Chapter 144: Sudden Change

Tong He might be experiencing such a situation right now. The words he spoke earlier about protecting Qi Fei's safety were merely because Ma Li was a supreme martial artist of the third tier of the Xiantian realm.

Even while understanding that reality might well be this harsh, Qi Fei found it somewhat impossible to believe. From Danxia Mountain all the way to the present journey, Qi Fei had relied to a great extent on Tong He's protection. Should he suddenly lose the assistance of this elderly man, Qi Fei had no idea whether he could accomplish those seemingly out-of-reach goals, let alone challenge these Xiantian masters entirely on his own.

Perhaps Qi Fei simply could not accept the reality that Tong He's previously carefree and unfettered image had suddenly collapsed within his own heart. After all, from the very first moment he laid eyes on this old man, Tong He had seemed like a miracle worker capable of resolving any problem. Qi Fei had also seen the boundless prospects of his own future reflected in him. Yet the emergence of such a predicament now was something Qi Fei had never anticipated.

"It can't be. Old man Tong He, are you lying to me?" Qi Fei murmured, questioning him once more, still unable to accept the truth spoken by Tong He.

Tong He struck Qi Fei heavily on the head and shouted sternly, "What do you know, you brat? When does your old master have the time to joke with you? Pull yourself together at once to handle the situation before us! Hurry up and snap out of it! This is merely a single crisis; if you, brat, lack even the courage to push through this small trial, you might as well pack your things right now and hide back in Danxia Mountain to be a little Daoist boy for the rest of your life."

Having received Tong He's heavy blow, Qi Fei finally cleared his mind a fraction from its utterly dazed state. Seeing that the imposing auras of those three figures were already bearing down upon him, he understood that he certainly had no time left for wild fancies. He bit down hard on his tongue once more, and as the salty, bloody taste spread through his mouth, he finally used this sharp pain to cast off the shadow-like negative emotions lingering in his heart.

Seeing that Qi Fei had gathered his wits, Tong He offered no further prompts. With his hands clasped behind his back, the old man—despite knowing a formidable enemy was at hand—looked up into the desolate, starry night sky as if admiring the moon, and murmured, "For several millennia, this old man has not faced a time of peril; yet today, I have finally encountered this opportunity. Lad, are you willing to follow me through this mountain of blades and sea of flames, allowing this old man to relive the excitement known only in his youth?"

Tong He's tone was calm as he spoke, clearly having recovered his previous demeanor. Coupled with his posture of standing tall with hands clasped, gazing up at the starry sky, completely ignoring the powerful enemies surrounding them, and leisurely recounting memories of his youth, it caused Qi Fei—who was so accustomed to his child-like antics—to experience from him a towering, heroic spirit that stood proudly between heaven and earth, unshaken by howling winds, beating rains, or crackling thunder.

Inspired by Tong He, Qi Fei instantly felt countless waves of excitement welling up within his heart. Just as this heroic spirit surged forth, he found himself entering the state of harmony between heaven and earth. Even the peculiar sensation he had comprehended around the hour of the lamps reappeared within his six sensory faculties. It was a rather wondrous feeling of joy—neither the gratification of a breakthrough in cultivation realm, nor the surprise of acquiring a Mysterious-rank martial art, but a grand happiness and sheer bliss of wandering freely, carefree, and purely beautiful between heaven and earth. Moreover, this sudden sensation did not show the slightest sign of dissipating under the oppressive might of the three third-tier Xiantian masters. One must know that earlier, merely the sound of Wang Xi's footsteps had caused this state to instantly collapse; yet now, the far more intense pressure exerted by Xiantian martial artists could not exert the slightest influence upon it.

He instantly realized that he had encountered a remarkably rare and great stroke of fortune right before a battle.

Because he lacked any method of control, this state and realm of his immediately triggered a response from Tong He beside him. Turning his head to shoot Qi Fei several piercing glances, the old man then gave a faint smile, nodding with immense gratification as he said, "Interesting. Achieving a breakthrough right before a grand battle—especially when the state of mind, which is the hardest to elevate, has actually surpassed his own cultivation realm by a full tier—he truly is a lad worth this old man's regard."

His murmuring voice was extremely low, yet it was clearly caught by Qi Fei's ears, which in turn caused the state Qi Fei had managed to maintain to instantly vanish into thin air once more.

With his realm abruptly lost, Qi Fei once again felt a wave of sorrow flood his heart. However, knowing full well that he must absolutely not maintain such a state of mind at this moment—otherwise the consequences would likely be entirely unbearable—he turned his head and, with a roar, completely vented the grief in his heart as though he had lost a dearest loved one: "Old man Tong He, instead of thinking about how to deal with the imminent enemy, why on earth are you standing there muttering nonsense to yourself?"

This was the first time since they had met that he had ever uttered profanities at Tong He.

Yet at this moment, Tong He did not mind in the least; in fact, he threw back his head in laughter and said approvingly, "Not bad, not bad. You really do have a bit of this old man's demeanor from back in the day. I only wonder if, once the fighting starts later, you will be able to sweep across the eight wildernesses just as I did in my youth."

(End of Part 1 of 3)

(Start of Part 2 of 3)

"There will always be such a day," Qi Fei retorted resentfully. He then swiftly raised the Heart-Slaying Saber in his right hand, flicked the blade with the fingers of his left hand, and said, "If you see me plucking and singing to the blade like this, you will know how much heroic spirit is surging within my heart."

"Good, good. Come face the enemy together with me!" Just as Tong He burst into the most carefree laughter of his life, his body darted sideways, and without any warning, he struck out with his palm toward an empty spot on a rooftop about a dozen feet ahead.

"Boom!"

Amidst flying splinters filling the sky, Qi Fei saw a familiar figure leap out from the exact spot where Tong He had struck. When this figure stood firmly atop the rooftop, he was instantly astonished to discover that this person was none other than Ma Li, with whom they had previously clashed. Although he knew this person had been lurking in the house beneath his and Tong He's feet all along, Qi Fei had never expected him to be concealed a mere dozen feet away from them.

Fortunately, Tong He had dragged him out into the open. Otherwise, once the real fight broke out, the thought of such a third-tier Xiantian master hiding in the shadows, gathering his strength and preparing to launch a fatal strike at any moment, would truly be an unimaginably terrifying prospect. From this situation, Qi Fei understood yet another thing: it seemed Ma Li's desire to slay him had reached a completely unprincipled degree.

Otherwise, given his identity as a third-tier Xiantian master, how could he possibly resort to hiding in the shadows?

Once he was dragged out from the dark, the three figures that had appeared earlier descended upon the rooftop as well. Those three had previously hovered on the outer perimeter without closing in, presumably to guard against Qi Fei and Tong He escaping. However, once Ma Li revealed himself, they no longer harbored any intention of acting merely as interceptors; instead, they all landed on the rooftop, forming a genuine enclosing formation against Qi Fei and Tong He alongside Ma Li.

The reason Tong He had not chosen to run away at the very beginning was precisely because those three individuals, despite occupying different positions, faintly maintained a posture of mutual support. Therefore, he worried that if he took Qi Fei with him, they might fall into a predicament of being attacked from both front and rear while trying to break through. Now, although they were intercepted by four people, all four happened to be positioned directly in front of them, thus eliminating the fear of potential sneak attacks.

Even so, the joint forces of these four individuals would undoubtedly be exceptionally difficult to handle.

With this thought in mind, Qi Fei could not help feeling a slight bitterness at the corners of his mouth. Yet at that very moment, Tong He leaned close to his body without arousing suspicion, bent over, and spoke in a voice so faint it was almost imperceptible, hurried and urgent: "Lad, I can only maintain this state for the time of a single incense stick at most. Take advantage of this gap and flee as far as you can. This old man will temporarily block all attacks from these four."

Qi Fei's body trembled. Upon hearing these words, the tumbling emotions churning within his heart defied description.

Ever since his contact with Tong He, he had never dreamed he would encounter such a situation. Of course, it wasn't that he hadn't thought about facing danger, but rather that he had never anticipated such a perilous moment under Tong He's care. In particular, Tong He was telling him to leave with such resolute determination while remaining behind to block the attacks of Ma Li's group of four. Judging by the fact that Tong He could only sustain that state for the time of an incense stick, his decision clearly carried the implication of self-sacrifice—using his own life to safeguard Qi Fei's safety.

Thus, in this very instant, Qi Fei's entire mind was completely enveloped by something called touched emotion.

"We shall face the enemy together! I refuse to believe we cannot push through this mere trial!" A wave of warmth surged in his heart as Qi Fei repeated the words Tong He had spoken earlier. Since Tong He could make such a move, Qi Fei was naturally not the kind of person to abandon him and flee for his life alone. Furthermore, once this decision was made, towering heroic spirit welled up in his heart once again. He let out a long howl to the heavens, his standing figure gripping the saber imbued with an unshakeable, resolute posture.

"Are you an idiot, lad? Their target is you from the very start! If you don't run, are you waiting to be captured?" Ignoring his attitude entirely, Tong He rebuked him with a cold expression, then suddenly lashed out with lightning speed. Before Qi Fei could make any reaction, Tong He exerted force with his leg and kicked him directly, sending him flying into the air. At this moment, Qi Fei could have utilized the flight capability of a Xiantian master to circle right back; however, once his body was airborne, he discovered that Tong He had employed some unknown technique to completely immobilize him, rendering even his smallest finger incapable of the slightest movement.

(End of Part 2 of 3)

(Start of Part 3 of 3)

Amidst shock and anger, he realized that if he remained unable to move, upon falling he would not only be thrown out of the battle circle, but he would also crash straight down from the rooftop to the ground.

By now, he also understood the purpose of Tong He's actions. The old man clearly did not wish for Qi Fei to linger here and had sent him away using this method. Sure enough, as he fell in a parabolic arc, he heard Tong He chuckle and say, "If you wish to pursue, you must first pass through this old man!"

Immediately following that, the distinctive sound of the Cold Soul Saber rang out continuously behind him.

Without needing to turn his head to look, Qi Fei knew what was happening in this fleeting moment of time. Ma Li and the others must have been filled with a mixture of shock and anger upon seeing Tong He kick him away, and they instantly sought to give chase. After all, their target was him, so they naturally could not allow him to escape. However, since Tong He was intent on sending him away, he would undoubtedly intercept the pursuit of those four at this time.

"Tong He, oh Tong He, how can I ever repay you for what you are doing?" He wailed in painful agony within his heart, bitterly hating himself for being unable to move at the moment. Knowing beforehand that Tong He could likely only sustain himself for the time of an incense stick—though this duration was sufficient to intercept Ma Li's group of four—he could easily imagine with his toes what kind of outcome awaited Tong He once that time ran out.

Therefore, at this moment, Qi Fei was consumed by the urge to kill his way back the very instant he regained mobility. Yet right then, he heard the explosions of air behind him cease, followed by a burst of hearty laughter from Tong He. Then, in a reminiscent and leisurely tone, the old man spoke: "Lad, do not waste this old man's painstaking efforts. This is by no means a time for you to be willful, nor should you blame yourself too much. Back in my youth, when I traveled across the realm following my master, I encountered similar situations as well, but back then my master only said one sentence..."

Tong He paused, and then uttered in a voice laden with intensely deep emotion: "Rather than letting a man fly toward the nine heavens, it is better to let him swim within the vast sea."

Although Qi Fei had never heard such a verse anywhere before, the moment Tong He chanted these lines, he immediately felt the blood rush to his face, and the heroic spirit within his chest threatened to burst through every restraint and break out of his throat. However, completely immobilized as he was, with no outlet for this overflowing blood and passion, it ultimately transformed into two warm streams of liquid that slowly trickled down the corners of his eyes. Truly, a heroic man does not shed tears lightly, save for when he reaches a heartbreaking depth.

At this time, no sentence could describe his mood more fittingly than the urge to shatter the heavens with his fists and shake the earth with his feet, reducing everyone who had brought this grief and helplessness upon his heart to dust.

Yet, after those verses were chanted, he had to face Tong He's wish squarely.

Even though the blood in his chest surged endlessly, and the thoughts in his mind drove him to the verge of explosion, he was forced to calm his mind at this moment and carefully consider what choice he ought to make under such circumstances. Yes, if he were to kill his way back the moment his body regained mobility, it would indeed be following his own desires and would suffice to bring peace to his heart.

Yet if Qi Fei truly did so, leaving aside whether it would be of any help to Tong He, he would likely be truly failing Tong He's painstaking efforts to stand alone against the enemy. Furthermore, he understood that Tong He's capabilities far surpassed his own by who knows how much; if he were to return, he would probably become a burden to him to a certain extent.

This was certainly not Qi Fei making up excuses for his own escape, but rather a factual assessment: given Tong He's abilities, his chances of escaping the encirclement of Ma Li's four men alone were obviously many times higher than if he carried a dead weight like himself.