the Ouyang family's attitude is, I will never make things difficult for you over the Red Vermilion Fruit again."

"Right, the rest of us feel the same!"

The voices faded.

The Ouyang family members flashed away.

Watching the six leave, Lu Li's mind drifted back to that battle in the army.

Back then, his cultivation was not strong!

When he ambushed that Martial Master-level fierce beast, he relied entirely on his companions for protection.

But in the end, the other four were either dead or injured, and only he survived unscathed!

Lu Li never expected.

That more than a year after leaving the army, he would once again face such a choice!

But this time, it was his turn to step forward!

"Hoo!"

Lu Li took a deep breath.

Six meridians in his body lit up one after another!

But this was far from enough. With a soft shout, he channeled the vast power within his body and charged toward the seventh meridian he had already discovered.

Rumble!

The sound was mighty.

Waves of sharp, killing Qi permeated from Lu Li's body, sweeping through the forest of trees accompanied by golden light, making everything around him silent as a cicada in winter.

Opening meridians in the face of battle!

Facing the approaching fierce beast army, Lu Li dared not be the least bit negligent.

And this was the fastest method he could think of to increase his combat power!

Disregarding everything, no longer as cautious as before, he pushed his Thousand-fold Talent to the limit, using all his Source Power to impact the seventh meridian, causing it to light up instantly.

It was like splitting bamboo, with no resistance!

"Boom!"

The seventh meridian was opened in an instant.

But just as that Source Power rushed toward the eighth meridian, Lu Li spat out a mouthful of blood; even with the help of the Thousand-fold Talent, such haste had affected his meridians.

However, Lu Li had no intention of stopping.

Not long ago, a mere twice-evolved Cracked Tiger had forced him into such a state; if he didn't use every means to increase his strength, he feared he would truly die here.

The Source Power within his body surged endlessly!

Although his meridians had been affected, they were still under Lu Li's control.

It was just that he was even more careful this time.

Just like that.

The eighth meridian slowly lit up as well!

And at this moment.

On the other side of the forest.

The fierce beast army that had caused the tremors had already arrived.

This unit of the fierce beast army also numbered in the thousands. At the very front, leading them, was a white tiger with green eyes and a hanging bag. It stood in the sky, overlooking everything, its aura uncontained, and it was vaguely even more powerful than the Cracked Tiger.

Little Spirit Green Tiger!

A Martial Spirit-level fierce beast!

It had also personally led the fierce beast army, following the Baihu Wang.

But at this moment, its eyes were filled with a fierce light, and its anger was immense.

It had just received news that in this endless wilderness, the Cracked Tiger that had come with it had been captured by humans; this was simply the greatest insult to it.

This was their territory, the territory of the fierce beasts!

When was it the humans' turn to run wild?

"Roar!"

It let out a long roar, venting the anger in its heart.

But the next moment, a golden light shot into the sky from the forest not far away. The golden light was mighty, piercing the sky and emitting an unparalleled sharp killing intent, making it impossible for anyone to get close.

But the Little Spirit Green Tiger was not afraid; instead, it laughed.

"Found you!"

Its figure flashed, and it chased in that direction.

But the moment it arrived, another figure cut through the sky in the forest and blocked its path.

In that figure's hand was a green-striped, white-skinned fierce beast!

"Cracked Tiger!"

The Little Spirit Green Tiger's expression sank instantly!

In Lu Li's hand!

Was exactly that Cracked Tiger he had captured with the help of the six Ouyang family members.

The six Ouyang family members were already heavily injured and had to flee for their lives; keeping the Cracked Tiger would have been a burden, so they simply left it behind. But to avoid causing trouble for Lu Li, before leaving, they had used a Spirit-Binding Net to break all its meridians.

The Cracked Tiger now was just a useless tiger!

Seeing the miserable state of the Cracked Tiger, the Little Spirit Green Tiger looked up and roared at the sky.

"Human, I'm going to kill you!"

(End of chapter)