Chapter 402: The Wind Keeps Blowing

Everything happened too suddenly. No one had expected the Scorpion Emperor's pillar-like tail to be so agile.

"Screee!"

The diving flying bird gave a terrified cry. Faced with the enormous tail whipping toward it through a roaring gale, it was already too late to dodge.

"Go!" Elder Bai shouted in alarm.

In that desperate instant, all three people shot away from the bird in different directions. Everyone was trying to save his own life. No one had time to worry about anyone else. One glance at the force of that attack was enough to know it could kill.

Bang!

Blood burst across the sky. Feathers scattered everywhere. The enormous tail smashed the flying bird apart in midair before it could even scream again. After sweeping through the bird, the colossal tail swung around in a full circle and came whipping toward Blind Man, who could not see where he was falling. Blind Man had leaped in precisely the direction the Scorpion Emperor was running.

The golden stinger at the tail's tip was sharp and shaped like a massive golden awl. Glittering beneath the sunlight, it stabbed toward him with a shriek through the air. Blind Man's hearing was still excellent.

Sensing danger, he twisted around and struck out with one palm, releasing a violent blast of force in hopes of borrowing the impact to propel himself away.

"Blind Man!"

Elder Bai and the clean-shaven man cried out almost simultaneously. Only after escaping danger themselves did they realize just how great a disadvantage Blind Man faced in a situation like this.

Clang!

The sharp golden stinger punched effortlessly through the force of Blind Man's palm. With a wet sound, it drove straight through his chest and pierced his body.

"AAAH!"

Impaled on the enormous venomous barb, Blind Man screamed horribly and flailed his limbs. The Scorpion Emperor raised both pincers to receive the prey delivered by its tail.

The pincers clamped down, shoved Blind Man into its mouth in one motion, and before everyone's eyes, the creature chewed him alive and swallowed him. It all happened in the space of a blink. The man and woman on the multicolored flying bird had just witnessed both the Scorpion Emperor's terrifying defense and its attack power. They looked at one another in silence. The Scorpion Emperor continued charging ahead.

Standing in the wind with Su Zhao in his arms, Yuan Gang twisted around to look back. His powerful upper body remained bare and bloodstained, his disheveled hair streaming wildly. Elder Bai and the clean-shaven man repeatedly leaped and landed amid the swarm of sand scorpions, avoiding attack. Their expressions were ugly. Blind Man had been a treasure to Xiaoyue Pavilion, someone marked for special protection. Now he had died on this mission. The two of them would have a very difficult time explaining themselves when they returned.

Fortunately, the one who had killed him was the rare Scorpion Emperor. That was an uncontrollable accident, something they could at least use as an explanation. The real problem now was that their target had the Scorpion Emperor's protection.

They had already experienced the power of its attack, and the two of them were trapped amid an army of sand scorpions with no flying mount left beneath their feet. If they continued exhausting spiritual power like this and their reserves ran low, they would die without a burial place. At that point, never mind the Scorpion Emperor. An ordinary swarm of sand scorpions would be enough to kill them. In the end, both stopped pursuing.

Only after the army of sand scorpions passed beneath them like a tide did they drift down to the ground. Around them, scattered sand scorpions were still running after the Scorpion Emperor, which was vanishing into a trail of dust. There was no longer any reason to keep wasting spiritual power in pursuit. They could only watch helplessly as the target escaped... Through his tangled hair, Yuan Gang watched them recede as well. Then he looked up toward the sky.

He did not know whether the man and woman on the multicolored flying bird were enemies. Judging from their dress, however, they did not appear to belong to the same group from Xiaoyue Pavilion that had been pursuing him.

"Who exactly is that man?" the woman on the multicolored flying bird asked, staring down at Yuan Gang carrying Su Zhao.

The man was watching too. His tone remained calm. "I don't know. It's also the first time I've ever seen anyone command sand scorpions. Commanding the Scorpion Emperor is even more unheard of."

The woman asked, "Where are they going?"

"I don't know."

The person in Yuan Gang's arms moved slightly. Perhaps the fierce wind rushing against her throughout the journey had woken her. Yuan Gang lowered his head. Su Zhao had opened her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes gleamed with an unusual vitality. Her gaze was no longer dim and unfocused as before. The sight made something tighten in Yuan Gang's chest. He had seen this kind of thing before. It looked like the final rally before death.

Su Zhao could see the charging army of sand scorpions, but she could not understand what kind of creature was carrying them at such tremendous speed. Yuan Gang, who held her, plainly was not moving as though he himself were running. The Scorpion Emperor's body was simply too large. Without viewing it from some distance, someone who did not already know what it was would have difficulty making sense of the situation.

She asked faintly, "Where are we?"

There was too much to explain in a few words.

Yuan Gang could only encourage her. "Hold on a little longer. We've escaped danger. We'll reach Boundless Pavilion soon."

"We escaped?" Su Zhao's bright eyes blinked. She smiled. "That's good."

She stared directly at him, a faint smile on her face as fresh blood seeped once more from the corner of her mouth. Yuan Gang realized something. Suddenly, he threw his head back and roared. A great rustling commotion swept through the desert. The Scorpion Emperor stopped abruptly.

Yuan Gang braced one foot against a raised section of its shell to keep himself from being thrown off, doing everything he could to keep his body steady and reduce Su Zhao's pain. The Scorpion Emperor's stinger began vibrating violently, producing a deep, intense buzz. The rushing army of sand scorpions stopped in a hurry, though many inevitably collided and overturned. The multicolored flying bird ahead circled back as well, keeping a safe distance as it wheeled overhead.

Yuan Gang raised his face and shouted, "Do you dare come down and speak?"

The man on the flying bird amplified his voice with spiritual power. "Why wouldn't I?"

The multicolored flying bird immediately began descending in a spiral. The woman turned her head and looked at the man. If he dared approach like this, then clearly he did not fear the Scorpion Emperor. The bird itself, however, seemed afraid. After descending to a certain height, it refused to go lower. It gave several aggrieved cooing cries. The man reached out, caught the woman by the arm, and flashed downward with her. The two landed directly atop the Scorpion Emperor.

The multicolored flying bird immediately climbed back into the sky as though relieved of a great burden. The man and woman first tested the sensation beneath their feet. Standing on the Scorpion Emperor's shell felt like standing on solid stone. Then both turned to study Yuan Gang. The woman looked several times at Su Zhao in his arms, then examined Yuan Gang again. His powerful physique, wild bearing, and bloodstained body made him look almost like a man who had stepped out of some savage ancient age.

Yuan Gang studied the two of them as well.

At last, he asked, "Are you from Xiaoyue Pavilion?"

The pair exchanged a glance. They heard something significant in the question.

The man answered, "No. Were the people chasing you just now from Xiaoyue Pavilion?"

That was the answer Yuan Gang wanted. He stepped down from the Scorpion Emperor's head and carried Su Zhao toward them.

"She can't hold on much longer. I'm not a cultivator. I don't know how to treat injuries like hers. Help me save her. As long as you can cure her, if it's within my power, I'll agree to anything you ask. I won't go back on my word."

Su Zhao blinked up at him. Tears shone in her eyes. This man truly would never abandon her. Her smile filled with tears. She truly did not regret choosing him, not even after suffering a disaster like this. She did not regret it at all. The woman opposite them blinked as well and gazed at Yuan Gang.

The man asked in surprise, "You're not a cultivator?"

"No," Yuan Gang said. "As long as you can save her, I won't bargain with you. I'll agree to anything. Save her first."

The pleading in his voice was impossible to hide. The man, who had remained composed all this time, was now visibly astonished. He found it difficult to imagine that someone who was not a cultivator could command sand scorpions, much less the Scorpion Emperor. He could also see that Yuan Gang had no reason to lie about such a thing now. And he could see that Su Zhao truly was at the end of her strength.

He pointed down. "Put her down first."

Yuan Gang immediately lowered himself onto one knee and carefully laid Su Zhao flat atop the Scorpion Emperor's shell. Then he tossed the Three-Roars Saber aside. Abandoning his weapon was his way of showing he meant no harm. He gestured for the man to help. The woman glanced at the Three-Roars Saber, one brow lifting slightly. The sword-bearing man knelt on one knee and placed a hand on Su Zhao to inspect her injuries.

As he examined her in silence, he suddenly turned his head toward her face, his gaze tightening slightly. Su Zhao's eyes had already closed. A tear slipped from one corner. Her head fell limply to the side. The man's hand slowly withdrew from her body. He raised his head toward Yuan Gang, who was staring at Su Zhao, and sighed.

"I'm sorry. We're a little too late. There's nothing I can do. She's already gone."

He slowly rose and stepped back to the woman's side. Yuan Gang said nothing. He could see it himself. The hand that had been holding his had gone limp and slipped free. He understood. The multicolored flying bird continued circling overhead. The man and woman stood side by side and watched him. From time to time, they glanced at the sand-scorpion army lying quietly across the desert around them. The creatures were astonishingly docile. Yuan Gang showed neither joy nor grief.

He remained on one knee beside Su Zhao and stared at her for a very long time. At last, he tore a strip of cloth from his ragged trousers and began wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth and from her cheeks. Some of the blood had already dried and would not come clean. The woman lifted one hand slightly in a gesture. The man removed an exquisite leather waterskin from his waist and tossed it in front of Yuan Gang. Yuan Gang did not stand on ceremony.

He discarded the bloody strip of cloth, tore another piece from his trouser leg, picked up the waterskin, removed the stopper, and poured water over the cloth. Then he continued cleaning Su Zhao's face. Afterward, he lifted her again, her arms hanging powerless at her sides. He looked around at the boundless desert. Where was he supposed to go?

"Aaoo!"

Yuan Gang suddenly threw back his head and released a long, grieving roar. His hair flew in the wind. The Scorpion Emperor's stinger began vibrating violently again. The surrounding army of sand scorpions responded. Before long, with this place as the center, sand scorpions began digging where they stood and burrowing into the desert. The vast army disappeared outward in ripples. Soon only the marks of their burrows remained across the sand. The Scorpion Emperor began moving again. It accelerated rapidly and raced alone across the empty desert.

No other sand scorpions followed. The wind kept blowing. The woman swayed slightly, and the man reached out to steady her by the arm. Both looked around, experiencing what it felt like to ride the Scorpion Emperor across the desert. Not everyone beneath Heaven would ever have such an opportunity. It was a singular experience. The Three-Roars Saber lay forgotten. With the Scorpion Emperor rising and falling beneath them, it slowly began sliding toward the edge of the great armored shell. Yuan Gang's thoughts were nowhere near his weapon.

The woman, however, noticed and pointed. The man reached out with one hand. The Three-Roars Saber flew through the air and landed in his grasp. Both of them were curious where Yuan Gang and the Scorpion Emperor intended to take them. No one knew how long they had traveled when the Scorpion Emperor abruptly stopped. It thrust both giant pincers deep into the sand and began digging with all its legs. Carrying everyone on its back, it started burrowing underground.

As the body beneath them lurched, protective spiritual force surged from the man and steadied the woman beside him. Seeing Yuan Gang swaying as well, he waved a hand and extended the protective aura around Yuan Gang too. Darkness quickly swallowed them. They could hear sand sliding around them on every side. The man turned one hand over, producing a luminous pearl. Only by its glow could they see that they were still descending deeper and deeper beneath the desert. The underground pressure was entirely borne by the man.

Within his protective aura, neither Yuan Gang nor the woman felt any pressure at all. The Scorpion Emperor suddenly stopped. Something deep underground shuddered. A heavy impact boomed through the darkness. The Scorpion Emperor seemed to be striking something.

[End of Chapter 402]