Chapter 1004

Deep Lan nether fire ignites the damp trees, and soon the whole forest is filled with smoke and mist; Hu Xiaotian worries not only about the water-and-fire ruthless Du Tianhuo who may come seeking revenge at any moment, but also that the firelight they have lit here will attract the Blade Demon FengXingyun who is searching for them.

After advancing about a hundred zhang, a sudden squeaky wail came from the forest; looking up, they saw a Lan-coloured fire cloud swarming toward them from the woods, that fire cloud actually being a flock of birds ignited by the deep Lan nether fire.

Yan Nujiao urged, "Quick, quick, find a place to hide; whatever you do, don't let them touch you."

Yan Boguang pointed ahead; on a cliff more than ten zhang away there was a shallow stone cave where they could temporarily take shelter. Everyone ran over and ducked into the cave, Hu Xiaotian entering last. As soon as he entered, he saw the fire cloud sweep past the cave mouth; the Lan light illuminated the shallow cave brightly, and the burning birds' feathers were quickly consumed, one after another flinging themselves into the red river—a horrific sight.

The air was filled with a burnt smell; at this moment Xue Lingjun woke again, lying on Hu Xiaotian's shoulder and whispering, "Are we dead?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head, hearing footsteps approaching from afar. Among them his martial skill was the highest, the others had not yet noticed this change. He set Xue Lingjun down and said softly, "You stay hidden here; I'll go check and come back."

Yan Nujiao said, "Outside is full of toxic smoke; you'd better hold your breath." In fact she also saw that Hu Xiaotian's physique was very special, his resistance to poison strong.

Hu Xiaotian nodded. Behind him, Xue Lingjun added, "Be careful!"

Hu Xiaotian did not look back, stepping out of the cave; outside, smoke and mist filled the air. Though his eyesight was strong, he could not see through the layers of smoke, so he relied on his extraordinary hearing to discern movements around him. The river should be less than three zhang ahead; after entering the downstream, the current had noticeably slowed, and the footsteps he had heard earlier were drawing nearer. Hu Xiaotian stood still, holding his breath, focusing his attention. If he were alone, escaping would pose no problem, but today he must not only leave but also ensure the safety of the other three. This presented Hu Xiaotian with an unprecedented challenge; he resolved that the moment an opponent appeared, he would eliminate them immediately—any hesitation or softness would leave a lingering threat, possibly even causing casualties among his own side.

Recalling Xue Lingjun's identity, Hu Xiaotian's heart grew ever heavier.

The footsteps suddenly stopped; the other side seemed to have become alert. After a brief silence, a red light flashed suddenly in the smoke ahead.

Hu Xiaotian saw a mass of fire, a humanoid flame—more precisely, a burning fire‑person. The firelight dispersed the surrounding smoke, and that fire‑person stood about five zhang from him. Suddenly he waved his hand; a fire‑arrow shot straight at Hu Xiaotian. Hu Xiaotian had been ready; at the instant the fire reached him he leapt up, dodging the flames, then kicked the opponent's head. The kick landed squarely; though the skull was hard, it could not withstand Hu Xiaotian's full‑force blow—there was a crack, the skull shattered, the burning body spat fire in all directions, much of it landing on Hu Xiaotian's shoes.

Although Hu Xiaotian had felled the opponent with a single move, the part of his right foot that had touched the body was already burning; he hurriedly pulled off his right boot, but his left boot inadvertently caught some flowing fire and also ignited, so he had to discard it as well. This time he was careful, standing barefoot on the ground; after a moment both boots were reduced to ashes, and the flames on the fire‑person he had kicked to death gradually died out. Hu Xiaotian stepped closer for a look: the fire‑person had been dead for a while, wearing a black cloak whose texture seemed familiar. He recalled how Xumi Tian had pulled him from the fire outside Qing Sha Dian in Qingmu County, reed marshes, and she had apparently worn something like this—a fire‑shield.

Hu Xiaotian quickly took the cloak from the corpse and also pulled off its boots; however, having kicked apart the man's skull, he could not see his true face, and he did not know whether this was the water‑and‑fire ruthless Du Tianhuo. If it were him, this fellow would be even more of a pushover than his several junior disciples. Hu Xiaotian tried to put the boots on his feet, but found them much too small; he found a dagger on the body, slit the heels of the boots, and barely managed to squeeze his feet inside.

At that moment footsteps sounded behind him again; Hu Xiaotian turned sharply, hearing a light cough—it was Yan Nujiao coming out to check the situation. Hu Xiaotian pointed to the corpse on the ground.

Yan Nujiao examined him, taking a pouch from his waist that was filled entirely with nether‑fire bombs, and whispered, "This person is probably not Du Tianhuo; perhaps he is one of his disciples."

Hu Xiaotian dared not linger; he hurried back to the cave to meet Xue Lingjun. Although he did not trust Yan Boguang, the flower‑snatcher, his worry proved unnecessary—Yan Boguang had been frightened out of his wits; even with beauties like jade beside him, he had no mind to glance, for life mattered more than beauty.

After the four regrouped, they continued downstream. Hu Xiaotian helped Xue Lingjun drape the cloak over her; the once fastidious princess now had her pretty face smudged with dust, and under the present circumstances there was no room for much ceremony.

The smoke ahead gradually thinned; with Hu Xiaotian's keen eyesight he could now make out the surroundings within about ten zhang. The road ahead was blocked by fire, the opposite bank of the small river had not yet been reached by the blaze, and observing the water's colour, the river here seemed to have returned to its normal hue. Yan Nujiao went to the riverbank, checked it, and said, "The water here is not poisonous."

Yan Boguang said, "Let's go over; there is still a single‑log bridge on the other side."

Hu Xiaotian looked in the direction he indicated and indeed saw, through the hazy smoke, a single‑log bridge spanning the river. Yan Boguang had already led the way, crossing the bridge over the stream; Hu Xiaotian shouldered Xue Lingjun and followed close behind, with Yan Nujiao bringing up the rear.

Yan Boguang was the first to cross the single‑log bridge, turned and reached out to help, but Hu Xiaotian needed no assistance—he leapt lightly onto the bank. Yan Boguang chuckled embarrassedly, "Sister, hurry up!"

Yan Nujiao had already reached the middle of the single‑log bridge when the water below suddenly exploded with a boom! —plumes of water shot up from the formerly calm surface. Yan Nujiao cried out, her whole body enveloped by the water columns, momentarily unable to tell which way to go.

Seeing the situation turn bad, Yan Boguang rushed forward to aid his sister, but a flaming long whip from the water lashed straight at his waist. Seeing the whip's ferocious approach and incredible speed, Yan Boguang was terrified out of his wits, realizing he had no way to dodge.

At the critical moment, Hu Xiaotian grabbed Yan Boguang's shoulder and pulled him back from the brink of death.

Xue Lingjun urged, "Hurry and save them!"

Hu Xiaotian set Xue Lingjun down, gestured for Yan Boguang to look after her, and strode toward the single‑log bridge.

At that moment two flaming long whips shot up from beneath the water, one from each side, aiming to entwine Hu Xiaotian's waist and abdomen. He gauged their trajectory, drew in his breath and leapt, skipping over the whips' horizontal sweep like a jump rope, soaring into mid‑air before diving down, shouting, "Give me your hand!"

Yan Nujiao lifted her pretty face and raised her right arm high; at that moment two more flame‑wreathed long whips rose from the water to coil around her ankles. Hu Xiaotian seized her wrist, gave his arm a sharp shake and throw, and amid her startled cry Yan Nujiao's body soared like riding clouds and mist from the bridge to the opposite bank.

The four flaming long whips, like spirit snakes, adjusted their aim and pointed straight at Hu Xiaotian, still airborne.

In the span of a breath, Hu Xiaotian lifted his body two zhang higher in midair, evading the whips' lashes; the four whips struck each other below him, tangled together, emitted a dull blast, and from their point of confluence the flowing fire burst apart, radiating outward in all directions.

On the bank, Yan Nujiao and the other two hurriedly darted behind a large tree to avoid the flow; the flowing fire that touched the trunks instantly ignited, two sparks landing on Xue Lingjun's body made her scream and stamp her feet repeatedly. Strangely, those two sparks did not spread on her; instead they rolled straight off the cloak onto the ground, where they continued to burn.

Hu Xiaotian also flailed, rushing through the flowing fire and inevitably getting some on his outer robe; he quickly tore it off and discarded it, thus avoiding burns to his skin, but when he fell back to the ground he was already half‑body **.

Xue Lingjun and Yan Nujiao's gazes were simultaneously drawn to Hu Xiaotian's fit physique; Yan Nujiao glanced once and, blushing, turned her eyes elsewhere, while Xue Lingjun's gaze lingered on his body.

Yan Boguang even forgot to feel jealous, sighing inwardly; seeing Hu Xiaotian forced into such a sorry state, he feared trouble was looming.

Yan Nujiao took a phosphorous‑fire bomb from the pouch she had just picked up, threw it into the water; the bomb ignited on impact, instantly blanketing the river surface with a layer of phosphorous fire.

Four figures emerged from the water, each gripping a long whip, and from four different angles they surrounded Hu Xiaotian and his companions.

Hu Xiaotian saw that they had finally appeared; he silently observed their every move, calculating in his mind how to overcome them and win.

Yan Nujiao said, "Du Tianhuo, if you want to avenge your son, come after me alone—it has nothing to do with the others; let them go."

Hu Xiaotian noticed that the four's outer coats flashed with silver light, covered in tiny fish‑scale‑like plates; only their eyes were exposed, the flames on their long whips had already died out, and the whips themselves were also covered in fish‑scale‑like plates. He faintly guessed that none of these four was the water‑and‑fire ruthless Du Tianhuo.

Yan Nujiao quietly reminded Hu Xiaotian, "They ought to be Du Tianhuo's five chief disciples."

Hu Xiaotian snorted coldly, "Whether they are five chief disciples or ten, whoever comes is just asking to die!"

Second update uploaded! More to come tonight. (To be continued… If you like this work, please come.)

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