Chaotic World Book-Chapter 273 - 268: Blood Stains the Yellow Sand

Yue Hongling gave him a deep look without saying anything.

She might not have been sure of anything, and even if she could see again, she wouldn’t have been able to see as clearly as someone who had truly unlocked the Secret Treasure; she could only vaguely perceive. Her so-called "flipping his boat" was just to give Zhao Changhe some peace of mind. In essence, she wanted him to leave quickly because she had already prepared for an extremely tough battle to the death.

But she hadn’t expected Zhao Changhe to actually say...

She didn’t act coy, just gave a slight smile, "Then let’s join hands."

The violent sandstorm struck, hitting their eyes, causing both of them to narrow them to extremely fine slits, struggling to see the yellow sand in front of them.

Faintly, someone was walking towards them, moving silently amidst the howling winds.

Under such conditions, one could die a silent and unseen death... Zhao Changhe was vigilantly scanning the area with his "eyes in the back of his head." Though it seemed like he was squinting to see, he was actually looking openly with his third eye. Deep within the yellow sand, many figures were retreating.

—At this moment, Ba Tu and his men had stopped fighting, all struggling to retreat.

Zhao Changhe breathed a sigh of relief. It was somewhat reassuring not to be attacked by someone else.

Including Hu Lie’s subordinates, everyone was retreating, having lost the strength to survive in such harsh conditions... Not to combat, but even mere survival was difficult, and if they didn’t retreat now they would die in the sandstorm. Fortunately, the range in which humans could alter the intensity of the sandstorm was actually quite small; there was still time to retreat to the outskirts where it was less severe.

Hu Lie hadn’t used this tactic earlier for that very reason—he feared his subordinates couldn’t withstand it.

Indeed, employing this strategy consumed a great deal of power. To utilize and alter the might of heaven and earth to a certain extent bore a heavy toll on oneself. At this moment, his own fighting ability had significantly decreased, yet he could no longer care about that. With Ba Tu inexplicably turning traitor, and this pair turning out to be unexpectedly strong, he had to act, fearing he wouldn’t be able to keep them.

The Curved Saber, dim and lightless, silently followed the wind, aiming straight for Yue Hongling’s throat.

This was Hu Lie’s true sandstorm-infused Saber Technique.

If one couldn’t see, one might not even know from where the saber that severed their neck had come.

Yue Hongling seemed to also be completely oblivious, still raising her hand to shield her eyes, stepping back as if she too was planning to retreat.

Hu Lie’s cautious mood couldn’t help but relax a little. Indeed, whether one had unlocked the Secret Treasure was the dividing line between ordinary people and the extraordinary. Yue Hongling had indeed reached the pinnacle of what a common Martial Artist could achieve, but in the end, she was still just a mortal! As for Zhao Changhe, he was even closer, holding his head with both hands, completely silent. Whether he could survive in this sandstorm was another matter!

His thoughts were interrupted as the saber was now at Yue Hongling’s throat.

Feeling as though in the next moment he could sever her neck, Hu Lie even held back some force, changing from a cut to a slap, thinking that Yue Hongling was no more than that and could be captured alive.

Just as he was pulling his blow, Yue Hongling, who had been shielding her eyes and retreating, suddenly moved.

The Longsword in her hand burst forth as if the setting sun had entered the yellow sand, casting a radiance spanning a thousand miles.

Hu Lie’s heart skipped a beat, damn it, could Yue Hongling also play dirty?

Could she see?

"Clang!" The saber and the sword collided. The surrounding sand seemed to be blown away by the strike, creating a small, clear space between the two. The sandstorm raged around them, but before them, the saber and sword crossed, radiance chilled to the bone.

Previously, Yue Hongling, who had been slightly inferior to him, had always been at a disadvantage during their exchanges, but this strike was evenly matched!

And that was not all, at the same time as this strike, Zhao Changhe, who appeared to be covering his head nearby, suddenly let out a ferocious roar from his Dragon Sparrow, unleashing Evil Qi far more violent than he had shown in earlier combat. That almost tangible Evil Qi and might could almost solidify into energy. That was not the strength of Zhao Changhe himself; he was using the Dragon Sparrow’s Power!

"Roar!" The sound of the saber howled, even overpowering the sound of the sandstorm’s wild winds, the dragon chant reaching the Nine Heavens.

That was the Divine Artifact’s power that Zhao Changhe had always suppressed, the power that could spar evenly with the Sword Emperor’s Sword Shadow, now completely unleashing its terrifying strength in the midst of the deadly yellow sand!

Damn this couple, who the hell was laying a trap for whom!

It was bad enough that Yue Hongling could see, but why the hell could Zhao Changhe see!

Hu Lie had no time to think further. He had just crossed blades with Yue Hongling, and the Dragon Sparrow had already reached his neck.

However, Zhao Changhe’s so-thought decisive strike also failed to take effect.

The Curved Saber brushed against the Longsword and quickly withdrew, seizing the extremely short moment to also touch the Dragon Sparrow, almost as if one saber had struck both Yue Hongling’s sword and Zhao Changhe’s saber at the same time.

Then the two became three, and three split into thousands. Amidst the dusty sky, sabers flashed everywhere. The wind and the saber became one. Where the sandstorm passed, the saber followed, and Hu Lie’s figure seemed to have disappeared, completely hidden by the sword momentum in the sand.

This was a use of the power of the sandstorm and the deception of the visual senses to their extreme, beyond the ability of mortals!

Yue Hongling and Zhao Changhe both let out muffled groans simultaneously, blood spurting from their arms, both somewhat shocked in their hearts.

As martial artists on the Human List, Hu Lie was much stronger than Fa Qing and even stronger than the Black Wolf King.

Despite miscalculations and considerable exhaustion, it was they who were injured after a meticulously planned ultimate attack by their adversary.

Were the top fifty really this formidable?

However, it was quite clear that Hu Lie himself was not having an easy time either, sensing that his saber momentum was actually less forceful than before the storm intensified—he was weakening too.

Yue Hongling completely closed her eyes.

She didn’t try to distinguish between the indistinguishable sandstorm and saber light, nor did she try to find where Hu Lie’s figure might be.

Mind focused solely on the task at hand.

"Chang!" The afterglow of the setting sun pierced the yellow sand, the sword light piercing through the saber glow.

Hu Lie, hidden in the sand, could no longer conceal his figure, parrying off the strike with his saber as the Dragon Sparrow roared in from behind.

The Curved Saber twisted oddly, slicing towards Yue Hongling’s ribs in an attempt to push her back to deal with Zhao Changhe.

However, with her eyes closed, Yue Hongling might not have seen or felt this bizarre and nimble saber momentum, but she could feel the roar of Zhao Changhe’s Broadsword.

Thus, without any attempt to dodge, a sword thrust forth once more, sealing off Hu Lie’s escape from the Dragon Sparrow.

Perhaps she knew everything but still resolutely faced such a formidable enemy. Not wishing to exchange blows, how could she win!

Zhao Changhe’s heart skipped a beat, and Hu Lie was also startled, "You motherf..."

The curved saber sliced through her ribs, and fresh blood splattered onto the yellow sand. Yue Hongling let out a muffled groan but did not alter her swordplay.

Hu Lie finally could not retract his saber in time to defend against the Dragon Sparrow, and with the swordplay sealing his sidestep, he could barely swing his saber back, hoping Zhao Changhe would be sensible enough to dodge.

Zhao Changhe’s sword momentum did not falter either, landing a heavy blow on Hu Lie’s neck. At the same time, he felt a sharp pain under his ribs, having been slashed by the curved saber in the same spot as Yue Hongling.

Hu Lie’s body twisted bizarrely, the Dragon Sparrow seemingly missing its mark, and amidst a spray of blood, he vanished into the yellow sand, leaving it unclear how badly he was injured... or even whether he had fled far away or was hidden beneath the sand, preparing for a stealth attack.

The couple exchanged a glance, but neither had the strength to hold on any longer, and they almost simultaneously knelt on the ground.

Their wounds tore apart, and True Qi rampaged within their bodies without restraint. The dust invaded their injuries, causing a pain as excruciating as sprinkling salt on them. Sweat began to form on their brows only to be covered by the sand, turning into a muddy mess.

Zhao Changhe struggled over, propping up Yue Hongling, then found two pills, giving one to her, "How are you?"

"Still okay..." Yue Hongling felt somewhat ashamed to be leaning in his arms and tried to stand up with a strong effort, but she groaned and fell back.

She then stopped struggling and leaned softly in his embrace, "It’s not fair. Our injuries are extremely similar; why do you seem to have more strength than I do?"

Underneath the damp cloth covering his face, Zhao Changhe cracked a smile.

There was no other reason; his physique had already changed, and although he was not invulnerable to swords and spears like Situ Xiao, he could at least take more than an average person.

A bear indeed, with thicker flesh.

And the True Qi invading his body met with a slightly better resistance and self-healing ability from the Six Harmonies Divine Skill than Yue Hongling.

Unfortunately, the bandages were packed on the horse, leaving nothing on hand to dress the wounds, which was a bit troublesome.

Zhao Changhe spoke softly, "Hang on, I’ll help you to the horse, where we can tend to the wound."

Yue Hongling let out a "hmm" and struggled to her feet. Without saying more, Zhao Changhe supported her, moving with difficulty towards the outskirts.

Though he said he was helping her, the truth was they were both in so much pain that they were sweating profusely, only able to support each other, moving slowly.

Blood dripped down their bodies, leaving a trail of droplets in the desert sand, seemingly bearing witness to their mutual support in adversity.

They had no leisure to consider sweet and tender things or think of what to name their children, as their minds were gravely preoccupied.

Because at that very moment, the situation was at its most dangerous. What would happen if Hu Lie launched a surprise attack from beneath the sand?

The extent of the injuries was one thing, but the key issue was that Yue Hongling’s injuries had caused her to lose her Spiritual Sense and perception, and she could barely stand the dust in her eyes. With great difficulty, she covered her eyes, which were streaming with tears, looking as if she had been beaten into crying, which was extremely embarrassing. How could she deal with a stealth attack?

Zhao Changhe, however, was different; from the beginning, he lacked Spiritual Sense and perception.

He relied on eyes at his back that the sand could not cloud.

Underground behind them, the yellow sand subtly bulged, slowly trailing behind them.

Bloodshot eyes lay hidden in the sand, filled with ferocity and resentment.

How dare you two leave me in this state! Do you think you can escape alive?

A curved saber silently emerged from the sand, aiming to sever the tendons in both their feet at once.

In your current state, how could you possibly dodge my assault?

"Bang!" The Dragon Sparrow suddenly thrust back, piercing through the sand. At the same moment, Zhao Changhe leaped forward with Yue Hongling in his arms, avoiding the curved saber.

Yue Hongling: "..."

Hu Lie: "???"

How could he have expected Zhao Changhe to be acting at a time like this? And how on earth had Zhao Changhe seen it?

This was no longer a matter of Spiritual Sense; it was as if he were literally watching what was behind him.

From start to finish, the sandstorm, this impairment of vision, did it not affect Zhao Changhe at all? Was he fighting just as he would in any normal battle?

Hu Lie had no time to ponder; the Dragon Sparrow plunged down, and as he hid in the sand, he couldn’t avoid it; the blade stabbed through his shoulder, severing it entirely!

An earth-shattering scream echoed through the desert as Hu Lie suddenly burst out from underground, fleeing into the distance.

This time, he truly ran.

Zhao Changhe was thoroughly exhausted, body and soul.

The Human List was too powerful... Leveraging such a disparity in information and environmental advantage, they could only achieve a draw with severe injuries to both sides, and still, they failed to kill him.

"It’s alright; you’ve already done very well." The woman in his arms, Yue Hongling, whispered softly, "Once we’ve recovered from our injuries, we can..."

Before she could finish, screams came from afar, "Ba Tu, you motherf... Aah!"

The voice was abruptly cut off, and that of Ba Tu rose, "If I let you go back, do I get to live? Die!" frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Simultaneously, the sandstorm began to subside, and the ground trembled ever so slightly as the army rapidly approached, sweeping toward them.

Zhao Changhe had no time to marvel at Ba Tu’s ruthlessness or to confirm whether Hu Lie was dead. Pulling Yue Hongling hastily toward the horses, he said, "If we’re surrounded by the army, it’s all over. Let’s go!"

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